Just some stuff.

I've been stacking up the miles in hiking without even thinking about it. I do hit the 'walk' button on the smart watch and go on my merry way hiking around here or along groomed trails.

I checked my stats and was really surprised by them. If I hike 27 more miles by the 31st, I will have hiked 1,000 miles in one year.

Well damn. That is a lot of miles! I mean I could have walked the nearly the whole WI Ice Age Trail in this year. I did not hike every day and skipped those hot/humid days and of course many below zero days that had dangerous wind chills.

So that is something interesting.

Cool things found when hiking the other day.

The boulder below is probably a ton or so in weight. It stands about 4 feet tall. According to my geologist friend it is a huge fossil from 470 million years ago. A Stromatolite fossil. You can read about them here at Stromatolites at the UW site. These were algae mounds that grew before multicellular organisms.

In the next dry run ravine over, I found this curious root system holding on to the side of the steep bank. The tree is an old oak which has survived many flash floods in this spot. I just find that the root system is simply amazing.

Nature sure can surprise one.

My Geologist friend came out on Monday to explore a formation I've known about for nearly 30 years.

I'd told him about a 'hole' in the field that was a rock like entrance. He wanted to go see it and maybe go down into it.

Finally Rich and Jason got to meet and it actually went very well. Jason is a chatterbox and will pick up any gaps in a lagging conversation.
They discussed the history of the area, rocks, sinkholes, caves, rock shelters, lay of the land, and whatnot. Jason was inquiring about the land around us and Rich was enjoying the company.

Jason wanted to see the 'hole'. And. He wanted to go down it.

Nope. Not my cup of tea. Hubby had a hound dog go down that hole years ago and spend a long time getting the dog out. The amount of scat around the hole said 'Disgusting Gross Poo' to me. I avoid the hole, it gives me the creeps.

After Jason climbed down in, the dogs and I chilled out in the warm sun.
Charlie was more nervous than Felix and Piper. He really adores our friend, the treat man!

Sleepy Hairy Dogs
Happy in the  Warm Sun

What did my friend find? He found a 40 to 60 foot 'room' with a ceiling of 2-4 feet tall. It was full of wet mud, and bottles that looked like liquor bottles that had been set there. Most of the items were not broken. He commented that there were hundreds of bottles and jars.

To him it seemed that at one point people used to come down and drink in the 'cave' perhaps. I do know that the previous owner had said that they had a ladder to go in and out of the cave when they were quite young.

That was over 70+ years ago.

Since then the hole has had tires, a window, and even barbed wire tossed down into it. Last year, it was covered in a brush pile to mark it so those working the field wouldn't drive into the hole.

The look on his face when he came back up was priceless. He was incredibly happy.

And...the dogs were happy to see him, despite the fact he was covered in mud.

We hiked through the forest so he could see the Grumpy Face Rock and then headed back to the house so we could share with Rich what he'd discovered.

The huge tract of land next door has a fairly interesting history. There was a Speak-Easy on the land during prohibition. It was located in such a way that anyone visiting there had to walk nearly a mile through the woods to visit it.

The original settler that acquired most of the land was a migrant from Norway. He changed his name when he came to the US as he was 'wanted' back home for something. He built a huge farm, purchased a local bride, and had two boys and a girl.  During the Depression, he paid back taxes on farms around him and extended his farm land. 

There are many local stories about the original owner. He was considered ruthless.

When the milk man drove his team of horses there to pick up the milk, he'd bring the owner two large jugs of liquor once a week. It was rumored that the husband and wife were not the 'cleanest' folks around. They allowed chickens and other animals to wander in and out of the house.

The land is now in the hands of the third generation. The farmland is rented out, the forest is leased to some hunters, and starting soon a logging company will be coming in to harvest trees.

What an interesting start to the week.

Piper and I.
Photo by Jason.
She is sitting on top of the huge fossil in that
first photo.

Monday Monday Stuff

Above are the morning views I get when I go out at dawn to check on things. This Monday morning, it was cold. Well sort of cold. I put on a jacket over my sweats while walking over to the Meadow.

This is Wisconsin on a typical old fashioned morning. Heavy dew, cool mornings, and warm afternoons in August.

I spent Sunday taking down fencing and old rotten wooden posts in an area where the Tree Cutting Dudes will be making brush piles some time later this month. I like to do things ahead of time. 

