We took our road trip to Duluth this past weekend. The temperatures have been in the mid to high 40's so we decided to try the zoo too!!!!
It was nice, but  in no way does it compare to the Tulsa Zoo...(how I miss that place!)
The aquarium also did not compare to the one we had back in Jenks (OK)...but we had a great time at both!

I am dividing the trip into 2 posts, so look for more pictures in a day or 2...or 3! lol...

Here are a few things that we saw at the zoo....

not a great shot...but you try to photograph a bat in the dark when they are so active!
doesn't he look a he has devil horns?

This was our favorite bat. He was huge & very active. Not a great shot once again....

We were very impressed with their nocternal building.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any other pictures from there.
But there was a pair of foxes with their 2 babies that we were able to see. The babies were just adorable. Also some owls, many different kinds of bats & a few other things.

I love both of these ducks.

Of course, our whole family is like a bunch of kids...so we always have a blast in the simple petting zoo.
These animals always crack us up...

I love how they both smiled & posed for me! haha

 
hubby feeding them...

daughter petting

just some ordinary prairie dogs...

but check out this move that I captured....

LOL...look at that paw ! and that face!

he evidently took a roll in the hay earlier in the day!

he looks like he wants a coca cola !

now some pictures from the aquarium....

first of all, this was the first thing I saw after entering the aquarium & it excited me more than the aquarium!

That is Lake Superior...frozen blocks of ice! it looked SO cool!!< pun intended!

daughter really had fun with all of the hands on stuff inside. lol...like I said, we all are like a bunch of kids!
Here she is learning about steering a ship & all of the controls on deck...

That's it for this post.

I will start making my rounds to catch up with all of you.

Hello all & happy March!

I was so excited yesterday when a friend of mine pointed out that daylight saving time begins on 3/14!  Yay!!!! I love having my longer days. I have already noticed that it is staying light out later each day.
That makes me a happy girl
I am a pretty happy girl anyway...I have such a blessed life & I owe it to my wonderful hubby. I am so thankful for him. I do count my blessings each & every day.

There are many a things going on in daughters life & future right now. Things are happening quickly. But they are all good. I will wait until things are actually confirmed before posting about them...but I am so happy for her right now!

This past Saturday hubby & I took a road trip to La Crosse. Just something to do to get out of the house. A new place to explore. He had also read about a place called The Wine Guyz who were having some annual sale event where they sell wines for under $10. So of course, that was our main destination! lol...We did get a variety of reds & whites & got them all for $5.00! So we were able to stock up!
We ate lunch at a well known place in the historic district of downtown called Fayze's . This place was evidently THE place to eat at. It was packed & we had a 30 minute wait to get a table. Which was fine with us as this was like a vacation for us, so we went to the bar & had a bloody mary!

here are some photos taken from our road trip....

just some of the countryside on our drive

frozen Mississippi river & boat slips!

it was a beautiful day!

a couple of statues from the arts center

Entrance to a park on the Mississippi there in town

so peaceful!

A Botanical garden that we will have to come back to after the snow is gone!

more countryside shots taken on the way home...

snowmobilers!

It was a fun day. We got back in our town early enough to hit one of the boat dealerships. Looked around & got an idea of what we were wanting & some prices. 
Now this coming weekend we are doing another road trip and this time we get to include daughter as her man will be away for his monthly drill weekend. 
We are going to Duluth to check out the aquarium and also the museum is having an Andy Warhol exhibit. If it is a pretty day, we also want to check out their zoo.
We'll also spend some time in Canal Park & I want to eat at Hell's Kitchen!

That's about it from my end. I do have a couple of email things to share with you...they have made their rounds, but are still cute, so just in case you haven't gotten them, here ya go....

A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'  

The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway!
 Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo...  
Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.  
We sneaked into a secluded room, and googled each other. 
There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.
 As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button,
nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:  

"You got Male"!

The sun is shining, the snow is slowly melting. Maybe...just maybe, winter is on its way out!  It is amazing at how beautiful 28 degrees can be! lol...Back when I lived in Oklahoma or Texas, I NEVER said that!

