Whew! This old oak is making me work up a little sweat.

Another great day out here in the woods! A little woodpecker is happily tapping a carol. Merry christmas!

So quiet and calm out here in the woods today.

I did nothing wrong....

You can be mad at me all you want, that's your privilege, but just remember this; you made it everyone's business by posting the negative comments all over the place, over and over again. How did you think I was going to eventually react to it? To coin one of your own phrases; "this is me... this is who I ...am.... it's part of me....."

And the fact my very own sister, who claims to be so strong and tough, was whining and carrying-on like that....was just embarrassing! I expect that kind of behavior from the lesser people, but not from my closest family and friends!

By the way, I never deleted anything, quite the opposite, I SAVED everything. You did.

The old sled gets a new look!

This morning I took the tub off the old sled frame and built a platform and side stakes on it. I wanted to build it a little beefier, but I ran out of recycled lumber!


Still quite a bit of snow and now they just issued another winter storm warning for tomorrow. I think the snow is going to stick around for awhile.


It was an absolutely gorgeous day!


A nice little pile of dead white oak, the bark already falling off as I split.


And here is my improved(?) winter wood hauler, all loaded up. Hauls about twice as much as the old tub. It will be interesting to see if it lasts until Spring!


A few little snow-covered white pines and a white oak in the background with it's leaves on it yet.


A red pine plantation.


The sun setting over a stand of jackpine/white pine mixed.

Thanking God

As I had prayed for, the firewood has been selling very well. This weather is sure good for business. It is so nice to have a little extra income help ease the struggle to survive. I LOVE WINTER! Thank you, God, for giving us this weather in our time of need so that I might learn to work harder and more efficiently, and benefit from that labor!

An afternoon in the woods.

The road to work.


Yup, splittin' in that stuff.


The winter woods.


My workstation.


Loaded and ready to roll.


A bigger load than I normally like to haul in the old sled.


And....tonight's sunset.

Working in the woods in winter....

It was a great day to be outside in the woods! Getting ready to cut a tree:


The tree down and all cut up.


Vrooooom! Vrooooom!


Gotta eat food with a lot of animal blood in it to split with that baby in the winter!


That one little tree wouldn't have even filled my trailer, but it was two loads in the old sled.


Hauling the second load up.


This scene did a lot to raise my recently disappointed mood. There isn't much that makes me feel better than the sight of a nice row of firewood, covered in snow, surrounded by trees, with a beautiful blue sky in the background.


Even the sight of this snow-covered brush made me smile contentedly. Never mind that just a little while before some similar Hazel brush smacked me so hard in the face that it made my lip bleed. Not a big deal for me. When you cut wood in the raspberries and brush, something always ends up bleeding almost daily. I actually look fondly at all my scars, like they were battle wounds!


Mmmmmmmm.


Another self-portrait!

Hey! Here i am out in the woods, enjoying the day, cutting a little wood, and posting on daenabook! With my $8 phone.

Another gorgeous day!

As soon as I'm done with the laundry, I'm heading out into the woods! No calls for firewood so far, so I'm going to go run the saw a little bit. Maybe that will lift my spirits some. I doubt very much I will ever get back into the Christmas spirit within the next week, but I am going to continue doing the things I enjoy, even if lately every time I see the snow and feel the cold that I used to love, brings back memories of the barrage of b.s. and my failed crusade against the Total Downer Club over the last couple of months....

Solstice Lunar Eclipse - NASA Science

Solstice Lunar Eclipse - NASA Science

The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth's shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes.

If you're planning to dash out for only one quick look -­ it is December, after all -­ choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). That's when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.

Saturnalia

Today is the beginning of Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival. The early Christian church may have adopted December 25 as the date for Christmas in part to counteract the effects of Saturnalia and other festivals.

Do not use religion as a crutch!

Maybe a little less reliance on Christ for everything, and a little more 'do it yourself', would strengthen some people's willpower and their ability to cope with uncomfortable and labor intensive circumstances?

I really don't like to take checks as payment around here.

The $25 check I got on Tuesday is still no good today.....

Old Goldie Walking

My poor old Goldie loves her walks so much, it just breaks my heart to see her like this...

