July 4 through July 8, 2012

July 4, 2012
For a couple of days prior to us leaving for O'Wich, Carlo was giving me clues to the rest of my birthday gift that he said would be waiting for me when we get to the cabin. The clues went something like this;
Him: When we get to O'Wich, you can't go in.
Me: Why not?
Him: Your gift is on the couch, unless someone moved it, then it might be on the table.
Me: What is it?
Him: You'll see.
Me: Is it bigger than a bread box?
Him: Kind of
Me: Can I use it at home?
Him: You could.
Me: Is it wrapped?
Him: Maybe.
Me: When did you get it?
Him: When I went up for the fridge delivery. I drove everywhere and even met up with a friend.
* The question and answer game continued on and off for the rest of the ride, although someone sucks at the game!
Here's what I thought could be waiting:
New kitchen floor, bedroom carpet, satellite Internet or central air. Part of the Q and A revealed it was something we had talked about, something we wanted and something someone we know had.

Prior to leaving, I got in a couple of loads of laundry and a much need super long nap. Carlo drove in a parade - so we didn't plan on leaving until the afternoon anyway. We got on the road by 1:00 and it was extremely hot...105 degrees. We stopped for snacks at the oasis and drove until we reached the Pine Cone - our new favorite open 24 hours truck stop. After lunch, we went to Gander Mountain to get the rest of Carlo's birthday gift before arriving at O'Wich.On the dirt road coming in were four kids on dirt bikes and go-karts and as sure as I am that they were having fun - they were tearing up the road. We approached the cabin and we were met with our beautiful new stone driveway!

No this was not my gift! Carlo told me not to come in, not to walk around and to wait in the truck. So I sat waiting in the 100+ air and felt like a dog left in a closed car...I did peek around the side of the cabin to look at the stone though! Once he said I could come in, I grabbed my bags, looking forward to seeing what was inside. As I went up the stairs, I noticed I have a bunch of bird crap on the porch...No this was not my gift either!

I believe I will be ousting the bird nest and its occupants for filthy conditions! There was a dead bird stuck to a mouse sticky trap on the porch and No this was not my gift but it was gross!

When I got through the door, Carlo said "Surprise" and I saw the new wood burner standing in the corner!!! Yes this was my gift! It looks amazing with the stoned walls and the tiled floor. Thank you Carlo, I love it!

Since it was so hot inside - 104 degrees, we went out to look at the stone that was laid in the back from the deck to the fire pit. It is just what I wanted and no more mud pit after it rains.  The heat was really affecting us and as the temperature was starting to go down inside, we needed to cool off with ice bags and a fan. The ice was melting as it hit our overheated bodies. I seriously think we were experiencing a little bit of heat stroke - if not that (since I'm not a doctor), then surely it was heat exhaustion! We both fell asleep in the living room for several hours. I endured more discomfort when I decided to lay down in bed and was still overly warm. Carlo couldn't take the couch much longer and ended up doing the same. That damn thing is 6" too short and 6" not wide enough! The heat made for a very rough day!

July 5, 2012
The cabin was a 73 degrees when I woke up at 4:30 am. A far cry from yesterday. I hope the temps lighten up - I haven't been at the cabin for close to two months and it really needs to be cleaned. I still have a headache but the water is helping that go away. We never made it to the store yesterday so I'm sure that will be on our agenda for later. I finally got a good look at the new fridge. It is very nice and what's even nicer it that it does not run non stop like the 20 year old one it replaced. We got moving and we were out the door by 8:30 and made it back by 11:00 with grass seed, groceries and a bag of ice. After everything was put away I cleaned and then cut up some fruit, Garry and Bernie stopped by and and ended up staying for lunch. While they were on the porch, they pointed out that a tree limb had gone through the roof of the shed...great, more work!
 

While we were enjoying the 79 degrees inside, it was 110 degrees outside. We stayed in for most of the day due to the extreme temperature. We had dinner at 9:00 pm and it was down to 92 degrees. Carlo put up a bug zapper and it gives the bedroom a light purple hue through the blinds which made falling to sleep a little difficult - but of course, once asleep, nothing is disturbing! Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive!



