Looks like it's still snowy in Minnesota

I had said in my earlier column that it started to look like spring. Unfortunately, I was wrong. In southern Minnesota we have a suggestion of spring, but “up north” it is a different story. Just as I was starting to get my hopes up, they got another snow storm this past weekend. This kind of put a damper on my plans to head up to the cabin any time soon.

 

I have gone up to the cabin in April quite a few times over the years and it usually ended up with snow on the ground. If there was no snow when I got there, it snowed sometime during my time there. The snow itself wasn’t the biggest problem, but the wet snow caused trees and branches to fall down. On one my of adventures, my friend Mark Runden and I had to cut our way out so we could go home. We had woken up to five trees that had fallen across the driveway. Luckily, Mark had brought a chainsaw, or we might still be there, chopping with an axe and using a bow saw to cut up those trees. I have had to do that a few times over the years and eventually I decided that I was getting too old to play lumberjack anymore. I bought an electric chainsaw which works great for cutting up any fallen trees.

 

I have usually never had to shovel much snow while I was up there. I maybe had to shovel the snow off of the deck a few times, but that is about it. There is something magical about being at the cabin with snow on the ground. Saying it is cozy is kind of an understatement.

 

I have written before about the times that I spent at the cabin in late fall with Brian and his sons. Those grandsons of mine loved to hunt, whether it was ducks, grouse or red squirrels. Hunting small game is a great way for kids to learn the sport of hunting and to be taught the values of hunting. If they are taught right they learn not to waste what they shoot.

 

Trevor was and still is big into waterfowl hunting. When he would shoot snow geese or Canada geese, he would take some of the breasts to a meat locker and get it made into jerky. He and his brothers devoured that jerky. I got to try it a couple of times, and it was very good. My youngest grandson, Grant, took some of Trevor’s jerky to school and his friends tried it and wanted to buy some. I don’t know if that ever happened, but that tells you how good it was.

 

Until next time: We now have a second great granddaughter, Ila, born on March 23rd. She’s a little cutie and is another ginger. Taking after mom, dad and sister, making me and Grandma proud. It seems like all of a sudden, I have three great grands. Amazing!

Please take the time to remember our troops that are serving now and those that have served before them. They are the reason that we have all of the Freedoms that we enjoy today.