It is Sunday,  the Friday of my week.   It has been a bit slow this morning.  Only a few parties going out.  We still have permits for today but so far, they are not here. 

 It is beautiful outside!  It is so hard to be inside when the sky is so blue and there is a slight warm breeze.  I could be out on the water front but the office is bright and cheerful. 

I have been learning about the different birds and rocks.  As you I  am an awful rock hound and find all sorts of interesting formations, colors, and textures to haul back to the cabin.  I have taken over the window sill above the sink.  I have a jar for the smaller specimens and line up the larger on the sill.

Some of my free time in the office is studying these things....I know so little about the area but am learning.  We have books that discuss every subject you can imagine so that we can help people coming in with questions.  Yesterday I learned about Lob trees.  These are pines that were marked by voyageurs to mark paths and portages. It seems some of them are still in existence which means the trees must have been very young, and have grown to incredible heights.  And the age of them!  Wow!  Several hundred years old.  Now, I have not seen them myself, but have seen pictures.  You can find the info on line if you like.  Just plug in "Lob trees" and look on Wikipedia for the info.  There are several pictures online that shows what they look/ed like.

 The only sounds here are an occasional bird trilling, the overhead fan whirring, and my computer humming.  It is sort of like white noise and if I don’t keep myself busy, it makes me sleepy!  I try to get to bed at a decent time, but I wake up at 4:30/5:00 a.m.  So about this time, I need a second wind to get me to lunch time and beyond.

I have two new roommates at the cabin.  Tessa and Inga, the naturalists.  They start this week with summer programs for the visitors at the various resorts and campsites.  I figured I would tag along and see what I can learn. They have programs on stars, rocks, plants, etc.  It should be very interesting.

Anyway, time to get back to work!  Lunch soon and out into the sun.

Memorial Day Weekend

We have been quite busy up here at the Ranger Station, issuing permits, giving little quizzes, showing the info movie.  In most cases it is fun to go throught the information with people but I have noticed that the trouble makers are mostly men in their 40's and 50's.  Sometimes they meet questions with smart ass answers or they insert rude comments in to the conversation.  I have no idea why it seems to be this age group.  I also don't know if they would treat guys like this.  Normally I can joke along with people, but these guys are just jerks and have to make some sort of "point".

The weather is beautiful!  It is a tad cool, but the weather Thursday to today, Saturday is
nice with blue skies.  I hope it stays this way for all the campers and canoers out there.  There may be some gloomier days ahead with a 30% chance of rain on Monday.  But that is only 30%!

My deer have not been around of late.  Although they did sneak into the yard and eat a plant/flower near the side door.  I usually sit on the steps there and drink my coffee in the morning.  Sort of gives me an idea of what the temps/weather is going to be.

Paulette is stuffing "Smokey" bags.  We give them out to the little kids.  The bags have all sorts of things in them, comics, puzzles, pencil sharpeners, fake tattoos.  The older kids get wrist bands, frisbees, etc.  It is fun to give them; the kids get so excited.

I will be going  to pick up Phil on Sunday and then we will be spending a couple of days at the cabin in Aitkin.  Brother John is coming and we are going fishing.  Hopefully we will still find them in our special fishing hole.

I do like this job.  It is normally pretty easy, and I get to live here where the birds sing symphonies every morning.  They start tuning up about 4:30 a.m. and then the concert begins.  I have seen several evening grosbeaks, lots of little birds like chicadees and sparrows, and the gull (huge herring gull) still will fly over to see if I have left something on the picnic bench near the cabin.  The other animals are just two legged sorts training to be firefighters.  So far they have not been a problem, are so young that I seem like their great grandmother, and generally pretty busy.

A customer has left us donuts.  I think I need to eat some.  Free food is always welcome up here.

Take care all and Happy Memorial Day!

Tofte

It has been so beautiful up here.  On my days off I took a trip to Grand Marais Silver Bay, and hikes and points of interest.
I spent most of Tuesday on the beach at Sugar Cove.  What a beautiful place!  The walk through the nature area was cool and the wind whispered through the pines.  The scent of the pine was incredible.  The beach is covered in smooth round rocks and although you are not allowed to remove anything, I did spy a couple of rocks and agates I would have loved to keep.

