First snowfall

The first snowfall is usually an exciting time, which proved to be the case this year. My sister Linda drove up from her home in Iowa to visit for the weekend. Luckily, she came on Friday, before the first snowfall hit. She commented about driving through cold rain in the southern part of Wisconsin. Sometimes the rain was heavy and almost solid. When she arrived in Washburn, it was a normal fall day, slightly cold and overcast.
“We’re supposed to get snow this weekend, probably starting tonight or tomorrow,” commented my husband, Paul.
“It seems to be all south of here,” said my sister. “Maybe it won’t come this far.”
Saturday morning we awoke to wind and slight snow. We sat at breakfast and planned our day. We would go into Ashland and have gyros for lunch then stop in Washburn at the used bookstore. These two activities are staples for any visit. The gyros from the Pita Hut in Ashland are “to die for,” and a trip to Chequamegon Books is a feast as well. We also planned to have squash and meatloaf for supper and needed to stop at a grocery store for ketchup, a required meatloaf ingredient.
We began the day in my Bear Den, a small cabin my husband built with a woodstove inside. I was working on a quilting project, while Linda made clay rattles and Paul rested with a book. The snow got heavier, the wind picked up and the ground began to turn white. We were snug and warm in the Bear Den, enjoying the wintery scene out the window.
At lunch time, we piled into my sister’s truck, which has four-wheel drive. We were sure we wouldn’t need it,after all, it was only the first snowfall. But it’s good to be prepared, right? We set off down the snow-covered road towards our “to die for” gyros.The snow sloshed beneath the tires, sending wet waves across the road.
“It’s kind of slippery,” commented Linda.
We approached a left hand turn and the truck began to slide when Linda put the brakes on to slow down.
“You may want to go straight,” said Paul.
Linda straightened the wheel and we slid to a stop past the intersection. She backed up and we slowly maneuvered the turn.
“It feels like grease,” she said, trying to keep the truck on the road.
“Why are we doing this?” I asked.
“We’re getting gyros for lunch and we need ketchup for the meatloaf.”
“Are they worth it?”
We all looked at each other. This is the point where I remember all of the times I have driven in snow and did just fine. I also remember all of the cars I drove by in the ditches and the time I was one of them. I decided the gyros were really good, but probably not literally “to die for.”
We decided to turn back.
“What about the ketchup?”
I had tomato paste, tomato soup and tomato sauce, but no ketchup. The family meatloaf recipe includes hamburger, eggs, chopped onion, oatmeal, mustard and ketchup. Ketchup is not only an ingredient, it is a topping, and a dipping sauce on the side. You can’t make meatloaf without ketchup, can you?
Our first snowfall of the year turned out to be the mother of invention. We drove around the block toward home and passed a car resting in the ditch after it took out a mailbox. We arrived home safely and had leftovers for lunch. Then we brainstormed about the meatloaf. We had just enough ketchup left to be the topping and the dipping sauce. The tomato paste, soup and sauce were discarded in favor of stewed tomatoes as the ingredient.
The storm raged on and branches fell from the trees due to the heavy snow load. My horses were nestled snuggly in their stalls munching on hay and we sat at the dining room table munching on the best meatloaf we ever cooked.
Turns out that stewed tomatoes make a meatloaf that is flavorful and moist. Add baked squash, au gratin potatoes and corn, and we had a meal worthy of the first snowfall.
Being stuck at home in a snowstorm isn’t too bad when you have a stocked larder, two good cooks, and a Bear Den.

Revisiting old ghosts

Last week I wrote a story about a presentation at the Washburn Public Library called Wisconsin Ghosts and the Afterlife by Terry Fisk, a paranormal investigator. While I was working on the story, I visited Fisk’s website and saw that his company was sponsoring the Unexplained Conference in Eau Claire the next weekend.
I love a good ghost story as much as anyone and, with Halloween coming up, it seemed like a good adventure to attend the conference. I called my sister, who lives in Iowa, and suggested we meet there and have a Sister’s Halloween Adventure.
Both my sister and I are familiar with spirits, having grown up in a house that featured a resident ghost. Our family has favorite stories about this spectre, like the time he tapped me on the back in the middle of the night, and the many times my mother would awaken in the night and see him staring at her from the foot of her bed.
When my sister mentioned to her partner that she was going to attend the conference with me, he said, “Oh, maybe you can find out about the ghost who likes to watch us sleep everynight.”
So my sister and I got a room at the Plaza Hotel and eagerly joined the crowd for an evening’s entertainment.
The first presenter had written several books about werewolves. Her talk included stories she has collected from people who say they have had encounters with werewolves. She showed sketches of these creatures and pictures of the places where the sightings occurred. However, there were no actual photos of werewolves.
Here’s the thing. I would think that in this age, with people carrying cell phones everywhere, and hand-held digital devices, someone would have the opportunity to snap a photo of a werewolf, or even post a YouTube of their encounter with one. As my sister pointed out, “Anyone can draw a picture of a werewolf and they all look alike. That’s because everyone knows what a werewolf is supposed to look like.” Good point.
It was a fun presentation, but I’m not convinced about the validity of actual living werewolves.
The next presentor talked about re-incarnation. The speaker’s evidence stemmed from studies done with small children who tell stories of their past lives. Some children can describe where they lived, who their parents were, etc. Researchers have recorded these stories, gone to the locations described by the child, and found physical evidence to conclude what the child says is true. The theory is that when we are children, we still remember these past lives. As we get older and more conditioned, we begin to lose those memories.
Here was physical evidence suggesting that re-incarnation is possible. Did the presentor prove that re-incarnation exists? Not really, but he gave a fairly convincing presentation.
The other presentations were about various hauntings, Big Foot sightings, UFOs, and other unexplained occurrences. Are there big foot creatures in the Chequamegon Forest? There are multiple stories of sightings. Again, no photos other than vague shadows or something hairy from a distance. One photo depicting a close-up view of a Big Foot on someone’s critter-camera looked like a neighbor in a gorilla suit.
The next day we went to a Healing and Psychic Fair. There were presentors on past life experiences, spiritual healing and accessing different dimensions of reality. Vendors featured everything from aromatherapy and healing crystals to dowsing and quantum jumping.
Where any of them able to provide absolute proof of the validity of their craft? No.
But, here’s the interesting question. Can I, or anyone else, provide absolute proof that there is no validity to these occurrences? No.
We are left with a conundrum of polarities. No one can prove they exist and no one can prove they do not. There are heated debates on each side. Religious beliefs come into play. It all boils down to what you choose to believe. If one of these therapies helps someone feel better or live a better life, is that a bad thing? I don’t think so.
We know the mind is a powerful thing. We also know that we don’t know everything about the universe we live in, how it works, and all of the different elements that live in it with us.
There is one thing I know for certain after having this experience. Going on a road trip, spending time with my sister and having fun is something I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. I don’t need pictures, or scientific evidence. We had a went shopping, experienced new things, and got to spend some quality time together reminiscing about our own paranormal childhood. We met some interesting people, had some laughs, and maybe even expanded our concept of reality a little.
A weekend well spent.