Stay-At-Home Memorial Weekend

Since we went camping last weekend, we decided to have a Stay-At-Home Memorial weekend. We usually do not care for camping with the crowds or the busy Holiday Weekend Warriors. We prefer peaceful quiet rustic serene camping. We decided it's better to leave the rig parked and stay home. That's okay, because we had a couple things to take care of.

We have gotten over 2 inches of rain in one huge deluge. This of course flooded up the center of our backyard all of the way to the back of our two and a half acre property! Generally, it just sinks into the ground and dissipates... but there is more rain in the forecast. It also runs to the north, all along our fence line too. 

I can tell you this, the standing water bothers Steve (quite a lot!). So much so, that he has a collection of big roll up flat hoses and a couple of pumps. After a big rain, he sets them out the to pump it all down into the existing drain tile. We have some underground piping in one portion of the yard and from there it goes out to the curb and down the street. But he has to get it OVER to the portion that is already there. 

The water doesn't come up near the house during this time of year. But it still fills in that middle section of the yard and can kill off the grass if it doesn't dissipate soon enough.

View from our bedroom:

So here is Steve with one of his gas-powered pumps set in the red Radio Flyer wagon. With his series of hoses, he moves the water from one section to another in the backyard until it is routed completely over and down through the drain tile and then out to the curb. From there it glides down the street to the nearest storm sewer.

We have decided to get more drainage pipe and rent a trencher and get more laid underground than what we have now.  He has to wait for the ground to dry up a bit before doing any trenching work and laying pipe.  I don't know what he will do once the water problem is solved, it's been kind of a "hobby" for him to go play in the puddles? 

~~~~~~~

We also had another reason for staying home. We had a couple of commitments with the grandchildren.

This smallest grandchild just happened to be graduating! Can you believe it? Actually graduating! From her 4K Kindergarten preschool class---

Here she is in the little white and blue dress sitting with her little friends at the daycare. They had a cute little program for each child and the families. As grandparents, we were included in the event. 

She received her preschool diploma!

All of the different daycare workers wrote in indelible marker on the back of a Frisbee for each child. What a wonderful momento of their time at preschool.  Awwwwwww

Here she is with Miss Abby. She is really going to miss her and said that even though she only lives a couple blocks away, she will look for her whenever Miss Abby walks her dogs.

We took the little graduate back to our house for a special overnight sleepover at our house to celebrate.

She was helping me in the She Shed with finishing up this long runner rug. It's 84 inches long. She helped me unroll it and cut it free from the loom.  

She is quite the helper in my she shed Loom room. Here she is rolling it up so we can carry it upstairs and take care of hemming the ends before listing in my Etsy store.

I love the colors in this rug. It reminds me of the Wisconsin Countryside. So that's the name that I gave it! This is from my listing on the Etsy site:

Imagine driving through the Wisconsin Countryside on a beautiful summer day. 

Red barns dotting the green landscape. 

Blue sky with white puffy clouds. 

Bright yellow bits of sunflowers.

Multicolored window boxes and flower beds in bloom. 

This rug has every color I can think of as we drive through the Wisconsin Countryside.

Here is a link to the rug 

and other items that I also have available 

in my Etsy store

Wisconsin Countryside Farmhouse Rug in my Etsy Store

~~~~~~~

After helping me with my rug, we had just enough time to pick out some fabric and sew a little sun dress and matching blankie for her dolly. She helped with all of the pins, and measuring the elastic. She learned how to draw the end of the elastic through the casing with a big safety pin.  These skills I show the grandkids, I hope will last them a lifetime. 

~~~~~~

Then the youngest grandson also had an event at the elementary school that we needed to attend. They called it their Historic Wax Museum! All of the parents and grandparents and special guests were invited.  

The fourth graders had chosen a historic figure, they did research and gathered information and facts. They created a display board of their particular figure that they had chosen. Then they dressed up in character and became wax figurines. They prepared for this for weeks in advance. In front of them on the floor they had a button. You had to tap the button with your foot and the wax figurine would come to life and recite their information --- from memory! Over and over again as someone selects their button to push. Boy oh boy, that sure takes a lot of courage when you are only 10 years old.

MEET WILLIAM CLARK

of the famous LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION! 

The parents and grandparents and visitors went from site to site, gaining information on all of these historical figures. Here is Clayton's presentation that I downloaded to a YouTube link:

The crowds of people went from display to display throughout the entire cafeteria for all of these brave young fourth graders were willing to recite about their historical figure, at a moment's notice, with grace, talent and flair. We walked around visiting quite a few of the characters, and asking questions and thanking them for their information. We met people such as Abe Lincoln, Ann Frank, Michael Jackson, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, to name a few.

Then the school allowed the other grades to come in and take part in the event. Imagine our surprise when we ran into our next youngest granddaughter, first grader Whitney! We had big hugs all around, and it was so nice to have such an educational event for all of the school children to take part in.

