My Favorite Photos - June 2023

Many of my favorite photos are of flowers that I took in June. Since I already did a post about the flowers, I will not be including them in this one. 

One of the projects I started at Gammelgården Museum is a new bluebird trail. There are two volunteers who are monitoring the ten nest boxes. Within a few weeks of installing the boxes, we had our first brood of bluebirds! Since that time, all five sucessfully fledged and now there's another brood in the box.

In one of the boxes, there are tree sparrows. What a contrast to the bluebird nest with all the feathers.

Saw this little frog relaxing in the shade.

The bumblebees are around visiting the flowers. Look at how much pollen this one collected. 

In our backyard, we had a nest box with black-capped chickadees. 

The girls are home from college now. Olivia accompanied me to work one day and had the opportunity to learn how to use the weaving loom at the museum. Parts of it were built in 1879 in Sweden and then brought to the United States where it was completed by a new bride and her husband. It was used by her until the mid-60s and then by another woman until 1999. 

 

We have had several deer families at our home. This is the first one we saw. The mother came to our front door one day and set off the Ring doorbell. Nearby was her little fawn. This is a view on another day of the two in the front yard.

This is the mother. She's giving her fawn a tour of all the plants to eat. 

The 6th graders had their class play. It was nice to see the students who I worked with in different roles and challenging themselves to do something out of their comfort zone.

We celebrated Father's Day with dinner at home. The girls surprised Paige the night before with getting a hotel room in Downtown Minneapolis, having dinner, and then the next day (Father's Day) going bowling at a place they haven't been to before. 

The smoke from wildfires has been very thick here. This is what the sunrise looked like one morning. 

On another morning, it was clear when I took the dogs for a walk. The farmer of this field had the hay rounds all baled and ready for transport.

One day, Sophia and I took all the dogs for a walk. Since Father's Day, I've been walking the younger and bigger two dogs early in the morning since it gets so hot and humid by mid-morning.

At the beginning of June, the 6th grade class at the elementary school where I worked had their last day and graduation ceremony at Gammelgården. Two of the students wanted to take a walk with me to the pond. We saw this female redwing blackbird in the reeds.

The students stopped on the bridge and we watched the birds and other pond life for a while.

There was cake afterward the DARE ceremony and 6th grade ceremony. This student made me laugh. He chose not to use a fork and dove right into eating the cake. Later he came back - slightly panicked - when I showed him all the cake on his face. It took lots of paper towels to get the frosting off his face. 

The trees at our home are getting taller each year. 

This is the house from the driveway. The peony bed is to the right. The peonies were here when we moved to the home in 1995.

This is a view of the pasture. Most of the pond has dried up now because of the hot weather and lack of rain. 

In early June at work, a children's choir that sings Swedish songs and wears traditional Swedish folk outfits came to the museum. These two were the youngest ones in the choir.

This is the full group - children and adults - including the musicians. 

One of the folk dresses hung in the hallway at the museum while the group had lunch.

I've been enjoying the sunrises when the dogs I go on walks around 5:30-6:45 a.m.

In the middle of the month, we hosted Dalapalooza. One of the activities was painting cookies. 

The participants also painted wooden Dala horses. These are some that had received two coats of paint and were drying outside during lunch.

These were six of the 16 Dala horses that were made by children and adults.

Sophia and I went to Duluth on a Tuesday that I had off of work so she could take her driver's test. We stopped at Tobie's - the midway point between where we live and Duluth. This is a place where my parents stopped when they took the family up north. So, it is full of memories. 

Sophia passed her driver's test (and needless to say was THRILLED!). We celebrated with lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really good! 

Towards the end of the month, one of the museum's supporters, Eleanor, came to the museum. She is 91 years old (the same age that my Dad would have been had he been living). She came to see the Midsommar decorations and the current art exhibit. Enjoyed talking with her and her aide over dessert and lemonade.

For Midsommar at the museum, I wanted to have a floral crown/headdress made. However, when I went to the florist I found out it would be about $75 because of all the handwork involved. Choosing flowers (like the ones I selected below) still would have cost about $50. I opted not to wear a floral crown this year. Maybe next year. 

On June 24th, there was a major event - Midsommardagen - at the museum. One of the vendors was a tintype photographer. He did old-fashioned photographs of people dressed in traditional Swedish or pioneer clothing. 

This is an example of a tinytype. It is of the American Swedish Institute (ASI) Cloudberries. 

This is a picture of some of the choral group in color.

This is the museum's intern. He has been incredibly helpful with event set-up and management, and painting/refreshing the museum's children's wooden games and objects. The pails are used with the yoke to show children what hauling water was like in the early-settler days.

 

One of the items that was refreshed was the Dala horse croquet set. 

At Midsommar, people wear flower crowns. Some of people made them at the museum with flowers that the intern and director cut the day before the event. 

  

At Midsommar, there was a group of youth dancers. The girls are wearing the national folk dress of Sweden.

  

I've enjoyed seeing friends and neighbors at events at the museum as well as at the farmers market where the Lions handed out free native wildflower plants and activity kits focused on creating native wildflower seed balls.

  

On my birthday, I put together a "Mystery Trip" - only I knew where we were going. We made many stops including going to Downtown Minneapolis. We walked near the place where my parents had their wedding anniversary (the light-cream brick building). I believe it was the women's club in 1964.

We went to the Foshay Tower to go up to the 30th floor where they have a museum and observation deck. Even though the website says the observation deck is open, it isn't. So, that was disappointing. The museum didn't have any lights on and no light switches could be found. We ended up walking through it with our phones' flashlights. 

