Sunday - A Day of Rest

After church we attended the "thank you to the volunteers" lunch put on by our bank, a main sponsor of the race.  There was about 600 of us at the Steakhouse Lodge.  Food was great.  All of our Lions friends were there.  We knew lots of other folks, too.  It was a fun afternoon.  (Case came as my guest because he skied the race and was not volunteering.)  Life is good.

Just call me "Squire"

Today is race day.  My job is to be the squire.  Tote, fetch, carry things...like a coat, ski poles, etc.  It is not my favorite thing to do but he looks forward to this all year.  It may even be his highlight.  I will have to ask him.  Case started the race at 9: 20 am.  He skied 23 K and crossed the finish line in less than 3 hours.  He was disappointed as he was hoping closer to 2 and a half.  However, I was satisfied because he accomplished my personal goal for him:  to finish and not be bloody!  After I saw him off at the start line with my cow bell ringing, I went to the finish line to hand baggage back to the skiers when they finished.  We're home and he is in the shower.  It is time for a rest...for both of us. 

700 cups later

I'm home from a 4 hour plus shift at the salad table for the spaghetti feed at church.  My main job was to fill 700 little cups of salad dressing for the people to pick up as they went through the food line.  French, Italian or Ranch.  When I left, there were 150 in line and 90 minutes left to go until close.  Main people in the kitchen were assigning volunteers to go out to buy what we were running low on.  It is very difficult to predict how many will come.  I'll hear about the outcome on Sunday.  I had a great time.  What a rush!

Feet up for a while so tomorrow morning I can sort and return baggage to the skiers when they finish. 

THE Week

This is THE WEEK of the American Birkebeiner Cross Country Ski Race.  Case has trained well and is ready to go on Saturday.  We are even getting some fresh snow which will make for good trail conditions.  This race is the largest one in North America with 9,000 skiers.  They ski from Hayward to Cable. Most of  these skiers bring an entourage with them so that is a lot of folks for Hayward and Cable with population of 2,000 each to take care of.  The organization that puts it on works year round to pull it off smoothly.

Here is part of what I do for the event.  Friday morning I will be making several desserts at home.  Then Friday afternoon at church I take in my goodies and assist in food preparation for one of the carb-loading spaghetti "feeds."  On race day after seeing Case off at the starting line, I will go to the finish line to hand back the skiers' bags of street clothes, etc.   This baggage handling is what the Lions Club of which I am a member does for this race.  The excitement is building.  Locally it is called "Birkie Fever."

It didn't take long

It hasn't taken long for me to evolve into a Wisconsin native.  Yesterday I had a few errands in nearby counties- gone most of the day.  The sun was shining.  It was 38 degrees.  I just wore a fleece jacket.  My cautious nature did have me throw a winter coat and gloves in the backseat but I didn't need them.  It was how everyone else was dressed...except teenagers who wear short sleeves for any day above freezing. 

Wisconsin Taxes

Last year's taxes were so ugly I could barely look at them.  This year I was eager to see how everything shook out because 2011 was the first full year of retirement.  We are getting a refund from the Feds, having to pay Illinois, of course, and Wisconsin was a wash - no refund - no payment from us.  That works for us.  The fun thing about Wisconsin taxes is that there are 10 organizations that you could donate to if you wanted to.  Here they are as they were listed:

1. Endangered resources
2. Packers football stadium
3. Breast cancer research
4. Veterans trust fund
5. Multiple sclerosis
6. Firefighters memorial
7. Prostate cancer research
8. Military family relief
9. Feeding America
10. Red Cross WI Disaster Relief

Endangered resources (which I don't even know what that is) must be really important to be before the Packers stadium!  3 through 10 are all serious, helpful, worthwhile organizations.  Wisconsin is just too fun!

WOLF!

Our phone started ringing about 7:30 am and continued ringing.  Everyone in the area was abuzz.  "Have you seen the wolf?  Better go out and see it before it gets eaten or taken away."  It was hit by a car and laying beside the road about 2 miles from the house.  Yes, we had already seen it when we came home from town at 4 pm yesterday.  I think it had just happened because two cars were stopped next to it.

