Heavy Hearts

I hope one of these days I can do a better job of blogging, but honestly, my heart hasn't been in the mood for writing.  After ending my library career in December, you'd think I'd be hammering out the blog post with all this extra time on my hands.  Nope!

Funny thing is, my life didn't actually slow down with retirement, but has accelerated.  I've committed to helping my husband with his volunteer work of stream and lake monitoring for the DNR, plus once a month we also collect phosphorus samples from 17 creeks in Dunn and Barron County.  Then, add in working/volunteering for the Lower Chippewa Invasive Partnership group, which is an active group that helps educate the public about terrestrial invasive plants & trees.  We also have actual work days pulling buckthorn, garlic mustard and tackling a new invasive, Amur Cork trees.

I then have about 1-2 weeks each month of unscheduled work or activities around the house, followed by one week a month in Richland Center, helping my elderly parents.

I posted this particular photo of my parents, Jack & Shirley, because it was a day I won't forget.  The day this photo was taken, we had just come back from dad's mid-afternoon oncology appointment at their local hospital.  The oncologist told my dad.....you realistically have 6-9 month left before the cancer takes you.  Your bladder cancer (of six years) has now moved into dad's pelvic area and the lungs.  All I can say is that we left this appointment with heavy hearts.  My dad held strong the rest of the afternoon and we decided to go out for dinner at a beautiful place along the Wisconsin River near Spring Green.

During that short time while we enjoyed our meals, we talked, we laughed and we even met some wonderful new people.  Can you believe we all three even enjoyed a frosty mug of beer???  Way to go mom and dad, live a little!

But now, it's back to reality.  Time is ticking.  Dad was finally placed in hospice last week and it has been a flurry for my parents.  Lot's of appointments, hospice visits, phone calls, new faces and new decisions to make about the future.

I will continue to travel to Richland Center to help my folks and will anticipate more trips for me in late fall and the winter months. Every day I tell myself I am so lucky to be able to retire early in order to help my parents.  I also have to say I am very lucky to have two wonderful sisters that are willing to help as well.....we girls all work together coordinating dates and appointments, phone calls and lots of messages by cell phone or Facebook. 

Lastly and ironically, my mother-in-law has also been in and out of hospice for several years now.  The end of her life is near for her as well.  As they say.....when it rains, it pours!

Thanks for listening and reading.

Summer Is In Full-Swing

Four trailer loads of cedar mulch, just waiting for me to lay down in our hosta gardens.

My new summer project is weeding ALL our hosta gardens and laying down the cedar mulch.

It's hard physical work bending, squatting, twisting and kneeling....but I love the outdoor work.  Good for the body and soul ya know?

I'm still in love with all our hostas over these last twenty-some years.

We recently had a bout with really hot and humid weather, so I walked down to our dock and dipped my feet into the lake water.  Cool and refreshing!!!

All is well with Bike man and myself.  We are currently busy with lake & stream monitoring for our State DNR and also bat monitoring.  Yup, life is busy.

Volunteer Training

We made the best of the cool and rainy day.  Bike man hosted his training session for all his lake and stream monitors today.  The day started out sunny, but eventually became cloudy with light rain moving in.  The training session was held at our house, so we planned for 25 people, but ended up with about 12 attendees! The training session was more of a refresher for working in the field....mainly tips and reminders for water testing.

A big thanks to the Son for coming over to help us with the charcoal grilling.  Brats and hamburgers were on our menu for today.

Bike man made his special polenta lasagna for today's get-together.....so yummy!

Thankfully, we had our screen tent to protect the food from today's rainfall.  Brats, hamburgers, quinoa salad, polenta lasagna, baked beans, pasta salad, and vegan buckwheat noodle spicy noodles.  Everything was delicious!!!

My special treat today was a visit from Anna and her baby girl Averie.  My heart just melts when I get to hold this little precious baby girl. It's been a long day.....but a good day with friends and family.

Protector of Clean Waters

Bike man is trying to see if he can keep his streak going this year! He recently was awarded the Wisconsin Lakes stewardship award for lake monitoring at the Wisconsin Lakes convention in Green Bay. After completing 600+ volunteer hours in 2011, Bike man will more than likely spend the same amount of hours in 2012 with his lake and stream monitoring projects. Bike man recently put a new bumper stick on his car. It reads: "The activist is not the one who says that the river is dirty, but the one who cleans it up"!!!

Switching Gears

So two weeks ago I decided to try some walking/running. Totally being honest here......it hurts! I haven't run in about six years now. Being older doesn't help either. My joints and muscles are saying "no way" Lis!!! Of course I'm stubborn and don't want to admit my body is older....why is that? Must be a woman thing.

So anyway, because my bicycle rides are pretty much limited to weekends now, I decided to try another form of exercise. And by the way, I have vowed not to join the fitness center because my body and mind needs fresh air......lots of fresh air.

So tonight I ran/walked in light drizzle, but that was totally fine by me. Just craving some outdoor time to keep me healthy and happy. Will bring the bicycle back out this weekend.

PS. Bike man is still lake and stream monitoring. He should wrap everything up by October.

Riding

Really glad Kim could join me on a ride late today. Rain clouds were building, but we rode any way. Didn't get wet until on our way back to Menomonie. Nice warm rain.....felt good.

Bike man, on the other hand, biked into Menomonie tonight to attend the Total Daily Maximum Load (TMDL) DNR hearing on phosphorus at UW-Stout. I stopped by at the hearing after my ride and listened in on all the public comments. Bike man hitched a ride home with me late tonight. (26 miles - me) (14 miles - BM)

Late Ride

Got home after 5 pm and decided to do a "dinner ride" to the west. I like this route because the traffic is minimal after 6 pm. Crossed the Hay River bridge and saw an eagle flying over-head.

Headed down a side road where I cross the rail road tracks towards home. The late summer fields are filled with large bales of hay and lots of tasseling corn. I love this time of year......the smells of summer are so comforting, so strong.

Came home after my ride and enjoyed the rest of my night with Caryn and Carol, the volunteers that help Bike man with his lake monitoring. Ended our night with food, wine and good conversations overlooking a sunset on Tainter Lake. Perfect! (17 miles)

Energy Fair

You know what? It was actually fun! Bike man and I participated in the Dunn County Sustainable Energy Fair in Menomonie this morning. BM incorporated a non-profit group called the Red Cedar Basin Monitoring group this year, and we have been involved in trying to get the word out about this volunteer group. Talked to lots of people today and hopefully recruited a few interested people to help with stream monitoring.

Experienced extreme rainfall early this morning, like 3.5 inches of rain. The rain just kept coming and coming. Finally ended by 10 am. Got a chance to walk around at the farmer's market, which was next door to the energy fair today. Bought some fresh zucchini and a loaf of carmelized onion bread.

Starting tomorrow, we are in a heat warning until Wednesday. Heat index will reach 110. Feels like we're living down south....geez.

Very Still

Can you guess sunset is my favorite part of the day? This shot was taken around 9:30 pm tonight. The air was very still and the surroundings were extremely quiet......so nice.

Mornings on Tainter Lake are also quiet and mellow. This shot was taken about 10 am this morning as we headed back out today for some more lake monitoring. Just another great day with my family enjoying the 4th of July. Now I'm tired out from all that fresh air, sunshine, and water. Hope to be back on the bike this week.....enough relaxing for crying-out-loud!

All Work & A Little Play

Always hard at work. Bike man has now figured out how to haul his water monitoring equipment around. Today, he headed into Menomonie to meet up with some adult volunteers that are trying to get kids involved in the environment.

All his water equipment fit right onto the BOB. How cool is that? In and back from Menomonie (25 miles). The best part, he got out for a spin and accomplished some water monitor training. Ahhhh, the retired life......I'm envious.

Let's Try Again

So this is what I wanted to post last night, but Blogger was hiccupping again. Bet you didn't know there was a pirate in the house! Every time I come home from work and see the pirate hard at work, I just smile.

It didn't take too long and our fourth cat Manny is feeling right at home. I'm so relieved since Manny spent two days under the bed. I was really getting worried, but slowly Manny is exploring the house and warming up to the other cats. In fact, I caught Manny and Annabelle playing together this morning....wow. Spent 30 minutes this morning helping Bike man haul Manny and Abby to the Vet. Manny needed some updated vaccinations, and Abby needed to be re-checked for an infection she was fighting 3 weeks ago. Everything went well.

I almost hate to say this, but it rained all day. It was a cold rain. Just can't believe it's June 23 when you consider the weather here in Wisconsin. High of 59 degrees today. Can someone please assure me that it's summer. What happened to that 90 degree weather we had a month ago?

I'm trying really hard to be happy, and cheery despite the cloudy, rainy conditions. Ohhhhh sun, please return.

Tuesday Testing

Another late night at work, but arrived home to meet the new volunteers that will be helping Bike man testing for blue green algae. Can you believe we have two high-powered microscopes in our little dining room? BM has clout!!! Carol and Karyn are eager and enthusiastic about helping with the lake monitoring. High five to the ladies!!!!

