Mona Lisa in Wisconsin

 Going through old photos I came across these photos, taken some time in the 1990s. If I recall correctly this barn was in the Gilman area, I think on Hwy 64 between Hwy 27 and 73. I recently travelled that route and the painting is no longer there, or at least I didn't see it. 

Notice Mona Lisa is wearing a Badger's tee shirt.

Little Free Libraries

The mission of Little Free Libraries is to build community, inspire readers, and expand book access for all. The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by the late Ted Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin, which is on the border with Minnesota. Bol mounted a wooden box, designed to look like a one room schoolhouse on a post on his lawn and filled it with books a tribute to his late mother, a book lover and school teacher who had recently died. Ted and his partner Rick Brooks soon built and installed more of these little libraries in different areas of the Midwest. The idea took off and now there are thousands of such libraries throughout the world. Ted’s goal was to create more libraries than Andrew Carnegie had founded. That number was 2,510, which was met in 2012.




The Little Free Library is now a non profit organization. It moved from Hudson, Wisconsin to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2022.



When a Little Free Library is a member of the non profit parent organization you will find a small meal tag on the Little Free Library noting that.



I first became familiar with Little Free Libraries early on. I lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which has the highest library circulation rates and most library branches per person in the United States. We are a city of readers so it was natural , along with its proximity to Hudson, that Little Free Libraries would take off there.



I’m happy to report that Tomahawk, with a population of about 3,500, has at least six Little Free Libraries. I believe my friend Jane’s was the first, in about 2016. It was a birthday gift from her family. It is located outside the Tomahawk Pharmacy, next to the Post Office. Grace Lutheran Church has three, two for adults, one for children. Two are located on the corner of Somo Avenue and North 3rd Street; the other on West Washington Avenue. Kinship, located in the old Bradley Bank Building, just recently opened a Little Free Library, it’s outside their building on North Tomahawk Avenue. Another new one is located on West Somo Avenue and Conservation Street, across from the DNR building. It is unique in that it also has a supply of sticks for dogs.



The most unique Little Free Library I have ever come across is in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. Cornucopia is located on Siskiwit Bay of Lake Superior. It has a population of 103, and three active churches; Catholic, Lutheran, and Russian Orthodox. It has a Little Free Library on the beach, and located near it is an artesian well, where you can fill your water jugs with really tasty water.



Does your community have a Little Free Library?

Jane's Little Library

Sticks for Dogs in Tomahawk

Cornucopia, Wisconsin

Rudolph Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave

 This week I visited the nearby Rudolph Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave. I had never heard of them. My friend, Miss Northerner, posted about her recent visit. It's only 76 miles from Tomahawk, so any easy day road trip.

The grotto was constructed by Fr. Philip J. Wagner, beginning in 1928. Fr. Wagner had faced some health issues while studying for the priesthood in Austria, for which he visited the Grotto at Lourdes, France. He promised he would build a shrine to the Blessed Mother if his health was restored. His health was restored and upon his return to the United States after ordination he was assigned to the parish in Rudolph, Wisconsin, where he spent the rest of his life.

He began work first on building the gardens out of the large potato field. He planted many different trees and bushes, and laid out different gardens. In 1927 he made his first attempt to build a grotto, piling up volcanic rocks gathered from nearby farm fields. He knew nothing about construction or masonry so the project failed. In 1928 he began using concrete in the construction and he had success through much trial and error. He had several volunteers who helped him, most notably Edward Rybicki, who began helping him when he was 12. Rybicki remained a volunteer up until his death in 1991.

Today, in addition to the Wonder Cave, there are various shrines and an impressive Stations of the Cross, in addition to the beautiful flower gardens. There are benches throughout the site where you can sit and rest, and admire the surrounding beauty. There is also a picnic area that can accommodate large groups. There is ample parking.

The only charge is for those who elect to go in the Wonder Cave. It is $3 for adults, $1.50 for teens ages 12-17, 50 cents for children ages 6-11, and free for those under 6.

The wonder cave was so interesting. It really gave me an appreciation of the hard work that went into making this cave. I was there on a very hot day, which I wouldn't do again, and it was very pleasant and cool inside the cave. I would caution anyone with mobility issues to probably not go in the cave. There are handrails throughout the cave, and there are lights, but the surface is somewhat uneven and some of the steps are quite high. I also think people over about 6 feet tall would probably have trouble and would be stooped down often. I am only 5'6" tall and I had to stoop several times to avoid hitting my head.