Black River State Forest ATV Trail Conditions - WDNR

Black River State Forest Conditions - WDNR

Snowmobile and All-terrain Vehicle (ATV) Trails

We finished grooming the trail Wednesday evening. They need a day to set up and will open at noon on Friday, December 17. The conditions are very good. We may get some additional snow on Thursday. We recommend that ATVs do not use the trail system for the time being. There are areas of the trail with drifts more than 4 feet deep. If an ATV breaks through this, retrieving the machine may be extremely difficult. Once the trail base has hardened up, then ATVs should be fine.

Once trails are open, if temperatures get above freezing we ask ATVs to stay off the trails to protect the base.

Well ladies (and you fellas that are similar to ladies) check this out...

...I pushed my snow-blower over a mile through the woods to get to these wood stacks.

1/4 mile.


1/2 mile.


3/4 mile, almost there.


End of the trail...for now! I was testing it out with my ATV and I think I might be able to pull the trailer as needed, since the trail is wide enough. Although, if I can't get enough traction, I will make do with the sled, which only hauls 1/3 of a load.


There are some dead trees along my cleared path, so I can cut, even if they aren't the trees that I wanted to cut now.

INDIAN WINTER

It’s late Fall, and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea.

He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, ‘Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,’ the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. ‘Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?’

‘Yes,’ the man at National Weather Service again replied, ‘it’s going to be a very cold winter.’

The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again.

‘Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?’

‘Absolutely,’ the man replied. ‘It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we’ve ever seen.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, ‘The Indians are collecting a shitload of firewood.’

Two star clusters stand side by side, high overhead this evening. The clusters are at the northwestern corner of Perseus, the hero. Together, they are known as the double cluster. Binoculars or a telescope reveal dozens of individual stars.

80,000 competed in Wisconsin fishing tournaments

http://www.dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_article_Lookup.asp?id=1622

Eighty-thousand anglers competed in 595 fishing tournaments in Wisconsin in 2010 and reeled in $3.9 million in prize money, according to statistics from the state's fishing tournament permit system.

Larger fishing tournaments have had to get permits since the mid-1990s, but a 2004 law directed the Department of Natural Resources to update rules as tournaments increased. DNR worked with an advisory group to revise the rules to establish limits on the size and number of tournaments on some lakes and rivers to minimize concerns such as crowding, the spread of invasive species, and indirect fish mortality.

In 2010, there were 637 applications for tournaments; all but one were approved, although some applications were withdrawn or the forms incomplete, and some events were cancelled. "Based on what we've seen so far, there doesn't seem to be any major issues with the capacity limits -- tournament organizers are getting the lakes and dates they wanted," says Jonathan Hansen, one of the fisheries biologists who works on tournament permitting issues.

Joanna Griffin, tournament coordinator for the DNR, said the permit system and database have helped reveal just how popular tournament fishing is. "What's interesting is where all the tournaments occur and how much money, time, and effort is devoted to them."
2010 Fishing Tournament Fast Facts

Of the 595 approved tournaments, 61 percent were so-called traditional tournaments. A traditional fishing tournament is one that was issued permits 4 out of 5 years between 2004 and 2008 for the same water or waters and time period.

* 61 percent of the tournaments were catch, hold and release.
* Fully one-quarter of the tournaments were ice fishing tournaments.
* Tournaments took place in 64 counties; Winnebago County was tops with 37, followed by Oneida County with 32 and Waukesha County with 30.
* Anglers spent 1.4 million hours fishing in tournaments, down from 1.67 million in 2009.
* The number of fish registered in bass and walleye tournaments decreased with the decrease in tournaments from last year, however registered catch of Great Lakes salmon and trout, panfish, and musky all increased.
* Bass were the target of 421 of the tournaments in 2010, followed by panfish at 324 tournaments and walleye at 204.
* 99 percent of the musky caught in tournaments were released and 98 percent of the bass were released.

Tournament permits are required when any of the following apply: the tournament involves 20 or more boats, or 100 or more participants; targets any trout species on waters classified as trout streams; has a catch-hold-release format with an off-site weigh-in; or the total prize value is $10,000 or greater.

