Joy to the World and Other Season's Reasons for Joy!!!

Sounds of great exuberance are once again heard in the Blume bedroom. No, it's not due to satin sheets, aroma therapy, Kama Sutra for Dummies books or the installation of side-by-side claw foot bathtubs. Let's back up a little, every night at bedtime, Ron clamps on a pair of headphones (to keep from disturbing book reading Jo) and giggles himself to sleep watching serious shows like Two and a Half Men, Scrubs, Corner Gas and Reno 911. Recently Ron's trusty remote control started pooping out and we all know, without a remote, Satellite TV is worthless and sleep arrives with great difficulty. A quick call to Dish TV and within a couple of days a smiley guy from UPS delivered a remote replacement. Once again a warm glow beams from the upstairs windows into the late night Fennimore skies.
Now that I'm well rested I can move on to some items of lesser importance. The day after I posted the Hystorical item about Prairie du Chien I thought it might be a good idea to check out the progress of the preparations for the "Carp Drop". As I crossed the bridge to St. Feriole Island I noticed a small patch of open water that was populated with a bunch of ducks. Suddenly a large black and white image swooped down from a tree along the shore. With one graceful scoop its talons grabbed a fishy snack out of the icy waters. After I pulled over to get a closer look I realized that there was about a dozen or so Bald Eagles sitting in the trees on both sides of the stream. I found a place to park, grabbed my trusty Canon, walked back to the bridge and started shooting. Unfortunately my limited photo skills didn't do a very good job of capturing the scene. Possibly I was so intrigued by these wonderful birds that I didn't pay a lot attention to photo technique. Many of you who know me are aware of my fascination with Bald Eagles so you can understand the pleasure I get just watching them. I wish that I was a better wildlife photographer so that I could share more "gooder" photos with you. The birds were more interested in lunch than they were with me standing nearby so I watched them until I realized that I was slowly freezing to death. During the walk back to my car (a walk that reminded me of the winters when I walked barefoot to and from school, twenty miles, uphill both ways, in six or seven foot snow) I noticed that the people in the cars that drove past were completely unaware of the beautiful performance nature was putting on only a few yards away. Maybe I'm more observant of the things off the road than the road itself but it's truly amazing how much wonderful stuff you can experience when you take time to look around. I'd like to think that I may be partly responsible for the fact that JoAnne and all my kids have become sharp-eyed wildlife spotters. (this allows me to pay a little more attention to my driving) My new year wish for all of you is that you might slow down a little and take an extra minute or two to look for the wonders all around us. There's really a lot going on out there, you just have to watch for it. And, you don't have to be out in the "country" to see cool things. There's plenty going on in towns and on citiy streets. I've tried to slow or stop or turn around and go back to take another look or, if possible, take a photo. I'll try to pass on some of the more interesting ones in my posts. Not everyone carries a camera with them at all times like I do but a mental picture is just as wonderful (and you don't have to worry about good or bad lighting).
Hystorical Wisconsin #3 - I Got the Blues - Driving back from my eagle viewing I ran across still another Wisconsin Hystorical site. I'm sure you've all seen little kids with blue tongues sticking out between their little blue lips. This is usually (hopefully) occurs after they devour a berry flavored Slurpe, Popsicle or sno-cone. I've always wondered how these frozen delights came by the bright blue color. No real fruit is even close to that color. Then, WHAM, right next to me, just off the road, there it was "The Fountain of Blueth". I'm still researching this but I think that I've discovered the source of the world's supply of all icy berry flavored things. Just imagine in the matter of a month or so, because you read these postings you have learned the origin of two of the most important commodities in the world, Pepto-Bismol and Icy Blue Stuff. You don't get this kind of knowledge on Wikipedia.
One last thing. Last year JoAnne hid a Christmas gift from me. As a matter of fact she hid it so well we didn't find it until July. Not be outdone by mom, Sally hid some gifts this year. Yep, she couldn't find them. I guess she's not quite as good a hider as mom because she found the stash in time to get them under the tree.
So there it is, Seasonal Joy in the form of a new remote, frolicking eagles, a blue fountain of ice and found gifts. I'm sure we're bound to have many more joyful events and things to report before the end of the year.

A bunch of the boys checking out the lunchtime seafood selection

This guy seems is in the smoking section.
He's waiting for Lox.

That Blagojevich hairdo is catching on everywhere

I just don't know how little branches can support such big birds

This guy is either the maitre d' or the "early bird"

Here it is folks, "The Fountain of Blueth"!

Just a pretty picture
A branch of the Wisconsin River up stream from the Mississippi