Evidence of Things Past

Somebody lived here before.

They left evidence of things past literally steps from my apartment door. High on a hill south of Wausau is nestled the little development called Whitespire Grove. From the highest point you can look north along the river valley and see towards downtown Wausau several miles away. A glance west is a great view of Granite Peak (Rib Mountain) which still has snow on all of the runs. Chunks of red granite are everywhere in the fields surrounding where I live.

This was originally farmland. In fact the farmhouse and barn are still situated on a corner not far from my place. But a lot of what looks like a farm is gone, except when you look closer. On a walk this afternoon I discovered a short section of farm fence, complete with barbed wire and remains of insulators suggesting an "electric" fence to keep farm animals in.

I grew up around things like this as a kid. Climbing over barbed wire fences was a common occurance and I'm sure my mom appreciated the holes in my jeans that gave testimony to my climbing abilities. Rotting fence posts, insulators, and an occasional "live" electric fence are things I recall clearly from growing up. And now I find these same things here in my new home.

Its interesting to think about how life sometimes brings you back to things you experienced before. I like that. Its very nice way for God to tell me things are going to be fine here.

Where I Live

Its the end of my first week here in the Wausau area. Actually I live in Schofield, Wisconsin, which is just a few miles down river on the mighty Wisconsin River, not far from Rothschild. My commute to work is 10-12 minutes most mornings and I'm very strategically located near shopping and good places to eat. Mickey's Red Hots is literally a mile from my place and they make a real Chicago Hot Dog!

Only about 5 minutes away is Rib Mountain Drive where many of the places you want to shop are located. My grocery store of choice is Trigs and its wonderful. They have great people, wonderful things to eat, fresh stuff and its a great experience. They don't allow carts in the parking lot so you get to drive up and a nice fellow puts your stuff in the truck and will not accept tips. We have a new Menards, Home Depot, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond....and many local places that add flavor and interest for me.

This is an outside view of my place. I have the top floor and my bedroom is on the left corner in this picture. Spring has settled into north central Wisconsin this week melting the snow and softening the ice on the river and Lake Wausau. There is still snow and skiing on Granite Peak but that won't last much longer.

Anit-war Protest in Wausau

This was one of the nicest ways my daughter and I could have been welcomed to Wausau and central Wisconsin.

Chanting "Not one more dead, not one more dollar," about 125 anti-war protesters from north central Wisconsin turned out for a peace rally and march Saturday in downtown Wausau, marking the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

The protest was one of many coinciding with other rallies across the state and nation this weekend, demanding Congress stop funding the war in Iraq and begin withdrawing U.S. troops.

Congress is debating how much of an approximate $95 billion supplemental spending bill they will fund and whether to specify a date for withdrawing troops.

The war in Iraq has cost more than 3,200 U.S. troops and an estimated $500 billion, according to The Associated Press.

Wayne Koniecki, 60, of Parrish marched with a sign embellished with a red, plastic gas can that read "How many lives per gallon."

During the November elections, Wisconsin voters supported more than two-to-one ballot measures calling for a withdraw of troops from Iraq, he said.

Additionally, last spring "nearly two dozen communities passed nonbinding resolutions at the local level calling for the government to begin removing troops from Iraq," said Jeffrey Ames, chair of Peace North based in Hayward, who spoke at Saturday's rally.

I borrowed heavily from the story written by Tracey Ludvik of the Wausau Daily Herald.

Moving North

Here in northern Illinois they sometimes refer to it as the "Cheddar Curtain." The Wisconsin border looms very close to my home in Crystal Lake but in just a few days I'll be moving north to take a new job in a large healthcare system directing public and community relations. My office location will be Wausau, but I'll be living in Schofield, one of the towns located along the Wisconsin River a few miles south of Wausau.

Actually the nature of my role will involved a fair amount of travel to the hospitals we have that are located throughout central and northern Wisconsin. Its really pretty exciting as I'll be exploring a whole new region of the upper midwest/Great Lakes Region. Wausau is about 240 miles north of Crystal Lake, a drive of approximately three and one half hours. I've made several trips there over the past few weeks and am beginning to know my way around most of the major things in the community. I'm very excited about what lies ahead.

So far on my visits I've not really had time to take pictures so for now this post will feature a picture I found online. Right now I'm spending most of my time preparing for the new job, sorting through what to keep and what to throw away, and starting to sell my townhouse.

A view of Rib Mountain and Lake Wausau