fading tulips

Elise

Don & I picked up Dad Sunday morning & headed to Nancy & Mike's house for Easter dinner. Adam & Laura were there with the kids, along with Ashley & Jason. And I finally got to meet Elise who is already nine months old. Crawling all over & standing by furniture. The charts indicate she'll be tall. She is wearing her sister's old but beautiful pink sweater. She's a cutie!

Jack

It's 7:15 am. That time of day. To walk Zeke
and the old dog, Jack.

Harnesses are fastened. Zeke has killed the brown fox
and is first out the door.
Following,
is the old dog, Jack.

First stop is the tree in Al's yard. Sniff around
then he'll pee on the trunk. Zeke patiently waits.
For me & the old dog, Jack.



Before we get around the curve
there is business to put in the sack.
We all know it's because
of that old dog, Jack.



We've finally made it to Sumner.
Go straight or head back?
We ponder these things by the hydrant
with the old dog, Jack.



At Franklin we turn to the right.
The roar of traffic is two blocks away.
Birds sing in the branches above.
And I'm grateful for this walk with my old dog, Jack.





We're coming upon Roberts' Park.
I linger to smell the lilacs.
His nose in the flora at my feet.
Again, it's that old dog Jack.





We head down the hill to come home.
It's shorter to step off the curb & just jaywalk.
I stand my ground
the speeding car may not notice
the old dog, Jack.



We are back in the comfort of home.
He is curled up in his favorite yellow chair.
Life is good.
Thanks to our old dog, Jack.

red tulips

I've had four red tulips blooming under my gingko tree this spring . . .

birthday party

Last weekend we helped Herb, Don's stepfather, celebrate his 90th birthday. Rex came all the way from South Carolina. All of Terry's daughters made it too. Herb was sporting a shiner from surgery earlier in the week. He's recently made the move to a nursing home so we made sure to have extra cake leftover for the staff. Nurses love cake. Especially free cake.

KZUM

Sunday afternoon I was passing through the downtown area & was listening to KZUM on the radio. KZUM is a community radio station that Lincoln is very fortunate to have. I hear great music on this station I won't hear elsewhere in Lincoln. They recently had an on air fundraiser which helps them stay in business. I learned that they are soon to move from the Terminal Building at 10th & O streets to 48th & Calvert where they will have more room. I'd been to their studio before & loved its coziness (meaning small). Knowing that they'd soon be moving motivated me to call into the station Sunday afternoon while Deb Andersen was doing her Wimmin's Show. I asked if I could stop by & take a few photos before they moved out (I just happened to have my camera with me). There just happened to be a person there that could let me into the building & I got some pictures. They also have web streaming so you can listen to them on your computer.

















Thanks, Deb!

the old red barn part 2

Mom & Dad moved onto the family farm around 1957. Dad first worked at places like the cement plant in Superior & also worked in Hastings. He decided he wanted to do something that kept him at home, which led him to milking cows. Holstein cows. The barn had eight stalls for milking. The cows got led into a stall where their head was caught between wooden boards so they couldn't back out. They got a scoop of grain to chew on while they were milked. A surcingle was strapped over the cow's back & a six gallon bucket milker was attached. A vacuum pump milked the cow. The milker was then carried over to the three hundred gallon bulk tank & emptied. At his peak, Dad milked forty-four cows. This job meant he was up at 4 o'clock every morning & a second milking took place about twelve hours later. Milking cows paid the bills. I got these detail from him a couple of days ago. And he said he had spent the previous night milking cows again in his dreams. And after all those years of milking he is still awake at an early hour. Now instead of milking, he is praying rosaries for Mom & whomever else needs his prayers. I have six brothers, so I was never much involved with milking. I do remember after it was all done, they'd throw out the milk soaked filter for the cats to eat. I remember hearing James Taylor singing "You've Got a Friend" on the radio they played when milking. I was often riding a bicycle round & round in the driveway while the afternoon milking was going on. We grew up on whole raw milk. Now I'd think it was cream. Lots of hard work in that red barn. I saw a calf born there. The vet had his arm inside that cow all the way up to his shoulder, trying to get that calf turned & delivered. Many good memories that I enjoy revisiting.