Let 'er rip!

Okay not like pant rips or other things like that.

Snow. It went from an Advisory to Winter Storm Warning. Color me happy as a lark.

One. I don't have to drive in it.
Two. I can play in it.
Three. I don't have to plow it. We hired out for that.
Four. The first snow is always pretty.
Five. I like snow. Except when it covers up ice by the mailbox.

Charlie and I had to make a trip up to the mailboxes at noon. We'd had about 5" of snow by then. Our UPS guy and I have an understanding. He always always comes to the house. But I told him not to come down the drive if the weather is bad and to leave the delivery in the big orange tupperware container.

Some meds that hubby gets from the VA have to be signed for and handed to an adult at the residence. Tom called us on his cell phone and I trudged up the drive. I didn't want to delay on the meds and Tom didn't want to risk our long hill. Talk about cooperation from a delivery service! I've know this driver since 2008 when I did Security work way back when.

I got the meds in hand and....Boom- bang- slip- butt smack on the ground!
I forgot about the ice right by the mailbox that never melted off. So I started to get up again and whoooopppsyy! I was snow swimming.

I did not hurt myself but had cold snow go up my coveralls sleeve and on my wrist. Ick. I like snow but not down my cuff!

Too much excitement for me! 

Charlie just stuck his nose under the snow and paid me no mind at all. By the time I got back home, I looked as if I'd been out doing snow angels.

The girls were comfy and out of the wind. They had their snow blankets on and later they took snow baths.

It sure is pretty out, I do love our first real snow.

I hope to get to tromp around in it more on Friday.

Update:

Whoo hoo! The plow guy showed up!

I Dun Did It!

What did I dun do?

I am a person who needs a challenge each year or some sort of goal to achieve. Sometimes my goal was learning something brand new like Infrared Photography, Still Photography, or things related to activities.

One year it was the KVR trail challenge. The challenge was to hike all of the trails in the Reserve and do it within a calendar year.

It took me 3 tries over a 3 years before I actually finished and completed all 69+ miles of marked trails at the Reserve. I'd had many many side trips while hiking with others during those years. 

One can't complete just the 69+ miles. You have to mix and match the trails to get them all in.

Anyway, I checked my 'yearly' hiking miles this year in November. I hadn't much thought of adding up how many miles I did. But my smarty-watch helped me keep track. 

I had a distance in mind but wasn't sure about how it would work out or if it was even possible. 

My hiking/walking was simply for looking for things and enjoying fresh air along with movement.

I missed many days due to heat, rain, BUGS, and of course the 9 days of gun season. So I was surprised that when I checked things again a week ago, I realized I could reach a goal of 1,000 miles. I mean, I was good with anything that I had. I thought I'd just establishing a baseline for future years if I decided to keep track. 

[Dang, that is a baseline? What should I set for another goal???]

I did the math and distances are an  accumulation of about 2.7 miles a day.

To get those last 5 miles in...

I decided to head to Weister Creek to check on my favorite Ice Formations. Rock Shelters with ice curtains.

Everyone calls them Ice Caves.

Over the years, visiting as many ice caves as I can is always to do in the winter. Let's face it, the land is unique and so are the 'caves'. They are just plain cool to see.

Below is a wide angle shot of the first set of caves. This spot is unusual in that it has several rock shelters and a lot of water seepage. By February, if the weather cooperates, these will become ice caves.

You can slip behind the sheet of ice and look out at a curtain of ice.

In this shot, Charlie and I are in the top right corner 'cave' in the photo above.
 

I'm about 5' 3' so that can give you an idea as to how tall that ice really is.

The trail [cough cough] -- not really a trail, a faint deer path... isn't marked. It is demanding, steep, and requires one to walk on a steep incline over obstacles. 

Climbing down to the caves is another adventure entirely. 

But when the ice sheets are full its so beautiful. 

It is worth the trouble of putting on ice cleats and trudging up into the caves.

What it can look like on a good winter from behind the ice.

There, I got in one pre Christmas Hike to visit the Ice Caves and accomplished something.

Let's see what happens next year. I have a couple of long distance challenges I've been thinking off.

The shot below is at the area where I generally stop in the winter and turn around.

This is what makes the hike so special ... so much cool ice!

It's hard to get to and find, but worth the difficulty. 

Generally in February there are guided tours given by staff of the Reserve to visit this area.

Ice Baby Ice!

Our driveway ... even with the new gravel from last year was pure ice Saturday morning!

YakTraks were in order!

So for most of Saturday night and most of the Sunday we were encased in ice and fog with dense fog predicted through Monday forenoon.

I went to get Saturday's mail and was struck by how cool the forest looked.

The tree below is one I followed last year. It is a Hop Hornbeam tree that generally keeps some of its leaves through the winter. This year wicked winds stripped them.

The fog was thick and the road was iced.

It was a fine day to stay off the roads.

I did venture down into our creek bottom and enjoyed some bird watching through the dim light. I walked on the ice as it was easier than walking on the rocks.

Some think cold, damp, and foggy days are awful. I think of it as having Mother Nature is a soft light box.

It is dismal looking in a way. But sometimes one can find beautiful things. 

I am very lucky to be surrounded by an interesting landscape.

The temperatures warmed up quite a bit during the day and some of the ice melted down almost enough for me to be able to drive up the hill if I needed to.

That said, even though it was a pain to so many people. I liked our fog and ice.

The Christmas Chair & Charlie

 

Placing the jointed corduroy Christmas Bear that I made over 30 years ago in the seat of the chair marks the finish of the chair-tree. Lots of things will still happen in the seat of the chair, but this means I am done with any touch ups.

Now we just enjoy the light and cheer it brings to the living room especially on dull and dreary cold days.

The wooden crates around it have things in it too. Who doesn't like gnomes? Well some folks. I happen to enjoy the few I do have. 

They don't all spend their time around the tree though. The one below came out hiking with me earlier in the week when it was still quite warm out.

I found this gnarly tree ...

...and it sure felt like a place that a gnome would like to hang out in.

Our weather is changing rapidly this morning. We will warm up out of the below zero digits to a warm enough temp to have snow and freezing drizzle with ice accumulations before it gets cold again.

It looks like the Gingerbread fellow has it all under control for the North Pole. He is tuning up his snowblower!

Last but not least, I had to try this.

Charlie's Christmas Shot.

Finally, as he approaches the age of 7, he is understanding what this posing is all about. This year, it was super laid back. 

I just set him on the turtle stool and put a ribbon around his neck. Here is how we worked it out.

He is very food driven! 20 seconds.... 👇

Out take...

Final. This wasn't the best I've done, but I just wanted to get his 'face' on record for this year. He was a good boy for doing this for me.

Have a great Saturday!

Charlie conquers the dealership again...

I went to get my 60K mile routine work done on my Subaru. I often take Charlie with me as the dealership offers a small doggy park and dogs are treated like royalty at the dealer's.

So Charlie wore his Christmas sweater which he hated. 

We ended up sitting on the floor of the campground display that the dealer had in the middle of the show room. 

Charlie and I preferred the Astro Turf over the chairs. When I did sit in a chair, I sat in the 'Ru Camp Chair Rockers. Sooo much more comfy than any of the waiting area chairs.

We ended up being there for 3.5 hours. I had figured on that. But since the dealer is 45 miles from home, I planned on staying. 

I had Charlie with and he can be very entertaining. He helps the time go by. Other customers come by and ask to pet him and talk to him.

Charlie knows exactly which salesperson has treats. He always makes sure we walk by his desk.

Another salesperson came up and sat down with us for a bit. He asked me to let Charlie off leash. I was hesitant, but then let Charlie go. At first he just wandered back and forth between Dave the sales guy and a customer who had come to sit with us.

He was getting all the loving he could handle.

Then one of the parts guys came out to make popcorn for the waiting room. Charlie took note and walked over to supervise.

He waited patiently to see if the guy bagging the popcorn would spill any for him. This fellow carried on a conversation with Charlie while he was putting the bags away and cleaning up. 

Charlie listened intently and cocked his head back and forth, ramping up the cuteness factor.

When this gent was done, Charlie strutted back to us. It was evident that he felt he owned the place by now.

He came back and looked up at Dave, the salesman. Dave couldn't resist and Charlie sat on his lap for a while.

Funny thing. Charlie preferred to be on the Astro Turf camp site to anywhere else in the place. He found a nice place to nap in the sun and just chill out. Probably because he rest of the floor was concrete and tile.

With the work done, I did get an answer to my question of concern. I got a hefty quote for more work which I sort of expected. I'll be coming back after the Holidays to replace struts and a ball joint in the front end.

When I showed hubby the estimate, he gagged and quipped, "I'm surprised you didn't just buy us a new one!" I winked and said, "Charlie and I thought the Metallic Autumn Green would be one we could live with."

I think the repair bill is better than a car payment right now. Merry Christmas to us?

Charlie and I will be going back to take over the dealership once more in January.

Whew...

We are -5 F with the wind chills at about -25 F. Looks to be a cold day with temps going up to 9 F!

Making fake snow?

 

I wanted some snow in my North Pole photos, so I read up on purchasing fake snow. It is plastic bits which I didn't think too highly of. It would be like glitter... all over the place and hard to clean up. I'd find bits of plastic snow for the rest of my life in this house.

So I clicked on a link that said DIY your own snow with 2 ingredients.

Shaving cream and Baking Soda!

Since I just purchased a box of Baking Soda I thought I'd try it. [Hah, and you thought I bought it for baking!]

I followed the directions and made some 'snow' that feels cool to the touch. 

It was a bit messy on the hands, but rinsed off easily and smelled good. When done with it, I brushed it back into a container and wiped up the residue. I rinsed off the Legos and we were good to go again.

Below is my first try at playing with the snow.

Not a snow photo. But I can tell that Santa is checking the list and they have upgraded their system to include computers!

Since I do get out for some fresh air each day, I take Mini-me and Mini-Charlie in my pocket. Mini-me had to change clothes so she'd be prepared for the cold weather.

Charlie and I often see wildlife while out on our adventures. These nice striped fellows are ones we leave alone!

With the temps changing from deep freeze to warm and back again, we are careful at the creek.

Thin ice!

In the evenings while hubby takes his after supper nap to digest and get ready to watch something on the stupid smart TV, I take time to play a bit. 

More fake snow. Batman doesn't look so happy at the Christmas Lodge. Is it the snow that fell on his shoulder and head?

He is looking down in the street below at the activity in the Town Square. 

And down on the street there seems to be some things going on. I mean, snowmen are harmless, right?

The fake snow [shaving cream and baking soda] looks pretty good!

We are going into a very cold spell on Thursday with wicked wind chills. 

Time to break out the face covering and goggles.

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.