If you get up this way, stop at a park or a ranger station.  They have so many guide pamphlets on fishing, hiking, camping, etc that you could go a couple of weeks and never see the same thing twice.  I have taken some pictures and will be posting them when I get home.  The Internet up here is either Wifi at the Tofte General Store (sort of hit or miss) or I have to use the computer at work which is not very private.

I had some students up here this week from a college in Iowa.  They were taking a traveling biology class and came up to help plant trees out on the Gunflint.  The professor was cautious to split up the group:  3 girls with me and 8 guys in the next cabin.  We had plenty of room in my cabin but because he was rather prudish, he slept in the van.  And it was cold when they were here.   He hurt his knee somehow and I just can't help thinking what agony he must have gone through sleeping outside like that.  He went to the Grand Marais Pharmacy and bought crutches.  The kids went out to help plant trees and he had to stay as he just couldn't hobble through the brush with the crutches.  When I asked why he wouldn't stay in our cabin and sleep on the couch, the girls said he was uncomfortable sleeping in the cabin with his female students. Gad!  Even if he had "wanted" one of them, they would not touch him with a ten foot pole.  I asked if they would do it for an easy A and they shrieked and said they would rather fail the class.  Pretty cute kids.  The ladies are teasing me now about my "brothel" as the young fire guys came down too (which they have not done the whole time I have been here).  They said they wanted to ask ME to come up to watch a movie but I am not that slow and I knew I was not the draw.  I refused gently and told them to ask the students next door.  They must have because I heard giggling and laughing until pretty late.

The deer are still out my front window.  I can stand and watch them get closer and closer until I could reach out and touch them.  I have to be very careful because the wood floor squeaks and scares them.  These cabins were built by the CCC and should last forever if taken care off.  I scrubbed this one top to bottom as no one had cleaned it this season.  And the fire boys were here so there were smudges of soot all over.  I will have a room mate later on (June) as far as I know.  She is a naturalist that is a teacher in the twin cities.  She has come up for a couple of years to do nature things with the campsites, resorts, and other places for the families.
Maybe I will tag along with her one of these days just to see what she does. 

I wanted to go out to see the fire crews do a controlled burn yesterday but it was called off at the last minute.  So, I went out with Nichole, the full time receptionist and we went up the Sawbill Trail to see some of the lakes and campgrounds.  We did stop at Sawbill but Bill was in Grand Marais and Cindy went to Duluth.  It was her birthday yesterday.

Have to get to work.  I haven't done much as my computer was acting up and I couldn't connect.  Take care all!

Home again, Home again jiggity jig

I came home last night.  I would have stayed but there were a couple things I need to do.  And Phil wants to go fishing but the ice is still on the northern lakes and he might be gone the next time I have a break.  It is his birthday tomorrow and I wanted to be here for that.  I also have to see the Dr.

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up to incredible itching and pain on my back.  No rash, nothing there, but it was driving me crazy.  I went to an Urgent Care doctor and he gave me some medication for a mild infection.  When I asked why there was such  pain, he said "There shouldn't be any pain!" and that was that. I have been eating ibuprofen like candy.  The pain is so fierce it is difficult to sleep at night.  I woke up Saturday morning with a really weird  rash.  Shingles@!  So much for the Urgent Care appt.  I have no idea why I would have gotten this except that I must be older than I thought.

The North Shore has been cold and rainy with snow mixed in.  It seems that Spring will never get there.  I went to Grand Marais the other day (had to get a brown belt and brown shoes as I have to wear a Forest Service uniform.  And believe me, I look really cute and professional (NOT!).

There are deer every where and I have been hearing owls hooting quite a bit.  There is still mounds of snow and it has been a tad cool at night.  I have a lot to learn about permits, entry points, walking trails, maps, etc and have been studying my handbook non stop.  Perhaps by the end of the summer, I will know half of what I need to.

It does give me opportunities to get to Gooseberry Falls, Grand Marais and other areas.  I may even decide to go to the Isabella work station.   I never knew there were so many places to see up there and anyone fortunate to get up there will have plenty of activities to keep them busy.  And I would like to bring my bike up as there is a incredible bike path that starts right in front of the Ranger Station and goes south to Two Harbors and south.  It would be great exercise which I need.