A full copy of the 2010 report is available on the fishing tournaments page of DNR website.

Ice fishing tournament organizers reminded to apply for a permit

Organizers of ice fishing tournaments will want to apply for a permit for their 2011 event as soon as possible -- applications must be submitted at least 30 days before their event.

And organizers of all tournaments -- open water and hard water -- can apply for permits for 2012 events as soon as April 1, 2011.

That's when the open period for applying for 2012 events starts, and it runs through June 30, 2011. Organizers applying during that the open period have the best chance of getting their desired dates and waters for 2012 events, says Hansen.

After April 1, permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis so there is the potential of not getting the day and water desired, although that hasn't been a problem in the first two years of the permit system, Hansen says.

All applications received during the open period will be reviewed by Aug. 1, 2011, and in the unlikely event that another tournament conflicts with an organizer’s choice of dates or waters, DNR fisheries biologists will discuss options with the tournament organizers, Griffin says.

Juneau County state and county funded snowmobile trails

http://www.wrjc.com/local-news/juneau-county-state-and-county-funded-snowmobile-trails/

Juneau County Forestry and Parks Department Administrator Brian Loyd says, “all state and county funded snowmobile trails are still officially closed due to drifting snow and ongoing trail preparation. Call the trail hotline or Forestry and Parks Office at 847-9389 for updates on trail status. Friday, December 17th, is the anticipated date for trails to open.”

The beginning of another day!

5:00 this morning, feet up by the fire, oh, it felt so good. I could have slept that way for hours. But, the cows were calling! And they don't have much choice.

Today. Hmm. Not sure. Now that I can get to most of my firewood supply that is stacked out in the woods, I'm set to cover sales again, at least for awhile. I might be able to get to a few dead trees next to the trail. Maybe I'll do some cutting, even if not exactly the ones I wanted to cut next. Those will have to wait until the snow settles some.

Goldie is still hanging in there. Her condition remains the same.

A long way to go!

Well, I started the snow-blower and walked behind it over a mile through the woods to get to my firewood piles stored out there.....and I did it! I was afraid that I might ruin it with a stump or a large limb under the snow, but I didn't. I did have one small limb wedge itself just right in the blower, squeal the belt for a second, then kill the engine. Took it out and don't see any damage done, then continued on. Not only can I get to the woodpiles now, but barring anymore large snowstorms, it might even be wide enough to pull the trailer. Which is great because my little sled only holds 1/3rd of a load. I still can't get anywhere else out in the woods to do a lot of cutting, but might be able to get to some dead trees right along the snow-blower path. And now I will be ok for selling wood again for a little while. Still not a lot, I will run out soon at this rate, but at least I can sell more than the couple loads I have left here in the yard.

Goldie is still about the same. She does drink, but doesn't really eat much. If she doesn't improve soon, I'm afraid she isn't going to make it this time.

A few pics from this morning.

Another day closer to Christmas.

Mrs. Quads took the Chevy to work this morning. -21°F below zero and that old Chevy started right up!

With my old dog Goldie being so dizzy from vertigo, she has a hard time walking. And on the linoleum floor it's almost impossible for her. Her toenails were a little long, so last night I thought if I trimmed them she might have an easier time walking on the slippery floor. Well, she hates to have her toenails clipped, and with her being sick I was trying to be so careful, but just as I was clipping she kicked with her foot and I trimmed one of them really short. It bled quite a bit. Was still bleeding off and on a little this morning. One more thing to feel bad about......

One firewood delivery I did yesterday, the people gave me a $25 check. The bank tells me that they don't even have $25 in their account.....

