a HUGE success ~

~ our friend's daughter ... so proud of her Daddy's winning perch from the fisheree ~

Another year has come and gone ... and another Justin Donner Memorial Fisheree is under our belt.  What a HUGE success it has been.  A lot of hard work ~ but all worth it in the end.  

The fisheree winners list is up on the JPD Warrior website:  2013 Winners List

We can't thank you enough to everyone who helps us with our program.  No matter how big or how small your contributions are EVERY SINGLE ONE is appreciated!!!!!!!!  It is because of the love and generousity of so many that we are able to hold this annual event  and in return are able to pay it forward back to the community each year.  

You can read all about us at http://JPDWarrior.com

THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU ~ THANK YOU

Now a little teaser for you Jack --- here's a few of my pies I made for the pie auction ~ you should have been there:

~ S'mores Cheesecake ~

~ Banana Split ~

~ Tin Roof Sundae ~

~ Toasted Coconut / Pecan Caramel Drizzle ~

Sorry about that to the rest of my followers; 

but I just have to tease Jack when the opportunity presents itself :)

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

yeee ouch!!! ~

Please forgive me ~ but sometimes I just can't contain the fact that I have a warped sense of humor :)

This video cracked me up!



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

J P D Warrior Project ~

 ~ some of the crew ~

I'm back row ... 2nd in from the left

We're at it again!  Putting on our annual ice fishing jamboree ~ coming up this Saturday at Donner's Bay Resort on the beautiful ~ frozen over ... Turtle Flambeau Flowage.  Hard to believe that it's our 8th year already. 

 ~ some winter aerial views ~

 ~ Sam's ice shack ~

'The Turtle Flambeau Flowage is a result of the 1926 construction of a dam to create a reservoir. The Turtle Flambeau Dam harnesses the power of the Turtle and Flambeau Rivers to generate energy for the Flambeau Paper Corporation, located 20 miles south on the Flambeau River in Park Falls. The dam created 19,000 acres of water with 212 miles of pristine winding shoreline. The Turtle Flambeau Flowage encompasses 16 natural lakes, three rivers and several creeks...' from turtleflambeauflowage.com

I'm busy prepping for the day:
Today I did some grocery shopping to make up 2 Nesco roasters each of Calico Beans, Chili and BBQ's.  The fresh hometown made bratwurst are made and ready thanks to Fifield Grocery and Whiskey Ridge has the homemade hotdogs and hamburger patties made up  and ready for Chef Slim to throw on the grill.  I also have a few pies to put together for the pie auction ... yes, we're  busy but it's all for a great cause.

Tomorrow the big heated tents will go up and Saturday morning the fish registration and raffle tables will be open for business. 

Once again, we have some fantastic prizes ~ here's what you can win off the Green Ticket this year...





 Plus there are prizes for each fish category - and prizes off the raffle tables ... TONS of chances to WIN!  More info on the fisheree can be found on the JPDWarrior website.  Take a peek! 

If you're in the area ~ please stop by and say hi.  I'll be the crazy lady running around barking orders like I know what I'm talking about! HA!!

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

365 bags ~

I have too much stuff!  

I read where this gal is using her shopping bags for a new project she decided to undertake.  

She's calling it 365 Bags.

Very simple concept.

There's 365 days in the year.

She uses 1 bag per day.

Each day she go through her house and finds something to toss.

If she buys something new ... something old HAS TO GO!

If you think about it ... this isn't too bad of an idea.  I think I'm going to give it a try.  I know I can find at least one thing a day to toss.  In fact, I think I could probably find a BAG FULL a day!

I'm really not into garage sales (I like going to them; but not putting them on) ~ but I know if I put the time and effort into it, it probably would be a profitable venture ... but just the thought of it makes me cringe.

Goodwill too ... love going to them ~ but super lazy here when it comes to getting stuff together for them ... or consignment shops ... there too ... I admit ~ I'm lazy.

I give stuff away - but there's still way too much clutter in my life.

My goal - once a day ... give something a toss!

Who has a junk drawer?  I have several of them :)  Probably a good place to start. 

I may be the Domestic Diva of my Domain ~ but an organized one ... not!

I need to do some serious de-cluttering.

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

brrr ~

 

brrrrrrr....

I don't know where you are - but it's cold here!

