Tunneling Fun

A Snowy, above zero weekend had taken our son and his ' Threesome' outdoors for some fun. When Andy was a boy, he, his brothers and cousins dug at least one snow fort every winter.

This year, there is the least amount of snow to work with for our northern WI county, but it has not halted tradition.

Andy and his three sons dug in from one side to the other of what was pushed with the plow. Already, there is a request to Papa ( Grandpa ), for more snow to be piled on top so they can dig higher, making for easier travel through the tunnel.

There is digging with shovels, and digging with hands,

kicking the snow loose with feet, and pulling more out with arms and hands and snow tools.

No matter how it's done, sooner or later, the tunnel gets dug.

Because of the cold noses, fingers, and ' toes-es,'

The digging ended after just 15 minutes.

We already know the first place the kids will want to go next weekend~

It will be to finish the fort. Papa promised to add more snow.

The weatherman promised warmer weather, and Grandma promised more hot cocoa with peppermint sticks.

It's been s-now much fun!!!

On with another chore.

I had squash that still needed something done with them so, after cleaning out the cavities and filling with butter and brown sugar, I baked them off in the oven this morning.

The house smells like pumpkin pie, so that will be next, only Squash Pies.

You all have a wonderful day.

BlessYourHeart

Chocolate Wins~~~And Garden Dreamin'

Chocolate Wins!

It was not a difficult choice for me.

I love Gingerbread but Dark Chocolate Cake took the prize...

This time.

I love, Love, LOVE Chocolate,

Especially when it comes as a cake,

All wrapped in Silky Peanut Butter Frosting.

For me, it's best with a hot cup of black coffee.

One more bite, oh how sweet.

The weather has taken a leap from the minuses

to the 20's, 26F. above zero at the moment.

Well, that's almost warm enough to think about~~~

Going outside for a long walk.,

Scarf wrapped around my neck for the first 1/2 mile.

Yes, folks, I'm walking again.

One thing I hate about winter up north,

Is, where I walk, there is either ice, deep snow or slush.

On the cold, Cold, COLD days, I walk inside.

No matter, I am bound and determined to stay with it,

This time.

Garden season is already near,

The garden catalogs are coming daily.

Seeds, bulbs, tubers, sets, shrubs, fruit trees, berries,

I am anxious.

Each year, we say we will not add more to our gardens,

But, lo and behold, something in the air grabs us.

We order more than we intended.

We plant and plant and plant.

We harvest and live well.

My Man loves his tractor, he loves to dig.

Maybe he will be putting Garden # 4 in this spring.

We need a patch, just for pumpkins, another for beans.

We all love carrots and squash and peas off the vine.

Hurry, check to see if the first tomato is ripe.

I often wonder,

Just how do people that do not garden,

Even from their window-sill or patio,

Do they really have no choice except to

Buy from the Farmers Market?

At least they are getting better produce and fruit

Than any grocer can offer.

Plant something,

And see what you have been missing.

I have a couple of new seed catalogs to scan.

Most are free, order yourself a few and

Savor the flavor.

BlessYourHearts

Still Cold Outside

The weather was not much different this morning, still minus temps, -22F this morning. Not happy.

Since not much has changed yesterday to today,

I'm grumpy.

The major Harvey Wall-banger headache without the party, isn't doing much to add to the excitement of another day. Maybe I should bake a cake or make lemonade.

Maybe

starting some seed sprouts like my buddy, George, would do the trick. He just joined me so check out what he's been up to. He sure makes spring look promising. Thanks, George, for brightening my day with that cold-frame of lettuces. I'll be right down, (in my dreams of the south, that is.)

The Bobcats are back. Now they are coming in already, by two in the afternoon.

The second we step out the door, they used to take off. Now, they don't move from their dinner until we take a few steps in their direction.

( Note to self: Keep a very close eye on the GrandLoves. )

It's much too cold for the GrandBoys to play outside today anyway.

I heard their Dad say they might take a drive to play with cousins.

Good idea. Right now, Daddy is reading to the youngest, and the oldest is watching a Disney movie with Grandpa, while I catch up here.

