The Answer to Prayer was No and Yes

It is snowing/ice pelleting this afternoon so my prayer on Palm Sunday about snow was a no.  However, the answer was yes to all the ice being off the lake before fishing season, which is May 7 this year.  This Saturday!  With the help of a neighbor we put the dock in the water yesterday.  When we purchased the house, this dock came with it.  Hadn't been used in over 5 years.  Of course, it wasn't one of those new, lightweight deals.  It is all steel and rust and, in a word, heavy.  Once it is in the water, it is solid and great to use.  The problem is getting it in the water.  The first thing we needed to do to the dock after we bought the house was to put new tires on it, because they were beyond busted.  Only needed two of them.  My junkyarding spouse drew a template of the placement of the lug nuts and off he went to find some wheels to match the dock wheels.  I am still laughing about what car matched...a Ford Crown Victoria!  The work crew remodeling the house laughed as well.  "You're the only one on the lake with Crown Vic wheels for your dock."  I am sure that is true.  They sure are shiny.  Glad they are in the water for this year. 

All my Friends are Clowns

I am beginning some new friendships in the Northwoods.  Unfortunately, they are all clowns.  Well, not all of them.  Someone (and I would like to know who) held a Clown Camp in the area.  A number of my new friends went.  They are learning the moves, sewing a costume, buying props and practicing how to apply makeup.  The most important piece of it is choosing a name.  Now my friends are Muddy, Happy and Goofy. Since the summer round of festivals has not yet started, I haven't seen any of them in action yet.  It is all in good fun.  I'll let you know how this first season of circus comes out. 

We have been on our knees all week.

Yes, we have been on our knees all week...for two reasons.  It is Holy Week and we have been attending church alot.  It is Tree Week.  We have been planting trees - 80 of them.  In this area trees are sold in the early spring by pulling them out of the ground to bare root status.  They are between 6 inches and 24 inches tall depending on the age, cost and kind of tree.  Then the nurseries and the county sells them in damp plastic bags.  so planting them as soon as possible is very important.  We planted many pine trees (red, white, jack), birch trees and cranberry bushes. Most years Easter is much earlier so the two weeks don't usually coincide.  Thankfully.

Yes, we have been on our knees all week.  Both are very good reasons.

Palm Sunday Prayer

I pray that it stops snowing by Easter.  I pray that the ice is off the lake before fishing season.

Oblivion

Case and I went to Superior (1 hour, 45 minutes) for a special church service at the Cathedral, so we did some errands as well.  Social Security has not been withholding the correct amount for taxes.  (Yep, that's right all you youngins, you get taxed on Social Security.)  Case has emailed and called, but it is still wrong.  Superior has the closest office so in we go.  When Case explained that he had contacted SS several times to no positive results, she replied that his requests are in "oblivion."  And the only way to change something was to come in person. 

Definition of oblivion:  noun - the state of being completely forgotten or unknown.

No other comments needed.

Banking Wars

In this small town there are many banks.  They offer the same rates, same services - all about the same.  What can each bank offer to set themselves apart from all the others.  In Hayward...it is food.  One bank lays out a tray of freshly-baked break apart chocolate chip cookies at about 9:10.  Gee, how would I know that?  Another bank cooks brats for lunch on certain Fridays.  The brats are from a special meat shop in Cumberland.  Very tasty.  A bank on Main Street has a popcorn cart going for most of the day.  Popcorn is nice to eat as you are strolling around town.  There are still two or three other banks that I need to visit.  For now I am staying with the chocolate chip cookie bank 

A Retirement Activity

This is definitely a retirement activity - watching the neighbors.  However, we do have a problem because there are no neighbors.  That isn't totally true.  There are two elderly brothers who live here year round like us.  They don't get out much - so we can't actually watch them.  We can only see a couple of other places, and they are here only one or sometimes two weekends a month.  Then, there are the trees and hills in the line of sight, so neighbor watching is basically non-existent for us.  Though this last weekend...there was so much activity, steam, and equipment that we had to have a look see.  First, I thought it was a still, and they were making moonshine!  After awhile we decided that they were boiling maple syrup.  We had seen some trees in the area that were tapped.  That's good Northwoods activity, too!