Pierogi 2016

December 23, 2016

Claude came over last night after I got home from Donna Kuehl's party.  He put the potatoes through the food mill and mixed the filling. We watched a movie about setting a record for bird watching. 
We got an early start with the pierogi after having our usual breakfast.  I couldn't find the pierogi press, then we realized that Claude must have taken it home with him to repair.  After filling the pasta and folding them over, Claude used my fine strainer with the wide rim to shape them and cut off the excess dough.  We had one splitter, not any fault of Claude's, but one stuck to the bottom  of the kettle. We made 81 beauties.

I wanted to buy some fresh Polish sausage at Ray's, but could hardly get in the door. I thought I'd try Sendik's on 51st and Rawson.  A butcher was waiting on me and another woman., who took my ten links of Polish sausage by mistake.  I took the remaining five and managed to find the woman with my sausage in the produce department.  I took her sausage and noticed that the ten links and five links were about the same price, over $11.00, also the package with five links was marked ground round.  The butcher punched in the wrong code!  I'll examine my meal packages more closely from now on.

 

Family Weekend 2016

Friday, December 9, 2016
Claude and I left at about 2:30 p.m. after my hair appointment. We arrived at the Landhaus Inn at about 4:30.  Jay was already there after being in the area for his father's funeral. After we all assembled we walked to the Sweet River Pizza Restaurant where we each ordered different entrees .   I finished off a whole 10-inch pizza.  We played Say Anything, which moved along at a nice pace and was a lot of fun.

Saturday, December 10, 2016
The inn serves a substantial breakfast ,  which should carry us pretty well I to the afternoon .  Jay drove us to the Duluth Trading Company Outlet store.  Laura bought a leather purse, that I said would be too heavy, but I bought one also.  I also found a cute pair of shoes that would be fine for pickleball; my other shoes pinch my toes.  I hope these do the trick. We drove to Paoli, a little town with a lot of art galleries.  We had fun browsing through the shops.  Laura found some items; I bought a hat pin for my red hat.  When we got back to the Inn, we had some cheese and crackers.  Colin had arrived and we split up: the guys went to the brewery, the girls, downtown shopping.  After sampling some wine, I bought two bottles on Pinto Grigio.  We didn't explore all of the shops; it was starting to snow and we don't really spend a lot of time shopping.
Laura showed me a trivia game she plays on her tablet called Quizmo; I downloaded it, and now I'm hooked. We spent the rest of the afternoon in our room.  Claude was really impressed with the brewery tour, quite upgraded from the last time he visited.  
We can expect so e accumulation of snow . 

BY 6:15 p.mp, we were assembled I  the lobby for our dinner at Kristi's Restaurant.  We had a small room to ourselves and a very attentive waitress.  I ordered fillet medallions, with roasted red potatoes and deep fried mushrooms ;  it was delicious . Everyone seemed to enjoy whatever they chose.  It was a very pleasant dining experience.

When we got back to the Inn, we gathered in the Sorensens' room to celebrate birthdays and enjoy Janice's heavenly angel food cake.  We played Apples to Apples until about 11:00 p.m. Jay had more than double the wins than anybody.

Sunday, December 11, 2016
A good breakfast with omelets this morning.  there was a lot of snow to brush off the car before driving to the 11:00 a.m. mass at St. Francis Parish in Belville.  I drove on snow packed roads, taking my time.  We made it just in time.  Claude drove the rest of the way.  Roads are mostly clear with light traffic.

I looked forward to the Christmas concert at St. Mary's in Elm Grove, but the roads look pretty bad with a lot of snow.  Peter agreed with my decision .

Dress for Success/ Hartford Auto Museum

 October 18, 2016

A good start of October with the Vag breakfast. I didn't play pickleball because I attended the AAUW meeting.  Took some nice pictures of our project, Dress for Success, with donated business type clothing

On Sunday, October 3rd, Peter and I went to see Man of LaMancha.  Peter said it was the best thing he saw in his life; I was very moved by it.  We went to Rock Bottom and waited for the Vagabonds to finish the Festival Symphony and joined them for dinner.  We shared a sausage platter.

During the week there was Book Club on Tuesday, discussing the ?Project.  I went to a CE program on Pollinators in Brookfield.

Wednesday was the Vagabond meeting.  I collected sigh-ups for the fish fry.  Thursday, the WAUC meeting with a great program on Google.  Friday we joined the Vagabonds for fish fry at the Chancery.  We had a sizeable group.

On Saturday we had our Vagabond breakfast, then drove to Hartford to the Auto Museum, an excellent experience.

The group went to Machine Shed to eat, we decided to go to the Cedarburg Octoberfest.  We stayed for awhile, then wanted to check out the beer garden in Grafton.  It wouldn't start until 5:00 p.m., and would have just been a few musicians playing in front of a bar.  We went back to Cedarburg and stayed until almost closing.

Because I wanted to play pickleball at Franklin H.S. at 10:00 a.m., I wouldn't have time to get to the 8:00 a.m. mass. So I postponed mass until 6:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes.  Pickleball was intense.  I played with Leroy, Sandy and Gotham without stopping, only stopping to exchange positions on the court.  It was a very good workout.

Monday was the first Potpourri class at Osher about the textile industry, very informative.  

Tuesday was another Osher program on the Presidential elections.  That was very stimulating for this timely topic.  That was followed by Knotty Knitters and dominoes.

On Wednesday, the 12th, I went to the Master Gardener meeting followed by the Garden Support meeting.

On Friday, I had my hair cut, fish fry at Alioto's, then to the Austrian Club meeting.  We stayed afterwards to practice for the Weinfest chorus.

Saturday we had breakfast with the Vagabonds, but skipped outdoor pickleball at Juneau because it was very windy; it would have been very frustrating hitting that ball where we wanted it to go.  We ushered at In Tandem for Dracula vs the Nazis, a senseless play, that I didn't understand.  It didn't get a very good review either.

I played pickleball at Franklin HS, again steady and intense.  We picked poker chips to determine which court we'd play on.  That made for a nice rotation.

I rested, watched the Bears get beat, then decided to go to the Octoberfest at Our Lady of Lourdes.  As I was driving on 60th St. I spotted a yard sign that said it ended at 3:00 p.m. and it was already 3:15.  I went home and watched the Packers get beat by Dallas, a very sad performance.

During the week I left my navy fleece Blood Center jacket somewhere.  I called Osher and the sheriff's dept. in Waukesha where we had our MG meeting.  It wasn't there.  I feel just sick about it, because I felt so proud wearing that jacket for all of my donations.  I left a message at the Blood Center inquiring if I could purchase one.

On Monday the Potpourri program was on the Southwest Wis. Symphony orchestra, located mostly in Franklin.  I checked again about my jacket, but no one found it.  I planned on going to the Blood Center in Greenfield after the WAUC lunch to see if I could purchase one.  Five minutes before leaving for the WAUC lunch, a woman from the Blood Center called and said they would send me another jacket in appreciation for my loyal donations.  I could have cried, I was so overjoyed.

I got up earlier for my 8:00 a.m. ultra sound appointment at West Allis.  As I was going for the paper, I noticed my tree was down.  I unscrewed the bird house before having breakfast.  I was supposed to have two appointments, but the radiologist was able to combine them.  I called Jeff Hunt about my tree and cut down all the peonies while painters worked on my building.

My iris is blooming a second time.

Door County Weekend 2016

Thursday, September 22, 2016
Peter changed his mind about taking his bike, so his luggage was in the driveway when I pulled into to his driveway.  I had to get gas and he said I should have gotten gas ahead of time, "what if the price goes up? "  We had a pleasant drive and got to the Alpine Inn about 4:30.  We are in Kentucky again with Gloria Zenger and Jim Luling.  Maureen recommended the Log Den for dinner and we were not disappointed.  I had a half broasted chicken,  Peter had a quarter,  but he made up for his portion with soup and salad.  We finished the evening in our cabin  with Gloria and Jim.

Friday,  September 23, 2016
A ferry to Washington Island seemed like a good idea, and my phone gave details about a combination ferry and Cherry Train trip around the island.  We weren't on the ferry three minutes before it left the dock.  Good thing we found a nearby parking spot.  The trip on the water was very windy.  We looked for the Cherry Train and a couple said it left 10 minutes ago.  They obviously don't synchronize with the ferry.  We walked and sat around for the 1:00 p.m. train.  A good number of Vagabonds were also on the train.   

The woman driver narrated along the way and made a few stops to look around.
It was a worthwhile way to spend the afternoon.  On the way back I picked up tickets for 39 Steps for tonight.   We were served early and ordered beef sandwiches which we thought would be quicker to eat.  We weren't satisfied with the slabs of beef that were hard to chew.  We got to the theater in plenty of time and enjoyed this cleverly acted play with 4 people playing multiple hilarious roles.  We ended the evening in our cabin with our take-out desserts and were joined by Marcia Northouse and Kris.

Saturday, September 24, 2016
Our destination was the Baileys Harbor Autumn Fest.  We viewed a number of cars and voted on the one we liked best.

We headed for the Harbor Fish Market that Keith recommended.  My GPS seemed to direct us out of town,  Even though Keith said it was right in town.  We walked maybe 3 miles and finally stopped where a woman was having a rummage sale and asked if there was some way we could get a ride either to the restaurant or back to town.  She said that the restaurant was right in town.  My GPS was assuming that I was driving and that is why we were going in the wrong direction.  Miraculously,  a car was pulling up, maybe to check to on the rummage sale.  I asked if by any chance they would be going to Baileys Harbor and would they give us a ride.  They graciously agreed.  When we got downtown,  we asked where the restaurant was, and it was only two blocks from where we started out.  We would have liked to eat outdoors by the lake, but the hostess said the bees were very aggressive. Our table had a nice view of the lake.  We had delicious walleye sandwiches.  We walked back to the fest area.  I bought some toffee, a silver spoon ring and  dyed shirt.  I think the last item might have been a mistake.  When we got back I took a nap until 5:00 p.m.
When we got to the cocktail party Ron announced my Birthday and everyone sang to me. We both had salmon, which was good and cherry pie for dessert.  I wanted to join a game of dominoes but they were playing with double 18s and it was taking forever.  I had my set and we taught Marcia,  Kris and Fran how to play Screw Your Neighbor.  I felt bad that I won the first 3 games, but Marcia won 2 and Kris won  one. The rest of the Vagabonds were dancing.

Sunday,  September 25, 2016
We were packed before breakfast where I indulged in Swiss toast: French toast with cream cheese between the slices, topped with cherries and cream.  I left a little.

A man took our picture by the lake

We stopped for cherry jam for Sabiheh and me, drove to Fish Creek and looked in the shops until it started to rain.  We drove along the lake through Algoma and Kewaunee and Manitowoc.  Peter drove the entire way while I knit.

We listened to the Packers for the first half the  decided to watch the rest of the game at the Bavarian Bierhaus.  There were a lot of Packer rooters there and the Packers won against the Lions 34 -27.  Good thing they scored big ìn the beginning.  We used our steins to share beers and also had sandwiches,  Ruben for Peter, ham and cheese for me, enough for a second meal..

It rained so hard we had to wait for Peter to unload.  It stopped at his house but poured on my way home. I could hardly see the road.  It cleared up enough for me to get to the 6:00 p.m. mass at Our Lady of Lourdes.  It rained hard again at night.

 

First Weekend in September 2016

 September 9, 2016

I made cupcakes for the Austrian Club meeting before having my hair colored.   Kristina colored my hair; it seems darker than my natural color.
I got a response from Wilder Snodgrass regarding renting his home in Portsmouth.  It is luxurious and I'm very excited about it.  I let the time get away on me a d realized we would not get to Alioto's in time for our 5:45 reservation.  I tried calling Peter to see if we could meet there ; no luck.  I got to his house at 5:45, he wasn't dressed.  He had been at the Y. We got to Alioto's after 6 and were fortunate to get seated without too much delay.  Peter said we had plenty of time and not to rush.  It took a while to get our bill, even though we asked for it at the time we were being served.   Peter still thought we had plenty of time as we were going to the car, until I told him the meeting was at 7; he thought it was at 7:30.  We were late, naturally.  They sang Happy Birthday to me separately.  After the meeting we had gin and tonics at Boulder Junction.

It rained during the night and looked like more on the way.  We checked at Juneau for pickleball.  A few people were there, but it was too wet.  We turned I  our applicstions and left.  I did some grocery shopping which included a bottle of wine for Nancy Mathews' birthday.   I lectored at the 4:00 p.m. mass and Peter was at my house afterwards to drive to the party at a bar in  Mukwonago.  Nancy ' s daughter and son-in-law owned it.  There was a huge gathering of relatives, people who worked for her, friends and Vagabonds.   We stayed until about 8:30 and headed home.  Peter stayed over.  We watched "Oceans Eleven", but Peter fell asleep, even though he insisted that he saw the whole movie, untl I asked him questions about it.   We had a good laugh about it.

We had an omelet for breakfast,  read the paper and watched the news.  Peter planned to go on the bike ride with the Vagabonds and I was going to meet him  afterwards at the St. Francis Brewery.   He was going to call me when he was through.   I went to see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at the Franklin Library and turned off my phone.   I kept checking my phone for the Packers score and noticed that Peter had called me about 10 minutes ago.  I tried calling him back, but kept getting a busy signal.   I got to the brewery and some Vagabonds were already there.  Sue Cummings said Peter came late.  I finally reached Peter and he was at John Reitzi's house and John would drive him to the brewery.  After he got there Judy Hawras called me because they lost Peter.   She was relieved when I told her that he was at the brewery.   I guess when he realized he was in  South Milwaukee and the group was so split up he decided to go to the Reitzis.  We shared a pizza then picked up Peter's car at the park and visited John and Olie.  Their son Eddy from Texas was staying with them because of John's failing health.  He was very alarmed when he came to the house and found the doors unlocked, garage door open and lights on while they took Peter to the brewery.   He didn't know what to think. Everything turned out well, but if I had my phone turned on in the first place and got Peter's initial call a lot of the mix-up would have been avoided.

