Back to the Future

In the midst of all the snow, one can't help thinking back to our beautiful fall weather, to balmy summer days, being able to walk outside and not clutch your chest as icy air hits your lungs...

Neighbor Jolene rode her youngin', Kelo, over for a visit one day in September while Pat was here. He later spent over a week working with Jolene and her husband with two of their young horses, but this day it was all about the trail ride and TIME OFF!












Kelo's a big boy, over 16 hands tall - Nebby is barely 14 hands. A "hand" is 4" - do the math.

Typical of youngsters everywhere, Kelo, is easily distracted, and wants to see everything. After all, you never know when one of those saber-tooth squirrels might sneak up...

It was a good day for a ride...

and we're all looking forward to next summer's WARM weather!

Snow - camera - action

Snow has piled up for several weeks now. With appropriate gear, it hasn't stopped any of the outdoor action on the farm.
The bunnies have big feet - no sinking into the snow for them! This line of tracks goes from the den, to the birdfeeders - yep, bunnies like bird seed. What else is there, when the snow is feet deep??















The deep drifts are just glorified slides for geared-up kids...Max and Jayden were thrilled with this bank of snow.
















and the snowthrower cuts through the big drifts like butter, leaving wonderful canyons to exploit. Jayden is measuring the potential.





















Of course someone has to RUN the snowthrower, and here she is!














Snow angels, anyone? When you sink a foot into the snow, it's a little difficult to swing those arms and feet .... Lee gave it a good try.














And at the end of the day, we get to snuggle up to the cabin stove, and wish the birds a good night. Outside, the setting sun colors a spectacular signature over the icy landscape.

Just a few ways we enjoy winterscaping in Wisconsin....

Festive Food

Celebrations seem to always involve food - especially Christmas. We use old favorites, share treats, and try new recipes. Foods that are tasty, colorful and easy top our list when it comes to busy holiday menus.
On Christmas Eve, the family gathered for dinner at the cabin. We had Swedish Meatballs and noodles, butter-sauteed brussel sprouts, Romaine salad, and fruit.
The meatballs were a traditional Swedish recipe, made easy by using a scoop to form the balls, and a warm sourcream dill sauce for gravy.













The romaine salad was supposed to have strawberries. Carrie and I made a last minute trip to local grocery stores, in a heavy snow storm, only to find one lonely basket of half-ripe berries. So we substituted some lovely raspberries, blueberries, pomagranate seeds, and feta cheese. I made the dressing according to the recipe from a Canadian friend, who had concocted it with her professional chef husband. Even though it was meant to go with strawberries in the romaine, it was luscious with the mixed fruit, and the bit of saltiness of the feta completed the whole salad with a tasty mix of contrasts.















The dressing is an equal mix of mayonnaise and sourcream, sweetened with a splash of Sugar Free Strawberry syrup (DaVinci or Torini), with a dash of poppy seeds. Thin with bit more cold water to make a not-too-thick but pourable dressing. If you can't get the syrup (which I didn't), for a mix of about 2/3 cup each mayo/sourcream, use a teaspoon strawberry flavoring, a couple tablespoons of Splenda or other sweetener (to taste), a drop of red coloring, then add cream or water, to the desired texture. It's not too sweet, and the cotton-candy pink color makes it very enticing. This was also a delectable dip for chunks of fresh pineapple, and red grapes!















Dessert was one of the easiest cheesecake concoctions I've found. Beat together two 8-ounce packages cream cheese (full or low fat, you be the judge), a 7-oz. jar of marshmallow cream, and 1/2 T. vanilla (or more; or almond, or whatever you have a taste for). Spoon into graham crust - I used the small individual ones just for fun. Makes 8 heaped desserts. Refrigerate until firm, a couple of hours. To serve, each was topped with whipped cream and garnished with red and green gumdrop pieces. Very Christmasy! And rich, I might add. Next time I would put the filling in mini-muffin pan crusts, and serve one or two to each person.














The only new recipe I did this year, was a cookie that was just a little more involved. The dough was a simple chocolate mixture, rolled thin and cut into circles and stars. The basic vanilla frosting stuck them together, then they got a chocolate ganache drizzle. These are just fancy enough to be "special", but easy enough to be worth the few minutes to assemble.














Every family has favorite festive foods - it's fun to bring out the traditional recipes, and try out a few new tastes.

The brussel sprouts were DEFINATELY the new taste this year. The punks were good sports - I told them it was a taste test to see if we wanted to include brussel sprouts in the garden next year. Apparently if they are to be grown, it will be Amanda and I doing the honors....

Let the Games Begin!

