Sharon and I disagree about the Rockwall Garden. She believes it 'looks like a jungle', whereas I think it approximates the spirit of the prairie.

In its second year the bed is thriving. The fact that we're in approaching record setting June rainfall totals more than likely contributes to the natives setting down their roots.



I. Butterfly weed (yellow / orange), Bee Balm (purple), Marigold (orange)




II. Purple prairie clover (foreground) and rudbeckia (background)




III. Looking northeast the hickory (~80') is surrounded by heirloom rudbeckia, cup plant, joe pye weed, and lead plant -- none of which is less the 5' tall




IV. Looking over the anise hysop and reed feather grass at the heirloom rudbeckia and cup plant





V. Buds at the top of the rudbeckia

Father's Day 2010

Quiet day. Warm with the threat of rain throughout the day.

Since it cleared up after Mass, Sharon and Arianna gave me permission to work / play in the garden. In the couple hours I spent outside I sowed Dill seed, moved two ornamental grasses, some penstemon, and most importantly thinned / relocated nodding pink onion from the Cottage Garden.

Since we're all still sick, my suggestion of cooking out was handily taken up. Sharon and Arianna planned a wonderful meal, which included two fresh pies: rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb.



I. Arianna is too easy to make laugh




II. The gardener's glove




III. Arianna's favorite color for Grandpa




IV. What's this?




V. Large

Old World Wisconsin

Our first trip this Summer was to Old World Wisconsin. OWW is a "living museum" of 19th century rural Wisconsin life.

The museum consists of a variety of farms and a rural town. Buildings are all authentic but were moved from various Wisconsin locations. Each building has a costumed guide, each of whom was able to tell the stories of the original owners of the homes, as well as describe the different ways in which the ethnic groups approached life on the Wisconsin prairie.

Being fans of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, we were fascinated to see the books' descriptions come to life.

This was a wonderful outing! Eagle, WI isn't that far; only 90 minutes from our house, we enjoyed the drive. We spent between 4 and 5 hours at the museum, walking most of the time but also taking the tram between the different settlements.

But, even though we spent most of the day touring the different exhibits, we still didn't see everything. An entire section of the museum -- the German and Polish farms -- as well as numerous stops here and there were missed entirely.




I. Brochure and sun hat -- indispensable for the trip





II. Harness makers house





III. Herbs drying in a farmer's house





IV. general store





V. Arianna and Sharon in the kitchen





VI. Arianna snaps a picture of Daddy at the Dane's well





VII. Sheep graze





VIII. Arianna and Sharon playing a "game of graces"





IX. Sharon turning a hoop





X. Arianna turning a hoop

Too soon spoken

Last night around 10 pm another line of violent storms ripped through Chicagoland. Although the rain was moderate, the wind was fierce.

This morning, as I turned from picking up the newspaper at the end of the driveway, I was astonished to see that I hadn't escaped the storm unharmed. Two hickories' limbs were laying on the lawn in the backyard.

So, I cleaned it up as best I could . . . the one tree's limb weighs several hundred pounds and will require a chain saw . . . before everybody work up and Sharon, Arianna, and I made our way north to Old World Wisconsin.

Storms

Just as I was about to leave the office, Arianna telephoned me to let me know that is was hailing in Sleepy Hollow. I looked out the the office windows and to the west a line of dark clouds were bearing down. I could not pull myself together quick enough though. So, I camped out for a good thirty minutes waiting for the worst of the storm to blow over.

On the drive home Tom Skilling reported 70+ mph wind gusts throughout the metropolitan area. The winds were so fierce that panes of glass tumbled from Sears Tower!

I was relieved to get home without incident and even more relieved to find that none of our trees were damaged in the storm.

Everybody's sick . . . again (still?)

Grandpa's taken to his bed.

Oma's got a "lung infection" -- whatever that means. (And, still hasn't seen a cardiologist.)

And the old dog . . . ? He's finally caught "the cold" too. (Couldn't possibly be the result of handkerchiefs left around the house by a little girl.)

Hawkey Town

A colleague's wife works downtown and snapped this picture yesterday afternoon. Captain Toews' enthusiasm was infectious: an estimated 2 million Chicagoans reveled with the team on Michigan Avenue yesterday. See here.

Dorothy & Her Friends In Oz

This evening was the opening of the school play - Dorothy & Her Friends In Oz. Sharon and the 8th graders who participate in The Little Thespians read Baum's books, chose the stories they liked, and "work shopped" a performance. They've been at it since March.

The play was well attended and well received. Although the kids need to learn how to speak-up and pace themselves, it was very very enjoyable. Sharon, the kids, and a couple other Moms work hard to make these productions (this is the forth play Sharon's directed at St. Catherine's) the best they can possibly be.

I couldn't be more proud of Sharon's contribution of time and talent.

A tongue as big as a pear

Last week Mother was rushed to Henry Ford Hospital in Clinton Township. She had an allergic reaction to medication, which resulted in the swelling of her tongue.

In the hospital she was heavily sedated and put on a respirator for several days. After the medications were flushed from her system and the allergic reaction subsided, she was taken off the respirator.

As a consequence of being hooked up to the battery of machines in the ICU, it was discovered that Mother has an arterial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat that results in a pooling of blood in a location where it ought not be.

Late Friday I was asked to drive up to Michigan to lend a hand. So, here I am caring for my Mother: getting her meals, helping her in and out of bed, and so forth. Yesterday -- against my recommendation -- I drove her to the dentist and the podiatrist. It exhausted her. Walking from her apartment to the car was a chore in and of itself -- and one that took an inordinate amount of time because Mother could not walk but a few feet before she had to stop and rest.

An emotional couple of days, which will come to an end tomorrow as Michael is off work and can look after her.

There's a lot to be concerned about. Not the least of which is whether Mother can continue to live on her own.

Last day of school

I try to take a vacation day on the first and last day of school. On the last day of school students typically attend Mass and are then dismissed. This year, because Arianna did so well -- 1st Honors all four quarters -- I treated the family to lunch at the Colonial Cafe. (And then we went grocery shopping. So much for an extraordinary day.)



I. Arianna eats her last bowl of Coco Wheats as a 4th grader




II. Anxious at my taking a picture at a red light




III. Arianna and classmates waiting for their parents

Self-portrait