Western Trip 2016

June 25, 2016

Our plans got whittled down considerably after talking to Laura and Jay at Janice and Brad's Anniversary picnic.  After looking at possible lodging, Jay found hardly any vacancies, especially around Yellowstone NP, mostly because of its popularity and the 100 anniversary of the National Parks.  I originally had planned going to Yellowstone, then Rocky Mountain NP.  I think we have a much better plan now.

I expected Peter to come over after his B&S luncheon and before Over the Hump at Alioto's.  He called about 3:00 p.m. that he was just leaving the lunch and there wouldn't be enough time to discuss anything of any substance.  I almost expected him to come home with me after Over the Hump, but he planned on going to the Schwabenhof.  I think that was a better plan, because I could concentrate on getting things done on my own.

I really worked after getting home from Over the Hump: trying to get free nights, reading many reviews, changing my mind after reading some.  At the end of the day I managed to get all the reservations in except for the Husker Inn in North Platte, NE; every time I dialed the number a message came: "If you know the party's extension, you can dial it now, or dial 10 for the manager". I tried that a few times and every time got the message that that line was busy.  The next day I tried again, many times, with the same results.  Finally I dialed like I was going to dial a room: 108.  A lady answered!  I was able to make my reservation and told her the trouble I was having.  She was unaware of it.  We had a nice chat, and when I told her how persistent I was she said she'd make us special muffins.

Monday, August 15, 2016
We left Peter's house shortly after 9 00 a.m.   My GPS did not cooperate getting us in the right direction and we must have lost almost an hour getting our bearings. Once this GPS started working correctly we made good time. 
Rest stops were  almost non-existent, so our stop in Grant County WI was well timed.  Peter had sandwiches potato salad,  and cole slaw from his birthday,  which was very satisfying. 
We thought we were on the wrong road when the GPS took us on an unpaved road to the Sac City Motel, but it was most direct route.  The motel was no frills, and seemed to be the only one in that vicinity.  I Googled for a county park and after a few mistakes we found Hagge County Park, a beautiful setting, all by ourselves,  except for a wedding that was taking place nearby. We had a repeat of the lunch menu plus Amish Limburger cheese and beer and wine.  Peter watched the Olympics; I fell asleep.

Tuesday,  August 16, 2016                                                                                                       It rained during the night.  We were on our way at 8:00 a.m., with no problems getting our bearings.  We hit some rain, sometimes quite heavy. 

Rest stops are far apart and the alerts were too short, especially going 80 miles an hour.  When we approached one, it was  closed and difficult to back out of, since even the frontage road was closed.  We found the next one with picnic tables big enough for 8,  some were enclosed in brick shelters, Making them very private.
We had very good driving to North Platte, NE.  I was a little apprehensive approaching Husker Inn, going through a less desirable part of the city.  But it was situated in a very nice area, and we were pleasantly surprised, even before checking in.  There were plantings all around  the area.  The lady checking us in was so very sweet.  She offered each of us a smoothie because we needed the energy.   She added some chicken tenders, a huge muffin and some cookies.  Our room was spotless and had everything we needed.
We found Cody Park and finished the sandwiches and all of the potato salad and coleslaw that we cared to eat. We had a lady attendant take our picture by the locomotive display just as she was closing.  We drove through the park and had we driven a little farther we would have had a more scenic picnic spot next to a pond.  We bought a couple peaches to go with yogurt for breakfast.   We watched the Olympics for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday   August 17  2016
There was a table on the patio of the motel, so I cut up the peaches into the yogurt,  plus the chicken tenders and cookies would have been enough for breakfast.  When Peter went to get coffee in  the motel office, the lady said she was making eggs for us.  Peter said one each would be plenty, but she insisted we should have some eggs.  As we were having our breakfast on the table outside, she came out with two little bowls of eggs and sausage for each of us. Our check-out included hugs and warm wishes as we went on our way.
I drove a couple hours before coming to a rest stop, and it was ideal. A warm welcome with coffee, cookies and information about Rocky Mountain National Park  and Estes Park.
We got to The Holliday Inn Express at about 1:00 p.m.  Peter was hungry so we packed some food and ate on the lawn of a senior center next to a city park that didn't have any picnic tables.   We drove straight to Rocky Mountain National Park and followed the trail loop, stopping at sightseeing vistas. We got up to the Alpine Visitors Center, hoping to get information about the distance to the end of the park, because we were running low on gas, but it was 5:00 p.m. and they were just hanging the Closed sign on the door.  We got to the end of the park, filled up with gas, and a man at the station said the only way back to Longmont would be to backtrack the way we came in, or keep going through Denver.  We opted to go back, and I did the driving.  The roads have hairpin turns at 15-20 miles per hour, and it was getting dark.  We  made it back to Longmont and headed for Outback.  I had ribs, Peter had a pork chop.  The day didn't go as well as I had hoped, especially running low on gas and covering the same roads.  I was hoping to spend another day at RMNP, but Peter didn't seem too keen on going back through Estes, and going into the park.

Thursday, August 18, 2016
I had a brilliant idea.  Colorado Springs was about 2 hours away, so was the cog rail up Pikes Peak.  Peter favored the idea, so I made reservations for 2:40 p.m.  We were on our way by 10:00 a.m. and arrived at Manitou Springs about noon.  We saw a perfect picnic table, but instead of sitting and holding it, I walked with Peter to find a restroom.  When we got back a family was occupying the picnic table.  Since we had plenty of time before we had to be on the train we waited until the family was finished.  As the were cleaning up I started talking to them and learned they were formerly from the Grafton/Cedarburg area.  We enjoyed our lunch then drove to where we would get the train.  People were not back from  the previous trip, so we had to wait for spaces to open up.  We drove around a while,  then headed back.  The weather didn't look too promising.  We sat across from a couple from Denver.  The climb was awesome, with huge boulders scattered along the route.  What magnificent formations.  As we reached the summit snow started, and was falling hard when we reached the top.  Jackets were required for the sudden drop in temperature.  There was a souvenir station at the top and 400 people invaded it.  I bought water, Peter used the restroom,  and we didn't linger around too long before getting back on the train for the 4:40 departure. 
We drove to Colorado Springs to have dinner at the Edelweiss Restaurant.  The food was delicious,  but we had to take boxes, because we are eating way too much.   Peter drove back to Longmont, arriving at 10:0 p.m.

