Friday

bear & coyote & buzzards & eagle ~

Look who's back ~ we knew the bear were out of hibernation for some time now but this is the first one we've seen this year:

notice the temperature ... 35 degrees ... it's still pretty cold at night

He's a jolly big boy (I thought I'd throw in a little English accent in honor of the royal wedding today) for just having spent 6 months sleeping off his fat storage from last year.  

We even had a coyote visit last night:



Also on the trail cam yesterday ~ turkey buzzards or turkey vultures ... same thing :)





They sure are ugly!



 Their body almost resembles that of a young eagle
but 
that head ...

poor things ...

they look like they put it in a meat grinder!


and of course
Mr. Crow and his pals fly in and get some photo time too :)


THEN there's this guy ~

get a look at that face!
Talk about hamming it up for the camera!
He's probably looking up at the crows and buzzards telling them to stay out of his photo shoot!





Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

Monday

monday ~

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Ours was spent with family ~ catching up with each other :)

On Saturday, my niece and her husband were over to the farm (Mom's) and the great nieces and nephews were having a grand old time.  Cheryl's Grandlove Syminda was playing her viola for us.

Then she broke into some fiddle music and the other nieces and nephews jumped right in doing some dancing.  It was so cute to see the little cousins making their own fun... and talk about some talented little people!!



I just love moments like this :)
and the memories they were making.

We were also serenaded by a song that Mini and Summer made up that Mini accompanied with on the guitar ~ that she's only been playing for 2 weeks.  I wish I had a photo to share of it ... or the video.  It was AWESOME!! That girl has a natural talent when it comes to singing and playing ... as do almost all the kids in our family.  They are a bundle of talent ... each and every one of them in their own way.

~~*~~*~~*~~

The birds are beckoning to the spring ... singing their praises too.

I watched three different woodpeckers ... chirping in different trees.

Finally ... two paired off ... and flew off together :)  twitterpatted

On the trail cam ...

I also got a pic of the crow ... trying to be so regal looking ...
Until the eagles flew in to show him what regal really looks like :)




It's a beautiful day in the north woods ... the snow from Friday has melted away ... I need to get outside and soak in some vitamin D!

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel






Saturday

how Great Thou Art ~



~~~

I watched this last night on "Girls Night Out" and just had to share. I just love how Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill do justice to such a beautiful song.

This is my all time favorite song ~ it was also my Daddy's. I'm crying as I type this post ... that's the powerful impact this song has on me.

Dad always told us when we were kids that if there was ever a song that we NEEDED to know ... this was it.

40 years ago ... Mom had the verses of the song typed out and pinned up on the basement wall next to the washing machine. I think she put it there so we would see it on Saturday mornings while being in the basement doing laundry.

Now whenever I hear it I think of my Dad; but more importantly I remember the day he passed away and could just envision him standing before our Heavenly Father ... bowed in humble adoration. On earth, Daddy's temporary home, he was crippled and without feeling from his hips down ... but that day ... I know he walked and did so without pain and bowed before God singing his praises, "My God, How Great Thou Art!"

Happy Easter!

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

Thursday

easter~

John 3:16... "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." '




I'll be away from my blog for a few days ...
Have a wonderful Easter!

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

Tuesday

in the boonies~

Those who follow my blog are aware of the fact that we live in the sticks ... and then there are days that we really go into "the sticks".  Such as what my Dear Hubby and son have been doing on their trap line.  Dear Hubby, Slim, is one of the trapping instructors in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources for the State of Wisconsin.  I believe this is his 15th year as an instructor; but has been an avid trapper his whole life.  It is something that has been in his family and my family for generations ~ his family and mine have always been supported in part by the fur industry.

Usually, most of the trapping takes place in the fall months for the raccoon, mink, muskrats and otter.  But here in Wisconsin there is also a spring beaver season when they can be harvested.  The guys have a route that is 75 miles round trip of some pretty rough roads.  If the beaver aren't controlled in this area it could be devastating ... they would cause some major flooding that the county doesn't want to take place on these logging roads. 

Today I rode along ...


I was surprised by how much snow is still in the woods... and how good the roads actually were.


Notice the beaver house way in the back of this frozen over pond.

here's another one ...

and another one ...

and another.


The woods are pretty drab looking yet with all the brown grasses and underbrush.
Slim ~ leaning over the bank checking a trap.

~ looking upstream ~

 ~ looking down stream ... notice where the beaver have a dam across it ... it'll flood over the road if they aren't removed ~

 ~ a muskrat ... a cousin to the beaver ~

 I saw this cool rock and told Dear Hubby that it would look really cool in my flower bed ... he said, "have fun moving it."  It's pretty big and heavy ... I hope I can talk Sam and his cousin to fetch it up for me.


 I had to laugh at Slim here ~ He was checking one of his traps and had to go into the creek to retrieve it.  As he was walking in ... I'm telling him he better watch it ~ the water was just about over his rubber boots!  It was only 36 degrees out this morning ... not a good day for a swim or to have to spend the rest of the morning with wet feet. 
 A partridge was walking alongside the ditch ...


He's hiding out by the base of the tree ~


three beaver from one pond ... trapper man was happy




Slim is proud of this dirty hat.  You can't buy it ... it can only be earned.  
It's from NAFA (North American Fur Auctions) located in Canada and is only given to the top lot trappers.  

As I was standing around ... watching trapper man ... I heard some whistler swans flying up the creek ... coming towards me.

Look at the big yellowed teeth on this beaver ... no wonder they can drop a tree with just a few chomps.




Turkey tracks in the mud ...

and a wolf track ...

Slim's idea of tailgating ~ or as close as he'll come to a romantic picnic in the woods. LOL ... hacking off a piece of bear sausage with his jack knife on the tailgate of the pick up truck ... to be washed down with a swig of grape juice.  A nice mid morning snack!


Oh yeah ladies .. back off !! He's all mine! :)


What can I say?  He makes me laugh.

We even found Cupid's Arrow way out in the boonies ~ judging by the size of his arrow I hope we don't find his diaper or loin cloth (whatever it's called) !!

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel