I want an aviator helmet like this, but so far haven't found one locally. I haven't searched real hard yet. One of these days I'll check with the Harley store in the Dells, and maybe Delaney's Surplus.
http://www.wolftrax.com/products/sf/

Looks like a great weekend to be outside! About perfect temps and no rain (which we need desperately). We're going to watch the fireworks tonight. I don't know about tomorrow, but too nice of a forecast to plan nothing. Maybe I'll take my bike to Elroy, or maybe I'll take the ATV to Millston.

I heard a good one this morning. Some adults think that fox squirrels are the result of a red squirrel biting the nuts off of male gray squirrels and then mating with the female gray squirrels! Ha ha ha ha! How could anybody even believe such a thing? Gas prices only go up on holidays due to refinery maintenance.

Fox Squirrel

Cocaine-addled driver destroys entire cornfield on run from police

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/......in_article_id=464320&in_page_id=1770

A driver who was high on cocaine destroyed an entire cornfield in an attempt to escape from the police.

Four police cars were destroyed before the 35-year-old crashed into a ditch and was arrested, near the village of Dussen in the south of the Netherlands.

What cocaine does to a cornfield

Oh my God! Hot coffee from McDonald's anyone?

Woman Suing Over Starburst Candy Injury
Plaintiff Says Candy Caused Teeth To Stick Together
http://www.channel3000.com/foodnews/13585652/detail.html

I finished wiring my winch and it's mounted. I think it'll work pretty good. Since I never get stuck, I'll find out as soon as JR gets stuck and I have to pull him out! Hee hee.

I used the old mounting plate from the Sportsman and left the side plates on it. The side plates gave me a place to mount the solenoid and the control switch socket. Also, I'm thinking that they might add a little protection for the winch components.

I bought another ball mount for the receiver hitch and drilled an extra hole in it. I then drilled two new holes in the old mounting plate and bolted it to the ball mount. Now I can remove the winch from the machine and hang it up in the garage when I know it won't be needed. And since I mounted the solenoid, switch socket, and most of the wiring on the winch plate, all that's left on the ATV when I remove the winch is the cables leading to the battery and the plug in the back.


I got the battery cable connectors at the local Bumper to Bumper auto parts store (STS-308 for 6 gauge wire). They were pretty easy to install. The terminals are crimped on, but can be soldered for the best connection.


I really didn't have a solid way that I was happy with to mount the switch socket. I could have drilled the plate for it, but it would have stuck out one way or the other and I was afraid of it getting damaged. Using a wire tie should be ok and if something hits it, it might absorb the shock or come loose instead of getting destroyed. Someday I could add a small plate to the mount just for it, if I feel it's necessary. The gob of wires in the background can be shortened if they seem like they are going to get caught on brush. On my test run through the woods, it didn't seem like any brush could touch the wires. I suspect I will mostly have the winch on the ATV when trail riding and not in the woods anyway.


Mounted and ready to go:

This morning the tiny calf is dead. 3 months old. It lived a lot longer than I thought it would. The poor little thing never really had a good chance of making it anyway. The ones that are born normal size often have a hard time of it. It's very sad.

The rain missed us again. Looks like another drought Summer. The forecast through next Tuesday doesn't show any chance of rain, unless something changes.

Today I will finish the last details of my winch project, in between watering the garden. I am hearing rumors that some Polaris dealers are now getting the back-ordered parts for the Hawkeye recall. I imagine one of these days I'll get a call from my dealer. I wish I could put the new parts on myself. I don't like other people working on my stuff.

Thought I might get up to the antique museum today and put in a few hours. Probably not until tomorrow though, by the time I'm done with the other things I want to do.

Whew, it's HOT HOT HOT! I had 95 today. It's still 90 right now at 6:30 pm. Not that it's bad by itself, but the dew point is near 70. That's what makes it the worst. And of course the flies are biting, so the cows are kicking me and one stomped in a hole in the cement barn floor that was filled with piss and shit. Lovely. Talk about covering me with sloppy shit bombs! The same thing happened this morning too.

I went to town today and got the last pieces I needed for my ATV winch project. I'm almost done with it, except for hooking a couple more wires up. The mount is complete and the parts are attached to it. It mounts in my receiver hitch on the back, so I could reuse my old Warn 2500. When I've got the last wires hooked up, I'll take a couple pictures.

