Wednesday, July 31, 2013

If he's in Minnesota fishing, Bruce is smiling!

We took off Sunday after church for a short fishing trip at the Minnesota cabin, coming home Tuesday night, after all, Bruce golfs on Wednesdays. He was chomping at the bit, wanting to get out on a lake, any lake, with a fishing pole in his hand but cabin chores came first.

The lawn was badly in need of mowing, if it were at home, we could have baled it. I was puttering around, putting food away, took the grill outside and there on a little tree outside the door, was a tiny, baby tree frog! He was so cute! He only measured about a half inch so I had to screw on my macro lens, then get really close and he was very, very nervous. I love their tiny suction cup feet.

 
While we were eating supper, Bruce gave me his best cow eyes, took my hand and asked, "Will you get up in good time in the morning to go fishing??!" After a moments thought, I said, "Will you bring me coffee and wake me gently? And make me breakfast??" Hey, I want to milk this!
 
Bruce quickly agreed and, true to his word, I felt a gentle hand rubbing my arm and he was holding a mug of coffee. He took my breakfast order, Little Smokies with 2 eggs and toast and scurried back to the kitchen. I could get used to this but knew it wouldn't last.
 
We went to Little Birch Lake, it was a beautiful morning, we brought sweatshirts and coats expecting it to be cold. The water was like glass with the sun rising.
 
 
Bruce discovered my fishing rod got left home so he gave me another that I was totally unfamiliar with. But it must not have been too bad, the second cast I had a fish! "I'm off the SNIDE!!" Not big enough to keep which made me happy and the last one I would catch that morning.
 
 
I'm not a hard core fisherman, I take plenty of books along and read when I get bored with throwing my lure out across the water and only hauling in some water weed. And I had such a good book, I was  dying to finish it, 'Keeping Faith' by Jodi Picoult, it's a GREAT book and I'm done with it if someone wants it. So I would fish a little, cuss my fishing rod, Bruce would apologize, I would put it down and pick up my book.....
 
Bruce, on the other hand, can and has, fished all day and loved every minute of it. I have lots of pictures from this trip to prove it, such as this one....
 
 
and this one....

 
and this one.....

 
By the time we went in for dinner, there were 3 bass in the live well to eat. Bruce got a nasty surprise when he first opened the live well to put his fish in, one got left in from the last fishing trip! EWWWW!! STINKY!!
 
While he cleaned fish, I grilled some burgers, then Bruce took a nap while I ran to town. The sky started clouding up, looking like it could rain so we went out for the evening fishing earlier than usual. This time we went to Bass Lake by Grey Eagle and it lived up to it's name. I caught this nice bass, again too small to keep and, again, I was just as happy.
 
 
In between sprinkles from the sky, Bruce caught fish...
 
 
more fish...but none big enough to keep.

 
When we got back to the cabin, I went down the road to see our neighbor Kelly and her new baby, Gus. He is a Great Denard, Great Dane and St. Bernard cross, 9 months old and 125# of puppy.
 
 
Kelly and Tyler are going to build a new house next year and their old house, which is really, really nice, is going to be moved across the driveway and that cabin torn down.

 
Tuesday morning was raining so Bruce let me sleep in but still brought me coffee in bed and fixed my breakfast to order. Hmmmmm, what am I doing wrong at home? It was another nice morning, we went to Horseshoe Lake north of Browerville, where the fishing was slow. I did get a hit on the first cast, just a little guy and when I jerked to set the hook, it popped out of his mouth and he cartwheeled at least 3 revolutions before disappearing back into the water. I wondered what went through his little fish brain and the story he had to tell his friends at school.
 
Bruce caught the nicest fish of the trip, a 3.4# bass that had to be full of eggs with that fat belly, so she was weighed and returned to the water - which made me happy.
 
 
 
Look at that mouth, they don't call them large- mouth bass for nothing.

 
Then Bruce did an impossible stunt, he caught two fish at once! Actually, I caught one, handed him the fish to take off when he discovered he had a fish on. Mine flopped around on the bottom of the boat while he landed his, then held them both up for the picture. They were both too small to keep and that made me happy.

 
We stayed out till noon, then it was time to head back home. Bruce did have one fish to clean while I fixed dinner and packed. We got home about 7:30, time enough to check to see that all the animals were okay. Mollie wiggled and cried and wet the ground, I know we were missed. I didn't get coffee in bed this morning, sigh.
 
