Tubing on the Fox River at Princeton

Last winter when things were still in pandemic mode and everyone was ready to do something fun, we commiserated with my son-in-laws' parents.  We decided to rent a couple cabins in the St. Germain/Sayner Wisconsin area for a week.  We share a grandson named Ewan, who has become very familiar to a lot of you through my blog posts.  We found a place with two available cabins for the 2nd week in July 2021.  We put down a deposit and went on with life.  As many of you know, life is never a straight line, and my husband passed away a month before we were scheduled to go.  The decision had to be made whether I should go or not.  In the end, I decided to go.  I thought it was another step in life that I had to conquer.  Believe it or not, I hadn't even filled a gas tank in twenty years.  We did everything together, so I didn't have to think about those kind of everyday things.  Today I noticed the water softener needed salt, and Mike still had a couple bags in the basement.  I never gave it a thought before, but I have to remember to pick up more salt next week.

I won't go into a lot of detail about my trip.  There were a lot of good things that happened.  I drove more than three hours instead of being a passenger.   I saw eagles, loons and even a pure white deer.  Of course, we spontaneously went for ice cream one night and no one had a camera they could reach in a split second.  That photo will have to remain in my memory.  We did get one of the ice cream however.

The lake was absolutely beautiful and clean.  Ewan paddle boarded, kayaked, drove the big boat, fished, rode horses and had a wonderful week thanks to his other grandparents.  

The bad part was that my cabin had a gas leak they were trying to fix when I got there.  They thought it was fixed, but I could still smell it even with all the windows open and fans on high.  The cabin actually looked pretty cute from the outside.  

There was another odor that resembled a dead animal which wasn't pleasant either.  The first night I went to bed, I got the chills and felt very sick about two hours later.  I got up and sat in the car,  then I walked around the cabin, I got extra blankets and tried to get warm and ended up in the car for the rest of the night.  I didn't want to return to that cabin ever again.  The owner was nice enough and said she didn't have any replacement cabins for the rest of the week, but she might have something for the next two nights.  I never heard from her again and slept on the couch in the other cabin for a couple nights.  At that point, being an intruder and not feeling all that well, I came home.  Maybe it was the universe telling me it was too soon, and I was pushing it.

Then last Sunday we had the fun drive-thru zoo experience.  I hadn't realized it was so close to home and I enjoyed it a lot.  Shamba Safari  Today I participated from a distance in another family activity even closer to home.  We have an ice cream shop called The Ice Bowl about a half mile from my house.  This spring they expanded the Green Bay Packer themed business to include tubing trips on the Fox River.  You meet at the store, they take you by bus to a starting point and you leisurely float back to your vehicle at the ice cream shop.  

Today my daughter, her husband and two sons went.  It was very hot and humid with a heat index of 97 degrees F so a few hours on the river sounded appealing.  Here is a photo of the bus with all the important information for anyone planning to be in the Princeton Wisconsin area.  They also have a Facebook page.

The boys are on the bus and ready to go.

 

 

The family is ready to hop on their tubes and shove off.  Since it is a 2.5 hour trip, I was in no hurry to go downtown to view them coming into the last leg of the journey.  To add insult to injury, sometime in the past five days I developed a chest cold or some kind of flu.  No Covid, thank goodness but not fun either.  I haven't had a cold for 5-10 years and brag that my bone broth is very good for my immune system.  Never say never because it will get you every time.

Almost two hours later I got a call that they could see my house.  I went out on the deck and sure enough, off in the distance there they were.  Ewan frantically waving his paddle.  A little too far a way for a good picture, but I could see they had gotten that far.

I waited a few minutes and headed down to a place I knew I could see them round the bend into the home stretch.  The Ice Bowl was so crowded today.  They were having a fundraiser with a Meet and Greet autograph session with some former Green Bay Packers, Gilbert Brown, Santana  Dotson and Craig Newsome.  I couldn't have found a parking space if I would have tried so I'm glad I chose an out of the way location.  I sat for a very long time in the hot sun.  I had underestimated how far it was in river miles.  I did see a lot of these very beautiful Cedar Waxwing birds flitting back and forth across the river.

I kept thinking they were coming so I would snap a photo only to find out it was a stranger.  I had a lot of deleting to do when I got home.  Soon I saw Ewan's bright green shirt in the distance.

There they were all in one piece and looking happy.

And as they headed back to the start I was thinking "another great adventure and memory in the books", and we didn't have to travel for hours to find it.  That's what summer fun in Wisconsin is all about.  Now for a little ice cream, a little resting and a nice supper. 

