Although some harvesting of hay was happening last week, it is doubtful any hay will be going through the upper hay loft door on this barn since only a small percentage of hay is put up as loose hay anymore and this old barn styles don’t work for the big round bales of hay.
Retired Barn Loft Door
Today is Trinity Sunday in the Western Christian liturgical calendar which celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In various books, including the American Gardening published in 1896, the trillium is often mentioned in connection with Trinity Sunday and the wildflower is also called trinity flower. Nearly all parts of the plant comes in threes. It has 3 broad leaves on each stalk, 3 small green sepals and 3 large white sepals surrounding a group of yellow stamens plus it also has three-sectioned seedpods.
But this year my great white trillium blossoms has already turned pink or dropped their flower petals so only the nodding trilliums were displaying their white flowers yet.
Great White Trillium or Trinity Flower
Upstream from the tallest waterfall in Wisconsin, a smaller or little 30 foot waterfall can be found. But the waters of the Black River puts on a show at the scenic Little Manitou Falls before flowing into the Interfalls Lake and falling 165 feet downstream.
Little Manitou Falls
View a short video of the falls as you listen to the roar of the falling waters.
In short distance, even sometimes just a few feet, the type of wildflowers can change greatly. Just a few miles from my home, a limestone cliff can be found a rural road and at the base of the cliff, a splash of blue caught my eye. Spreading Jacob’s Ladder, a native wildflower of moist shady woodlands, with blue to purple flowers, is also sometimes called Stairway to Heaven, which is fitting since I found it at the base of a cliff and the flower need a lot of stairs or a ladder to get to the top.
Spreading Jacob’s Ladder
While out on a day trip today, one stop was the Wisconsin Point, a peninsula off the shore of Superior, Wisconsin. The point is the world’s largest freshwater bay mouth sand bar. The Wisconsin Point Lighthouse was built in 1913 and is located on the end of the peninsula.
But today the lighthouse wasn’t very visible nor could you see Lake Superior because of the fog rolling in on a chilly afternoon when the temperature was 45 with a colder wind chill. And while I was hoping for a nice sunny day to walk out to the lighthouse, the need for lighthouses and fog horns wouldn’t have existed if the weather was always calm and sunny.
Lighthouse Lost in the Fog
A short video of the lighthouse lost in the fog as the waves roll in on a windy day.
As one batch of kittens start exploring outside as they race through the grass and learn how to climb fences, another batch of kittens where born in the barn. So soon the older group will just become ‘cats’ and the attention will be on the new ‘kittens’ since the babies are always so cute (even if they are marked ugly)!
Board Walking Lesson
With the number of times I got wet today, I feel a bit old and rusty like some of these old pieces of equipment.
Wall of Retired Equipment
Recently Wisconsin State Road 128 was named and dedicated as the 128th Infantry Memorial Highway to honor the service of the members of the 128th Infantry Brigade (formed during the American Civil War) who served in World War I, World War II and in Iraq. The highway passes through the heart of the area where units of the 128th Infantry are located. Part of the dedication was a 22 mile march made by area veterans to bring awareness to the number of American veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and who subsequently commit suicide, which average 22 each day.
So on this Memorial Day, among the cookouts and activities, I hope every one stops and remembers the real reason behind this holiday and the sacrifices of life, from war and because of war, from the men and women serving and protecting our country.
Remembering the Fallen Veterans
Today is Pentecost, from the ancient Christian expression pentekoste hemera, which means “fiftieth day” which was borrowed from the Jewish holiday Shavuot. For Christians, Pentecost is a holiday on which commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus and the start of the church. The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament state, “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. All of a sudden, a sound came from heaven, like a strong wind, filling the house where the people had gathered. Something like tongues of fire rested on their heads.”
These scary clouds look like fire descending from the sky and coming down to earth so maybe what it looked like on first Christian Pentecost.
Fiery Clouds
Yesterday was a nice warm spring day with a sunny sky but there are a few Wisconsinites who like what the weather will be in a half year from now as they prefer the snow and cold, like this hardly soul enjoying a birthday today, who loved exploring the ice caves on the south shore of Lake Superior.
Enjoying the Ice Caves