Friday,  August 19, 2016
We were on the road at about 9:00 a.m.  I started driving towards Montrose, and the (Rodeway Inn.  The views were spectacular the entire route,  with rugged crags and changing colors in the mountains. We stopped for lunch (leftover schnitzel) at Vale Trail, which was windy and quite cool. 
We stopped at another  rest stop on the Grizzly Creek where we saw rubber rafters against a backdrop of towering cliffs.  We arrived at the Rodeside Inn at 5:30, and were satisfied with what we saw. The receptionist was very cordial and offered to help in any way that she could.  Peter had an appetite for Chinese so we selected The Panda Inn and had some delicious food: sizzling beef with vegetables for Peter,  cashew shrimp for me.  We took out enough for another meal.  We sat by the pool until dark.

Saturday,  August 20, 2016
We headed to Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park and stopped at the Visitors Center where we watched a video on the history of the park and how the roads were constructed with mostly picks and shovels.  It would  make our appreciation of the park greater.  We waited for a ranger led talk, but he/she never showed up.  A picnic table at an overlook was an ideal spot for our lunch.  It was a very sunny day.  We enjoyed our usual fare before driving to the various overlooks.
Each view was different and some required some steep approaches.  But every view was worth the effort.  Here is the Gunnison River below that carved out the canyon.
We drove the entire South Rim Road and back to the entrance, and then attempted the East Portal Road.  There were warning signs of hairpin turns and a steep grade, with recommendations to drive in low gear.  We couldn't tell any difference when Peter used the Manual gear.  The road would have taken us to the river.  Fortunately,  there was a place to turn around,  and we did.
We had fajitas at a Mexican restaurant.  We started with medium margaritas,  which were huge.  I don't know how anyone could consume a large one.  We ordered beef with six tortillas, which would be enough at SuCasa to fill generously.  We had to realy stretch the filling,  because it was less than SuCasa's, but it was very good.

Sunday,  August 21, 2016

Our destination today was the Colorado National Monument.  The day was very sunny and I  the 90s.  We had no trouble finding a picnic table in a shelter.  We spread out and immediately got comments about our service.  Every time we put out the table cloth we get comments; how much trouble is that?  We took the road around the overlooks and every view was jaw-dropping.  It took most of the afternoon and finished watching a couple videos.  The ranger in the Visitors Center was beautiful and very sweet.  When we got back to Rodeway we warmed up our leftover Chinese and ate by the pool.  We didn't make use of the pool, nor did anyone else; it was not heated, maybe that's the reason.

Monday   August 22, 2016

After having breakfast we drove to the Museum of the Mountain West.  Mike guided Peter and me through many collections and Peter got to sit in a dentist's  hair for an extraction.  Mike was very personal and gave a wonderful tour.  Two other couples joined us for the rest of the tour.  The tour cost $10 each and was a real bargain.  We found Montrose city park and a table near the road.  I got a phone call while we were eating from Rodeway. We were supposed to be out today! I lost track of the days.  We packed up and got to the Rodeway as fast as possible and got our things together.  The interaction was not pleasant.  As we were about to leave, Peter reminded me that we didn't clean out the frig.  "Are you losing it?"  We managed to get on our way to Cortez.  It rained off and on a good part of the way, but nothing too hard.  There was a a stall for a while where we came to a complete stop.  We got to Night's Inn about 5:00 p.m. and were pleased with the room.  I double checked my calendar and map and I had two different motels for tonight.  I called Travelers Lodge to see if I had a reservation there. I did!  I must be losing it!  Fortunately,  I was able to cancel, and didn't have to pay for two motel rooms for one night.  We went to a brewery restaurant for pizza, very good.

Tuesday, August  23, 2016

Our destination today was Monte Verde National Park on a beautiful day.  We are so lucky with the weather allowing us to make such good use of our time.   Driving continues to be stressful.   I was going through a tunnel with my sunglasses on and couldn't see.  A car behind me blew its horn when I stopped.  I knew what I did was wrong,  The verbal tirade that I got was terrible.   I had to scream "Shut up!" for Peter to stop.  We drove in silence until we were able to switch drivers. We arrived at the Visitors Center which was mostly for buying tickets for ranger-led tours.  We were going to take a self-guided tour, because the ranger-led tours were quite strenuous.   We stopped at many overlooks with archeological restorations of various Pueblo structures. 

Peter has a unique quality of getting over our riffs quickly.  By lunch time all was forgotten .  We found a nice picnic table off the parking area and enjoyed our usual fare.

The skies looked threatening.  Fortunately we covered most of what we came to see.  We headed to the Fairfield Inn in Alimosa, driving in steady rain  most of the way on very curvy roads.  The mileage doesn't seem long   but when you factor in the terrain it adds to the driving time.  We got to our hotel at about 6:00 p.m.  We are going international in our dining: Chinese,  Mexican,  Italian,  so tonight it was Greek at the Acropolis Greek Restaurant.  We both had the special gyros with a salad,  which was adequate.   Our plan for tomorrow was to go to Sand Dunes National Park which was in the area, but we had to drive over 600 miles to Junction City, Kansas, an 8 - hour drive.  A park tour and that drive wouldn't be practical, so we decided to forego that plan.  We  digested our food for a while before going into the pool, until 10:45.  The evening ended pleasantly.

Wednesday,  August 24, 2016
We were up at 6:30, had a substantial breakfast in the hotel and were on our way by 9:00 a.m.  I started driving in light rain through the rest of the mountains and some curvy roads.  Once we were out of the mountains it was miles and miles of state roads with hardly another vehicle in sight in either direction and no opportunity to change drivers.  We finally got to a service station to take a rest and switch drivers.  We drove for miles looking for a town to buy groceries and have something different for lunch. ..nothing in sight.  Now we were getting hungry and would be satisfied with what we had.  We spied a historic point of interest sight with picnic tables.   It was so windy we didn't bother putting on a table cloth.  Our bread was dry and we used the rest of the cheddar, but we had no idea where the next opportunity to eat would  be.  We drove less than than three miles and came upon the nicest city park, right at the side of the road  with tables, a rest area and Peter said there was even a shower.  I didn't see one in mine, but there probably was.  We both had a good laugh with that one.
We got to the Holiday Inn Express in Junction City,  Kansas at about 7:00 p.m.  Lots of fast foods within walking distance.   We looked at a barbecue place but chose Freddy's Steak burger.   Our order came with French fries, which we didn't order.   Peter talked to the  manager and got a full refund of our meal.  We did not eat the fries.

Thursday,  August 25, 2016
Driving was easy with long stretches of bland scenery, and no rest areas for miles.  We finally found a very nice one, but were besieged by flies.  We got to the Holiday Inn in St Louis and had a great reception.  We got free parking and breakfasts.  We are downtown and  thought a Mediterranean restaurant would work; it didn't.   Medina had a walk-up counter that didn't appeal to us.  Across the street was Flannery's, which was Irish.  Peter had Irish stew, I had a Rueben.

