How Sweet It Is
Chilly nights and then bright autumn days with temps in the mid 50s. My favorite weather. But surely, worse is yet to come.
Bald Bluff
Out Bluff Road on a warm and windy late October day to Bald Bluff, a large and steep terminal moraine in the KM State Forest.
Could this be bigger than Kagawong big Rock?
A long, steep, gravelly climb. And Mimi and I pretty much kept up with K&W.
Extra Noise in Noisy Village
Homecoming at the U.
Farmstand.
New berry patch. Not quite done—three more bushes to be planted, and then mulch. If things go well, this could be nice. Check back in 3 to 5 years.
It was loud in town. Big parade, and all the siren operators got to operate their sirens just as much as they wanted. Loud "music" emanating from most points of the compass. And pretty much unlimited yelling and shouting. (How can people yell and shout all day long and still have an esophagus?)
But, I outfoxed the the noisemakers. I fired up the chainsaw and did a major back yard sawing, then went for a ride in the country. The odd thing is—no fireworks (which last year sent Pax into a catatonic state). I'm afeared the home team lost.
Lovely Fall Day
Cool and bright and colorful.
To Milwaukee and Fox Point in the afternoon, but Buddy is staying with us in Whitewater a bit longer due to complications in the Fox Point floor refinishing process.
Bring in the Rosemary
Frost tonight for sure, and the redbud, having lost 87% of its leaves can no longer offer shelter.
Political Leanings
A gathering on campus featuring Senator Tammy Baldwin and past and future Senator Russ Feingold.
Conversion
Backyard hill garden being transformed into a patch of berry bushes.
What was an unappealing eyesore of perennials, herbs, and weeds is being transformed into a patch of berry bushes. Began digging in the a.m. but gave up due to high humidity and intense sun (in spite of a nice northerly breeze). Finished up once the sun was over the yardarm. Pulled out a barrow full of roots.
Also today, we applied for new passports (an expensive pain), and voted.
Voting was scary. I saw the Trump/Pense bubble right above the Clinton/Kaine bubble and I worried the ink might splash up. I checked the bubbles, and then rechecked them, and I am sure I voted properly.
Having voted early, do you think I might be able to vote a few more times? I am one of "those people."
Crazy Climate
Hu-mid, and mid eighties? Indian summer on steroids.
Conditions not favorable for consideration of anything resembling work. Ripping south wind now...perhaps blowing the humidity to higher latitudes, or somewhere else.
This Is Not October
Warm and horribly humid.
Above, Emerson esker, named after a Norwegian immigrant who built a log cabin on it in the 1850s, cleared the land and wrested a living from it, had four children, got caught up in the Civil War, and died in its last days, sometime in 1864. (An esker is a winding ridge of gravel deposited by glacial meltwater.)
Here's the Emerson cabin, built of larch logs. (Note: the eavestrough is a modern addition.)
Heavy deluge last night. Farm fields flooded, making the corn harvest a sticky business. Today, warm, still, and, as I said, incredibly humid. We actually had to run the air conditioner, here in the last half of October.
Busy Barns
It was busy but still fun.
And belated happy birthday to Bri. (Note: In this shot Maddie has not fully recovered from an earlier hot-chocolate.)
Mimi made the traditional roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy dinner, with apple pie—well appreciated by everyone.
Warm and highly humid day, sauna-like.
Yes, Frost...
...followed by south wind and big warmup.
Afternoon at Victoria Lane playing with Ellie, Maddie, and Becca. Bike ride to middle school play ground.
Mob of early bird robins getting the--crabapples from VI's tree. Frost in the background.
Frost?
Perhaps.
Duckweed floating down WW creek.
Locust leaves falling on the ground.
Patches of frost were sighted in Starin Park this morning, but the resident rosemary, under the redbud on the back patio, felt no ill effects.
The average annual frost date for this part of Wisconsin is October 15, so we are pretty much on schedule. And when or if the thermometer reaches 70 degrees after a frost, it's Indian summer. There is almost nothing nicer than Indian summer.
All In A Row
Abby, Katy, and Will here for some fun and frolic enroute to the apartment in Milwaukee where they will be camping out for about a week while the floors in their house are redone. Pumpkin patch and bike rides rained out, but pingpong filled in admirably. For a bit Abby and I went exploring at the Fuzzy Pig (one of the oddest stores in Wisconsin) while Mimi played with Katester and William, Uno on one hand and checkers on the other.
Sometime later, during a break in the rain, Ab and Kate roamed through the remnant garden and discovered three more squash and nine gnarled gourds.
Say this one fast:
"Nine gnarled gourds aren't nearly enough."
Big cold front. We gave the furnace a brief test-run (just to ward off the damp).
There's No Place Like Home...
...and it's nice to have two. Settling back into fall and winter mode, here at Whitewater house.
Sunrise in St. Ignace.
Sunset in Whitewater.
And we live on a good street.
Eight Russ signs at present--soon to be nine.
Terrible, Horrible, No Good...
Really Not So Bad Day.
Six hours of dirty work and heavy lifting--the dreaded annual shutdown. And then, when you need to take a shower, there isn't one.
Opening day is much more fun.
Thanks to Sue for photos.
This Side of Paradise
(sorry F. Scott). But if you like sailing and swimming; silence and seclusion; wind, waves, and weather; birds, bears, and bats; frogs, friends, and family; this particular place comes pretty close to perfection.
And now, the days here are numbered. In fact, you could count them on one finger.
Lagoon full of tadpoles. Since Florida is not an option, I suggest digging deep in the mud, pretty soon.
A substantial stone that hasn't rolled for about 10,000 years.
Pinebox Mobile Unit heading for the highway, and points south.
Road work. There will be no washouts next spring.
More roadwork. How I love a shovel, let me count the ways.
Bye-bye, big bay.
Chilly today. Down into the 30s tonight. Yes, it seems to be time to either dig into the mud or head south.
Thanks to Sue for some of the photos.
There's a Certain Slant of Light...
...autumn afternoons (sorry, Emily).
Wild west wind. Scattered clouds racing across the blue sky, dropping occasional scatters of rain.
Road work--clearing and deepening the up-slope ditch.
(Just had to move inside to avoid a sudden downpour.)
Pinebox shut down today, and this house about 87% done.
T.S. Eliot says April is the cruelest month, but, much as I love October, sometimes I think it is.
Cleared the stove of ashes earlier--now time to light it up. Chilly!
Change of Season
Another warm front last night bringing substantial rain but no cooling. Another front this evening, but this time, almost certainly, a cold one.
And, almost certainly, the last 70 degree day until next summer.
Today: log splitting and woodshed replenishment, small engine winterizing, porch plastic-wrapping. As with all wildlife, preparation is key.
Magic Mix
Morning row for Mimi, while Bob and I went to Meeker's trout farm at Lake Wolsey.
Photo courtesy Mimi.
Meeker's Magic Mix
Mike Meeker addressing a group of university aquaculture students.
Trailer-full of mix heading ino the garden.
T'giving, CDN style.
Real Canadian thanksgiving is on Columbus Day, but since most of us are departing Serendip prior, today was the day. So, with neighbors, at Pinebox, smoked chicken, stuffing, squash gratin, cranberry, potatoes, and other delicacies, plus pie.
And as the plates were being washed up the rain came down.