Grouse Hollow Journal for January 21, 2015 by Greg Koelker

A week ago on Sunday afternoon I took Scout for a walk up on the ridge. It was just after the second half started in the Packer/Cowboy game and I was just too wound up to stand watching it any more. I did take along my pocket radio and headphones. On the Grouse Hollow Path, I was able to breath deeply of cedar scented air and look for deer tracks in what snow we had. There were plenty. The snow made it easier to see up and down the hill as I trudged up around the rocky point. We disturbed a couple of foraging red squirrels - ones that hadn't found the bird feeders in our yard yet. Scout did her job, but they escaped. My nerves unraveled a bit as I cleared the last oak trees - and the Packers started to turn things around. I paused by the fire pit gate and gazed down across Proksch Coulee to Stoddard, the river, and Minnesota. Julius Peppers forced a fumble which Morgan Burnett recovered - end result another 3 points for the Pack! 14-10 Pack. Murray redeemed himself, scoring later in the third quarter. I was almost ready to toss my radio into the woods when Rodgers hit Davante Adams, pulling the good guys within a point 21-20. I think Scout is used to my yelling when the Packers score (or do something bad) but I doubt the other animals in the area got it. I was looking through the driveway of our old hay barn when that score came and my caterwauling jumped out two deer that were bedded behind it. I was headed down the hill road when Rodgers did his magic and threw a bullet to the other Rodgers on the team for the go ahead score. The defense and the Packers' two-minute offense was enough to end the Cowboys' chances. I was almost home when it ended, and almost skipping down the hill. Good walk, Scout.

El and I walked way out on Stoddard Bay last week one morning. It was frosty and a bit breezy but the sun was out and the going on the part glare ice part snow cover was easy enough. We stopped at a spot and punched a hole in the 14 inches of ice using my Nils auger and electric drill. The flasher showed 5 feet and a few fish, so we set up with another hole and put the camera down. Uh oh. We had some fuzzy weeds almost up to the ice right under us. We could see a clear, flat bottom a few feet away at one angle but there were no fish visible, so we moved on, dragging the ice shack out to the far berm. We talked to some guys from Milwaukee who said they had been out there for two days and had little to show for it, a couple small northerns on tip ups and no panfish. We moved on and tried to set up again only to find that both drill batteries were spent and the wing nut that holds the manual handle in place on the Nils was missing. It's a great auger when the drill works. Nuts. Anyway, we had a nice walk and got back in time for lunch and a trip to see the third Hobbit movie in La Crosse. The film was a disappointment to me. I expected more interaction of characters but it is mostly much fighting and great special effects.

Wisconsin's greatest outdoor writer Aldo Leopold wrote about the January thaw and how he followed a skunk trail, noted signs of other creatures (vole, hawk, rabbit, owl) and their doings along the way, and that each sees the world in terms of what's useful to itself. We did that at Grouse Hollow too, taking advantage of the warmer weather to do outside stuff that has been relegated to the bottom of the list due to the cold. For example, on Saturday afternoon I cooked outside. I don't play chef much (I am head taste tester and sample sneaker usually), but this day I fixed a beer-can chicken over charcoal. I rolled the fat bird in oil and liberally dusted it with Pleasoning. When the charcoal was ready, I put a part of a can of beer in the holder (so as not to waste it, I put the other part of the can of beer inside me), stuffed the holder and can up the bird's back side, and set the rigged up chicken over a drip pan on the Little Joe smoker outside on the picnic table. El fixed potatoes and asparagus, and topped it off with pumpkin dessert with ice cream. El and I also made use of the warm weather to get the black berry patch cleaned up. To really have much enthusiasm for the job, you gotta remember what these difficult, almost warlike canes represent come next summer - Ellen's wonderful warm berry crisps under ice cream, and best of all, her special three-berry jelly. (I'll be right back; okay I'm back with some toast with jelly on it and another cup of coffee.) We used this last sunny Sunday midday to go to church (El) and gym (me). On the way home our car looked longingly at the car wash but we didn't stop. Instead at home we both went for walks, got in the rest of our Christmas lights and decorations, vacuumed out the car, and cleaned up around the yard. Then we went in for lunch and the Packer-Seahawk game.

No frustration walk today; the Packers surprised everyone Sunday and they could have won a game they weren't supposed to have a chance in. I'm glad my life doesn't revolve (entirely) on the Packers, but they sure make life more interesting sometimes. Go Pack!

Until next time, get out - I woke up sad Monday morning, for a lot of reasons, the Packers, the lousy fishing, but mostly remembering the recent grief of some of my friends and family. After making coffee, I went out in the waning darkness to release Scout and retrieve the paper. There were stars still twinkling into a gun metal sky and pre-dawn silhouetting the trees up on the hill. The sun still came up and Scout still wanted to play fetch. Life goes on and it is still good. Enjoy.