On the Road Friday ~ Ice Age Trail ~ Bear Lake Segment

 

 

Hello Friends, it is time to hit the road. We are heading to the Ice Age Trail, Bear Lake Segment.

 

 

We are fortunate to live close to many segments of the Ice Age Trail, we have many favorite hikes within the segments. The Bear Lake Segment is one we had not hiked before. We will go back and do more hiking of it in December if it does not snow. 

 

 

We will get started on the hike and see what we might find. 

 

 

We found an apartment complex here I think. Mr and Mrs. Spider live in the top apartment and Mr. and Mrs. Mouse live in the bottom. 

 

 

This area was a bog. I wanted to get a closer photo of the plants growing in the bog, but it was wet, I started to feel I was sinking in, so stepped out of the bog. 

 

We have been finding fun little things during our hikes. You might remember the little dinosaurs we found a few weeks ago. Today we spotted a big ol dragonfly. 

Thank you for coming along with me, for on the road Friday.  

 ♥

Carla

  

Snow Treasure ~ Marie McSwigan

 

Book Review

  Snow Treasure 

Based on actual events, this thrilling story of children's bravery in the face of a powerful enemy has been continuously in print since its first publication in 1942. 

During the German occupation of Norway, the children of the small town of Riswyk set out to save the community's gold from the Nazis who have seized control of the area. Using their sleds, the children smuggle thousands of pounds of gold bullion down a mountain to a waiting ship bound for the United States. In doing so they must pass by the Nazi guards. Day after day the children make their dangerous journey, avoiding detection until one final, daring confrontation with the Nazis.  

 

I enjoyed this book. I do not know as much history about how the war raged across the Scandinavian countries. Reading about how using the skill of cross country skiing to outsmart the enemy and the use of snow was very interesting.

 

Thankful November and it is the Hodgepodge

 

Welcome Home 157th ... July 2023 Deployment Djibouti, Africa

Thank you Veterans!!

It is Wednesday and it is time for the Hodgepodge. 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 1. What does patriotism mean to you? 

I grew up with patriotism in my heart. My family has served in the military. Our family history defending our freedoms can be traced back to the Civil War, World War One, World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, War on Terror and today's current conflicts.

We love our country, we love freedom and we will do our best to defend freedom.  

A photo and text "Hi Mom"  from our son during a his month deployment to Fort Polk. 

 2. September-October-November...your favorite fall month? Tell us why. If you live in the southern hemisphere use these months but sub spring for the word fall. 

 October

October in Wisconsin is full of color. The weather is usually very nice for autumn hiking and exploring. The garden harvest is finishing up, it is a month full of good eats.

 3. A song you love with the word thanks (or some form of that word)  in the title or lyrics?

I am on a Gordon Lightfoot kick right now, Thank you for the Promises. 

 

4. November is National Peanut Butter Month. Are you a fan? What's the last peanut butter bite you had? Fill in the blank: peanut butter and _____________________ . 

Oh, and you can't say jelly. 

Oh yes I am a fan.

I love peanut butter and chocolate. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 

  5. This week's gratitude question-What event from this past year are you most grateful for? 

Our oldest son was able to purchase his first house.

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone on many...

William Bradford

  

 

Veteran's Day 2025

 

I found this book several years ago. It is so powerful. I encourage you to read it. 
It is a children's book, it is so well done to bring the meaning of each veteran's gift of freedom to us. 
Thank you, Hero's!

A little - known tradition to the outside civilian world, "the white table" originated during the time of the Vietnam War as a symbol for and remembrance to service members held prisoner of war or missing in action. Solitary and solemn, it is the table where no one will ever sit.

Thank you to all men and women in uniform who dedicated their lives to freedom's cause.

 ♥
Carla
 
Honoring our Veteran's today.

 

 

 Below is one of my favorite photos of the welcome home ceremony for our son and the rest of the 157th.

That daddy holding his two little ones. 

Edmund Fitzgerald

 Lake Superior is a favorite place for our family. We love to spend time on her shores. We enjoy exploring the areas around the lake. And we enjoyed many adventures around and on the mighty lake. 

Our family enjoys learning history about Lake Superior.  

50 years ago today.. November 10th.. 

Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin, on a sunny November day, the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior.

 

 

Heading for Zug Island, Detroit, Michigan, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a storm begins to track after the great ship. 

 

 

The bell rings forever where heroes are found, for the soul of the sailor is held in its sounds.

 

 

There wasn't a sound except for the bell - Some say it rang out when the mighty ship fell.

 

 

The Edmund Fitzgerald was found later, lying broken and twisted on the bottom of Lake Superior, only 17 miles from the shelter of Whitefish Point.

November 10th, 1975

29 men aboard

Hello November Hodgepodge

 

 

We are starting to get cold here in Wisconsin. The smell of wood smoke is in the air.

It is the first Wednesday of  November and it is time for the Hodgepodge. 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. Besides Thanksgiving, something on your November calendar you're looking forward to?  

We have a house project that needs doing, I am not looking forward to the mess. But I am looking forward to our son's coming to help. 

 

 

2. Dictionary.com's word of the year is '6-7'. Huh? 

Is it even a word??? I had to consult the internet to find out it's meaning because apparently I'm old and this particular slang is not part of my vocabulary. Is it part of yours? According to the article I read, it's a viral term, more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning driven by social media.

What do you think? 

Dictionary. com says it's selection each year is a 'linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events, but they also admitted to being confused by '6-7'. Some say it means so-so and is sometimes accompanied by the up and down hand motion we associate with the phrase so-so.

What word do you think would have made a better choice? 

Ha Ha ... well I have no idea just like you Joyce. I apparently am old too or old fashioned, when we lived in a world when words were words.  I will stay in that old fashioned world.

Call me a fuddy - duddy I do not care.  

Ha Ha!

What would I pick for the word of the year?

Turmoil

Our world continues to be in a state of turmoil. 

 3. What's a food, trend, activity, or thing people love but you think is just so-so? 

 I tried a bubble tea for the first time, I was not impressed.

 4. Are you a tea drinker? Hot or cold? How do you like yours and at what time of day? Do you like flavored teas or teas billed as calming, energizing, healing, etc? 

I love tea. I like both hot or cold. I drink a hot tea daily, in the afternoon, usually around 1:30 pm. I enjoy a black tea with honey. Lady Grey tea is a favorite of mine.

I also have a cup of hot tea at night. I enjoy peppermint or a ginger tea at night.

5. The November Hodgepodge has always included a weekly gratitude question. Here's the question for today-what are three things that make your heart sing?   

♥ my family

♥ my friends

♥ my faith 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are just about done buttoning up for winter. 

My checklist..

Washed the greenhouse.  √

Put a layer of mulch on the raised beds and other gardens.  √

Planted garlic, tulips and daffodils.  √

Water hoses drained and put up. √

Emptied and cleaned pots.  √

 

 

Funny on Monday

 

 

On our afternoon walk, my husband said to me, something does not look right. OPE ... looks like that dock is heading out to sea. 

Have a great day my friends.

Happy November to you!!  

 ♥

Carla

 

Pumpkin Carving Party 2025

 

My husband used my dad's carving tools to write "We're Having A Good Time" into the pumpkin.

 

Hello Friends, we enjoyed another fun pumpkin carving party with our family. My parents grew all the pumpkins. They have gotten very good at pumpkin growing. We had a fantastic selection of pumpkins to choose from to create our 2025 pumpkin masterpieces.

 

I used a little basket to make a hat for this pumpkin.

 

I found a little basket and white bird in a stash of my craft items. The pumpkin I picked out did not have a stem on top,so this idea worked perfect to add the straw hat and bird.. raven. I painted the white bird, black, to make it a raven.

 

 

The pumpkin party crew, and Ernie too.

 

My husband and I created this one together.

My husband and I created this chicken pumpkin. We used chicken wire for the inside to give it a true chicken coop look. 

More creative ideas, does this one look like an owl to you?

 

 

 And now for the pumpkins all aglow.  

 

Happy Halloween to you! 

Trick or Treat and it is the Hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday 

It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. Are you a risk taker? To what degree? 

I am not. I hold the cards steady in the game of life. 

But in a game of cards, I can get risky, it usually pays off. 

2. What's your favorite candy? Would you say you have a sweet tooth?   

Right now, I am enjoying Dark Reese's Thins ... thank you to my mom for gifting me some in a Trick or Treat bag she made up for me and my husband.

I do have a sweet tooth. 

  3. Somewhere you've been recently that had you feeling 'like a kid in a candy store'? 

I was at a local plant nursery. Hold me back, or all the plants will be coming home with me.

4. What do you think is the most effective way to make a positive change in the world?

I just had this conversation with our village clerk. She is dealing with a lot of negativity in our village. Sadly, community is no longer a strong point in our little village, it once was, but it has changed after COVID and it is SLOW to come back. 

As I shared with our village clerk, friendly communication is the key to starting to make a change, in my opinion.

 5. Do you like surprises? 

I do. 

If they are good surprises.  

  6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Goodbye October .. thank you for the amazing weather for us here in Northwest Wisconsin. 

 

 

Joy List Monday

 

Joy List Monday

♥♥ a weekly ritual  ♥♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 ♥ omelets for breakfast

♥ evening walks

 ♥ red sunsets

 ♥ spending time with family

 ♥ poppy-seed treats that my mom made for me

 

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

♥ 

Carla 

Boo to You and it is the Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge. 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. What do you like most about your family? 

When the going gets tough, we will rally to help one another. Some of our family is spread across the miles, my one uncle and aunt living in Texas. This past year my Texas aunt had hip surgery. The Wisconsin families rallied to send care packages and made phone calls to check in with her. 

  

2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently? 

 

We were given a bunch of apples,  organic, fresh from the apple orchard. I made apple butter and apple sauce with some of the apples. Other are in our cold storage for fresh eating and making other apple treats.

 

  

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

 

I do like the color orange. Our son Atticus who is sporting that bright orange colored stocking cap below, he would wear bright orange stocking caps all winter long during his growing up years. This started when he was just a little guy, he would pick out an orange stocking cap as his new hat for winter.  

He is holding a bluegill he caught ice fishing in the below photo. 

I love all my photos of him sporting his orange stocking hat! 

 

Below he is older and yep, still sporting an orange stocking cap.

We are on the shores of Lake Superior in the below photo. 

 

4.  What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it? 

 My husband and I worked very hard to become debt free. We are going on year number three, and it feels so good. What is possible? We feel that if any changes in our life were to happen we have the freedom to make decisions that we may not have been able to do if tied in debt.

 

 

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...
pumpkin bread or apple cider donut ~ apple cider donut
cozy sweater or cozy hoodie ~ cozy sweater
apple picking or pumpkin picking ~ pumpkin picking
scary movie or Hallmark movie ~ Hitchcock movie
hay ride or corn maze ~ hay ride
twinkle lights or candles ~ candles
autumn hike or autumn bonfire ~ autumn hike
 
 
 
 
 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

 

It will be two years that we adopted Ernie. He is our first rescue dog. Golly what a journey we have had with him. I would not trade it, it has been a fantastic lesson for us. Watching a scared dog who lived over six months on the streets of El Paso, Texas, with gentle care and training turn into a true best buddy.

 

Joy List Monday

 

Joy List Monday

 ♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 ♥ flowers are still blooming here in Northwest Wisconsin

 ♥ beautiful October weather

 ♥ October sunlight dancing on the autumn colored leaves

 

 ♥ apples gifted from friends

 ♥ making apple butter and apple sauce

 

 

 ♥ warm apple butter spread on an english muffin

 

 

 ♥ autumn hikes 

and

 ♥ finding dinosaurs on that hike

 

 

 Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

 ♥

Carla 

On The Road Friday ~ A Castle in Dunn County Wisconsin

 

Hello Friends, last Sunday we took an adventure to find the castle that is dedicated to rural letter carriers of Dunn County, Wisconsin.

 We found the castle. We drove up, up and up a curvy one lane road. It was a very windy day and you can see in the photo above I captured a leaf blowing in the wind.

 My grandma Martha was a rural mail carrier in Price County, Wisconsin. I would ride with her on her route when I was a little girl. She was friends with most of the people she delivered mail to on her route. I enjoyed riding along with my grandma Martha on her route, she delivered mail for 40 years, in all kinds of Wisconsin weather.

 I loved the fact that back in 1938 people thought it important to honor rural mail carriers.

A few fun facts about the castle.

The castle is the only tribute to rural mail carriers in the country.

It is on the registry of haunted sights in Wisconsin. 

 

 The castle was well kept, no graffiti or other noticeable vandalizing. 

Perhaps the ghosts spook those who would want to do harm to the castle.  

 We have much more of Wisconsin to discover.. stay tuned. 

 

Painting the Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge!

Joyce asks the questions. 

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

1. Do you make an effort to see/hear live music? Last time you went somewhere for the live music?  

I do like live music. We went to a fun show in early September featuring a local band.

 It was a toe tapping good time.  

 

2.According to HGTV the colors of the year for 2026 are mostly decided. Top paint companies declare a color of the year, and decorators will incorporate that into their new year home and room designs. Here's what's on tap in terms of paint trends for 2026 (check out the link here to see photos)

• Sherwin Williams-universal khaki (inspired by heavy canvas and outdoor gear)
• Behr-hidden gem (a confident shade of teal)
• Valspar-warm eucylyptus (a warm sliver tinted green)
• Dutch Boy-melodious ivory (a honey tinted beige)
• Glidden-warm mahogany (a classic brick red)
• Krylon-matte coffee bean
• Clark and Kensington -Hazelnut Crunch (warm reddish-brown)
• Graham and Brown-Divine Damson (cherry red with a subtle violet undertone)
• Dunn and Edwards-midnight garden (the green that works everywhere) 

First question-did you know there were so many different paint manufacturers? Which color on the list most appeals to you in terms of your own decorating style? Do you have plans to do any painting in your home in the coming year, and if so might you choose a color from this list? 

Now, forget painting walls, which color name appeals to you most? 

I had no idea there were so many paint manufactures.

We just finished painting two rooms and we have one room to go, which we are going to finish next week. We are using Benjamin Moore Paint, which is a favorite brand for us. The color that is close to what we are currently painting would be, Dutch Boy - melodious ivory.

Hmmm.. I will go with midnight garden (the green that works everywhere), I would say that name appeals to me. 

 

3. What's something in your life you have to do-watch-or participate in that's about as exciting as 'watching paint dry'?  

I will say.. painting. I hate to paint. My husband enjoys it and is so good at it. I give a helping hand and I try not to say how much I do not like to paint... but he knows it is not my favorite job. 

 4 . Tuesday, October 14th is/was National Dessert day...did you/will you celebrate? Tell us how? What's your absolute favorite dessert. Yes, just one. I know!! 

We do not eat dessert each day. It is more of a special occasion or once a week. My favorite dessert is pie. I like several kinds of pie, lemon meringue is a favorite. 

 5. Perhaps today is the day I will __________________________________. 

Finish going through a few closets. I am so close to getting done with my downsizing project I started in June.

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

 

 Our annual pumpkin carving party is just around the corner.  I am starting to come up with fun ideas. How about you? Do you like to carve pumpkins?