The thermometer this morning is at Minus 15 with a windchill of Minus 30+

The birds have been hitting the suet feeders pretty heavy ~

We feed black oil sunflower seeds and always have a supply of high protein out for the birds in the form of fat cut off the deer and bear that were harvested in the fall.   Also, when we butchered our pig I rendered down lard and saved all the cracklings for the birds.  That's what the chickadee is pecking at on the above photo.

Plus ... there is always a beaver carcass or two around for them to peck at.  The birds and animals need that high fat protein to sustain themselves in this bitter cold weather.  Me too:)  I made a ham last night for supper and it sure seemed to fill the void ... pea soup next.

Remember this little bugger ~

~ that wild feral cat that I had sneaking around my hunting shack this fall.  The one chasing after the partridge.  The one I said I was going to shoot if I ever saw it again ... or if I ever saw it up in the yard messing around the bird feeders. 

Well ... I've had plenty of opportunities to get rid of that cat but have decided against it.  It's taken up residency by our wood shed.  It has been eating on the beaver/muskrat carcasses that Slim has laying outside from his trapping.

He's getting big and fat.  I hope it's just from all the good eating it's getting. I pray it's not a pregnant female.  It's also getting a little bit tamer and doesn't spook as quickly as it did before.  I've been keeping an eye on it.  I have yet to see it bother the birds by the feeders ~ but I have seen it catch a few mice and moles.  Soooooo .... as long as it behaves and leaves my tweeties alone, and doesn't end up being a momma, or bird killer ... that darn cat just might have found itself a new home.  Time will tell.  I have a soft heart ~ the poor bugger ... it's so darn cold out; but it's warm by the wood shed and it certainly isn't suffering.  Plus there's straw in the lean to that it's been curling up on and I see tracks going into the old dog house where there's straw in there too.  It's fur looks so thick and heavy ... kinda reminds me of a small bobcat.  I've been calling it "Bob".  I know ... don't get too attached ... it's still a wild feral cat.

Bob better behave ... I think he will if I keep food available and he doesn't have to resort to eating the birds.

~~ my latest doodle with the magic marker pens  ... decided to add a little color ...

~ Ms Uppity ~

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

BeaverHunters~

Duck Dynasty may have Uncle Sy ~

 "Alright look here beavers, you better hide your wives, 

hide your husbands 

and look here both of you 

hide your kid's cause were coming." 

~Uncle Sy Robertson

... but I have Slim! LOL

... and Sam ~

... my guys ... the beaver hunters :) 

... with one days catch of 14 beaver caught through the ice

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

my 3rd birthday cake from Mom ~

 ~ one of my many scrapbook pages ~

I don't really think Mom had any favorites ~ lie!!  She loved her 3 boys ... and there were six of us girls always fighting for her attention.  I'm number seven on the totem pole of kids.  Oh she loved us all; but those boys were the apples of her eye.  Still are to this day if you ask me.

Today ... she surprised me.  She made me a cake for my 55th birthday.  She even said, " I believe this is the about the 3rd cake I ever baked for you."  Which is true.

Oh I'm not saying I never got a birthday cake ... because we all felt special on our birthdays with a special cake to our liking; but most of my cakes were baked by my older sisters.  Mom even pointed that out today ~ which I couldn't argue with because it was true.  Once my older sisters started hanging out in the kitchen Mom was always delegating chores to them and baking cookies and cakes seemed to fall into their hands. 

So at 83 years old ... Mom finally baked me a cake in honor of my birthday.  Guess what kind it was?  You'll NEVER EVER EVER GUESS??????  Have you ever heard of a Vinegar Cake??  Yep... I said Vinegar.  My Mom baked me a vinegar cake.  Do you think she was trying to tell me something??

Seriously,  I LOVED IT!!!!!

It was a chocolate cake from scratch with a couple tablespoons of vinegar in it, mixed with the baking soda for the levening.  It's really a good tasting cake.  It just sounds nasty:)  She had it frosted with a simple white frosting and some chopped walnuts.

Mom doesn't do much in the kitchen anymore since her mini strokes and is slowing down.  So I truly TRULY enjoyed the gesture and efforts she made to do this.  (I think lil' bro Eric helped)  Anyways, I know I was certainly surprised when she called me this morning asking me to come over because there was something sitting on the cupboard for me.

Now the kicker ... she asked me to cut it in half before I left and leave half of it at her house because the boys were going to be there for supper!  LOL ... I'm not kidding ... Momma favors and babies those boys no matter how old we get!

