August 23 through August 26, 2014

Saturday:

Surprisingly, we were in the truck and on our way before 9:00 - not much before, but before! Carlo was coming off of a 12-hour shift and me an 8 so I was the one the got to drive while he tried to rest along the way, There were no stops until we got to Tamarack, which was just after noon. We had breaded mushrooms, burgers and fries. It was delish! After lunch, Carlo dropped me off at the grocery store. We decided to skip the Taste of Portage this year due to the heat, humidity and the fact that we were exhausted. We got to O'Wich with our groceries and other crap we brought from home. We were happy our rockers were still there and that everything looked normal. Once unloaded and inside, Carlo killed off a very populated wasp nest and I started cooking.

 

First on my chore list was potato salad.



I actually remembered my camera this trip with all intent of using it - but so far, things are off to a slow photo start. By the time the salad was done, it was 4:00 and well past my bedtime. I ended up calling it a day. Zzz!


Sunday:

I was up at 1:00 am and having missed dinner, I had some pasta that I brought from home.



Then it was time to get back to my cooking chore list. I got the sloppy joe's started in the crock pot and made a banana cream pie - having forgotten the mixer and or the whisk, I had to shake the pudding pie filling in the red bowl. What a workout! Now this is seriously roughing it!!! The crust is full of bananas and the cream is banana and vanilla pudding pie fill mixed together - with  milk, of course. Right before we eat it, I will add the whipped cream and some slivered almonds. Move over Pioneer Woman - the O'Wich Chef is in the house! (pronounced howwwwse).

 

Once Carlo was up, mainly because I made too much noise, we had egg sandwiches for breakfast. We certainly have different opinions of an egg sandwich...mine with onions and his with mayo :/

 


I dusted up the floors while Carlo ran to the store for gas, iced tea and bird seed.

Our guests arrived at 12:45 and we enjoyed a nice bottle of Peach Moscato while we visited on the porch - until lunch was ready.

 

We enjoyed my Famous 8th grade Home-Ec Sloppy Joe's - which Carlo says "are not famous but they are delightful." He is such a pain in the ass! We had the homemade potato salad - no celery - and store bought coleslaw. Dessert followed and I served up my famous...yes famous banana cream pie. I used real whipped cream and added almonds. Next time, I'll stick to the original famous recipe and use cool whip! It was good but the whipped cream deflated in the humidity.



Bernie and Stella stayed until about 5:15 and after cleaning up the kitchen I was pretty tired. I fell asleep in the recliner while Carlo watched TV until 11:00 and then I was wide awake and he was tired!

I found, we actually saw...I didn't go out on to the porch, a bat playing possum...or dead. I think dead. He may have been struck by the ceiling fan and may have been rendered unconscious...but I am still going with dead. The porch was full of moths and I think the moths may have been laughing at the bat. All I know it that I will wait until morning to see if the bat moved...if not...DEAD!

Monday:

We were up about 6:00 due to a power outage. This was on the early side since I didn't go to bed until 2:00. The weather warning were arriving and just as I finished reading one that came to my phone the storms hit us hard! The trees were swaying from side to side and crackling with each gust. The rain came down in buckets and the thunder was pretty close. 

Two hours later it was still raining, although more soothing. The thunder and lightning continued in the distance and it still was pretty dark. 

Unable to cook breakfast due to the stove not working - it's electric too - I opted for a pretty tasty morning snack as I enjoyed sitting on the back porch watching and listening to the storm. 

And by the way - the bat was DEAD. I swept him out of the porch onto the deck. 

It's suppose to be 91 degrees, hot and humid so we are crossing our fingers that this outage is short lived.

I was able to get the after photos of the under addition job that was done last week. We had the insulation replaced and wood placed over it so the critters stay out. 

Here's the before and after:

 

 

                                                                                  

GRID DOWN - GRID DOWN - GRID DOWN!!!

We are now over 4 hours without power. The generator is now running, after evicting the mouse house from all the nooks and crannies of the engine, for a fan and the fridge and for the pump, when the need arises! This has been quite the weekend of roughing it for sure! Ha ha!

  

At least when I called the power company, the third time, I was able to actually speak to someone - who basically said, yes - she knows the power is out and no - she doesn't know when it will come back on! Tick-tock. 

Looks like scrambled eggs are off the menu and our wood moving chore is off the list. About 11:30 a power company drove by. Hopefully they will check on  us before they drive by again...tick-tock.

At 12:30 we aren't sure where the truck went to but we are still roughing it.

Third gas refill to the generator and now it's GIRL DOWN! I pulled something in my right shoulder and heard a snap and the pain is up to my ear. That damn generator also has MAN DOWN...as Carlo hurt himself! Still no power!