The cortisone shots that I got has finally helped my finger. The swelling has gone way down & I can almost completely make a fist. It is still trying to lock up on me though.

We went & had our taxes figured yesterday. We actually get a nice return from federal & a decent one from the state. Whew! So glad to have that out of the way!
We went out to dinner to our favorite restuarant last night to celebrate. I had rack of lamb with bread pudding & broccolini. It was so good!  I love broccolini, but can't find it in any of the stores, only at certain restaurants.

Hubby is talking about getting a boat for this summer. We will still keep our canoe, but it would be nice to have something that is a bit more comfy for all day fishing trips & to be able to take out on some of the larger lakes.
I am not complaining a bit! Anything that has to do with fishing or the water makes me a happy girl!

Daughter has been in a relationship for almost a couple of months now. I haven't wanted to say anything as I wanted to see exactly how things would go. He is a wonderful man. Hubby & I both really like him a lot.
She is very happy which makes us happy.  She is even talking of going back to school & getting her degree to go into teaching. She would like to teach middle school drama.  He is extremely supportive of her. Of course, she is of him as well!
He went into the Marines right out of high school, did his 4 years, spent 9 mos. in Iraq  & is currently in the reserves. He is getting a degree in criminal justice & is wanting to go into law enforcement. SWAT to be exact!

So....as you can see, things are good in my neck of the woods for right now!

The birds are singing

this one looks frozen to the railing!

the animals are being mischievious!

Maybe I can get out somewhere this weekend & go shoot some photos of something besides my yard! haha....

I must share this new recipe that I just made the other night....SO good and not too awfully bad for you. I actually got it out of a Taste of Home Light & Tasty magazine.

Basil Shrimp Fettuccine

Garlic and basil add fresh flavor to the light sauce that coats this colorful combination of firm shrimp, bright pepper chunks and tender pasta. It's a fast favorite that tastes like you fussed. —Cathy Carroll of Grayson, Louisiana

Just a quickie to let you know about my doctor's appt. yesterday & to answer a few of your questions.

Back in late November, the ring finger on my right hand started locking up. I would have to actually use my left hand to "unclick" or "unlock" it. It did this through December. I have had trigger finger before & even though it was never that extreme, I was thinking that was what it probably was. Plus with it being in the midst of  flu season, I really didn't want to go to a doctor's office & (a) take up their time with something that seemed so silly & (b) be exposed to all of those germy people. Yes, I know...lame excuses, but the truth.  Finally my finger quit locking up because it was so swollen that I couldn't even make a fist. It was very painful from the get go & at times when hubby would try to hold my hand, I would come unglued as it hurt so bad.  I finally went in to my primary care doctor hoping & thinking that she could just give me a cortizone shot. Well, she said she wouldn't & couldn't & referred me to an orthopedics & also did some blood work, which is how the rhumatoid showed up.
Yesterday was my appt. with the Rhumatologist. They took x-rays of both of my hands. He said it would be a baseline to start referring to & also would show if any damage has been done yet.  Luckily, there has been no damage. He also checked out all of my other joints from shoulders to ankles.  He then went on to explain that the medication that is given for rhumatoid arthritis has side effects just  like chemotherapy. Yikes!  He said hair loss & nauseau are the main ones & then of course, you have to go in regularly for bloodwork.  Since mine is localized right now to the one finger, there is no reason to start that & go through that. Worst case scenerio is that I will lose use of that finger, which I will take a chance on.  He did give me a cortizone shot in the finger to help reduce the swelling in that tendon & also in my hand. Those cortizone shots hurt like the dickens, but I can usually grit my teeth & go through with it just fine. When he did the 2nd one on my hand he was about 1/2way through it & I about came unglued. He hit the bone! OUCH!!!!

This time last year is when I got  that  abcess on my neck & ended up with emergency surgery.  I am normally a very healthy person. I just seem to get these "weird" things about once a year!

So much for my new years resolution of trying to blog more often! dang it.... Life is just so full time! That & I am wasting way too much time on FB playing games!