Games are a big part of Christmas celebrations when you have a herd of youngin's. This year, when names were drawn, Collin got Jayden, and found a fun, fast-paced card game for him. At least I think it was Collin...maybe it was Lee...anyway, the game is called Big Fish Lil Fish and is totally wild, just what a Wright family game night is all about!
As you might suspect, the idea is that big fish eat little fish. The action is along the lines of Slap Jack - no turns, just full out action, get your fish on the pile-up. But be careful - they are colored and numbered and if you get out of sequence, you get the whole pond full! And then there's puffer fish...hey, if you want to know all the rules, go get your own!!


















Collin got hooked in, when he heard all the fun and laughter coming from the kitchen - he started telling Jayden what to play next, then asked just what the rules were! Collin's comment: "I don't know if I was helping him, or giving him bad advice!" Yeah, Collin.





























Carrie is the biggest gamer of them all, she gets a charge out winning - even over her own spawn. Poor little guys.















But Lee hangs right in there, and wins by a fish tail!

Then they talked Gramma into playing. Took two hands to even get a fish card on the pond pile. I told ya - it's FAST!!

OOPS

You have to be careful what you wish for. You may get it. And more of it. And more of it. And more of it....
Neighbor Tom came over with his tractor and big snowthrower. He made two swipes up the drive way and in about 6 minutes did what it takes about 30 minutes to do with the small snowthrower. Have I mentioned lately how blessed we are with good neighbors?















Carrie has decided we put the mailbox in the wrong place. It's right in front of a bank, and of course we didn't realize then what we know now...that when the snow blows and drifts, it piles up where ever there's a bank. So when the big snowplows come to clear the roads, they hit those four foot drifts and push it all right back towards the bank.











Which pretty effectively buries the mail box.









And if the mailperson comes along and can't reach the box, well, the option is to drive 20 minutes in to the main PO in Two Rivers to get the mail. And when the roads are snow covered and icey, that's not really a very good option.











So Carrie, not having a magic wand handy, uses the non-technical snow shovel to dig out the mailbox, so we can get our mail in the manner to which we are accustomed. It's hard work. That fluffy snow turns to ice over night, and gains about a ton of weight per shovel full.









"How long do you think the mailcarrier's car is?
Do you think this is enough room yet? Crimenently, how much of this stuff do I have to MOVE??"

Cath 'eth (ah kak)

Twilight Zone? Alfred Hitchcock? Alien? PREDATOR!! Yeah, that's it! Looks like some kinda teeth there - hmmmm - maybe JAWS?
















Let's get a little better focus here. Well, it's definately jaws. And teeth. And a lot of hardware.
















Ah, there we are. It's Than, sporting his brand new look. It's called a MARA. He has some serious issues, folks, calls for serious contraptions.















But he's a good sport about it all. He has spent the last two weeks eating yogurt, pudding, shakes, jello, that sort of stuff. We took pity on him one night and blended the yummy stew the rest of us were scarfing down...















Today he went to town with me to be my "go-fer" and gift shopping consultant. He's a great helper, and good company. So I got his favorite lunch for him - Wendy's Baconator. Halfway into the drive-through, I remembered - MARA. Oh, Than, I'm SOOOO sorry!! But he assured me he was ready for real food again - he actually had a bit of scrambled egg this morning. I suggested that maybe he could tear off bites (try that with double hamburger patties, 4 slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese and thick bun...) but he again assured me he could handle it.
And he did. The first bite was HUGE. He gave me a thumbs up as he munched away.
I was very relieved.















And so was he. After the fries and burger were completely inhaled, his comment was, "That's the first real food in two weeks. And I'm finally full!"
In three years, he'll look back at these pictures and want to strangle a gramma.
His brothers will all be giving me extra hugs - this is great date blackmail material. You should hear their comments. Well, no....you shouldn't. Boys are rather bizarre.

DOGGONIT!!

Snow is the icing on the winter cake. The punks build snowmen until midnight, an igloo is under construction as soon as there's enough snow to roll a ball, and if you go outside while they are out there you better be prepared to DUCK! Then there are the snowmobiles for exploring the fields and woods, and snowthrowers to carve paths out and about (although that's not the most favorite activity), and maybe even some maple syrup snowcones.
But the punks aren't the only family members who are eager to get outdoors when the snowflakes start piling up. I'll let Happy Dog tell his own story:



"Looky there! Tally ho!"














"You little rascal, you just THINK you can get away under that timber pile."

















"I know you're there, pal, I saw ya! Just stick your pesky pink nose up here...come on, I dare ya...."














"Shhh. Ya gotta stand real quiet. But alert. That's right - alert. This is how ya do it. And you havta keep one paw up, that's important. They won't move if you have all four feet on the ground...













