It's snowing this morning - again.
Oh, joy. Oh, rapture.
I slowly pound my head against the wall as I try to convince myself to pull on my boots and coveralls just one more time.
Aaaaaarrrgggh!
Anyone else tired of shoveling?
Anyone else feel like strangling the next person we see wearing a 'Think Snow' button?
Anyone else ready for spring?

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When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.

Here are a few links for those who are ready to make plans for the warmer weather - it WILL get here eventually...
Burpee Seed Company
Picnic Ideas
Bluebird House Plans
Hammocks!
Yard Care Information

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When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.

We've been spoiled the past few winters, this is what March is suppose to be like. Most likely we'll have a "biggie" the weekend of state boys basketball tourney. It usually does.

Brian, I hope your wife and daughters are in safe places, we all know what happened to histories most famous "cabin fever" group, the Donner Party. Except they were stranded in the mountains, same concept lots of snow.

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Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

Marty, right you are this AM was a perfect photographers morning. The frost on the trees was beautiful. I've heard that some die hard sappers won't be putting out taps this year due to the deep snow in the woods. Too bad, there's nothing like homemade potato pancakes with rich dark maple syrup! Ooo, I think Dr. Atkins just rolled over in his grave.

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

We at the Chamber are also looking forward to spring. While we're very happy to have had such a good winter, we think we've found a unique way to fight cabin fever - the Taste of Tomahawk.

We're hosting a microbrew and wine tasting festival featuring area restaurants on Saturday, March 20th at Inshalla Country Club. Tickets are available at the Chamber and area businesses.

For more information, you are invited to visit the Taste website at http://www.gototomahawk.com/taste

"Taste of Tomahawk" = the taste of alcohol??? Of course the "something to do" in Tomahawk would involve drinking.....

You said it, aphephelia. It's funny when you run into people and they ask where you're from and you reply Tomahawk. Almost everyone makes a comment about the number of taverns and the drinking that goes on in this town. It's sad because there's so much more for people if they would only look.

Is it any wonder why our teenagers think "that" is all there is to do in Tomahawk?

Swish, we wish you all the luck and great success with your Taste of Tomahawk. We are looking forward to our 19th annual Wine and Food Expo here in Carbondale, Illinois, we have 500+ people attend every year. It is not only a wonderful social gathering it is very educational. Taste of Tomahawk will be great for people to come out and see what local foods are available along with the great local brews and wines. It is too bad that some people have already formed a negative opinion about it. Again, good luck!! And to those with your negative opinions, don't knock it until you try it, you might learn something! Your little town has a lot to offer, stop prying on the negative and focus on the positive.

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Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Deb, have you ever tried sour cream on potato pancakes? They were always 'latkes' to us and just wouldn't taste right without a little sour cream, salt, and pepper on 'em.
Marty, here I am surrounded by dozens and dozens of big ol' sugar maples and never cared for the syrup all that much (butter and sugar on french toast and raspberry jam on pancakes in case you were wondering).

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When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.

Learn something? My ex-husband taught me all I'll ever need to know, and more than I have ever cared to know about alcohol, thanks. Alcohol destroys more families and destroys and/or ends more innocent lives than anything else I can think of. Will this "Taste of Tomahawk" event provide designated drivers to take these "tasters" home?

As long as we're talking French toast and pancakes here, I have to put in my 2 cents worth...the only pancakes worth eating are Swedish pancakes (mix available at larger grocery stores) with butter, lingonberry jam and powdered sugar, rolled up and eaten like a crepe. I like French toast best with butter and cinnamon sugar. My mom served so many potato pancakes with sour cream while I was growing up that I couldn't look at sour cream again until my 20's, and I still have a hard time eating potato pancakes...course, I've never had the ones my brother makes.

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~do one thing every day that scares you~

Sour cream on potato pancakes, sounds sinful. To be quite honest, potato pancakes are something that I've had more exposure to in Tomahawk than when living in the Fox Valley. Must be cabin fever all this talk of fattening foods. Oh well, what else is there to do besides eat?!?!? That could be a nice addition to this thread "What are you doing to beat cabin fever?"

<small>[ March 11, 2004, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: Deb Richardson ]</small>

_________________
Life is too short for drama & petty things!
So, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

Perusing seed catalogs, new line on the fishing rods, tying bucktail jigs, flying all over the world on my "Flight Simulator".Plenty to do while ignoring the snow.

And oh yeah! Eating potato pancakes w/sour cream or rasberry jam or apple sauce!

Brian, this is for you.

As I sit here looking out my window a tune keeps running through my head.

Oh the weather outside is frightfull, but the fire is so delightfull. And since we've no place to go LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW.

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God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Brian, I just ran across this and couldn't resist.

ODE TO FALSE SPRING

The birds were all atwitter
in the bony, barren trees
Oh, could it be that spring was here
To rout grim winter's freeze?
The dirty snow was melting
Melting like our winter hearts
I'd swear I heard once long ago
That this is how spring starts.
The temp'rature was sixty
Yellow sun had pierced the gray
The air felt kind as feathers, 'twas
A picturebook spring day!
No longer did I hate the world
Yes, life again looked bright
The stormy moods, the
deep black thoughts
Had just been lack of light!
I heard the lilt of music
Strains of violins and lutes
I tossed aside my winter gloves
Kicked off my cruddy boots.
I opened up the windows and
I dreamed of summer sports
I even sifted through my drawers
and pulled out skimpy shorts.

AND THEN.......
And then as I was gazing
At my pasty winter thighs
A voice came out of nowhere
And it took me by surprise.
"You call this spring, you
sucker?"
cried the ghost of winters past.
"you really think you've seen
the end
Of winter's icy blast?
"You think you're out in Tucson
Or that you're some Georgia peach?
You're living in Wisconsin, hon
This ain't no Tampa beach."
I turned to see this cranky
voice~~
A pinched and gnarly guy
His face was raw and red as rage
H scratched his crusty eye.
"For years you're in Wisconsin
And you still don't get this thing?
A day or two of warmth in March?
That's what we call false spring!"
"It's phony as a breast implant
Like Britney, it's a tease
It's fickle as some lovers
And as fake as processed
cheese."
I reached up toward his collar
And I pried his wool scarf loose
"No wonder you're so grumpy, sir
Your scarf is like a noose."
He cackled then he coughed and
Then he cleared his throat and
spat
His phlegm soared through the
balmy air
And landed with a splat.
"Two days from now," he muttered
"Wisconsin's days will not be nice!
The wind will whip up from the lake
That spit will all be ice."
I felt the blue sky darken then
My body shook with chills
I hugged my sweater closer
Tried to think of daffodils.
"So tell me, ghost of winters past,
If springtime now is false
How long must poor Wisconsin wait
To do a springtime waltz?"
He said, "Dear girl you surely
know
That springtime here is cursed!
Why, here it's normal if it
snows
On April twenty first!:
"So keep you shovel handy
And don't put away your coat
Steer clear of all your Sunbelt friends
'Cause all they'll do is gloat."

AND SO......
And so the old man shuffled off
He gave a little wave,
"Real spring will come by June,
my friend
'Til then you must be brave."


From Mary Schmich's column in the Chicago Tribune.
I took some liberty and changed Chicago to Wisconsin.

_________________
God and the Soldier we all adore,
In times of trouble and then no more
when war is over and all things righted
God is forgotten, the old soldier Slighted.

Frightful is RIGHT!!! DON'T DRIVE ANYWHERE TONIGHT FOLKS!!! I've never been so glad to get home in all my life!

Aphephilia-
It is possible to enjoy tasting various styles of beer with out being a soak. I am sorry you had the experience that you did, but that doesn't mean that we need to be tea-totallers because of that. There are some real artists in the Midwest craft/micro brewing industry. Tasting fairs let them show off their work. At $6 -$15 per six pack, it's unlikely that their products would appeal to a "mass consumer".

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What if there were no hypothetical questions?