Routines

Finally

I've recently changed my nightly routines to see if I can get better sleep. What I've done is not hard, just a change in a few habits.

The boob tube and all electronics are shut off by 8pm. I get out my library books. I have a book light that uses a nice amber colored light.

I read. 

For the photo below...

I took a photo of a book and overlaid it on a photo of the campground forest. I really liked how it turned out.

Reading takes you on adventures! I generally read nearly two books per week. I like mysteries the best but will read anything that has a good storyline.

This habit seems to be working better than what I did before which is relax and watch a program after it got dark or boot up the computer and browse. 

The electronics 'may' interrupt the signals in your brain for sleep. 

I've actually been getting better sleep since I started this.

Not every night is great, but my sleep pattern is getting better. 

Daytime exercise helps with that also.

When the winds are quiet, the pups and I also will sit on the porch or....my patio [the concrete where the garage was] and enjoy watching the day turn to night.

We've done a few evenings this way and it is pretty relaxing. I like the little backyard fire pit I got. I can have a small fire that is warm. 

The next morning I can dump the ashes and put the pit inside the shed so it doesn't rust quickly.

The dogs both try to sit on my lap. 

There is something relaxing to watch a fire. The shapes are never the same and the flames are constantly changing.

I can watch it and daydream.

I don't have a fireplace, I imagine if I did, that is where I'd be at night just watching the shapes and letting my mind drift off.

Anyway, I've actually kept track the past 3 weeks and my sleep has improved. I don't know if I should say it is fall or if it my newer routine.

Time.

It will let me know.

I do know that sleeping this summer in the tent was far more relaxing that sleeping in the house.

With nights in the 20's right now, that wouldn't be a viable choice.

Nighty
Night....

Wyalusing in November

This State Park is quite the gem. It has become one of my favorite places to hike.

I have only explored 1/2 of this park yet find it so diverse and beautiful.

The park is just miles from Prairie du Chien in SW Wisconsin. 

I followed the Old Wagon Road Trail to the Immigrant Trail which drops steeply off the bluffs above the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. I usually only hike this trail in early spring or late fall after the mosquito season has come and gone.

I don't know if the sun will even shine on this part of the trail in the winter!

 

The area is steep as you can see. The shot below is pretty typical of the 'driftless landscape'. Rocks, bluffs, dry runs, and gullies.

According the the GPS, I descended approximately 725 feet from the parking area to the Wisconsin River.

This also means that eventually I have to climb 725 feet to get back up to the parking and family campground.

Lucky for me, when we got to the bottom, Hannah spotted a little trail that led us out to the Wisconsin River shoreline. I spent quite a bit of time just watching the river.

It was so blue and so peaceful. 

In a wet summer after heavy rains and humidity, the trail is miserable with all the bugs near the backwaters of the rivers. But this day was a beautiful and unusual November day.

Far off in the distance we could hear the sounds of an Eagle. I walked slowly along the trail watching the skies and trees.

I was rewarded! It was such a treat to stand quietly and watch these two. The younger eagle took off and hunted while the other watched. 

I tried very hard to get a shot of the Pileated Woodpecker that kept flitting about near us, but I never did get a shot of it. The dogs were very quiet and behaved well.

Okay, I take that back, they both got very excited when they spotted squirrels in the trail just ahead. They didn't bark, just pulled on their leashes until I told them to chill out. 

I will admit that by the time I got back up to the bluff top after finishing the switchbacks and stairways, my legs burned and I was tired.

[Next time, I'll reverse the hike and do the stairs first!]

Funny how Hannah seemed to have quite a bit of energy even after a more difficult hike than Sunday's stroll.

She actually didn't want to get in the car and leave. This time it was Charlie and I who were happy to get in the car.

Go figure.

I looked up the distance I've hiked in one year and it surprised me quite a bit.

1,957 miles since last November 10th.

I guess I really enjoy hiking/walking through the forests. 

Dam Trail

Dam Trail

I figured the northern part of the Reserve would be full of bow hunters and pheasant hunters so I decided to stay near the Visitor Center which is usually full of walkers and dog walkers.

We didn't intend to do this trail, I've done it several times before and always thought it was a bit 'boring' but that is where we headed.

I went to the ponds first to see if there was any action on the water. Other than some evidence of muskrats or beavers it was very quiet.

I did hear some Canada Geese in the distance but the pond was rather still and I just loved the bright blues and the reflections on the water.

Oddly enough, the Reserve seemed deserted at 10am on a Sunday. I had the only vehicle in the Visitor Center parking lot.

I swapped over to my Infrared Camera and decided to have some fun.

The dogs and I went on down the trail and over the covered bridge.

This is the Kickapoo River looking out of the Bridge 18 facing West.

The start of the trail that goes around the lower part of the old dam.

As we headed deeper down the trail through the trees I kept thinking about the Dam and the impact on the people who used to live in the area. Over 150 farms and businesses were either purchased or taken by eminent domain. 

The dam was supposed to make a huge man made lake for tourism and control the flood damage from the Kickapoo River downstream.

The Dam was never completed due to environmental studies and cost overruns. I'm simplifying things, but you get the drift.