Maybe I will return to Facebook in the Spring. I was even kind of getting the Christmas spirit this year, not that we have any money for it, but I have been working my ass off outside to sell firewood in addition to miking the cows so that... we at least have enough to keep up with the bills and possibly save enough to pay our property taxes which should be arriving any day. But I'm not in the Christmas spirit anymore. I just get too much shit and whining about it from my girls, then I get on Facebook to see what all my friends and family are up to and lately it just depresses me so much. It's hard to read anything without seeing it. And that's fine, it's Freedom of Speech, and anybody can bitch about anything they want and if I can't handle it, then I can go away. And that's exactly what I am doing. I can be depressed all by myself without Facebook's help. And now with our old dog Goldie dying, and since I have to try to chip a hole through the frost and frozen ground, maybe I will just make it big enough so I can crawl in it with her. After all, I heard winter is the season for dying. Read it right there on Facebook even, while I was trying to convince people that it wasn't as bad as it seems. And when I say that, I speak from experience. Up until only two years ago, I not only always plowed my own driveway every time it snowed, and my Mom's driveway every time it snowed, but I always did Meri and Stephen's driveway too, for decades! And maybe I wasn't always happy about it when it snowed every other day, and I had three or more driveways to do, but I still did them. And now that they have their own snowblower.....Jesus Christ! It's like the end of the friggin world.

Anyway, here is just a snippet from what popped up on my news feed the other day. See you all in the Spring, maybe, but you might have to dig me up from next to my old dog to find me:

"You can call me insane if you want. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So is there anything that you really really dislike, and you know it's coming and just thinking of it makes you tense up, but you know you will have to deal with it anyway?

Daena Morgan That's one nice thing about snow....the potholes in Meri's driveway get filled! Even if only until Spring. :-) Meri Morgan I miss the potholes!

I have to go out and finish up everything now that Stephen is going to work. Why am I not allowed to hate this crap again?

Thanks, Kelli, I tell ya' this am I would've packed up all my animals and just kept driving until I didn't see any more snow if I could've!!!

It is the anticipation of the impending doom and knowing how bad it will make me feel......

We've done the driveway I think 4 times now because we have the drifting to deal with. I think I'm putting up a snow fence next year!

Yes, couldn't get out of the driveway because of the drifts and lack of tread on the tires. Tried to turn around the Honda, no go. Then took me about 20 minutes of trying to turn the truck around, needs new tires and some weight in the back. By then I gave up Seth and I stayed home. I'm done. Something's gotta give. Either (and/or) I get an SUV/we move south. I can't take it anymore.

I know, I would love to move, but I would have to take my favorite people with me and you all wouldn't come, so I must suffer for you all... :) I would love to live in Arkansas in the Ozarks, Hot Springs, around there, or in SouthWest Missouri. It's very beautiful there. Georgia would be good too, but maybe a little too south....

I think you worry more about this than I do, it's something I do. I get cranked up, swear, break something, maybe cry, *******but then I am over it and move on to the next day.******** I am not ready for a psychotic breakdown, this is me... this is who I ...am.... it's part of me.....Don't worry yourself so much about me, I will survive, my psyche isn't as fragile as you would have us all believe. I think I am just taking it a little too personally because of Hannah and the way things have turned out with that. I have no control over either, but the winter is here in my face and it can't fight back (so to speak) so therefore I choose to take my frustrations out on the thing that I can and doesn't hurt anyone. I think you are more upset about this than I am. I need some way to vent my frustration/anger/disappointment/whatever so I choose to do it to the winter, I can't hurt it, I can't say the wrong things to it and it will never speak to me again. It doesn't care one way or another what I say or do to it. In fact, it almost makes it harder for me having everyone think that I am losing it. I am in no danger of losing it. I have always had this personality, when I get upset about something I have no control over, I try to take it out on things that don't matter, the weather, inanimate objects. It helps me get out my anger and then I take a nap and I feel better. It's just the way I am. Love it or leave it, but you can't change it.......

Maybe when I go to sleep, I will sleep like Rip Van Winkle and wake up in the spring! Wish me luck, everyone! Good Night!

Yeah, well, I woke up and everything seemed to be going okay until I tried to turn the car around, no go. Then tried to turn the truck around, no go. They all need new tires.......so Seth and I are staying home until further notice (spring). I'm done trying....

If only there were room on my CC..... :(

Better bundle up and head out to feed the horses and finish the blowing! Fun!!

I am thoroughly depressed and disgusted so I am making homemade bread and cookies and cleaning the house. Stephen better blow the drive the way I want it so I don't have to go outside and get so mad I want to choke someone!

