deer

 It was several years ago.  Summer time.  There was a knock on the door and our good friend Bill was standing on the porch.

"I'm on my way to Tom's(his son) baseball game and I need a favor."

"Sure", I said.

"I was driving to the game and the lady in front of me hit and killed a deer.  She didn't want it, so I gutted it on the side of the road and threw it in the back of my truck.  Do you mind if I hang it in your garage?"

My husband was a fishing guide at the time. He was out with his boat and the garage stall was empty.  

"Sure," I said.

He strung the deer up from the roof trusses and headed on out to the game.

I was watching for my husband to come home.  Somehow, I missed his arrival.  

Imagine his surprise when he began to back the boat into the garage....

~~~~~~

Fast forward to yesterday.  Friends of ours have an ebay business.  We save small boxes for them to use for shipping out their product.

We had an accumulation of boxes (you too?) and I let them know I was going to drop them off.  

"Sure, put them in the garage.  We might not be home, but you know how to get in."

Imagine my surprise when I entered the garage with an armload of boxes and hanging from the trusses?  Yep.

Life in the Northwoods.

Tourist town.

Cousins playing in the (private) road.  Because. Rocks.   Don't worry, Grandma and Dad/Uncle were on high alert but we hardly ever have any traffic.

We live in a tourist town.  People are attracted to the area because of our abundant lakes with good fishing (ice and open water).  There are also opportunities for jet skiing, water skiing, kayaking and canoeing.

In addition to water sports, we have hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, biking, ATV riding, snowmobiling and cross country skiing. 

We have a cute downtown with specialty shops that cater to the tourist but also serve the year round residents well.

Only 39% of us live here year round.  The winters are long and cold, sometimes harsh.  The employment opportunities abound during the summer, but after Labor Day some businesses close.  Others lay people off or drastically cut hours.  When the tourists go, so do the jobs.

Then, when the tourists leave, this is a totally different place.  It is rare to grocery shop or stop at the post office or bank without seeing someone you know.

We love it here.  We have had to move away twice but have always comes back.   Our kids come back, not only to see us, but I think because it was such a wonderful place to grow up.

Our oldest son and our two year old grandson have been here the past few days.  Our son and the resident fisherman have been fishing on some of the lesser known lakes in the area.  We’ve taken our grandson on walks down the private road and he has seen many deer (some without even leaving the house!).

We could have gone go-carting or horse back riding or to the children’s museum or mini golfing or any other of a number of outings that cater to tourists.  But we are very content to wet a line in Grandpa’s boat or walk through the woods or play on the deck or with a pile of rocks. 

The simple life.  People pay a lot of money and rush up here, scurry around to take every thing in and go home sunburned and exhausted with depleted bank accounts.

We are among the few and the blessed who can walk right out our doors and take it all in any time we want.

Outside our window...

This gorgeous fella showed up at our suet feeder yesterday.  And again this morning.

According to our Birds of North America book, Mr. Woody Woodpecker (aka pileated woodpecker):

Uncommon and local; a wary bird of extensive deciduous or mixed forests.  Solid black back distinguishes it from other large birds except crows or some hawks.  It is conspicuously crested in all plumages.  Flight is strong with irregular flaps of wings.  Drumming is distinctive: loud, slow, softer at end.  Call is a series, never single.

It is very cool to have such spectacular neighbors.  

It is also very hard to get anything done when they come visiting.  Much more entertaining than anything on television.

tall tale

After transacting my business at the bank yesterday I headed for the door.
Something caught my attention on the door jamb. I hadn't noticed it before, so I think it is new.


It looked (something) like this (blogger is not cooperating with spacing today):

-

6 -

-

5 -

It took a moment for me to realize what it was. A means for the tellers and the security camera to estimate someone's height.

With the sorry state of the economy and unemployment on the rise, bank robberies are occurring more frequently.

With the handy dandy door tool, we will be able to know how tall the 'perp' is.

I think I will do my banking at the drive-up window.

Then I went to the grocery store. The man in front of me at the check-out line had a rather large looking hunting knife in a sheath on his belt. I don't know if my 'city folk' readers are accustomed to seeing this kind of thing, but it is common in the Northwoods.

Reminded me of a story that I may have told you. Please bear with me if I am repeating myself.

It was a summer day, perhaps 15 or so years ago. Pat was out guiding, but I was expecting him home shortly.

A truck pulled in the driveway and Bill hopped out. Bill is a good friend and a funny guy. He explained to me that he was on his way to his son's little league game when the lady in front of him hit and killed a deer.

Bill, helpful guy that he is, asked her if she wanted the deer. "No." she replied in disgust.

So Bill (hunting knife at the ready) gutted the deer on the side of the road and threw it (the deer not the guts) in the back of his truck.

He wondered if he could hang the deer in our garage while he went to Tom's little league game.

I agreed and Bill strung the deer up from the rafters in the garage, promising to come get it after the baseball game was over.

Imagine Pat's surprise when he returned from a day of guiding and backed the boat into the garage.

Oh, deer.

the tradition continues

our airborn firstborn

photo by Troy Z.

For the past few years, Nathan, our oldest, has brought a group of guys up to our Northwoods home. It was not simply a social visit. The goal was to go snowboarding - at a place less than an hour from our home.

I believe I have mentioned here before that the folks that bought our house (college friend of Pat's) sometimes rent it out. Nate and his buddies stayed in the old home.

Apparently they had a great time and there were no visits to the emergency room. Course there was not home cookin' either - but I'm glad no one was hurt - even if they were not well fed. By me. Naturally it was a bitter cold weekend, but these guys seem to be able to handle it.

If they can't, they are more than welcome to come visit us in Tennessee. No snowboarding to speak of, but no bitter cold weather either. And plenty of home cookin'.

resolutely

Throughout the day yesterday my eyes were drawn upward. Eight separate times I saw different (presumably, though how would you tell for sure?) noisy flocks of geese flying overhead.

Something stirred in these geese, a God- given biological clock, telling them it was time to head north. They did not apparently question why they should do this, or if they should do this, they simply did this.

How unlike us human beings.

We wrestle with our decisions. Should we or shouldn't we? We weigh pros and cons. We consider and reconsider. Some pray, asking God to reveal His will to us.

As Pat and I have prepared to leave our beloved Northwoods and so many dear friends, one thing has surprised me. We have not 'second guessed' ourselves.

We are convinced that this is the right thing to do, that this is God's plan for us at this stage of our lives.

Just as the geese automatically head north in the spring and south in the fall, we resolutely set our course for Tennessee.

Hopefully without the honking.