~~~~~~~~

Spring has finally arrived at our home in northern Wisconsin. The lilacs are out in full bloom, and the smell is just heavenly. The flowers on the lilac bushes on each side of our home are abuzz with bees and hummingbirds. We have the traditional purple color, and a few small sprigs of white lilac just starting to grow. 

I was sitting out on the front porch with a soft breeze coming up from the south. The intoxicating smells of the lilac intermingled with my cup of coffee this morning. It was so comfortable to sit out and enjoy the front porch again. I miss it so much in the winter. 

Little Binney likes the front porch too, 

nestled up by my feet on the porch swing.

Our little nest of wrens on the front porch has been safely monitored from afar. They built a home in the top of the wreath. We don't walk too close to it since the 3 babies arrived. 

They are growing by leaps and bounds.  I use the camera zoom feature to get a picture while standing far away. 

They are pretty big now, and we noticed that the mom and dad are not bringing as many worms and bugs to feed them. Instead, mom and dad are sitting out on the power lines, calling loudly to the babies in the nest. We think that they are trying to entice them to try their wings and flap and fly and come on out and leave the nest! So far, none of them are taking the dare!!!

~~~~~~

Steve was able to complete more of the drywall on the ceiling of the garage. He's about two-thirds of the way done. Earlier this month, he insulated the entire ceiling. Now he's been putting up the large pieces of drywall, one piece at a time with our neighbor's drywall lift. See how we hung our canoe, (a.k.a.The Green Bean), from the ceiling in our garage? I can walk underneath it, but Steve has to duck. But it's up and out of the way and easily stores all of the cushions, life jackets, paddles etc inside when it's suspended up above.  Now we will wait till next week when the stores aren't so busy to pick up the last 9 pieces of drywall. 

  

Even though we are home, we are finding ways to keep busy this weekend. 

Steve decided to get the motorhome backed out of it's parking spot alongside of the garage and give it a good bath on all four sides. It hasn't been washed yet this year and he thought it might be a good time to take care of it. He only uses a gentle car wash soap in the bucket. The finish on the motorhome, even though it's 26 years old, looks wonderful! It has such a good clear coat that it does not even need wax. It's never been waxed or buffed and looks just great when Steve is done with the gentle wash and rinse. He did a great job!

While he was washing the motorhome, I decided to take care of washing the king size quilt from inside the motor home, as well as the king size quilt on our bed. Both needed to be washed very carefully on gentle delicate cycle, spun out gently, and then hung to dry. They just fit on our backyard fence and lightly touch the grass. The one on the left is called New England Stellar Log Cabin and the one on the right is a Star Block variation. Yes, I made both of them.

~~~~~~~

Earlier this week, my friend Vicky asked me for a recipe. Actually, she asked me the week before and I forgot to give it to her until last week! So I thought I would share it with you.  I am not one for recipes, really, but I saw this recipe online... one easy dump-in casserole with all Aldi ingredients!

Aldi One Pan Baked Sausage Vegetable Potato Casserole Recipe:

Have dinner ready in less than an hour with this simple casserole. Prepared with just a few simple Aldi ingredients, this is one dish the entire family will ask for over and over again.

Half of an Aldi Parkview Polska Kiebasa.

One Aldi can sliced potatoes or you can use raw ones.

Half bag of Aldi Prince Edward frozen veggie medley.

and added thin sliced raw onions and minced garlic and spices, and 2 TB olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

I slice up some sweet Vidalia onion and put some minced garlic into the bottom of a glass casserole dish, liberally sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

I love these Aldi canned sliced potatoes! Cut open the top of the can and drain out the water. Then put in 2 TB of extra-virgin olive oil into the can. Put the lid back on and shake it around a little, or carefully tipping it up and down, until the potatoes are coated with the olive oil. Then dump them in the pan with the onions and minced garlic.

We really like the Polska Kielbasa from Aldi, it's the Parkview brand that they carry. I only use half of a ring of the kielbasa for the two of us. You're making a meal for 4, of course use the full ring. I slice it on an angle that makes it look kind of fancy.