A horror movie come to life

Three Fircrest families receive death threats via cell phone. Even when the phones are off. Even when they get new phones.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/91460.html

Everything in my garden is growing good - except the cucumbers. I always end up with too many every year and they go to waste. After awhile I can't even give them away anymore because everybody else ends up with too many also. This year I thought I would plant only two plants and that would be enough, so that's what I did. Well, those first two plants came up with their first two leaves and something promptly cut the stems off. Then the next two, and the next two, and the next two.........five times I replanted those two cucumber plants! And still something keeps cutting them off.

Whatever it is, cuts them off just above the ground and does not eat them. Lets the leaves lay there and wither up. I was thinking a cutworm of some type, but generally that's below the ground. A rabbit, but never any tracks and it would eat the leaves. A bird of some sort? Once I did see something dart away that looked like a real tiny grasshopper. Maybe that? But why not eat the leaves? And why is nothing else touched, like the corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc?

Then I planted cucumbers all over the garden, in any little empty spot I had and still they were cut off. I finished planting the last off my whole package of seed this weekend, just to get two cucumber plants to grow! I do have one plant that has finally made it to the next set of leaves, so maybe. Either way, it looks like I won't have too many cucumbers this year!

Had a great time with the Castle Rock Family ATV Club on the scavenger hunt yesterday! Theresa put a lot of work into the list. We rode about 50 miles in search of the items. They even got to "blow the horn" in Old Finley.

We only had a couple minor breakdowns that were able to be repaired on the trail. The first one before we were out of the parking lot, when a float stuck on one machine and it flooded over. Then at Josie's a tie rod lost it's nut and fell off another machine.

It was dusty in sand country, as usual, but I hang back pretty far to keep away from the cloud. Doesn't bother me much that way. I also carry a mask with me, but it doesn't help a lot so I don't wear it if I can avoid it. Some looked like they had been riding the potato digger! Been there, done that.

The Hawkeye is about to roll over the 600 mile mark now and no big complaints. Another couple of months and I'll see how it does crashing through the brush with loads of firewood.

Gee, what to do today? Maybe go riding again? :-)

OFAC Newsletter:

SOLAR WIND: A solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field and causing mild geomagnetic storms. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

The flies are really biting the cows lately. I got a tail in each eye tonight. And I'm getting more and more bruises from the kicking. One spot they keep kicking is the same spot that I cracked my wrist on the edge of the door after getting an escaped calf back in the barn. Sure glad I'm retired. Can't blame the cows. They're not kicking me, just the flies, but when I'm milking them I just happen to be in the way.

I was up at the antique museum today putting in some hours with the club. We got a lot accomplished. I think I'll be up there again tomorrow. Looks like the new kitchen will be done in time for the 4th of July event. And the sawmill will be in place and maybe even the shed for it will have begun to be built. A lot going on.

My tiller ran fine yesterday. Well, as fine as it ever runs. I don't know what the hell was wrong with it last time, but it didn't have that problem this time. It's still a big old pile of crap though. I'm going to get another one of those little cultivators like I had. Someday when I happen to be where they sell them and I think of it.

Cooler this morning. About right, I think. And we got a half inch of rain last night. Added to the 3 tenths from the day before, and it all helps. Looks like this year the black raspberries will be big and juicy. Last year it was too dry and they were a flop.

The calf born this morning wasn't very wild, unlike the last one. I've got the wild one tamed now. He's a good boy.

Sure was sticky in the barn this morning. It's not bad once I get the cows all milked and on their way back out. Of course, that's partly because the cows throw off a lot of heat, and partly because all the work is done by that time!

Wow! I'm watching the Daily Buzz on CW and they have Gene Simmons from Kiss on there. He was just saying that for 28 years he has owned the copyright on the money bag symbol - the picture of a bag with the $ sign on it! Weird. Never even knew something like that was copyrighted.

SUNSET PLANETS: When the sun sets tonight, go outside and look west. Saturn, Venus and the slender crescent Moon are arranged in a beautiful diagonal line. Scan the trio with a backyard telescope to see mountains and craters, breathtaking rings, and a curiously cloudy crescent. [sky map]

I started out today with my ATV in the back of my truck. I drove around and visited with old friends most of the day (JR and Russell) and never did actually go ATVing. Visiting and laughing about old times is fun too.

