From pond to plate, learning to eat locally

Our neighbor and fishing enthusiast, Mike ‘Ski,’ gave us a filleting lesson, which I captured on video for future reference. Talk about fresh! Just an hour earlier, we hooked these large mouth bass in our pond. Once filleted, we dredged them in Fry Magic, popped them in the frying pan, and finished them off with a squeeze of fresh lemon. To that we added a couple of beers (“Leinies” from LaCrosse, Wisc.), asparagus right from the garden and ate like true Wisconsin local-vores!  Mmmmmm.

How To Catch a Snapper and Still Keep Your Fingers

We decided they had to go.  Two giant snapping turtles were lurking around the dock while we were fishing.  My sister Janet and I did a little turtle relocation over Labor Day weekend.

The Grass Is Always Greener

This spring we found truth in the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.  At least that’s what 16 heifers thought when they ducked under a fence and never came back.

Ron tightens the cable from which the PVC tubes are suspended

The “escape route” involved a section of fencing that crosses our creek.  The cows simply got down in the creek bed and walked to freedom.  Other herds have done the same over the years, but always managed to show up back at the barn for their 5 p.m. feeding.

What makes finding a fix challenging is that during major rain storms, the creek becomes a raging river which can wipe out even the strongest fencing.  We needed a solution that could survive a “gully washer” but still present enough of deterent to a 1,200 pound cow.

Ingenious solution or Ron's folly?

As you can see Ron’s solution involves hanging sections of 3″ PVC pipe like wind chimes from a cable.  The idea is during a flash flood, the tubes flip up and allow the water (and debris) to pass under.  During normal weather, they provide both a visual and somewhat of a physical barrier to the cows.

So far the “solution” is untested.  We hope to get our cows back this fall.   Stay tuned!

Hard to find good help these days

My first moo-vie

OK, here it is.  My very first moo-vie with the new camera.   Get the popcorn.  Grab a hanky.  Definitely Oscar material!

They’re ba-aack!

Our nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes have returned for the third year in a row.  These stately birds stand four feet tall and  nest in our marsh valley close to the water. The female will lay two eggs on a mound of vegetation, but it is rare that both chicks hatch and grow to independence. Cranes mate for life; both parents feed the young, called “colts”, who are soon able to feed themselves. The colts are taught to fly over many weeks when they run and dance with their parents. Dancing is a significant component in the education of young cranes. The Sandhill Crane does not breed until it is two to seven years old, and the average generation time is 12.5 years.It can live up to 25 years in the wild; in captivity it has been known to live more than twice that span. Mated pairs stay together year-round and migrate south as a group with their offspring.