Friday,  August 26, 2016
There wasn't a breakfast buffet, so we ordered off the menu.  Sue catered to us very attentively.  Rod told us yesterday that the Arch was walkable.  We walked!  The walk was level, but the temperature was rising.  I printed tickets before we left and  didn't have too much time to spare for our 10:30 reservations.  We were by ourselves in a little car and rode to the top.  Once there we took pictures of various landmarks.  We saw an outstanding video on the construction of the Arch; it was a masterpiece of engineering.  We dropped in at the Old Cathedral and  mass was in progress, we didn't stay very long.  We went to the Old Courthouse which was a museum of St. Louis' past.  We could have stayed there longer, but we wanted to get to the Budweiser tour.  I was able to get 3 00 p.m. tickets while Peter repositioned the car. Our guide recited her information that was difficult to understand.  I was on a number of brewery tours, and they are mostly the same, except Lakefront.  We had a small taste of beer while our guide explained the brewing process and finished the tour in the Biergarden where we had a nice glass of Michelob Amberbock and brats on a pretzel roll with fries.  On the way back to our hotel we bought a night light to replace the one that I left at the last hotel and a couple of flashlights.  When we got to the parking lot I couldn't find the key and had to get a replacement.  That didn't sit well.  We had nothing  further planned so we watched TV  I knitted.

Thursday,  August 25,, 2016
Holiday Inn provided a substantial breakfast and we took our time, because we were not in any hurry.  I drove a very long time before coming to a very nice rest stop; however we were plagued with flies.  The day is warming up degrees as Peter took over the driving.

Saturday,  August 27, 2016
We ordered our breakfast off the menu, I had an omelet with cheese a slab of ham and mushroomss with a lot of coffee.   We were packed and ready to go.  We stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to view the mosaics that are supposed to be more numerous than  anywhere in the world. We were lucky we didn't come any later, because a wedding was going to take place shortly.  We stopped at a wayside to switch drivers and it is very warm, 86 degrees at noon.

 

 

First Weekend in June

June 3, 2016

I had my first appointment with Joan.  She did a very nice job, but still can't compare to Donna.  On my way home I stopped at Stein's for plants to put in a couple of pots for Peter's shepherd's hook.  I had red, white and blue in mind, and Stein's has great marketing skills.  There were packs of 18 red, white and blue petunias, ready to go.  My next stop was for some suet cakes.  I planted when I got home, had some lunch and went for a shellac manicure.  It's amazing how busy that place is, even little kids getting pedicures.  Peter called while I was in the salon and we continued our conversation afterward.  We decided to go to Seven Seas for fish.  When I got home, I decided to call Seven Seas to see if they were doing outdoor dining.  That won't start until next weekend.  So Plan B was Spinnaker's in Oconomowoc.  Peter said we would meet at 5:00 p.m. at the Goerke's Corners P&R; that was also the plan if we would go to Seven Seas.  That is the first time we ever arranged  to meet there, but since it was closer to Oconomowoc, it made sense to me.  At 5:15 I called Peter and he said that he has been waiting for 15 minutes.  I looked around at this vast P&R and no way was I going to find him.  I explained where I was and he should find me. After a bit, we still couldn't find each other, and he said it's where we always meet.  I said we've never met here.  He was at Hales Corners; I was at Goerke's Corners. And he's trying to put the blame on me because I should have known not to come where I was.  He drove to meet me and after some words, we drove to Spinnaker's.  Sign on the door said "Closed permanently".   We ended up at Schwefel's.  I had a shrimp scallop combo; Peter had cod.  It was good.  We drove to see if Stuebe's were home, but Peter surmised that they must be in Germany.  There was a music festival at Lake LaBelle, but we passed on that.  It was a beautiful evening, as far as the weather was concerned, but more stressful than I'd like with the miscommunication.

On Saturday, it was the usual breakfast at Genesis and pickleball at Pulaski HS.  I started out pretty good, but fizzled out toward the end.  Peter was happy with his flower pots for his hook.  I worked on the Heritage Garden booklet the rest of the afternoon until it was ready to go to church.  After supper I put together a grape salad for the Austrian Club picnic tomorrow.

The weather looked threatening for the Austrian American picnic at Rotary Park in Menomonee Falls.  It was too cool for shorts.  We got there shortly after noon and shared a table with Mary and John McGinnes.  There was also another German singing group.  The day turned nice and sunny, but quite windy.  There were 40 chickens turning on the spits that were ready at 12:45 p.m.  They were done to perfection and seasoned to the bone.  Each person was served a half chicken, plus many side dishes and desserts that were volunteered.  There were also beverages.  The picnic cost $5.00, and we really got our money's worth.  People started drifting homeward, but Peter and I found a shady spot under a tree and stayed until almost 6:00 p.m.  Peter read while I knitted.  Just as we were about to leave it started to sprinkle.  We drove to Peter's house, where he changed and would follow me to my house.  The rain started in earnest, so hard and windy that I could hardly see the road.  Everything got a very good soaking.  Peter came over and we watched TV until it was time to call it a day.

Productive Day

 May 26, 2016

When we were at dominoes and there was a downpour, I looked forward to weeding my garden on Wednesday.  I got up early and wanted to get started before Claude came to hang pictures and fix the leak in my master bathroom  toilet tank.  It has been a problem for the longest time; Claude and Peter adjusted something, but it never lasted.  I got outdoors and the ground was dry as a bone, we didn't have any rain at all.  I started cleaning up under the tree, because I wanted Claude to spread the soil that was in my trunk.  My car picked up a terrible odor from the mushroom compost that was also in my trunk. 

Claude came about 10:45 and we hung pictures.  In the half bath he hung the stitchery from Vietnam, and the lavender wreath. In my bedroom he hung the print of my hemerocolus and the papyrus with my name; and the blue woman print in the master bath.  He hung Don's corn print in my computer room.

We went to Menard's for a replacement part for the toilet tank and an outlet switch with a breaker for my bathroom, as Jay recommended.  After installing the part, we still heard a leak.  Claude determined that the part that seals off the water at the bottom  of the tank was brittle and not sealing properly.  He hoped that Menard's would have a replacement, otherwise he'd have to go to a plumbing supply and finish the job tomorrow.  We were lucky that Menard's had the part.  Installation was successful, and we didn't hear any more leaks.  The association will be pleased with lower water bills.

We had ham sandwiches sometime in the interval.

Next, Claude worked on the switch.  That turned out to be the most difficult,  especially going up and down the stairs countless times to turn the current off and on.  I could have been more help by holding the flashlight when he was working with the power off.  He had multiple tries to get it working,  because there were other wires that connected other outlets.  Success finally achieved with the wires properly connected.  Claude left at about 4:45 p.m. I felt bad that we couldn't have supper together, but I had the Vagabond Board meeting at 6:30.

My last Board meeting as secretary.  I was happy to be on the Board, and glad that my term was over.  There was always a demand to attend  and the job having to prepare the minutes.  When I accept a job, it seems like no big deal, not realizing the responsibilities.  I hope I can learn to say "NO".