Plenty warm again today. Maybe I should let the wood stove go out now? I'm joking about the wood stove still going, but if you think about it, only 10 more weeks or so before it's going again. Unless we have a cool spell before, then it will be sooner.

JR has his own blog set up now! You can find it on his home page via the link above, or in the sidebar to the left.

CRFAC Reminder:

Just a reminder to everyone....

Our next meeting is Saturday, June 23 at 10 am at the Vet's Hall in Necedah.

Following the meeting we'll have ham and rolls and chips before setting out on our very first scavanger hunt. Anyone is welcom to bring a salad or desert too. Friends of members are welcome to participate too!

The ride will take you on a nice trip through Necedah, Finnley and Cutler returning to the Hall where we'll be drawing for prizes around 4. You can go with a group or alone if you want to keep your answers secret. We'll provide the clues and a map. Hope to see you all there.

Our next big event is our Club Picnic. July 14 at Ralph Hamm's property along the beautiful Wisconsin River. Everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass for this event and your own beverages. The club will supply the meat and buns. Bring your ATVs for the day or your tents and campers to stay over night. Our event committee will need some help on this one so please email if you are interested or available to help. More info and directions will be forwarded soon.

Current membership is up to 40. Thanks to all who renewed and welcome to our new members. We will be collecting dues at the meeting Saturday too.

Ride Safe this Summer

Theresa Palms

Secretary

Starting to get a little warm in the barn now. It's not bad, until it doesn't cool down at night. Then it's just hot hot hot. The cows shed a bit when it's so warm. I had a cow hair in my mouth tonight, so I pulled it out. I think I had a little manure on my fingers. I'd have been better off leaving the hair in there! Ha ha!

The calf born last night is really wild! It's afraid of everything and really makes a lot of noise. When I let the cows in the barn this morning, it was even afraid of them! A calf that's afraid of cows? Ha ha!

On my bike ride last night, a tiny fawn jumped out of the ditch and stood not more than 20 feet in front of me. By the time I got the camera out, it had disappeared in the brush again.

Looks like everybody here will be either working or at the water park on Father's Day. Since I'll be alone, maybe I'll go somewhere. I thought about going to the bike trail, since I rode ATV last Sunday, but it sounds like it might be kind of hot and sticky weather. Which really doesn't bother me while riding bike, but I've been plagued with headaches again this week, so might not want to overdo it. Seeing as Jackson is open again as of today, maybe I'll go there. I had intended to go there last Sunday anyway. Or, maybe I'll do nothing.

Jackson County Trails:

ALL TRAILS WILL RE-OPEN ON JUNE 14TH.

http://www.co.jackson.wi.us/html/forestry/atv.htm

A true story:

Once upon a time there was a person that inherited a dairy farm (I'll refer to this person as "T"). Among T's many mental curiosities was the fact that he enjoyed crapping in the gutter with the cows. At the time this story took place, T had two people doing his work for him (I'll refer to them as Rev. Q and Travis).

One day Rev. Q found a dead chicken in the hen house. He disposed of the deceased chicken by placing it in the gutter. That very spot in the gutter also happened to be T's favorite crapping place. Travis then came along and discovered the dead chicken in T's favorite gutter crapping spot.

Travis to Rev. Q; "I think T is quite sick."
Rev. Q; "What gives you that idea?"
Travis; "Because T ate a chicken and it went right through him."

:)

I bought the neatest funnel at Wal-mart the other day. I got sick of always spilling gas when filling my ATV etc. and this funnel has maybe solved that problem. It works very well. It has a little float that sticks out the bottom of it, into the filler neck of the gas tank that you are filling:




When the tank is full, the float raises an indicator up in the middle of the funnel:




It didn't fit tight in the filler neck of my ATV, so I trimmed a few of the flutes off the side of the funnel until it fit well:

Had a fun ride on the routes today. Rode up to Bear Bluff and back to Necedah. 80 miles and about 2 gallons of gas (my old beat up truck gets about the same mileage). Saw a couple fawns this time and the wildflowers are really blooming. The routes were dusty, but it didn't matter because it was all behind me.