For those of you who celebrate Valentine's Day, I hope you had a good one. It is such a commercial holiday. I did buy hubby a card & made him a little goody bag with some of his favorite treats in it. Same for daughter, plus I let her pick out a new outfit. So, I guess I'm kind of a sucker!  Hubby gave me a nice card & 2 dessert wines. One from Italy, the other from Germany (both of my heritages)...so that was very thoughtful & also something that he can enjoy with me
We grilled steaks & lobster tails & had a baked potato for our dinner. Then of course had a glass of the German wine for our dessert.

Saturday night we had the post holiday party for hubby's work. A bunch of pipeliners in a bar that is free booze...oh my...you can just imagine!  Thank goodness that is only once a year!

It has snowed here the last several days. I am really getting sick of it!

Does anyone know of  a free online video editing program? The one I used to use is no longer available. I need to edit the length of my videos so that I can post them on here.

For now, I am going to post a few more pictures & then I need to scoot as hubby got home early & I need to go & visit with him.

These were more of the deer that we have been getting in the yard almost every day now.

That is a grouse in front of the deer there trying to get out of her way!

We had 18 at one time on this particular evening!

awww...

 
Daughter modeling her new jacket she got on clearance for only $20!

And here is the dress & cardigan that she got from me for Valentine's Day,
which she wore last night when she was out with her Valentine

I have been tested positive for Rhumatoid. I am not quite sure what that all means, but am being sent to a Rhumatologist tomorrow, then to an orthopedics in March.
Getting older has its downfalls. lol...

Zany love & hugs to you all.

It is another snowy, dreary day  up here in the northwoods.

 
(this is not from today, but several days ago) quite the handsome visitor we had  in our yard.

 It has been snowing most of the day. Hubby had to get out early this morning to get the driveway plowed & get salt & sand on it because the propane truck couldn't get up it yesterday & we are down to 20% in our tank!  They made it back out this morning & thanks to hubby had no problems.
I have been loving having my front wheel & 4 wheel drive. I have had no problems at all getting around in this stuff. Today though, I am being lazy & nothing is getting me outside.

We have been getting a lot of deer in the yard again now that their food sources are getting slimmer. We have several different groups that come & they usually start around 4:30'ish. We had around 18 -20 last night all at one time. They were a lot of fun watching as they were running & playing in the snow.
I did take some pictures & videos, but will post them at another time as I have several other "catch up" pictures that I need to post on this blog.

This past Saturday we went to a winter party/sleigh ride.  We met a lot of really nice people & had a great time. It was kind of funny, the town that it was in was Chili, WI. Kind of fitting for the party, I thought! 
Here's a few pictures that I took from when we went on the sleigh ride.

It held 20 people. We went on the first ride which was a full sleigh.

Including 2 tag alongs! haha..

I would have busted my butt doing that. Of course, they did several times !

We had to stop 1/2 way through as the horses were getting tired from pulling such a heavy load.
If you look close, you can see the steam that was coming off of that horse! lol..

They were worn out by the time we made it back!

The horses were gorgeous Belgiums

Hubby talking to the owner/operator

 

That little "shack" in the background was built especially for the older grandkids when they come to visit so they can have their "own" place!

There was a huge fire going to keep us warm & it was in an old barn like building, so it made it a bit more pleasant than having to be outside the whole time!
They had crock pots of all kinds of chili & soups. Lots of homemade wines!  Just a good old fashioned & fun party.

One day last week I was coming home & something caught my eye in this field by our house.
I saw that  it was full of geese. I had to stop & take a picture.

You should have heard the noise when I rolled my window down!
lol..this is only a portion of them.

The weekend before last (wow! I have not kept up my blog very well!) hubby & I went to check out a couple of neat stores north of here.
One of them had a lot of critters inside....

haha...this just cracks me up.  Can you imagine having to go through life with teeth like that!

This was a pretty impressive grizzly bear

And this was one of my favorites...I just thought it was really cute

This was on my camera too...we took a walk later that day around our property as the sun was out, which really made it pleasant.

hubby in his nasty "work" coat that he refuses to throw away! lol..
We  had fun walking around & checking out all of the animal tracks in the snow.
We have had the fox back almost every night. He is coming when it is too dark to get pictures, of course.
But hubby woke me up one morning around 5:00 to come & see the fox. He was right outside the dining room window.
We watched him for a good 1/2 hour scouring up the bird seed on the ground & hunting for mice & voles.

