So, This Really Happened Today

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This evening, after it had already gotten dark - and this fact is very important to my defense, I asked Fisherhubby to pull into Walgreens so I could pick up some Dramamine to calm my dizzy head.

When I got into Walgreens I was utterly amazed at the remodeling they'd done in there since my last visit no more than a month ago.

They had rearranged the shelves, there were new colorful identification signs hanging from the ceiling, the Pharmacy had been completely redone,  and even the debit/credit card box at the check out was a shiny new model.

I was utterly amazed.

I hopped back in the truck & said to Fisherhubby:  "you won't BELIEVE how much they've remodeled in there.  It looks like a new place."

"I wouldn't know,"  says he, "I've never been in there."

Well, I let that fly right over my head so intent was I on noticing that they had completely revamped the parking lot too.

"Look!" I squealed,  "Walgreen's has completely rebuilt their parking lot too!!!"

Fisherhubby looked at me like I'd lost my mind and said:

"Keetha!!  This is CVS!!!"

I don't believe there's a Dramamine on the planet strong enough to cure me!!!

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So We Had Us a Day!!

Yesterday was Fisherhubby's birthday.  He has been planning his birthday outing since last July.  Ended up he had to work yesterday so the birthday adventure was today.

This is pretty tame stuff to be called an adventure - but we call it that anyway.

We began with brunch at Perkins here in town.  I'm telling ya, they need to ask me to write their menus.  I took an ordinary egg dish & revamped it right before their eyes.  Made it delish.

After brunch Fisherhubby pointed the nose of his new, to him, truck toward Eau Claire.

Along the way, when our morning coffee necessitated a potty stop, we found this particular brand of bottled water.  It is my very fave and we don't find it just everywhere.

SCORE!!

The drive was quite lovely - even though a bit overcast.  We passed fields ripe unto harvest, leaves trading in their greens for more flamboyant hues, and animals doing what animals do.

In one field nine(ish) Sandhill Cranes were forming a perfect pyramid.  That was all it took to launch Fisherhubby into a detailed description of how they must practice their flying formation on the ground to get it just right before they take to the skies for migration.

I didn't believe him, and neither should you for IF Sandhill Cranes practice their formations on land before taking them to the skies, which I sincerely doubt, HE certainly doesn't know about it and was only trying to trap me into one of his fables.

I shall not be trapped,  nor shall you.

Upon arriving in the metropolis of Eau Claire we imbibed in a bit of shopping.

First stop Kohl's for jeans & other accoutrements.

Next Gander Mountain where I spent time in the camping chair department with this for my vista as Mr. B shopped till he nearly dropped.

I met a young lad who wore a crimson Alabama hoodie though he knew not one thing about AJ McCarron, Nick Saban, the elephant,  nor even Roll Tide.

I did my best to edjumacate him, even warning him that his most vile rival was Auburn, to which he replied:  "I just liked the shirt."

I shake my college football loving head in disbelief.

Finally we reached our final destination - Red Lobster.  Fisherhubby dug right into his salad knowing it was a mere precursor to his main event:

 

Two pounds of Alaskan Snow Crab legs.

I look at these and wonder from which perilous seas they were wrought.

But Fisherhubby dissected them with the skill of a surgeon giving not a moment's thought to their procurement.

Too much work.

I preferred the ease of never-ending shrimp with an add-on lobster tail.

It was a veritable feast.  They lost money on me.

With briny hands washed & dried we wended our way home over long and winding roads.

I swear the leaves had gotten more colorful in just one afternoon.

We arrived home none the worse for the wear, Fisherhubby already with visions of next year's birthday adventure dancing in his head

TBT - Throw Back Thursday

I've been out of blogging too long to know if TBT, throw back Thursday, is a meme that is a "thing"  here or not.  I'm gonna make it a "thing" today anyway.

On the last Thursday in May Fisherhubby and I set out on a wee adventure - the end goal of which was a new fishing pole for one of us.

It was a gorgeous sunny day as we drove through the heart of Wisconsin Dairyland.

We succumbed to the temptation to stop at roadside venues like this - and purchased a log cabin bird feeder for our back yard.


 

We even pulled into the Wisconsin Concrete Park where we moseyed amongst the whimsical creations and the gift shop.

We had barely been back in the car when disaster, in the form of another car suddenly crossing our path, struck.

I only had time to think "so this is what death is" before the soundless slow motion grinding of impact occured.  

Somehow both of us survived - death was cheated that day.

Fisherhubby was able to walk away unscathed but for a pinprick on his thumb.  I, on the other hand, had to be cut from the car by the jaws of life and ambulanced to the ER.

The force of the impact was enough to bend my zipper pull into this L.

Fisherhubby wants me to throw those capris away - but I have chosen to keep them as a reminder of God's grace and protection.

We are grateful.

Obviously my shiny red Durango was totalled and had to be replaced.

After our ordeal my number one requirement for the replacement: a substantial front end.  I don’t see how anyone driving a small compact car could survive that impact.

We shopped locally and found this cute Buick Rendezvous - new only to us.  I am very happy driving it.

