It was a great Race Day!

Case cross country skied his personal best with a time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 52 seconds for 23 km.  All the skiers wear a timer on their ankle.  Even though it was 10 degrees most of the day he was fine.  Since I was volunteering near his finish line, I ran over to greet him when they announced his name.  All of our new friends were able to cheer him as well.  He was flying high.  "Couldn't feel the last three hills.  I was on adrenaline."   We certainly had our feet up in front of the fire last night.  This morning we were both in great shape - didn't even need to take Aleve! 

I have decided to break my own rule of no pictures in the blog.  This moment is too wonderful to pass up. 

Many skiers including Case wear "lobster" gloves.  Don't you love it!  The white specks in the picture are snowflakes.  We wouldn't be anywhere else!

He has a number!

Case has a bib number of 17686.  His start time is 9:10 am in the Kortelopet - Classic Cross Country Ski - Wave 7.  He is so excited (and nervous).  I am proud of him that he has worked toward this goal and I am sure that he will beat last year's time.  Off we go to the spaghetti dinner for him to carb load and for me to eat normally.  In the Northwoods a spaghetti dinner is called a "feed."  It is advertised as such.  "Feed at St. Joe's from 4:00 to 8:00 pm."  And everyone knows what that means.  When I first read that term 4 years ago, I couldn't understand what they were writing in the newspaper.  My central Illinois upbringing told me that someone was bringing livestock to church.

I found a site where you can watch the finish line for the longer race (that Case is not in).

livestream.com/birkie        Saturday, February 26 from 9 am to noon. 

more pleasant things

We have Birkie fever here.    The big cross country ski race, the "American Birkebeiner," is Saturday.  You can feel the excitement in the air as Main Street is closed off and covered with snow.  Kids are off school to join in all the activities.   I brought in 4 baked goods for the Spaghetti dinner at church that feeds many of the visitors.  Case is done training with a brief ski today.  Saturday he will ski about 14 miles in the Korteloppet race.  Tomorrow we spend the day in town picking up his race bib and timing anklet, going to the Ski Expo with all the vendors of ski products, and eating at the spaghetti dinner.  This event is quite a big deal.  The race will be streaming live on WOJB.org.    The radio puts about 90% of its time on the big race that ends on Main Street so you won't be hearing Case's name announced when he crosses the finish line because his race doesn't end on Main Street. It ends at Telemark Resort near the town of Cable.  


This is an international event with more than 11,000 skiers.  Hayward's population is 2100.  Every one of the 2100 including me is volunteering to pull off this event.  I am in the Chequamegon Lions Club that will be handling, transporting, sorting and returning bags to the 2500 skiers in the Korte - the one that Case skis. 


This week is definitely a highlight of the year. 

Warning: this contains my political views

I think that things are a bit wild here in Wisconsin when the state is being compared to Cairo and Tunisia. 

I voted for Scott Walker to become governor and do what he is doing right now.  He said he would not raise taxes.  So he needs to cut spending.  Public officials who are having benefits and future wages cut are upset because they are the first ones affected.  They will not be the last.  All of us will need to accept less government programs and cuts to things that we are used to getting.  My turn is coming to feel the pain.  The public employees are only the first.  You may think that I am wrong, but there is one thing I do know.  I cannot afford to pay any more taxes than I do now - except in Illinois where I still own a piece of land and Illinois just raised taxes.  If it were possible to pick up my land and move it, I would. 

I will say that Gov. Walker needs to slow down and let discussion on the budget occur and not force it through so quickly.  That is why we have 3 branches of government - for checks and balances on each other. 

I am asking my Illinois friends for a favor...if you see my state senator Bob Jauch, who is now staying in Illinois to escape his responsibilities in Wisconsin, send him home!  How can he represent me from another state?  He and the other cheesehead senators need to come back to their home state to work out this situation.  Oh, I just heard that some Hoosier state legislators are coming to Illinois to escape their duties in Indiana.  Send them home, too.  Maybe Illinois could make some money by charging all these people rent.

For Pet Lovers Only

I have two pet birds - lovebirds, which are one of the smallest of the parrots.  They have peach-colored faces and blue/purple feathers.  Both are ornery and I love them.  I have read that about 10% of lovebirds talk.  I did not buy them to talk.  A very good friend told me, "You would get sick of them saying 'Jo's a pretty girl. Jo's a pretty girl' all day." 

When I am home, the male loves to sit on my shoulder and assist me.  We wash dishes, vacuum, send emails, and his personal favorite is to Skype Lucyna and Tad.  I try not to have him on my shoulder when I talk on the phone as his chirp can get loud over the line.  Although some customer service representatives have enjoyed hearing him as I order something or get clarification on a question.  Yesterday I was calling my mail order prescription folks.  We had a friendly conversation and I ended with saying thank you.  My bird said thank you, and the rep couldn't stop laughing. 

There are those that might disagree that the birds say thank you.  They certainly don't pronounce the "th" sound.  But they do say two quick syllables with the same inflection as I do plus they say it at the appropriate times:  when I uncover them in the morning - thank you; when I give them food - thank you; when I change their water - thank you; and when I say thank you to someone else - thank you. 