My sis Mel has been saying that all this cold weather is good for making ice. By that she means, the lakes, the flowage where the Suicide Awareness Fisheree will be next weekend, the rivers, all are freezing deeper and safer for the ice fishing that will be going on. Check it out at Mel's at Up North With Mel .

~~~Now, about that cake~~~

Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter Frosting?

or

Gingerbread with Whipped Cream?

to be continued~~~

BlessYourHeart

BRRRR~~~

Where's My Blanket?

It's nasty cold outside,

And inside too~

At four in the morning

our thermometer read chilling numbers.

At the moment, an hour later, we are actually getting a heat wave at only minus-18 instead of that dreaded number below of minus-21.8.

Good news?

Snow is on it's way, meaning it will be warming up into the teens by the weekend. Yipee~~~

Stay warm all my northerers and don't forget to send up a wave of warmth from the south, my southern friends.

Have a fantastic weekend.

If you have temps like us, please bundle up, like your Mama's would say and don't forget your mittens, scarves and boots. A pair of snowpants or insulated underwear would really feel great, just to be on the safe side.

Better still, Get Your Blanket and Stay Inside.

GodBlessYourDay

and

BlessYourHeart

Life Gets Tedious

Throughout my childhood and til Daddy rested at a better place, it was not unusual to hear him recite bits of poems and songs he had learned as a kid, himself.

One in particular, was heard on cold, miserable, bone-chilling days like we are having today.

This was an ol' Walter Brennan song and a few of the lyrics from " Life Gets Tedious, Don't It." Dad said that Old Minnie Pearl on Hee Haw was one that used to recite it on the "Grand Ol Opry". He'd say, to bring it out right, it s h o u l d n' t be rushed too much, kinda slow and easy with a little extra hesitation before the last line of each verse.

Dad would say that there could have been another verse or two, but this was about all his recollector had recorded.

Life Gets Tedious, Don't It

The sun comes up and the sun goes down,

Hands on the clock keep goin' around,

I just get up, and it's time to lay down,

Life gets tee-jus, don't it?

Mouse a-chawin' on the pantry door,

He's been at it a month or more,

When he gets through he'll shore be sore.

Ain't a durn thing in there.

Cow went dry and the hen's don't lay,

Fish quit bitin' last Saturday,

Trouble's pilin' up day by day,

Now I'm gettin' dandruff.

Hounddog a howlin' so forlorn,

Laziest dog that ever was born,

He's a -howlin' cause he's sittin' on a thorn,

Just too tired to move over.

Tin roof leaks and the chimney leans,

Wore a hole in the seat of my old blue jeans,

And I et the last of the pork and beans,

Just can't depend on nuthin'.

Debts and taxes, grief and woe,

Pains and misery and so it goes,

I think I'm getting a co'd in my no'd,

Life gets tasteless, don't it?

There are several more verses to this little ditty, but these are the ones that Dad recalled. We sure got a kick out of it when he'd start to recite this out of the blue. The room would get quiet and everyone lent an ear. I wonder, now, was that his way to hush all of us noisy kids. There were a bunch of us. It must have crowded him on an 'inside' day.

Anyway, today has started out to be one of those miserable, cold days when there will be no going outside. The wind is howling and the chill is far below zero, like minus 30. You know, the kind that freezes your nostrils and throat, forms icicles on your nose.

I think I'll go bake something chocolate.

Have a warm day. I'm drawing the drapes up to let the sun shine in.

BlessYourHeart

It's No Good Til It's In the Pan

Way up here in northcentral WI., ice fishing is a big sport, family fun, survival of the fittest. First, it takes desire, next warm, very warm clothes, head to toe and boots that will keep those tootsies toasty throughout your ice fishing day.

I love to eat the fish that are caught, I will gladly fry them up the way you want them, but I am not particularly excited about sitting on a bucket in the middle of a snow-covered lake, wetting a line down a little 4 to 8 inch hole in the ice, just to catch a fish. Call me crazy, but I do not care to freeze like a popsicle in a matter of minutes, in fact, I guess it really isn't fair to make an assessment since I never, not once,have ice fished.........so, I sent my son. He loves to go.

This was yesterday's minimal catch,........today, his uncle went along and they fished two different lakes and threw back the only keeper........but, as they say, it was the company, the stories, the nice day of 28 degrees and exploring a couple small lakes they could walk to the fishing hole.......of course, now they had to drill those fishing holes with a hand auger. After all, they just walked a mile to get to the lake., then to the middle it. Good thing it was only about 42 acres. That's an easy trek, normally, but factor in carrying your supplies, tip-ups, jig poles, bait, folding camp chairs, backpack of water, thermos of beef broth, survival kit, (just in case), and a snack or two for the afternoon.

