Grin and BEAR it

 

We had brutal wake-up temps today when you took windchills into effect. But since I had to sing at my church and Jim had to read at his, we had to brave it.

In our heated vehicles, that is. We're not terribly brave after all.

After church and a little shopping, I headed back into town for BINGO. Hey winning the $1,400+ cover-all jackpot would've made it worth it.

Came up well short again. Story of my life. Nobody got cover-all in 54 calls or less so that jackpot will keep growing for the next session in a few weeks. Nice to see friends anyway!

Came home and sort of watched the Patriots-Houston game. Houston really choked.

While hubby got out the leaf-blower... yes! 

It works magically when we just have a dusting. While he did that, I baked a cake for trifle and started a new blanket. A baby one this time.

All while somewhat cheering the Bears on to support my father-in-law, a life-long fan. After being out in cold just a teeny bit. I can't imagine playing in that cold! And then overtime! Oh, Bears. So close. Guess our Central Division will not be represented any further. 

That's the playoffs.

Now back to your regularly scheduled... winter! Ugh. Cold tomorrow. Be careful out there!

Lights, Memories, and Bears, Oh My

The past two days felt more like a very long weekend with all the activities going on between here, Up North and back again.

First of all, even though I left by 8:30 a.m. Friday, it was a long haul going up to Grantsburg. For you future travels, it's almost all one lane going north on I-94 from Osseo to Bloomer (via Hwy 53). In the picture above we were pretty much at a standstill the last few miles on I-94 before I could exit onto 53. 

Guess Friday is a travel day even if it's not summer. Of course, those weren't my only delays.

Saw at least 5 deer – hey, they even cross roads in daylight! And, for the first time in my life, a black bear crossed the road in front of me. I was so startled that between slamming on my brakes and trying to grab my phone for a picture, I only caught this...

His quick scamper into the woods. Unreal! I mean most of my siblings who live in the Northwoods have seen a black bear – even Carter did vacationing up there as a child – but not me. Wow.

The only other delay was one of my own choosing – stopping to visit Dad. Unfortunately, the only flowers nearby were dandelions. 

Still, it was nice to visit with him and see my childhood church! 

I also stopped to see Mom at the nursing home before going to her apartment so I could give her her Mother's Day gift and visit a bit one on one. She's been having good days and not-so-good days. But she wants to get better and get her strength back!

The main purpose of my visit was to help go through her apartment with my siblings and decide what we wanted, what others might want, and what we could donate as we clean out her place by the end of the month. Friday afternoon was spent with a handful of my sisters as we cleaned out things and organized them into piles we could all look at today to see what we wanted to keep for ourselves.

Four of us had dinner at T-Dawg's in Grantsburg and Renell, who I was staying with, had some work training. 

I was enjoying the pretty sunset view from her apartment and considered it a good day. 

But it wasn't long after she got home that Jim texted me a picture of the Northern Lights from the Rapids area. My mind has been in so many places this week that I didn't realize this was a big thing that pretty much everyone in the contiguous United States could see.

So we got in the car and headed north of town to Phantom Lake in the Crex Meadows area. And dozens of other cars full of people had the same idea.

It was really strange. To the naked eye, we couldn't really see the colors, just some wisps of "clouds" in the sky. But then when we took pictures with our phones, we could see the brilliant colors everyone else was capturing. Pretty amazing.

And pretty cool seeing them by a lake where we could capture the color reflecting on the water. First time since childhood I've really got to see them. It was awesome!

This morning, the 7 of us (with Rachel there in spirit) were sorting through things at 10 a.m.

I wasn't expecting that Mom had all our baby shoes ready for us to take home. Yes, I guess my tiny shoes are antiques.

And yes, Mom wanted evidence that we were all alive and not fighting each other over anything. We survived it fine and really didn't had any reason for fisticuffs. 

By mid-afternoon, after I had two boxes of stuff "I don't need" but took anyway, I stopped by to see Mom one more time and hit the road.