"OK, there's more than one bunny in the burn pile. I can always DIG ya out, ya know..."




(Do you think he noticed the bunny door on the other side??









"Ready or not, here I come...."

(Nope, I don't think he noticed. That bunny is looonng gone...

"Hmmpph. Doggone rodent. I know they run all over here, there's gotta be another one someplace. "

"Whoa! Stop the presses! Is that a WOODCHUCK out there?? Now that's prime huntin', I can actually CATCH one of those guys!"

Sad but true. Although the last one he caught, the boys ended up dispatching with a BB gun to finish it off.










"Ahhhh. The rewards of bein' a huntin' dawg.
Warm fire, comfy rug, someone to pick the snowballs from between my toes.... If I hang out right here, none of those punks will sneak out the door without me..."














What's this? A lost polar bear?
Oh - nope, that's just Opal. She is old and decrepit, but that doesn't stop her from hittin' the snowfields when she comes to stay at the farm for a couple weeks.














"It's not nice to laugh at old dogs. You could at least provide snowshoes - or get that snowthrower over here and RESCUE me, doggonit."













"Ah, that's better. Hey, I could be a sled dog! Yep, I could. See my extra thick coat? I can even curl up and sleep in snow banks with my nose under my fluffy tail muff, just like those snobby Huskies. They got nothin' on a gen-u-wine Wisconsin mutt..."





She drives us crazy. She hates being indoors, barks to be let out within 30 seconds of being dragged in to thaw out. She has serious health issues, she's old, and probably senile. Ya, that's it, she's gone back to her puppyhood. When she is outdoors she lays right on the ice, or the nearest snow bank, and makes like a sled dog. We're negotiating with Santa for a harness and sled...




"Puppy? Was I a puppy?"

"Ok, turkeys, I got no coat, mom shaved it off and didn't even have gramma knit a sweater for me. Here I am, shivering and turning into a Schnauzer-cicle... Open that door, for pity sake, and come in and sit by the fire so I can get in your lap!"

Nikki's problem is that she wants to be where ever the punks or other people are. If they are out in the snow, that's where she goes. If they come indoors, that's where she goes. She has a distinct bark for each situation.

BUT. As you may have noticed, she is only 11" tall, has no fat on those skinny little legs, no hair left on her skinny little tail, and no brains between those ears. We have to keep a close eye on her and limit her outings to only 5-10 minutes or we would be putting her on a stick and licking her. Thhpppt.

Actually, she thinks she is a cat. Honest.

Back to the 60's

What do the words "coffee shop" and "stage" bring to mind? Long hair, hippies, guitars,maybe? How about pianos, and jammin'? Ring a bell? Hey, I'm a 60's Child, these things are very fresh in my memory. Yep. Fresh.
The punks pulled a gig at the Harmony Cafe in Green Bay; stage, coffee, live mic, the whole tamale. Umm. I think that's supposed to be, "the whole enchilada..." . OK, so their piano instructor signed up ALL her students for an hour of entertainment in front of a live audience. Not too much different than a recital, actually. But it really was a coffee shop. With customers. Besides parents...

So who are these handsome dudes? They were the only ones in ties and white shirts - not what you'd expect in a traditional coffee shop. But they sure looked good, and made their momma and Gramma and the piano teacher (Miss Betty) VERY proud!

Lee and Collin were working on the long hair bit for their gig - two-toned, even. They would have fit right into the 60's scene. After they got rid of the city clothes.




Than has spread his wings - playing beyond the lesson books has become his passion, no piece of music is safe from his questing mind. He says he likes the challenge. He plays several pieces from memory now. I think that is beyond my scope, I'm lucky to remember the name of the white and black keys...














This is Lee's first year as a piano student. He's killing time until mom finds a guitar instructor who will come to the house, like Miss Betty does....















In fact, he's only been playing about three months. The older punks have at least had a couple recitals under their belt -Lee just sat down and played like he'd been playing for a crowd every Saturday night.
















Collin is practically an old pro now. Besides composing, he books for parties (well, the church Christmas party) and provides prelude (at church). He also can be counted on for a hot rendition of "Happy Birthday".



















One of his pieces was a duet with Miss Betty. It's really fun to play duets, especially with someone who knows what they are doing - not like Gramma. We did a duet for our very first recital. I missed a note. Or two.















The artists at work, making magic with the black-and-whites.















Hmmm. Collin really gets into his music. And he likes to be comfy while he's at it...

I actually recorded some of the music, on my camera. Now if I can just figure out where it WENT when I downloaded to the computer, I 'll try to figure out how to post it....