I plan to return on a cooler day. I didn't see everything I wanted to due to the heat.

A side note, you can get your Christmas cards postmarked Rudolph, WI. The procedure to do so is thus:

 Address, stamp, and seal all of your individual holiday cards.

Put all of your pre-addressed cards into one larger envelope or box.

Address the outer envelope to Country Christmas Station, U.S. Postal Service, P.O. Box 9998, Rudolph, WI 54475.

The Rudolph postmaster will then take your individual cards, stamp each one with the exclusive "Rudolph, WI" cancellation design, and send them on to your recipients. 

I plan to do that this year so look for my card come December.

Please go to Miss Northerner's Facebook page to see the inside of the Wonder Cave, I didn't even attempt to take a video. The Wonder Cave post was on August 2nd. Her page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/missnortherner

John Morris (1780-1854), Last Will and Testament

 This is a transcription of the will of John Morris (11 January, 1780-18 November, 1854), Ringwood, Passaic County, New Jersey. He was my maternal 2nd great grandfather. His wife was Rebecca Bird. 

Last Will and Testament of John Morris (October 6, 1854)

Know all men by these presents that I, John Morris of the Township of Pompton, County of Passaic and State of New Jersey, considering the uncertainty of this life and being of sound mind and memory, do make, declare and publish this my last will and testament.

First. I give and bequeath to my wife Rebecca, the use of the two upper front rooms with fire places in them in the house now occupied by me, during her natural life, together with all the household furniture belonging to the house, excepting two beds used by the hired men. She shall also receive during her natural life a comfortable support in food and clothing and whatever else may be necessary for her comfort, the expense of which support to be paid equally by my sons John and Charles, and who shall in addition pay her the sum of fifteen dollars per year each; and this shall be considered in lieu of her right of dower.

Second. I give and bequeath my son Charles the remainder of my dwelling house, the whole to revert to him at the decease of my wife Rebecca, together with the homestead farm, and all other real estate, dwelling houses belonging to me, excepting the farm and tract of land known as the Beach place, bought by me of Pierson; and also to have all the stock and all other personal property belonging to the lands devised to him.

Third. I give and bequeath to my son John Morris Jr., that tract of land known as the Beach place, bought by me of Wm Pierson, together with all the personal property in whatever form belonging to that place at my decease.

Fourth. I give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah the sum of one hundred dollars, and to my grandchildren, children of said Sarah, Henrietta Bannigan, John Bannigan and Peter Bannigan, three hundred dollars each, to be paid to the children when they respectively become of age, the interest to be paid them annually two years after my decease.

Fifth. I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Ann one thousand dollars.

Sixth. I give and bequeath to my daughter Eliza one thousand dollars.

Seventh. I give and bequeath to my grandson Charles Morris, son of Alpheus Morris deceased, one thousand dollars, and to Amanda Morris, widow of my son Alpheus, two hundred dollars. In case of the death of my grandson Charles before becoming of age, the one thousand dollars to be divided equally among my children.

These legacies described as fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, amounting to four thousand two hundred dollars, to be paid by my son John Morris Jr.

Eighth. I give and bequeath to my daughter Martha one thousand dollars, to be paid by my son Charles Morris.

Ninth. I do nominate and appoint my sons Charles Morris and John Morris Jr. to be the executors of this my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof, I have to this my last will and testament subscribed my name and set my seal this sixth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty four.

Signed, sealed, declared and published.

John Morris

Witnesses

William V. Lamoreux
John H. Tidabock
Samuel Babcock

Norden Bombsight Maintenance School, Class 20, 1942

These are the names from my father's address book of his fellow Army Air Corps class mates at the Norden Bombsight Maintenance School, Class 20, they worked on the Norden bombsight &  the Minneapolis-Honeywell C-1 automatic pilot, both used in the B-17 & B-24.  The school was at Lowry Field in Colorado Springs, beginning in 1941. There are thirty three names in my Dad's address book.

I am creating this blog post to serve as a resource for anyone searching the names of these Army Air Corps soldiers. It can be hard to research where a specific person served in WWII due to the  fire that destroyed millions of World War II and other military records on July 12, 1973, at the National Personnel Records Center(NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. 