I also got my bicycle back from the shop! I was so tickled to have it tuned up. The new chain is sparkly clean and rust free as well as the new cable they put in. It sports a nifty little bike rack in back so I'm now on the hunt for a 'trunk'. 

I told hubby yesterday that Bliss will live in the house now. He was like *who the heck is Bliss?* 

I showed him the name on the bike when I parked it just inside the back door. He rolled his eyes and said he thought the shed was just fine for a bicycle. 

I gave him the price of repairing rusted through gears and cables and then he conceded that perhaps it would be prudent to let Bliss in the house. 

After all, she doesn't need potty training nor does she eat much. My son gave me a helpful hint for winter storage in our tiny basement. Hooks from the beams! Thanks!

Last year, I was all about getting a kayak as I'd discovered how fun it was. I had a reality check in the cost of getting one, getting a way to carry it, and then .... well, how often would I get a chance to go kayaking for hours? In reality? Those chances are pretty nil considering I have to get someone for back up at home each time. 

So I decided to stick with my bicycle for an alternative sport to hiking. I used to bike with a buddy of mine, but he has since abandoned his bike as no matter how many times he repaired it, it still was giving him fits. 

It makes sense. I've had the bike, I enjoy it. So I need to use it. It is also a handy way to get from point A to B with camera gear. 

And in an unrelated matter. Remember the 3D printed dragons I picked up? I had to paint eyes on them. They won't do for extreme close ups, but I do like them. They are fun.

...and as I was messing around with the one above this morning, I finally realized what Princess Sara's Unknown Quest was all about....

I'm sure it must be dragons? Right?

I mean...wow, I haven't been updated on Princess Sara's Quest since well...since this spring!

Last I saw her and and Joan of Knight, they were attempting to cross the Swamp of Sorrow [a nod to The Never Ending Story].

I really need to see if they are okay and where they are in their quest.

Enjoy your Monday. 

July is done!

 

July was intense. 

Dry, smokey, moody, dusty.

We had company, we had drought, we had storms and we had intense heat.

We mowed the yard for the first time in July on the 24th. Since then we have had some rains and some parts of our state and the surrounding Midwest had intense storms.

I went on two kayaking trips and decided it was something I would love to do A lot more. I even went on line to learn more via reviews. I'd definitely love to get Charlie to go with me. He would need a lifejacket. After all, I taught him to ride the 4 wheeler with me, so perhaps we can manage a kayak together.

Most of my outdoor activity was in the early morning or late evenings. I managed to ride for a little bit almost each night [except when it was unbearably hot].

August is looming around the corner. What does it have in store for us?

Shorter days and the thought of entering fall? Hot and dry or cooler and wet? Who knows?

I can't stop time, so I will make the best of August and prepare for what follows.

The Deal!

 

Spectacular sunrise.
It set me in a good mood.

A little bit of morning Yoga on the porch was fun too with the mules staring at me as the sun peaked over the trees after my morning walk.

I know some folks think I life the Life of Riley. I am learning to become more chilled and perhaps less stressed out.

I stretched my old aching parts out and then did the chores. Then it was a trip to the Big Town for groceries. I wanted to browse and stock up on things. Huh. 

The aisle with paint? Nearly empty! I guess shortages are the thing we feared a year ago and are now coming to pass. Interesting isn't it?
I stocked up on my canned stuff, dry goods, and items I really did NOT need. I purchased an all weather blue tooth tiny speaker to carry into the woods, or garden, or ...well, wherever. I also purchased a Groot ornament. I mean who can pass up that cute guy? I love the raccoon too. I'd love an action figure of him.

Two brightly colored dinosaurs [cheap] dropped into my basket for doing some more Treasure hunt games with the neighbor kids. Who can resist dinos that are $1?

I went to write an email back to a fellow blogger for a meet up. My stupid poor old laptop froze up and crashed. BSOD. Blue Screen of Death again. Yeah. Well, I had custom ordered the top of the line in 2012, so I am guessing things are starting to have issues.
Sort of like a brain with malfunctions.

I did some phone calls and wrote out some checks. One for the skid steer service call.

Boring Monday stuff. Phone calls and bookkeeping crap. You know the drill.