Both women spent about 5 hours at our house tonight learning how to use the microscopes. Thank heavens for volunteers.

Thankfully this was my last night for working late and now I hope to start riding bike after getting home from work. I'm so out-of-shape and just need to get back into a routine of cycling.

Brighter days are ahead!

Morning Ride

Saw the weather radar this morning and put it into high gear. My window of opportunity for a ride with Ruby was very, very small.....like less than two hours. It's not so much the rain I was concerned with, but cycling in a thunderstorm terrifies me. Had to ride solo, bummer. Well, I made it! Arrived home to a yard full of dandelions that needed to be picked, and then the storms hit, one right after another. Haven't we had enough rain now? Come on, this is getting really old.

So why isn't Bike man joining me on bike rides? He still is dealing with physical health aliments and lots of doctor appointments. I hope the doctors can find him some relief from the pain that he feels everyday. Next week is the Cardiologist checkup, so I'm also hoping for a good report. Because of all this, we have not planned any bicycle trips this summer. I'm still hopeful that we can plan our ride south to Dubuque, but if not, then we'll have something to look forward to next summer. On a brighter note, Bike man can still manage to proceed with his lake & stream monitoring, water sample testing, clean boats/clean water program and training water volunteers. Currently, he's in need of a volunteer to help him with lake monitoring and testing for algae. Once he finds that certain person, then his summer should proceed much easier.

(road 22 miles)

Sunday Cruise

Went for a boat ride early this afternoon with Bike man. Bike man needed to collect some Secchi disk readings from various locations on Tainter Lake, and I was just happy to go out and capture some more fall photos.

We have several narrow channels on our lake, and this is my favorite spot. I love the steep, rocky bank with all the exposed tree roots.

This just happens to be the bridge that we cross very frequently, by either car or bicycle. Plans are to totally replace the bridge in the summer of 2011. That might pose a problem as we're not quite sure how we will alter our bicycle route when the bridge is out.

It was nice to see Trisha this afternoon. She's working part-time now so we don't get to see her as much. The sun was shining today, but the air temp was still cool (53 degrees) so it was definitely hat weather. I love your fuzzy hat Trisha!!!

I hopped on my bike and did an hour Sunday ride, or should I say cruise! Explored some roads I haven't ridden in a long time. Easy pace and very peaceful.....just how I like it. 10 miles.

On the Water

The boys had a full day on the water. Grandpa Bike man took the boys out on the lake so he could show them how he checks the lake's clarity, which he records for DNR. Then they all came back to the house and picked me up so we could go up the river for an afternoon of swimming.

Guess who followed us up the river? Uncle Mike, and cousins Rissa and Dria.

On a hot humid day, this is the best place to hang out......the Hay River, which feeds into Tainter Lake. The water is clear and refreshing.

Who wants to pay money to play in a water park, when we have nature's best gift.....a shallow river with lots of birds and wildlife.

Ian's prize treasure today.

Besides finding clams, Ian spend several hours collecting river sticks so he could build a tee pee with Rissa.

After nearly three hours on the river, we were all ready to head back to our house. Just in time to beat a late afternoon storm. The boys were exhausted and in bed by 9 pm tonight. Grandpa drives them back to Minnesota tomorrow morning.

All in all, it was a good weekend and the boys had fun.

She Thinks She's Hiding

That's my kitty

Got home late tonight from work and bike man was unloading groceries. Cat Lovers Alert: If you leave an empty grocery bag on the floor, just expect to find a feline friend inside. They just can't help themselves....they've got to hide in the bag.

Bike man received a letter today saying he was nominated to participate in the 2010 Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute. Wow, way to go. There are three training dates in which Bike man can meet with this lake group. I'm excited for him as it will give him an opportunity to learn and share what other lake monitors are doing in our state. The first session he can attend is in May. So much for being retired....guess he needs to schedule his calendar just like me. Ha!

Summer Job

My husband has been preparing for this day since last December! Today was the start of his DNR lake monitoring job in Northern Wisconsin. It took him half the day yesterday to pack up his car with all the needed essentials for being out on many lakes during the work week. Since bike time will be limited, he decided to take his bike along to do evening rides. I remember my husband saying something like they have 300 lakes site visits they will have to do this summer. The woman in charge of this DNR grant is the one that just got married on Saturday. I hope she and her new husband can manage to take a honeymoon this fall!

I decided to take an extra day off from work today so Becca and I could spend some time together before she leaves in a couple days. Not sure if we will get out on the bike again, but we do plan on doing a little shopping together.....maybe a little Acoustic Cafe lunch too!