ChatGPT provided this Interpretive Summary of the names and home towns: This address book page reflects a wartime peer network centered around Lowry Field in 1942, likely composed of men in training or early service in the U.S. Army Air Forces. The concentration of Northeastern addresses suggests either pre-existing social ties or regional enlistment patterns, while the wide geographic spread—including Alaska and the Pacific Northwest—demonstrates the national scope of wartime mobilization. The presence of enlisted ranks (Privates) alongside more ambiguously identified individuals points to a shared training cohort rather than a strictly hierarchical network, capturing a cross-section of American society at a moment of rapid military expansion.

I don't know if Dad stayed in touch with any of his classmates or not. I did connect with a few of them in the 1990's. They reported that my Dad was the "old man" of the class, he was 15-20 years older than they were. He wasn't married and had been drafted, thus being older than the majority of men being drafted. I have the letters and when I find them I will add them here.

Here are the names and hometowns as recorded in Dad's address book; some are in my Dad's handwriting, some in the individual's handwriting.

Abbott, Art — Washington, DC
Boyd, Powell — Evansville, IN
Dougherty, S. E. — Kansas City, MO
Dygert, Worth S. — Russell, NY
Gargan, Joseph R. — New York City, NY
Graf, Winston C. — Manchester, NH
Griswold, Wayne A. — Mankato, MN
Hall, Ralph — Chamblee, GA
Hurley, Bill — Camp Stewart, GA (C.A. Bat (A.A.))
Janik, Chester — Lackawanna, NY
Marengo, Emmet L. — Minneapolis, MN
Marinoff, Joseph — Brooklyn, NY
McNally, Robert — Whitestone, Long Island, NY
Mikula, Irvin — Austin, MN
Miller, Howard — Afton, NY
Miller, Gregg M. — Washington, DC
Nygaard, Berdine T. — Livermore, IA
Prost, Bert J. — Chicago, IL
Quinn, Francis C. — Johnstown, PA
Reese, James W. — Madison, WI
Rice, Arthur V., Jr. — Marblehead, MA
Roberson, Robert B. — Newville, AL
Robertson, R. Elliott — Juneau, AK
Rochette, Irving R. — Old Saybrook, CT (Pvt)
Rosskamp, Paul — Westport, CT
Schoenig, Regis W. — Pittsburgh, PA
Scoville, Ray E. — Carthage, MO
St. John, Charles — Ithaca, NY
Stops, Oliver — Kennewick, WA
Stull, Ned R. — Trenton, NJ (Pvt)
Walton, Dan E. — Birmingham, AL
Ward, Francis E. — Worcester, MA
Zurfluh, Frank — Ridgway, PA

Sgt. Einar Ingman: American Hero

Sgt. Einar Ingman, Medal of Honor recipient for his extraordinary duty in the Korean War, died in Tomahawk, Wisconsin this past week. The Congressional Medal of Honor is a big deal, very few are awarded. From the Medal of Honor site: “The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the United States Congress on members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States." 

This is from the commendation awarding Sgt. Ingman the Medal of Honor: “Sgt. Ingman, a member of Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. The 2 leading squads of the assault platoon of his company, while attacking a strongly fortified ridge held by the enemy, were pinned down by withering fire and both squad leaders and several men were wounded. Cpl. Ingman assumed command, reorganized and combined the 2 squads, then moved from 1 position to another, designating fields of fire and giving advice and encouragement to the men. Locating an enemy machine gun position that was raking his men with devastating fire he charged it alone, threw a grenade into the position, and killed the remaining crew with rifle fire. Another enemy machine gun opened fire approximately 15 yards away and inflicted additional casualties to the group and stopped the attack. When Cpl. Ingman charged the second position he was hit by grenade fragments and a hail of fire which seriously wounded him about the face and neck and knocked him to the ground. With incredible courage and stamina, he arose instantly and, using only his rifle, killed the entire guncrew before falling unconscious from his wounds. As a result of the singular action by Cpl. Ingman the defense of the enemy was broken, his squad secured its objective, and more than 100 hostile troops abandoned their weapons and fled in disorganized retreat. Cpl. Ingman's indomitable courage, extraordinary heroism, and superb leadership reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the infantry and the U.S. Army.”  (He was a corporal at the time of the battle, he was made a sergeant after that battle.)

Sgt. Ingman's injuries were massive. He was unconscious for 7 days. His left eye was destroyed and he had a significant brain injury. He underwent 23 surgeries over the first 2 years after his injuries. As a former military nurse I can tell you that he had to have had a very strong will to live to survive the injuries he did. That he did survive is a testament to his resiliency.

