Dreaming about

I am....
Dreaming of my vacation place.

It is among trees,

far from any roads,

far from any lights,

and far from the internet

and cell service.

Imagine a spot with so much beauty.
A place where Fireflies dance the 
night away.

A place with
glorious sunrises.

Steps away from this dream vacation spot are 

morning views that would make one 

sigh.

The night sky is more amazing than any television show
and it feels like the stars are performing just for you.

My goal for this summer was to do some travelling and camping at various State Parks.

I wanted to go to places I've never visited, the waterfalls of northern WI. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan. State Parks in Iowa that have interesting rock formations.

I wanted to take the dogs camping with me in a tent and see how we got along. 

But then this economical thing happened. With a fairly strict budget, with the thought of the cost of gas cutting into my budget for a long drive is becoming less and less appealing.

I'm going to still try and do some day trips to some other areas. But the thought of driving far distances with the pups and I to camp? Hmmm.

I want peace. I want quiet. I want no one else to listen to while in my camping spot. I want clear views of the night skies and the morning sunrises.

I want the dogs to feel free to run out of the tent with me in the morning and pee where ever they wish. 

Maybe I'll have a spot to cook a simple supper or have a little campfire.

And after all of those points I wish to have. 

BAM

I realized I have it right here without leaving home.

Well, for at least now. I will learn how to camp with my dogs and figure out what I need for that time I DO take a long trip and explore other places.

Hannah is standing in the area where I will be putting down some stall mats so that the vacation spot will have a 'floor' for a table and a couple of old chairs.

A fire ring of native rocks will grace the site along with a spot for a tent.

Facing the other way I can see an open meadow just footsteps away. A place I can watch the night sky and see the stars and the Milky Way.

Soon, the fireflies will begin to appear here and there across the meadow and in the forest. Night life will be amazing. 

So for now,

why dream about the perfect place to camp, when it is on my own land.

Exploring may have to wait. But I am patient.

The Early Hiker...

Gets wet feet...

Actually the early hiker avoids the heat and enjoys things that generally most others don't see on a regular day hike.

Fog~

Fog wraps the morning
In a soft and silent hug
A gift from the skies

 I knew I'd get wet feet but it was only a 3 mile hike and part of it would be on an old road. Part of it would be mowed and part of it would be mostly dirt.

The sun came up just as Charlie and I hit bridge # 13. It is a historical bridge and it one of the few remaining original bridges through the valley.

Picture from 2022:

The view at sunrise....with mists coming off the water.

We made great time enjoying the cool air [50 degrees F!] and birdsong.

Charlie and I got to the first turn off at this Ho Chunk Bridge.

This trail was nicely mowed but my boots still got wet from the dew.

We turned before the second Ho Chunk bridge at Indian Creek and headed up into the pines.

The equine trail joined the all use trail and this coyote was out enjoying the trail also.

Multi use trail means we all share the trail! No, I wasn't afraid for Charlie at all. I yelled out good morning to the coyote and he/she took off to the west through the tall grass and into the forest.

We entered the last let of the trail which goes through a thick forest.

A beam of morning light lit up this geranium.

It was pretty neat walking through the deep forest with the morning light shining through in places. The leaves look fresh and happy with the sunlight...

I felt fresh and happy.

I always stop at this Maple Tree when I hike this trail. I have tried time after time to get a shot of it. The tree is simply stunning and will stop a person in their tracks...if they appreciate trees.

I think this may be the winner. It looks magnificent with the morning light coming through the forest at an angle.

Charlie and I headed down the slope and hiked back along Cty P to where I'd parked.

Section # 10 and Section # 33 could now be marked off from the map.

3. 29 mile in 1 hr 36 minutes. We didn't hurry and we stopped for a snack. We enjoyed the hike as it was still cool when we got back to the car.

I do really love summer mornings!

And there it is...

 

This morning I read some of the blogs I follow. My take away from The Brownstone Birding Blog is something I had been thinking about most of the day on Sunday. Larry in his blog asks if we have become too impatient these days? 

Has the internet, smart phones, instant everything ruined us? 

Yes. I think so. The last two days, I've taken an afternoon break and strung the hammock up between the pine tree and the hickory tree. I thought I'd get bored right away and fall asleep. I had my Smarty Phone with me and was going to play some music. 

Charlie wanted up and I tipped the hammock and dropped the phone on the ground. It stayed there while Charlie and I got comfortable.

After a bit, I noticed the Robin's nest above us. It was empty now whereas a few days ago the Robin had chirped at me when I was picking up sticks below it. Had her fledglings already left the nest?

A bit later I heard raindrops coming down through the leaves. Well, it wasn't raining, we are in a very dry spell. I listened a bit more carefully and I could hear something gnawing on...??? 

Pretty soon, pieces of a hickory nut shell started falling down on us. Charlie woke up and sat up. He could hear the noises too.

By golly, we had been so quiet that a squirrel had settled in above us and was eating a nut. 

For a couple of hours we did nothing. My phone laid on the ground. I listened to the squirrel and listened for birds [most are migrating away]. 

When I walked back to check on the mules before supper, I saw dozens of bluebirds launching from the barbed wire fence and flying into the forest.

When I got back, I checked the dehydrator. The sweet corn was coming along well. 

I walked through my east flower garden and took some time just to enjoy it. The dull area I had started with was now full of a riot of colors. I could stand in the path I'd made and not be seen from the driveway!

And there it is...

my thoughts for a Monday morning. 

New and different

So for my Master Naturalist Class, we had to have a daily...or weekly journal of things observed including birds, insects, wild life, ...you get the idea.