I took a different route back. But turns out Highway 53 from Spooner to Rice Lake was just one lane so that wasn't a quicker route home. And, if you can believe it, I saw another black bear cross the road in front of me between Neillsville and Pittsville. It was far enough down the road, I didn't have to slam on my brakes but too far for me to get a picture. Just unreal to experience 2 bear crossings in 2 days.

And tonight, I could experience the special lights 2 out of 2 days. At least some of my unexpected surprises were good. And the others, thank goodness, didn't cause any damage to my car! 

Thanks, God, for the beauty and the safety!

Sticks and Stones... and Zombies?

After Saturday night's driving rain and wind, we (I should say hubby and neighbor) cleaned up the big limb and branches that fell from one of our backyard trees on Sunday. All was as it should be until I glanced out the window and saw this tonight...

If you can't tell from the angle, this rather tall branch / stick (or maybe death sword) has its tip buried in the backyard and is standing perfectly straight. I texted Jim to see if we were on some episode of Survivor that we don't know about, and he said he just noticed it tonight, too, on the way to the ball field.

It wasn't super windy today to drive sticks into the ground. So I'm just going to go with neighborhood shenanigans. I mean, that would help me sleep better. 

That's much more comforting than thinking about recently spotted bears and coyotes in the 'hood playing Ring Around the Rosie.

Of course, Midsommar hits next week so maybe my Scandi-hoovian gods are setting up for the summer solstice. Wait, that sounds way more interesting. I'll keep you posted.

And naturally, I'll have my camera handy.

Be careful out there!

Move Over, Goldilocks

After going straight to my hair artist after work to turn my glitter-locks into goldi-locks, I came home and the story continued.

I knew hubby was at bowling and didn't pay attention to where the princess was. Until I finished nuking my dinner (not porridge) and was ready to sit down.

"Somebody's been sitting in my chair..."

"And she's still there!"

That silly girl! She loves the soft blanket that usually goes over me and likes to snuggle up to my velvety yarn. She looks to comfy to disturb so I guess I'll sit in Jim's chair, which has magical powers to force me to sit in it even if there's nothing on TV and may prompt snoring.

Or cat naps, like mine does.

Pretty sure I'll find something on TV. I'm still working through my DVR'd Hallmark movies. One week to go before they disappear with our cable upgrade. This deadline just got real, folks.

Gotta go.

This Bears Another Look

Hundreds of Wisconsin Rapids residents were shooting a black bear today. Not with guns, but with their cameras. For the city folk, having a bear in town is a big deal, I guess. Where I come from, they walk through yards and back patios like they own the place.

A few years back – when 8-year-old Carter invented the SELFIE – he was vacationing at Uncle Rick and Aunt Romey's house and got to see a bear firsthand. And close.

Was he scared? No, Carter wasn't. The bear rested awhile in the front lawn then moved on to a more exciting piece of grass. Just another day in the Northwoods.

This morning, a 250-300 pound bear was walking through Wisconsin Rapids – a rare sight, believe me – and after getting a little frightened of the four-lane traffic, decided to take a break by climbing a large pine tree right next to the busy road.

The police were sending out memos through the media and social media channels. The DNR Warden advised that the bear might stay in the tree until tonight. I'm assuming it's still there right now. But citizens were warned: "If you happen to be in that area, please remember bears are wild animals. Just leave it alone and eventually he/she will climb down and wander away."

Obviously in Rapids lingo that means, "Go see it!" So I sort of did a drive-by. Guilty. Street was barricaded and the bear is up in the tall tree on the right.

Thankfully I had a stoplight so I could get him/her from this angle. See the black spot up there?

Want a closer look? Oh, for that you have to borrow the newspaper's photo. (Thanks, Daily Trib!)

So there. Now you know the most exciting thing that happened today in central Wisconsin.

Move over, Goldilocks. This town ain't big enough for the both of us.

Bear With Me

I woke up this morning with my right fist clenched tight. In my dream right before my alarm a bear had sneaked into our house and was trying to break down the bedroom door. Even though the door itself was splintering under the attack, I was gripping the door knob, trying to turn it so the door would latch. And, obviously, keep out the bad bear.

Pretty sure I've mentioned before I often have psycho dreams.

Just for giggles, I did some digging to see what it might mean to have a bear show up in your dream in that fashion.