This morning I decided to go and take a closer look.  When I got there, two eagles were also taking a closer look from a nearby tree.  The wolf was still in tact.  It was rather small, mainly white with gray markings.  It was not as big as the one I crossed paths with in Minnesota last month.  Of course, my friends say my wolf gets bigger every time I tell the story.  Back to the dead one.  The DNR (Department of Natural Resources) has been called by a neighbor.  We'll see what happens.

Big Doings

I am serving as the secretary of the township's Zoning Board of Appeals.  It only meets when there is a problem.  There is a problem.  Some seasonal people on the next lake got a building permit to put on a new roof with a new roof line, new windows, siding, etc.  However, they demolished it to the ground and are starting over new.  It is a complicated story but the bottom line is: that is a no-no.  So now they have a lawyer and the township has a lawyer. A court reporter is needed so I am not taking minutes.  But I am responsible for organizing this circus...actually it is pretty exciting stuff.  It's fun to be part of the balance of justice.  The hearing is March 28 so I'll have everything in order by then. As secretary I don't have a vote and am required to remain neutral. 

(I am taking side bets that the township wins.)

This is why I'm here.

Today is one reason why we retired here.  After lunch I stepped out the door and strapped on my snowshoes to go out on one of my own trails.  The sun was bright.  The sky was cloudless and such a dark shade of blue.  Everywhere was quiet.  Everywhere was beautiful. 

It made me laugh.

I had promised myself that I was not going to give a running commentary on what I eat every day.  I am sticking to that.  However, that promise does not extend to my pet birds.  I have 2 small parrots called Lovebirds.  They are smart little guys ages 12 and 13 years.  They have different foods at each meal.  I purchase all these items through Foster & Smith, a mail order in Rhinelander for pets.  Breakfast consists of 2 small balls of dried fruit that we call "berries".  Lunch is a square of grains (held together by what I hope is healthy) that we call "Avi-cake," which is the actual name of it.  Dinner alternates between corn that I buy in the frozen vegetable aisle at the local grocery and a cooked mixture called "Cream of Tweet."  It has rice, barley, veggies, fruit, etc. and has an apple/cinnamon smell.  Both of these get warmed up.  It gets called "hot dinner" as in "Who wants a hot dinner?"  That line always brings them to their food dishes and usually causes Case to say,  "I do!"  I am laughing writing this up and this is not even the funny part! 

As I was feeding them lunch, I was distracted and put in 2 breakfast berries instead of the usual Avi-cake.  Both of them went to their food dish, looked at the berries, then looked up at me with a "what the heck" look.  They both just sat there  - not eating.  I removed the berries and gave them each an Avi-cake.  They ate like starved convicts.  That's the funny part. 

If I need to begin labeling what is funny in my blog, perhaps it is time to stop.

Where Does the Time Go?

I looked at the date of my last blog entry.  Four days ago.  Where does the time go?  We're happy and busy.  That is good.  However, I have officially called us old.  Why?  Because on our last trip to Walmart in Hayward, we heard a "red light" special going on - aisle 6.  If you go there, you receive a free paring knife.   We went to aisle 6.  Over the course of the salesman's presentation, there were about 12-15 people wandering in...and out...realizing that they had to stand through his speel of unknown length to receive a free paring knife.  Fast forward to the end.  Case and I were so enamored with the knives he was selling that we bought them:  fourteen knives for $29.99.  The check out clerk said 3 years ago when the knife man was last here, he bought knives and they still are sharp.  No buyer's remorse yet.  They are sharp.  They work great.  The fish fillet knife is so sharp that Case won't take it out of its box.  All to say...I have declared us officially old when we have the time to listen to a free presentation and then buy knives. 

Snowshoe Conditions

I have recovered and have been out snowshoeing everyday in the forest around our house.  Bushwhacking is adventurous - just step out and pick your own way to go - no trail...over a log....through two trees...choosing which way...it is exhilarating.  However, it is not a fast way to go and quite tiring breaking a new trail.  So I have been re-using my own original trails.  That has been fun, too. 

This morning is already above 32 degrees and going to climb.  All this beautiful snow is melting away.  No snowshoeing today.  It is February 1 so there will be more snow coming but not this week.  Case and all the skiers preparing for the big ski race the end of the month are not happy at all.