Grouse Hollow Journal for August 4, 2016 by Greg Koelker

Grouse Hollow Journal for August 4, 2016 by Greg Koelker

Boy! I have had some great months in my life, but the one we just got over does not rank among them.  I started July with lyme’s disease and two weeks later, when I started feeling a little better,, I reacted to the medication with some such or other stomach disorder, so I was really sick again.  On top of it all, the medication advisories recommended “Do Not Use Alcohol!”  Talk about insult to injury.  

My ambition recovered this last week and I got back to mowing some of our trails and the ridge road and several food plots.  The clover and root veggies in the wildlife plots have been overgrown with queen anne’s lace and a few tall thistles, some reaching as high as the roll bar on the tractor.  I tried to miss the many milkweed plants as I mowed to leave them for the butterflies.   It was also disturbing to see hundreds of Japanese beetles crawling on and falling off some of the taller plants as the John Deere roared over them.  I hope I smashed a few at least.  My better-half has been making war on the Japanese beetles.  She sprays some bug spray in an ice cream pail and then uses the lid to invite the copper/green nasties to take a swim.  She’s got quite a few, but . . .

Early Sunday morning, Vince Ruetten and I motored north out of Goose Island in search of a fish fry.  After drifting around Gundersen Bay a bit, we finally found fish.  We had fun catching little bluegills and every so often tossing one decent fish into the livewell.  We caught sunfish, white bass, perch, sheepshead, some small bass and one decent flathead catfish.  When the menagerie was filleted down in a bowl for frying, the Ruttens had enough for a dandy supper.  Bella and Jenny fixed Vince and I eggs and bacon with some sliced tomatoes and avocado for a late breakfast too.  It don’t get no better.  

Our neighbors told us to help ourselves to their sweet corn patch, so El and I dropped up and visited with Andy Beitlich before we filled a five-gallon pail with perfect corn.  He told us Angie had a new a new baby girl this past week.  Congratulations, Kids!  Three boys and a girl.  Wow!  Very cool.  Anyway, we plan to fix some of their sweet corn and steak and tomatoes for supper tonight.  We will probably toast the new baby girl, Callie and her parents - I finished my meds yesterday and I can have a cocktail again.  Whew!   Steak, sweet corn, and fresh tomatoes is my almost favorite summer meal.  The best summer meal is basil, brie and tomatoes as I have written so many times before.  We will have that later this week - with wine, maybe.  

If you’re interested, mark you calendar for August 20 when the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Mississippi River Committee (of which I am the secretary) is meeting at the Stoddard Legion at 9:30.  The public is invited to attend.  

On Sunday, Ellen and I met Janus, pronounced “JAY ness” from Denmark.  He is a foreign exchange student staying with our neighbors the Sikoras.  As far as first impressions go, he nailed it with us.  Not sure how we did with him.  Anyway, I look forward to getting to know him.  

Until next time, get out - i used to work around some news directors who actually cared about real news back in the 70’s and 80’s.  People like Gene Carlson, Mark Quade, and John T. Hoffland for example.  What I see today on the networks - and I don’t care which one it is - is all just inflated hyperbolic malarkey.  One presidential candidate insulting another IS NOT NEWS - anymore at least.  It doesn’t matter who. I propose that everyone write their national news outlets. ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CNBC, CNN, NPTV and NPR, Bloomberg and even Comedy Central and their local papers and demand that they never mention the candidates for president unless they say something of import, something newsworthy, like presenting a new plan to fix Social Security or defeat Isis or make the IRS fair.  A real plan, not cheap shots - with details and facts.  Why would that be so hard?  There must be a few paragraphs of national and international news about wars and refugees, the Olympics, fires, floods, famine, drought, revolutions, etc. - people actually working together to help someone maybe?  Something more news more worthy than calling someone crooked or thin-skinned or racist or traitor.  Who cares?  So what?  Tell me something that matters in the REAL WORLD.  It is pretty obvious these slurs stick to both sides.  You want to do something that gets their attention for real?  Quit watching these “news” programs and reading these “news” sources altogether and see how they like it then.  Believe me, it could work.  Go fishing.  Enjoy!