I purchased a nice book with pages of 100lb paper stock weight so I could past photos of observations.
That came to a screeching halt last Sunday as the classes are cancelled.

I glued in the last photos I'd taken and decided to continue anyway and make it a personal journal as I used to keep one from Junior year in high school until I started a blog.

I find that getting OFF the internet is satisfying in so many ways. I won't be pasting any photos in the book for a long time now. I may resort to drawing again!

I think this will be my personal thoughts and observations for the duration of this Pandemic. Just notes, temps, observations, and random thoughts...that is good enough for me...
and it keeps me away from reading all that horrid news.

I've also decided to see what I had on hand and be a bit creative when I have to be quiet while hubby is napping and it is pouring cats and dogs outside.

Eventually spring will appear -- this morning it is snowing and blowing after an inch of rain yesterday.

The daffy's are trying to poke up in the yard and the tulips are making an appearance.

In the woods the leeks are poking up also.

I found some nettles sprouting and will gather them to add to our vegetables or make some tea.

As soon as I get another good sunny day I will be hunting wild parsnips in the valley. They are hard to clean, a pain to chop up and prepare, but taste wonderful when sauteed.

We are practicing isolation here. Yesterday I took Charlie to the vet and he got his shots updated. The vet was wearing a mask and gloves. Her eyes looked tired and wary.
It was an awkward situation. Normally she and her staff are so cheery and outgoing. Yesterday it was obvious that I was seen as a possible infection. I asked her if she was going to close down and she avoided my eyes and said..."It's and hour by hour situation."

I dropped by the feed store and picked up Senior Feed for the elder mules. The Ag guy and I too kept our distances. I said thanks and hopefully I'd see him again..and stay well.

Our community is however doing great things in town. Neighbors texting neighbors, "I'm going to the store? Can I get you something?"
The bike brigade taking meals to the elderly and leaving the meals at their doors.

McDonalds in town giving meals to children between the hours of 11 and 2pm. Free meals.

I'm proud of our rural community.

This afternoon a neighbor will come over and we will hike the neighboring land together. We will be out and distanced but still able to exchange conversation. Human contact is important.

In the mean time. My bathtub is now sparkling! Dust has been banished from all surfaces.
I'm actually trying to plan meals.

I'm looking forward to foraging.

The old mule will be my pack animal.
Life is different, but doable.

Our CrossFit community has set up a Zoom thing? We can all get on line and see each other at 5pm each day? I'm going to try that.

I'm also grateful that my MIL is now in a home. It is the safest place she can be in right now.

And this extra time will allow me to explore some more digital art.

Hope you are all well.

Stay safe.

A weekend break

Charlie had his first L...O...N...G car trip. At first he was nervous and did a lot of whining.
Charlie doesn't like bumpy roads. He stands up in his car seat and peers at the road and then me as if I could change the bouncing he feels.

He gets concerned over stop and go traffic too. He placed his feet on the console between us and tried to get as near to me as he could. I wasn't very nice, I pushed him back into his seat. He does have a harness and is tethered into his seat but apparently IF he really wants to he can stretch out of it.

Otherwise he was the perfect little traveler. He just gave me sleepy eyes once in a while and would 'navigate' for a bit then lay back down.

We got to my son's house and Charlie got reacquainted with Teslin. He is quick to understand that she doesn't want to play and would rather ignore him. He is fine with that.

Fun things we did:
Ikea. I loved that store and found a fake fur pillow cover for Charlie as a gift.
Rich loved the seat cushions I got!

Eating out at the Noble and meeting Amber. What a fun person!

Saturday was just as great.
I'll just let the photos do the talking....

Charlie met this young German Shephard named Shark. She is Amber's young dog who is full of boundless energy.
Charlie was pretty sure that Shark was going to eat him. Shark wanted to play with Charlie and Charlie wasn't too sure about that.

I think if Shark and Charlie had a few days to get used to each other, they'd get along just fine. Charlie loves to play but has never played with someone like Shark who is very vocal. After all, it took Charlie and Teslin about 3 days to get their pecking order figured out.

However by the time I took this photo of the fireplace, all dogs were sleepy and calm.

I had a perfect get away weekend.

Good Morning.

With all the horrid news that we are seeing today and this past week, I thought I'd offer something a bit more positive.

Farm Life is pretty quiet and peaceful.

Sunday morning I drove to Jersey Valley to watch the sunrise. I really thought I'd messed up because the sky was absolutely brilliant with unimaginable reds as I drove to one of my favorite spots to watch a sunrise.

I kicked myself a few times thinking I should have stayed at home and simply watched it from the ridge.

However.
Somehow, Jersey Valley didn't really disappoint.

While there I heard an strange noise, it sounded as if a truck was rolling down the steep hill dropping gravel.

However it was a flock of black birds that swirled above the lake and landed somewhere on the north side.

~~~

Morris is doing pretty well. He absolutely adores the Kidney Diet food he is getting and seems ravenous. He still has very slow mornings, but is lively and annoying for most of the afternoon and evening. He is eating better and feeling better. He is staying stable at this time.

Most mornings he just mopes around and doesn't do much or seem to have interest in things. However he still likes to go for walks and enjoyed seeing the kids at the bus stop last Friday. He did tire, but I did give him a lift too.

He has become somewhat of a 'lap' dog with a cling-on attitude. I am okay with that also.

~~
Rich is doing better also. Last week we got the okay from the neurologist. Rich can start driving with limitations. He is really good about being a compliant patient.
Yesterday he drove to the river and went fishing. He handed me the keys later and said he was tired. Could I drive?
We still are doing things as a team. Need to run to the hardware store? We go together.