Dump the sausage in over the potatoes and onion mixture. Then I liberally apply some spices. I like Lawry's, and black pepper, as well as dried parsley flakes. Then our local grocery store has a mixed seasoning bottle similar to Mrs. Dash called Harvest Blend.

Next, I cover up the entire casserole dish with tin foil and seal it around the edges, tight to the rim of the casserole dish.

Place the dish on the center rack and bake the potatoes and sausage for 20 minutes at 400°F, stirring halfway through.

Now for my third part of the ingredients, add our favorite Prince Edward Medley frozen vegetables. They are green beans, yellow wax beans, and little baby carrots. I use half a bag of this for a serving for two. I might add it's a very generous serving because Steve usually has a double serving and I have one. If you're making it for a larger group use the whole bag.

I just sprinkle them over the top and then I seal the tinfoil back around firmly on the edges. That way the steam from underneath of the potatoes and meat cook up through the vegetables. Return the dish in the oven and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Stirring halfway through so that all of the ingredients are fully cooked.

Yummmmm while I was typing this blog this afternoon, I decided to make it for supper tonight!

~~~~~~

Tomorrow is another day, Sunday, which is due to get windier and maybe the temperatures will start rising. Today we were only in the low 60s. But by Monday and Tuesday is supposed to be up in the high 90s and humid! Ugh!!!

Time For a New Toy

Last week, Steve decided that we needed a "reward" for ourselves. He said that we have spent the last three plus years working hard on this house, and saving a lot of money by doing all of our updates and repairs ourselves. He said we have reached a point where we can afford to spend a little money on something else, rather than building materials and supplies for the house.

As you may know, Steve is always watching interesting things on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. He had seen this cute little Mustang convertible, and kept going back to look at it.  He kept it on his main screen for over a week. He mentioned it to me a couple different times. So I knew he wanted it. LOL

I told him I was not opposed to getting a second vehicle, and something like this might be fun. About 25 years ago, we used to have a bright red Fiat Spider convertible that was a blast. Sooooo maybe it was time, in our old retirement years, to get another convertible to play with! 

This is a 1993 Mustang convertible

 with the fox body style and the 2.3L 4cyl engine.

Not a "muscle car" by any means, but a fun street riding car for us old farts. 

We robbed the credit union to have enough cash on hand with us to make the deal on site, and set out on a leisurely 70 mile drive to go and check it out at the seller's house. It was stored in the last stall of his garage, under a car cover.  He slid it off in dramatic fashion when we arrived. AHHHHH!!!! It turns out he is a "car guy" who loves to mess around with classic cars and has five or six of them in his garage and driveway in different states of completion. He had started this one for his son, doing a whole bunch of really nice things to it, but his son decided to choose a different Mustang hatchback that he also had worked on. He needed more room in his garage and said this one had to find a new home.

We both checked it out from top to bottom and end to end. Steve took it for a test drive while I waited with Binney in the shade of a tree. We did not want to leave her alone in the Saturn in the hot summer sun, and she wasn't ready to experience the ride of an open convertible without a safety harness. So I had to trust Steve that it drove well.  

He looks pretty happy!

The seller had done quite a few updates, restorations and changed the transmission over from an automatic to a manual. From the organized tools in his shop in the cleanliness of his garage, he seemed to be quite the detailed mechanic and body person. He had a full inch thick folder of all of the things and receipts and paperwork to furnish as well. He had even entered it in some car shows, and the last one he had taken second place in his division. Here are some of the details of everything that attracted Steve to considering purchasing this car:

The car was immaculate and there was not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. The roof and boot cover were perfect without any rips or wear or fading. 

Clean as a whistle! 

From the backside with the roof up.

The guys did a little dickering while I sat by smiling. 

We knew he wanted to sell, 

and he knew we wanted to buy. 

We brought along enough cash so we wouldn't be leaving to go get the money and getting cold feet.  Cash on hand is a MUCH better way to make a deal. 

So they agreed upon a fair price, shook hands, handed over the cash, and we got a free and clear title. Done!

We took turns driving it home, and here is this happy guy standing by it in our own driveway. 

We went for an evening drive, we went through the local drive-thru for burgers, parked by the river to eat, and then drove around town, enjoying the open-air.

It has a CD player, so we tossed in some of Steve's favorite "Sounds of the Seventies"! Yes, Steve has the whole collection from the Time Life info-mercial, I kid you not. So we cranked up the tunes and went for a cruise.

Like I said, everything is pristine and clean. There is not a mark or a sign of wear anywhere. It was very well taken care of. Even the floor mats are soft and plushie. I feel like I have to take my shoes off to ride in this car!