~~~~~
Did I forget to mention this? How could I? Our closing on the office last Friday went without a hitch. Nineteen minutes after the appointment we were back in our car with a nice big check. Thank you Lord!

to name a few

"Hi, are you on the other line?"
"Yeah, where do you want to go?"
"Call me back when you get off."

I love this about Ann. Not only can she read my mind, but she is usually game for whatever I have up my sleeve.

This phone conversation took place on Friday. Pat and Randy had just headed out for some ice fishing (yes, the resident fisherman broke down and bought his (last?) Wisconsin resident fishing license).

When the guys go out fishing, Ann and I generally stay put and behave ourselves, but not always. She called me back and we decided to go out for dinner and drag two unsuspecting gals from our Bible study with us. We had a really nice time. All the nicer for me, because I know these days are numbered and it will be a while before I will find a girlfriend in TN who will be as spontaneous as Ann. Although.... I'm pretty sure I'll be able to talk Mom into a lot of spur of the moment activities.

Pat and Randy went fishing again on Saturday after Pat and I had finished a very productive day of sorting and packing. This time Ann and I went our separate ways.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day with sunshine and warm (72*) temperatures. The guys went fishing again. Pat's last ice fishing. Can you imagine ice fishing when it is in the 70's? And yes, they made it back home without any unfortunate incidences. Ann and I went for a walk, then decided to go into town to check out a remodel job at a friend's home. While we were there, another friend stopped in. We had a nice long chat. (then Ann and I stopped at Dairy Queen....shhhhh)

Later, after Pat and Randy got home, we went over to our neighbors to say good-by. They have been great neighbors. Our paths don't cross much outside of the neighborhood and as we sat there chatting, I was really sad that we hadn't made more of an effort to spend time with them. Life gets way too busy, doesn't it? I'm hoping they will come and visit us.

This morning's devotional reading was in I Chronicles, chapters one and two. I was sorely tempted to skip over this:
The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister.
Two chapters of names.

But I read them all. Each name representing a person who lived and breathed, had dreams and plans and family and left a mark on history.

As our time in the Northwoods draws to a close, I realize more than ever the impact we all have on each other's lives. I could write a very long list here of the people who have touched my life during our 30 years here. I wish I had time to write a thank you to each and every one.


