My OperaWoody Says No New York Yankees In My Future
Sunday, April 13, 2008 4:39:26 AM
We headed to the cabin for spring break. There was still lots of snow around, so we loaded up all 4 sleds. Connor brought his buddy Gunnar as well. It was midweek, so I was anticipating aa quiet (except when the sleds were running) and restful few days. That dream was shattered shortly after bedtime the first night. Kim wakes me up. "Something is trying to get in". It was one of the squirrels trying to get in through the roof. Earlier in the day, I had found a little mouse pile of pinecone seeds in the bedroom cupboard. I guess the cougars ate most of the cats over the winter, so the mouse population is up. There were two dead mice in my "worlds greatest mousetrap" so I figured I had got them, but Kim was a little anxious at bedtime. She was not going to sleep with that critter scratching to get in. Several years ago I had a showdown with the squirrels over their late night antics, and we agreed to a truce. They would not try to get in, and I would not hurt them with big rocks. The truce had been broken, so back outside in my boxers I went to try and throw rocks. Two problems rapidly emerged. One, the ground was covered in snow, so no rocks. Secondly, whoever it was took off everytime I opened the door. The squirrels of old were much bolder, and just looked at me, at least until I beaned a couple of them. Several trips outside did not resolve the issue so I gave up. I went to sleep but not sure if Kim got any sleep or not.
My sleep was short lived. At dawn ( about 6:30 am) the Woodpeckers returned.
This might look like a cute woodpecker, but he can make a noise on a shake roof that sounds like what I imagine a 50 calibre machine gun sounds like. I also thought I had a truce with the woodpeckers, but I guess all the agreements have faded away. This time I could see them though, so I picked up a good snowball and fired it in his general direction. Regular readers of this blog may recall that I bumped my elbow a few months back. It appears that this injury means that my arm does not act in a repeatable manner when trying to throw snowballs. The woodpeckers had a great time watching me. After a few minutes they didn't even bother flying away when I threw. Well he actually did fly away once, and then returned with 3 of his friends. The 4 woodpeckers took turns banging on our roof, and finally I gave in. Time to get up and cook brekky.
The kids had fun too. A snowfort was built, and subsequently destroyed.
Then it was time to ride the sleds. We made a track up the drive and around the cabin, and The Flamer got a workout. Connor crashed into the boat. Not sure how often there are snowmobile / boat accidents, but we had one. It was a minor bump anyhow.
Then it was off to the lookout. I left the chainsaw at the cabin, so of course there was a tree across the road. This picture demonstrates the correct way to move a tree. Supervise while the kids do the work.
We did make it to the lookout and no one was injured or drove into the lake,
so it was a good day, followed by Hot Chocolate (with Baileys for the adults) on the couch.
Cheers
Way Off Target Bryan
PS. On leaving,I told the squirrels that the mice had been stealing their pinecone seeds. I am sure the squirrels now have a hit out on any remaining mice. I just have to figure out who to sic on the squirrels.
My sleep was short lived. At dawn ( about 6:30 am) the Woodpeckers returned.
This might look like a cute woodpecker, but he can make a noise on a shake roof that sounds like what I imagine a 50 calibre machine gun sounds like. I also thought I had a truce with the woodpeckers, but I guess all the agreements have faded away. This time I could see them though, so I picked up a good snowball and fired it in his general direction. Regular readers of this blog may recall that I bumped my elbow a few months back. It appears that this injury means that my arm does not act in a repeatable manner when trying to throw snowballs. The woodpeckers had a great time watching me. After a few minutes they didn't even bother flying away when I threw. Well he actually did fly away once, and then returned with 3 of his friends. The 4 woodpeckers took turns banging on our roof, and finally I gave in. Time to get up and cook brekky.
The kids had fun too. A snowfort was built, and subsequently destroyed.
Then it was time to ride the sleds. We made a track up the drive and around the cabin, and The Flamer got a workout. Connor crashed into the boat. Not sure how often there are snowmobile / boat accidents, but we had one. It was a minor bump anyhow.
Then it was off to the lookout. I left the chainsaw at the cabin, so of course there was a tree across the road. This picture demonstrates the correct way to move a tree. Supervise while the kids do the work.
We did make it to the lookout and no one was injured or drove into the lake,
so it was a good day, followed by Hot Chocolate (with Baileys for the adults) on the couch.
Cheers
Way Off Target Bryan
PS. On leaving,I told the squirrels that the mice had been stealing their pinecone seeds. I am sure the squirrels now have a hit out on any remaining mice. I just have to figure out who to sic on the squirrels.