The five speed stick shift was added when he swapped over the transmission from automatic to manual. This will make it much easier to tow behind the motorhome if we wish to attach the proper base plate. Right now, we tow the Saturn. But we could tow this if we wanted to.

Tall man Steve's knees are a little close to the steering wheel. He is going to look into getting the extended slide rails for the seat. He looked up some, but they need to also clear the retractable seat belt mechanism, so he might have to look up a little different style or makes them himself. But for now, he's able to shift and clutch and hit the gas and brakes safely, just not quite as comfortable for a guy over 6 feet tall.

For a 29 year-old car, it has under 100,000 miles! 

How cool is that?

We headed out onto the Breakwater Park, just out beyond our little city of Oconto. These are the waters of Green Bay that stretch out into Lake Michigan. I hopped out of the car and snapped a picture of him.

Then I made him move over so I could drive it a little bit as the sun was setting. I wear my babushka scarf over the top of my head so my hair isn't in my eyes while driving.

The next day it was a clear blue sky day with a few puffy clouds. We decided to pack a little picnic lunch and head up North for a ride around in the woods. We drove on backroads for a couple hours, just enjoying the wind and smells and feel of the car. 

We stopped at the kids' cabin by Wausaukee and let our youngest granddaughter get a ride in the backseat.  Messy windy hair and all! 

Our daughter Erin took a spin behind the wheel as we cruised around the countryside. Here's a little YouTube video clip I made. What fun!

Blond hair flying in the Sun

We got home later in the evening and parked the car safely away in the garage for the night. 

At 6 a.m. the next morning, I looked over in the bed next to me and it was empty! Where was Steve? Of course, he was out in the garage, laying on the floor on a piece of cardboard, wiping off the bugs from night before!

I think we are both going to enjoy this toy.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW - Little Bay De Noc in the Hiawatha National Forest, near Gladstone Michigan

Thought I would write up another campground review, for the folks who love the quiet and peaceful rustic camping in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  If you read the post before this one, it's our actual camping post of being there with friends:  2022/05/finding-bigfoot-with-bill-and-janet.html  

We just spent a wonderful weekend at Little Bay De Noc Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest. This rustic campground does not have electric, sewer or water hookups, and we totally enjoy camping here with our motorhome. 

Our campsite #35

• Little Bay De Noc Campground is part of the Hiawatha National Forest. It is located about 20 miles east of Escanaba, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. It is located on a shallow bay of the waters of Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. 
• There are 38 rustic campsites with 2 larger group sites. Some sites are reservable, some are first come first serve.
• There's a nice swimming beach and boat launch. 
• Various pit toilets are scattered throughout the park and campground. 
• There are three unthreaded water spigots. (bring a "water thief" fitting for your hose if you need to fill your RV before setting up on a site). There is an Artesian well in the third loop called the Twin Springs Loop. 
• All of the sites are extremely level and deep and can accommodate a big rig. No pull-throughs. 
• The first two loops of campsites have some turns that are a little tighter, but if you maneuver carefully you can get through with a big rig. 
• All of the roads are paved black top and in good condition. 
• Cell phone service is quite good. 
• TV antenna signals ramp-up in the evening but fade away during the day or late at night. The local channel from Escanaba, channel 3 and its subchannels are readily available throughout the day. But they do not have a local weather channel so keep an eye on your cell phone for weather updates. 
• Nearby are a couple different convenience stores as you come down into the peninsula, as well as a few small shops and restaurants in Gladstone or Rapid River 10 to 15 miles away. 
• The larger city of Escanaba has more variety of stores, a Walmart, Meijer's, Camping World and a large casino at the outer edge of town.  The casino does have camping spots with hookups, as well as Pioneer Trail county campground in Escanaba/Gladstone by the highway.

Here is a link to the National Forest website with more information:

Little Bay De NOC Campground in Hiawatha National Forest

The campground is located across the bay from Gladstone, MI.

This is a copy and paste from their website:

Little Bay Campground provides a quiet respite from more developed campgrounds in the area. It has long been a favorite for visitors seeking solitude. Beautiful sunsets can be seen over the glistening water of the Little Bay de Noc, and campers enjoy water activities on the lake. 

Natural Features: The campground sits on the shore of Little Bay de Noc, on the north end of Lake Michigan. A group camping area is separated from the other sites with oak, hemlock and hardwood trees, providing a relatively private camping experience.

Recreation: The bay is widely recognized as one of the finest walleye fisheries in the country. The Hunter's Point paved boat ramp is located less than a mile from the entrance of the campground. 