As a veteran I wanted to attend his funeral but I knew it would be very crowded between his large family and the military dignitaries attending. The church has room for about 400 people, and that is crowded. I had driven out to Oak Hill Cemetery yesterday and saw that it is a very small cemetery on a narrow country road, with very little shoulder for parking so I knew it was going to be very challenging fitting everyone in. So I didn’t attend but did stand outside the church where his funeral was. I talked with some members of the Patriot Guard riders who were there to accompany his body to the cemetery. Instead of a hearse the family had requested the use of a military jeep to transport his body. I really liked that, and I’m quite sure the family made that request because it is what Sgt. Ingman would have wanted. I did get to salute as his coffin was carried by soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood to the truck from the church. I get goose bumps and teary eyed when I salute a fallen comrade. We all should. Sgt. Einar Ingman was an American hero.

Who knew Colonel Potter would be driving the jeep! OK, it wasn't Colonel Potter, or Harry Morgan,  but it sure looked like him.

Amnicon State Park, Pattison State Park August 27, 2015

A friend and I visited Amnicon State Park yesterday. Fortunately we picked the only good day this week, as far as the weather went, to visit. Patti had a waterfalls guide book with her and once we were at Amnicon and were looking in the book we realized that Pattison State Park was nearby so we added that to our day trip, and I'm glad we did. Both parks are very nice but the waterfalls in Pattison State Park are much more spectacular to see.

Amnicon State Park is an 825 acre park located in South Range, Wisconsin, not too far from Superior. The Amnicon River flows through the park, it has several falls and rapids within the park. You can read about the park here: Amnicon      Pattison State Park is a 1,436 acre park located south of Superior. The Black River flows through it. It is home to Big Manitou Falls, the tallest waterfall in Wisconsin. You can read about this park here: Pattison

Apparently part of the money saving policies instituted by Governor Walker includes no garbage cans at state parks, or at least at the parks we visited today. This isn't a bad idea, you just need to know to have a garbage bag with you when you visit state parks. It was nice not to see overflowing garbage containers, and there was no litter at all. There are no hand washing facilities either and while there is a Purell dispenser in the bathrooms I recommend carrying a bottle of water with you to be used for hand washing. This was true also at Pattison State Park.

We weren't looking to swim but if you are traveling with young children there is a nice beach at Pattison State Park. Kids can get pretty bored looking at waterfalls so giving them a few hours to play and swim can make like more bearable for the adults.  

Beach at Pattison State Park

Big Manitou Falls, Pattison State Park

Little Manitou Falls, Pattison State Park

Amnicon State Park

Now and Then Falls, Amnicon State Park

Just in case you were thinking of jumping or diving

Snake Pit Falls

Upper Falls, Amnicon State Park

Black River Harbor, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

On August 1st I took a day road trip to Black River Harbor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was a gorgeous day and it was exactly 98 miles from my driveway to Black River Harbor. I stopped at the information booth in Wakefield, MI and picked up a map.  The best part of visiting Black River Harbor was actually stopping at the several waterfalls located along the route between Bessemer and Black River Harbor. The falls are located along County Road 513, also known as the Black River Scenic Byway. None of the falls involve a very long walk from the parking lot to the falls. A few did involve a long walk down to the falls however, which always means a long walk back up. But if I could handle it at 70 you know it isn't too much of a walk. The water level is down this summer so there wasn't a lot of water flowing over any of the falls. I plan to revisit in the spring. I met a very nice couple at the first falls I stopped at, Potawatami Falls, and we ended up following each other the rest of the day and have stayed in touch. I was wearing one of my ocular melanoma awareness tee shirts which is how they started a conversation with me as he is a melanoma survivor.

Here is a link to a friend's photos taken in the spring, showing more water. She advised me to be aware that when you visit in the spring it is black fly season.  Black River in spring

If you go down you must of course come back up, and this is only part of the stairs!

As you can see the river bed is largely dried up. I can only imagine what it looks like in the spring.

Thimbleberries

Black River on its way to Lake Superior

The beach at Black River Harbor

Brain Surgery 1903

I had forgotten that I had a short lived blog several years ago. I came across it tonight while searching for something else via google. This entry was very interesting so I'm reposting it here.