It's a terrible feeling, I don't like it, but just want to beat the snot out of someone!

I love winter storms soooo much, especially when I have to go out at 10pm to snow blow the driveway again so Stephen can get back home!! I can't wait!

So, looks like I will be watching It's a Wonderful Life, then going out into the blizzard! Hopefully it will put me in the right mood to do it!

Well, the plow went by and it's a big bunch of snow at the end. He has the Honda, but it's really not bad, but needs new tires in the front...

I love that rant! Sounds like one of mine. Like the rant I gave poor Stephen when he asked me to blow the driveway at 10pm!

I wish I had one then maybe I could have some fun...But not in the budget yet...

The impending doom of the storm I guess.

Or more powerful than God! Whatever happens, will happen no matter what as far as the weather goes and we just have to adjust. (But I don't have to like certain parts of it!)

I never left! I was just kidding! I must say how much I HATE this!

It sure seems like it's that much!! Sorry, Daena, but I HATE it!

Kathy Geisler Blaszczak I must add they are also DUMB!! Meri Morgan That's part of their charm and why they like any weather! :)

Yeah right!! I don't have anyone to do it, Stephen won't I will fall for sure, so I don't know.

Went to get Hung Low from across the street. Our driveway will be blown in again before morning. We have such drifting here.

Well, at least someone seems happy about the snow!

[brothers] You kind of get attatched to them even though they can be quite annoying at times.

I can flip off the snow all I want!

I bet a Hummer would get me in and out of the driveway!!

Oh, it makes me feel a little warmer just reading that! 81*!! Thanks!!

Penny Hams Sellhausen is going outside to find Jack Frost and Old Man Winter to kick them in the snowballs, enough with the cold weather already! Meri Morgan I'll help!!

I don't think that you will move either, why don't we just agree to disagree and not talk about winter anymore?"

Injured!

I was trying to get the old dog, Goldie, to come back in the house tonight when I slipped and fell off the back deck. Smashed my fingers, one toe, and tore my leg up. I guess I'll live, but it's no fun at the moment.

This morning I wanted to clear the snow from around where the Chevy truck was parked, but mostly I just wanted to see if it would start in such cold weather. It had been setting outside, covered in snow and ice, for days. There was even thick frost on the inside of the windshield. I had my doubts about the battery, but it cranked over and fired right up! So, since the roads have been a little better today, we took it to Portage tonight. I just wish it had a better heater.....

Hello again old blog!

I can't say that I haven't missed you! Facebook, in some ways, is a gigantic 'Praise the Lord I hate pretty much everything that I can possibly bitch about' bulletin board. [insert appropriate Bible verse here] I was perfectly happy with my Internet life until along came the Winter of Facebook! Holy shit. I have never seen anything turn a group of people into such a bunch of whiny bitches as quickly as the combination of wintertime and Facebook. WOW! All in the name of god. Despicable.

Anyway, this morning it was -22°F below zero. I started off with the firewood delivery calls already at 7:30am. Just yesterday afternoon I delivered 4 loads (three of which my customer hauled himself on his old truck all at one time!). I am almost out of the firewood for sale up here by the house and with the recent snowstorm I can't get to the wood that I have stacked in the woods. I tried to go out there today. I made it about 500 yards while practically carrying my ATV, then had a heart attack, turned around and carried it back, then had a stroke! I guess I won't be getting that firewood out of the woods anytime soon. When I'm out of wood to sell, then I will have to turn the customers away. I feel bad about it, but I guess I can't do the impossible.

I'm sure worried about our old dog Goldie. She has been having a dizzy spell since yesterday. She had one before, but this one has lasted longer. The poor thing, even when she is sleeping I can see her eyes darting back and forth. I'm just afraid she might not be able to pull out of this one. She is over 14 years old now. And just before Christmas. The girls will be even more distraught than they already are about winter. And what a great time of year to try to dig a hole in the ground. While I'm at it, I will dig it big enough for both of us so I can crawl in it with her. After all, I heard on Facebook that winter is the season to die so might as well make it a double....

Here is a picture I took on the way home this morning from a firewood delivery: