Monday Musings

Years ago when I was single and carefree living a fun life in Minneapolis, I heard about someone that was going to go winter camping.  It made an impression and I wanted to go try it out.  Adversity!  Snuggles!  And bragging rights if nothing else.  The past five or so years, we have camped the first weekend of October here in Dairyland.  It is supposed to be fall camping at its best.  Deep-blue skies permeated with brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows fluttering down from the heavens.  Last year that is what it was.  The other years - including this one?  Winter camping.  Brrrr.

Only one of them got to go...

The first night, the Chairman and son #1 had to return home for a sports obligation.  So the girls and I snuggled into our sleeping bags and slumbered off to sleep.  But I kept waking up thinking 'IT'S REALLY COLD!'.  Now mind you, we have a camper.  But we were not running the heater because of a weak battery.  I had visions of Pa Ingalls stoking the fire and Laura watching down from the loft with appreciation. Or maybe it was hypothermia settling in.

The Chairman can almost get tedious for me at times.  Why you ask?  Because he's so careful and thoughtful and makes sure all is well twenty times over in about any situation.  I love him for that.  Especially after discovering a humongous raccoon had opened the cooler I forgot to put into the camper at night.  He ate up two large loaves of artisan bread that I had pain-stakingly slathered with garlic butter.  He lifted the lid of my 4-hour effort of spaghetti sauce and smeared it all over the cooler inside and out.  Ugh.  If the Chairman had been there, these things wouldn't have happened.

We had a very wonderful long hike at the park.  It was so pretty.  We ate to our heart's content including chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache.  We visited like none other.  We even had a few rip-roaring laughs about some things that you had to be there to know...

Cousins - 18 years apart

the group hike

 

And we had fellowship on Sunday.  There is this family that kindly invited us to their home for dinner.

How was it?  Well these people has a farm and huge vegetable gardens.  Not just your run-of-the-mill operation.  No.  We're talking walk-in coolers with abundance of organic beauty that they sell at farmer's markets.  The ham they served?  Well it was from their own pig that they had soaked in a special brine for four days and smoked over grape-wood for six hours.  Wow.  Besides the fact that their food was luscious.  Their company was sweeter.

the boys 

good friends that braved the camping

sugar and spice and usually nice

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We came home to an aftermath of mess.  The MYP helped without grudging!  But they got hungry as little bears and so daughter #2 remembered I had Aunt Koral's pancake mix!  So she asked a few questions and whipped up supper for her siblings.  I like kids getting older!

So I'm driving this.

 A traveling billboard.  The hit-and-run lady's insurance cut the check.  So our van could go to the shop.  They promised a free loaner.  And so now I am a traveling advertisement!  I'm wondering when people look at me if they think I'm a terrible driver.  I probably caused a terrible accident and my vehicle is in repair is what they are thinking...  Maybe I should wear a neck brace when I go out now to really stoke their interest.  Or drive erratically.  Or super-fast (not that I would do that you know).  It's kinda fun to be sporting around in a car for a change though!

Monday mused out.  Back to reality.