Category Archives: fun

Morning encounter

July 30, 2019Farming, fun, photography, wildlifesusanmanzke

Bob and I took a ride down our farm lane before 8 this morning. It was cool out and buggy. We never expected to see deer. The crops and grasses are getting tall and making it harder to see whitetail.

We saw this doe at the far end of our lane. She watched us for a while, even coming closer.

Eventually, she turned and ran.

Sunny was riding with us and enjoyed the deer sighting, too. It was a good start to our day. Now we are getting ready for another Farmer’s Market in Seymour. Hope to see you there.

Camp Manzke

July 28, 2019Family, fun, Memoriessusanmanzke

It was cloudy when our campout started on our farm Thursday evening. One tent went up, but Rebecca and Andy decided to wait for the rest of the family to arrive on Friday before staying the night.

The rest of the weekend’s weather was near perfect, a little hot, a little windy, but near perfect.

This is what our backyard looked like by Friday evening. Four families divided into tents and popup camper. One tent had just girls and the popup had just boys. A third tent had one teenager.

Bob and I stayed up past our bedtime to sit around the campfire with our family. We did not go into any tent. We went up to our bedroom where we slept with our dog and two cats. (Actually, we left Sunny our dog to spend the night in the kitchen with Rachel’s dog, Jade. That way they both had company.)

Early Saturday, we went to the Outagamie County Fair to see the animals.

In the afternoon the kids had a water balloon fight.

Sitting under the night sky, seeing shooting stars, and being with family was the best.

Camp Manzke begins

July 25, 2019Columns, Family, fun, Memoriessusanmanzke

First campfire of our long weekend.

First tent going up. More to come tomorrow.

Serenity helps hook up the tent.

Now time to eat pudgy pies.

Under the canopy

July 23, 2019crafts, creativity, fun, Odds and ends, worksusanmanzke

It’s Tuesday, so once again we were at the Seymour Farmer’s Market.

The weather was predicted to have pop-up showers today, but lucky for us none popped here. We had a nice day with a lovely breeze.

There could have been more shoppers at the market, but maybe they were saving themselves for the county fair which started tonight with a tractor pull. Bob entertained himself by watching all the trailers with tractors on them, driving to the fair. Most were IH.

From our booth/canopy we could see the people to our west who were selling handmade teddybears and a bunch of other crocheted items.

East of us was a couple selling vegetables.

See the blue cooler on the table to the left above the yellow bucket. A little boy was selling lemonade at the end of his mother’s table. Bob and I bought a cup from him for fifty cents each.

All in all, it was another nice Tuesday.

Rock hunting

July 13, 2019art, crafts, creativity, Family, fun, naturesusanmanzke

Today Rebecca and Andy came for a visit. Andy grilled hot dogs for our lunch and I went rock hunting with Rebecca.

Our daughter creates beautiful copper trees. She sells them in shops and under our canopy at the Seymour Farmer’s Market.

Her trees are all mounted on rocks, most of which she found on her dad’s rock pile on the farm.

As I sat on our cart, Rebecca went rock hunting. She looks them all over and only takes the best rocks for her trees.

One by one Rebecca takes the cream of the rock pile.

Andy says Rebecca has enough rocks at home, but there will never be enough rocks for our daughter and her copper trees.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person