 

The next day at work, I was surprised by a party that the director had put together for me. The museum's intern, who enjoys baking, made this three-level cake. The bottom level is actually 2 levels and the top is a cake-topper that is filled with fresh-picked strawberries. It was amazing!

The 30th was Sophia's 22 1/2 birthday. We still celebrate half-birthdays. We went to see the new Indiana Jones movie which we enjoyed.

When we came home, we gave Sophia some presents and a card. The wool fox purse matches a bag she got overseas that has fabric with foxes on it.

The Ultimate Side Hustle Book - 450 Moneymaking Ideas for the Gig Economy

 A recent book I browsed through was The Ultimate Side Hustle Book - 450 Moneymaking Ideas for the Gig Economy by Elana Varon. As I'm trying to think of ways to earn money when Olivia begins college, I'm looking at some side hustle books. This one had quite a few ideas that sound intriguing and worth exploring. 

The ones I'm most interested in or intrigue me are:

- Arts or Crafts Teacher - teach art or craft classes to adults or children. Need experience with the medium or method you are teaching, a teaching degree or certification if teaching at a school. Teachers charge students for materials, but for photography courses, students bring their own equipment. Can offer private lessons to groups or individuals. Promote lessons on social media. Teach through adult education programs. Charge per student - about $60 or more for an hour lesson. Earnings depend on what is left after your expenses.

- Lesson Plan Creator - sell your lesson plans and teaching materials to other teachers. Post materials to online marketplaces where teachers sell lesson plans and materials. Set your own rates for materials. Sites take a cut plus may require membership. Prices range from less than $1 to $15 or more.

- Baker - sell baked goods, such as cookies. Need to be able to bake plus comply with state and local cottage food laws. May be able to sell your products from your home. Customers and social media generate orders. Set up a booth at the local farmers' markets or events. Sell through local stores. Price your products to cover your costs and time.

- Fiber Artist - make woven clothing, accessories, or home goods. Need to be good-quality items. Need yarns and equipment. Sell online, farmers' or crafts markets, or in stores. Use social media to market your work. Cover your costs and pay yourself for your time. Craft artists make an average of $19 per hour.

- Personal Chef - cook meals for clients in their homes. Know how to cook nutritious everyday meals. Professional training can help you get started. Get friends and customers who have had your cooking spread the word. Network with friends on social media to promote your services and meet potential customers. Private chefs can earn $30 per hour or more. 

- Photographer - Event or Portrait - photograph weddings, individuals, families, children, or pets. Need artistic ability, experience capturing individual personalities and group relationships, and ability to create rapport with reluctant subjects. Having a portfolio enables you to showcase your abilities. Need a camera, lenses, and related equipment. Just as with the above side hustles, social media, friends, and customers seem the best way to get leads. Event photographers can charge $100 or more per hour and wedding photographers get $2,000 on the average per event. Portrait photographers earn about $20 per hour.

- Photographer - Prints - shoot images to sell as artwork. Know how to compose, shoot, and edit photos. Hospitals, libraries, and places of worship may show work for sale by local artists. Galleries and art shows are other options. Cover your costs and time plus whatever fee a gallery or shop takes out. Average pay is about $20 per hour.

- Social Media Marketer - write social media posts for companies, interact with followers, and manage social media accounts. Need writing, digital marketing experience, a social media presence, and knowledge of social media metrics. Need a computer, smartphone, and reliable internet service. Join an online freelance platform, network with colleagues, and promote your services on social media. Pay ranges from $10 to $50+ per hour.

- Event Planner - plan and organize conferences, lectures, or social events. Bring an event concept to fruition. Develop and work within a budget. Coordinate vendors such as caterers, florists, speakers, and entertainers. Start by planning small, social, community, or business events. Network with people you know, promote your services on social media, and get referrals from people who have attended events you planned. Earn about $25 per hour.

- Home Organizer - help people arrange their space and reduce clutter. Have experience organizing closets, drawers, and living spaces. Take classes to improve your skills. Do projects for your friends and use social media. Pay ranges from $40-$200 per hour, depending on your experience and location. 

- Party Planner - plan and organize parties, such as birthdays and special occasions. Identify a niche theme - children's birthday parties, baby showers, spa treatments. Need equipment and supplies. Can earn anywhere from $250 to $2,000 depending on the type of event and number of guests.

- Slide Presentation Designer - create presentation slide decks. Have design ability, business, marketing, or industry knowledge; storytelling ability; and expertise using PowerPoint. Leads - start-up companies that need a library of slide decks for presenting to funders and customers. Rates vary. For formatting and basic editing, it may be less than $20 per hour. Someone with proven storytelling and design skills can charge $100 per hour and up. 

- Balloon Twister - make balloon sculptures on-demand at parties or events, or create balloon art as party decorations. Know the craft. Friends, neighbors, colleagues, and neighborhood or community groups can be sources of work. About $100 per hour is common or by the piece.

- Food Tour Guide - take groups to visit local restaurants and food shops to teach them about local specialities or a type of cuisine. Know the food and establish relationships with local restaurants and food shop owners. Some cities require tour guides to have a license. Network with hotel concierges, restaurant managers, specialty food shops, and travel agents. Give free tours to generate word-of-mouth referrals and social media posts. List your tours on travel and food business review sites. Guides who work for tour companies earn about $13 per hour. Earnings are higher for independent guides. If you charge $25 per person for a two-hour tour, you'll make $50 per hour with a family of four. 

- Mock Juror - give only survey feedback to attorneys about their cases before trial. Have to meet minimum requirements. Sign up on a mock jury site. This one has multiple sites listed. Jurors are paid $10-$50, depending on the site.