A good and quiet day

 The bike rack that attaches to the hitch came in very handy when Mr. Charlie wanted to run about and sniff for good marking places. 

This trail has a sign: Dogs Must Be Leashed.

He was attached to the car as I assembled his cruiser and got everything together for our ride.

Yesterday was an adventure day. 

I'd spent Wednesday doing errands and taking care of 'stuff'.  

I'd had lunch with my MIL's cousin and was introduced as The Widow of Richard. I almost corrected her and said 'wife' but realized Widow was correct.

It gave me a pause for a moment.

My good neighbor Justin [a bike expert! He likes to build bikes!] came over and helped me assemble and learn how to use my bike rack. 

Thursday  seemed perfect to go try everything out. 

The temperature was 40 degrees F when we hit the trail. Coldish weather bicycling is new to me, so I layered just enough to feel a bit cool while putting our gear together. There was a 5 mph wind and the sun was shining. 

We took off and saw one runner and one other bicyclist. This is not a super popular trail in cooler weather. However, it is maintained by the county and is FREE to use. It is an old railroad bed so it is flatish and not hard to cycle.

My copilot seemed quite happy in his trailer. We did stop a few times to have a dog treat and a small walk so he could sniff and pee on things.

Parked:

Thing is, we enjoyed it so much we went further than I'd been before.

My eventual goal is to reach the WI River Slough and petal into the State Natural Area to observe birds and wildlife. The round trip would be around 20 miles, but very doable. I think going by bicycle is an extremely cool way to get around and visit areas along the Pine River and the Wisconsin River.

The little blue-green line is some of what my GPS recorded. The trail ends at Lone Rock. One of these times I will ride all the way there and buy lunch. It just seems to be a fun thing for me to do.

IF we don't have a lot of snow this winter, I will be able to cycle this trail often.

The State Bike Trails cost $25 per year from January 1st to January 1st. I may purchase a pass to go on the State Trails this coming Spring, but not at the end of October. 

I have the mode, the means, and the time to explore by bike. I can go further than a hike and see more wildlife and land.

Today I saw a flock of bluebirds flitting about and flying in front of me. In one of the pastures I passed, several Sandhill Cranes were strutting about. The Tamarack Trees were turning yellow. 

It was cool yet refreshing. Pictured are stops along the Pine River. The colors are still pretty even though most trees are barren.

When I got home, I found that the new and smaller table had been delivered. It is an Ikea sort of table, a put together thing. It is going to replace the huge round table that Rich inherited from his great grandmother. 

That old table was partially broken. Parts of it were falling apart. It was also huge and cumbersome to get around. 

While in place, there was very little room for anyone to sit around the table. The top was no longer in good shape.

I dismantled it and was surprised to find dry rot under the top. I guess it was time for it to go.

Below were the parts for putting the new table together. 

I've always wanted a 'gate leg' table. 

Or a table that had fold down sides to open up the little eating area.

The top and the fold downs

are photo'd below.

It wasn't hard to assemble and I like the extra room it gives me in the small eating area we have.

I was very surprised at how easy it was to assemble and how sturdy it feels.

The table has two leaves that fold down or up depending on your guests. Since it is mostly just myself and Charlie, I decided to go with things this way. 

I'll be putting a slightly larger rug under the table. The floor under the chairs is a concrete slab which can feel cold in the winter.

I'm pleased.

The old table was too large for the area and too hard to move around. Now it feels more open and agreeable.

Charlie's chair is on the lower right side. He does have his own chair that he likes to sit on when I am at the table.

I figured it was a good day. We traveled and explored, we constructed, and we modified our living space.

All is good.

Halloween is today. No plans for anything as we are so remote. I will be working in the pastures if it doesn't rain and if it does...well, there is always organizing and more purging to be done inside.

These shots below were photos I worked on for Halloween Themes for this year.

Have a great day! These will be my trick or treaters!

Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch...

The last shot is something that used to be impossible without modern cameras.

Getting several shots in quick succession while keeping things in focus used to be nearly impossible in the film days.

Now there are cameras that 'track and focus' on whatever you choose to follow. It is quite amazing. I love 'shooting' butterflies and hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

I miss a lot of shots even with the fantastic modes in my camera. It may take me a few days worth of trying to get anything decent, but it is always worth the extra effort.

The Swallowtail shot consists of 3 shots blended together later in a program I use called ON1. It is so much simpler [and cheaper] than Photoshop.

Anyway. 

Enjoy my Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch.

 PS~ I did get a visit from one of the Tree & Brush Folks! Yeeehawww!

Chill out

 

Charlie and I took a very different walk yesterday. We went to the ridge and decided to hike the cropland hayfields. This way we avoided slogging through mud. We could have walked along the gravel road but one neighbor choses not to watch their dog.