Sanfilippo Mansion

May 18, 2916

The Vagabonds took a trip today to Barrington, IL, for a tour of the Sanfilippo mansion and its collection of music players, organs, stained glass, Tiffany, railroad cars, and even a carousel.  Peter was at the Watertown Plank P&R at 8:30 a.m.; I got picked up at the College Ave. P&R at 9:00.  We had a full bus for the trip arranged by Helen Hankwitz.

We got to Barrington at about 10:30 a.m. and shopped the mall, which was a converted dairy.  We met at 11:30 a.m. for lunch at Chesse's.  Peter and I had pork with mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked vegetables.  There was also some nice crusty warm bread on the table along with salad.  We had a little time to walk to the Main Street before the bus left at 1:00 p.m. for the mansion.

We were greeted by our guide who took us through very many musical players, collected through the years Jasper Sanfilippo, who made fortune in the nut industry.  They are second only to Planters' in the distribution of nuts, with factories in a number of cities in the US, and now in China.  The architecture of the building was simply beautiful, showing off all of these instruments.  Our guide demonstrated many of them, talking about their unique features.  There was a lot of standing while he talked, which would have been a problem with anyone with walking and standing problems.  Some people sat on the stairs, there was also seating in some of the rooms we went into.  The theatre organ is played digitally and I'm glad I took out my hearing aids.  Phantom of the Opera filled the theatre with its volume.  We had to take the bus to another building that housed the carousel and the site for their fund raising functions. 

The artistry of this mansion was magnificent.  Nothing was left out that didn't enhance the entire experience

 

Sore Arms

 May 11, 2016

Ever since late August my arms really hurt.  It started with my left arm.  It was painful closing the car door, fastening my seat belt, reaching, putting on my bra.  At first I thought it was caused by carrying luggage on our trip.  Then my right arm started hurting.  I feared the worst: shoulder replacement.  I told Doctor Switala about it when I had my wellness check and she recommended seeing Dr. Mark Wichman, orthopedist.  I didn't want to see anyone because if I had any shoulder surgery I'd be in some kind of sling and have limited movement, rehab and whatever else it entailed.  With Thanksgiving, Christmas and our trip to Florida coming up I didn't want to involve any surgery.

Finally, I bit the bullet and on February 11, I saw Dr. Wichman.  I had XRays taken and nothing indicated that I needed surgery.  He was super!  He gave me a cortizone shot in each arm and recommended therapy.  I had a few appointments with a therapist at the Aurora on Loomis Road, where I did some stretching exercises, also an ultrasound treatment.  I felt great after just a few sessions and we agreed that I didn't need to come in any more.

Not too long after, my right shoulder started giving me trouble, but the pain was in my muscle.  I felt a lot of pain when I combed my hair, reached for the garage door opener, dressing/undressing, and similar tasks that involved raising my right arm.

In the news were articles about the benefits of statins to reduce cholesterol, and one comment that struck me was the muscle pain caused by statins.  I never associated the two.  I Googled it, and sure enough, statins cause muscle pain, even after taking it over a period of years.

I have decided to stop taking the statin as of Tuesday, May 10.  I will see what happens.

Pot-a-Thon

 

April 29,2016

Potting at Master Gardener gardens is going on in earnest.  I did three so far: Bonnie Pophalm's, Carolyn Hofman's and Patty Witt's.  It's amazing how these plants thrive that we are able to get so many out of each garden.  To date: 9586 plants, with more to go.  The days have been very cold, especially yesterday, the 28th; the wind was raw besides and very strong.  About 35 - 40 MGVs show up at each place and arrange ourselves in various work stations.  It was nice to see Marie Bellin at Carolyn'; we hugged, but didn't see each other again.  I did a lot of sawing and cutting, plus lifting, which didn't help my back or arms.  It's nice when a strong man comes to our aid.  At Patty's we stopped at noon for sloppy Joes and side dishes.  It felt good to warm up after braving that cold.  I continue to marvel at the beautiful landscaping at these gardens.  Patty's especially had very much yard art amid gorgeous surroundings.  Her dining room looks out onto this landscape, which must be beautiful all year round.

When I got home I went to bed for a rest.  It didn't help that I worked a BigJig puzzle until 1:30 a.m., so I was beat.  I slept so soundly that I overslept,(I don't know if I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep) and was late for the knitting group.  I turned in four hats and picked up some more yarn.  The group was smaller than last time.

Bathroom Painting

April 23, 2016

Jim Cole and his helper Jonathan arrived at about 8:30 a.m. to begin stripping the wallpaper from the first floor half bath and the master bath.  Under the wallpaper in the half bath someone had painted "A silly goosey lives here".  I'm sorry that I didn't take a picture.

While they were working I walked across the street to Margaret McGinn's for the MARTA finance committee meeting.  We were done shortly after noon.

Tim and Jonathan left at about 4:30.

I went to the Q & A SIG, but it was a waste of time.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Jim and Jonathan arrived at 8:30 a.m. and continued working on the bathrooms.  Before going for my hair appointment I looked for some prints to be framed.  I must have gone up and down the stairs five times, but couldn't find them. I left for my hair at 9:30.  After my hair I shopped for towels and a shower curtain at Kohl's; a lot of good bargains.  I bought three each of bath, hand and wash clothes, and a bath rug, also some summer fingertip towels.  I picked up my free bagel at Panera's.  No one was sitting outdoors and eating today, on a windy 43º day.  

I found my prints when I got home.  They had been on the landing for years, but when I had the rugs shampooed I moved them with some books.  I went to the framing place that I used before; there was a spa in its place.  I went home to check on other framing places.  There was one in Greendale, but when I got there, the listed framing place was no longer there, but another art/photo studio was in the area.  I'm having my daylily, the artist print and a Vietnamese stitchery framed.  It should cost just over $200. Tim finished the job about 3:45 p.m.  I expected the bill to be $600, the amount he quoted in his email.  But removing the wallpaper was extra; so the total came to $825?.

When they left I put up the shower curtain and washed and rearranged the drawers in the master bath.

I wish that I had time to take a nap before going for a fish fry.  I met Peter at 6:30 p.m. at Innovation.  Instead of fish we each had an Angus burger.  We had just water to drink.  We drove around until we found a parking space near Cafe Bavaria.  We each had a lager beer, very refreshing.

 April 16, 2016

This is not the first time this has happened, and I'm sure it won't be the last....forgetting an appointment or birthday.

Yesterday Peter sent me an e-mail suggesting That's Amore for fish.  We were to meet at the restaurant at 6:30 p.m.  As I was finding a parking space, he was walking towards the restaurant.  We were seated immediately, passing up drinks (thankfully) and ordered blackened catfish.  We finished our salad and Peter asked, "Is this the day we were supposed to go to the Hartland theater?"  I said that I thought it was next week.  I checked my phone. Sure enough it was tonight at 7:30 p.m. and we were just served our dinners at 7:10 p.m.  Our waiter, realizing our panic when I told him we were supposed to be at another engagement at 7:30, immediately gave us take-home containers and our bill.  We were almost going to forget the theater, but Peter didn't want to lose $20 per ticket.

