Many Seasons

As the temperatures continue to rise, the feeling of spring seems to creep closer and closer. It is getting warmer everyday and the days are lasting longer. Soon, the season will transition from winter into spring. This is why this region is so great. The four seasons of the Midwest. Each season has it ups and downs; each season has many activities that go with it. The four seasons offer many outdoor opportunities for the sportsman and outdoor enthusiast like me.



Each season has many, great activities that come with it. In the spring, opportunities include turkey hunting and fishing. Many hunting enthusiast hit the woods for a shot at what many call a thanksgiving prize, the turkey. Fishing at this time offers exceptional fishing opportunities because of the warming water and rising water levels. If hunting or fishing is not of interest, the growing fungi in the woods may poke an interest. While most of the woods continue to thaw and start new growth, morels are growing under dead elms and old apple trees. These prized fungi make a delicious meal or they may even yield in a high cash reward.



The fall and winter seasons again offer great hunting and fishing opportunities too. Deer hunting is around the corner when September rolls around. Wisconsin deer hunters are very passionate about the deer hunting season. Many families have a deep tradition when this time of year rolls around. Again, fishing also offers a great opportunity. Fish are eating like crazy, getting ready for the winter chill. Temperatures are also cool enough to enjoy other activities like camping and hiking. The little patches of frost and cool weather that Mother Nature spurs also act to control the bugs that bite and irritate everyone. The cool weather also transforms the woods into a colorful display with the many colors that the leaves turn.



The four seasons offer many opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast like me. Throughout the year, there are many things to do. From fishing to hunting, from camping to hiking, the seasons find a way to keep busy. I could never imagine myself living anywhere else but here, in God's Country.

Feeling sick…

Got the flu? Catch the cold? Getting sick is a normal part of life. But for the first ten months of my son’s life, he has not been sick yet. That was until this past week and weekend. He had his first fever, cold, and ear infection. My first experiences with his little cold were a unique and a good learning experience.

For the past month or so, I have been able to sleep through the night. My son just recently started sleeping through the night. What a relief. But the past few nights brought back the tireless and endless nights of the first eight months. This was a little worst though. Before, he would be up every few hours for his nightly feedings. Now, it is every thirty minutes. He would wake up and have a bad cough and cry. Since he was up, I would use the time for a nose check also. It would usually be running too so I would use one of those baby snot suckers and clean his nose. He did not like it at all; he would cry so hard that his face would turn red. It was either that or he would have to sleep with a hard time breathing through his nose. Then either my wife or I would have to hold him to get him to fall back asleep. This was the daily routine for about a week. Now, things are getting a little better.



Getting through his little cold was a challenging experience. I had lost a few hours of sleep each night. Maybe a few notes in class because I was still a little tired. With him growing up so fast now, I can expect more of this. Hopefully not as much though. But no matter what, my son has been the greatest joy in my life. I would not trade any of the experiences, good or bad, for anything else in this world.

Movie in class...

Last week in class, Professor said “leave your monitors down; you won’t be using the computers today.” I thought to myself, “oh shoot, here is a pop quiz… and I didn’t read the textbook yet (Just kidding, I always read the text like a good student would, right?)!” All of a sudden, I get a sigh of relief. We are watching a movie instead. Yes! Can’t wait to see what we are watching.

The movie starts with an old lady singing. I didn’t know what to think of it yet. As it started rolling along, I thought this class would be a long class period. We are watching a movie about old people. But as it progresses, I started getting into the video more. I even cracked a laugh or two during the video. I didn’t know getting older meant including more fun and smiles. That is one thing that I can look at while I get older everyday; life will still be fun. I can’t sing now but maybe when I get older, it will sound so much better. Am I just kidding myself about singing? I can’t sing now, probably won’t be able to later in life. Anyways, it made me realize more things about the older folks. They can still have fun no matter the age. When they were rehearsing, it looked like most of the older folks had a lot of fun. Even though the composer was not friendly at all times, most were still laughing, enjoyed each other’s company, and welcomed back with joy old friends who were battling with illnesses.

Watching the movie also made me do some thinking about my folks and grandparents. Both of my grandparents suffered from strokes. It is becoming a common problem for the older generation, especially the ones my grandparent’s age, to suffer from strokes. First, a lot of the Hmong came from eating rice, plant roots, and whatever vegetables that they could grow to having a diverse choice of foods here in America. Second, a lot of the elders do not know how to drive or speak English fluently. In turn, most of the elders stay home and are not as active. If you combine the diverse choice of foods and not having a healthy, fit life style, there may be issues later in life. Since their strokes, I have tried to take my grandparents out more on a routinely basis. My grandpa and I go fishing a lot during the warmer times of the year. We also do a lot of hiking and hunting during the cooler times of the year. My grandma, on the other hand, is not as mobile anymore. She is in a wheel chair now. Her activities are more limited but include her grand kids walking her around the neighborhood park and walking around in the local mall and stores.

It is nice to see elderly people still enjoying life at that age. Hopefully I can make use of what I have learned and help my grandparents out a little. Maybe we grand kids can put a smile or two into our grandparent’s lives. The movie really opened up another view of the later years in life; it can still be very fun and enjoyable. It was nice to see the elderly people laugh, smile, and still flirt a little.

Reaction to "Tinkering School"

My first reaction was “wow, those kids are amazing and creative.” Even though some of the projects were not that appealing to the eyes, they were still very creative for children of that age. When I saw the tree house project, I thought to myself, “even some adults would have a hard time building a similar project.” While the video was playing, I also thought about my experiences while working with youths. Little of topic but I have been working for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse since my high school years. Gee, I feel really old… anyways, I first started there as the IT guy, or the computer support guy, but eventually I had the opportunity to work with the youths. I now work at the Amie L. Mathy Center. It is a teenage club for middle school through high school youths.

Anyways, I thinking about some of the youths that come there and I instantly thought of a few youths that I am currently working with now and since that club opened in 2005. Most of them come from broken homes or disadvantaged circumstances. Since I started working with them, I realized that they really needed positive influences, role models, and positive tools in their lives. Examples are the outdoor club and coaching football. Many of the youths get to experiment the many opportunities that the outdoors offers, like fishing, hiking, etc., which they may otherwise miss out on if they may be getting in trouble elsewhere. Sports are a great way to get to know each other and teach one another on how to work successfully together as a team. If the club was not there, what would they be doing out on the streets? Around that neighborhood, I would probably say that they would be up to no good. Most of us grew up going home after school and there would be something to eat on the table. Most of us came home and our parents asked us how our day in school went and engaged in activities with us. But most of the youths that I work with now do not have that “prize” that we had as youths. I feel a great sense of joy when I see the smiles and positive choices made by these youths. It is the most rewarding part about the job. During the video, I related my experiences with the smiles and joy that I saw in the youths during the TED presentation. Like Tinkering School, my experiences taught both myself and the youth’s valuable “life lessons.”