Today and tomorrow are very busy days around here. However, I never want to be too busy to take time to stop and chat with friends (especially if it involves a quick stop at Dairy Queen).

~~~~~
As the snow disappears, the Northwoods is coming back to life. More birds arrive every day. I saw four flocks of geese fly over head this morning. I also saw the fox. Tulip leaves are pushing up through the soil. Spring is coming.

this, that and the other thing

this morning

My, what a beautiful morning! A lone goose flew overhead honking away, a robin sang its pure, sweet song from deep within the woods. Hundreds of songbirds joined in the chorus and the forest seemed alive with activity. Pat just saw a red fox just outside the bedroom window. It would be a good day for the resident fisherman to go fishing, but for the first time in I don't know how long, he has no valid Wisconsin license. I have encouraged him to get one, but I think he is done with ice fishing and now looks forward to investigating the waters of Tennessee (Tennessee fish, beware!).

Those who know seem to think that there will be precious little open water here on opening day of fishing (May 3). We will leave before then anyway and I'm sure Patrick can find some things to keep busy with around here.

~~~~~
I'm happy and grateful to report that Kristi's dad's surgery was successful. He is now recuperating from a double bypass. Kelly, Kristi's sister, is caring for him, as Kristi needs to stick pretty close to home these days ( 9 days until due date!).

Thanks for your prayers for Bob!

~~~~~~
I promised momawake that I would answer her question later this week. Here is what she said in the comment section a few days ago:

All your posts about this move are so positive even in light of leaving dear ones. Are you sad? Do you have mixed feelings about leaving? Just wondering what you feel about it. I think I'm sad you're leaving and I don't even know you. ; ) I think I'll miss the posts from the north. But maybe I'll learn something about TN that I wouldn't have learned any other way.

I think, in general, that I am an optimistic person. (Those of you who know me best, feel free to argue.) Am I sad? Yes. I have some of the best friends a girl could have. And I will miss everyone of them. However, in this electronic age, though the miles separate us, we can be in very close touch. They, I am fairly confident, will continue to read my blog and I, in turn, will nag them to start blogs of their own so I can peer into their lives. Emails will help and I have free long distance on my cell phone on weekends. And don't think I won't use it!

Do I have mixed feelings about leaving? Surprisingly (especially to me, a world class second guesser) no. We have prayed about this move and have seen God's loving guidance every step of the way. We are convinced that this is the right thing to do.

I'm hoping to learn a lot about Tennessee too. It is a beautiful state and there will be lots to explore. I plan to hang out with Mom and Dad, see more of Roger and Cheryl and the kids, garden, be involved at church and keep myself busy. Hopefully that will give me some interesting blog fodder.

And....from what my friends tell me, we will be having lots of visitors from the North. Y'all come down!

And most importantly I try to let the verse I have up on the header of this blog guide my life. I could wallow in self-pity because I am leaving so many great friends. But why make myself and everyone around me miserable when I can practice the discipline of this:

"Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy; think on these things."
Philippians 4:8

pretending and pressing on

Play along with me, please. Let's pretend that we didn't just get three inches of snow overnight, that the winds aren't howling and rocking the trees and that we aren't expecting 5 more inches of snow tonight.*

There, I feel better. Much nicer to think that the sun is shining and the irises are in bloom.

Even though it is not and they are not.

Things are pretty busy around here, so the weather isn't really impacting our to do list.

Tom Terrific stopped by yesterday and took the enamelware and cheese boxes off our hands and generously left some venison sausage. He is such a great guy and always shows up when you need him.

We've had multiple phone calls and emails and faxes back and forth between us and our realtors and the title company. One transaction has more than enough paper work, but four transactions have, well,... four times that much!

The moving company called this morning and confirmed the moving date. All the closing dates are set.

We are thankful to the Lord for how all the details are falling into place.

The only unknown? The arrival date of our little grandson.

Good thing I have all this other stuff to keep me distracted.

*I have plenty of wood in the house and 10 gallons of water in buckets in case we lose power. There are a lot of power outages in our area.

Tomorrow, if we have electricity, I'll blog a bit about the sale of our office.

no foolin'

The dire predictions of 6-10 inches of snow came true. March, which had come in like a lion, also went out like a lion. I don't think it is supposed to do that.

Our porch steps completely were free from snow yesterday morning, now not so much.
The snow covered trees are beautiful, but take my word for it. This is much prettier in December than in April.

Our deck was also snow free. As you can see, now it isn't.

Area schools are closed, though I'm sure many children thought their parents were pulling an April Fool's prank on them when they were informed of the snow day.

The first part of my walk this morning was more of a trudge. Then the plow came through, which you would think would make walking easier. Nope. The plow took off the top layer of snow leaving behind the slushy underlayer which was now polished to a nice flat slippery surface.

Almost immediately after the plow went by, I fell. While I would like to think that I went down very gracefully, I'm pretty sure that is not true. Arms flailing, back wrenching, THUD.

Thankfully, I'm not hurt (unless you count my pride). I thought I had gotten through my last winter here without falling. Once again, I was wrong.
~~~~
Our remedy to all this snow? We are leaving town. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we are headed to Tennessee. To House Hunt. Something we have not done for over 30 years. We will look at a half dozen houses. I have check lists ready for each one. Address. Brief description. Pros and cons for each room. Hopefully we will be able to keep all these houses straight and can find the right one.