At 2:15 the power was back on...yea!!!! Too bad we now are hurting from our injuries. The rest of the day was pretty lazy and we ended up with hot dogs for dinner and watched TV until midnight. I guess we depend more on electricity that one would think!

Tuesday:

It was another early morning awake for me due to the shoulder pain and not being able to get comfortable, let alone sleep. I started getting things ready for the ride home. We decided to leave at 5:30 in the morning to see if we could get home earlier since Carlo had to start work at 6:00 in the evening. We hit some drizzle along the way and a lot of clouds. The ride felt long since Carlo was not feeling well and he tried to sleep and couldn't find a way to rest comfortably. But we made it and are looking forward to our next trip!!!

  

August 9 through August 11, 2014

Saturday:

After Carlo's horrible week, we were happy to finally be on the road for a much needed weekend away. We made a quick beverage stop along the way to Tamarack, where we had the best hamburger! Each time I drive the pick-up truck I get more confident; as long as there is a minimum need to go in reverse! Yep, I try to pull through - ALWAYS!

We got to O'Wich around 2:00 and there were very few mosquitoes to greet us. We are usually a bug strip for them as we exit the truck. I'd like to thank the bat for this, but it has been dry, little rain and no flooding.

The under the addition job was finished. This got done quicker than expected. We now have a heat duct and air return in the bedroom and the underside was insulated and a finished board was put up to keep the critter out. We will be toasty this winter! And maybe next visit I'll take more photos!

We unloaded the few things we brought and kicked back for a couple of hours. Thinking Carlo might like to take a break, I ran for gas and to the grocery store - finding a pull-through spot of course. After I got back, we got the groceries inside, had a sandwich, watched a little TV and ended our day.

This was one of the weekends of the super moon!






Sunday:

Our early morning started at Norm's for breakfast, where I had to park on the street. Although not a pull-through spot, I was the first vehicle parked at the edge near the alley and that was pull-through enough for me! Once again, this restaurant serves to much food and our forest denizens will reap the benefits of the buffet we will put out for them later.

We stopped for propane and forgotten bread that we need for lunch on Monday. I dusted and vacuumed and then we tackled some electrical chores. Some of the front porch lights had come loose, bulb was out on another and Carlo changed the broken chandelier for the new one. Not only does it look much better, but the box is now out of the corner!



While ongoing (endless) episodes of some beer brewing show played, I got everything ready for dinner. We grilled some incredible steaks, baked potatoes, corn and we had onions and mushrooms. And yes, this dinner was certainly photo impressive...however, I never took the picture. But a rating of OMG is in order!

Carlo got a fire started while I cleaned up the kitchen. We grabbed some beverages and enjoyed a nice quiet evening...until a neighbor walked up from the easement. It was Joe from Kenosha County - not to be confused with Joe from Cook County or Joe from any other county. Who says they're from a county??? So we gave it back...we're outside of Chicago. So for the next two hours we listened to him talk about vinyl record albums, people we don't know - by name - and how much the Dells have changed in the last 50 years. And to say this man can talk...oh boy, can he ever! I WAS interested in what he told us about our place and how the old couple bought their vacation home from a catalog in 1964 (maybe Sears, but they stopped selling vacation homes from their catalog in 1940). Well after lots of alcohol was consumed, and non by Kenosha County Joe, I went to get my jacket and when I came back he was gone...almost as quick as he appeared. Carlo said he was surprised I didn't say good-bye. "I went to get a jacket and besides, I was only going to be gone for a moment and still couldn't get a word in edgewise!" We sat by the fire a bit longer and laughed about our not so quiet evening.

Monday:

I was up pretty early and made baked cinnamon rolls. Carlo got up for a bit but de3cided it was too early and headed back to bed. I was making a Pasta Bake for lunch and got everything ready. Once again, it was a great meal and I almost got a picture of it...I got the before shot done...after....we just ate it!

There were so many leaf frogs around this trip. And there were moths and wasps. AND I would like to recommend that you not try to knock down a wasp nest with a pipe...no matter how long the pipe is. Actually the longer the pipe, the harder it is to control it. 

Rather than continue to mess with the wasps, I took all the leftover food out and placed it in the wooded area. The problem with this was that I must have stepped in some poison ivy...this is what I ended up with...and boy did it itch!!!

Tuesday:

I was up around 2:00 since I slept a lot on Monday. We need to leave earlier than normal since Carlo's new work schedule has him starting at 6. I started packing up and we were on the road 12 hours before his shift was starting. We are already looking forward to our next visit!!!

July 11 through July 14, 2014

It's wedding weekend! Steve and Kathy are getting married and we are both off for the weekend, so this worked out perfectly.


Friday:

We arrived after our Pine Cone lunch to a very nicely spruced up lawn. Looks amazing...actually better than last visit. After our cooler was emptied, we made out a small grocery list for our weekend and for guests we were expecting on Sunday. And by the time we got back from the store we were ready to end the day!

