Ready or not
Snowy and Cold winter on the Horizon…
It’s been quite a ride in 2025. Started off this year in the hospital with blood pressure 220/130 with the heart racing and skipping beats. Thought I was having a heart attack or AFIB. After an echocardiogram and being monitored, it was neither. Spent the night in the hospital and was sent home with some new drugs. I had scheduled an appointment with a cardiologist to have the heart checked with a stress test. Holy crap, you’d think they were trying to kill you with that. Well at 61 I passed the stress test with flying colors, but they were able to see there were no blockages (unreal with all the bad foods I’ve eaten over the years and still do). But they were able to find out I have a leaking Aortic heart valve, somewhat common when you get older. The drug I was given slows down the heart rate to around 50 bpm but the skipping erratic heart issue was gone.
Snowmobile season was short lived with only around 4-5 weeks of playing on the trail system. We did get a couple rides in last year, but we started the year off mid December going up to the UP of Michigan to start things off. Stayed Just south of Houghton in Tiovola at D’s basecamp, great place to stay especially if you have a group of up to 8 people. Made it up to Copper Harbor the first day and down to the Porcupine Mountains the second. Just enough snow to make this trip enjoyable.
Great summer on the lake with some awesome days spent on the pontoon hanging at the sandbar most weekends with friends. Endless summer nights seem to go too fast with only 3 months of great weather to play on the lake.
But I did make it to the golf course a handful of times and was able to get my game back together by the end. Northern Wisconsin has some awesome, well taken care of courses. Lac Vieux Desert Golf Course in Watersmeet being my choice for a great 18 hole challenge. Played with some great golfers that are all retired and showed me what I had in store for my retirement in the years coming up around the corner.
Many projects this summer and this being one that Wendy thought up and I took her imagination and made it come true with some welding skills. Only to find out we made a deer feeder and the flowers on the lower level only lasted about 1 week. Need replace with fake flowers or find out which real flowers the deer will leave alone.
Many years doing extreme exercise at the dojo doing Tae Kwon Do, Jujutsu and various other forms were taught, 27 years to be exact. In 2017 at 53 years of age I decided to hang up my days and belt from the arts due to an injury to my right knee. I got into JKLee in Brookfield in 1990 to do one thing (fight). Was great exercise and a great cardio workout, with meeting and socializing with people that became friends for life. The last 10 years, it was more about the social than the fighting. But what it actually did for me, was teach me how not to fight, verbal Judo and a mindset I could take out the largest opponent, but gave me the balls to walk up and talk it out instead of fighting. They called it “Just One Word” could calm any situation. Don’t get me wrong, I did need to change my attitude. I was full of piss and vinegar, now being 61 I’m full of beer and bourbon…lol. But had to come to terms with saving some of my body for my 4th quarter of life. In 2003 my left knee had an ACL replaced with a donor graph and that took 3 months to come off the crutches and a year to feel normal. The left knee to this day is going strong with no issues. But this year, the pain in my right knee was getting too much to handle and with my deductible being met earlier this year, I decide to go see an orthopedic surgeon to find out my option. On October 23rd I had a meniscus, ACL repaired along with arthritis cleaned up in the right knee. I’m about 75 percent walking normal with the swelling being less everyday. Yes, I should be good to go for snowmobile season.
Made time to partake some fun events this fall. Made it to a Green Bay Packer game thanks to neighbors Betty and Harry. Couldn’t ask for better people to share a great time walking through the tailgater’s parties in the parking lot of Lambeau field. When we made it to our seats which were 13 rows up from one of the end zones, the view being so close to the field was awesome. We did win against the Bengles 27-18 on October 12th. Made 3 runs into the UP of Michigan with the UTV and friends. Very enjoyable riding through northern Wisconsin and Michigan. We have a loop that goes in a circle starting at Rogers Bar, then up along lake Gogebic to Root Cellar, up to Berland Bay and all the way across to Bruce’s Crossing to visit the Agate Falls, Bond Falls, Paulding light area then back down south back into Wisconsin. It’s about an 8 hours round trips with stops.
With the up coming winter forecast with a cooler than normal pacific ocean, the experts are saying we are in for a extremely cold winter, and above average snowfall. We finally decided it was time to get a plow for the 1 ton Silverado. Never plowed before and if the forecast comes true for this winter, I will get a lot of practice plowing our home this season. As I finish writing this, we are currently in a Winter Weather Warning for Vilas County. They are calling for 8-14 inches of snow with blizzard conditions. We went out grocery shopping this morning and should be good on all food related items for thanksgiving.
Seasonal/Weekly forecast will start early December with the hope of the snowmobile trails opening in Vilas and Onieda County December 15th right on schedule. Hope to share early trail riding photos of the Northwoods.
Till next time
Good night from the Northwoods
Keep doing your snow dance
RWM