I have been busy going through some old family letters and making copies for a cousin. My paternal grandfather, DeForest Olmstead, was a very good letter writer. He started out his career as a teacher, then became a bookkeeper for the Erie Railroad, and finally became a coffee broker, his longest career. I want to share one of his letters here. It was written in October 1903, before my Dad was born, and relates the story of his son Francis having brain surgery. That’s right, brain surgery in 1903. It really surprised me that they were doing such surgery then. And in the irony department the doctor was a Dr. Carroll. My former husband is also a Dr. Carroll, and Carroll was my surname for 32 years.

Dear Blanche 

I suppose you heard that Francis was operated on last Monday. I wrote home and thought that letter would suffice for you all. Francis has gotten along remarkably well. We brought him home today, less than six days since he underwent the operation. The wound is all healed over and the doctor took out the stitches yesterday. He takes more notice than he used to of everything and has not had a convulsion since he came home (seven hours), and prior to the operation he would have had a half dozen or more in that length of time. Of course it is going to take considerable time for him to learn and pick up knowledge for the past has been far worse than lost time to him mentally but his condition is now so encouraging. We feel we have good reason to hope that in time he will be all right in every way. It is of course uncertain. Since reaching home he has been running around most of the time and while somewhat compared to when he went away, yet considering what he has been through he certainly is in much better condition than would be expected.

The doctor says the difficulty was a depressed fracture of the skull, probably caused by a fall, and an inflamed condition of the membrane which had become firmly adhered to the skull. This constant pressure on the brain caused the convulsions and the whole trouble.

I am going to get from Dr. Carroll a technical report of the details of the case and the operation and will send you a copy which I presume will be of interest to Morris.

Blanche was DeForest's sister, and her husband Morris Cowden was a M.D. Francis, the patient, was born 6 December 1900, making him not quite 3 years old when he had this surgery. In the one photo I have of him, which unfortunately I haven’t scanned yet, he has that special needs look about him. He died on 31 December 1903, 2 months after surgery. At this point I haven’t yet learned what he died of. He could have had a seizure and died from that. I know several of my Dad’s siblings died of diphtheria so it could be that too. My Dad was born 6 weeks after his brother’s death. It must have been so difficult for my grandparents, especially in a day where there were no grief support groups.

If DeForest got the more technical report from Dr. Carroll it is no longer among the family. I have tried getting medical records from several Passaic, NJ area hospitals but no luck so far. I would really like to know, in the words of Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.

Chicka…what?

When I was not quite six years old we moved to a small town in Western New York called Cassadaga. It was in Chautauqua County. Chautauqua was frequently mistaken for Chappaqua, which was no where near Western New York. Chautauqua County was next to Cattaraugus County. There was a Canandaigua not too far away, in the Finger Lakes area. My nursing school roommate was from there. There were other strange, difficult to spell town names beginning with C in New York, but I learned early to spell them correctly. I can do pretty well with strange sounding words that start with the letter c.

I recently saw a post from a friend on Facebook talking about chikungunya and I thought come again. Chickabunga?  Oh no, it’s cowabunga. Chick - A Fil? No, isn’t that a chicken place? So chicka...what? Chikungunya is the word. I did what any reasonable person does upon seeing a new word, I went to google. Google is nice because if you’ve misspelled the word it gives you the correct spelling. I put “chickungunya” in the search box and was directed to many references for chikungunya starting with the Center for Disease Control, the CDC. I learned that Chikungunya (pronunciation: \chik-en-gun-ye) is a virus transmitted to people by mosquitoes. “The most common symptoms of chikungunya virus infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.” Now that doesn’t sound too bad. My son had Dengue Fever once and it sounded kind of similar. He was pretty sick but within a week or so was better.

Well, a clinical description of a disease on a web site really doesn’t convey what it’s like to have the disease. My friend had a fever of 107 degrees, her daughter’s was 106. The joint and muscle pain made you wish for death. A doctor came to see them and prescribed belladonna, which I haven’t seen prescribed in at least 25 years. One of the other names for belladonna is deadly nightshade. It was prescribed for the severe pain my friend had. I’m happy to report she’s back in Hawaii and mostly recovered.

Where do you get this disease? In paradise. My friend, who lives in Hawaii travels to French Polynesia when she really wants to be in paradise. It was her birthday trip. There were many people ill with chikungunya during her visit. Lindsay Lohan was one of them. Sick Lindsay

So, that was the new word and disease I learned recently. I’m probably not at risk for getting it any time soon.

