September 21, 2009

At 7:30 the front was like a turkey fest. At least 8 turkeys were pecking at the ground. Since the beginning of summer, these turkeys have really grown! We watched them walk down to the river in a shoulder to shoulder formation and when they disappeared (briefly - out of sight) Carlo said maybe they had gotten on a gravy boat! (now that was funny!).

We've never seen them feed so close to the river before and when they came back into view they stayed there for quite awhile before running off into the woods.

There was a lot of fog among the trees and over the river. The ground was covered with leaves - and there were still a lot of leaves in the trees...we have a lot of trees! It seems some of them changed colors as they were falling because the ones on the ground are no longer green and the ones in trees (for the most part) still are - what a crazy season!

More 'izing' took place this day. We loaded the deck storage bin with wood, put away the rockers, our welcome sign, and some solar lights...(ones that were safe from the trimmer).

We made another trip to town to return the dead shrub, pick up seed and a new feeder, of course a trip to Fashion Bug and Walmart were included too. A stop at the farm stand, for our last purchase of the season allowed Carlo to explain to me about the advantages of the adventurous and creative squirrels and other critters that can articulate a pumpkin for easy access. (insert some laughter right here!!!!) We had lunch at Wendy's and visited Paul and Betty on the way back. They gave us a plethora of tomatoes from their garden...looks like it's time for the preparation of the Karen Sauce recipe!

Along the route, Carlo gave in to my taking more pictures of 'my neighborhood'.

We finished up by putting out some pumpkins, installing a thermometer to keep tabs on the crawl space and we drained the cabin. Let hope all our efforts of insulating pay off until we can return for our next visit!

September 20, 2009

We woke up fairly early to cool breezes, some fog, turkeys on the lawn and the making of an awesome home cooked country breakfast.

While Carlo got to work on finished the pipe insulation under the cabin, I cleaned up the kitchen, straightened up and washed all my wind chimes. I packed them away until they can be rehung and enjoy the breezes of the upcoming spring.

Carlo fired up the gas trimmer for me to clear out the flower/weed beds that we have. This tool is c-r-a-z-y...it whacked everything in sight! The casualties were massive...solar lights went flying, wind decorations shattered, a jug of water was sliced up...destructive! It was out-of-control! A big ball-jam for sure on this chore! Anyway, it was all cleared and hopefully the spring will bring new flowers and maybe they will easily be described, unlike the Lilacs that are actually Phlox...who knew? A gal I like to call Chewbacca...Go figure!

I love the end of a productive day. We are ready for winter now. Carlo put metal on a couple of doors - we hope to stop the critters from getting through...he moved some feeders so the seed will last longer for the birds and hopefully keep the squirrels and raccoons from. He put seed and corn out for the turkeys!

We drove to Paul and Betty's and I snapped photos along the way of 'my neighborhood'. Our visit was short because they were having lunch - we didn't mind...we had a few more chores to get out of the way before dinner. I grilled chicken, potatoes and corn and made a side of avocado/tomato salad. And yes, I will brag...incrediblicious!

We watched the 61st Emmy Awards and listened to the rain that finally showed up. Between the rain, the falling acorns and the rustling leaves we weren't sure what we would see come morning but we knew the chance for a bonfire was definitely out...oh darn!

September 19, 2009

If you tried - you would have guessed it. I was in bed for my 14 hour nap by 5:30 last night. Since I slept an extra 2 hours or so, I missed out on even more fun than I did last week.

We were up by 8 and had breakfast. Time for shopping and hopes (of me) not wasting another day. Our excursion started at the landscape store where we chatted about returning our dead shrub. I guess the sun threw its hands up and said 'forget it, this shrub cannot be saved!' The woman said dig it up and bring it back. Looks like we'll be going back to the landscape store on Monday! Then it was off to Walmart for a lot of crap we didn't need and food that we did need. We were back at the cabin after a quick stop at the farmers stand for corn and Ace for bird seen and other supplies.

Carlo filled the feeders and of course, the first to arrive for sampling was a squirrel. How does he reach like this????

