Apple Cider Donuts and Toilet Cookies
I got one of those musical cards in the mail yesterday. When I opened it and it started to sing, Bentley got all enthused. He came over and poked it with his nose so I opened it and closed it for him a couple of times. He’d back up and then come in and poke it again. Then I put it on the floor and he spent the next FIVE minutes pushing it open with his nose to make it sing and bouncing up and down on his front paws, then pushing it closed…over and over and over….It was hysterical. Sometimes I think there IS a twinkle of brain activity going on in that big dopey head!
I had the best Saturday! I was kind of nervous about it, like I am the first time I do things that I used to do with Mr. Bee, all by myself. But I decided that come heck or high water, I was going to have a happy, positive day! I drove up to Roche-A-Cree Lake to help friends close up their camp for the winter. It was so foggy that I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of the car just after Sauk City but then it was better after I rounded the big hill just shy of the Baraboo. I saw no sign at all of that big ammunition plant up there, just white ground clouds everywhere! I stopped at Ski Hi apple orchard at about 8:05 a.m. and was delighted to find them open and peddling the fresh apple cider donuts that I love so much. I scored 7 to take to the cabin for brunch but only made it up there with 6. Huh. One must have fallen out somewhere! From up there, the fog looked just like the Atlantic Ocean when you are coming down from Ellsworth, Maine towards Bar Harbor in the morning… It was settled down in all the hollows, creating an autumn colored shoreline and little islands here and there.
( Click to biggify and you'll see 'the ocean' between the two hills!)
I discovered that driving through The Dells is a dangerous thing for us attentionally-challenged folk. Look a giant spider! Look at huge horse! Look a hulking replica of the Roman Coliseum! Look a building that's been in an earthquake! I’ve become used to being driven for the last 18 years, (Yes, just like Miss Daisy) so actually keeping the car on the road whilst gawking at all the gaudiness on both sides of the road was quite a challenge. Then when I got to the actual Main Street it was Dodge-The-Tourists-Palooza ‘08 or something. The streets were crawling with folks. [Aside: People, when I let you walk across in front of me, step on it will ya!? That is not the time to saunter along at a snail’s pace and pretend I’m not waiting for you. Given your geographic location; directly in front of my car AND smack dab in the middle of the land of all things distracting, some giant whatzit is likely to catch my interest at any minute and I could jump the gas and run over your butt. Purely accidentally of course, but you’d deserve it if you're one of THOSE people. You know who you are, you are, you Saunterers, you.]
When I got to the camp, most of the fog had burned off and it was gorgeous; bright sun and beautiful leaves. They are a little bit ahead of us up there, color-wise, but it was still amazing. And the lake…ah…the lake made everything even better. I’m a water girl. I need my fix beside a body of water of some sort fairly often and Roche-A-Cree fit the bill quite nicely!
We raked and lugged and unplugged and drained and cleaned almost all day (in between working on a jigsaw puzzle) and got everything ship shape for the winter. It wasn’t even work-being with good friends in such a beautiful Maine-like setting. Pure bliss! My friends made something called “Squaw Corn” for breakfast which was a delicious dish that involved bacon, eggs, and creamed corn. I know, nothing could go wrong with that combo, huh? Good friends, good conversation, good food, and a lake. That must be what Heaven is like.
I had originally said that I wanted to be back in Madison before dark since I was concerned about the traffic on Hwy 12. I’m a wuss, I know. But I was having such a good time that I didn’t leave the camp until 5PM. Turns out the worry was for naught as usual. I was so comfortable driving that I even stopped and contributed $10 (in about 9 nanoseconds) to the HoChunk nation at the casino, and stopped in Wal-Mart in Baraboo to get a toaster oven that my Mum picked out for my b-day gift. (It’s wicked awesome by the way! Made a Bisquick pot pie in it on Sunday!)Thus, many lessons learned:
*I can choose my attitude once again!! (It’s been a while since I’ve been successful at this.)
*I am perfectly able to do things on my own.
*I am perfectly capable of enjoying doing things by myself.
*A 9" cake pan full of pot pie will fit in a toaster oven.
*I don’t look like I am 'just talking on one of those ear cell phones' when I am actually singing at the top of my lungs along with a Nickel Creek CD if I am also bouncing around in the car, dancing in my seat like a cockroach on a skillet. People stare.
*People stare and I don’t care.
So there.
Comments
I'm glad you had a great Saturday.