It's going to be a beautiful day today. One more day of working at the office and then we are off to Medora for a weekend. Hopefully we will be able to get some wonderful shots of the badlands and surrounding area as well as see Teddy Roosevelt's performance at the amphitheater.

I haven't been doing too much by way of photography, but I did get through my two workshops at Woman Song and am inspired to work towards filling a booth with something wonderful. I have a whole year... and all you artists out there know how that works.

In the meantime, Christmas is coming and there's ETSY.com where I hope to post some of my bags and stuff to move it out of here and then I will have some cash flow.

Be good.

Wow, it's gone. Where has it gone. Well... wedding, auction, softball, you name it, it's been a busy three months and we have received some welcome rain these past two days.

Next weekend is Woman Song. I'm packed and ready to roll. I'm hoping to sell some stuff and then put the rest on Etsy. It would be so awesome to go back to designing full time again. But, oh well. Here we go on a new adventure at the Ag Dept. The folks are nice, but we have a long way to go on a local foods initiative. This may be a good place to keep up locally, however, I don't see so many people visiting. We are going to Medora the following weekend and then I will add some photos to this site. I miss photography the most.

That's correct. This is the time of year to be out and about looking for the blooms of wild flowers and native grasses of the prairie.

I do not profess to be an expert, just a photographer that loves to shoot wild things.

If there is an incorrectly identified plant, or an unknown that you can help identify for my future power point presentation, let me know... enjoy.

It's July 14. Today Claire begins her new job. Good Luck Claire.

The sun rose about 6:15 a.m. a big beautiful red ball in the sky. The deer have been eating my bird seed again, so I will fix them. Cayenne pepper.

I miss the grosbeaks and other cool birds that were here earlier this spring. But, last night while digging through my boxes of books, I found many informational pamphlets for backyard bird feeding.

I'm considering becoming a wild bird yard.

As far as art projects. My dyed black jacket did not turn out like I had hoped. But, I will continue on...

On the other hand, my stained glass trinkets and dyed fork have potential. Also spent some time stringing beads for another necklace. The bad news is... I'm running out of time. So, I really need to begin finishing projects and not starting any more.

Today, however... it's back to work.

Mr. Colorado Spruce, who had held up the corner of Fifth Avenue N.W. and Second Street N.W. since around 1928, died at his home.

At 80 years old, Spruce sported a trunk nearly 7 feet around and towered well above his peers in the entire downtown area. C.F. and Mary Kelsch, who built the home he protected, brought him to life shortly after completing landscaping.

Spruce was the victim of a lightening storm that crashed through the area Thursday evening around 8 p.m. A simultaneous crack of thunder and shot of lightening brought down the magnificent specimen of a tree.

Fortunately for the homeowner, neighbors reported the lightning danced between the high wires in the alley between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue N.W. before bouncing off the former Matt’s Appliance workshop and traveling east, hitting Spruce’s uppermost spire.

Roxanne Jacobson, owner, said because of the direction of the strike, the portion of Spruce above the roofline of the brick home, that happens to be the same age as its former guardian, broke in a corkscrew fashion and avoided hitting its ward. He came to rest along side the south yard of the house.

Besides blowing his top, Spruce’s trunk was split in half all the way to the ground, making it imperative he be cut down that evening.

Jacobson said the entire structure shook and the electrical breakers blew. Mandan Fire Department was dispatched because smoke was detected in the house. After careful inspection, the department deemed nothing was on fire and power was restored.

Next door neighbor Donna Froelich was just turning into her driveway when she heard the crack of thunder. Hearing something hit the van; she assumed it was hailing and pulled under the neighbor’s tree as quickly as possible, only discovering later it was pieces of Spruces’ uppermost branches hitting the top of her vehicle.

More neighbors became curious and began venturing out of their homes by ones and twos, like ants discovering a large crumb, to gather on the corner to offer condolences and support.

Mandan attorney Bruce Bair recalls that Spruce was a mere sapling about the time that he was born and had always admired the grand tree when passing by.

Deeply rooted in the community, Spruce stood watch over the neighborhood for many years providing shelter to birds and squirrels alike. He provided pinecones for many school children’s projects. Sometimes, you could see crystal tears in the uppermost branches of Mr. Spruce, shed for things we will never know.

After the accident, one last gift was discovered from Mr. Spruce; the entire neighborhood smelled like a Montana pine forest on a warm winter day.

Cremation, or maybe chipping, has taken place.

Condolences may be left online at www.mandan-news.com or e-mailed to sue@mandan-news.com.

See more photos in the album.

Many of my friends thought spidersue was an unusual name for my email address.. however, when I was weaving and selling my handwoven clothing nationally - it made sense.

One day, my friend Cindy told me she was going to have her tattoo colored. I was shocked that this quiet mother of three young girls would even have a tattoo. I said, "I want a tattoo, too."

At the time, I had not given thought to what kind of a tattoo I would want, so I pondered the question.

Eventually, it came to me. Spiders are weavers and Cindy had a cool print of a spider, so that was it. Three of us gathered in Fargo for a day of tattooing and then lunch. One of us did not get a tattoo and that person will remain nameless for this chapter in my life.

He'll know who he is if ever stumbling upon this site.

Dolores the spider tattoo has been the subject of may conversations. It is my discovery that many more men are scared of spiders than women...