Of course Fisherhubby could not STAND driving his old rusty bucket of nails truck with me having a new(ish) car.  Within a month he upgraded to this Ram.

As luck would have it, our life jarring wreck occured just minutes from the fishing pole factory destination, the ER to which I was transported a mere three miles away.

However,  Fisherhubby has yet to get that fishing pole.

Big Heart

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We received this check in the mail the other day.

Being the big hearted kind of person that I am, I told Fisherhubby he could get it cashed & keep it.

I'm not at all sure why he wasn't more grateful..

That skunk.

If Wishes Were Horses Then Beggers Would Ride

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 I really wish I could give this story a different ending.

On the 4th of July I went to a big family picnic at my cousin Chuck's (on the left)  farm.  Lots of once-removed, second, and shirt-tail cousins were there.   I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting & even meeting cousins I'd never met before.

Just before I left to drive the hour and a half home my cousin Bud appeared.  (center)  Bud & I had met as kids but I hadn't seen him since high school.

We quickly caught up.  He told me he had stumbled across my blog & had gone all the way through the archives reading it.  He said he wished I'd make more posts.

I  begged him to let me take this picture, he consented only on the condition that I not put it on my blog.  Then we promised to get our families together again soon & said good-bye.

Last week Cousin Loretta (right) phoned to tell me that Bud's wife came home on September second and found him lying in the yard - dead.

Oh Bud, how I wish I could undo this.  How I wish we could roll the clock back and meet for dinner like we promised we would.  You left us too soon. .

I also hope when you look down from Heaven, where I have no doubt you are, you will forgive me for posting your picture and story.

At Bud's visitation I was able to reconnect with these second cousins (siblings with their mom) whom I have not seen for years.

And I also got to visit with Second Cousin Mary Jo whom I met for the first time on July 4th.

I think the moral of this tale is - don't waste time.  Make time to embrace those whom you love.  Cherish time spent with them.

Because I'd rather be a begger walking than a bunch of wishes riding.

Hayward Night Life

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Our Hayward/Birkie weekend is nearing an end.  We decided we'd better party on our last night.

WARNING!!!

What follows depicts the wild and crazy partying of two senior citizens.

It may get ugly, so use your own discretion about looking any further in this post.

You have been warned.

We got the party started at one of our favorite haunts.  This is the same place where we got the Birkie brat which we ate on the street.

We took it indoors tonight.

No one else was eating on the patio either.  I don't know why not, it's a balmy 13° out.

After giving the menu very serious consideration Fisherhubby ordered sausage, pepperoni,  and hamburger pizza.

Fortunately for him this is health food containing 4 essential food groups: grains, dairy, protein, and vegetables.

I ordered the fat and calorie free Nasty Burger with portobello,  jack cheese, bacon, and caramelized onion.

The fries were full of fat and carbohydrates so I was a good girl and only ate four.

After eating a very light supper, (interpreted: stuffing ourselves til we could barely walk) we took in the lights.

Hayward goes all out to transform into a fairy village of Christmas lights.

They kept them up for the Birkie.

I LOVE this town.

After the light show we headed back to our hotel where one of us wanted to party like it was 1974 in the jacuzzi.

Someone also got a little carried away with the bubbly - - -

And was proud of himself for it.

Sadly, now that we've played late into the night, the party's over.

Someone partied too hard and is already snoring.

Well, it is late so that's to be expected.

After all it IS 8:13.

All's Quiet In The Northwoods Now

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It's Sunday afternoon and nearly all10,000 Birkie skiers and 30,000 cowbell ringers have gone home.

Only a few nonHayward residents, like Fisherhubby and myself, are still here basking in the glory of the Northwoods.

It's so quiet now you can hear a snowflake drop - if it were only snowing, which it is not.

Truth be told, this is how I like the Northwoods best.

Oh, the Birkie crowds and excitement were fun while they lasted, but there's a whole lot to be said for the solitude of the boonies when peace descends upon it.

Fisherhubby and I are in no hurry to head back to the routine of our everyday lives, so we are lingering.

Most of the Birkie accouterments have already disappeared.  Now only hints of the Berkie remain - a tent or two, a porta-john here or there, and some Birkie decor in church this morning.

Fisherhubby and I are quite content to take in the view of Hayward Lake, now devoid of Birkie skiers, from our hotel room.

And should we get bored with the snowy vista, we have this view right in our room.

Perhaps Fisherhubby will avail himself of the jacuzzi later but I, not being a hot tub fan (nor fan of any tub for that matter) shall not.

Tomorrow will come soon enough and we shall then wend our way back to the real world and home.

Hayward, we love you and we shall be back.

A Dog On a Blustery Day

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We  hoped to arrive in Hayward today by 10 a.m. to ring cowbells for Birkie skiers as they come up Main Street and cross the finish line.  

That's what we do.  We ring cowbells.  We're expert cowbell ringers.

Some people skate ski in the Birkie.  Some people ski classic style.  Both take skill and endurance.  

The rest of us stand around ringing cowbells.

