Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Week 4 - Tarantino Mem., My Breakfast, Chamber Theater, Funeral,

Sunday, January 21 Sunny but cold.

Janice still beat everyone with 3 in Wordl.
The church was packed, since Father Tim celebrated. I could not believe Ava read with her father just having died, and she didn't break up when she read the petitions naming her father.
I watched a lot of football, more than when the Packers played. The Lions beat San Francisco and the Chiefs beat Tamp Bay.

I designed invitations for breakfast on Tuesday. I went to Fresh Thyme for pineapple; they were quite small at $2.59, I think. Metro Mart had pineapples twice the size for $2.49.

Monday

I made a pumpkin bread that smells divine. While it was baking I passed out invitations to breakfast.

We had an inspiring memorial service for James Tarantino led by a staff person from Capri. We prayed and shared memories. Brunetta said a prayer that was totally unrehearsed but so very meaningful, very eloquent.

Jackie sent an email that Happy Hour was canceled to make time for former WI Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske who will be speaking to us at 4:00 p.m. I went down early to get a good seat and the Trattoria was filled with people enjoying Happy Hour. Evidently, they didn't get the message.

I took my wine into the Cannoli Room and listened to Jenine talk for 1 1/2 hours. She talked about the process by which cases get into the Supreme Court and the big case of redistricting that might get there if the legislature doesn't find a solution to fair districts. She had such energy and passion for the courts and talking to groups.


Connie Haas' daughter, Andrea, owner of Riverwest Pizza provided pizzas for everyone in attendance, There was plenty of the four types to go around.

I cut up a fabulous pineapple, so sweet and juicy, and mixed together the first part of the oatmeal. I hope everything turns out well.

Tuesday. January 23
I really blew it in Connections. I focused on money with dollar and sterling. STILL was the word in Wordl.

I took the oatmeal out of the refrigerator to get it warmer, and then I added raspberries, blueberries and sliced almonds. I baked it for about 50 minutes and took it out of the oven at 8:55 a.m. My guests were gathering. I did not expect Jean Heinen and I was very rude to her by asking her to sit at another table. Dwight intervened and gave her a chair, and then added another table for all of us to sit comfortably. There were twelve of us: Rod DePue, Barbara Leigh, Rikki Thompson, Jean Heinen, Dwight and Marleen Morgan, Cheri French, Brunetta Soward, Bruce and Terry Wiggens, Jackie Haessley and myself. Everyone liked the oatmeal and appreciated my gesture. There is just enough for my breakfast tomorrow. I was very pleased with the result.
While we were eating, Chef Chris stopped to chat and answer questions about the food service. The big issue is the budget. He is making every effort to improve matters.

The cleaners worked on my apartment while I was gone. I sat in the Trattoria and worked the crossword and forgot about fitness. Since I had a sleepless night worrying about timing and adequate amounts I could use a nap. I felt very rested after a solid sleep.

I made some dumb mistakes in sheepshead and lost 60 cents playing alone with one fail card; I should have called a partner.
I lectored at the 4:30 p.m. mass
I had the rest of Jay's dinner from Saturday.

Wednesday
I was surprised to get the hardest category first in Connections; didn't do that well in Wordl with RELIC as the word.

I think I opened a can of worms with my breakfast. Jackie wants to make it a twice monthly pot luck on Saturdays. Bruce didn't think that was such a good idea because it would involve too much food. He suggested doing a sign-up for maybe three people to provide the food on a rotation basis. Everyone liked just coming for a meal (naturally!).
Abby drove us to the Chamber Theater for Moon over the Misbegotten, by Eugene O'Neill.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2024/01/22/kelly-doherty-moon-for-the-misbegotten-milwaukee-chamber-theatre/72302734007/

Photos
https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/arts/2024/01/22/see-photos-from-a-moon-for-the-misbegotten-milwaukee-chamber/72311922007/

The Irish brogue was sometimes hard to understand but La Shawn Banks was outstanding.
When Abby picked us up it was very foggy. As we were riding home new residents Ron and Kathy said that their son gave them so many pints of Kopp's frozen custard there wasn't enough room in their freezer and invited those of us on the bus to help them eat it. We headed for the Club Room, but people were watching a movie; so we gathered in their apartment formerly occupied by Jim and Maryanne Szantor. There were about ten pints of various flavors of custard, including key lime pie. Ron scooped it out and Kathy distributed them according to our requested flavors. I had a caramel cashew with whole cashews almost more than the custard.