Here's a couple of shots of some of the deer we have had recently.
Like I said, I have more, but will save them for another post.

I hope you all are staying warm & safe. So many of you are getting quite a bit of snow. At least here, it is expected!
Y'all take care & I will be coming around to catch up with you soon.

Zany hugs to you all.

This is the photo that won me an honorable mention slot!

I named it "Awakening"

Some of you may remember me posting this  actually, as you know that I post all  many of my photos here!

Seeing as how it was the first photo contest that I have ever participated, I am very happy with honorable mention.

I will put a link up here in a few days as all of the entries will be made available online on 2/1.

The 3 winning photos & the 2 honorable mentions have all been framed & will be hanging on display in several different places throughout the Chippewa Valley, so that alone makes me happy as our names are on each!

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We started out our day very cold this morning.  The wind chill was at -21 when I got up. The real temp is now up to 3 degrees  now at 2:00 in the afternoon & the wind chill is up to -10!
I have stayed inside today. In fact, I have had one of my laziest days in a while. I stayed in my pj's until noon! And then only to change into my sweats! lol...
I do have some laundry going, but that is about all that I have done besides catch up on the computer so far.

I am going to go real soon & get in my wii fit time & then I guess I better shower & put on real clothes before hubby gets home!

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Today is my baby brother's birthday...happy 42nd to you Bobby!

Yesterday was daughter's  boyfriend's birthday.  She takes after her mama as knowing a way to a man's heart is through his belly! She had him over & cooked him a wonderful & romantic meal. She made Chicken Cordon Bleu! I was very impressed as was he.  Hubby & I of course, were gone, so it was just the 2 of them here. I know that the house smelled wonderful when we left & she said that he loved everything. awwww....

OK my friends...you all stay warm & have a great Thursday afternoon & evening.

Is it really the end of January already?  I don't believe how quickly time is zipping on by. Except for winter...it seems to be here forever! I am sick of seeing white outside! This week the temps are single digits maybe getting up to 10 or 15 as a high, but wind chills are 0 or below. 

Thank goodness for my wii fishing game! lol.  I am really enjoying the wii fit. I am using it every day even if I can only get 15 minutes on it. My favorites on there are the yoga, the ski slalom, & the hula hooping. I have horrible balance & strength issues & am trying really hard to work on those.

We have 2 post holiday parties coming up in February. One is for the pipeliners so it will be a casual & fun one! The other is some annual winter party/sleigh ride that  a friend of hubby's & her husband put on each year.  It will be fun to see what it is like. It is way out on a farm in a town that I have never heard of but thought it was a fitting name...Chili is the name of the town! lol...

Back in November or December, I entered a local photo contest. Tonight is the photo reveal party. Hubby & I are going. I was really excited to just go & see all of the entries that will be on display, but then yesterday I received an email telling me that I am a winner! They wouldn't say if it was 1st, 2nd or 3rd place or an honorable mention. I will find that out tonight. So I am very excited to see what place I earned!

I am one of the nerds who is watching The Bachelor. Is anyone else out there as hard up for tv as me & watching it? lol...There has been quite a bit of drama on this season for sure! One of the reasons why I love reality television!

I have a couple of recipes to share with you all. This spaghetti one I just made last night & OMG was it ever delicious! I actually got it off of the Pioneer Woman's site. Trust me, it is SO good...

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

 prep time 15 minutes: cook time 30 minutes: serves 6

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced (hefty cloves ..I used 4 because we love garlic)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 can Artichoke hearts (14.5 oz quartered or whole) drained (NOT the marinated ones, get the ones in water)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cups chicken broth (more as needed)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
2 Tablespoons fresh chives or other herbs such as Basil or Parsley , chopped. ( I used 1 T. of chives & 1 T basil)

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes
Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth.
Add salt & pepper to taste (do not undersalt) add nutmeg.  Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan.  Pour sauce over the top. Add fresh herbs.
Toss lightly to cover & coat.  Add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

This next one hubby had seen in the newspaper & really wanted me to make. I didn't think that I would like it as I am not a big fan of green olives, but I did like it very much & even daughter enjoyed it, which is unusual! lol...