July 6, 2012
At 6:15 am it was 78 degrees inside and out. Time for the A/C to get a rest. Carlo watered the seed he put down on the mound and we are proud to say that we finally have some nice looking grass, if only for a small area! We decided to put some chairs and a bench together before it got any hotter. It took us about 2 hours and if it wasn't so darned hot, we might have been able to sit out and enjoy our new seating. We didn't do anything else for the rest of the day since the temperature was tipping 110 degrees.
   


July 7, 2012
Since I slept most of yesterday, I was up by 4:00 am. I watched TV and cleaned up the fire pit - my progress was drastically slowed down due to the four mice that were running around giving me the heebee jeebies! I rested the remainder of the afternoon until 4:00 when we entertained our visitors. We grilled and they stayed until 9:00 pm. The weather cooled down by about 30 degrees and it was finally bearable to sit outside.

July 8, 2012
Another day I'm up at 4:00 am. The bad thing is Carlo is accusing me of waking him...he's such a light sleeper. I thought I was being as quiet as a church mouse - he thought otherwise! The weather seems to be perfect and it is down to 60 degrees. I opened the door and finally enjoyed a somewhat chilly morning. We finally got a few chores out of the way - I washed all the porch screens and floors. We decided to head home since we will be back on Saturday!

May 24 through May 26, 2012

Thursday: An unexpected purchase of a refrigerator had Carlo back on the road to accept the delivery. It will be delivered on Friday sometime between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm. Thank goodness Carlo is still on his vacation, otherwise we would have missed out on the sale - also, deliveries to our "rural area" are only on Fridays and we aren't off on Fridays until July.

Friday: The delivery was expected between 1:00 and 3:00, but the driver called Carlo and asked if they could deliver earlier. They were there around noon and wheeled the new fridge down the drive and took the old one with them when they left. The new fridge is a couple of cubic feet bigger, but I can guarantee it will not run endlessly like the old one! The gaskets on the old one were shot and since that fridge was so old, the cost for replacement gaskets was not too far off of a new fridge - so a new fridge it was!

 

Carlo said the rainstorms rolled in along with the high winds and by 10:00 pm he was ready to end his day.

Saturday: Carlo wanted to avoid some holiday traffic and made it home about 11:00 am.

May 18 through May 22, 2012

Friday: We didn't leave until 10:30, which is very late by our standards, and probably the latest we have ever left. No coffee - no bank - lots of traffic. Maybe everyone was escaping the NATO Summit - or not; but there was a lot of traffic!
We drove through to the Pine cone Restaurant where we had a tasty lunch and grabbed some enormous bakery to go. We visited Gander Mountain and then headed to O'Wich. The grass was tall and we knew it was going to be a huge chore to mow it down. The damn birds were quite busy with this "Brownstone" they built on the eave of the porch - and there is a mother in there - she would only leave when we opened the door, but she didn't go far! Damn, damn, damn birds!
   






















We were happy with the fireplace walls and even happier that it was an easy job for us!!!
 
I was able to get an appointment to get my hair cut and afterward we picked up some groceries.
Our evening was otherwise quiet. We watched TV and ate lunch meat sandwiches for dinner and shared a portion of a cinnamon roll - yes, a portion!



The alarm to the septic went off and the Country Plumber is closed until Monday...time to be frugal with our water!

Saturday: Although we intended to sleep in, we did not. The air was cool and comfortable and the best part of my morning was the cup of coffee Carlo made for me. I do enjoy coffee the most when it's made for me!
We got started cutting the grass and I had enough gasoline for the push mower. I started cutting the side and front while Carlo went for another tank of gasoline. We mowed for about three hours and were not even close to being done. I needed to stop to cook lunch - we had Avocado/Corn Salad and the O'Wich Skillet. The skillet was delicious, the salad was not.
The temps got up to 92 degrees and so far it's the hottest day of the year. We stopped for lunch and for the day - we were outta gas!!! Not gasoline, just energy!

We shared a humongous brownie from the Pine Cone Restaurant...yes, this is one brownie - it's the size of a frickin' cake!

 
 
Carlo went to Do-It Best and I washed windows and dusted up the cabin. I then took a much needed shower and rested until we went to the Pizza Ranch for dinner. We went late and still did not avoid the "kid crowd".
Exhaustion set in when we stopped moving and that wrapped up the night for us!

Sunday: Seems I am viewed as someone that sleeps a lot - but I don't get good sleep. I was certainly like Goldilocks during the night...this bed is too hot; this couch is too short; this recliner will have to do. So here I start my day with a sore back and still tired!

