My Kind of Day

Finally.  Finally I got the rest I needed and just what the doctor ordered....a day of peace and quiet in the woods.

 I must admit tho, it was a mess out there.  Right now, the woods is still so wet with snow, deep snow.  The trails and roads that had been plowed all winter are either glare ice or mud.

 Our object of the morning, was to empty the sap buckets.  It had been raining and rain and maple sap makes for a muddy brown mess that gets dumped right onto the ground like Bill is doing above.

 Frost is heaving and making muddy roads.  Later this evening when we went back to gather clear sap, the roads were really getting sticky, gooey, pulling the side-by-side all over the place.

 Last year it was in the 70's and 80's by now and the maples budded out quickly.  Once that happens, the sap rises to the tree tops and anything in the buckets sours just as quickly....thus, the end of season.  We don't mind the snow.  We need cold nights and warm days for perfect sapping weather.

Murray Creek just below the Cabin

 With great regret, most all of today's sap had to be dumped out.  The rain off the trees falls into the buckets and turns the sap brown.  The sap that makes premium maple syrup for our family, comes out of the taps clear as spring water.   It also makes the best Maple Sap Coffee while we wait for the sap to cook down into syrup.  Mmmmm Good Stuff!

 I sure enjoyed the day, even the water melting and rolling on top of the ice down and around the bends of the creek.  

 We even saw this sweet little yearling on the way out and the way home again.  He was kind enough to stop for a photo shoot.

 Seeing so much snow on the ground yet however, does concern me when the fawns start to drop.   They are going to have a rude welcome into the world.  I hope they don't have to find warmth 

' under ' the snow.

No, this is not a real fawn.  It's a rock that I'd painted years ago and forgot to put away last fall.  It's just starting to peek out from under the edge of the flowerbed that still has a 3ft. snowbank on it.

I will show you another flowerbed next time.

Thanks for coming along to the woods and the cabin with us.

It was a blessing for me.

SLEEPLESS~

It's way past my bedtime.  I cannot sleep.  My head is spinning.

Concentration has passed me by.  I have so much muddling within this wee brain of mine.  Have you ever had a sleepless night like this?

Tea.  Chamomile Tea. Another blanket.  Complete quiet.  Does that mean I have to leave my bed?  Bill is snoring.  His bean soup is working.  There is no peace in this room.  There is no place in this room for me right now.  Mercy, I cannot breathe.  The recliner.  I will try the recliner.

I wonder what the young adults are doing at this hour!  Not to worry, I wouldn't do that.  They have sense, do they not?  Oh, for pete sake, they are in the garage working on the 4-wheeler, or are they?  no?  

Is it still raining?  Has it turned to snow yet again?  Did I just hear a cricket?  It can't be.  If they have any sense at all, they are still deep in hibernation.  It's far to cold for them yet.  I wonder how far the kids got on their travels.  They hoped to be in New Orleans by now.  It was nice they checked in this morning.  

Oh my gosh, if I drink this tea at this hour, I'll just get to sleep and have to go to the lady's room...dear me.

I pray that my family starts to get healthier.  I worry about all of us, lately.  Is the sun going to shine in the morning?  The maple syrup operation is going full-steam.  We should have syrup by tomorrow afternoon.  I forgot to get the lids for the canning jars.  I sure am having my share of senior moments lately, and I don't even feel old yet.  I look in the mirror, tho, and it scares me what I see.

I wonder how my sisters are all doing.  I saw my twin this morning and he's doing so much better.  Thank God.  We just may have a chance to grow old together yet.  What a mess upstairs.  Tomorrow, maybe I can tackle one closet at a time, slow but sure.  Just like the Tortoise and the Hare, I go slow and Bill goes fast.  We always end up at the same place come nightfall.  See~~~I'm a mess tonight.  Cannot sleep.  I think I will go watch a movie, or bake something.  What will I conjure up for those hard working Maple Syrup-making boys tomorrow....I'll read for awhile.  That always slows me down, calms me.  When I start to reread a sentence, I know sleep will soon come.  I will read.

             ....surely, by now, ALL of YOU are asleep....

                                          'cept Me.

Thanks for stopping and reading this nonsense~~~  love ya  ~~~  

BlessYa                                   ** 

Dar

Unconditional

No matter how you view them,

tulips are a true sign of spring.

Not only do they speak of spring,

with their bright colors and silky petals,

 But their promise of creating rainbows 

in the fields across the country is reason for an

Awwwww, Owwww, WoW.

 Even with a backdrop of black and dew, 

 Nothing speaks Easter and GOD,s 

Promise of Unconditional Love

like  Tulips.

Happy Easter 

and

God Bless

You Get A Line~

It is almost that time of year when the fishin' holes 

are busy with spawn and anglers.

This is Mom fishing the Flambeau just down

the road from her place, checking out a hole

a few yrs. back on a sunny summer day.

We have had many memories on this river and 

at her shores.  Many a river trip in canoes, 

many deep fried Channel Cats, pickled Redhorse, stuffed and grilled Muskies, Walleye fillets, herb breaded Bass~~~

We've eaten well off this river wild.

Today, I dream of ' fine fishing.'

We don't wet a line often, but when we do

it's a guaranteed day of R&R.

Yes sir, we be needing that.

So, melt, snow., so I can sing to my man;

"You get a line, I'll get a pole, honey.

You get a line, I'll get a pole, babe, 

You get a line, I'll get a pole, n'

We'll go down to the fishin' hole,

Honey, Baby, Mine."

