A trip to Minnesota with so many exciting moments means difficulty in  knowing what to do next. My five great grandchildren are (almost) front and center. All gathered at Ben and Tina’s house for dinner my first night here. Marcel and Phaedra’s family: Zander, age 12, the quietest and most grown up of the crew and his sister, Izzy, age 8. Jeff and Christy’s family: Rory, age 7, Teegan, age 4 and Jarvis…with a 2nd birthday last Saturday. Never a dull moment when all are present.

But one of the greatest distractions is Ben and Tina’s yard. Located on a cul-de-sac in Vadnais Heights north of St. Paul…their large back yard leads to a forest of trees and a path through the woods to Vadnais Lake. Birds call constantly. The family all assume that I come to see them, but the outdoors and birds call pop to me.

A robin’s nest on a beam under the second story deck demands a lot of attention…both from the robin parents and us humans who like to watch. Yesterday the three young robins looked pretty big. This morning, the oldest popped out of the nest onto the beam. The next thing we knew we watched the third baby decide to join his family away from the nest.

Other activity in the yard capture my attention also…a female rose-breasted grosbeak, bees and butterflies, a pileated woodpecker and a white-breasted nuthatch.