Uncle took the lead, since the nephew had offspring, as he said, throwing nephew the truck keys, just in case he went through the ice. Yikes. Afterall, these were lakes with springs in them, even open water along the edges. Out in the center of the lake, the water depth was 20-some feet, but thank goodness, there was 14 inches of safe ice to hand-auger through.....exhausted from the walk and the excitement of the day, the holes drilled, let the fishing begin.

The remainder of the photos are from the 'net', internet, not fish net. The picture above and below are a pretty accurate scene of what the boys did today, walked out onto the lake, drilled a hole with the hand auger, set a tip-up, or used a jig-pole and fished.
These two fellas are just 'nuts,' idiots, but very dedicated to the end of the melt. It even looks as tho they have a pretty good tan going on yet, too. Can you believe this? And to think there actually are some die-hards out there.
In the middle of winter, in the middle of nowhere, when there is not a blade of green grass to see or a leaf on the trees, this is one of the chosen ' good times ' up north.

A Fisheree, whether for a good cause, or just for fun, is not an uncommon event waiting for spring thaw. You must understand, our winters can go as long as 6 months.......so, pull up a chair or a bucket, scoop the ice crystals out of your freshly drilled hole, and fish awhile.

Go to upnorthwithmel.blogspot.com and check out the upcoming JDWarrior Fisheree, a fisheree for a good cause, for Suicide Awareness. It will just take you a second to get to UpNorthWithMel. She's my sis, and does a great job putting this event on with the rest of her hubby's family. Then, get in the truck or your car and take a drive to the event....don't forget your snowboots, warm clothes and that jig pole.

Yessiree, this is fishin'

I love this cartoonage~~~it reminds me of the GrandLoves~~~LOL
Even the birds~
and the dog get into the act~~~~I'll git'em fer'ya
Now, put me in one of these log cabin ice shacks and maybe I won't notice I'm on a lake of ice.....
or something like this for a quick get-away~~~
But there ya have it, My Fear Factor
Are we having fun yet?
How about now?
There is a deadline, as to when ice shacks, vehicles and people, have to be off of the ice depending on the rate of spring thaw, but there is always one out there that the rule just doesn't seem to apply. Then it's their responsibility to remove the sunken obstacle out of the northern waters by another deadline, that comes along with a hefty fine for not paying attention in the first place.

I'm so glad our guys, so far, have not had to learn the hard way.

Seriously, get out there and play in the winter air. So, if you are squeamish about going on the ice, no matter how thick it is, go sledding, skiing, cross-country skiing, skating, snow-shoeing, hiking, heck, just build a snowman or build a fort or an igloo. Whatever you do, get outside. Breathe the fresh, cold air. Go fishing through the ice, I'm going to try it this year. Dad used to say the fish are no good until they're in the frypan. He was right.

Thanks for listening to me carry on and on and on.

Do check out Mel's blog about the Suicide Awareness Fisheree at www.upnorthwithmel.blogspot.com

and

BlessYourHeart

Bob1 and Bob2

A few entries back, I showed you who was visiting the trail cam.

Well look closer.

We have two visitors, that we know of.

The first in line, I've come to call Camo.

You will see why in a bit.

These cats are not starving, by any means.

My B-I-L was surprised they come in so close during the day.

Take a close look at this next shot.

How many cats do you see?

There's Camo, waiting his turn. The larger of the two of them I've tagged him, Gimpy~~if you look closely, he's missing the end of his right back leg. It hasn't slowed him any, tho he does limp.

I am enjoying watching these animals, tho they make me a bit nervous up so close. It is a rare sight to see them in the wild, as they usually hunt rabbits, small rodents, etc., rarely deer, and at dusk or night and in the solitary. My Dad would call this a privilege so I will too.

Camo is wondering what all the racket is on the highway, not 200 yards away, as he keeps a sharp eye.

I appreciate how beautiful these Bobcats are. Just so they keep their distance, just far enough away.

There's Camo again, waiting his turn while his elder feasts on the frozen carcass.

The camera didn't catch it, but I watched from my kitchen window as these two sat on their haunches and swatted each other a few times.

Maybe next time, the camera will snap at that moment.

What a sight to witness. I am privileged, indeed.

~I wonder if they are mates that will show us their kits in the spring~

So it goes in the wilds out my kitchen window.

BlessYourHearts