Road Trip

I have not posted in a while because I have made a trip to Illinois.  Not been in the Land of Lincoln since Christmas.  It was time.  I wanted to see friends.  I am giving a shout out to everyone I saw and hugged!  We all just picked up where we left off.  It was wonderful. Sorry that I wasn't able to make connections with everyone.  Next time! 

On the way home I stopped at the rest stop a mile or so into Wisconsin.  When returning to the car, a gentlemen saw me and said, "You must be going somewhere important, walking with such purpose."  I replied, "I am going home."  It just came out without thinking.  Yes, I was going home. 

Raining Gold

All the trees have dropped their leaves except for Tamarack also called American Larch.  That tree is the only "evergreen" that does not stay green all year.  In the late fall it turns bright gold and slowly drops its golden needles leaving the tree as bare as any Maple.  When I am out walking under one of those trees, it seems as though it is raining gold.  I have only experienced that here in the Northwoods.  

(The poor porkie is still laying beside the road untouched.)

Wisconsin Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is part of a public university system.  All the teams they play are public as well.  Why, then, are the Badgers being inundated with prayer?  "Hail, Mary" to be exact.  Two weeks in a row the other team pulled a Hail Mary play in the last few seconds beating the Badgers.  Isn't there still separation of church and state? 

Brewers lost the playoffs...so no World Series.  Badgers have been prayed into the losing column - dropping their national rank.  The Packers have won all of their games, but they had a bye yesterday.  All last week there was only ONE question being asked around here.  What are you going to do on Sunday afternoon?

A Porcupine Story

When there is road kill, it is taken care of by eagles, crows, coyotes, etc. in very short order.  This porcupine carcass has been laying along the main road for nearly 2 weeks. 

Moral of the story:  If you are prickly (grouchy, mean - fill in an unpleasant human trait here) in life, nobody will go near you even when you're dead. 

October 27, 2011

I am marking down this day.  It is snowing.  Our first one of the season.  Big fluffy flakes covering the ground.  It is a beautiful sight.

A year ago when we moved here - yes, it has been a year - October 1 was our moving anniversary - everyone had dire warnings about the snow in northern Wisconsin.  I checked the official totals from last winter.                                        
                                Hayward=37.6 inches     O'Hare=57.3 inches

Chicago had a blizzard or two.  I'll give you that.  Case got out the snowblower three times last winter.  Most of the time we just drove the 4 x 4 truck and didn't worry about it.

I think I hear Case downstairs waxing his skis...                                                   

No More Ground Squirrel

We had been noticing a ground squirrel literally running around the outside of the house.  There are two camps about any kind of squirrel:  they are cute and they are rats with tails.  I think they are cute unless they get to be somewhere they shouldn't be, and then I change camps.  It seems to me that squirrels have this simpleton mad-crazy personality.  When they do pause from their continuous activity, they have this look on their faces that say, "We're squirrels!"

Someone else had noticed his arrival as well - Foxy.  She spent a whole day in our yard stalking him.  Squirrel would run into the wood pile.  Foxy would sit on top of the pile waiting for him to exit.  Squirrel would run up a tree.  Foxy would be after him but knows he is not coming down the same tree so moves to another area.  This is all while Case is working outside the garage with power tools.  We didn't see the actual end of the story, but the squirrel is no longer around.   

Early in the Morning

What a beautiful morning it is!  Sunrise over the lake...the air temperature was warmer than the water so there was steam/fog/mist.  The sun is shining with few clouds.  Since yesterday four swans have landed on our lake to rest and refuel during their migration trip.  They seem happy and healthy.  All is well in the Northwoods.