One interpretation said: To see a bear in your dream represents independence, strength, death and renewal, and/or resurrection. Bears are symbolic of the cycle of life. You may also be undergoing a period of introspection and thinking.

Now isn't the truth? I was just commenting the other night about upcoming graduation representing the circle of life!

Another interpretation said: The bear represents power, or a power imbalance. The use of power, such as in aggression or protection. Dreaming of this animal can represent: Having too much of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being less this way Not having enough of one of these qualities, or that you could benefit by being more like this. Someone or something in your real life with whom you associate one of these qualities (an event, situation, threat, etc.).

I think the power and protection aspect coincides with my fears about how I will protect my baby once he has flown the coop, emptied himself from the nest, escaped the bear den.

Then there's this interpretation: To dream that you are being pursued or attacked by a bear denotes anger and uncontrolled aggression. You feel trapped. Perhaps you are in a threatening situation, some overwhelming obstacle or domineering and possessive relationship.

I'm pretty sure my overwhelming obstacle is coming to terms with having an adult in the house and a soon-to-be high school graduate. Uff da. What more can be said beyond uff da?!

And finally, the dream may also just be a pun on "bare." Perhaps you need to bare your soul and let everything out into the open. Or there is a situation where you just need to "grin and bear it."

Yup, accept the fact that this is happening. Your baby has grown up. And be proud of him, his accomplishments and his dreams for the future.

Let's just hope his dreams are a little more on the "normal" side!

Wild Weekend

Any weekend that starts on a Thursday is good. A weekend that starts on a Thursday with your 6 sisters is even better.

We all made it safely to our destination outside of Birchwood, Wis. Trust me, you couldn't find it... and frankly, I don't think I could give directions!

We all enjoyed our drives from our various points of the globe, well Wisconsin and Minnesota. The fall colors are at near peak so it was just glorious to drive and look at all the shades of autumn. Then arriving at this log cabin home was a sweet surprise.

It is a gorgeous home on a river with so much space it easily sleeps 7 of us and has some bonuses like a game room with a pool table, a screened-in gazebo-like porch and about 60 acres to walk around -- if one is not afraid of the bear spotted yesterday. Yikes.

I got here in the early afternoon so was able to relax in the sunshine a bit with 3 of my sisters who also arrived early. It was nice to explore -- in a group. Is it safe to go alone? I don't know.

Not sure I want a bear to be putting the "wild" in our Wild Women's Weekend!

Wild Side

Here I thought my nephew the cowboy was a little crazy after "roping in" 14 gators in 2 days. But I was reminded today you don't have to travel to faraway Louisiana to experience the wildlife.

My sister Romey and her husband Rick are always seeing black bears in or near their yard -- and have photographed a few in their 40-acre woods with some magic night-vision camera. Even when Carter has stayed there during his "Up North Vacations" he used to take, he would see one or two bears.

Last night, Rick's nephew on his side of the family, shot a big black bear on their land. A big, big black bear. A big, stinkin' huge black bear! I don't know much about hunting bear, but I always assumed a 300-pound bear is big. This one was twice that and more. 653 pounds! Shot dead not that far, really, from where we were having a campfire just a few weekends ago. Uff da. Who needs all this excitement?

My heart stopped the way it was when we came over a hill on our way home from Iola and hubby had to slam on the brakes in a "leave tire tracks in the road" kind of way to avoid killing 8 big ol' turkeys crossing the road. If you haven't heard already, hitting a turkey is like having someone throw a bowling ball at your car or windshield. Not good. Thankfully, hubby has cat-like reflexes and stopped in time.

I'm glad the only wildlife around here are the hornets and bees trying to get in the house and away from the cold. (Low of 43 tonight.) I don't mean to brag, but I am a pretty good hunter, too. I managed to kill 2 long-legged wasps with the fly swatter -- using my lefthand, mind you -- while talking on the phone. Yes. I am that good.

Since I bagged my limit, I let hubby chase the third one around the kitchen tonight.

Yup, wild times in the not-so-North Woods. Yee-haw.