This dog has attacked but has not yet hurt Charlie and I just don't want to risk it. The last time this dog attempted to get at Charlie, I held him and sprayed her with Pepper spray. She got a snootful and wouldn't leave us alone....
Anyway...

We walked this high ridge and kept to the fields. It was much more interesting for Charlie because of all the critter tracks. So many good smells for a dog.

I left my camera at home and just walked with my cell phone, and was a bit sorry that I did not bring my camera with a long lens. We reached the road across the ridge and stopped to admire the fields for a bit. I heard a chirp that I haven't heard all winter.

And there they were! Bluebirds! [sorry the picture isn't very good!]

We headed back along the fields and came to a patch of trees in the middle of this cropland. It is in a slight dip where water runs. I got to the deer trail and walked in among the trees. I looked back and Charlie was sitting just outside of the trees. He refused to follow me.

More than likely it would have been the fresh scent of a coyote that lingered on the trail that deterred him.

So we detoured and walked up one of the waterways and decided to just sit down and enjoy the warm afternoon sun.

From here we could see the intersection [if you want to call it that] to our dead end road and the other gravel road that crossed the ridge. 

When we got home the two of us sat on the porch bench and listened to the world around us. 

The antique wash table got the addition of some real flowers to mix in with the Lego Wildflower Bouquet.

I'm enjoying the bright colors!

Quiet day

I was up early, not to put the turkey in the oven, but to have some coffee and breakfast before meeting up with my neighbor as we had both signed up for a fund raiser 'rowing' & movie event at the gym.

This is what greeted me while I walked up the road to catch a ride with my neighbor, Olive. I only had my cell phone and IF I'd had my camera, I would have been tempted to spend a good long time photographing different aspects of this scene!

Sometimes I wish I lived on the ridge...not during winds and storms though!

The gym owner is a fire fighter and very community oriented. The rowing event was conducted with a free will 'donation' in a little drop box where we donated money for a family that needed help. 

He put on the movie Elf and we started rowing. I had a couple of young sisters as team mates and we each rowed until we wanted a break and then the next person took over. It was fun. While waiting my turn I could catch up with other members of the gym that I hadn't seen in a while and talk with the sisters.

I couldn't really hear the movie, but it was fun to watch it anyway and visit. It is probably the biggest social event I've been to in the past few years.

When I got home, I found Rich doing this:

He had gotten bored while waiting and pulled out some pieces from the pie tin we had the bits in and put together little chairs. He did this without looking at the instructions of course! I was pretty amazed as he has terrible tremors which really frustrate him. But somehow he got this done!

I turned off all my electronics and spent part of the day cleaning and purging items from the closet under the stairs. I found a box that contained pictures and items that my brother had sent to me a long time ago. I'd put the items in the only closet space we had at the time.

Anyway I found some fun drawings I did as a kid. 

I recall being fascinated by the history of the Roman Kingdom and the violent world they lived in. Latin - Roman Wars -- drawings I did as a 6th grader.
I loved it that my Dad kept all sorts of our kid artwork. It creates warm fuzzy memories of childhood.

I found a beautiful blow up photo of my favorite shot my father took in 1965 of the after math of the eruption of Kilauea Iki in 1959.

Here is my shot from 2001 of the same tree

and a photo of us dated 1965 walking up the Devastation Trail at Volcano National Park.

In 2010 I went back with my father's ashes to put them in the place he was always the happiest.

Another trip down Devastation Trail was made and this was the result.

I think I need to go back and really get the angle right! Though to do so, I think I'd have to step off the trail. In 1965 that was dangerous as the lava field was apparently a bit sketchy to walk on.

The fond memories set me in a quiet mood. Some days I wish for those days again. You know, when we were kids and exploring as a family together. Pre Later Life Drama. 

I cleaned and vacuumed the tiny basement area while I dug out the Christmas boxes of stuff. I have no idea what I'll do this year for decorating. I'm going to lean towards a simple prelit and fake birch tree and go from there.

Rich took his afternoon nap and Charlie and I spent time snuggled and reading on the couch. 

The sunset was as spectacular as the sunrise:

BLTs for supper and an episode of The Santa Clauses Series on Disney +. We get good laughs out of the comedy Christmas programs.

Wild Things near

When the morning sun broke over the tree tops, I saw this young deer north of the house at the top of the hill. The winds hadn't started yet and everything was calm.

Taken through the 

back door window

After I'd finished the chores, the breezes started. By the time hubby got up and had some coffee, the sun had disappeared and it began to snow.

Imagine our surprise when we spotted another fawn bedding down between the old garage and a tree. It curled up and went sound asleep. [And it looks like it is drooling!]

Later during another snow squall, some fawns came ambling through the yard.