Yes, this is definitely a pet lover kind of story, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Retirement Friday

I spent the day just bumming around Hayward.  Haircut, bank, browsing some stores.  Hayward has a fun Main Street with shops along both sides for 3-4 blocks.  Hayward Bakery and Cheese Shop, Tremblay's Fudge Shop, many t-shirt stores (I saw "My life may suck but at least I'm not a Vikings fan!" in a window), the former library has several stores - one of them being Destination 54843 which is all Hayward clothing, Hayward mugs, etc; a bookstore, a fancy cooking gadget store, many Northwoodsy-type stores, a bakery for dogs, 3 restaurants and lots more stores on the cross streets off the Main Street.  There is diagonal parking on both sides as well for easy in and out.  Pedestrians rule so vehicles stop to let you cross.  Believe it or not, this was the first time that I have browsed since we moved here October 1.  Probably won't be the last.

What Do I Have to Do?

What do I have to do to get cold weather and snow in northern Wisconsin?  It is in the high 40's now and will not be below freezing tonight.  The snow base is melting.  Lots of hand wringing because in 10 days this area hosts the largest cross country ski race on the North American continent.  Time will tell.

I Can't Believe What I Saw in Duluth, Minnesota

We drove 1 hour 45 minutes to Duluth, Minnesota to lay in supplies that can't be found in our area.  Going from store to store we passed a car dealership a couple of times.  It had a huge dumpster in front of the showroom.  Every time we went by...it had a different car sticking out of  the dumpster!  They had their own "cash for clunkers" deal going.   It certainly caught our attention.  However, I cannot tell you the type of dealership it was.  So much for that advertising campaign. 

As we were stopped at a red light, we saw a Duluth snow plow.  Not like the ones in Illinois or even the ones in Hayward, WI.  Instead of a single blade or a V-shaped blade, it had augers (a large screw on its side - turning) in the front like the snow blower in your garage.  It was huge.  This plow had THREE augers stacked on top of each other.  Case and I saw it at the same time and laughed out loud.  That's a snow plow!

After loading the back seat, trunk and around my feet, we headed home.  It felt as though we were early pioneers who had brought our pelts to town to trade for dry goods at the general store.

Field Trip continued

The most memorable part of the trip was cross country skiing from the Anvil Trailhead in the Nicolet National Forest.  We stopped at a small cabin where the guide brought out a Ziploc of sunflower seeds.  A flock of chickadees were waiting in a nearby evergreen.  They literally perched on our hands or gloves to eat the seed.  The air was filled with their song...chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee.  Even though it was the coldest day of the trip (still below zero), the sun was shining and it was glorious moment. 

Can't Get Enough of Snow!

I have joined a wonderful group of retired women who participate in a recreational activity every Tuesday.  Once a year this group goes on a field trip to snow shoe and cross country ski in Eagle River, WI.   Because as we all know there aren't any of those things in Hayward!  :)  The three days we were there were extremely cold, but we "weathered" it just fine.  (A neck gaiter is an important bit of clothing.)  This camp called Trees For Tomorrow usually hosts sixth graders for a week, teaching about respect for nature, outdoor skills, and how to leave less of a footprint than they are now.  When not outdoors, we used our time with movies, games and taking in the local sites.  There is a privately-owned planetarium and an ice building constructed by the local volunteer fire department each year.  An ice castle complete with ice throne was this year's structure.  I would be truthful to say that we did get away from it all even though we do the same activities here.  It was fun to be in a dorm setting with friends AND to have someone else to plan, shop, cook and clean up for you.  There was no institutional food here.  Everything was made from scratch and was hot and tasty.  I look forward to next year.

Thoughts from Super Bowl Sunday

• Why did both teams have the same colored pants?  Annoying.
• Should I buy a XLV hat, Super Bowl sweatshirt, or Green Bay Packer shampoo/conditioner set?  They got great looking hair.
• The second half seemed twice as long as the first half.
• It's wonderful to be a winner even though I am now officially a cheesehead.

What Snow?

We haven't had fresh snow in about a week.  I have been receiving emails and pictures from snowbound friends.  So...let me get this right...you (Illinois) have more snow than northwest Wisconsin.  Why do you live in such a bad climate?  You should move.  :)

Work Update

Commuting and working two days a week are going well.  (More about the specifics another time.) When I arrive home in the evening, I fill in a part of a chart that I have made listing "toys" that I want to buy.  I can now buy a kayak for the good weather.  Next on the list is the paddle - a $200+ one that weighs almost nothing.  It's a beaut!  In the Northwoods there are new activities with new equipment - expensive equipment that I would like to have.  I couldn't really justify spending "real money" for all these fun things.  I define real money as Social Security and IRA's.  Hmmm...come to think of it...those resources are in Case's name.  I am too young for Social Security and too young to take money from my IRA's without penalty.  Yes, working two days a week is OK by me.