That's life.

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

pc-itis ~

I know I've gone missing for a bit here and this is the reason why.  I have PC-ITIS.  Anything that ends with "itis" is just NO GOOD ~ examples: arthritis, brusitis, appendicitis, bronchitis, cellulitis.  You catch my drift ... things that you just don't want!

It started a few months back with Old Reliable ~ my old pc ... that I've had for a century.  The one I had built to my specs so I could have tons of music and tons of photos on it without ever bogging it down.  The PC that took all the abuse I could give it and it would always bounce back for more.  It surfed the internet, it told us how the business was doing and saw us through that chapter of our lives, mostly keeping track of orders and inventory.  It charted our finances, planned vacations, allowed us to dream.  The PC that endured having it's hard drive partioned 4 times and grew as I grew ... going from Windows 98 to Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3.  The PC that had it's guts ripped out ~ put back in and always bounced back.  Sure... it had some problems which were easily fixed by installing bigger and better options but eventually it just had enough of trying to please me.  My little machine started to smell.

It wasn't a pleasant smell that Old Reliable developed.  It was a burning smell.  A hot rubber, tires skidding on hot pavement and taking off a layer smell.  It's CPU fans were working and clean of dust and debris; but this was something else.  Now I know what that smell was.  It was the evil smell of the Grim Reaper harboring in it's shadows.  It was the smell of death.

Old Reliable also developed a need to talk to me.  On start up it would spit and sputter and take so much longer than before.  It was aging.  I gave it the time it needed.  It clicked and ticked as if it had a time bomb inside it,  just ready to explode! Now even I, no tech guru, knew this wasn't right.  Your computer should not talk back.  It shouldn't grind with arthritic moans and groans, it shouldn't click like the old school clock hanging on the wall in a quiet study hall. 

Old Reliable started having seizures or computer crashes would probably be the right description.  I came to terms with the inevitable.  The old pc was on it's last leg and it was leaning over the dug hole at the graveyard.  Upon further consultation with the PC Repair Man ... he too confirmed my suspicions: the future was looking bleak.  No more surgical procedures to do, no more uplifts or upgrades, no more security issues to solve.  Back up what you can and be prepared for the worse.
 ~~
We had a power surge a few weeks back.  I was out in the garage; but when I came in the office I knew it wasn't good.  Old Reliable's smell was very offensive.  Quick!!! Online I go, I have some last minute banking that I wanted to get done before the computer crashed.

Old Reliable died right in the middle of a transaction.

Rats, now I need to call the bank and I really don't have the patience for talking with machines and pressing this number for English and that number for this account or that account and don't you dare put me on hold!  And "NO! I'm not driving into town to take care of this.  My PC died!  I'm in mourning!!!"

So here I am.  Missing my old personal computer.  If a person can have an attachment to an inanimate object ... my pc was my teddy bear.  I loved that computer ... or at least I loved having a working computer.


Enough for today ...
the saga continues ~ meet the new pc ... It's name is Eric. (after my brother)

It's not really new Brand NEW but new to me.  I'm borrowing my brothers computer for the time being, deciding whether or not I want to make the investment and buy it from him.    He's decided that he is NOT into technology anymore and is going back in time to simpler days.  

After hooking up this computer I'm borrowing ... I can understand WHY he's come to that conclusion!!!

"What!  Eric ... you're killing me!! Your anti-virus and microsoft securities haven't been updated since 2008!"  I haven't seen or heard of this many errors and warnings since 4th grade and Mrs. Yost was hollaring at Randy, Dave and Leeky for impersonating the Three Stooges when they were suppose to be the Three Wise Men during the Christmas Pageant !! or the time Dad found my bra on the sidewalk!! or the time Randy pee'd from the pine tree yelling to Cheryl who was climbing up behind him, 'look out below!' and Mom caught him in the act, ....  MERCY!!! This is going to take some time to straighten out.

More on it later. 

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

from the tundra ~

Our visitor from the tundra showed up on the trail camera ... the Rough-legged Hawk.  I thought I heard one screeching the other day.

They are quite the majestic bird.   Because of their size alone they are often mistaken as juvenile eagles.  They have a wingspan of up to 54 inches.  The Rough-legged Hawk, also known in some areas as the Rough-legged Buzzard spends it's spring and summer / breeding season way WAY up north as you can see by the map.  We see them every winter as they love checking out our carcass pile of beaver that Dear Hubby puts out from trapping.  I imagine they love that fat rich protein after such a long trip south.

