Cando, ND

Where has the last 2 months gone?? Farmer’s Market ended as the gardens were harvested.  ( my spinach self seeded and is really nice) Nature can do so many interesting things if we just don’t work up the ground before we look to see what birds, winds and whatever have seeded and now is growing. The swiss chard is about over and there are several large beets remaining but,,, that is it for this year.  I always think that next year’s garden will really be nice as I will have more time to take care of it then,,, well, that hasnt happened so far … but maybe next year!

Halloween came and went, the weather was so nice for the kids this year, their costumes didnt have to be covered with winter coats and hats and it seemed the kids enjoyed themselves.

Now to get through the election.  This has many of us very concerned as we see so many changes in the morals of our country. We need to put out the flags, sing our national songs, our National Anthem; God Bless America, America, the Beautiful, any and all songs about our wonderful country.  And everyone, get out and vote.  This election is not over until  after Election Day and all the votes have been counted. And pray for our leaders,  well, we all need prayer for that matter…..

What a beautiful fall!  I have been on the road, first to the Langdon/Walhalla area for a day of painting with the area Brush Bunch.  We spent the day at Frost Fire lodge looking at the Walhalla gorge and painting the scenes!  What a wonderful day, each person did his/her own work, pen and ink, pencil sketching, oil painting, watercolor and pastels were all used. 

Now this past week, I went to Killdeer to repaint 2 Church statues, this was a job!  The statues were about life sized and had been painting beige in the 70’s and now they were to be done in colors again.  So, I went there with my airbrush and paints.  It was such a nice time there, I finished Thurs. and  Friday I came home with 4 more smaller statues to do as I can find time.  These are from Mandaree; so driving from Killdeer to Mandaree we saw a section of the Badlands and that is just so unbelievable, with deer everywhere and open range cattle.  There has been enough rain to still have green colors with all the fall colors. (Course the Walhalla area is very green.)   Then on Friday morning on the way home, driving on highways 8 and 1806, one gets to see the energy developments of the area, the oil wells and the coal mines and all the electrical lines.  It gives one such a feeling of ‘future’ for North Dakota.   Also….. I came across the vultures, right off the road maybe 4-6 miles north of Halliday.  This time I got pictures of these blizzards feasting on a deer carcass in the ditch. So, if you want to see blizzards, just go Halliday and north several miles!  Anyways, it was a beautiful day to be driving across our state, this was a 715 mile trip and I enjoyed every mile of it.  We have so much to see in North Dakota

This seasons Farmer’s market is half over as the weeks go by and the vegatables, etc. come and go with the season.  The spring vegetables are gone, lettuce has gotten bitter, radishes, peas, spinach etc are gone, oh, there are some lettuces just right for now. Not mine, I had a spring garden.  Now I am depending on fruit.  Raspberrries are half picked, the gooseberries are done, what is left I will make up myself in a raspberry-gooseberry pie recipe found on the computer. And it will be September before the bumper crop of grapes will be ready.  The chokecherries are few, the apples are just getting ready.  Others have corn and tomatoes, cukes, and squash, all kinds of vegatables that I didnt plant.  At least not this year, it was a different gardening year, seeds were planted but the rains didnt happen at the right times and so… what came, came. And I didnt have time to replant,  Thank God, there is always next year!

 We are having more people come to Farmer’s Market, mostly the older ladies and it is good to see that they want the best of vegetables and fruits, the organicly grown products.  Churches Ferry Day is Sat. Aug 30th so will have to get ready to sell some items there. Maybe I will have to do some sewing projects for that if I cant find any garden products. Here’s hoping for a nice sunny day.

Once again, Horizons has met a need in Cando.  When the Community Library was new (1999), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donated a computer, server and printer to us.  It has been updated, and 3 others added, but it was time to replace our first NEW computer.  How could we afford this?

 The answer came through Horizons and its committees.  The computer and printer awarded for doing the required blogging has been donated to the Library!  Today the initial part of the installing was done AND many books from the NDSU Extension Service Center for Community Vitality Horizon Program were donated to the Library.  Come in and see the help we’ve been given!