I hadn't been down this trail in 4 years so I haven't thought much about it.

So when I saw the control tower poking up through the trees again I stopped in my tracks.

In this huge tract of land along the river that has no evidence of homes or farms, stood a monolith.

I immediately thought of the opening sequence of 2001 A Space Odyssey. 

4 years ago with Charlie and co-hiker Bill:

It just felt so damn weird looking at this concrete monstrosity. The water here was supposed to be 150 feet deep.

It just boggled my mind.

I walked around it while the pups sniffed out scents and enjoyed exploring. I continued on in a thoughtful mood.

Photo of the 5 story water control tower many years ago

as seen from the top of the dam.

Humans think they can control nature. We really can't. 

We hiked back to the Visitor's Center. I wanted to give the dogs a drink of water and then continue on to the Wintergreen Trail which had been my original plan.

Hannah had other ideas. She jumped into the car and climbed into her car seat and plopped down with a sigh.

Our hiking for Sunday was done.

 

Animal Attachment

 

Charlie enjoyed a life of being the center of attention in our house for 8 years until Hannah showed up. at first he was quite annoyed with the puppy who had sharp teeth and tons of energy.

I tried to tell him that in a few months she wouldn't be so annoying.

He was not convinced. The new Home Invader was not allowed in his space on the love seat.

It was a difficult time for Charlie to realize that he was no longer the center of my Universe. However, Hannah felt Charlie was her new best-est friend ever. He was her leader, her playmate and chew toy.

I thought Hannah would help with his anxiety by having a pal to be with. 

Well....

If Charlie can't see me, he howls. This started after Rich died. If I leave a room and he is asleep he will wake up and start howling. It basically sounds like he is being murdered. I'm used to it now so I realize he is not being murder-fied.

If Charlie is by my side, he is calm. Though while hiking, he is much more independent. Go figure!

Hannah? She doesn't mind being by herself and has a completely different mindset.

Charlie is half Dachshund and Half Pekinese. He is a high anxiety dog though one wouldn't see it in his normal day to day life. He seems very stoic and calm.

If I leave the house, he howls. When driving in the car before Hannah, he'd cry the whole car trip [very annoying].

Now with Hannah in the car with him, he rarely whines or cries in the car [thank you Hannah!].

Hannah is super chill in her attitude. She still is a puppy with puppy energy and the high energy of being half Rat Terrier. But we think she is part Dachshund and maybe part Labrador. [who knows?]

She doesn't get excited unless Charlie barks at something he finds alarming. Then she participates. When he howls and cries, she just looks at him and tries to comfort him.

Below is a photo of them at my son's house when we visited. Obviously they don't mind sharing a space anymore. And how she has grown!

The cool part of having a dog [or other pets] is the bonding. 

I personally  like it. I thrive on it because their love is unconditional. 

The dogs never repeat my secrets, never judge me, and always are happy to see me. The same with my mules. 

I think the pony would blackmail me though, he has no attachment to anyone.

Fall, November

On October 17th, we had a killing frost and I spent most of the morning outside taking 'frosty' photos. I'm going to put a couple of them here because with the past 4 days of rain and fog, I haven't been out really to get shots.

 

This next shot was an experiment with in camera double exposure. 

I held a leaf up to the sky and took a shot of a oak leaf then moved the camera towards the Hickory Trees and shot the second shot. It turned out kind of cool. I tried other double exposures and failed miserably. But this one is a keeper.

November can be a downer in a way. But another photographer--and blogger-- Aurora has told me to look for different colors in November. Granted, in the Midwest, November can be rather dull.

So, I keep looking. 

The first 5 days of November have been quite dull with endless drizzle and fog. I decided to get out and explore the forest in the light drizzle.

Oh the surprises you can find in a foggy drizzly forest.

Slime Molds! Pretty little tiny orange clusters of them on a damp log.

Red Raspberry Slime Mold!

The above shot was taken with my cell phone. Below are two shots of this same slime mold I found in the summer of  2022.

They grow slightly larger and 

then turn brown within a day.

The slime molds are quite small and usually I can't find them unless they are in the colorful stage.

Below is probably Dead Man's Fingers which grows on or near dead oak logs. I've never found these items before in November.

Not ever.

Perhaps it is because of the extended long fall warmth we've had with the moist air we've had between rains and heavy fall dew.

Sorry it isn't larger, I'll have to return with the macro lens and see if I can get some good shots on Friday. 

Little Miss Mary decided she wanted in on the fall action so here she is collecting leaves on a deer trail.

She looks quite happy doesn't she? 

She also pointed out some young Turkey Tail Fans to me on another log....although....

um, I guess we were being followed!

All worked out in the end, I found some incredible November surprises and Little Miss Mary and I collected some pretty leaves to put on my countertop.

I am hoping to get out tomorrow afternoon with my macro lens to check out the slime molds. As I said, I don't ever recall seeing them ever except in the summer with high heat and humidity.

Happy November. 

I guess maybe it won't be so dull after all. 

Even my co-explorers had a good time in the foggy drizzle.

[Yum, deer bone!]