Our house has been in a bit of upheaval this last week as we hammer on through a complete bathroom tear out and remodel downstairs. After much sweating and swearing, we started pulling out the commode, tub, sink, vanity, and walls the week before. After that, most of the debris has been hauled away. We made a bunch of supply trips to town last week. We have sheetrock, a tub, shower surround, a commode, and most of the plumbing in a pile in the garage, awaiting each item’s turn in the install process. The room has a new solid and level floor, most of the gaps have been covered and foamed in, and some of the plumbing is in place. We have to tear out a wall yet and put in a pocket door frame; of course there’s wiring and plumbing as well as drywall and paint and - there’s a lot to do yet, but it is going to be nice.
On Friday I subbed at De Soto Middle School and had to ride herd on a bunch of 7th graders for the last day of the Homecoming festivities. A sunny sweatshirt type of day, there could not have been better weather for a Homecoming. I took lots of pictures and really enjoyed the enthusiasm and great school spirit evident at the pep rally. The cheerleaders were creative and enthusiastic while Doc Arneson’s pep band rocked. Coach Ev Wick fired up the faithful. Senior Jim Pavwoski invited us to a good show in the Pit. The first graders’ tug of war and egg races were my favorite game; those munchkins are really, really loud too! The court made an appearance and Idji Boardman was named Homecoming Queen while Jon Thompson was declared King. Idji is the daughter of Mick and Tarylin, while Jon is the son of Albert and Kim. The parade was colorful and sweet (as in loads of candy). I had supper at the Roadhouse with friends and then announced the football game in the Pit. (I am proud to say that I have been the football announcer at De Soto for 26 seasons, missing only four games in that span.) The home team did not disappoint the large alumni and homecoming crowd, as the Pirates clinched their 20th playoff appearance with the 47-12 victory.
On Saturday morning, the thermometer read a surprising 34 degrees and the yard had a frosting of white - a good morning to sleep in. Instead, we went fishing up on Lake Onalaska. The rumor was that the fall bite has been on for a while. At the Fred Funk Landing on Brice’s Prairie, the breeze was stiff, slapping up waves and even whitecaps at times as we took our turn to launch the Queen. The first place we anchored, we had lots of company; there were boats everywhere. El hooked a dandy crappie to start and then I got a keeper bluegill. I watched our neighbors for a sign that this was the place, but only saw a fish coming up here and there. We caught a few more small gills and I called a move, deciding to go for a cold mile-long boat ride south to try a spot where we had gotten into the perch last fall. There was a line of boats near there too, but no one appeared to be doing much. We drifted close to shore and Ellen set her hook and had a nice keeper gill. So we dropped anchors. Over the next two hours we caught lots of panfish. El had quite a morning, boating crappie, bluegill, perch, and bass. We went through a container of red worms and a dozen night crawlers. We threw back a lot of little ones, but the livewell was still crowded. I looked around for a landmark to remember this great spot by and landed on a green Burlington Northern freight car showing through the trees along the shore. Without turning around, El said I might want to rethink that strategy when the train finally clanged and jerked to a start and moved south. Anyway, we had two-thirds of an ice cream pail full of fillets when Scout and I finished cleaning the catch. We have two quart bags in the freezer after frying up enough for supper.
Until next time, get out - I also need to get busy sitting in tree stands in search of one of the bucks we have seen on our trail cameras. Pheasant and ruffed grouse seasons open this weekend too. The DNR says this was a good year for natural reproduction of pheasants, so it should be a good opener. I am off to Warrens with Bud and Rick on another North American Squirrel Association sponsored pheasant handicap hunt this weekend. Finally, if you were considering a drive to look at the fall color, you’d better do it - soon. So much fun and so little October left. Enjoy.
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