March is here, thankfully

It has been typical March weather here in the Ohio Valley - snow one day, 65 the next. Rain, wind, river flooding are part of the picture. We spent a week in Orlando, then Hilton Head Island in SC, for some late-winter malaise relief. It was March in Florida,too - 85 one day, 65 the next. But sunny most of the time - that makes a big difference. I was surprised that some trees were not leafed out yet. I suppose Florida would become boring if we lived there, but to visit it is always a pleasant surprise to see palm trees, egrets, and herons.



In Hilton Head, the bermuda grass was still brown, and lots of trees were still without leaves. But we were able to enjoy the ocean, tennis, and occasional sun bathing. There it was windy, also.



We're home now, in Bittersweet Woods. The dogs romp, get their feet muddy, and chase the deer as usual. We have some downed trees to clear up. But there are signs of life. Crocus and daffodils are just starting to bloom.



The creek is full and the waterfall overflowing. Spring is almost here in Bittersweet Woods.

The Visitor

We have had a stealth visitor for the past few weeks: a skunk. I say stealth because we see and smell evidence of a skunk, but we have yet to see it or even the tracks. There have been numerous clues over the past few weeks.

The dogs come back with their snouts smelling skunk-like. Apparently they have been nosing around where the skunk has been. No one has been sprayed yet, but we have stocked up on skunk odor remover just in case.

I have seen some of the suspect digging - usually small round shallow holes. The information I see refers to them as being configured like a dixie cup - if anyone remembers the shape of a dixie cup. Not sure I do.

Often when walking the dogs I notice a distinct skunk odor somewhere along the walk. But it is not strong enough to say that the skunk has sprayed something but enough to be unmistakably skunk. Efforts to find the source of the odor have been uniformly unsuccessful.

Two bizarre episodes had skunk all over them, so to speak. First, I noticed a solar powered outside light way out of place lying against a tree. I asked Suzanne if she had moved it over there. She had not. The base had been gnawed. When I picked it up, there was skunk odor all over it. Second, one of the dogs' toys had been left outside - a stuffed frog. We found it laying out in the yard over the hill. Annabelle had doubtless taken it outside and left it. I picked it up...wow, it had a definitive skunk odor. So, we have a skunk relocating a solar light and playing with a dog toy. Those are not found in the list of top 10 skunk behaviors.

I talked to an animal control guy. He explained that skunks often have dens under porches, outbuilding, brush piles, and similar hiding places. The key is to look for tracks and signs of digging. If you find the den, they are much easier to trap and remove. I have looked in every suspicious place on our nearly five acres of property. We have several prime locations for skunks to hide out. But no sign of activity.

I have been looking for tracks. With so much snow cover, I figured that would be an easy way to observe their movements and find a den. No luck. No tracks. I have seen deer, turkey, human, and cat tracks. No skunks.

About the time we are lulled into thinking the skunk is gone, more evidence appears. Today, I noticed two locations along the trail where there was noticeable skunk odor. As usual, I could not find the source or even identify the direction where the smell was coming from. And Tess's nose had the odor when she returned from being out this morning.

I would like to set up a remote camera to see this critter roaming around at night because they are nocturnal. But that is too much effort and expense.

We'll remain vigilant and hopeful that the skunk will eventually move on. Meanwhile, life, wild and otherwise, goes on in Bittersweet Woods.

December to remember?

Winter struck with a vengeance this year. COLD weather - nearly three weeks with daily highs below freezing. Then there were three weeks of snow cover - unheard of in this latitude. I put extra coats, gloves, and boots in the car as a precaution when driving out of town.

But we got used to it. The dogs love the snow, sending up sprays of snow as they romp around, and leaving wet spots in the carpet from snow encrusted paws. My daily early morning ball throwing with the dogs was limited to the driveway because of the snow. And, we enjoyed a truly white Christmas.

Here are some of the high points that stick with me today.

First, Todd flew home for a weekend of shopping - with retail consultation from Suz, the resident expert on what is just right for grandkids. He got stuck overnight in Columbus when his flight was cancelled because of snow - in Nashville. No one can recall the last time that happened.

Then, I enjoyed a visit from my college roommate, Steve Schwab. He stopped in Marietta after finishing a 2 week trip to the Rocky Mountain area. He likes to make this trip in December. There was some white-knuckle travel in South Dakota. But he otherwise dodged really dangerous bad weather. We had a great visit.

Five-year-old granddaughter Catrina was fascinated as I gave her a "tour" of the ornaments on the 10' tree in our entry way. Many of these are from families of our parents and grandparents; others remind us of places we have visited over the years. She kept seeming to notice new ones - "I never saw that one before," even if she had seen it a few minutes before. Most of the kids and adults take the decorations for granted.

Then there was the letter from Santa that I had to write for granddaughter Emily. She had asked Santa longingly for a pet dog - a real, live one. "Santa" explained that another dog would be disruptive in their house with their two other dogs, and that he was leaving her with a toy pet dog. That toy dog had a sensor which caused doggie sounds to emanate from the package every time someone went near it. Her favorite toy of all she received was that dog.

The woods were beautiful. The picture above captures the beauty of the frozen waterfall, along with Gabbie. The dogs had fun walking in the frozen creek. The snow and ice gave us a three week respite from cleaning their muddy feet.

As the month ends, I have the prospect of playing golf as we enjoy a day in the 50's. Life is good in these Bittersweet Woods.

Thanksgiving Day

Our family gathered as usual in Bittersweet Woods for Thanksgiving weekend. We have so much to be thankful for.

Memories that stand out to me:

Holly, the Wentzell's boxer, tore a toe nail running with the other dogs, within 60 seconds of arriving at our house on Wedesday. It was bleeding; off she went to our vet's clinic for first aid. Pets are such an important part of our lives, but they can be an imposition at times.

Grandchildren Catrina and Emily made Thanksgiving and Christmas cards for my 89 year old Dad. All of us visited him at his assisted living community. The grandkids kept busy writing him messages on the whiteboards - he can't hear much at all. He smiled at all of the attention.

Son Todd laughed out loud at some goofy thing I said. I don't recall what I said but I do remember his joy. At other times, he seemed stressed at some aspects of his work. We did a bible study session and prayed.

Suzanne did a wonderful job of anticipating special things and activities for everyone. She had wonderful food, the pumpkin pie cake that kids love, great turkey dressing, crafts for the kids. The apple pie was too watery for her, but what the heck. The outside Christmas lights, which would not be there but for her insistence, were beautiful.

Grandson Connor wanted to work outside. We grabbed a chainsaw and headed for recently downed trees. On the way, we passed the woodpile. He said, "Can we split some wood?" "Sure," I replied, figuring that any energy-dissipating activity would be healthy for a 13 year old. He proceeded to split an incredible quantity of wood - probaby half a cord in 2-3 hours. He was out there forever, this after spending 2 hours clearing the creek of logs and snags. His enthusiasm was gratifying - I recall numerous times in prior years when he became so frustrated because he lacked the strength to split the wood.

Daughter Amy enjoyed being able to shop with Gregg - on their own - without children and parents.

Son-in-law Gregg had fun splitting wood with Connor. His recollection of humorous songs, movie lines, and family situations is always fun.

Me, I thrive on following a routine. These visits undo the routine, so I struggle to adjust. My victory this time: I did not lose my cool when I spilled gasoline from the chainsaw in the garage, creating an incredible gasoline smell. I calmly (for me) refilled the chainsaw, soaked up the spilled gas, moved the affected mats outside, and left the garage door open. The odor was mostly gone by the time the shoppers arrived home.

Yes, there were the inevitable tense moments when kids, dogs, or adults were "out of sync" for a time. But, there were no flu outbreaks (we have had those in the past), no one went to the hospital, and no travel hassles. Each day we shared our favorite experience for that day at mealtime. That has become a tradition.

Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful time on Thanksgiving weekend in Bittersweet Woods.

Red River Gorge

Grandson Connor wanted to do a backpack trip. His Dad, Gregg, agreed reluctantly - not being a camper person at heart, So, we planned our trip to scenic Red River Gorge area in Kentucky. I spent hours poring over maps trying to find the best combination of scenery, manageable hiking distances, and decent back country camp sites. But weather and a forest fire in the area disrupted my planned itinerary. That's one thing I have learned in 30+ years of backpacking trips - be flexible.

The long range weather began to look ominous the week before our trip. Forecast weather was for rain on Friday, then lows were in the 20s, highs in low 40s for the weekend. That's pretty cold for neophyte campers without certifiably warm sleeping bags and clothing. So we decided to stay in the Koomer Ridge campground rather than backpack. We could have campfires there; no fires were permitted in any other areas.

Car camping, as I call it, is a little easier. With a vehicle, we could cover more area than with a backpack trip. And hiking without a backpack is easier. The campfire is a plus in cold weather. The backpack experience would wait for another trip. I brought some extra firewood from home.

Friday dawned bleak and cold, but dry. I left at mid-morning, so I could scout the area, find a campsite, and set up the tents. The boys would arrive in the late afternoon. I arrived at the nearby hamlet of Slade, KY, for a few supplies and extra firewood. The rain had passed through, thankfully.

Slade was memorable from our family camping trip there in the mid-1950's. On that trip, we had become lost - there were only winding 2 lane roads then - no interstates. A kid gave us directions in the finest Appalachian drawl. My mother had misplaced a spatula needed for the camp kitchen and went into a general store (no convenience stores or WalMarts then) in search of one. "A what?", the girl behind the counter asked. "A spatula," Mom replied with a reassuring smile. The girl consulted someone else who asked what we used it for. The other lady finally said to Mom, "Are yew'all lookin' fer a pancake tarner?" Yes, that was it! We still talk about that and many other camping adventures from our youth. I digress....

Koomer Ridge campground was surprisingly busy considering the weather. It's a nice campground with wooded and generally roomy sites. I found a double site with a lot of privacy and set up camp. The guys pulled in about 5 pm.

Connor immediately started setting up the campfire. The rain had stopped, but it was cold - upper 30's by then. We cooked then visited around the fire until we used up our first day ration of wood, then went to bed.




Saturday dawned cold but with a few breaks in the clouds. Connor again built a great fire. We breakfasted, then set out to hike to nearby Silvermine Arch. We hiked through pretty mundane forest, wondering when the scenic stuff would happen. Soon we came to the edge of a cliff, hiked down some long steps, and around a series of narrow, blind turns - until....suddenly a massive cliff loomed before us. We hiked into an opening and saw the arch. Connor's reaction was one of amazement. He started climbing all over and through it. A picture is below. He was hooked on Red River Gorge scenery.




We drove and hiked through several more scenic areas, mostly in the Skybridge area. Skybridge itself is spectacular - a stone arch surrounded by stunning drop-offs with a nearly 360 degree vistas of the surrounding gorge. Later, it was back to camp to recount the days adventures - and restart the campfire, of course. We took a late afternoon hike to Hidden Arch, with several more cliffs for Connor to scramble around.

Sunday, we packed up and headed to Natural Bridge for a final hike before leaving for home. It was cold but sunny. We hiked up a trail built in the 1920's by a railroad company which promoted this amazing natural wonder as a tourist stop. Natural Bridge is a large stone arch. It and surrounding cliff line trail offer incredible vistas in every direction.



We took off for home and the favorable prospect of a warm bed and hot shower. I will always recall Connor's excitement at seeing the arches, cliffs, and vistas. It is one more adventure in the Bittersweet Woods life experience bank.