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Not really SAD, but

A lot of people are affected with Seasonal Affective Disorder in Wisconsin.  We have many, many days without sun during the winter months.  This year, we've had a string of days with heavy fog and unseasonably warm temperatures in the 30's and 40's.   Personally, I can't claim that I've ever really felt the effects of SAD, but this year, knowing that we are likely moving west later next year, I've been very impatient and annoyed with Wisconsin weather.   Sun trying to fight through the clouds It hasn't helped that my daily routine involves looking at the weather in Fort Collins and Tucson.  Their weather has been spectacularly sunny and more pleasant this time of year.   So, I haven't been blogging much because not much is going on. I've substituted indoor pickleball for hiking. The trails have been muddy and not much fun. For Christmas, we had my mother, Julia's brother and Allie here.  I went and retrieved my mother from Cedar Rapids a...
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Where the North Begins


I think Portage, Wisconsin could have done better in choosing a slogan.  As a place, it has quite a history.  Back in the 1670’s, Father Marquette and Joliet were on a search for the Mississippi River by canoe.  They followed Lake Michigan into Green Bay and the Fox River.  At the headwaters of the Fox, they were advised to “portage” a two-mile marshy section to the Wisconsin River.


This is where the City of Portage was eventually established–between the Fox and the Wisconsin Rivers.


I drove up to Portage this morning because I decided to buy a small, quiet inverter generator.  I know, I know.  Generator are evil, noisy things, but there are times during periods of cloudy skies (where solar energy isn’t available) and one is without an electrical hookup…anyway, my plan was to get one at Tractor Supply in Portage.  I had read that Tractor Supply has an old geezer discount on the last Tuesday of every month.  With a 20% discount, I could get a 2000 watt Champion inverter generator that had a rating of less than 60 decibels at 20 feet for less than $400.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I research the heck out of everything and then try to find the very best possible deal possible.  I’m not cheap (I tell myself), just frugal.  Rather than drive straight up to the store and buy the thing, I decided to go on a hike and think it over one last time.  I knew that the Ice Age Trail went along the canal between the Wisconsin and Fox, but didn’t really look at the map to see where it was.  How hard could it be to find it?

Well, Callie and I walked awhile in downtown Portage near the canal and then we walked out Highway 33 and then we walked along the railroad tracks where Hwy 33 left town.  Finally, after walking several miles, we found the trailhead.


The trail looked wet, due to rain and minor flooding.


Now that I knew where it was, I decided to head back to the truck and save the actual hike of the canal segment for another day.  I was ready to buy the generator.  We were off to Tractor Supply Company.

I loaded the generator into my shopping cart, along with some required oil.  As I walked up to the cashier, I casually asked if many people were using the 20% senior discount today. “What senior discount?” the cashier asked.  Uh oh.  She got on the phone and talked to a manager.  It turns out that there is a Tractor Supply Company in Canada that uses the exact same logo.  The Canadian Tractor Supply has a 20% discount but not the American one.

I took the generator back to the shelf and took it as a sign that generators are
evil, noisy things.


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