We fixed a butchered screen door install by the previous owners. A simple re-alignment took over an hour - mostly because they screwed up a too big door in an effort to get it into a too small of an opening! We cut up a fallen tree for a bonfire and sat down by the river taking pictures.

For dinner, we went to LaTolteca and though it's been mentioned NUMEROUS times in previous posts, it was yet another fantastic meal! You should come up for a visit so you can try it!

When we got back, we started the bonfire and I must admit that the bonfire in my head was much more fun than the one I attended. First it started with the rustling of the leaves - from all directions. Then when I flashed a light toward (some of) the noise there were eyes shining back! One set, two sets, then four sets following the first two sets that ran into the woods moments before. After about 2 1/2 hours, I had had a bit too much of this sort of fun and ended my participation with the statement: "Cindy is afraid of the noise and the green eyes that are in the dark!" By this time it was after 10 and we ended our day. We hope to accomplish lots of stuff tomorrow, in an effort to winterize and beat the expected rain!

September 18, 2009

After a drama filled morning, our departure time was delayed to almost 11:00 am. After stopping at the bank and for gas, we drove until about 1:30 when we stopped at Cracker Barrel for an awesome lunch. We had only eaten there once before, but were happy we stopped there rather than Culver's! We finally got to O'Wich and situated close to 4:00 pm. The latest we've ever arrived there. Too bad any fun that was going to occur would be occurring "sans Cindy"...Nap time!

September 14, 2009

Our family of turkeys showed up, just like clockwork, around 7:00. Again, I tried to sneak up on them from around the side but my view was obstructed by the cabin. I tried to get a good shot from the front, but I wasn't sneaky enough and scared them off when I opened the door. Now I wondered how big they'll be next week since they've grown so much since June(ish). Carlo and I tag teamed our chores; we put melons and bread out for the critters, cleaned inside and outside, filled the feeders for the four-day buffet that will take place while we're gone and got ready to leave. We will certainly, hurry back!

September 13, 2009

We were up by 8:00 to a yard full of ginormous sized turkeys. Unfortunately, something spooked them before I could get a picture. :(

We met Val and John at 10:30 and headed to the Dells and Paul Bunyon's for breakfast. After a tasty, never disappointing meal, we took a Lower Dells Boat Tour. Our Guide pointed out Highway A, which was the road Lake Delton washed out in 2008. He pointed out the damage of the shores the devastation caused. The tour allowed for lots of pictures and was very interesting. Some of the people on the tour were interesting too ~ okay, not interesting - unique or maybe just weird! I think they were from Russia!!! Or maybe Poland since the Dells was hosting a Polka weekend! They certainly were not from the Charlie Pride groupies!

After the conclusion of the tour, I took the opportunity to take some land photos!

We parted ways at the end of our outing and we headed back to O'Wich. The fresh air was very tiring!

I worked on my project while Carlo shut his eyes for a bit and then watched TV. We didn't do much else for the rest of the evening but enjoy the quiet. This was a much deserved, enjoyed and appreciated trip. Next week is our "IZE WEEKEND" - when we will organize and winterize the cabin; so being lazy this weekend was okay!

September 12, 2009

I woke from my awesome nap around 3:00 am, wondering WHAT fun I missed during the previous 8 hours. Being too early to stay up, I took care of some moths that were fluttering around and went back to bed...I can get a good 4 more hours of shut-eye in if I hurry!

7:00 am - Got my 4 hours for a total of 12 and heard, AGAIN, I missed out on lots of fun. Involved in the missing fun was a river, the woods, a streaker, some running, and someone with a spectacular imagination! Just make up your own story!!!!

The turkeys arrived for breakfast right away and it looks like the tin I set out is still there, unknown if it has any food in it or not. Well, time for coffee, cleaning and photos!

The C&C Coffee Cafe opened for about an hour...no need for the neon sign. We visited with Paul and caught up a bit since we didn't see him last weekend. After he left, I cleaned the inside of the cabin, Carlo got the fire pit ready for a bonfire tonight and then I blew the leaves off the porch and deck. We spruced it all up!