Other than fishing, visitors enjoy non-motorized boating and swimming, or simply enjoying the beach. A variety of hiking trails are also within a couple miles of the campground. Peninsula Point Lighthouse is a short drive away from the campground.

Facilities: The campground offers multiple single-family sites and two large group sites, available for tent and RV camping. Each site is equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible vault toilets and drinking water are also provided. 

A day-use picnic area is equipped with tables and grills. An adjacent open grassy area is available for large recreational gatherings. The picnic area is also adjacent to the swimming beach and boat ramp.

There are a lot of activities

 in the Hiawatha National Forest

 in that entire area of the U.P.

We also toured the Peninsula Point Lighthouse, about 12 miles south of the park on the tip of peninsula, also owned and maintained by the Hiawatha National Forest. 

The fees for the rustic camping are $22 a night. Some of the sites are reservable via the website link up above.

If you purchase the America the Beautiful National Park and Federal Recreational Land annual or lifetime Senior Pass, you qualify for half-price camping. Our campsites only cost us $11 a night. Here is a link for the senior pass information:

America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Rec Land Lifetime Senior Pass

TAKE NOTE:  we filled out our envelopes for our campsites and put them in the pay post at the self registration kiosk. But our envelopes got stuck up inside of the post! The next day, the host politely came and asked us if we had inserted our envelopes, which we did. This was his first week volunteer hosting at this particular park. Out of the 5 envelopes inserted for the people in that area only one envelope had fallen down into their payment reservoir. They discovered later that the other four were stuck up high in the post!!! So if you have anybody questioning you as to whether or not you paid, let them know there is a cross brace in that post that hangs up the envelopes up at the top of the post. Our host only discovered it by putting a cell phone inside, aiming it up words with a flash, and taking a picture. Sure enough, there were four more envelopes stuck up inside of the post. He hopes that the Rangers will be able to rectify that situation, but the post seems to have been there for a long time. We have no idea why nobody ever discovered this before? Maybe the envelopes are just larger now than they were in the past? Anyway, if you get questioned about whether or not you paid, tell them you have it on good authority that there is a cross brace in that post that hangs up envelopes! LOL

We chose sites in the farthest loop called Twin Springs. We chose them because they are wider open with less tree foliage and more practical for our solar panels. All of the sites are spaced pretty far apart, and in the wooded loops you really don't even see your neighbors at all.  

Our site #35

There is a camp host down at the end of the Twin Springs Loop and they are on site to help with any questions or information. All of the roads are beautiful as they wind through the park at a very nice slow comfortable speed. Everything is thickly wooded with natural vegetation.  There is some poison ivy, so be aware. The campground is not near any highways or city noise. Once in a while you can hear a train from across the bay if the water is calm. But generally, it is a quiet natural serene wooded campground.

Although there is a nice swimming beach at the north end of the park, most of the sites down along throughout the campground are mostly waterfront. Some are in the woods and a few are more open to the sky for solar access. In the Twin Springs Loop there's even a little sandy beach by each campsite!

The sun sets to the West over the bay, so be ready for some absolute stunning sunsets when you camp at this beautiful campground located on the east side of the Bay.

Everything is natural and pristine. The fishing is great and the waterfront is rugged and beautiful and natural.  There are some cottages to the south and north of the park, but you can't see them unless you go out onto the bay. 

There were many nesting geese and ducks along the shoreline, and we heard a loon call out every once in a while. 

Again, be prepared for some spectacular sunsets! This was the second night we were there. The bay became like glass, and the sun was setting on the edge. The colors were spectacular! This is a completely untouched photo taken with my cell phone on landscape mode:

Here is our campsite number 35 and our friends are camped next to us in the beige motorhome in number 36. Showing you the distance between the open sights down in the Twin Springs Loop. Up further in the other two loops the sites are even further apart with an abundance of foliage in between... it completely blocks you from seeing your neighbors.

The views are gorgeous when the winds are calm. Although the bay is shallow, the waves can come up quickly when the winds kick up. Be careful if you are a fisherman, know where you are and how quick you can get back to shore.

All of the camping site spurs are deep enough to fit a large rig and a tow vehicle. The spurs are mostly gravel but the main roads are all black top pavement.

Each clean neat campsite has a fire ring and picnic table and a post with a bracket to hang a lantern. 

If you read the post before this one, it's our actual weekend camping post of being there with friends:  2022/05/finding-bigfoot-with-bill-and-janet.html  

All in all, Little Bay De Noc Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest is a beautiful place to go camping if you appreciate peace and quiet, rustic settings, and a great value for the dollar.