Monday, October 20, 2008

Wisconsin River Mystery

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You may be sitting there wondering what is significant, or unusual, about this shot. This is the Wisconsin River in Stevens Point and normally the water is clear up to the trees. And deep enough to not be waded across.


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But one day in August, the water vanished (I forgot I had these photos until I stumbled across them). At first we wondered if the river had just miraculously drained, like Lake Delton in Wisconsin Dells earlier in the year.


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But no, the dam was opened to purposely drain the water so the riverbed could be cleaned up.


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Water, people, there’s supposed to be water over all of the sand you see, water deep enough for boats.


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Haden was more interested in picking up crawdads than trash.


BTW - Did you know the little icon/flower/stamp looking things over there on the left are links?  And if you move your mouse over them you will see words?




READER QUESTION: And I'm feeling nosey, if you wanted to, say, bake some brownies but you were one egg short would you go to your neighbor's house to borrow one?  Or would you drive to the store to get more?  Or would you just forget about baking brownies right then?



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MY ANSWER: As for me, a few days ago I wanted to make some brownies and I was low on eggs and after I contemplated the way of things - the way I used to borrow from my neighbors and they from me - and the way that at least the last six places I've lived we never borrowed anything from each other, heck we barely say 'hi!' - and I wondered if it's just changes in me, or if it's the norm of the world, or if maybe when kids were small and I had neighbors with small kids we just felt more like family, and well. . .it just made me wonder if knocking on your neighbor's door to borrow a slice of bread, or a bit of ketchup, a cup of sugar, etc has just went the way of typewriters.  Then I put the mixer away and although I finally made it to the store to get eggs, I still haven't made those brownies.


29 comments:

  1. Rivers always look rather sad when there's no water in them - for whatever reason.
    And I have to ask, what is a crawdad?
    And yes, the world has changed, neighbours keep to themselves and we're all less friendly and more self preoccupied. Not very good given that we are supposed to be social beings.

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  2. Wow! I have never heard of draining a river to clean it up. Down here we just have to wade through it! I must admit the crawdad would have interested me more as well! LOL. As for the egg question, I would have sent someone down the shop or to my mums (she lives a few streets from me). We say hello to most of the neighbours but do not socialize with them. We did try for a while but they are just not nice people. There is only so much a person can bare you know? And as you can imagine they have to be pretty rotten for me not to like them. Its not a question of once bitten, but a dozen times before I gave up! (Oh and I am talking about only one of the neighbours, the rest of them tend to be in cahoots with these ones so we just pretend they do not exist!) I am an extremely sociable animal, but have learned to keep my social side apart from my home unless I feel the need to invite it in! There are just too many weirdos around these days. with no respect for others.

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  3. Oh PS. I have a bird shot over at my place! Those black cockatoos are still avoiding me but I caught a Kookaburra instead!

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  4. Great pics, Lisa. And I second what you said about the "borrowing an egg" question...I wouldn't know my neighbors if they jumped up and bit me, as the saying goes. (Well, there's one family that we nod and say hi to, but that's about it.) I think it's the way the world has gone, unfortunately.

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  5. There's a mom & pop grocery store 3 blocks from my house. That easily answers the egg question. I've borrowed power tools from my neighbors but never any grocery items.

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  6. Those stumps in the river bed look very interesting. I'd have been out there cutting and dragging them home LOL Is the river full now? That's weird that the water just disappeared!

    I have 2 neighbors that I would borrow eggs from and they borrow from me in return but I also have several that I wouldn't borrow from under any circumstances. Most of our neighbors wave as they pass but we really only chat with the 2 I'd borrow from. Whenever we've had hurricanes here though EVERYONE comes out into the street and pitches in to help each other but once the power is back on and the crisis is over we go back to our separate lives.

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  7. i have never had the chance to borrow from neighbours, my old neighbours were elderly and i never felt comfortable bothering them. my neighbour now, she's not from the cooking. i went to borrow an onion soon after we moved here, her housekeeper, yes she has a housekeeper, said, we don't use onions. ok. no onions. next time....eggs. we don't actually buy eggs. she has kids!! what the heck does she feed them? lisa your photos as usual are gorgeous.

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  8. I was glad to hear that the lake was drained vs evidence of a drought. Pretty neat that they do that, actually. As for the brownie question...it would totally depend on how much I was craving them. Probably though, I'd go to the store if I could. For better or worse, I've lived a pretty independent life and am apt to not want to rely on anyone for anything.

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  9. For the most part our neighborhood is pretty tight. Of course, you always have a few oddballs, but it keeps life interesting. :)

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  10. neighborhoods just aren't what they use to be. i think people are so busy and wrapped up in their own lives for the most part. yes, i knew those little squares were links, i really like the layout of your journal. interesting about the river...is the first time they've done this?

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  11. This narration and pictures remind me of a place in India where the same scene is repeated year after year where the river bed is drained out in summer to provide water for irrigation and as a result you have the Asia's largest conglomeration of Asiatic elephants on the kabini riverbed. At times you will find a few hundred elephants at the same time. Its a spectacular sight.