Da Bears

I realize 99% of Wisconsin is probably watching that football game tonight. In fact, based on my history, you probably think I'm cheering for da Bears. I might be, but I must admit I had to cheer for Aaron Rodgers for the first hour... just until he scored enough points for me to beat Carter in Fantasy Football! Oh yeah, he's goin' down!

I do have da Bears on my mind for another reason. Well, a different kind of bear -- we think.

After the rains, we discovered some footprints in the sand and mud in a path between our backyard and the next-door neighbor's. The way the footprints are pointed, the animal (with a 4-inch claw or so!) was headed from their backyard to ours!

What do you think it is? I took pictures of 2 of the paw prints that seemed the most visible (though I admit they don't seem as clear on camera).

I am not an outdoors-woman so I am not 100% sure, but they do remind me of those "bear claws" they make in the bakery! Trust me, I'd rather have that glazed treat than meet this guy out by the fire pit!

The good news is it -- whatever it is -- might scare the squirrels away.

But then what would my hubby Jethro do? That poor Red Ryder BB gun would just collect dust in the corner. Along with a few other things.

Bear with Me

Wouldn't it be great to be a bear? No one would dream of messing with us when we're cranky. We'd never have to diet again. We wouldn't have to shave our legs. And, most importantly, we could hibernate through the cold and snowy winters!

Of course, there are some drawbacks to hibernation. I'd miss out on Christmas music and movies and, of course, eggnog shakes. I'm not quite ready to give that up -- despite the lure of a long, winter's nap in all this darkness.

Carter is considering trading places with a much smaller animal. This morning, when he called me for his daily morning report, he mentioned our kitty was lounging in front of the window, looking out into the backyard. "I wonder what's she's thinking," he said. I said that would be interesting to know, and he said, "I'd love to trade places with Sylvester for one day. Then I could lay around, play some video games..."

"Video games?" I said. "Cats can't play video games!"

"Oh yeah," he said. "That's right. They don't have thumbs."

Then I heard him whisper to Sylvester, "That's OK. We still love you even if you don't have thumbs!"

Who wouldn't want to be a cat when you get lovin' like that? For that matter, I'll stick with being a mom. I get the lovin' and the eggnog shakes. Can't beat that!

Where the wild things are

The position of being the baby of the family comes with its perks. Despite my tales of hardship and woe, my older siblings claim I had a spoiled childhood ... or at least had many privileges they did not.

Carter happens to be the youngest grandchild (he doesn't like it when I say he's the "baby"). This means that while most of his cousins are grown men and women who may or may not have gotten into trouble now and then, Carter can still charm his way into the hearts (and homes) of his aunts and uncles. This includes, but is not limited to, extended stays or what we call vacation.

Last summer, he had such a great time during his "Up North Vacation," getting passed around from sister to sister while acquainting himself with Jack Pine Savages, he decided to do it again. Mission control was once again at my sister Romey's house in rural Grantsburg, Wisconsin.

Somehow, throughout the course of his stay earlier this month, he managed to do something special with my parents and each of my siblings (except Rayna in Texas of course -- but he spent Spring Break there on his "Down South Vacation.") He went to the fair with Grandma and Grandpa, played at the park with Auntie Nell and cousin Anthony, had lunch at the wildlife park with Aunt Rachel (see photo above), went to the fair (again!) and four-wheeling with Auntie Ro and Uncle Ken, stayed at Auntie Lene's and went mini-golfing with her and cousin Ashley, then capped off the week at the Vikings scrimmage with Uncle Ron and cousin David. Somewhere in between all that, while staying at Romey's, he spent quality time with a bear in their yard, went fishing and lazed around in their pool.

With all that excitement, a kid would be hard pressed to pick his favorite highlight of the week. But he really just can't stop talking about that baby black bear that visited Romey and Rick's a time or two that week -- and even took a nap while they were in the pool. Romey took a picture to prove that Carter was "sort of close" to one. He assured me he was safe. "Mom, they're harmless!"

Really? Harmless? I don't think he knows too much about the wild things north of Highway 8. He does know about being spoiled. And I know about a pretty special family who takes the time to make some great memories for my "baby." Thanks, everyone!