I got all of that out of the way and decided to chat with Lenovo. I have been watching their site for over a year. So I decided to make an inquiry. Did you know that many desktops and laptops have a shipping estimate of 4+ months? I've had friends who have waited forever on refrigerators and other items. 

Last week at the dealership they had one new Subaru on the lot. One.

Back to Lenovo. I talked to some IT folks in town and they said they stood by Lenovo. Dell had some nice slick computers as did ASUS and ACER. The specs I wanted would have gone over $2,600 with a Surface Pro. 

Lenovo had one with the specs ready to ship and on sale [truly on sale because I've been watching their site for over a year]... I bought it. I took a deep breath and dove right in. 
As soon as my card was run, I was called by the credit card company to see if I'd authorized the purchase. This is how their fraud department works. It was an unusual purchase and it was flagged for a call.

That was absolutely cool.

Tomorrow? Tuesday?
The Rock.

Meeting up with a friend.
Hiking in the morning light. 

It will be like Yoga of the Mind.

If you can make a way to learn to chill with your mind and life, it is really something quite awesome.

I'm learning, one small step at a time. 

That's the deal.

Treasures!

This little pot below was in a box with some chicken figurines, salt and pepper shakers, and a 'Teapot' as the guy said.

It is not a teapot but a Drip-O-Lator Coffee Pot made around the 1920-1930's. There would have been a drip thing that goes on between the lid and the pot itself.

Interesting!

Wish I would have taken an interest in Antique stuff when MIL was doing these things. 

It is fun to figure out what some of this is.

Trinket Box. I was surprised to find this in the box too. It is cute as all get out. Tiny as can be too. 

It could hold about two wedding rings inside of it.

The Rooster and Hen figurines is what I wanted. Heck I tried to get my MIL for years to sell or gift these figures to me. She always said no, but never in a mean way. I just loved them ever since I first saw them.
I've looked these up and now I understand why she kept them. They do have a nice value to them. I wasn't looking for the value, I just loved the chickens!

The tiny chicken salt and pepper shakers!
The checker board behind them was another item I purchased. Just as a reminder of all the wonderful times I had at Mom's place and how I've always admired her homes and neat decorations.

This is something I saw when the auctioneer held it up. For some reason, I'd never noticed this before in MIL's collection of neat glass paper weights. She really loved these things and had quite the collection.

This is a St. Clair 'Carnival Glass' paperweight. Pretty unusual.
I didn't intend on getting any paper weights, but this was so different than any I'd seen, I purchased it.
When I got home I had to look up what 'Carnival Glass' was and what and who St. Clair was.
It is pretty and odd.
It suits me fine.

Copper Ash/Coal Scuttle.
I love the lions face on the handles.

My mother in law had this in her apartment and over many years I recall helping her decorate her place with her silk flower arrangements in all of these cool and odd containers. To tell you the truth I thought it was pretty and kind of odd at the same time. Hey, I am odd too. When I bought this at the auction I just did because it was neat.
Then I thought ... Hey I can put my stick Christmas Tree in this! Many folks use them as an umbrella stand. I have an umbrella, it is in my Subaru.

The one item I'd gone for was a sort of ... chicken nesting box/turned coffee table... primitive sort of piece. I'll have to get a good photo of it and show it off.

Years ago I admired this too. My father in law said he'd make one for me and my oldest son. We raised chickens a long time ago and this item was just so neat. It served as a small coffee table/display table in my MIL's house and in her apartment.
Lonnie had cut most of the pieces out for the duplicate table but passed away before the project ever took off.

And how is my MIL doing? Pretty well. She got to see her grand daughter this weekend and the great grand children. I was in on Monday to visit with her and she was tired and half in and out of her bed. I had a nurse help me get her situated and she asked me why I was there. I told her it was lunch time. She told me it was night time.
I let her sleep. Indeed the day was gloomy and overcast.

Her slippage changes often. Yesterday she brightly recalled her apartment when last week she didn't recall it at all. That is the confusing part of dementia/slippage for those of us who see it daily. One day is bright and clear, the next is something of a fog when there are gaps. And memories don't always fit together, but are jumbled in a different order.

However I am quite grateful for the figurines and the little treasures. I know the money from the auction goes towards paying for her care and I get to enjoy the items I so loved.

It is a sad win/win situation and a bit bittersweet in a way.

Time to catch up!

