Wisconsin Barns, Good Fences, and the DNR

Barn just west of Cadott, WI on X

On our way to Wausau, we drove past this cute little barn scene just west of Cadott on Highway X. What a beauty it is, with its pretty little pond and perfect board fence. I can imagine Mr. Farmer, wearing striped Oshkosh overalls and T-shirt (okay, definitely my dad's generation), coming out of the barn with his eager Border Collie to collect the Jerseys for milking time. I was thinking how lovely it would be to see a few sweet cows occupying that pasture when Mr. C. reminded me that IF there were cows, the scene would look very different than it does now. The bank of the pond would be muddy and eroded and the barnyard would be a sloppy mess. Good grief. Talk about bursting my bucolic bubble! Can't he just imagine sweet cows tippy toeing to the water to drink while being careful not to muddy up the yard??? What a killjoy. But... I'll have to admit that it's true.

This is probably a playhouse or tool shed now,

but I suspect that originally it was a pump house.

I was going to crop this photo, but decided to leave it all in. It's so typical of small-town Wisconsin.

We took the long way home, driving on Highway X which parallels Highway 29 but runs through all the little towns along the way. It's so much more interesting.

One of the reasons we drove to Wausau:

Keeping her balance

Sticking out her tongue definitely helps.

I was planning on planting the tomatoes and peppers today, but it's been quite rainy. I might wait until tomorrow afternoon.

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Color me CRANKY. We went to Yellow River Gardens in Spooner, WI, a 46 minute drive each way, only to find out that the pond plants I had phoned about did not include the regulars which they always before carried: water hyacinths and water lettuces, which were the main factor in keeping algae out of my garden pond. Why?? Because, said the unhappy owner, about 3 weeks ago the brilliant DNR regulators decided that they won't allow free-floating pond plants into Wisconsin because they are an invasive species. Right. Well, they are, but certainly not in Wisconsin. They can't survive in Wisconsin's fall and winter temperatures (which is why we can only get them when they're trucked in from the South after all threat of frost is past).  So now I have to pour some chemical into  my pond to keep the algae at bay. Fortunately, we did find something that's supposed to be safe for fish and pets, but still, the pond plants were so pretty... In the meantime, I'm going to be writing a letter to my representative, as though that will make any difference Do these people at the DNR just sit around dreaming of ways they can regulate everything, before even doing some simple research?

Thus ends my rant for today.

P.S. This is not the fault of Yellow River Gardens, and they do have an amazing selection of wonderful plants...but no floating pond plants. If you're in the area, be sure to check them out!

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This post is linked to

Good Fences
and Weekend Reflections

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