I took these through a screened window so they are sort of soft looking. But the mules are standing just on the other side of the electric fence napping and ignoring the deer.

Two of them walked around to the side of the porch and then turned around and headed out to the woods but not entering the mules fenced area. I know the electric fence doesn't bother them much as they just jump through the two lines.

I do know that the mules will chase intruders that enter their areas.

I'm curious if the fawns had already learned this.

I'm also learning that deer tend to be more active during certain barometer readings. 

I do know that they feed towards dusk. 

This little one came right up to the spot I'd cleared for parking and off loading groceries. 

Speaking of feeding at dusk, we were quite amused at 6 deer that decided to surround my Subaru. It is parked in a grassy area that was plowed last week.

One actually walked up to the passenger door and looked in the window.

I couldn't pass up adding this little nuthatch to my shots this week. Just check out that face!

Attitude!

 

Bbbbbabbby it's cold out there!

It was -6 this morning and there was a windchill going on. But by the time I was done with hauling hay and water, I was hot! 

I took Charlie with me to get the mail and got a surprise. There was a thing left by the post person on Thursday. "Sorry we couldn't deliver". I looked the item number up on line and it showed an attempt of delivery at MY address at 9:15am on Friday. Well hell's bells. They never tried. I was outside doing chores on Friday at that time and the mail is never delivered until afternoon anyway.

I've gone through this before. Items that need a signature are never delivered to my door. Not since the last post person retired and the new person took over. Tsk, tsk. I paged through my 'Informed Delivery' and it was not included there either. 
Last year I went to the Post Office and talked to our delivery person and explained to him that he had to drive past the upper house to the lower house. 

Alas. Any complaints to the Post Office are met with deaf ears and attitude.

Well oh well. A trip to town come Monday morning is on the docket then. 

But on a good note~~

The VA called and Rich gets his first vaccination on Tuesday. Apparently I could have driven to Madison tomorrow and done it, but our high temps will be below zero. The VA used an auto dial and recorded message for us to call in an make an appointment. I was surprised that there was NO long wait on the telephone and that appointments were not that far out!

That was very good news. I prefer the Madison VA because Rich has had some severe reactions to meds in the past. Better there than a clinic or drug store.

I had a happy dance.

Fred, the Elder Mule and Mica were doing just fine bathing in the sun next to the big shed. I filled their water 4 times with warmed water. By Wednesday everyone will go back to their regular places. My shaggy mule monsters were napping on the forest edge in the late afternoon sunlight. 

But they looked quite content. 

I read a book after shoveling a path from the driveway to the house.

Then I took some time to play with some toys a Flickr pal sent me. Seems like people think I like toys to photograph!

These are hilarious. I wind the toys up and they hop or walk in circles. Charlie nudges them with his nose. He is not quite sure what to do with them. I think the wooden Squirrel is trying to organize them but it doesn't look as if anyone but the flopping teeth toy is listening!

Old Teddy Bears

happy not to be outside.

Something just for fun. 

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

Hmmm.

Tomorrow it is supposed to get up to something like -4! I wonder if the creek did a 'flash' freeze.

I guess I will find out!

 

A Day with a Veteran

Veteran's Day is publicized, I see it on Facebook, all sorts of meme's and photos with little cute/well meaning/proud/ sayings about thanking a veteran.

Many of the Vietnam Veterans stay silent. My husband ignores the day. He recalls that he was not thanked.
His kind were called names and vilified because they served his country in an extremely unpopular conflict.

He wants no thanks and no recognition. He did a job he was told to do and that is all he has to say about it.

When people come up to him and thank him, sometimes he is not sure exactly how to act. Mostly he quietly says thank you and moves on almost as if he is embarrassed.
We talked about that when the new 'movement' came about. It was after 9/11 and suddenly after losing people on our own soil, soldiers became appreciated?

My husband went to serve. He came home. He tried to begin a new life as a civilian again and be normal.

I didn't know him until we met much later in life. I never knew the before Vietnam Rich. I just met the ...way after...
after counseling and hospitalizations Rich.

So I did what he would have liked to do on this day. Just had a quiet day.

The neighbor kids came down late yesterday and brought Rich a hand drawn card and some Snickers bars.
That made him smile from ear to ear.

And that was enough for him.

Mother Nature's July 4th Show

I think just a few shots should explain it all.

Our day was hot, humid, and quiet. I took Charlie to visit the Nursing home and then most of the day was spent avoiding the heat. I sat on the porch and read a book with Charlie overseeing the yard.

Just before sunset and amazing storm front came through.

Mother Nature was prepping for a real show.

Later on my porch....I watched her Fireworks or Sky Show.

And that was our not so exciting 4th of July.

Charlie figured out he could have a new perch in which to watch over his domain....

I'd set his rug on the bench when I washed the porch...