I am a cowbell ringer extraordinaire. 

HOWEVER, our "slip slidin' away" adventure of the morning (see previous post) took soooooo long we didn't hit Main Street until 1:17 p.m.

I know - I checked

By that time it felt so late the cowbell ringer extraordinaire didn't even bother to bring her bell.   She just hurried to Main Street and - - -  

Snapped some pix of skiers turning the final bend.

At this point I digress. 

These Birkie cross country skiers ski over hill and dale all the way from Cable to Hayward.  (look on a map) That's a 30 mile track for skate skiers and 32 miles for classic.

I SAID 30 OR 32 MILES.

I thought the three blocks I had to walk from the car was FUR 'NUF on a blustery 9° winter day.

So after taking these two snaps I was ready to find lunch.

This was not our first rodeo, er I mean Birkie, so I knew EXACTLY where to find a delicious brat.

I just gotta tell ta, there ain't much better on a 9° blustery day than eating a steamy "dog" right out on the sidewalk while Fisherhubby rings a cowbell in your ear.

Except I just really did think my brat holding hand was gonna freeze off before I could shove that dog down my throat.

Seriously.

After lunch and cowbelling we headed to one of Fisherhubby's favorite haunts - The Fly Fishing shop.

We've vacationed here for so long and hubs has hung out in the Fly Fishing shop so many times that the owner Larry is now a friend.

Good times.

Larry's shop even has fly humor!

Our next stop was Backroads Coffee - where skiers come to warm up and refresh.

(And cowbell ringers extraordinaire come to find a little girl's room.)

It was warm, cozy, crowded and the little girl's room was available.

In Backroads I met Ken.  Ken skied 32 miles on the classic Birkie.

In one day. 

In just a few hours of one day. 

I couldn't walk 32 miles in 10 days, so Ken is my hero.

Wherein The Adventure Spins Out of Control

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Sometimes adventures take unexpected turns.

Sometimes adventures are a bit scary.

And SOMETIMES adventures spin out of control like ours did today.

The morning was sunny and bright.  The fresh white blanket of snow made an absolute wonderland.

The highway was not so gorgeous unless you enjoy glare ice as slick as a soapy baby's hiney in a bathtub.

I was tooling down the road at a moderate 40 mph OR less as conditions warranted.

Foolish drivers, and by foolish I of course mean more foolish than me, were zipping by at ridiculous speeds.

I fumed.  I fretted.  I told Fisherhubby those speeders were gonna end up in the ditch and take me with them.

I spied a rest area which I needed for coffee elimination.  I slowed and attempted to GENTLY ease over one lane.  Suddenly- we were spinning across the ice.

When we came to a stop, this is what I could see out my window:

Thankfully we were not teetering in the edge if a precipice - which in a few yards we would have been.  But my door wasn't opening.

Fisherhubby could open his door so he got out to take these pix while I called 9-1-1 to beg for a tow truck.

Because obviously I wasn't going anywhere.

The cars and semis whizzing by slowed nary one bit and I began to fear we'd be squashed like bugs in a rug if one of them lost control and came slamming into us.

In a little while an angel, cleverly disguised as a wrecker operator, came.  He said he had two other cars besides us to extract from icebergs but that he came to us first because we were in a danger zone.

Ya think???

About that time an unmarked police car pulled up and stopped to observe my foolishness.

He asked for my driver's license to check my criminal history.   I guess it is now a crime to innocently spin out on ice and bury yourself up to your gills in a snow bank.

After about half an hour's hard work the angel released me from my icy prison. The undercover state trooper took pity on me and gave me back my license.

Joy to the world!!!  We were on our icy way.

Oh but my joy was premature.   Our transmission would NOT go out of 4 wheel low.  Fearing the worst we slowly limped into Hayward and our hotel. We thought we'd be paying a pretty penny to some mechanic on Monday.

Later in the day this man, known to blogland as Fisherhubby, figured out the problem and got the car back in 2 wheel drive.

Now he expects to be paid mechanic's wages.

So the adventure saga continues.

Feast or Famine

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After a famine of blog posts from me -  today I'm serving up quite the feast. 

Drought's over.  

At least for now.

While I'm on the drought topic - if you're still stopping by this little ole blog even after all this time I surely do thank ye.

The cessation of the blogging drought may or may not have something to do with the fact that Fisherhubby & I are on an adventure which is providing me with both fodder AND time for blogging. 

We went to our FAVE, Red Lobster, for dinner tonight.  We don't have one near where we live so it's famine until we visit the city.

After we sat down to eat I noticed Fisherhubby was the ONLY one in the entire place wearing a hat.

Naturally I pointed this out to him.

"Well", says he, "If the Duck Dynasty guys were here they'd have theirs on too."

There is that.

Shaking my head.

Later a few more hat heads arrived.  Whew!

We ordered our feasts.  And WHAT a feast I had!!

Dueling lobsters fit for a queen!!!

Check back in tomorrow, if you're interested, for another installment of Miss Keetha and Fisherhubby's Excellent Adventure.