Ohhhh Our Favorite Trail

By mid January, you just have to accept the cold weather here in the Midwest. That means layering with warm clothes especially if you going to spend some time outdoors. After being indoors most of the work week, I was itching to get outside despite the cool 14 degree temperature today. Thank heavens the sun was shining. Bike man and I decided today would be a great day to visit the Red Cedar trail with our snowshoes.

The RC trail is groomed for cross-country skiing from Menomonie to Downsville, so we decided to access the trail beyond Downsville, where snowshoeing is permitted. The trail this afternoon was beautiful and very quiet. As we were getting ready to head out on the trail, a woman and her dog were just finishing a snowshoe walk. We basically followed her track along the river.

Bike man and I took it easy, especially since this was Bike man's first time out on his new snowshoes. We made stops to take pictures and to view all the ice walls along the trail.

Lots of natural springs where the water flows all year long along the rock face. The ice walls were simply beautiful. We could even hear the water dripping behind the ice......the drips kind of echoed! So cool.

Poor Bike man! He had a couple mishaps where his snowshoes kept inner locking while walking, which would make him go down. I think it's just a matter of getting use to his new snowshoes.

Snowshoeing along the trail kept us sheltered from the wind. I thought about snowshoeing on our lake, but the northwest winds were gusting around 17 mph today, so that was pretty brutal. I'm just glad we could get out today and do something different. You gotta love winter.....or should I say accept winter!!!!

Reaching For the Sky

I admire this tree, especially it's arch It's located on our lake shore and the only time I can capture a close up is during the winter months when I can stand on the lake ice and look up! Doesn't it look inviting like you want to climb this tree? Go ahead.....have at it!

Frosty & Crisp

The air was very still this morning, yet frosty and crisp. I had a fleece turtle around my neck and chin, but the 7 degrees still chilled my cheekbones. I snowshoed for about an hour and then headed back to the house so I could get ready for work. I had to work late tonight, so going in later this morning gave me the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor exercise.....so much better than heading to the fitness center.

I love it when everything is coated in frost. When you live in the north, you learn to love those little things in nature that express beauty and simplicity. After finishing my snowshoe walk, it started snowing. The snow continued all day and even tonight when I drove home. Fluffy dry snow is the best. More snow coming and then the polar blast will hit this weekend.

January Is a Challenge

These January day's are hard for me....l mean the limited daylight hours. I could see the sunshine beaming through the windows at work, but I couldn't go outside to enjoy the afternoon sun. With lack of fresh outdoor air, sunshine and exercise, I begin to feel sluggish.....really sluggish.

More polar air coming our way this weekend and into next week as well. Winter certainly is a challenge, but hey, two more months and winter will be dwindling down and the days will be getting longer. I need to keep telling myself that the days are getting longer......it kinda helps.

My 15 Seconds of Fame

Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim

It's not often that I plug a book, but tonight is an exception. One of my December book purchases included a useful book that every cook should have in their kitchen. If you're like me, you don't always have every ingredient on hand and sometimes I don't want to drive twenty miles just to get that special ingredient for a cooking or baking project. This book is perfect for food substitutions. Who would have thought you could substitute ground cashews, almonds or even peanut butter if you don't have tahini on hand when making a batch of hummus! Consider purchasing this book for your kitchen shelf ($16.47 Amazon).

So, I only had one hour to prepare this morning.....talk about last minute planning! WEAU TV called me this morning and asked if they could talk to me about the impact of increased library usage. They wanted to know how was my library and my budget is dealing with the increased usage by the public. I said, "yes I'll talk to you about that subject." Then they said, "great, we'll be there in about one hour to talk with you and videotape you ." Oh geez, I put it into high gear and put my thoughts together on what I would say. My one fear was that I would blunder or loose my thoughts, but luckily I held it together during the 20 minute interview.

I was able to watch the news clip while working out on the elliptical at the fitness center tonight. So during that 20 minutes video interview, they only used about 15 seconds of my conversation with the news person. Isn't that the way it always goes? I had a lot of good things to say about my library services, but I'll be happy with those 15 seconds.

The video clip isn't available yet on the WEAU webpage, but you can read the article they wrote here. Does this mean I'm a celebrity now????

Ran Into Problems

It was suppose to work out perfectly. The ice shack was suppose to slide right on to the carefully prepared trailer, however.........

The Son tried to position the ice shack just so on the trailer by using the come-along winch, but ran into problems.

The ice shack slid so far on the trailer , but then wouldn't advance any further. It was frustrating.....we tried everything. It didn't help that our driveway has a layer of ice underneath the snow, so the Jeep kept spinning it's tires when the Son tried to maneuver his vehicle forward. After an hour of trying to get the ice shack hoisted on the trailer, we called it a night. The guys will try it again tomorrow during daylight.

This ice fishing stuff is really important. Ice shack or no ice shack.....ice fishing has been in our lives for 27 years! I'm hopeful the ice shack will be loaded on the trailer tomorrow and moved to Memonin Lake for the next two months.

Said Good-Bye

I sure hated leaving ma & pa today. We've been through a roller coaster since last September, but I had to say my good-byes today. My dad is feeling soooo much better and what a relief. So when I tore dad's BIG bandage off his back yesterday morning, I had to "high-five" him! Yesterday was truly a milestone and having a tube removed from his back was the start of a normal life for him again. You'll never quite understand the comforts of life until that is taken away from you, so please give thanks to your everyday life.

When we took off early Friday morning to drive to the hospital in Madison, we all saw this beautiful morning sky. The Eastern sky was on fire! Unfortunately, I couldn't stop to take a perfect photo, so please excuse the power lines.

Bike man and I are finally home tonight, after a four-hour drive home along the Mississippi River. We briefly stopped in La Crosse this afternoon and then chose to drive home via our bicycle route that we follow during the summer months. We were surprised to see a large number of ice fisherman out on the river today.....of course that is something we never see or think about during our summer rides along the great Mississippi River. The numbers of fisherman and vehicles out on the river ice was very impressive.

I'm glad to be home.....kitty is glad we are home as well. Now I just need to get back to a regular exercise routine for health and happiness.