Time to Return

Yesterday I turned 70 years old. I’m not sure as a child or young adult I had any idea of what 70 would look like or what I would look like, what life would be like. A person was either young or old. I did always think I’d live to be in my 90’s, perhaps just wishful thinking, but here I am at least at 70. Twenty years ago I was 50, that doesn’t seem that long ago so if I do live to be 90 it’s coming quicker than I realize. The weeks leading up to my birthday have been difficult, to say the least. I really did not do Christmas this year, just could not. I slept.....a lot. Winters are always hard on me, SAD seems to get worse with age. I don’t need a calendar to know when the winter solstice is here, my body tells me. My birthday is in January naturally, my worst time of year. Then I deal with cancer, not one, but several. I’ve been on the journey since I was 57 and it continues. It takes a toll on your mood. I have developed early COPD which, as a lifetime non-smoker, pisses me off. But I have decided since I am still alive and I am 70 I would like the decade of my 70’s to be the best one yet. My 20’s and 30’s were great so it will be a challenge. But no decade could be worse than my 40’s so forward and onward.

I am returning to blogging, both this one and my photo blog. I have neglected them. I’m not changing the title of this one. I considered it but I still live in a small town in Wisconsin so the title remains. The focus will change somewhat, but there will still be some road trips, I hope, and stories about life in a small town. Often the town will be spelled Cassadaga, not Tomahawk, because Cassadaga is where the majority of my growing up years were spent and where I learned so much of what I know today. I will write about my nursing school and the hospital that made me the nurse I am today. It breaks my heart that the dorms, classrooms, and hospital will soon be demolished. I don’t take change well. When I visit Buffalo, New York I expect the buildings of 3 Gates Circle to still be there, the dorms still to be at 636 Linwood Avenue. And they won’t be. I hate it. I will write some about cancer but not a lot. My main interest is raising awareness of some of the rare orphan cancers that get very little attention but have a high mortality and need research dollars and publicity. I want to keep entries shorter, rather than longer. So, enough for tonight.

My next entry in a few days will be on a subject I learned about just this week. I cannot spell the word and have no clue how to say it but it is timely and, for us public health geeks, interesting. My parents both taught us you never stop learning just because you complete your formal education. There is something new always waiting to be learned.

PS: There will always be occasional cat photos.

A Cat on a Leash

When was the last time you saw a cat on a leash? It's a pretty rare thing although if you live in St. Paul, MN there is a house where I often see up to 3 cats at a leash. It is on the corner of Jackson Street and E Jenks (I think), across from Oakland Cemetery.  How they ever got 3 cats OK with being on leashes I'll never know. 

Two weeks ago I drove over to St. Paul to say good-bye to my son, who was moving later that week to Colombia. I stopped at the rest area on I-94 outside Menomonie, WI. The car parked next to me had a cat on a leash that the owner was trying to get out of the car. You could tell the cat hated being on the leash. She was slinking as low to the ground as she could. Eventually she went to the grassy area. The young couple with her were traveling from Chicago to Minneapolis for a visit. They said the cat was fine in the car. She hadn't been on a leash before but they didn't want to risk her dashing out of the car when they stopped for breaks.  Smart idea.

Hummingbird Moths

The past week or so has seen a lot of hummingbird moths in town. At first you might confuse them for hummingbirds but they are smaller and if you see them up close you realize they aren't hummingbirds. I never really noticed them in previous summers but they are currently all over our downtown area.

Hummingbird Moth

Pontoon Ride on Lake Mohawksin

When I lived here in the 1980's my husband and I would rent a pontoon once or twice each summer. We would first travel to the Kings Road Dam, where he and the kids would fish. Then we would head back to Lake Mohawksin, a 1515 acre reservoir formed by the Tomahawk Dam. The Wisconsin, Tomahawk, and Somo rivers flow into the lake. We spent the day on the pontoon, eating a picnic lunch, and stopping to visit friends who lived on one of the small islands.

One thing I looked forward to when I returned to Tomahawk was taking a pontoon ride each summer or fall. A pontoon isn't something I want to drive so I'm glad the Senior Center offers a pontoon ride each August. It's a very peaceful way to enjoy the lake and all its scenery.

Some pretty flowers at our boarding location.

Another pontoon 

If I had been driving I would not even attempt to go under this  train trestle.