I said I'd drive my car, leaving Peter's in That's Amore's parking lot.  I knew that I'd drive faster than Peter, and I did.  Our arrival time on the GPS was 7:40; I made it at 7:37.  On the way I realized that our e-tickets were tacked on to my bulletin board, but I hoped the ushers would allow us to get in.  I did not think we were going to be admitted during a performance, so Peter told me to slow down; it didn't matter if we were late if they weren't going to let us in until intermission.  I'm glad that I didn't listen to him.  I found a parking space across the street from the theater and we were allowed in during the performance and without the e-ticket.  We really didn't miss much of "Witness for the Prosecution", maybe six minutes.  And it wasn't difficult to get the gist of the play, even coming in late.  I had already seen the movie with Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich a number of times, so I knew what to expect.  When the lights went on at intermission, we saw Kaye Bires sitting directly in front of us.  We chatted, went to the lobby and had some cookies that were being passed around, and went back to enjoy the rest of the play.  We didn't change to the seats that we paid for; where we were sitting was satisfactory.

The play was very well done.  Some voices could have projected a little more.  Mrs. McKinsey and the doctor were especially good, with a good accent and projection.  Mr. Vole was excellent, clearly understood and a lot of emotion.

After the play we stopped for drinks at the Harland Inn.  The kitchen was closed, but there were pretzels with hot mustard at the bar.  Our waitress and one of the patrons were very connected with the theater, so we had a lot to talk about. 

We drove back to get Peter's car, almost forgetting that it was at That's Amore.  Peter suggested following me home, but I didn't seem to agreeable.  Peter's uncle Joe Steffan and his grandson are coming to Peter's house to pick up some cut logs, so Peter will be at breakfast, but not pickleball.

 April 15, 2016

I can't believe how this project blossomed.  It all began when Ron Sonntag proposed a Vagabond Roundtable about Master Gardeners.  He really wanted Ed Kraus to lead it since he was a school friend.  I left a phone message and e-mail with Ed and got no response.  When I approached him at an MG meeting he wasn't interested.  Ron had similar results; he said Ed was getting married.  That turned out not to be true; however, Ed is moving to Ohio.  I can't imagine selling that property and that fabulous garden.  Judy Williamson agreed to work with me on the project.  Ron seems to be giving Judy more attention in it, even though I'm doing all the work.  

I started putting together a PowerPoint with a picture of my daylily in the background.  I worked pretty long on it, then showed it to Sharon Morrisey after one of our classes.  She thought it was very good.  Janet Wintersberger had some corrections and Judy didn't like the daylily background.  I had to agree, because it really clashed with the text.  I used very little text, depending mostly on talking points and pictures.  When I used a dull green background I liked the results better.

I no more than finished the project, when Bonita Clark approached me at an AAUW meeting asking if I had something about Master Gardeners.  I said I would be happy to share what I had.  I'm waiting for a call from Patricia of Alexian Village to arrange a day and time to give a presentation.

Then I got an e-mail and phone message from Sharon Morrisey that Bill Shaffer needed a program about Master Gardeners.  I said I would be glad to share it.  He called me while I was under the hair dryer and he said that he couldn't open the file in DropBox.  He said he would come to my house in the afternoon to pick it up on a thumb drive I'd put it on.  I picked up a free bagel at Panera's, before going home and got the PowerPoint on a thumb drive.  In the meantime, Sharon called and said Bill was in her office and could put the program on a thumb drive.  I also sent the notes to go with the slides.  I think they were very pleased.

I can't believe we do not have a program about the Master Gardener program.  We have talks about so many other subjects.  I hope my work will be put to good use.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The day of our presentation finally arrived.  I picked up hand-outs during the week (reference cards, plant sale, How to Become a Master Gardener and a lawn care schedule). I picked up the Vagabond calendar from Pressworks (Tom couldn't find it right away) and got to WG's in plenty of time.  Judy and Janet Wintersburger put some hand-outs on tables while Ron hooked up my computer to the projector.  Nothing happened at first, and I was beginning to panic, until he tried another cable (USB) and it worked just fine.  After a nice introduction, I started at about 5:40 p.m.  My voice got weak into the presentation after talking so long.  I'll remember to take water with me to Alexsian Village.  I thought my half went pretty good.  Judy was not prepared.  She went through the pictures and said a few things, but she could have been more thorough, especially going through the information on the Resource Card.  I got a lot of nice comments when we were through.  Janet was stone-faced.  Judy said she wanted more information, but that was before I started talking.  Janet didn't know what I had in my notes.  I have more confidence now, and I think Alexian Village will go better.

Advocacy Day in Madison 2016

 April 13,2016

Peter and I met at the Gurkey Corners P & R for the UW-M bus to Madison to take part in Advocacy Day and Posters in the Rotunda.  The bus was less than half full.  We got to the Capitol at about 10:45 a.m. and were met by UW-M Vice Chancellor Tom Luljak.    All UW schools were represented showing the research projects they were involved in.  We approached a number of displays and the students talked about their projects.  What impressive endeavors.  Some of the language was over my head.  We gathered in one of the rooms for a box lunch and soon were joined by legislators talking and answering questions about various funding and problems with funding the University.  Tom led us on an informal tour of the Capitol before boarding the bus to go home.

We got back to Gurke's Corners about 5:30 p.m. just in time for Happy Hour at Blue Sombrero very close to the P & R.  We each had a margarita and free tacos.  It seemed enough to satisfy.

 April 10, 2016

My birdbath was frozen; no wonder at 24º.  A nice group at breakfast, then pickleball.  Ron approached me and said that he needed the article about the Master Gardener Roundtable for the Vag Life.  I just sent it to Judy Williamson before leaving for breakfast.  She sent a reply as I was talking to Ron. Sad news when we arrived at Pulaski, Ti told us that Leigh (sp) died, no idea how, but it was a shock.  I played with him often.  He wasn't especially thrilled to play with such a poor player, but I felt good when he missed some shots.  When I got home I revised the article for Ron and I'm quite satisfied with it.

I'm reading the life of Pope Francis on my Kindle.  Went to 4:00 p.m. mass.  Grilled a chicken breast with fried potatoes and frozen corn for supper.  Cleaned up the kitchen.  I think Peter will want to stay over.

Peter was doing his dishes when I got to his place and then Schwabenhof for some German Club party.  His table was cleared of all the clutter, living room looked pretty neat, and he boasted that he got rid of the head board that he bought about four years ago.  No, he didn't get rid of it, it's in the bedroom.  I said that won't work until it's attached to the bed.  I gave him until the end of May to get the job done, but that also means he will have to clean out the back bedroom.

