Another Learning Experience

I have learned that fully loaded log trucks drive over the speed limit no matter what the condition of the roads are.  I have learned to pull off on a side road to let them go by.

Enjoying the winter but...

We are enjoying the winter, but are planning for spring.  Today we mailed in our order for trees to plant as soon as the ground thaws.  We purchased white birch, high bush cranberries, American larch, Canadian Hemlock (Aren't we the international name droppers?), jack pine, red pine, autumn blaze maple and a sugar maple.  Some of these are 12 inches high, cost one dollar each, and are bundled in groups of ten.  A few are 8 feet tall, $45 each and bought individually.  The rest are in between.  These are all bare root and taken from the ground as soon as physically possible.  Then the nursery sends us an email to pick them up right away.  For the past three years we have done this with great success.  We love to plant trees. 

Anyone who saw our yard in Mt. Prospect could attest to that fact.  We don't need to hold back any more.  We live in the Northwoods. 

Back to the Usual - It's Great!

After that week of bitter cold Case and I are back to our winter schedule of skiing and snowshoeing every day.  It feels great.  Tuesday is my day to meet with my recreational women's group.  Three cross country skied and fourteen snow shoed at the North End Trail near Cable, WI.  We brought in homemade chili, crackers and desserts for lunch at the warming chalet.  Good activity - good fellowship - good lunch.  (We started a fire in the wood stove and warmed up the chili in iron pots.)  Someone announced that a new quilting display was at the library in the next town north.  So a small group of us went to see it after lunch.  No need to rush. We're retired.  Another great day in the Northwoods!

Again...we said we wouldn't do this

We ended up with a bag of mixed grain wild bird food after Christmas. We said we wouldn't feed the animals, but we have this bag of food and a trail camera.  We couldn't resist.  Everything got set up near the house.  First the blue jays, flock of seven.  Next the deer, two large ones (no antlers, so we are assuming does) and the twin fawns that we had first seen sleeping in our yard in November.  They are bigger now, of course, but still baby looking.  All the animals are cautious, always looking out for danger.  As both of us were watching from the dining room window, I walked to the opposite side of the room (20 feet) to throw something away in the trash under the sink.  I opened and shut the cabinet door.  Case commented that the deer looked up.  Now, you know me, I am not a slammer.  This was barely audible. So we experimented if the deer would look every time they heard a faint noise from within the house.  And yes, they did.  Their sense of hearing is unbelievable.  Later, two turkeys came by for a feast.  I loved seeing their tracks in the snow.  They have big feet!  Finally, the chickadees paid a visit.  We have been putting out the grain every day and enjoying the activity. 

I compare this activity to "how to parent before you have children and after you have children".  What you thought you would do and wouldn't do before you have kids is much different once they have arrived.  It is same with retirement in the Northwoods.  We are doing things that we said we would never do.

Zigged When I Should Have Zagged

Let me preface this with two statements.
1.  I have not cross country skied in three years.
2.  I learned to ski in Illinois - the Prairie State - flat.  The place that Old World explorers would talk about.  (The world is flat.) 

I went down (and I mean down) a hill that was beyond my skill level.  Landed on my left shoulder and gave myself a good thump.  I finished the day but then iced/heating pad/laid on the couch for a while.  I will recover. 

There are hills around here and there are mountains, too, in my opinion.  On one route that we drive to town MY EARS POP.  That scientifically means mountains!  Anyway, I am scouring the county for flat trails plus keeping the snowshoes at hand.  I have never fallen with snowshoes.  Oh, except one time that I was in the yard and miscalculated where the fire pit was. 

Very Interesting...

I have been watching some football games this weekend (just wish they were in HD).  Next Sunday should be a doozy.  They both have the BIG MO going into this game. At Christmas I received green and gold apparel so I will be in style.  Although I really like Devin Hester.  He reminds me of Walter Payton.  I definitely am a fair weather fan and like to go with a winner.

For those of you who do not follow sports or don't live in Illinois or Wisconsin - the Bears and Packers football teams are playing next Sunday.  The winner goes to the Super Bowl. 

Snowshoeing to the Mailbox

I knew this day would come.  Looking at the 8 inches +  from last night, I decided that it would be easier to snowshoe rather than walk to the mailbox (1/4 mile away).  It was lovely.  All I could hear was the crunching of the snow and the whine of the snowmobiles on the frozen lake.  The seasonal people watch the weather to come up when the weather is "good."  I don't think it's a bother. (Case does.)  The sound is off in the distance and it helps me keep track of the days.  "I hear the whine so it must be Saturday or Sunday." 

This is a Good Sign

I am finding that I am forgetting to blog.  When I remember to blog, I am too busy.  I think that this is a good sign in the process of retiring and moving.  In trying to keep my life balanced, I have pursued a variety of activities.  Case and I have joined the Lions Club.  I am serving on the publicity committee for the local Lions festival and helping with the distribution of luggage to the skiers after the big race in February.  At church I am a lector (reading scripture) every 3-4 weeks.   Twice a month I process new music that is mailed in to the local  public radio station.  Then 2 days a week my nose is to the grindstone as an administrative assistant to 3 psychologists in town.  Not to worry...Case and I still have time to enjoy outdoor winter fun and catch up on lots of movies via satellite when we're not outdoors.  This retirement thing is looking good.

Taxes

Taxes.  Our tax situation for 2010 is so complicated that two accountants have already given up on us.  Accountant number 3 looks promising.  I am in the process of filling out the forms he gave us.  He wants to get a head start before everyone else comes in February - April.  Unfortunately, that means I am looking for raw numbers and not just copying the final figures from the tax reporting forms that you receive in the mail in late January or early February.  Unfortunately AGAIN, Case runs away and hides when I ask a question that I feel that he may know the answer or know the direction to look.  So I have been tediously plodding along.  For a long time.  This feels like torture.  I think that I would rather be water boarded. 

SNOW!

Help!  We don't have enough snow!  There was a warm day and an unusual winter rainstorm last week.  Now there is a layer of  ice over everything.  No cross country skiing.  No snowshoeing.  No snowmobiling (if we had one, that is).  Difficult to walk even with ice cleats on your boots.  The ice is not smooth.  We along with everyone else in the Northwoods are searching the weather forecasts for a lot of snow to cover the ice.  We want snow!

I Have Flunked Retirement

I have been told that I have flunked retirement because I have taken a part-time job.  Probably I should hang my head in shame.  Instead I am excited about my first day on Monday.  It is an administrative assistant position for a couple of doctors in town.  It is only two days a week.  That means that I have a five day weekend.  I think of it as a reversal of the usual working five days and being off for two.  Now that I am retired, the schedule is switched.  That seems right.