Our Visit to Shamba Safari

Six weeks ago was one of the worse days of my life.  I lost my husband of nearly 53 years.  It was a shock to us even though he had health issues.  Most people have some things to deal with when they get older, but never in a million years did I think he would die so soon.  Everyday I struggle a little and have to pick myself up to tackle another day.   I was going to quit writing my blog because frankly I couldn't imagine having anything to write about again.  Then I decided that he wouldn't be a fan of that decision.  Although I won't have my partner to suggest stories or go on adventures with, I will still have a life.  It will just be a little (ok a lot) different.  Today's blog I won't dwell on my sadness, I want to report on a fun activity which is literally down the road from my house.

My son in law has a little outdoor kitchen he calls B's Bistro.  When we could only see the family outside because of the COVID virus, my daughter and her husband would have outdoor family meals.  Bret would cook everything outside, and then we could see each other.  Early in the spring, it was a little chilly but we bundled up and loved every minute.  Now it has become tradition.  Sometimes he makes brunch and sometimes supper, but it's always delicious.  

Today as we were finishing our brunch, my daughter asked if we knew about a drive-thru zoo that had opened up in the area.  I had heard of it, but didn't really know much about it.  We decided to take a ride.  As we turned onto a country road very near my house, the cars were lined up and we knew we weren't the only ones with the same idea and curiosity.  It is called Shamba Safari, W535 Eagle Road, Neshkoro, WI, 54960.

 This is the sign at the entrance to the park.  When it was our turn, we paid and purchased a bucket of grains and vegetables.  Even before we started, we were approached by two camels.  Yes, I said camels.  They were going car to car for a snack.  My grandson Ewan wasn't quick enough with the scoop and the camel stuck his head right in the bucket.  

There are camels, giraffes, wildebeest, lions, tigers, zebras, rhinos, various deer and big birds.  I haven't identified all of them yet.  Here is a chart, but there were others not on this list.  You have to visit to see for yourself.

I won't bore you with any more pictures of animals.  Pictures are never as good as the real thing and in this case that is very true.  I just hope the business survives as well as the animals.  Of course, there will be nay sayers that say it is abuse, and that the animals are not that healthy.  I don't know the history but hope to find out some day.  Chances are these animals are living out their final days in this environment and are making many people happy especially old people and young children who find a trip to the zoo exhausting.

DNA Runs Deep

Our DNA is very interesting.  Why do certain families have a propensity to certain vocations?  At first look it would seem if a family member was a teacher, then perhaps since it is familiar it causes others to go into teaching.  I think it's probably a combination of interest and exposure.  There were several teachers in my family.  Then our daughter became a pharmacist.  She didn't realize at the time that her dad started out in pharmacy and several members on her grandmothers side of the family were in pharmacy.  I did not inherit any of these interests.  I take after my grandma.  My grandma could make a mean fried chicken, she didn't like to do dishes and she would take on a repair job even if it wasn't done according to code.  One day my grandma wanted a bigger opening into her kitchen.  She had a regular sized doorway, but she wanted an archway.  She didn't ask anyone, she just took a handsaw and started to cut an opening the size she wanted.  How she didn't electrocute herself is a miracle.  When she got the shape she wanted, she bent a piece of Masonite and finished it off.  Sometimes you just have to do things yourself.  

I have written about fixing a food saver and my coffee pot but last week I had a new project to fix.  This wasn't electrical so it was safer.  It was the pull out chef's pantry in my refrigerator.  

Somehow a small plastic tab had broken off causing the cover to fall off.  

My husband would have gotten to it eventually, but my mantra is "I don't care when you do it as long as it's now".  I rarely procrastinate because I want it out of my mind.  My mind is cluttered enough.  

The first thing I did was find the brand and model number inside the refrigerator.  Thank goodness for the internet because this would have been more of a problem years ago.  Appliance repair people aren't that easy to find.  Back in 2015 my dryer started squeaking and screeching when I dried a load of clothes.  I called a repairman and set up a time for him to come.  My sister was coming to spend a few days with our dad, and I didn't think she would appreciate that sound.  The repair person didn't show up, and to this day the dryer is still screeching.  It's in the basement and out of my ear shot so I don't mind it.  One day soon it will either stop working or I will tackle that.  

I quickly found a company that had the exact refrigerator part I needed.  I ordered it and within two days I had the part.  The website included a simple step by step video.  All that was needed was a certain type nut driver which we had.

 

I removed the screws.  One was stuck so I needed to spray a little WD-40, but it was a fairly straight forward process.

 In a few minutes the tray was fixed and everything was back to normal.  Grandma would be proud.

Yardwork is NOT My Favorite Activity

I grew up a long long time ago.  My mom was pretty strict and had a few rules which we didn't break.  One was lying.  Lying wasn't acceptable.  She would say the punishment would be a lot less with the truth  than what it would be for finding out we were lying later.  Another thing was respecting others especially adults and the third was we could never use the word HATE.  She said we could dislike very very much, but never hate.