We worked outside again, cutting the grass for several hours. It was hot out but not as hot as yesterday. We called it quits around 2:00 and I took a nap for about an hour. Carlo started a fire outside and Betty and Lady came over for a visit.
After Betty and Lady left, we had a sandwich and watched TV. When we got up to go to bed, we realized just how achy we were!

Monday: We slept until 8:00 and once we got motivated, we went out to move the fire pit log pile and chain saw the logs into manageable and movable pieces. Our small job did make a huge difference!
 

The weather was great, but we were still tired and sore from the last two days so we didn't do much else other than put away all our outdoor tools and pick up stuff outside.
 
Country Plumber arrived around 4:00 and we weren't expecting them until tomorrow - but we are glad they came out today. they extracted 1500-1600 gallons from our 2000 gallon tank. That's a lot of $hit and meant that once that alarm sounded, we had about 500 gallons before a problem arose!
 

Carlo fixed the electrical outlet along side the stoned wall and it looked great when it was finished.
 
 

We met Rick for dinner in Madison at the Outback. We had a great visit and parted ways around 9:00. We got back to O'Wich by 9:45 and I was in bed not too much after that.

Tuesday: When we got up we went to Norm's - we intended to go for breakfast, but by the time we got there, we ended up having lunch. We then ran some errands and rested for most of the afternoon before heading home. The only visitor we had before leaving was a lone leaf frog that was sunning himself on the deck.

 

 My vacation is officially over. :(

May 5 through May 7, 2012

Saturday: Karen and I got together for a short weekend get-away. She arrived at my house around 7:30 and before you knew it we were on the road, with coffee and conversation. We stopped at the Pine Cone Restaurant for breakfast before getting to the cabin. Next time, I'll try the cinnamon roll!
Karen, generously, brought all of the food for the weekend. We didn't do much on Saturday as I ended up with a horrible headache - I managed to advise her where we were and where the keys to the truck were, just in case!

Sunday: Garry stopped by in the pouring rain slash horrific storm to discuss the driveway job that still is not done. Although the plan is still up in the air, his trip was not for nothing, as he will be performing Plan B to the walls by applying the stone and laying the tile for us where the wood burning stove will one live.













After he left, we started the grill and Betty came down for the entire afternoon. I got the grill ready for the chicken and it seems a leaf frog was joining us too! Betty and Lady even had lunch with us. The grilled chicken thighs that were fabulous!!!


We chatted for the rest of the evening and were happy all the storms had passed...although it was scary for part of the time!
Monday: We needed to leave in the morning for Karen to get to work...and though the trip was short, it was stress-free and relaxing; once my headache was gone! We laughed so much, even when we attempted to use the timer to take our picture!

March 30 through April 2, 2012

Friday: Other than a roll-over accident slowing us down just before Madison, we had a good drive. Garry and Bernie were waiting for us when we pulled into the drive. We visited with them for nearly two hours and after they left we found two dead mice inside. One was in the bathroom and the other was in the bedroom. The one in the bedroom got trapped on the other side of the close door. He must have used his might mouse power to drag himself and the trap across the entire room where he ultimately got wedged under the door. He was on the kitchen side and the trap was on the bedroom side. The door wouldn't open at first since the trap was acting as a door stop! But with the help of some long nosed pliers, Carlo got the trap free from the door. the mouse was already a goner!

We went out for dinner and for the first time in a long time our dinner was awful. We went to the Portage Family/Riverside/Micheal's new reopened restaurant. Never again, no matter what they call it the next time they shut down and reopen!
We picked up a few groceries, watched a little TV and were in bed by 9:00 - hoping to wake up as millionaires, due to the 640 million Mega Ball Lottery which will be drawn as our sheep are jumping the fence!




Saturday: I was up about 4:30, a little hungry and a little anxious to have this trip be productive. I made a chip dip for later and enjoyed my coffee as I realized I was poorer than yesterday since I did not win any lottery drawing! Glad I didn't spend any time planning my financial portfolio!
After laying out the tile for the floor for the wood burner, I cut the tiles for a perfect fit! Some cuts were easy and couple were detailed and I must admit I did a perfect job cutting. The worst part of it was that it was under 40 degrees and the water from the blade splashed a lot and it was cold.
We decided that finishing the walls before finishing the tile was a better idea and since the adhesive was left at home, our need for a new plan was in order.
Carlo got parts for rebuilding the flooded our tractor. It's been colder here than at home so the grass hasn't really grown much and there are hardly any buds on the trees and our perennials are barely poking through the ground.
We visited down the road and got back around 5 to have dinner. We were suppose to have meatloaf but had hot dogs - not really - it was hot dogs all along!
I went to bed early since my muscles were sore from the dampness and I was exhausted having gotten up so early!