One of my Sunday School kids told his parents that he thought we should be on "House Hunters". If we were, I'd be the one tripping and falling in and out of the houses.

Blogging may be sporadic for the next week or so. Have a great week everyone!

two months from today...

turkey in the woods

...is our targeted moving date. Yikes.

Yesterday I went to pick up some stuff at a friends. As I traveled along one of our Northwoods back roads, I came upon a flock (if you can call four a flock) of wild turkeys.

They were in the middle of the road. I slowly approached them and soon they looked up startled by the oncoming silver mini van. They began to hightail it down the road. Have you ever watched turkeys run for all their worth down a snow covered road?

Quite a sight. They looked like a ....bunch of turkeys.

They realized I was gaining on them and headed into the woods. I was only able to get a picture of one of them.

I can relate to the turkeys. Most of the time, I am minding my own business, doing my own thing. Eating in the middle of the road, so to speak.

Then I realize that we have a looming deadline. And I run down the road trying to get other things done, before it dawns on me that I really need to head into the woods and get down to business.

Okay, maybe that's a lousy analogy.

But today, after I run some errands, practice piano, work on my (last!) Sunday school lesson, do some laundry, sew the binding on the baby quilt, I'm going to get down to business and pack up some boxes.

Have a great weekend everybody!

my conversations...

...with this particular four year old usually begin like this:

"I been to you house." he declares.
"Yes, you have." I affirm.
"You have worms." he accuses.
"Yes, I do." I sigh.

My mind flashes ahead to a probable inscription on my tombstone:

Here lies Cheri.
She had worms.

I truly do. A bin full of worms in our basement. Why?

We feed our worms our kitchen scraps. Potato peelings, coffee grounds, stale bread heels, egg shells - anything that is not meat or dairy.

In turn they give us castings, a rather euphemistic name for worm poop. This we spread in our garden and around our houseplants. It is a wonderful fertilizer and rich in nutrients.

It is also apparently my claim to fame among the four year old set. I have a tee shirt, too.
It says, I've Got Worms.

As you can imagine this is not a staple in my wardrobe.

I will show you pictures of my worms, if you are interested. But not today. This morning, the trees were covered in the most delicate shimmery hoarfrost (can't we come up with a better name for this beauty than that?).

These pictures don't begin to do the hoarfrost justice, but perhaps can give you Floridians and Tennesseeans a glimpse of today's Northwoods wonder.

...

super Sunday

Some may enjoy the crashing of helmets and the clashing of titan teams. That is fine. For me any Sunday can be Super Sunday. A quiet walk beside a sunlit swamp turns an ordinary day into something superb.

I would think not....

no blog today

day is dawning

as predicted

The current temperature is -18. The wind is rocking the trees and when I checked the news a little bit ago, the wind chill was -41. Schools throughout the area are closed. Awana is canceled.

How thankful I am for this nice warm home! In anticipation of the bitter cold, I brought in a few extra loads of wood. Then, last night as I could see the trees begin to sway and the temperature plummet I filled a five gallon bucket with water. Just in case we lose power.

I am sure Pat is grateful that he doesn't have to go out to work. We are really counting our blessings on a day like today. Yet so many must bundle up, brave the cold and head out to work. We are grateful for the doctors, nurses, snowplowers, store clerks and all who faithfully go to work despite extreme weather.

Today after I finish my morning chores: cleaning, baking, cooking, mending, and maybe a little sewing, I plan to make a cup of tea and curl up with some old magazines. For several years now I have subscribed to the Countryside magazine. These magazines are primarily reader-written and describe a way of life that is long gone in most of our society. Homesteading. The way my grandparents and, perhaps yours, lived. Raising your own food, fixing things yourself, doing without. Creative deprivation, but a very rich way of life.

How can you not love a magazine with covers like this:
Look at that wood cookstove! I have always wanted one....

Here are some of the titles of the articles this magazine contains:

• Feed a family of four with a garden the size of a two-car garage
• Gathering wild foods and other timeless skills
• Back to basics:recovering from a lifetime of excess
• Feed a family on $50 a month
• Planning your ideal homestead
• How to knit socks
• How to cut expenses
• Raising dairy goats
• The benefits of composted manure
• Grow more with cheap and easy cold frames

A lot of practical, tried and true country advice.