Rich had surgery on Thursday morning.
This is Thursday afternoon with Nurse Charlie keeping Rich occupied and making sure he keeps his knee up.

The doctor said he removed the bursa which looked like nasty cottage cheese and said he sent the necrotic tissue to the pathology. The lab results were posted for us to see already. I read it, but will wait for the follow up appointment to see what the doctor says about it.

So Friday and the weekend were spent with lots of ice, rest, and the leg raised.

I hauled a mattress for our neighbor to the local landfill. Since I was going, I filled the back of the truck with pieces of metal and 'junk' that I'd cleaned out from a corner in the Big Shed. Tossing the metal 'junk' onto the huge pile at the land fill felt pretty good.
I'm working up to loading the truck up with some larger stuff and heading to the 'junk' yard where I would return with some cash.

Since our grill was murdered by a falling tree, I got a new tiny one and spent the afternoon putting it together. The grill is small enough for me to cook on the porch! This winter I can cook steaks on the grill under cover!

I spent Saturday clearing the old busted up metal gate panels from around one of the locusts that will get cut down. I tied up Sven to the tree and let him do some cleaning too. Little Richard was staked nearby and he did some trimming.
I tried my weed whacker on some of the tougher weeds just north of the pen to no avail. I'd need a blade on the 'whacker'.

I was stumped for a while and then recalled that there was a Scythe in the shed. It was a bit too large for me to handle well, but it did knock down the weeds. The blade probably needs sharpening but it served its purpose.
In fact, I went all around the north paddock and knocked down thistles and Smartweed. Sven loves the blossoms of the Smartweed. Now if I could rent my neighbor's goats for a few days they'd clean up what the Dexter's used to eat and the mules DO not eat!

I was tempted to do more with the Scythe but my arms and forearms were aching so I quit. The handles on it are meant for someone much taller than I am. But I admired the job I'd done. The mules walked around and ate the wilting nettles and the thistles.

I decided to take a walk down to the creek and check out how the mules were doing with browsing in the woods.

They are making good headway on the berry briers and widening the deer trails making it easier for me to wander around in the forest and look at interesting things.

They prefer to stay in the meadow which is really needs a rest now. Time to rotate again until I have to take them out of the south pasture when the tree trimmers come to work.

I took my camera...you knew I would, right? I'll have some photos from my walk later.

Sunday.
Day of rest. And I mean rest. I sold the cattle headgate to a neighbor and he came down to pick it up. All I had to do was point it out in the weeds and he loaded it on his truck and paid me cash. I can live with deals like that.

Next up on the sale block will be the aluminum hound dog box. Raccoon hunting season is coming up as well as coyote hunting season and dog boxes will be in demand.

I look at the piles of 'stuff' and wonder sometimes how I'll deal with all of that.

One step at a time I suppose.

My To Do List is still quite long. But I've done some large projects this year and I'm pretty happy with it so far.

That's it.
Boring stuff.

Rich's knee looks really good. We changed out bandages today. That nasty huge gross lump is gone. The knee is swollen from the surgery, but still looks [and feels better] than it did before surgery.

Stuck indoors

The winds were absolutely wicked and the snow is like concrete in places. I shot these turkeys out through the front door in the wide open summer pasture.

I was bored inside. I wanted to go hiking but Rich said he was feeling a bit off, so I stuck myself to inside the house.

I just purchased a Infrared converted digital camera that is a pocket camera. Look forward to some wildly creative shots after I get it!

Meanwhile I got out my Olympus which is on it's last legs and fitted the IR lens filter I had for it.
Now IR is really meant for warm sunny days, not cold winter days.

But I don't believe in rules...so I started to play.

Infrared shot of the sky out the back door...the green on the pines do reflect white..

Edit to black and white from the Infrared filtered shot.
The pine needs are white as well as the bark which reflects the heat.
Cool huh?

And then I decided to play around with Rich's old torn up gloves and a wrench thingy I found in the shed.

I like the white one better and I used a 'paint effect' on it too. PSP's Painter Essentials 6. A pretty easy program. I let the program paint the photo and then saved it. There can be a bit more to it, but I didn't work super hard on it.

Pink Whisperly Dreams.
I shot this with the infrared filter on too. Just experimenting with colors and different stuff.

Lastly the Nisse that was hand made for me with a mini bottle of wild grapvine curls.