Sunday: Up at 5 to the noisy fridge, ticking clocks and coffee...where are the birds?
After a quick breakfast, we decided to put the stones on the walls...what a horrible idea. Our planned chores were a ginormous bust. We could not get the stones to stick for anything. After a couple of hours we decided a Plan B was needed so we cleaned up all the mess, took all the stones down, which was the easiest thing that could have happened, took them back outside and kissed 3 hours of our day and our lives good-bye! We decided the zen moment was realizing everything happens for a reason! We ate more meatloaf (ha ha) and threw some meatballs in the crock pot. Carlo was heading outside hoping his fixing the tractor would be more successful than the stone application was. By 2:30 there was a purr of the engine - tractor successfully rewired! Finally something good.
A neighbor stopped by for an afternoon visit and when she left we had meatloaf for dinner - no, not meatloaf...spaghetti and meatballs! I really do wish we had brought a meatloaf!
As the day ended, we thought our meals were a bad April Fool's joke!



Monday: Time to get back to our chaotic life and head home. Our weekend was pretty much unproductive - but is was away from every other thing we wanted to avoid!!! Isn't that what this place is for?

February 10, 2012 through February 13, 2012

Our first visit of 2012! It was filled with lots of sleep, cooking and HGTV.

Friday:
We drove through mostly white-out conditions and were finally glad to be off the road. Everything is covered with fresh snow, looking crisp and clean. It's been close to 6 weeks since our last visit. We were more than pleasantly surprised to see no little foot prints and better yet...NO MICE!!! Not a one - just one empty trap after another! A quick vacuum of the flies that were faking being dead and a run across the carpet and the cabin was as fresh as could be. Not long after the vacuum was tucked away, some R&R was kicking in.

Saturday:
The day began following 14 hours of the most incredible sleep. We went off to Gander Mountain, Walmart and lunch. The rest of the afternoon was filled with some awesome cooking...Pots de creme. Pots de creme is creamy, dreamy, and out-of-this-world rich and delicious, and this blender version is such a piece of cake with deliciously impressive results.

Add a bag of chocolate chips to a blender.

Crack in four eggs…Sprinkle in a little salt, then add a couple of tablespoons of Grand Marnier. You can add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla here to keep it nice and kid-friendly, but the orange liqueur really gives it a love citrus edge.

Then grab some very hot coffee—as in, hot-hot—and slowly drizzle it through the hole in the blender lid while the blender’s on. The coffee will heat the eggs and create something utterly miraculous. Blend until it’s smooth, then turn off the blender.

Pulse the mixture a few times to blend it together…

Pour the mixture into some small mason jars.

Put ‘em on a tray, then put the tray in the fridge to chill them until they’re cold and set.

Top each one with plenty of whipped cream…

If you went the orange route, lay a couple of strips of orange peel on top of each one. Or you can sprinkle on some grated chocolate.

Or you can just grab a spoon and dig in.

 There were also chocolate dipped chocolate cookies and chocolate dipped truffles! With dessert finished, it was time for the ever popular Corn Chowder. What could make this day more perfect????

More perfect you ask???? How about the top 5 love story movies - just in time for Valentine's Day!!!
5. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Pretty Woman
3. When Harry Met Sally
2. Sleepless in Seattle
1. The Notebook


The evening was wrapped up with dinner at LaTolteca...but who could even be hungry after all of this?

Sunday:
The night was full of lots of sleep, although on a heavy belly, so the sleep was not as good as the night before. After coffee, Carlo flushed the hot water tank and set out more bait for the mice. We've killed them off in the past and looks as though we may have killed them off in the present - baiting is a good way to kill them off in the future! This shall be known as the Mice Trilogy.
We watched Giada prep up some baked cauliflower and it's a recipe that I might just try...maybe even take a couple of pictures of!

Monday:
We left at our usual time. We didn't get anything done from the To-Do list that collects dust - but one thing is certain, it'll be there next time...unless the mice invade O'Wich and take it away!