Saturday:

Our early rise greeted us to a cloudy day. It's good luck if it rains on a wedding day, right?
I made us egg sandwiches for breakfast and then Carlo sprayed all the stone for weeds and grass that was growing through. Between the flooding and the rain, our driveway and walkways have taken a beating and look pretty bad.

In the afternoon, we got ready for the wedding and dinner. It took about an hour to get to the church. The ceremony was short and nice and everyone looked very nice.

                               

From the church we drove about 10 minutes to a country club and had a few drinks at the bar before it was time for dinner. We sat with Tom and Judy and Don and Gail. We actually knew a lot of wedding attendees and they knew us too - well all except for one!!! Dinner was delicious including a super tasty cake. There was no actual reception and we were back at O'Wich by 8:30. It was really a nice event!

Sunday:

We had scrambled eggs for breakfast - everything tastes so much better at O'Wich. After the kitchen was cleaned up, I straighten up and got everything ready for Bernie and Stella's visit. Carlo grilled Italian sausage to go with my Ahmazing Pasta because he didn't think he was going to like it...hmmmm! Our guests arrived about 1:30 and we visited on the porch for a while before indulging in lunch. Although the palette cleansing sorbet was almost forgotten, we still enjoyed it before the tomatoes had a chance to attack us! They stayed until about 6:30. We always have such a nice visit with them and are happy to have two new friends.

We called Betty to recap the festivities from Saturday, Carlo went for gas, I cleaned up the kitchen and started packing for our morning departure. Why can't weekends last longer????

June 24 through June 27, 2014

Time to back-blog...only because I found my notebook...although the dates could very well be wrong!

Tuesday:
I was on the road to silence, peace and quiet and some chores by 4:15 and arrived around 7:30, without stopping. The grass had been cut and looked very nice. I feel fortunate that this has become one chore we don't have to worry about for this year.

I unloaded the Tahoe and then had a problem unlocking the front door - seems the cabin has shifted - again! Time to rethink a lock on the back door! Luckily the lock finally opened AND the key DID NOT break. I got everything inside and put away and after a short rest, I hit the chore list.

I ended up rehanging the key holder since is was a little too low. I framed the cross-stitched deer piece I worked on (for over 5 years), framed an art canvas, hung the curtain hangars and the curtains. Now they need to be re-ironed or steamed! I found a place for the ottoman that I brought from home but recovered for it's new surroundings, I put the table runner on the table and the place mats - and all of these things were made by me! Then I got the boxes with the new dining rooms out of the truck and put them together. And for some crazy reason, after the first chair, I ended up with a horribly painful blister. Bring out the work gloves for the second chair was a good idea...too bad I didn't think of it BEFORE chair one! Once the cushions were tied on, I admired my work and took a much needed nap.

After my nap, I had something to eat and was planning on going to bed when Bernie and Stella called and said they were in the area and wanted to stop by. They visited for a couple of hours and we had a very nice time. I settled in by 9:30 - and when I say settle in...I was out like a light!

Wednesday:

I was up by 6 to a yard full of crows who were enjoying whatever they were pecking at for breakfast. Thinking they had a good idea, I had breakfast, showered, got some cleaning done and stopped at WalMart on my way to my 2:00 hair appointment. I got my hair cut and colored, hit the grocery store's salad bar for dinner on the way back.

After a little TV, I decided to end the day and looked forward to a good night of sleep. Which is rarely ever a problem. And now that I have room-darkening window treatments in the bedroom...it's even better!


Thursday:

I was up again by 6 and although the yard was free of yesterdays visitors, there was quite a ruckus of bird noises filling the air. I went through some emails and talked to Carlo. My schedule for this day is LOADED! Starts with breakfast, TV, lunch, nap, visit with Betty, dinner, TV and bed. In this very order. I've done everything that needed to be done.

I am so happy that I found these days to come to O'Wich because when I get back work is going to be crazy and hectic. It's nice to be here - stress free!

Before leaving for my visit, I noticed something flying around on the porch...it was a BAT! I decided to avoid a bat encounter and put the ceiling fan on - hoping the blades would keep the bat from moving around...
AND I didn't go out there!!! I hate BATS!

My visit with Betty was good - although I now smell like an ashtray...seriously, who smokes over 10 cigarettes in a little over an hour??? Now that this wedding whisperer is exhausted and stinky, not to mention suffering from a smoke induced headache, I head back to shower, have dinner, watch TV and hit the hay!


Friday:

Another morning and I am up with the birds...literally! After breakfast, I pulled weeds from the front flower bed - making it a quick chore since the mosquitoes were in full force. I guess that bat didn't leave the porch after all! I cleaned up inside and loaded the truck and decided to leave for home in the early afternoon rather than in the morning.


Wedding bells will be ringing for our next visit!