~Melt, snow, Melt~

Those of you able, 

Grab a pole and hit that sweet fishin' hole.

May the Good Lord fill your plate with fine eating.

BlessingsAll

LL and TLIF

If you are at all faint of heart, do not watch a video

about this procedure.  I had this plus 2 more procedures 

done 10 yrs. ago and it's what needs to be done again.

HOWEVER,

as I arrived at the clinic for my pre-op,

I was summoned to the nearest desk for a message 

to report to the orthopedic dept. immediately.

Upon my arrival, the receptionist did not have a

clue as to what was going on.

Once in a patient room, the nurse came in to  

with an anxious look on her face to inform me that

my pre-0p and surgery had been 

CANCELLED?????

WHAT???

Apparently the doctor himself, had an appt. that morning
to find out there was something wrong with his eye~~~

All I can say is "Good call."  I would not feel comfortable
having major surgery with a guy who couldn't see what he was doing.

So, here we go again.
More waiting, another 3-4  appt.s before we get things done.

The real positive here is that I can only 
HOPE
that the neurosurgeon I have been referred to,
can help with a much less invasive procedure....
Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me and
the prayers coming, that this is going to be 
a much better choice.

OH, I am SO OVER this.

Thanks for stopping by and reading this piddly stuff.
LoveYourSweetHearts

If you're having trouble leaving a comment, 
please leave one anyway.
I messed something up, as usual, but 
I am getting your comments sooner or later.
Thanks for your patience with this ol' gal

Rejuvenation

 I am a carb addict. 

 I love my bad carbohydrates like breads, pasta, high carb veggies like peas, carrots, winter squash, you know, the rich, buttery ones.

Needless to say, I have become a ( chunky monkey.)

I need to get back in shape. 

 I know that.

I need to be more aware of what damage I'm doing to my heart, joints and blood that runs through my veins.

I know that.

 I am first to admit that 

This girl has a problem to ' attempt ' to solve.

There are a million excuses and good ones,  but the worst is

my very own lack of persistence.

Sooooo, folks,

hang in there with me while I work on a new me.

I started with eating a bit healthier., at least one meal a day.

That I should be able to accomplish, right?

That's why the green salads and lean chicken, turkey and fish., 

at least for ONE meal a day.....are you still with me?

Next, a new haircut.  It didn't take any weight off or help my ' innerds '

but it did make me feel better leaving half a dozen inches of  split-ends

and 'scragglies' on the floor instead of around my shoulders.

And YES dear sisters, I covered the gray.

Who needs them when I have at least another 40 yrs. to live, God willing.

Might as well make myself feel good and besides, 

poor Bill has to look at me all day now that he's retired.

All kidding aside, my rejuvenation is more purposeful than

pure vanity.

I am preparing for another journey, 

a detour, as it be, down another surgical path.

 Risk is taken every day but, All will be fine.

Though an invasive and intense ride,

I am every bit confident that God will see me through.

You see, He has given me HOPE.

May you all be blessed with the same.

BlessYaFaithfulFriends

You do not begin to know how much I appreciate

each and every one of you for taking the time to stop by.

Dar

K & M

Learning something new, it's a satisfying thing.  K is learning how to do some of the basics of cross-stitch embroidery.  She is working on a gift for her Mom for Mother's Day, being instructed at her church youth class.  Once home and on her own, she got stuck, not being sure what came next so, of course, during my visit, I was more than happy to refresh her memory.  Secretly, I think she was just waiting on Grandma's help, rather than her parents...she really did well, completing half of her project in the week we were there.  Way to go Katie!

 Miss M has interest in paper crafts, and magnets.

For her birthday, Megan was surprised with a wall runway that has blowups of herself dancing.  To make the wall even more entertaining, it is not only a blackboard for her friends to sign, but a magnetic runway and dancers.  

To add to her birthday surprise, I made bags full of magnets with feathers and leatherlike fringe for her native girl, lace for her ballerina, dangling beads for earrings and lots of beading for her hip-hop gal, and flowers for  the flower-child down the edge of the runway.  The girls spent hours playing and play-acting with the bags full of magnets and drawing faces.

 of course, Grandma never leaves before helping whip up a batch of Cho. Chip Cookies for the kids.  This time, it was Grandma time with Megan while her older sister practiced her routine with friends for the upcoming talent show at school.

 I was distracted several times with this gorgeous craft room used by the entire family.  Jolene got the shelving ideas off of pinterest and Billy built all of them.  

 There is storage everywhere, shelves, bins, stack totes, and two working tables, a window bench (that still will get a cushion), a sewing center, scrapbook center....on and on....

 even a ladder shelf unit that holds the Game Night games, (which is every night in this home.)  I want this room.  Hmm, maybe with the sunroom???

 Like most of today's children, these kids are constantly busy with 

' activities.'  This day they had dance practices first, then home to try on the costumes they will be wearing for their upcoming recital.

We will not be able to attend, so we got a personal performance with the same music...but at the same time...it was awesome.

These kids are good!

 Katie is Miss Ballet and Megan is Miss Hip-Hop

So much exercise for one day and it was time to brush their teeth, lay out their clothes for the morning and say their prayers.

I know it's Tuesday already, but I'm still exhausted from last week.

I don't think I could handle one school day like the kids have anymore.

I'm not so young I think I is...

and no more boost in the best of me.

Have a great one, while I look forward to tomorrow.

BlessYa