The other day I switched the front and back tires on my truck to see if it would take care of a shimmy in the front end. Well, it seems to have cured it. I couldn't get it to shimmy all day, and the front end felt rock solid. A couple things could explain it. First, it could be a bad belt in one tire, but I doubt it. I've had many different tires on it over the years and I can't imagine if I did have more than one with a bad belt, that they would all end up on the front. Second, and most likely in my opinion, is one of the rims is bent a little. And that makes the front end shimmy under the right conditions. If so, that rim is now on the back and not causing any trouble.

And when I got home, I went on my bike ride!

Looks like a great weekend to get outside and do something! I'm going to try to get most of my usual Sunday to-do stuff done today, and then I can go somewhere tomorrow if I want. I thought about going to Jackson to do some riding, but since the storm closed the trails there, maybe I'll head over to Necedah or go to the bike trail.

Actually, flooding and trees across the trail don't scare me. That's what makes it fun! All across the state they are making the trails harder and harder to tell the difference between them and a road surface. Most places they've removed all the big hills or routed around them, filled in all the mud holes, and generally taken away the "off-road" experience from off-road riding. Sissies. Guess they have to do something with all that money they got after they more than doubled the registration fees and never procured any new trails.

The latest OFAC newsletter:

The latest CRFAC newsletter:

Castle Rock Family ATV Club Newsletter

May 2007

Refuge Clean-Up

Special thanks to all who turned out for the Refuge Clean-up April 21. We had over 20 members, a BEAUTIFUL day to ride and an awesome lunch afterward.

Safety Class

The safety team completed another successful safety training class April 20 and 21. Thanks to everyone who helped the team.

Germantown Routes

A committee has formed and is close to presenting a route system to the Germantown Board at a meeting soon! Stay tuned for updates.

Website

The board has chosen a new web host and he is currently working on converting our present site to the new address: www.crfatvc.com . The Website Team will work with him to develop the new look and options for the site. You can access the site through the complete address at this time and crfatvc should be tied to search engines soon.

Membership Renewal

May is membership renewal month. An application can be obtained from the website. Please note the change of address if you are mailing your renewal:

Castle Rock Family ATV Club

P.O. Box 185

Necedah, WI 54646

A big welcome to our new members:

Kyle Schroeder, Hanover; Kim & Jackie Krupp, Fond du Lac; Tom & Nancy Hackett, New Lisbon & Michael & Amanda Tiffany, New Lisbon

and welcome back to recent renewals:

Rich and Gayle Frisco, New Lisbon & Don & Deb Fandry, New Lisbon

This places current membership at 15.

(Remember we’re just starting over this month so send those renewals in!)

Committees

Just a reminder...The committees are open to anyone who holds an interest in one of our committees. If you are interested in helping out please contact one of the members listed or Theresa at (608) 565-4050. We are currently looking for suggestions for events to plan for next year.

E-Mail/Internet

If you’d like to get on the club e-mail list please e-mail bearnt@tds.net. Newsletters are e-mailed to those on the list.

If you’d like to stay up to date with Wisconsin ATV events and issues don’t forget to visit the Wisconsin ATV Association site at www.watva.org.

Castle Rock Family ATV Club

Calendar of Events

Just a reminder of some upcoming Club events...

(note: dates are subject to change)

May 24: Board of Directors Meeting

Veterans Hall, Necedah 6:30 pm

May 26,27 and 28: Memorial Weekend Route Patrol.

Trail Ambassadors and Club Members are encouraged to ride our routes this weekend to encourage safe riding among all ATVers.

June 23: General Meeting and Scavanger Hunt

A General Meeting will be held at the Veteran’s Hall in Necedah at 10 am with a scavenger hunt to follow. Lunch with ham and rolls will be offered. The scavenger hunt will take place on our routes so bring along your ATV’s for an afternoon of fun.

July 14: Club Picnic, Ralph Hamm’s

Bring your ATVs to ride some beautiful trails on Ralph’s land along the Wiscinsin river. The club will provide meat for the cook-out and everyone is asked to bring a dish to pass. More details next month.

July 28: Club Meeting

The club meeting will be held at noon with a ride to follow.

August 11: Necedah Streetfest

Members are invited to ride in the parade to help show our community support.

August 19: Mauston Parade (tentative date)

Members are invited to ride in the parade to help show our community support.

August 24, 25 & 26: Club Camp-Out/Ride Clark County

Members are invited to camp and ride at the Palms cabin in Clark county.