The cabin I stay in is on the Ranger Station and is very cute!  I have the whole upper floor to myself which means I won't have to have a roommate.  There are two other bedrooms downstairs that have
double occupancy, a smallish kitchen and bath, and a fairly large living room area.  It is so quiet at times, and really restful.  I don't have a TV or anything, I have to walk out into the yard to use my cell phone and I have to drive to the Tofte General store to get WiFi for my Kindle Fire.  But I can handle that and it will give me time to catch up on some of my hobby projects that I have. 

The deer look so hungry!  It has been a long winter for them and other wild life.  It is sad to see the deer look so thin, you can see their ribs.    They are out at dusk and dawn, eating grass in the ditches along side the road.  I am so cautious as I don't want to hit one and they can jump out in front of you in a second.  I see near misses every time I am out driving in the evening.

It's tough getting groceries too.  I have to drive to Silver Bay or Grand Marais if I need anything quickly.  They are both about 1/2 hour away in either direction.  And the prices are a bit steep so I will be stocking up when I am home on staples and hauling them back up north.  I can't even find real lemonade for my Ricky's unless I go to Silver Bay or GM.

I am enjoying this so far.  While I am only working 4 days a week at this point, I am only working 4 days a week!!!!  Plenty of time to go exploring and checking out various shops and things.  

I do miss my friends from work.  Hopefully they will keep in touch via email.

That's it for now.  I have to go find some cooking utensils as the cabin is lacking in things.

Being home

Since I have been home for the past two weeks, I have been checking out different things.
One of them was this:

A fun time waster between laundry breaks...........Very cute!

Way up North..

I finally got my confirmation letter.  I had to fill out a ton of paperwork and there is still more when I get there.

I have accepted a summer position at a Ranger Station on the shore of Lake Superior.  It is a beautiful spot and a gate way to the Boundary Waters Canoe area.  We normally go that way when we have a trip scheduled, and the little town has the ranger station.  I will be living in housing in the "compound" and will be away from home for up to two weeks at a time.

Now you may wonder why I have done this:  Mid life crisis?  Boredom with the cities? A chance to change life up a bit?  The real reason is that I have been hunting for a full time job for sometime and there is nothing or no one that will accept a woman of my age.  Yes, I am over 55 and have worked part time for 5 years but the boredom of the job was forcing me to feel that I was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.  My mother had it, my grandmother and aunt also.  If I am going to get it in my late 60's, early 70's, I want to live a little.  And have a full time job that will help the kids pay off some student loans even if it is just for the summer.

My posting is only 2 1/2 hours away from our cabin.  I will get to see my husband often and still feel like I am having my adventure.  When the job first was offered, he told me to "go for it".  That part of Minnesota is one of his favorite places in the world.  It is beautiful and wild and we have spent many summer vacations paddling the wilderness and re-discovering what silence really is.  We have seen bear (some way too close for comfort), and moose, gone days without seeing another human being, and enjoyed catching lake trout and other fish.  I remember camping on the northern point of Alton Lake, catching bass off the shore, handing them to him and he filleted them and cooked them as soon as I handed the catch to him.  It was wonderful!  And although Alton is a tad too close to civilization for us, and we normally head out to the hinter regions, it was a memorable trip.  He will be coming up to visit too and I wonder if it will be to really see me, or spend time canoeing. (Just kidding, he will come to see Me!).

So, my official start date is May 1st.  I will be leaving on Monday the 29th to move up there.  I have no idea what to bring other than the standard things like clothing, soap, towels, etc.  And I am bringing my sewing machine for those off days.  Most of my work time will be over weekends and I will start out at 4 days a week.  I guess this gives the regular crew some time off on weekends to be with their families.  My kids are grown and independent so I hope I can help with the other staff having time off.

I do know that there is no TV reception, no Internet connection, and if I use the phone in the cabin, I will have to have a phone card for long distance.  I do have a cell phone but my contract is with Sprint and the best reception is with Verizon.  We will see.  I also will have to find a WiFi connection to continue with the blog, check email, and download books to my Kindle.

Wish me luck!  I have already picked out walking paths.  I need to get into better shape and it will be nice to just follow beautiful paths and be healthier.  I will have to cook for myself (if I had my way I would subsist on peanut butter sandwiches).

