The Bug House

I missed this one also! Didn't get a whole bunch done ... bunch of errands and chores on Sat. Spent Sunday looking out the window wishing it was warmer. Cabin fever is starting to set in! We had some crazy weather also, ~25 days of arctic weather and then 36 hours in the upper 50's and an inch of rain. Massive ice jam on the river behind my house. I was outside scraping the driveway and it sounded like a freight train crashing through the woods! No damage to my propert thankfully. We had several areas evacuated and some damage elsewhere though. Was back down below zero past couple nights.

HooWee! Currently 35 degrees and it feels like Summah!!

Couple small indoor chores for Sat ... I REALLY need to scoop out the woodstove. Small bathroom repair and light fixture replacement and I'm calling it. lol Meeting a friend for a College hockey game on Sat evening, our mutual friend passed away very unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Those two were thick as thieves and my buddy is having a hard time, we'll grab diner and catch up a bit. 2 basketball games tonight, my oldest plays at 5 and my son tips off at 7. At least they play in the same building tonight! COME HELL OR HIGHWATER I AM ICE FISHING ON SUNDAY! LOL! I haven't been able to get out yet and it's really bugging me! I hear the bite has been slow in most places, and I probably won't feel like dragging the whole kit and caboodle with all this snow, I'll likely just bring a jig setup and try to find some Crappie.

Man, that's a bad scene. Hope everyone got out OK. I've only been in my new house 2 months, and this cold snap has pointed out a few small issues. I have an outbuilding with water to it, the feed froze and obstructed the water flow. I was able to use an electric heater (Pics like this one always haunt me when I think of thawing pipes) to thaw it and thankfully it didn't burst. Previous owner wired a receptacle right where the pipe comes in, looks like I'll put some heat tape on it in the Spring and pick up where he left off ... haha Just a couple small gaps I filled here and there with silicone to stop the draft. Other than that she's buttoned up fairly well for a ~150 year old house.

Only got about 8 inches or so, got windy but never lost power. Not supposed to get above zero (again ... lol) on Sat. I am JONESING to get out on the ice ... Sunday is my day!

2 dead car batteries so far this year, both of which are less than a year old. Was around 20 below both nights.

ALAN, I got your gift yesterday, thank you! It's a "Hunting-Opoly" board game. I left it out so the kids would see it this morning, and they're itching to play already! Thank you very much, a very thoughtful gift!

HNY Everyone! No real party plans here, I will certainly enjoy another 3 day weekend, we are supposed to be on either side of zero for a high temp and around 15 - 20 below at night ... I see a lot of indoor activity this weekend, lol. Cards and drinks by the woodstove perhaps! I was hoping to get out ice fishing on Sat, we will have to play that by ear. I've always grilled year round! In fact, I need to repair my grill, I misjudged on the new house and the snow shed off the second story roof and tore the side burner right off! Thankfully the burner and gas line are intact. I think I'll grill some venison over charcoal tomorrow however. My Son and I went to see the Star Wars movie a couple weeks ago, we loved it. My wife will take our oldest daughter on Sun probably ... it's sort of become a tradition for us past several years. Fun. Decorations coming down here also, only have a small projector outside, buried under the snow but I think I can get at it, my wife wants to make sure we have it ready for Valentines day :::eye roll::: heheh. Here's to a happy and healthy 2018!

I do believe you are correct Sir, just like Brookie without the blue rings around the spots ... as far as I know anyhow, and that's not a lot. lol I know they bred them to gain an advantage over the lampreys back when they were prevalent in the great lakes and lake champlain. I've only gotten one once!

Didn't think they still stocked Splake? Are there Lakers in the body of water?

Have a FB buddy that hunts Mass pretty hard, he did well this year nice 8 ptr if I recall. Seems like some good hunting there. I'm in VT, didn't have as much time to get out this year as I have in the past ... saw 1 legal buck and several does. It was so warm during the Oct archery season, not much was moving at all. Congrats again, nice deer!

Nice, congrats. Is that Mass?

Beauty!

Alright! You got it! I wanted to mention that the Maple is the dark variety, it's perfect for cooking with or making a marinade for your game meat. You can put it on your pancakes also, but some folks find the flavor to potent. I love it though! Merry Christmas, enjoy!

Ayuh ... I had -14 on the mercury this morning.

Terrible! I hate to see those articles, there was a young man that went through and drowned in NY last week also. Sad. The ice conditions vary so greatly, it's amazing. I make a habit of going to 1 or 2 familiar spots for the most part. We've had only about 18" of snow all season so far, and it was such a warm Autumn that most bodies of water were not even slushed over with when much of the snow fell. I passed my usual spot yesterday and there are 3 shacks out already! But that is a shallow setback off the river and is often the first area to button up. Many of the larger lakes have just begun to freeze, we're forecasted for around a foot of snow over the next few days, then a real good cold snap coming ... we'll see how everything shapes up. Be safe and good luck!

Heck yea bud! I've seen several guys out already ... I'm hoping to get out soon! Gear is all set and waiting in the garage. Love that early ice!!!

Well ... busy weekend on tap, to be expected t his time of year. Leaving the office early today, headed to the old tree farm down the road with the family to cut down our tree. Since we're in a much bigger house now, my wife wants the thing to be huge. Guess I'll me sucking up more needles than ever before. lol I've got the living room all buttoned up, so I will go tonight after getting the tree, across the river to tax free NH and buy a furniture set that my wife has picked out. Then I get to unload and drag it in the house! Then of course we'll have to get a coffee table and area rug, which, apparently, is an absolute priority as my Mother in Law is coming on Sun and staying for a week. This is our closing weekend for ML'r/late archery here, after this weekend no more deer hunting until next year. And my freezer is still empty, so I will be visiting with my mother in law after legal shooting hours!!

So sorry to read this, I hope you and your family find peace quickly.

Nice buck WTN! Congrats.

Good luck this weekend MUDRUNNER!

Our Muzzleloader and late Archery season open on Sat. Seeing how I haven't killed a deer yet, I will be out as much as I possibly can, certainly all day Sat and half day Sun. My 11 year old is just chomping at the bit to go, I may take her but she can't keep warm for longer than a half hour which is a bit of a challenge. I've been scraping and mudding the perimeter of the living room ceiling in our new house ... apparently the wife thinks its a priority to get it done before Christmas, frankly it's deer season and soon to be ice fishing season and I think her priorities are askew ... but she's not interested in my opinion on the subject. lol! It's kind of strange, the previous owner had some roof work done (or did it himself) and it seems like there was a leak (that's been repaired) that drained down the chimney into the living room ceiling, which peeled the paint all the way around the perimeter. Thing is, there is no staining from water damage ... the sheetrock under the paint looks brand new ... I've been making significant progress in the evenings after work, and we need to purchase furniture, which my wallet is not terribly excited about but it will be nice to have the room finished.

Oh man, close call for sure! Glad everyone escaped unharmed, and sorry to see your property damaged!

Got a notification last night about this one, Wildgame innovations Terra IR trail cam 10MP $34.98 with free shipping! https://m.fieldandstreamshop.com/p/wildgame-innovations-terra-ir-trail-camera-10mp-17wgiutrr10mprswrtch/17wgiutrr10mprswrtch I snapped up a few!

Thanks TG!! I'll send a message...