Besides crop damage and car damage,
whitetail deer (and hunting and fishing in general) wreak havoc on
my list of chores and projects around here during the fall. I leave
most everything unrelated to hunting and fishing, started and not
finished when the tree-stand, field, and water beckons. Finally,
with deer hunting mostly behind us (there is still the Holiday
antlerless hunt), Ellen and I spent last week doing necessary outdoor
stuff before we got dumped on with a load or two of white stuff. I
make lists and check them twice or more. (Does anyone out there,
make lists and then add things to the list you already got done so
you can cross them off like I do? I wonder what Freud would say
about that.)
Anyway, Ellen had picked out some
Christmas trees up on the ridge for consideration that needed cutting
and set up in stands (we put up two or three depending on the guest
list). Does anyone else hate putting a tree in a stand like I do?
There has to be a better way - just sayin'. While we were up in the
woods, I remembered that there are three pop-up hunting blinds that
needed gathering in from the woods before the winter winds smash them
or blow them to Illinois.
Back at the ranch, around the outside
of our house, there were three rooftop ice wires that needed
maintenance; in the shop I had Eli's rescued wind-wrecked pop-up deer
hunting blind piled in a frozen muddy, rotten apple encrusted heap
in the middle of the floor - it needed repair and storing (the blind
spent most of last year twisted and flattened under an apple tree on
our ridge); on the bench I had three piles of dumped out screws and
nuts and nails that needed sorting so I could maybe use the bench to
at least pile something else on; our ice fishing gear needed
organizing, our portable gas grill needed cleaning and testing for a
trip to Lambeau, and the shop needed rotten apples and muddy leaves
swept up; in the barn, tobacco shed and garage, batteries needed to
be gathered in from the tractors and boat, the truck had two tires
that were apparently wrecked during deer season and had slow leaks
that needed a trip to Lee's Auto for fixing, and maybe most
important: the snowblower needed fresh fuel and an oil change; in the
house, carpets needed vacuuming and rooms needed dusting, bathrooms
needed cleaning, decorating needed to get finished, stockings needed
to be hung by the chimney with care, Ellen wanted to get a pot of
vegetable beef soup made just to have around, and some tailgate meal
planning needed to get planned.
Barb and Chuck came up on Saturday to
visit and make a trip to Lambeau Field on Sunday. Our plan was to
suit up and help McCarthy's heroes get off the snide against the
Falcons. Of course, Chuck and I went ice fishing by mid-afternoon
on Saturday. The ice was about 6 inches thick. We used my new Nils
power/hand ice auger to quickly bore through and get fishing. (One
can use an electric drill or the easy to attach/remove opposable
handle to power this auger.) We - mostly Chuck - did get a meal of
decent bluegills.
On Sunday morning, we left at 5:15,
traveling across the state in a flurry of sometimes blinding snow -
especially when we got on the interstate and got any where near a
semi truck. We stopped at Weyauwega for breakfast at a McDonald's
filled with other Packer faithful, including a group from La Farge.
At Green Bay, we parked at the Resch Center, and after scrambling
into our blizzard gear, I set up a table and gas grill and warmed up
some kraut and Ross' Brats. The party was in full swing with music
blaring and crazy outfits including two Falcon fans in short sleeve
jerseys, shorts, and tennis shoes. It was below 10 degrees at the
time - 13 at game time. Considering the Rodgerless Packers' 5-game
slide, the house was full and rocking. Of course there were some
drunken jerks - even one near us who booed when they asked for a
moment of silence in honor Nelson Mandela. (He and a lot of others
booed the Pack when they went in at half-time down 21-10.) During
half-time, we were honored by being there to honor Packer great and
hall-of-famer Dave Robinson. We held up designated color cards to
spell out the big G and Dave and his number I think. It was kind of
hard to tell at every angle. Anyway, we were seated just below where
they undraped his name and years on the stadium wall and there was
fireworks and more cheering for him - more than for the current group
of mostly less than greats on the frozen tundra. Anyway, how about
those Packers?! The defense finally heated up and burned the
Falcons in the second half, perhaps inspired by Dave Robinson an/or
maybe the booing. I guess Matt Flynn and offense and Mason Crosby
did okay too! They still have a chance at the playoffs! “Playoffs?!
Don't talk about PLAYOFFS?! You kiddin' me?” Does anyone else out
there think the Packers still might have a chance at the playoffs?
I'm putting on a list of things to get done anyway.
Until next time, get out - I haven't
done much, okay, any holiday shopping. Thank goodness for online
shopping. Enjoy.
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