I will try to keep up the blog and let you know what is going on.  Those that know me have been told where I am and so if any of my dear ones get up that far, stop into the Ranger Station and say hello!

It is finally sunny outside.  The snow is mostly gone and we may have temperatures up into the 70's this weekend.  Finally!  Maybe winter has left Minnesota for the season.  It has been a long winter for us with snow even last week. (5-7 inches)  We have suffered enough and are very very anxious for spring to finally be here.

Ta!

A rainy day in the neighborhood

It is overcast again today.  I keep hoping for a sunny one so I can go pick up the branches the next door neighbor left on the yard.  Our yard, not theirs.  I can't understand why anyone would cut down half a tree, scrape the neighbor's house (just freshly painted last fall), leave all the branches and cuttings on the neighbor's yard, and just let everything sit there.  I wouldn't be so mad if they had just come and told us that they scraped the house with the huge falling limb they cut off. 

But then, if you saw their back yard, you would know they aren't really interested in gardening or having a nice area.  They are fairly new.  But in the not quite a year since they have been here, they have left a stove and a washer in their front yard for months, worked on cars in their front yard and left car parts strewn all over, build things in their back yard that they never finish, and generally lowered the look of the neighborhood considerably.   I would say something to them but my husband is a good guy and doesn't like to make trouble.

Speaking of the "good guy", some weeks ago, he came inside to tell me that the neighbor brothers were fighting in the front yard.  He asked if he should go do something.  I said "Of course!  What if they hurt each other?"  He and the young neighbor to our north side went across the street where
the local trouble spot is and made sure that they weren't having a slug fest.  It seems the younger brother who has mental issues and has been in and out of jail his whole life had been upset with the older, responsible, hard working  brother and had keyed the side of his car (which he had just had repainted due to an accident).  The older brother saw him out of the kitchen window and ran out and tackled him to find out why he had done it.  They were down on the front yard with one brother straddling the other.  No one threw any punches, it was just a damn it Bruce situation. 

Now, this family has had troubles.  The mother is on medication for a severe mental illness, the  father just died of a heart attack, and Bruce, the youngest, has a long list of drug abuse, criminal activities, and is generally rather weird and creepy.  Several times over the years, the family has wound up at my house due to his erratic and abusive actions.  He also went way off the deep end (not that he isn't always there) and stabbed himself 7 times in the stomach, almost severing a kidney.

This is not a bad neighborhood.  It is generally tidy, and quiet.  There are children living up and down the way.  People tend to work hard, pay their bills and keep up their yards.  But it seems to me that it is going rapidly down hill with Bruce across the street, and the messy neighbors next door.  We also have a foreclosed home mid block that has been vacant for some time.  That family fell apart after the mother (a nurse) was caught stealing and selling Oxycontin, and the father was jailed for stealing the
propane tanks under the warming house for the skating house at the park.

To get back to the story:
This morning I answered the door to a summons server.  My husband has been summoned to court to be a witness for the Plaintiff in the State's case against Bruce.  He is not one to get involved and was trying to help, but it has turned into more that he bargained for.  I am sure the young neighbor (neat, tidy people) will be served too which will make it hard as he is a school teacher in Buffalo, and that is quite a distance from here.

Having a family disturbance is one thing, but dragging your neighbors into it is another.  I am just tired of the whole situation over the years.  We have been good neighbors and tried to help, but the mother (even though there have been numerous restraining orders against Bruce) keeps letting him back in the house.  The other siblings have done what ever they could to take care of her, but they are so frustrated that I think this last court case is a sign of that.  They have done all they can for Bruce, but he goes back to the drugs and stops taking his medication.  What do you do in this case?  While I do feel for them, I want my neighborhood to stay quiet.  It seems police cars are in our street all the time!

Anyway, I will have to wait for the weather to clear so I can go heap up the downed limbs and twigs on my yard as I know the neighbors probably won't do anything.  Ever.  Maybe it is time to start looking for something else.  We have lived here for 26 years and it is getting worse.  It is sad.  We raised our children here, are part of the community, have a lovely garden and yard, but it has to change.  Maybe I should start some sort of neighborhood thing when I get back in September. 

I have a week before I go up north.  I am excited to be leaving, if only for a few months.

Rain, rain go away.......