December 23, 2011 through December 26, 2011

Christmas Week!

Friday: I've been on vacation for over a week but today is the first time since Thanksgiving that we've been back to O'Wich. We were on the road by 8:00 and for a holiday week the traffic wasn't bad. Upon arriving at O'Wich, our fall season scarecrow greeted us with his snow dusted hat. The accumulation was minimal, but everything looked pretty, fresh and bright! Inside we had four trapped mice (they were dead) and six undetonated traps. The good thing is that there were no signs of active mice and not a drop of poop to be found; thank goodness! A quick inventory and we were off to town. We had lunch at Culver's and then divided and conquered our list - me to Walmart and Carlo off to get gas, go to Pierces and Tractor Supply. All stops were successful, including the $17 taco salad in the shape of a Christmas tree!

I went to Fashion Bug and was able to buy 4 out of 5 items I tried on! Thanks to a gift card from Laurie for my birthday and one from Rick for Christmas, I have a 95 cent credit - now that was some good shopping if I must say so myself! THANK YOU!!! After we got back I fixed up some cards and gifts for our friends that we will see tomorrow. We ended up napping and skipped going to a restaurant for dinner and opted for a stuffed crust supreme pizza from Pizza Hut!

Saturday - Christmas Eve: Since we were wide awake at 4:00 am, we got up for coffee and a trip to Walmart. There were no crowds and it was a great shopping experience - although we really didn't need to go shopping we took advantage of a list that Alex gave me for his birthday. The sun was up as we made our way to the truck and went to Norm's for another tasty breakfast - including a cup of cream of cabbage soup! We watched a Christmas movie before my trip to the salon for a much needed haircut. I think I may have finally found a place that I would consider revisiting!

At 3:00 we headed down to Betty's. Steve was out so we missed him. Pauline was on her way back to Milwaukee but we were able to wish her a Merry Christmas as we passed her on the road. Cathy and Art were with Betty and we visited with them for close to 3 hours. We headed back to start our unconventional Christmas Eve dinner German / Italian style...Carlo grilled brats, Italian sausage and hot dogs - Hebrew National Jumbos!

We watched a Christmas Light Show on TV, which saved us from driving around in the cold to look at the lights - yet another unconventional Christmas event. We were in bed by 8:30 and exhausted!

Sunday - Christmas Day: We woke up to see what was the matter from all of the clatter that sounded to be on the rooftop and to a fire burning in (on) our (fake-o) fireplace. The clatter was not that of Santa and his reindeer, but of a critter between the ceiling and the roof. While Carlo was investigating the point of entry for the rodent, he found the dead mouse bag was empty, so some creature visited the front porch during the night - I wonder if the visitor thought there were Christmas cookies in that bag! And one could only wonder who the visitor was since it wasn't Santa, his reindeer or his elves! And the stockings were not hung by the fireplace with care or at all...what the heck is going on here?!!!


Our unconventional Christmas continued when we decided against the ever popular eggs and sausage for breakfast and tore into the taco salad tree as the Griswold's Family Las Vegas Christmas replaced the fireplace - Merry Christmas from one unconventional family to another!


Our unconventional festivities continued as we, along with a bench, our furry Russian hats and the camera headed down to the river for our Christmas photos. C'mon, smile already! And just for the record, the 10 second timer is not nearly long enough! Our outdoor festivities have come to an end on this beautiful, sunny and 37 degree Christmas Day at O'Wich!

The afternoon of our unconventional Christmas included a nap (not me this time) and many rounds of WWF (yes, me).  The unconventional Christmas Dinner hit the grill and I'd much rather have this than some conventional menu - after all, 2011 is the year of the unconventional Christmas celebration at O'Wich!

After dinner, Carlo ended his day and I finally found some Christmas movies that kept me up until way after 1:00 in the morning!

 Monday: We decided to get on the road at 7:30 after baiting for mice and locking up the cabin. With no construction, minimal traffic and not stopping along the way, we were home by 10:30 - without my cord to transfer the photos from the camera to the computer - BALL-JAM! Then this techno-challenged blogger remembered that the laptop has a card reader and wallah! taadaaahhhh!! viola!!!  - successful transfer. Crisis diverted and ye olde blog - with photos - is complete. And this my friends wraps up the O'Wich 2011 blog...until next year!