Theresa Palms

CRFAC Secretary

(608) 572-0327 or bearnt@tds.net

Jackson County ATV trails closed:

ALL TRAILS ARE CLOSED EFFECTIVE FRIDAY JUNE 8TH AT 6:00AM. CREWS HAVE BEEN OUT THIS MORNING AND MANY SECTIONS OF THE TRAIL ARE IMPASSABLE DUE TO FLOODING AND DOWNED TREES.

http://www.co.jackson.wi.us/html/forestry/atv.htm

Not to beat a dead horse, but Paris Hilton? Aw, c'mon! The whole deal reminds me of the gas prices going up right before Memorial Day only because of refinery maintenance. Ya, right. What the hell is wrong with people? Are they really that stupid? And do they really think everybody else is too? Maybe they're right.

My Polaris dealer just called me concerning the recall on my Hawkeye. He said they still don't have the parts from Polaris and he wanted to keep me updated. Actually, I was supposed to call him this week or last, so it was a nice surprise that he called me instead. I appreciate the extra service. I told him that I am in no hurry and my machine has not had any problems, give me a call whenever the parts are in and we'll set something up.

Out of almost 10,000 Hawkeyes affected, they only had 32 failures, three of which caused accidents and no injuries. So, with those odds, I will probably never have to worry about it anyway. Right? Ha ha! With my luck I'm surprised it hasn't crashed and burned already!

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
  TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 358
  NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
  1135 AM CDT THU JUN 7 2007
 
  THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
  TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
 
         MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA
         SMALL PART OF NORTHWEST ILLINOIS
         PART OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN
         PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA
         MUCH OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN
         LAKE SUPERIOR
 
  EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1135 AM UNTIL
  1000 PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

 DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
  THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
  POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
 
  THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85 STATUTE
  MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF
  KENNEDY WISCONSIN TO 45 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF OTTUMWA IOWA.
  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
  OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).
 
  REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
  TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
  AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
  THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
  AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
 
  OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 357...
 
  DISCUSSION...VERY STRONG SHEAR PROFILES IN PLACE ACROSS WATCH WITH
  APPROACH OF VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH AND DEEP SURFACE LOW.  AIR MASS
  HAS BECOME STRONGLY UNSTABLE AND WEAKLY CAPPED.  SUPERCELL
  THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP RAPIDLY ALONG W EDGE OF WATCH WHERE
  MOISTURE/INSTABILITY GRADIENT LOCATED.  POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR
  STRONG/LONG LIVED TORNADOES TO DEVELOP BY MID AFTERNOON ALONG WITH
  VERY DAMAGING WINDS.
 
  AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
  SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
  WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
  550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24050.
 
 
  ...HALES

CLOSE ENCOUNTER: Today, June 7th, the planet Jupiter is at its closest to Earth for all of 2007. This makes it remarkably big (46") and bright (mag. -2.5). A backyard telescope should easily reveal Jupiter's cloud belts, its four largest moons, and an unmistakable bulge around Jupiter's middle caused by the planet's rapid 10-hr spin. Look due south at midnight: sky map.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
440 AM CDT THU JUN 7 2007

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034-
041>044-053>055-061-081100-
ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE-
FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-
MITCHELL-MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON-
WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA-
440 AM CDT THU JUN 7 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE CENTER OF A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS NORTHERN
MINNESOTA THIS MORNING...AND INTO SOUTHWEST ONTARIO THIS AFTERNOON.
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TRAILING THE LOW ACROSS MINNESOTA AND WESTERN
IOWA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE EAST INTO THE OUTLOOK AREA BY AFTERNOON.
SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WILL BE STRONG AND GUSTY...WITH
SPEEDS REACHING 40 TO 45 MPH. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE
ENTIRE AREA.

THE AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL ALSO BE WARM AND MOIST...AND WITH
SOME SUNSHINE...THE ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BECOME RATHER UNSTABLE. STRONG
TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEAR AND AHEAD OF THE
FRONT BY EARLY AFTERNOON. INITIALLY...WIND PROFILES IN THE LOWER
ATMOSPHERE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES AS
THE MAIN THREATS. BUT AS THE STORMS MATURE AND EVOLVE INTO A LINE...
DAMAGING WINDS WILL BECOME THE PRIMARY THREAT.

THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 PM ALONG AND EAST
OF A LINE FROM NEAR MENOMINEE WISCONSIN...TO ROCHESTER MINNESOTA...TO
CHARLES CITY IOWA. BY AROUND 6 PM...THE STORMS SHOULD BE EVOLVING
INTO THE LINE...WITH THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN ALONG AND EAST OF LINE
FROM MEDFORD AND NEILLSVILLE WISCONSIN...TO SPARTA AND VIROQUA...TO
GUTTENBERG AND ELKADER IOWA. BY 9 OR 10 PM...THE ACTIVITY SHOULD ALL
SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT
WEEK...BUT IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DISCERN IF ANY OF THESE WILL
BECOME SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SPOTTER
GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR DEPLOYMENT.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

NO CALL IS SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE MONITOR LATER OUTLOOKS FOR
ANY UPDATES TO EXPECTED CONDITIONS.

$$

MW

Monroe Prairie Trail Legends 2000-2002:

I got all my weeding, hoeing, and tilling done in my garden yesterday. Normally it isn't too bad. Only takes me an hour or so. I discovered a long time ago, before I retired, that the best way to handle things like that is to only make them as big as you have time to take care of. For instance, if you don't have time or energy to take care of a big garden, then make it smaller. That way you never have to complain about something that's supposed to be fun to begin with, and you don't have to wonder who to get to help you with your "hobby". I enjoy gardening because I don't try to take on more than I can handle (except lately I've been arguing with some mysterious critter that keeps cutting my cucumber plants off).

My tiller, on the other hand, was giving me some grief yesterday. I only bought it last year, so it's not junk and worn out yet like most of my stuff. It seemed to be leaning out and then it would die. I'd pump the hell out of the stupid primer bulb and then it would go good for a row or two before starving and quitting again. It's either something in the gas (water or crud), or something in the carb (water or crud), or the float is sticking. I won't need to use it again for awhile, and if it does it again then, I'll tear into it and see what I can find.

I did a little tinkering on my truck this morning (unlike my tiller, it is old and worn out). For about ten years now, it will sometimes get a shimmy in the front end. It seems to be dependent on the road surface, the speed at which I'm going, and even the direction of the wind. I can't find anything loose in the steering or suspension. Maybe just the tiniest bit of play in the steering box, but so little (if any) as to be hard to tell for sure. I doubt very much if that is the cause. The shocks and the steering stabilizer are new. This morning I decided to switch the tires front to back and see if that makes any difference. I seriously doubt it, because I've had many different tires on it in the last ten years, but we'll see. I didn't take it for a test drive yet.

Finally the rain comes! We got just shy of an inch and a half in the last few days. Now if we could keep it coming once or twice a week all Summer long we'd have it made.

The trails up at Black River should be nice now. Maybe I'll go this Sunday, if nothing else comes up. I'll have to remember to take my come-along/hand winch with me. I haven't done anything with my old winch yet, as far as mounting it on the new ATV. At least with the come-along I should be able to rescue myself if I sink in the mud.

HORN: Britain's most sensational UFO case occurred in December 1980 in Rendlesham Forest , between RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge. Tell us about that.

POPE: This is the UK's most famous UFO incident and it's sometimes referred to as "Britain's Roswell". Over a series of nights in December 1980 UFOs were seen by dozens of United States Air Force personnel at Bentwaters and Woodbridge, two RAF bases operated by the Americans. On the first night the UFO landed in Rendlesham Forest (which lies between the two bases) and one of the witnesses got close enough to touch it. Sketches from the USAF witness statements clearly show a craft with strange markings on its hull, which have been likened to Egyptian hieroglyphs. The UFO returned on another night and was seen by more witnesses, including the Deputy Base Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt. At one point the UFO illuminated the spot where Halt and his team were standing and at another time the UFO was directly over Woodbridge, firing beams of light down at the base. Subsequently, radiation readings were taken at the location where the UFO had been seen on the first night. They peaked in three indentations found where the craft had apparently landed. The MoD's Defence Intelligence Staff assessed that the radiation levels were significantly higher than background levels. Subsequently it emerged that a radar operator at RAF Watton had tracked an object briefly, over the base. I re-opened the investigation into this case but was unable to determine what happened. It remains unexplained. Full Story