May Apple Blossoms

APPLE TREES ARE IN BLOSSOM ...

TWO WEEKS EARLY!

Peek over the back stone fence ..

see an apple tree out thru the other trees.

AS I HAD TOLD MOM ... "THESE APPLE TREES ARE OLDER THAN WE ARE."

This house in Crystal Falls is part of a row of "COMPANY-HOUSES" FROM THE MINING DAYS ... Look closely ; you will see this house is of the same construction as mine ... made of vertical logs.

Crazy Spring

CRAZY SPRING WE'RE HAVING !







February was the dryest/warmest February in decades .... almost NO SNOW. Then, another day, we awoke to a blustery day with anywhere from an inch to 7 inches. March also set records as to being so warm & lack of snow.






We've had such early spring-like weather that most places are getting sold out of TOMATO seeds. I wasn't able to get the yellow tomato seeds, but, did get some ROMA's & some yellow pear tomatoes. Now, I have planted the seeds in little styrofoam cups.






This is the first winter that, in addition to my little deer herd, I acquired a large flock of wild turkeys. The wildlife group gave me some bags of corn. Crystal Falls has a "new" feed store to make it easier (& cheaper) to get corn. I hope to be tapering off ... I don't put corn out after the new grass is available ... don't want to attract the BEAR!

I did can up nearly 50 pints of MAPLE SYRUP. It wasn't a really ideal season this year because of the weather .... & I only tapped some of the trees .... because I didn't know how my body would take the job. I had just finished six weeks of therapy on my knee .... & my back has been really bad for several months.

These trees are on a steep hillside, with huge piles of ROCKS to climb over.

I pulled some of the taps .... then decided not to pull the rest when the snow/wind came. It did warm up, tho so I could pull all the taps.

    Now, I have all these jugs to rinse, dry, & cap for next year.

     I have been putting that off ... maybe I can wash these outside if I wait for another nice warm day ????

 Mimi is my helper....

Here's a picture of Mimi with my Mom, when we visited her in Texas last summer.

My Mom, back in Texas, gave us a scare. Her doctor sent her to the hospital there to monitor her dosage of meds ... then, would only release her to a nursing home. She's in her 90's. It is hard getting used to not being able to talk on the phone with her. I hate to rack up time on my sister's cell phone .... when she's visiting. For the past 10/15 years I had called her daily... then for many years before that, called her several times a week. I really miss that. I know that she's losing her memory; without the daily calls ... she's going to forget who I am. Her eyes have gone so bad that letters probably won't do any good , either.

VALENTINE

HERE’S A VALENTINE FOR YOU

Have A Nice Day

L o i S

Dawn of a New Year

IT'S REALLY COLD ... BELOW ZERO EVERY NIGHT ...



HAVE YOU MADE YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS YET?

I've really been going thru the corn now that the wild turkeys have invaded! Thank heavens I found out that the local wildlife group provides a feeder & some corn ... WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THEIR FEEDER IS MADE FROM A 55 GALLON DRUM! They are going to bring a feeder to me ... it's supposed to be somewhat deer-proof.

The holidays were a busy time. I really did get all my Christmas cards made & sent out. Christmas Day, I drove to Green Bay for a family get-together.

The plans were to brind Maggie back up here ... then go back down for another family dinner. BUT ... THE ROADS WERE SO ABSOLUTELY NASTY ON THE WAY DOWN THAT IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH FOR ME TO BE PERSUADED TO JUST STAY DOWN THERE FOR THE WHOLE WEEK-END.

The local IGA carries LUTEFISH at Christmas time ... I'll have to dig up my blog entry on LUTEFISH .... It's something that one either Loves or HATES.

 

 

  

L O I S

 

Freezin'

     Ya ... it's really cold up here!

   Thankfully, we didn't get as much snow as predicted, but the temps have been going way down ... way below zero at night.

    So ... wouldn't you know ... my furnace quit!  The first guy that came out couldn't find the problem ... he & another guy came out in the afternoon.  They said it probably needed a part ... that might have to be ordered!

    OH WELL.  I could keep the upstairs liveable ... but didn't know if I could keep the basement water pipes from freezing.  I've developed good cold-weather coping skills ... but this would be a real challenge!

    By some miracle ... they did come back much later with the part!  And, much to the surprise of all ... the furnace did start ... and is still running.