taj ~

I'm still at the Taj ~ no venison yet.

I'm taking today off from hunting ... maybe ... I'm hoping to get a few hours in right before dark if the girls show up to finish up the cooking of our Thanksgiving dinner which we haven't had yet.  Sara is suppose to come over later on so I think I'll be able to slip away.

I sure wish it would warm up.  This morning the thermometer was reading 15 degrees Farenheit ~ pretty chilly for my old bones.  What a difference in temps from the 40's we were in just 2 days ago.

Plus ... it snowed.

Here's a pic that the trail camera caught of me taking out a bucket of corn for the deer 2 days ago ... yes, it's legal to bait deer in our area.  Remember, we're living in the sticks here ~ no big corn fields out our back door. 

...  I didn't see any deer during the daylight hours but look what came in after I went home at 5:00 - a black bear ... but it was over 4 hours since I left the Taj.  I wish he would have come in during the day ~ I would have loved getting some picture of it with my camera. 

Notice the temperature ... it was still 42 degrees out.  I just knew those bear would be around and come out of their semi-state of hibernation with temperatures like that.  I'm sure they've curled up and are sleeping now though with this big Arctic Blast that is upon us.

Night before last around 10:00 p.m. the snow started and the temps dropped.

Notice the temp then ... it had already dropped to 28 degrees.  Why can't those darn deer come in during the daylight hours.  Oh well ... at least it was just the doe and fawns.  No big buck to make my heart go into palpitations.

Yesterday morning ... here's Sam putting out bait for me ... what a difference a day makes ~

I didn't hunt yesterday either ... Sam held down the fort for me ... no luck though. No big bucks for him either.

  Slim and I took a run to Marshfield, a couple hours drive from here to stock up on some groceries, to get us through our Thanksgiving that we're having today, and to get a huge mess of ingredients for cookies for Christmas.  We also had to make a stop at our Amish friends in Athens at the Beaver Creek bulk foods store and head over to Bletsoe's Cheese factory for some fresh cheese curds and blocks of cheese.  We Wisconsinites like our cheese!

What a savings though in the pocket book making the two hour drive ... it is so expensive by us for everything.  For example ... a simple stock of celery here cost us $1.89 down there I can get it for 49 cents a stock ~ yeast here $4.15 same amount down there $1.45 ... milk here $3.89 on a good day, down there $1.99 and that's just three simple examples.  Now talk about a huge cart full ... yes ... we'll drive 2 hours to grocery shop.

Okay... back to the TajMelhal.  Enough griping on the grocery prices.

Day before yesterday ... my patience prevailed and I FINALLY got a nice close up of some partridge, aka. ruffed grouse.  There were seven of them flitting around.

... catching a few rays of the sun

... trying to sneak past me ~

... pecking at some wintergreen leaves, lifts it's head up ... photo op ~

... so pretty ... look at those feathers ~ this is a young bird ... the older birds are more gray in color

... I love watching these amazing birds ~

and ... my favorite snapshot of the day ~


Now I need to get some pictures of them in the snow!

milestone: this was my 500th post on upnorthwithmel.blogspot.com

I need to get a move on ... I have a 22 pound turkey to stuff and some pies that need to be made.  I also have to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ... I recorded it.  It's tradition.  Happy Thanksgiving a couple days late!

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