On a happy note, Bruce's sister, Shirley, the great pie baker, had hernia surgery this morning and called us herself to say she was headed home from the hospital! Hope your recovery is just as uneventful, Gerb!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, July 28, 2013

And She had Callouses on Her Hands...

I met my husband, Bruce, at a singles weekend in Sioux City 22 years ago. When he asked me to dance, he said, "I've never danced with anyone who had such calloused hands before!" Now that is STRANGEST pickup line I've ever heard!! But I soon found out that this is him and I decided quickly that I liked him, a lot.

Enter Pinterest. If you aren't familiar, it is an online bulletin board that you can 'pin' things you love, recipes, home remodel, you name it, it's on Pinterest. My sister, Rosanne, is the Pinterest Queen! When ever I open it, Rosanne's latest pins always come up, if she has been gone, I know she's home by Pinterest pins!

Last Thursday she gave me an early birthday present, this is called an Altered Doll, made from different things and so many that are special to me!

 
The western hat, a tribute to my love of horses and years of showing.

 
The little trowel she is holding for my love of gardening.

 
The body is a tin box of French, for my last name, fish food for my backyard pond filled with goldfish.

 
"And she had callouses on her hands" on the little tin tart skirt!



The little horse shoe decorating her black dancing shoes.

 
Pearls and lace for my wedding dress.



 
This is SUCH a TREASURE! Thank you, thank you, I will cherish it forever!! Love Julie


Friday, July 26, 2013

What firemen do when they are bored.

You might ask, "Just what do firemen do when they have no fires to fight?" They get together with neighboring fire departments and have water fights.

READY?

 
SET?

 
GO!!

 
They race with their hoses to the barrel hanging from a wire.

 
The object is to drive the barrel into the opponents territory.

 
Which this team is doing quite handily...

 
They own this barrel....

 
And it's over.


 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Celebrate - part 2!

Friday Jean, John, Bruce and I made an all out assault on Kohl's in Madison with our 30% off coupons clutched in our sweaty hands. I don't know what it is about that store, neither Bruce nor I are big shoppers but we love Kohl's, especially when we get the 30% off. We always come out with a register slip that says we saved more than we spent, how can we not go?

I was the big winner, I had not bought shorts forever and hit the jackpot. Gloria (Vanderbilt) is my new best friend, her shorts were a size smaller than the Lee's and fit me to a T. We stopped at a mom and pop pizzeria and had great food before going home to rest up for the night ahead.

We had pulled pork sandwiches, leftover from the previous night, the never ending pasta bowl from the huge salad Jean made the first day we arrived and this yummy raspberry pie Gerb made the previous day.

 
Saturday morning the three guys went golfing and we three women hit the Sun Prairie farmers market where I bought this beautiful bouquet of flowers for Jean's table. Pretty cute little girl, too.
 
 
Saturday night daughter, Lori and her son, Corey, came over along with Mike and the 3 Foresters for yet more food. Lori served as bartender and fixed fancy drinks for everyone, Lori and dad, John.

 
Lori and Bruce

 
Lori and mom Jean

 
Lori and me

 
Lori and Gerb!

 
Lori!

 
Lori and brother, Mike

 
Lori and her cute son, Corey.
 
 
We all sat our on the deck with nummies the Foresters brought. You take a strawberry and hollow out the top, fill it with Amaretto, then squirt a dollop of whipped cream on top and down the hatch. Yum, these things are addicting. Kate was demonstrating how to make the first one but got the giggles and couldn't squirt the whipped cream can.
 
 
Lori handing one to her mother while Kate builds another.
 
 
And we all laughed watching everyone stuff that whole strawberry filled goodness in their mouth, knowing our turn was coming.

 


 
 
It was a fun evening, filled with lots of laughs but eventually all vacations must come to an end. Bruce and I went to church Sunday morning with Jean and John at the little stone church they belong to. Back at the house, one last group photo.....
 
 
Hugs all around, this was such a fun few days, time with loved ones gets more precious as the years go by but home was calling us. Mollie met us at the garage, crying and crying, she really misses us when we are gone. But I brought her a lizard and she loved it, her world was right again.
 
 
Back at home the grass needs mowing, the flowers need watering and weeding, the beans need walking but that is countered with time spend in the gazebo with a good book, Plymouth county fair fun, and going out to eat with good friends. Always take time to smell the roses.