I call it a Martini Roast (the actual name in the paper was Roast Pork with Vermouth and Olives)

1 pork loin roast (at least 4 lbs)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or sage or 1/4 tsp. dried
3 garlic cloves, smashed & minced
Cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp. olive oil
3/4 cup sliced pimiento stuffed olives or to taste
Water
2 T. cornstarch

Score any fat on roast with a knife. Place in glass or plastic container or self-sealing plastic bag.
Combine broth, vermouth, lemon juice, rosemary, garlic and pepper. Pour over meat, seal and refrigerate at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, turning occasionally.
Heat oven  to 325 degrees.  Remove meat from marinade and pat dry.  Reserve marinade.
Sear meat in oil in large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, turning so all sides are browned.
Place fat side up in skillet or shallow roasting pan. Spoon some of the reserved marinade over meat.
Roast until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting occasionally with marinade.
During last hour, add olives to pan.
Remove roast from pan & cover with foil.
Skim fat from pan juices and add enough water to make 1 1/2 cups.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits.
Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and add to pan stirring constantly.
Reduce heat & simmer 3 minutes or until thickened.
Slice pork and serve with gravy.

serves 6-8 with a 4 pound roast.

I have been trying to keep up with you all. I have slacked since the weekend though. I will be making my rounds as I can, probably starting tomorrow though.
All my Okie & Texas friends, be safe with the weather that is headed your way.
Zany love & hugs to you all.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  It was a good one around here.

 Friday night we went & saw Barefoot in the Park. It was a very funny show. I have never seen it before. Our friend did a wonderful job, as did all of the actors.

Daughter is "thinking" of auditioning for an upcoming show...****fingers crossed**** that she will actually do it.
I think that once she gets her feet wet up here, she will love it. It is just having to get out there & do it that "first" time.

Saturday & Sunday were spent doing some chores, watching some very exciting football games, playing some wii sports, throwing darts and working on a puzzle. So it was a very laid back time yet also did get some things accomplished as well.

I spent a good portion of the day yesterday in the kitchen making my homemade tamales. My kitchen is always such a wreck when I am finally done...I really hate that part!
But I do have to say that they are worth it in the end. In fact, this batch almost has to be the best ones I have ever made, or at least I thought so!

Here's a few pictures that I took last night of the sunset. It was really pretty after being such a COLD weekend!

That is all that I have!  But, short & sweet is better than nothing at all!

 I hope your Monday was a painless one & that the new week will be a good one for you all.

Zany hugs to you.     

TGIF! This week sure did go by quickly for it being the first full week after all of the holidays.

 The game last night was a good one. Really hated to see McCoy get hurt & have to leave the game, then felt really bad for that poor freshman quarterback, but he finally calmed down & got it together in the 2nd quarter & it almost looked like Texas was going to pull ahead....almost! Oh well, it was a great game & way to go Bama!
One final thought though...why oh why must they dump the gatorade on the poor coach...I still don't get that one...

The weather is crazy everywhere once again. My friends down south have it bad. We had about 4" of new snow fall yesterday. Today the sun is shining brightly, although it is a bitter 6 degrees out right now. The high is suppose to reach 10.

Tonight we are going to see  Barefoot in the Park. The local theater guild is putting it on & hubby's boss' wife has the lead! So it will be fun to finally get to see her perform. 

 It is amazing at how smart animals are.  Hunting season ended this past weekend & all of a sudden the deer have all started coming out & about again! lol.. We had a yard full both yesterday afternoon & last night.  You know what that means dontcha?....yep, I have pictures to share!   

 It looks like that one on the left is grinning! He also looks like a donkey!

   haha..this one looks like a llama!

These next few were on my camera from Saturday when hubby took a few shots of the birds.

That's all that I have for today.
Time to get busy now.
I hope you all have a great weekend.