They really have a large winter range.  Do you have them by you? If not, toss a beaver carcass out in the woods... they will come.

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

woodland fantasy gals ~

I'm still doodling ... with my magic marker~

I know you saw this one ~ my first attempt at drawing a human (my grandlove Bailey)...  and I had to cover most of her up with flowers and leaves to hide my mistakes.

Well... I had fun doodling those flowers and leaves ... and I figured if I want to learn how to draw people I need to practice ...  eyes, mouths, contours of the face, ahhh... so many features.  I've never taken an art class besides what I learned in grade school.  I'm sure there are easier ways to go about drawing these things; but I'm just learning as I doodle as to what seems to work and what doesn't.

So ~

here's the doodles from this last week ...  My Woodland Fantasy Gals :)

I tried doing more realistic ... but that's just not happening.  Eyes, noses, mouths ... how frustrating!!  Maybe if I tried drawing with a pencil so I can erase; but I'm going at it the hard way .. using ink or my new fave ... a Sharpie Magic Marker Pen.  Although, with a pencil I can see how it would be easier to draw because you could do shading.  How do you shade with a magic marker?  I haven't figured that one out ... yet. So the little bit of shading on the pics is from pencil.

Only one more ... "the bearded lady"

 Okay ... enough of my doodling around.  I have to clean house ~ I'm slipping on my duties as the Domestic Diva.  I took the tree down last week and I still see tinsel in the carpeting and I have a sink full of dishes from last night!  I hardly ever do that ... leave dishes sit over night; but we had a late supper and then the Packers played.  I have my priorities!

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

chillin'~

Just chillin' with my hubby ~ checking traps

 

... the creek off my daughters yard - with a beaver feed bed in the middle ~

last week Dear Hubby put in some traps ...

ALWAYS ... carry the chisel and test the thickness of the ice!

popple sticks make good bait ...

HELLO ... anybody down there!

~ Staci's driveway ...

... she lives out in the sticks :)

... chiseling out the traps ... 

Dear Hubby isn't happy with the set up on this creek and is pulling his traps out until a later date.  I guess he knows what he's looking for.

~ the bottom broke out of the trapping basket ... I guess I have my work cut out for me now ~ trying to figure out a way to mend that. 

... guess I'll carry them :)

I was really nice out today.  The temperature was around 20 degrees ~ the sun was shining.  I enjoyed getting out with Slim for a few hours this afternoon.  It was like a tropical heat wave out there after the last few days we had of sub zero weather.  We came home, had a crappie fish fry with some baked beans and hash brown potatoes.  Life is good.

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

new year ~

Welcome 2013!

I survived the New Years Eve festivities up at Donner's Bay Resort last night ... and was even tucked away into my cozy bed by 3 a.m.  It was a cold night last night here in northern WI.  On the way home (the resort is 22 miles from our place) the thermometer in the truck said it was 4 degrees out when we left and as we got closer to home the temps were dropping.  We had -10 BELOW ZERO when we got home.  First time this year we hit the double digits below zero! brrr...

So are you a maker of resolutions?   My resolution is not to make resolutions.  Then I don't feel bad when I break them ... which I always do. 

I do wish though that I had more will power to follow through on things I would like to do.  Yep ... I admit it ... I'm not quite perfect and have a few issues that one might call flaws. lol ... now I sound like Slim.  Note ... I ONLY SAID A FEW!! NOW I REALLY SOUND LIKE SLIM!!! LOL

~~~

a few more doodles ...

I love old coloring book pages for inspiration ... but this next one I was inspired by this scrapbook page I did a few years back of my youngest grandlove.  Bailey is now 7 but was 3 years old in the photo.  She's still just as adorable, beautiful and full of charm now as she was then.  I truly think she inherited it from me:)

It started with me trying to capture her eyes, and I also wanted to age her a bit more.  Does my doodle  resemble her??   Dear Hubby doesn't think so ... my son in law thought I was drawing my sister Colleen ... I guess I don't know who it resembles ... if anyone ... I was shooting for Bailey.

I spilled on the paper with some white out and it made a huge blob where her mouth was suppose to be ... drawback of drawing in ink ... no erasing ... so it turned into a bunch of flowers ... and the flowers, etc... spread out from there. I guess that's why I call it doodling ~ because I never know what my mistake is going to turn into.

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