Carlo replanted our very sick looking (most likely dead) shrub. Maybe it will find new life in the sun!

I snapped lots of pictures and then showered while Carlo ran to Do-It-Best. Now all we need to do is wait for Val and John to arrive.

They arrived at 2:00 and we had an awesome BBQ lunch. The chef was certainly "in the cabin" or at least on the deck! After lunch we sat around and caught up on everything O'Wich since their last bi-annual visit. Well at least we have some traditional type visit in place! We chatted and laughed about anything and everything - and like a shampoo bottle; repeat!

We walked down to the river and sat there until the bugs were too much for Val and the little portable fans her and John clipped to their waistbands! This must be why Val and I are such good friends...our love of nature!!!

Val made her "wish" by the O'Wich version of the Wishing Stones...hmmm, I wonder what she wished for...

We had a bonfire for the rest of the night that included some snacks, smores and more laughter. Captain (Morgan) and Tenille (Tequila Rose) showed up to join in on the fun. They left around 11:00, decided to stay at the Best Western. Tomorrow we hit the Dells with them!

September 11, 2009

After work, I packed and got some things together that I needed for this weekend. While waiting to leave, I caught up on some unfinished things around the house and took a very much needed micro-nap. By the time Carlo helped me got some storage units and my stuff in the truck, we were finally pulling away just after 10:00 am - he had some "behooving" things of his own to finish up before we left! First stops were for gas and cash and then not again until we got to O'Wich.

There was quite a bit of traffic; probably because it was Friday. Some trees along the way seemed to possess leaves of turning colors - a sure sign that Fall is on the way. The sky was blue and the cloud count grew the further along we traveled but remained white and fluffy. It was a nice ride! The road to O'Wich was dry and still bumpy as hell - but sandy vs. muddy is much better!

We arrived by 1:30, unloaded, unpacked, got the coffee brewing, opened the cabin (yep, summer time opening is just 3 switches...only 3 little switches - yay), and get this...in my recliner ready for GH. Now that's what I call perfect timing!

At 3:30 we were both showing signs of fading fast - okay I was showing the most of the signs, so we headed out for dinner and then Pierce's. We picked up some things we needed for a BBQ lunch we're having tomorrow and brought some left-over dinner home for the critters - I wonder how they would rate the Chicken Alfredo and Garlic bread...actually I am really wondering what will become of the tin I delivered it in!

I put my jammies on - ahhh! We watched a little TV and then it was time to stick a fork in me!

September 6, 2009

I was not feeling good all night - both muscle pain and flu-like symptoms. Carlo made sure the birds had seed. The morning was full of fog and it was a good thing we didn't get off as early as we wanted to. We gathered our things and closed up the cabin and got on the road. Next week we have more work planned and are expecting visitors!

September 5, 2009

COOL FACT: Snails can sleep for 3 years

Interesting thought: I might be part snail!

We were up by 8:00 am and I was looking forward to cooking and enjoying breakfast.

Although this trip had "no list" attached to it...relaxing was over when Carlo was on his way to get insulation for the crawl space walls. 22 x 15 x 5.

While he was gone, I listened to the sounds of nature and even got a glimpse of all the denizens getting ready for the upcoming end of summer. A squirrel knocked acorns and pine cones from the tops of the trees, the birds cleaned out the feeders, the red squirrel emptied another feeder and the turkeys helped themselves to the seed covered ground; all the while the woodpeckers pecked at the trees! And another squirrel took the time to stare me down as if to say FYI.

We worked under the cabin until after 6:00 pm, stopping for lunch and for another run for more adhesive. We were barely able to walk or even stand up straight by the time we were done. I cleaned up the mess and tools and supplies while Carlo finished putting the insulation on the water lines and finish taping the seams. I think we did a great job considering all the cutting and piecing we had to do - we only wish we would have done this BEFORE the plumbers were here! We still have to put pieces along the bottom and I forgot a piece in the corner, but we'll save that for another day!

After our showers, we started grilling brats and corn.

We had dinner at 8:30 pm and thought the time was not a problem we were battling over whose muscles were the sorest - it was a tie!