My mom has been gone for nine years so I feel free to tell the truth and say I HATE yard work.  I am not good at creating a beautiful yard.  I would not even want a manicured property.  I like it rustic, but right now it looks like a deserted landfill.  I had no choice but to begin what will be a very long process.  I am not a girly girl by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't like to sweat or get my hands and feet dirty.  I know it's a little too early, but we have been having some warmer weather and I have many days work ahead of me.  It isn't unheard of to have snowstorms in April, but I need to start.  If I get delayed by a snowstorm, so be it.  Another reason not to start too early is that many organisms and insects shelter in the dried grasses and foliage.  To make myself feel better about disturbing them, I hauled the raked up debris to the woods.  I promised my friend that I would never show my 73 year old feet on Facebook, so I won't here either, but you can imagine how much dirt seeped through this shoe. I really should get some proper footwear and gloves, it may make the job easier.

I started at one end of the house.  I raked leaves and debris, I pulled weeds and began trimming bushes.  So far I have hauled eight large wheelbarrow loads to the woods. 

 I may never finish, but it looks better than it did.  The grass is almost ready to mow for the first time this spring and a lot of the perennials are coming up.  Some of them like the bleeding heart plant and and hostas are coming up in areas I haven't cleaned up, so I am just leaving those areas.  I don't want to disturb them.  It's justification for being lazy.  Just being green makes everything look better.  

I am very glad I live in an area that can't be seen from the street and therefore don't feel the pressure of living in a neighborhood where everything has to look nice although I appreciate the effort made to make it that way.  So even though I HATE yard work, I love the flowers and trees that bloom and flourish in the spring in spite of my neglect. With rain, cold, and snow squalls sprinkled in the nice warm days, I have had several days off so I don't feel as sorry for myself as I would doing it day after day after day.   I'll keep plugging away and eventually our yard will look just fine.  I have had a lot of ticks so far and that is another reason I don't like working on the yard.  It won't be close to perfect, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

A Ride Through the White River Marsh

Even though the country is getting back to normal, we aren't quite ready.  My husband Mike and I have had both vaccines and feel comfortable seeing our family who were also vaccinated, but we are not ready to go shopping in stores or eating in restaurants.  I should say I'm more than ready, but we don't trust that a lot of other people are taking the virus as seriously as they should.  Today I just needed to get out of the house for a while.  We decided to take a ride.  We headed out of town toward the White River Marsh.  We had heard that a lot of logging had occurred and wanted to check it out.

The White River Wildlife area is a big 12,000 acre property in Green Lake and Marquette counties.  It consists of marsh land, meadows,  hardwood forests and habitat to a lot of birds and wildlife.  It is open to the public except for a small area which is sometimes home to whooping cranes.  There is a rustic dirt road that loops through the property.  We have traveled through there often.  This trip was not the same.  The area is being logged out.  It looks like a tornado hit the area and took out thousands of mature trees.  It is so sad looking. There are piles of cut logs stacked along the roadway and debris is everywhere.

It was later in the afternoon so we didn't think we would encounter any workers or trucks.  We were wrong.  About half way through we came across a big double trailer semi blocking the single lane road.  Fortunately there was a parking area nearby, so we pulled over and watched.  The worker we watched was very skilled.  He picked up a log or two and placed it carefully in position on the truck.

The piles of logs were all sorted.  Some were marked oak pulp, some said hickory and others with a variety of abbreviations or the names of lumber yards they were being shipped to.

Now the question is why this is being done.  I am not sure.  I found this on the Wisconsin DNR website. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/ The information isn't very clear or well written but it appears it is just a decision made to manage the area.  "White River Sedge Meadow features the largest southern sedge meadow in Wisconsin, and contains a full variety of environmental gradients due to the extensive size of the natural area. The wetland complex contains a deep marsh with cat-tails and tussock sedge and contains a good variety of emergent aquatic species to the south. Scattered shrub-carr islands are also present. Because of its size, White River Sedge Meadow has been identified as the best opportunity within Wisconsin to manage wet meadow birds, including many that are rare or uncommon. Thousands of sandhill cranes stage here every fall before their migration south. Scattered along the White River are patches of floodplain forest, which harbor rare birds. Other breeding birds include veery, prothonotary warbler, American redstart, and northern oriole. White River Sedge Meadow is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002.  Current management programs include wetland restoration and water level manipulation in the impoundments, upland dry prairie restoration to promote Karner blue butterflies and other grassland related wildlife, oak savannah restoration. Mourning dove habitat manipulation for banding and hunting opportunities on sunflower and other crop fields."  

They probably have a method to this madness and after a few years of recovery, we may understand.  Right now it just looks like a big mess.  No wonder we are seeing wildlife that we have not seen before like bobcat and bear.  There are also a lot more owls.  Maybe they are being forced elsewhere.  This may not be the reason but if this is being done here, it's probably being done around the state.  

It was a nice couple hours out of the house and gave us a lot to think about.