I took a break from southern MN and spent the weekend and Monday at the Cabin in WI. It was so mild, didn't take me a cord of wood! Less snow up there than down here in Pine Island. All sorts of vehicles out on Little Butternut Lake and in Atlas--so the ice must be pretty thick. The weekend was beautiful with 30s, sun and hardly any hint of winter!
Chuck (from Luck History Society) and I are planning a session for beginning maple syrup makers in Cushing in early March. The December meeting at Anderson Maple was more aimed at small producers becoming larger and automating. Probably the first or second week of March on a Thursday night. I think we will try the upstairs museum room 2 as it is heated now!
The Luck Area Historical Society is planning an early March "get acquainted with the new Polk County Museum Director" session for representatives from local historical societies--probably the first or second Tuesday afternoon of March. Margo and I, my new knee willing, plan to make aebleskivers for the afternoon lunch. Judy W is organizing it.
Saturday is the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers annual meeting in Neilsville, WI. Our GPS says that we leave Pine Island, head to Red Wing and then catch Hwy 10 into WI to Neilsville, about 130 miles away. We plan to leave Sat am, catch the meeting, and return in the evening, weather permitting. Saturday is predicted to be 30s and Sunday 45!
Friday of this week I visit the Sleep Studies unit at Mayo to learn about sleep apnea, something Margo says I have--quit breathing and then snort to life at night! My regular doc says lose 20 lbs and it will likely go away--so starting December 20th, I began a diet and as of the first month I have lost 5 lbs. I am trying to change my pattern of eating as well as eat stuff good for me rather than stuff that just tastes good. Not too hard so far, and the 5 lbs reinforces me to keep on doing it. I really don't think I could adjust to a machine and face mask -- the cpap machine that is the usual treatment. I wonder if I couldn't rig up a bicycle tire pump and a face mask and Margo could just give it a couple of pumps when I get to snoring too loud! She says it wakes her up anyway.
Waking up abruptly several times a night is pretty handy at the cabin where I have to come down stairs from the sleeping loft to feed the wood stove to keep the cabin toasty. Between waking up to breathe and waking up to drain my radiator, I do miss out on some sleep. But, now that I am retired, there isn't much need to be lively and wide awake during the daytime anyway....!
It takes me three days of warming the cabin up to get the lady bugs and houseflies lively again. A two-day weekend is just right--they stay in hibernation waiting for real spring to come around. There is no heat in the cabin if I don't use the wood stove--of course I have totally shut off the winter until I return for maple season in mid March.
An Amazing Amazon event--have sold 9 online books already including 2 of the very latest on Maple syruping history! Of course the total profits of almost $25 goes to the history society, but it is pretty nice!