The raw winds continued to blow outside on Monday and it just felt bitter. I kept busy indoors. Vacuum, dust, and balancing the books. I think for sure that balancing the books is the worst job ever.

Yesterday was appointments day. PT at the VA and other appointments which led to more appointments.

Well that is the way it goes sometimes right?
We came home to a slew of messages on the answering machine. One was from
the VA Fiduciary Field Examiner, she wanted to set up a meeting.

Well.
Now let me be clear. I am glad that the VA does protect its veterans that are incapable of handling their finances by their system. There is a potential for abuse. But it is a bit intimidating too.
I don't know anyone who has done this, but I am reading up on it.

I've been keeping spreadsheets on our expenses and handling our accounts for quite a while ... so ... well. I'm nervous.
Time to go do some more reading.

Inside work is the Pits, but...

....
sometimes you just have to do it. ~~~~~~
Cold wet rainy weather has prompted me to work on some indoor stuff.

The other night I had trouble sleeping so I went upstairs and laid down for a while.
When I came downstairs in the near dark I realize that even with my glasses on, the stairs all blended into a blob. I'd asked two years ago to alternate green and white on the stairs for better vision, but was voted down.

I came up with a solution.
The stickers come off without ruining the paint.

While butterflies are not my style, I had a bunch of them leftover from using them on a porch chair. I also tossed a few on the front of the stairs.
Hubby looked at them from across the room and told me I had all sorts of dirt on the stairs. His face was priceless when I told him they were butterfly stickers.
When I explained that they were a safety thing, he just shrugged.

[I would have loved Dragon Stickers, or something fun...just saying, the kid in me lives.]

I had walls to wash and cobwebs to conquer before my pals arrived for their next weekend.

I started by moving everything on the south side of the room away. Washing walls, using a broom and a vacuum to get all the gunk that collected there over the past summer.

While I was doing that, I decided to look for something in the basement. Uh-Oh. Three hours later I came up with an armful of winter gear to wash and two boxes of 'stuff' that hasn't been worn or looked at in two years.
I also brought up the paint to finish the work I started right after the Little House Remodel.

I begged to paint the walls around the big doors to the washer and dryer a neat green. I was met with that face of disgust.
I should have done it anyway. The green would look awesome with the pine doors.

I did these two walls in a jiffy.
The green can be seen below, that is the entry way to the house...

I want to do just one wall a different color in the bathroom just one little wall.
HE says no. I say yes. He says no.

I may paint it white now and add what I want at another time.

I asked to put up my favorite photos. HE said no. I said ... why not?
"I like the walls nice and blank, no clutter."

The good fight will continue. I was told that I could use 'the wall' opposite the washer and dryer to display my artwork and photography.

Grumpy ol' Cuss.

Meanwhile, upstairs I started back in on the west room.
A bit of hammered bronze spray paint and a bling sticker on some of the outlets.
Why not? It is my special creative room when no one else is here.

Re-arrange furniture to clear up one wall for Still Life Photography.

The rest of the room is still in a bit of dissarry but I'll get to that later. On the desk ... which I can NOW use, are wall stickers to create a silhouette of a tree.
I have a space to put it. Ol' Grumpy has no idea what I am doing.
The in wall Air Conditioner will be wrapped up and insulated for the winter in about a week or so.
It is ugly and I don't like it there, but it keeps the whole house cool on hot summer days and it IS no longer in the window.
So I will live with it for now.

I bought some wall/multi use contact paper and made a 'wooden' table. The contact paper is supposed to be easy to use. I will need practice to do what I'd like to do...

I think this would look neat on the wall behind this flip out bed...

Or it would look neat on the landing which is now old ugly plywood painted white.
The contact paper wouldn't stand up there I don't think.

So I got out a pencil and started free drawing some designs.
It will occupy my time coloring it all in with lots of colors of paints this winter.

If the Ol' Grumpy guy doesn't like it, he can install the nice piece of linoleum that we have saved for this spot.
I could install it, or I could have someone help me.

But why not do some doodling first?
I can always cover it up with something.

I'm thinking of putting some more photos up. Rich keeps telling me I can't as we need to finish the trim.

I'm ready to go get some lessons on the thingy out in the shed that cuts up the wood and make my own trim and put it where I want it.