Out Exploring…

…with the boys while Becca, Maddie, and Ellie got Covid vaccinated. Will and Katy got the shot today, too.

And after inspecting this tree, we tore a big, old, rotten stump quite in half. looking for grubs, beetles, and ants.

Lunch on the grounds of Holy Hill after a tour of the basilica. James and Ben whispered softly while inside, but seemed more interested in the green marble pathway around the nave than the barrel-vaulted ceiling immensely high overhead.

After Holy Hill we explored Glacier Hills County Park, nearby, and found many things of interest.

Six Robins…

…in the locust tree. Taking turns dropping down to Vi’s crab apple to pluck a few of the small hard, but apparently very tasty and nourishing, fruit; to then flit back up to a perch high in the locust. The number of apples on Vi’s tree is rapidly diminishing, but still counts to many thousands. All will be gone before the end of this month, since squirrels are helping, too. Then again, I’m thinking that these robins might want to be contemplating all the protein waiting for them a little farther south.
BTW, did you know that the American robins’s scientific name is Turdus migratorius? Maybe that’s because of eating too many crab apples?

Messy farmer

And Down They Come

After a night of hard frost, many trees, though not all, let their leaves drop by means of batch processing.

Letting Loose

For three wild days they clung to twig and branch
As the November gale ripped limbs from trunks
And toppled ancient boles.

Then morning broke, clear, and calm, and cold,
And one by one, then many at a time,
The golden leaves let loose, and rattled to the forest floor.

It might have been the frost that bid them go,
Or, it might have been some rhythm eons old.
—JBN

Boo

Chilly trick or treating, and first frost of the season expected tonight. About 80 tricksters, and most of the candy gone (which is a good thing).

Harvested the last of the tomatoes. Maybe some will ripen; the others might be fried. Hate to waste them.

Also finished the first sanding of the kayak. The boat has now been moved to the basement for epoxy and varnish.

Rainy Afternoon…

…greatly improved by home-grown squash soup with smashburgers, plus a little time spent getting reacquainted with the Aerophone (been a long time since I last practiced, and the fingers forget).

In preparation for a Tamia and Tig presentation Monday at the Senior Center and Tuesday at the Library I’ve been going through some old files. Here’s one I might use as a handout: Refuge and Outlook

Terrifying...

… high speed ride on ATVs (one piloted by Bri, the other by Renee) on a narrow, steep, twisty, puddle-pocked and boulder strewn trail in the Harrison Hills of northern Wisconsin, surrounding the Nies cottage. It was cold, but the kids—even the little ones, and the dog—seemed to love it… and everyone survived. Tel père (et mère) tel fils (et filles).

The Rain Held Off...

…until the fun was done.

To Boulder Junction for lunch, where, alas, we found the recommended place would not be opening until 3. Not to be distracted, we chose the Boulder Beer Bar—and the choice was fortuitous…great Bloody Mary and excellent pulled pork, along with the full “up-north” Wisconsin ambiance.

On the way back, on County M, we diverted to a Northern Highland State Forest campground, and then drove a few miles on a tunnel of trees—along the east side of Trout Lake.