Border Wars

Whenever the Green Bay Packers play the Minnesota Vikings, this area calls it Border Wars because our local television station is in the twin cities of Superior, WI and Duluth, MN.  What a game last night!  I'm not really a big sports fan, but I couldn't miss this match up.  Glad to say that we (Wisconsin) won! 

A Downside to the Northwoods

We received a post card from Sawyer County that it was time to clean out our septic tank.  If you don't know what a septic tank is, you can skip this blog entry.  Looking through the phone book for someone to handle this task, we saw some interesting choices:

• Scott's "I take crap from everyone."
• Fragrant Septic
• Lynn's Honeywagon
• Yesterday's Meals on Wheels 

Instead of choosing, we called a neighbor who recommended Fragrant.  His truck had a picture of a skunk smelling a flower.  Suggestions to us:  switch from Tide and use single-ply.  On the upside, he said we had a good-looking drain field.  If I had a nickel every time I heard that, I would be a rich woman.

Another lesson learned about people in rural areas.  They are not on time.  They are early.  They get up and get going.  I remember that fact from growing up on a farm.  I greeted Fragrant at 8:20 for the 9:00 am appointment.   Someone who shall remain nameless was still in his pj's.  He is used to starting his day at 10 am.  He will learn to become Northwoods or learn to dress quickly. 

I Hope I Never Get Tired of...

I hope I never get tired of everyday occurrences in the Northwoods.  After dinner we took a brief walk.

The moon is almost full.
The sky is clear.
The water in the lake shimmers in the moonlight.
We consciously breath in the pine-scented air. 

I hope I never get tired of  everyday occurrences.

Saw a Sign in a Farm & Fleet

"Chocolate...it's not just for breakfast any more."

I laughed out loud for a long time.  I didn't buy it but may go back.

Not all Wine and Roses

We made a quick trip to Illinois for financial appointments and what we thought was the last load of our stuff.  Realizing early on that this would indeed not be the last trip to move, we were in very poor moods which would escalate.  Plus each of us would drive a vehicle separately so all the cars and the pick up would finally be in Wisconsin.  Here are the main points - too long to write out.

• left too late in the day
• rush hour traffic
• cell went dead
• charger in other car
• one of the cars got a broken alternator or something - it won't go - is the bottom line
• find a uhaul place that is open
• Tad near Milwaukee talks us through the streets of Madison 
• Madison has too many traffic circles.
• tow dolly home a busted car
• Ashley Furniture semi knocked out 100 yards of guard rail and ended up in a ditch at a Dells exit
• that's what we saw after standing in traffic for 30 minutes
• more hubbub farther down the road
• ran over dead deer 
• enough guts left that we had to wash the pick up, tow dolly, and busted car when we got home at 1 am

Standard Northwoods Lunch

Case seems to have a fire in the fire pit going most of the time.  That means two things to me...smell of good wood and a good lunch.  So we have developed the habit of a s'mores lunch.  Easy to make, easier to clean up and wonderful to eat.  (Yes, I still have diabetes in the northwoods.  However, if a person with diabetes covers what they eat with the correct amount of insulin, there is no problem.  One s'more is 24 grams of carbohydrate: one sheet of graham cracker, 1/4 Hersey's bar, one marshmallow.  Works for me!)  Another glorious day in the northwoods. 

Homecoming - Northwoods Style

I grew up in Homer - a rural community of 1200 in central Illinois.   The community revolves around the public school in small towns everywhere.  So Homecoming was a very big deal.  Lucyna and Tad attended a private high school in the fast-moving suburbs of Chicago.  Homecoming was big to the school. 

Friday night was Homecoming at Hayward High School.  I had to see it for myself.  I wanted to find out the differences and similarities between small town a "few" years ago and today: plus current suburban and current small town.   It costs $4 for an adult whether you are in the suburbs or in the Northwoods.  Kids of all ages painted their faces with school colors (black and gold).  The Homecoming court was introduced at half time.  The king was a guy from the marching band.  Go Band!  They had a 50/50 raffle - split the pot - just like the suburbs.  $91 was the total for the evening and my $1 ticket did not win - just like the suburbs.  Like Homer there were decorated floats that paraded through town earlier that afternoon. 

Unfortunately, the Hayward Hurricanes (Yes, hurricanes in the northwoods.  I am assuming that they had a Native American name at one time and changed it.  Sitting behind an Ojibwa mother whose son sacked the opposing quarterback a few times, I am glad we are the Hurricanes.  All the jackets and helmets say, "Canes".) did not win.  Still, I am glad that we went.  Small town life at its best.   

Experiments in Botany and Zoology

Wanting to bring a bit of home with me, I dug up a few perennials from my yard.  I wrapped them up in wet newspaper, put them in buckets, and soaked them well. Even though I didn't plant them until 5 days after digging, they were still perky.  I had hopes.  The spring wildflower bulbs I will need to wait to see success.  However, a plantain lily and Solomon's Seal were enjoying their new spots.  Going into the plantings I knew it was an experiment.  There are lists of what deer eat and what they don't eat.  I needed to find out myself.  They eat plantain lilies (lasted 3 days before eaten).  They do not eat Solomon's Seal (yet).

This is the time of year that little orange ladybugs want to get into your house before winter...as in waiting by the door for you to open it.  We have learned to brush them away before entering. Some fast fliers have gotten by us and are on the inside of the windows and screens since we have the windows open (another beautiful day).  I have learned a zoological lesson that ladybugs do not swim.

Poachers!

As we went to drop off the weekly garbage and recycling at the Township for $3.00, we saw a flock of eagles.  Someone had poached a deer out of season, took the antlers and the hind quarter meat, and left the rest for nature to take care of.  The eagles get first dibs.  We noticed that flock of crows waiting around on a nearby tree for the eagles to finish and leave.  This is big excitement on Morgan Road.  A neighbor reported the poaching to the DNR.  Bet they are deputizing a posse to hunt down the scoundrels right now.  Perhaps I should volunteer.  I did serve as the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator for my street in Mt. Prospect.  Or perhaps I should get back to unpacking boxes.   

DMV that is Not in Cook County Illinois

Eager to have Wisconsin license plates and Wisconsin driver's license, we headed for a big town several counties away.  Our local DMV is open 3 half days a month and doesn't do plates so off to Rice Lake we go.  It has a similar number system like Cook County.  The wait wasn't too long although others around us were complaining about the wait time.  If they only knew what it is like in the real world.  A grandmotherly-type welcomed us at the door and asked the usual questions in a helpful way.  "Do you have your checkbook or some cash with you?  We can't take credit/debit cards.  Wouldn't want you to wait and find that out later."  The woman at the counter was friendly as well, but her typing skills lacked.  She made me 9 pounds heavier than I wrote on the form.  I told her that with eating Wisconsin cheese that I would probably be gaining weight, so I didn't have her re-do it.  Then she described some new cheese that she had eaten and where she had gotten it.  I don't think that she realized that I was making a joke.  Guess that cheese in Wisconsin is not something to joke about.  They are serious about cheese.  (Note to self: probably shouldn't make a crack about the Packers either.)  This is one of many Wisconsin lessons that I am learning. 

On the way out the Grandmother stopped us and made sure that everything went well and to welcome us to the state of Wisconsin.  Take that, Jesse White!

No Matter Where You Go - Your Stuff Goes with You

We spent months sorting through stuff so we wouldn't have to pack it.  We spent weeks preparing stuff to sell on the internet and for the three day moving sale.  We spent days packing the stuff that was left.  All important stuff, I am sure.  Following U-haul's tips, we used small boxes easy to carry and labeled all of them.  However, in our effort to leave Illinois by October 1, we packed creatively.  All the boxes are labeled "miscellaneous."  Not much of our stuff has been unpacked, needless to say.  (Don't try to call me on my cell.  The charger is in a box labeled...miscellaneous.) 

So after church we came home and decided to leave our stuff safely in boxes and be outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Plus I decided to cook out for dinner.  We had s'mores around a bonfire. 

This comes to you from WISCONSIN!

We arrived at our new home early Thursday evening.  Being a parent is a difficult job at best.  You parent the best you can and do all the things necessary to raise your child the right way.  No parent sees the fruit of their labor until the child is an adult and doing well.  That day has arrived for me today!  In less than 24 hours we have satellite TV, internet, and one working computer with others to go online soon.  All of this is thanks to our son Tad who took off work today to get us physically moved in and set up electronically. Sleepless nights, measles, and many Boy Scout meetings have all been worth it.

There is sunshine and full autumn color with the sugar maple, birch, and aspen trees...a lovely way to wake up to retirement.