A special thanks to Gail Getty for doing all the background work: arranging to get the computer and books, and now delivering all of these good things.  We are hoping to get this new computer networked with the computer at the main desk so that anyone can access our “card catalog” (Concourse Opac), something we have not had for a long time.

THANKS again for the many things that have been done to keep the Library open and improvements added!

With only a couple of days left of summer vacation, at least calendar wise, let us review what has been available for the kids of Cando.  First, right after school let out last spring, there were at least 3 Vacation Bible camps, then started baseball and softball. Next came swimming lessons. Then there was the summer art camp for grade and junior high kids, and Kinderart for the younger kids.  And then summer theater.  And tennis lessons.  Some time had to go to piano lessons and Library summer reading programs.  No wonder the Moms’ are ready for the kids to go back to school,,, they are worn out taking the kids to all the events!  And there are events out of town to go to also, like camping, gynmastics and guitar lessons.   Where was the summer free time?  Time to just sit and watch clouds, look for frogs or pretty flowers, leaves or feathers.

A thriving, vibrant community is like a good cupcake recipe that has been handed down for generations.  A variety of people with different opinions and experiences are like the eggs, flour, sugar and flavorings. Community committees, organizations and councils that work together well are like the cupcake ingredients all mixed up and baked at the right temperature for the correct amount of time. A successful communty event is like a mouthwatering cupcake eaten right out of the oven.  But just as it takes a yummy, creamy, flavorful frosting to make a truly unforgettable cupcake, it takes willing and dedicated volunteers to make a community truly viable, valuable and unforgettable.  Shelly Lord (pictured) is just one of the many Cando volunteers who help this community bake up beautifully!  Yesterday Shelley and Rebecca Kingsley (not pictured) donated their day to judge the 4-H Communication Arts contest held in Langdon, helping 4-Her’s become better public speakers and demonstrators.  Thanks to all the many volunteers who give of their time and talents towards making Cando the Cream of the Crop!

There was good attendance at the organizational meeting this month. Topics that where discussed was coming up with a name of the club and area birding sites. Both are are going to be on the agenda at the upcoming meeting Wednesday June 18th, at 6:30 pm the the City Park. Field trip to follow so bring your bird books and binoculars. Hope to see you there.

Thursday was a big day at the Cando Community Library: the count was 82, and 35 of these were children signing up for the Summer Reading Program: “Catch the Reading Bug”.  Some of the new books with Bugs as the subject, and others with popular authors, will be paid for with City Sales Tax reserved for the Youth of Cando.  There are also 65 new books from the Libri Foundation in Oregon.  This is a grant we can apply for every 3 years.  We sent $350 from the Friends of the Library (a fund-raiser in December called Season’s Readings), and the Libri Foundation let us choose books from their list.  The bill would have been $1060 if we purchased them in a store; a GREAT deal!!

The Kick-Off party for the summer program was: riddles by the Librarian, an interaction story about Anasi with Connie Elsperger reading very expressively to the group, and a fun Mad-Lib story with which Becky Kingsley entertained the group.   Then snacks and bug juice! and the kids went home ready to read books they chose, new and old.   The total number of books checked out this one day (by adults as well as children) was almost 150!

Have you caught the Reading Bug yet?  It’s contagious!! and “a Picnic” as the sign on the front window of the Library says.

This past month I have been working for the Soil Conservation district planting trees and  today we finished planting. Now, a few days selling the left over trees at low prices to the town and surrounding area.  Just one more way to beautify our town and area.  Planting trees is a real investment in the future.  Some trees have about a 100 year life expectance and so will be around a long time.  Older people come in and buy trees, some wanting a tree that will grow fast so they can see it mature and others are looking to leave something behind when they are gone.  For whatever reason, planting trees is a good idea. Those who see beauty in nature, see beauty in about everything and trees can be so beautiful.  Three more tree selling days and we are done for another year.

On May 20th, the Cando fire hall invited children of all ages, to come learn about the safety of riding their bikes. Those who had no helmets, got new ones. Repairs were made on bikes, and they talk about riding tips to the children and parents. A video was shown to the children about bike safety. Prizes and snacks was also given. Thank you to all volunteers who donated time and supplies for this event. The children had a great time!