By Greg Koelker
On Friday morning, I turned on the coffee pot and checked the outdoor temp. I looked outside the kitchen window and realized something was wrong. Bo hadn’t moved, so I took my time getting dressed. By then the dawn’s early light was doing its job. Ellen’s popular Cardinal Cafe was a pile of broken boards spread out in the grass (see picture). Bo and I went out. I went all CSI on the site, checking the damaged boards, circling the surrounding area, talking to witnesses – okay, chickadees and squirrels and our cat never saw anything – that they’d repeat anyway. My first suspect was deer. They might have ravaged the restaurant, but no. Upon further review, the evidence pointed to something with pointy teeth. Aha, a raccoon gang maybe! Like all the CSI teams, I searched the area and then found evidence of wide claw marks on our deck (see pictures). The heavy caged suet feeder had been crushed too. (It was all I could do to pull the cage apart.) That did it. It wasn’t a huge leap from trash panda(s) to a Yogi (and/or Boo Boo), getting tagged as suspect #1. I took what’s left of Ellen’s Cardinal Cafe up to the shop for an autopsy (and maybe a restoration.) Anyway, we may never know. Yes, I put up a trail camera. Lots of squirrels, blue jays, and shots of Bo so far.
After some issues with the Major League Baseball app, we were finally able to watch the Brewer game on opening day. Great 14-2 start over the White Sox! Yesterday, the Sox got out in front, and I turned to NCAA basketball. I went for a walk and got back in time to see UCONN come back from a double digit deficit and trailing by 2, freshman Braylon Mullins hit a three with .04 on the clock to dash Duke’s hopes in the tourney. Then I got a text with an explosion on it from Von, so I turned back to the MLB app. I was able to fast forward and called Ellen to come watch. Wow! The Crew scored six runs in the bottom of the 8th, including a three run homer by Christian Yellich to take the lead at 9-7! Trevor Koenig closed down the Sox for a three game Brewer sweep to start the season. We shall see, but that was fun.
Until next time, get out – I started taking Wegovy GLP 1 weight loss pills three weeks ago. I often feel fluish, but in three weeks I lost 11 pounds. So if I can just keep from finding them again, well. It is time to think turkey hunting. I like the Spring Wild Turkey hunt better than deer hunting. There is something about experiencing a spring morning in the woods. If a gobbler gets closer or better yet, close enough, well, that’s a bonus. One might even spot a morel.
Finally, if you usually get a fishing license and haven’t already, they expire on March 31.
Pray for peace.
Greg Koelker is a lifelong resident of the Driftless region along the Mississippi River. He is the acclaimed author of the “Grouse Hollow Journal,” a column that celebrates rural life, nature, family heritage, and the traditions that bind communities together. While technically focused on the “outdoors,” his writing often explores broader themes of community values and education.
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