Peter drove my car to the Schwabenhof, where there was a lot of German dancing.  I filled my stein while we watched the dancing and then danced to Johnny Hoffman.  We didn't pay admission; proceeds from raffle sales paid for the expenses.  Peter bought some tickets and he gave half to me, not realizing the my half was the part he was supposed to keep.  We had a good laugh about that.  I bought 6 for $5.00, but didn't win.  We sat with Marilyn and her gentleman friend.  They don't belong to a club, but do a lot of dancing, and we've seen them at dances.

Peter followed me home.

The weather advisory of freezing rain and sleet never materialized, but there was a steady rain.

I made scrambled eggs with fresh chives for breakfast with yogurt and strawberries and raspberries, toast and almost the last of the stolen.  We read the paper, watched TV and listened to music.  Peter noticed "Witness for the Prosecution" was being acted in Hartland.   I was surprised that he wanted to go to the theater.  He is good at finding things to do reading the paper.  I bought tickets online, and we plan on doing that next Friday after having dinner at Hoffman's Hartford Restaurant. With this wet ground Peter was not about to go on a Vag hike.  I checked movie listings and suggested seeing "Eye in the Sky" at the Ridge.  We went to the 2:20 p.m. show.  Helen Marin was an army colonel with a mission to capture, then eliminate a wanted terrorist.  The order to eliminate came when surveillance showed that a group was arming two suicide bombers.  A beautiful little girl selling bread near the target caused a halt and reconsideration of the plan.  It was very tense until the last moment.  There was enough to discuss afterward on the moral decision to bomb the target and how much collateral damage was acceptable.  Do suicide bombers consider what collateral damage they do when they blow up market places and other gathering places?  Zaffiro's is very convenient for something to eat, so we shared a sausage pizza.

We parted at the parking lot.

Monday,

I read most of the day.  I feel terrible that I don't move around more.  Jay loaned me Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Slefirdge.  It can't put it down; I'm going to enjoy the final episode of Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece Theater.

Tuesday,

Did more reading.  We met Rudy and Toni for lunch.  Rudy is close to tears about Toni's condition, both physical and mental.  I did a few odds and ends at home before heading out to the Legion to play dominoes.  Nancy is really a thorn at our table.  She is so rigid with her "rules", even implying that Peter and I show favoritism when we play.  He played a 3 to reverse the play and I won.  She had a fit.

Start of my Journal

 April 4, 2016

Good intentions are just that if I don't follow through.  My first good intention started with the scale, which registered 149 pounds. .  I wish there were no mirrors so that I didn't have to look at my belly.  Fish fry on Friday, breakfast at Genesis, followed by lunch at AAUW didn't help. 

It was good to see Donna and Lou, back from Florida.  Lou bought a condo in Riverfront and the prospects are good that he might let us rent it. We had a lot of catching up to do about Toni and the Red Hats. 

I got to the Rep on Sunday expecting Janice for Rep in Depth. I had a queer feeling that I should have sent an email reminding her.  But since we discussed it at Easter and she has such an efficient calendar, I was sure she'd remember. I called her at 1:15 and she thought it was an evening performance.  There was enough time to get to the Rep in time, and she just made it.  I had to change my date because of the Austrian Club party, so we didn't have front row seats.  American Song was a one-man performance about a relatively normal family with one son who does a mass shooting.  Act II involved the audience in the lobby in groups of about 6, with a facilitator, discussing the play and its social impact.  We thought it was worthwhile. It was 34 degrees at 8:00 a.m., a little warmer but very windy when I was walking to the Rep, and 70 degrees when we were leaving. 

This morning the temperature was 34 degrees with not much promise of warming up.  Updated the Vagabond calendar and sent it on its way.  Cleaned out the freezer and found food that needed tossing and enough to keep me fed for a few days.  Today is the Brewers' opening day and I'm watching the game with light snow flurries out the window.

I keep thinking of Peter's bathroom flooring that he had done on Friday.  After my hair I dropped in to check on the progress.  The bathroom was done, the man was working on the hall, and Peter intended to extend the flooring as a pathway to the front door.  Why? I asked.  I guess he wanted to make use up the tiles, but bathroom tiles in the living room would look awful.  I came just in the nick of time.  There is no room  to walk in that house.

April 7, 2016
Yesterday I donated blood at 11:45 a.m.  My pulse was high at first. The tech said I probably exerted myself, which I probably did taking liquor down to the basement a couple of times.  The second time my pulse was OK.  I rested most of the afternoon until it was time to pick up the Vag calendars and get to the meeting.  The program by Monte Perkins on the Festival City Symphony was very enjoyable and informative.  Sue Cummings shouldn't even be at the meeting.  You'd think with the election coming up in May she'd have something to say besides "no report".  The Tom Anthony band provided some nice danceable music, but I took it easy not to tire myself after giving blood in the morning.  We left before 10:00 p.m.; Peter to the Schwabenhof, I went home.  Restless night.  I don't know why it takes me so long to fall asleep.

Today was a very full day.  Tim Cole (son of Vag Pam Cole) looked at my bathroom paint jobs at 10:00 a.m.  He will get back to me with a quote and can start the job in about two weeks.  He comes highly recommended by Vags.  Shopped for a kringle to take to the MG class plus other groceries.  Last class on herbaceous ornamentals.  Got home with just enough time to check email and do a few odds and ends.  I wasn't hungry enough to eat before leaving for the talk on edible gardens at the New Berlin Public Library at 6:30 p.m.  Ben Futa was passionate about convincing us how beneficial planting vegetables was instead of ornamentals.  Mary Orley approached me and asked if I was the one that posted pictures from Florida on Facebook.  She saw the same burrowing owl, even though they are quite common in Florida.  After exchanging locations, I found out that she owns a condo walking distance from the condo we stayed at. The talk lasted until 7:30 p.m. which still gave me time to get the the WAUC meeting. I'm glad I went.  We had a speaker that came because he saw a notice that Terry posted on Craig's List.  He talked about Google and held everyone's attention.  He's planning on coming again in September.  Afterward, we met at Wendy's.  Bob and I rolled our eyes a few times with Ginny's tirade "you know what I mean", countless times.  I try to block it out, but it's impossible.

Friday, April 9, 2016

I woke up this morning to white grass.  The snow keeps falling ever so lightly, but it's still snow.

I had my hair done and should have been there earlier because I needed a waxing.  Got a free  bagel from Panera's on my way home.  Didn't do much when I got home.
Got to Peter's at 5:30 intending to go to the Austrian Club meeting.   Peter asked if I saw the Austrian Club newsletter.  I had.  He was quite upset that our picture was not included in the collage of members attending Grunungfeier.  He felt if we weren't important enough to be included in that picture, we wouldn't be missed.  So we joined the Vagabonds at the Machine Shed instead.  Fred and Carol were already there, Soon a lot more filed in.  A total of forty were seated at round tables for a family style dinner.  Food was OK.  Peter had to brush snow off his car and mine when we got to his house.