We were foiled again by the big sky this weekend. After days of blue and sunshine that was working miracles on turning things green and purple and yellow and other glorious spring colors, in its predictably unpredictable bipolar attitude it freaked out and poured down snow and freezing rain, covering us in ice and white and shutting the lights off in the little ranch house for hours.
I was pretty pissed, I’m not gonna lie. For a few minutes.
Until I realized that it was a perfect excuse to leave the laundry for another day.
And the dishes, and the vacuuming and the yard work and the emails and all things productive in general.
Ok. Ok. I took one more snow day in stride.
And read a book.
And cried and got all depressed because my favorite books are the sad kind.
Dammit.
But that’s it. That’s all.
Cause I want more of this…
and a little less of this…
I love a good adventure, but a girl has her limits. And snow heavy enough to snap tree branches on the last day of April is pushing that limit.
Anyway, the thing about spring snow is that it is gone before you even get the chance to use all of your favorite curse words. So when I was on my way out the door yesterday, the green grass looked like it was making its way to the surface again.
Phew.
Because today I am hitting the road on behalf of the North Dakota Humanities Council to learn about a community that was home to the first North Dakota Farm and I will be interviewing two women who are working the land for a living.
I can’t wait to hear the stories.
And can’t wait to see if anyone can guess what town in North Dakota I will be visiting this morning based on the hint above.
First correct answer (for those not related to me who know my schedule) wins a matted 8×10 metallic print of this photo sent directly to the comfort of your home.
I think it’s appropriate given the feisty attitude of the season.
Because nothing fixes a Melty Monday like a prize.
Love ya!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... 
Hi Jessie!
I believe the first white farming settlement in North Dakota was in/near Pembina, North Dakota.
Katie Tyler
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! And quick to boot. I was in Cavalier in Pembina County, home of the first North Dakota Farm. It is definitely still agriculture country! Send me your address to jessieveeder@gmail.com and I’ll get your prize in the mail asap!
Thanks for playing!
I understand your feelings totally about the April snow. Here in Oregon we’ve just endured the second wettest April on record. Rain, rain, rain. It’s a wonder May flowers haven’t drowned trying to make a show. Oh, we had a few peeps of blue, as my mother used to say, “about enough to make a Dutchman’s breeches.”
Irene I think that it has been a rough spring for many across the country. I guess it makes the sunshine all the sweeter! Here’s to a little more of that for you too.
You’re going to be dressed in your pouffy pony tail, baseball hat and muck boots, armed with camera.
Yeah, it looked something like that…
Hang in there…just a bit longer. It was 97 yesterday and this morning it’s 46. I feel ya!
97?!! I can’t even imagine it! But it does hit that temperature around here, in July and August and that’s when I hit the lake, no questions asked:) Looking forward to that!
Mother Nature was messin’ with my mood too! Not only do I get mad about the weather, I also get mad that it has such an effect on me! Grrr. Nice today though. And, as for the trivia, my search came up with Pembina also, which Katie already answered, so no win for me. But thanks for the bit of history lesson! 🙂
Thanks for playing Florida! I bet the weather is extra hard on you having been used to much warmer temps during spring. I usually try to keep positive, but I allowed myself a grump out for a good 60 minutes…then tried to get over it. Hunkering down has its perks too I guess 🙂 Stay warm and onward spring!
Gorgeous picture of the crocus! I tried taking pictures of the ones on my folks’ ranch the other day, but they hadn’t really bloomed yet, and then it started raining, so that didn’t help my case any, either! But that picture you posted is stunning! 🙂
Annika, aren’t the crocuses something? I had been scouting them out in the places they are usually pop up and was pretty excited when they finally appeared…so excited I dedicated an post to the crocus itself 🙂 You can see more photos of the flowers here
https://veederranch.com/2011/04/25/how-do-the-crocuses-know/
Happy Spring!
Well, my heart wants to say Pembina since that is where my family entered in the late 1800’s. My mind says probably Fargo since it is further south on the Red River and traders would have started there but you are way west of these and I am thinking neither are right but I don’t know a lot about the western side of the state. I guess I will go with Pembina.
ps. I don’t live in ND any more and thought the crocus you posted looked very different than what grow in flower beds. My daughter looked at your pics and said those are prairie crocus the flower representing Manitoba and they are an endangered species. The upside is she lives in Milwaukee, WI next door to a coffee shop and they have planted the prairie crocus all along their shop and that is all they have this time of year in their huge flower beds. Yay for coffee shops.
I do still have a farm near Pembina .however and miss it terribly.
Hi Cindy! You were indeed correct with Pembina County. I took a long trip east to learn a bit more about the area and understand why you miss the place. Great people and landscape.
Also, I love that they planted prairie crocuses in Milwaukee…they are certainly a treasure.
Here’s a link to a post I dedicated the flower last week. Lots more pictures
https://veederranch.com/2011/04/25/how-do-the-crocuses-know/
Happy Spring!
I’d also go with Pembina….Rich
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