Letters to the editor like this:
"I am 83, have never taken a vitamin pill, never been vaccinated, never been to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. I have about two-thirds of my teeth. When one gets hollow and the sides get loose and give me trouble, I get the pliers and take care of it."

Please understand, I am not recommending this kind of dental advice (we love our wonderful dentist!) but I admire the 'can-do', I'll take care of it myself attitude.

Today, the winds outside are howling, the weather is indeed frightful and dangerous.

Inside this home though, all is well, and the lady of the house is reading, sipping tea and dreaming about gardens and canning and chickens and goats and weaving and knitting and soap-making (and herbal remedies thanks to Cheri.)
edited to add: I tried about five times to get the above link to work right and failed. Click on another Cheri on the sidebar to see Cheri's blog

All things homesteading.

winter clearance sale

In our continual quest to downsize, I inspected the contents of the rafters of the garage. Here is what I found:

6 pairs of cross country skis - 3 of them skate skis, three classical

two pairs of down hill skis

11 and 1/2 pairs of poles (okay boys, what happened to the other pole, c'mon 'fess up )

only 3 pairs of (boring gray) cross country ski boots

and two hockey sticks and pucks. There are also a couple of pairs of well-worn hockey skates around here somewhere too.

We probably won't need any of these in Tennessee (should we ever get there). We especially won't need the lone pole.

I haven't done any skiing for the past few years. I love to cross country ski, but there just hasn't been the right combination of weather conditions and time available, it seems. Plus, all my ski partners have up and left home.

I have wonderful memories of skiing with the boys as well as with our homeschool group on the trails a few miles east of us. There are several trails there. I even went on the black diamond trail. Once. Mostly sitting down. All the trails intersect at a little warming shed. There the chickadees are so tame, they will perch on your finger. They have been well trained by thousands of skiers who come and bring sunflower seeds for them.

I really should ski a few times before I turn my skis over to someone else. Not tomorrow though; the windchills are projected to be 35 to 45 below zero.

Wednesday

Partly sunny. Blustery. Areas of blowing snow during the morning. A slight chance of snow showers during the afternoon. Highs zero to 5 above. West winds 15 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 20 mph during the afternoon. Chance of snow 20 percent. Wind chills to 45 below zero.

(Anybody besides me want to cancel Awana?) Monday the high was 41 (above). What a difference a few days make!

So, if anyone is interested in buying skis or knows anyone who is interested, please contact us. Reasonable prices!
edited to add: hockey pucks and sticks have been spoken for

as I was coming out of the garage....

...with a bucket load of sunflower seed, this deer came screeching to a halt in front of our favorite clump of towering birches. She was headed for the bird feeder-to have a little breakfast. Sunflower seed has skyrocketed in price. A 50 pound bag was $9.99 last fall. Now it is $15.99!

She watched me with interest, but never backed off or startled as I headed to the feeder. A couple of her fellow travelers in the woods behind her were skittish; not as brazen as this girl.

Sorry, for the blurry photos, I'm still getting used to my camera phone.

After the feeders were full, she was first in line at the buffet.

I heard someone once call them 'antler rats'. They can be a nuisance - even dangerous - we know two men who were killed this past year in deer/car and deer/motorcycle accidents.

But I never tire of watching their graceful beauty.

finally...

...after a (seemingly) long cold snap, I was able to walk outside again.

I really benefit from my early morning walks. I can clear my head, focus my thoughts on the Lord, gain wisdom for how to order my day...Since it was only four below this morning, I headed outside for the sounds of silence.

When I exercise in the morning on the bike, I listen to the news:

dire predictions about the housing market
dire predictions about global warming
dire predictions about the economy

Gloom and doom. Not very relaxing stuff.

It is supposed to get all the way up to 17 degrees above zero today. Get outside if you can, away from all the nerve jangling noises that surround us. Take a nice long, mind-clearing walk.

Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” Helen Keller

frosty

Current temperature: -18 degrees (as of 7:30 am). Bet it's not this cold in Tennessee. (By the way, many thanks to Mom and DOD for sending me three spools of navy blue thread!)

Do you ever check out any of the wikihow projects that appear on the Google home page? Today's project looks like an easy and fun one. However do be sure you heed the warning:
Scissors and needles are sharp. Handle with appropriate care.

I'm sure this warning was born out of the lawsuit against a major department store several years ago. Two men got the bright idea to pick up their lawnmower (while it was running) and use it as a hedge trimmer. Needless to say, somebody got hurt. So they decided to sue this department store for not warning them that they shouldn't use a lawnmower as a hedge trimmer.

Now let's see, where did I put my common sense?