    You have lots of closeup of wildlife on your blog, that closeup of sea gull was really beautiful

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  12. We saw them do that to a lake one time so they could dredge it. So sorry looking with its diving deck way out of the water.

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  13. Wonderful, wonderful pictures!!!
    BTW: I left an award for you on my blog!

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  14. you should have borrowed the egg, and repaid the neighbor with some of the brownies. ha.
    Actually, I'll borrow if it is an emergency. Anymore, however, cooking is THAT important. ha ha

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  15. wow!! so are those tree bottoms stickin up all over? do they clean them out? crazy how they can just take all the water away!!! we always loved to go river walking as kids. And i 'd wait to go borrow something and just go to the store..not that I couldn't i love our neighbors i just hate to ask for things!!

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  16. I'm glad the low river was from something done intentionally and not drought!!!!

    And as for borrowing eggs - it probably depends on how "far-into" the process I was. If I had already added the other ingredients, I'd ask my immediate neighbors. If I was already planning a trip into town - then I'd wait.

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  17. I didn't know they drained the water either to clean - our lakes down here are looking sparse due to lack of rain. I've borrowed from my neighbors. I tried to borrow dry mustard the other day only to find out I must be the only one that ever uses that spice. So a fast run to the grocery store so I could finish the meal had to occur.

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  18. I still borrow, don't usually have to, but I still do it if necessary. BTW, I have great neighbors.

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  19. If I walked to my nearest neighbor's house (visible from my kitchen window but about a half a block away) they probably wouldn't have eggs. I think they eat most of their meals at the little diner in town. If I walked to the next nearest neighbor, that would be half a mile and I'd only have one mile to go to the tiny grocery in town. It would be easier just to get in the car and drive to the store. When we lived in Wichita, my inlaws were our next door neighbors and dh's grandma lived a few more houses down. There was a lot of borrowing eggs and cups of sugar and such on that block.

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  20. They drain the 3 lakes in my town every year to do the same thing. It looks so strange. As for the borrowing things, it depends on the neighborhood. I lived in an area for 16 years and all the neighbors were friends. We "borrowed" all the time. I than moved and didn't even know the names of the neighbors let alone borrow from them.

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  21. Wow, that is a drained lake!!!

    I don't think I've ever borrowed, but I guess I would, I just never have really thought of it when the time came... maybe next time I will now.

    I actually love the pacifier photo!!

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  22. I grew up in a close neighborhood where we had block parties, could trick-or-treat for two blocks in any direction, listened to the Jewish cantor singing from his house each night, watched as some of the kids went one way to the Catholic School while we went the other to the public school. As kids we could be disciplined by any of the other parents in the neighborhood and a full report would beat us home. In emergencies there was always someone to jump right in and take care of kids, house, transportation, food, even shopping.

    So, yes, there was a lot of borrowing of eggs, sugar, flour, and stuff going on. Then I went to the big city where you recognized the neighbors by the car that quckly slid into the garage and the door immediately dropped down. The only eggs I got from my neighbors were on the side my house on Halloween.

    Now, I'm in the country where the neighbors would gladly give you an egg. Well, there is one house where really evil people live --- they really are MEAN-spirited. When all else fails, I can always hit Mom up for an egg --- or dinner. She lives two doors away!

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  23. How weird to see the river empty. I would probably just not make the brownies, because my neighborhood isn't the run next door and borrow some kind of place. Our houses are too spread out and people like their privacy here, and actually, we don't even get any trick or treaters. My next house will be more of a family neighborhood, I think.

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  24. Yes, they drain some things around here too. It does look very strange doesn't it? Unfortunately, the way of the world....I don't think many people borrow from their neighbors anymore. At least not around here! We barely wave!

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  25. I love the pics of the River. So did they open the dam back up so the water could fill back up? I live in Kansas City and I have seen our river low but not for that reason. We had a flood in 1993 and I got some very good pics of what mother nature can do.
    As far as the egg short, I actually was going to make cookies a couple of weeks ago and I was out of eggs as well. I know both neighbors on either side of me and instead of asking, I put everything back up. I too have eggs in my fridge now but still haven't made any. Oh well, maybe someday.

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  26. I would ask for the egg. Our neighbors borrow from us, and this always feels good. It's nice to be able to help. And it's nice to be needed!

    Interesting photos, Lisa! Sure could make some mean drippy castles in that drained river!

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  27. I would go next door, walk in the house (without knocking), go to the fridge, get an egg....tell everyone Hi and go home....I am not kidding..I do it all the time, and they do the same thing here. They are family to us and vice versa..we are very fortunate!!

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  28. That is pretty cool! A sight to behold! Maybe making a 1st step with the neighbors will help?
    To get eggs when you need 'em? ;)
    Cheers, Klaus

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  29. What a ‘kewl’ mystery solved. Methinks I might have been like Haden, but probably would have helped with the trash … just because. I did know about the links at the left (because I’d experimented before) and as for your ‘brownie’ question, I’d borrow from a neighbor or walk 4 blocks to the small market if no one was home … but I’ve lived here almost 30 years and know many of my neighbors pretty well.
    Hugs and blessings,

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