Spring has finally started to arrive in south-central Wisconsin.
It’s maple sap/syrup weather when nights dip below freezing, and the
days warm up into the 40’s and 50’s. I’ll be on the look-out for good
deals on syrup at the smaller farmers’ markets later this summer, as we
are all out after having stocked up a couple of years ago at $12/quart.
There’s been some good ice fishing during the last week or so, but
that season has run its course with the ice breaking up. And the birds
have started to migrate in large numbers. The sandhill cranes began
arriving several weeks ago–even with temperatures falling below zero.
Now, the swans have arrived. Today, on my walk with Callie, the snow
geese were out–dozens of the black-tipped winged birds soaring above the
Wisconsin River.
Justin is home for spring break. He seems generally in good spirits
and has re-committed to college. Justin has spent much of this week
catching up after missing a week of school while fighting depression.
He will be back to school next Sunday.
Allie has returned from Mexico with the end of her spring break.
People worry about the dangers of Mexico, but the worst thing that
happened to her was a bad sunburn. There are all kinds of dangers, but
we tend to underestimate those dangers right at home and overestimate
the ones in other countries.
The snow and ice around the Brew Hut is nearly gone. I’ve been
making some minor repairs and improvements. The powered tv antenna was
stuck in the on position, draining the battery, so I swapped out that
failed part. A broken drawer underwent a redesign, and turned into a
deep shelf. The black tank got a new cap. A broken strap holding up the
gray tank outlet was replaced. A propane tank leaky hose was swapped
out for one that works. I upgraded my outdoor cooking stove from a one-
burner butane stovetop to a Classic Coleman two-burner propane
stovetop. A burner valve died on the Scamp cooktop–discontinued model
without parts. I’ll operate with one burner inside for awhile until I
figure out a solution.
I’m feeling more optimistic about my planned trip south in April with
the Brew Hut. Since I’m a pessimist and don’t want to jinx it, I’ll
put the odds at 50/50. Callie says I’m a Debbie Downer.
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