We knew the retired Chicago dentist and his wife who spent summers here in the 1980's so we would visit them on their island.

Bradley Park, Tomahawk

It has been nearly a year since I made an entry on this blog. It's time to get back to blogging on a regular basis.

Last week a friend and I walked through Bradley Park. I've only walked in parts of this park a few times, never really taking advantage of what a lovely spot it is to hike or ride a bike through. In the winter it is a great place to cross country ski or snowshoe. I hope to get back to cross country skiing this winter, and I'd like to try snowshoeing for the first time.

Bradley Park was originally called "Hog's Back" and consisted of 105 acres of virgin pines. Today the park consists of 68 acres. The park is a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by Lake Mohawksin. Lake Mohawksin is formed by the Tomahawk, Wisconsin, and Somo rivers coming together.

It's a scenic site to visit in any season.

What looks like a floating bog of some sort

Blue Heron

The Point with its hobbit like tree roots

The Prayer of Saint Francis

Today is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Franciscan who loved all animals.  Some churches, both Catholic and Protestant, have the blessing of animals on this day. The prayer of Saint Francis offers words of wisdom to those seeking to live a simplified life.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

2nd Grade Class presented a living museum last spring. This boy  played Saint Francis.

Wordless Wednesday 10/3/2012

What way do I go?

It's October Again

If you didn’t already know it, which could only happen if you live in a cave, October is breast cancer awareness month. I am a two time breast cancer survivor so you’d think I’d love this month, right? Wrong. I’m tired of the onslaught of pink everywhere.

I want to see lung cancer, which KILLS more women than breast cancer, get equal awareness along with research dollars and efforts. More lung cancer is being seen in non-smoking women. We need research to find out why so that steps can be taken to reduce the risk. That won’t happen without dollars.

I want to see the breast cancer awareness ads  let MEN know they too can get breast cancer. 1% of breast cancer occurs in men. They tend to develop the genetic types of breast cancer which tend to be more aggressive to begin with. Men are diagnosed later than women, in part because they don’t know that men can get breast cancer. Doctors are more likely to wait and watch with a male presenting with a lump. Men have to fight with their health insurance companies to get  mammograms. Put all these factors together and maybe you can understand why men with breast cancer  have a significantly higher death rate than women with breast cancer.

I want to see more awareness and dollars for heart disease, which kills far more women than breast cancer does.  It’s the number one cause of death for women. We are seeing more awareness about heart disease but more needs to be done.

I don’t want breast cancer awareness to stop. I don’t want research to stop. Breast cancer mortality has been reduced significantly from what it was 25  years ago. One reason is more women do seek medical attention sooner. Another reason is the advent of estrogen blocking drugs. But let’s give other cancers and diseases the same awareness and dollars.

My grandson does his part to raise breast cancer awareness

What's Brewin'

You won’t find a Starbucks, Caribou, or Dunn Brothers’ coffee shop in the majority of small towns. What you will find are locally owned, independent coffee shops which offer the same products, and often for less. I will always choose a locally owned and operated coffee shop over any chain. I do not drink coffee, I prefer tea or hot chocolate so don’t think coffee shops are only for coffee drinkers.

Tomahawk is lucky to have a locally owned and operated coffee ship. It’s called What’s Brewin' and is located on W. Wisconsin Avenue. They also sell homemade fudge which I understand is to die for. They offer a variety of soups, sandwiches, and baked goods. I can vouch for their onion soup, it is good, much better than most onion soups outside my own.

Like coffee shops everywhere they offer Wi Fi, which is free. The interior design is all vintage 1940’s and 1950’s. They even had an old wooden high chair should your toddler need one.

Their hidden jewel is the courtyard in the back. It is a beautiful space where you can read books, visit friends, or play cards or board games. It is so peaceful, it reminds me of something you’d find in France or Italy.

The NaBloPoMo in October prompt for today is the word mask. What does that conjure up in your mind? In mine it makes me think of a covering up or disguising something so that it no longer looks like it did. Halloween masks cover up our faces, make us look like someone else. In the courtyard of What’s Brewing you will find masked stones and small rocks. They have been painted to look like something than just plain stones. They represent woodland creatures of different sorts and are very cute.

Stop in when you’re in town and have something delicious from What’s Brewin'.

The courtyard is so peaceful

What masks are these stones hiding behind?

You can't miss What's Brewin', it's right on the main street in Tomahawk, WI