Out the window behind Bob is the dense fog making visibility extremely limited. ( I could have been driving home from sheepshead in this pea soup).
Bob was drinking some beer from a Pschorr Brau stein and I told him about our steins and how Peter chills them. He said his favorite beer was a Czech Double Bock and he offered those who wished to have a sample. It is dark and syrupy tasting.
Kathy said that her son collects packages of oyster crackers from restaurants. She had a basket of them to pass around; I took three packages.
Cookie ordered take-out from Panera today. I ordered squash soup (thick and hot) and a 1/2 ham sandwich (generously filled).
I did not make Genius level in Spelling Bee.

Thursday
BLOCK was the word in Wordl today
It was pretty foggy driving for my oil change at 10:00 a.m.  Gordie Boucher is all torn up.  The waiting room is in a big trailer, the restroom in another.  My car is in good shape.

Seven of us played dominoes until the Margarita Cocktail hour at 3:00 p.m., when Chuck and Jane Boecher left for Jim Tarantino's wake.  The rest of us continued to play after bringing our drinks to the game. Bob joined us, but thought the game too complicated.

Kathy Novotny said she was going to watch the Music Man at 6:00 p.m.  She didn't come, but I tried to get the movie and couldn't because Tyler's credit card needed to be updated.

I got to the Genius level again.
Friday
I'm not very good at Connections.

Abby drove a full bus to St. John's Cathedral for the funeral mass for James Tarantino.  Father Tim celebrated with four other priests.  The Cathedral was full.  Ava must have been totally exhausted from receiving hundreds of people with their condolences.  It was a beautiful service.


We got back just in time for the January Birthday party.  We were notified that only appetizers would be served, but there was a lot more than appetizers.  They were on the counter in the dining room, pork sliders plus cake.  It was quite substantial.  Frogwater provided Irish entertainment.


I finished a shawl that I hope to get blessed on Sunday to give to Ava.
















Week 6 February 4 - 10

 Sunday, February 4, 2024 

We gathered after mass for coffee and bakery.  Rita Edwards invited those sitting at the table for a get-together in her apartment at 4:00 p.m.  We had a lovely time with wine and some snacks and interesting conversation.  Rita is interested in everything scientific and political.  She had four magazines dealing with Artificial Intelligence.  I love this handy tripod.


Wednesday
Claude and I attended the At Issues at Marquette.  The topic was an overview of the various political polls.
Cookie ordered dinners from a Chinese restaurant.  I had rice and fried pork.  It was OK.  I brought hot tea that really hit the spot.

Thursday
Every morning Dolly wants to go on the balcony and nibble on the Mexican feather grass.

Today was a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine.
We had a fun group playing dominoes, even though Jack Champagne was nursing a sore mouth after having a tooth pulled.
Tyler's turn for cocktails and he served brandy old fashions.
People were creating Mardi Gras hats, combined with the cocktails it was a riot.




Friday
We had a full bus going to the America's Black Holocaust Museum and met two other Capri communities. A young docent met us to lead the group.  Since she was wearing a mask, it was difficult to understand with such a large group.  The displays were self-explanatory if one took the time to read everything.  The Journal Sentinel had an excellent article in the Sunday paper.

This photo brought sad memories of the turmoil  in caused to our family with Chet's abandoning the church.


We followed the Black History theme with lunch at Daddy's on 27th and Wells.  I had two peices of catfish, boiled cabbage, collard greens and a corn bread roll.


Saturday
Emma did my hair at noon.
I picked up some groceries at Pick 'n Save on Hwy 100.
In the evening Peter and I went to another Mardi Gras at the Doubleday Hotel on Bluemound Road.  The room was too small for our large group.  Tables were arranged in rows with hardly any room to move about.
These cute decorations were on all the tables.  The base is a soup can.




The Mullers performed and I danced with a bear.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Valentine's Day/Mardi Gras/Talent Show

 Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Our Mardi Gras started immediately after mass in the Fitness room as we assembled with our hat creations and played instruments provided by Avery Aten, who led us on his large tom tom.

We lined up and paraded through the first floor dining room and lobby.  We had a lot of spectators, including Father Tim, who said mass.  He said he had one paczek, and with a sour face said that it was not prune filled.

Next we went to the B Tower and paraded through the 5th and 3rd floors. That brought a lot of clapping and smiles.

(Click on the link for the video).

https://fb.watch/qdnJ0GjWjx/

We ended on a happy note to prepare for the Lenten season ahead.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

We had a Valentine party at 2:00 p.m. that was a combination of the Cocktail Hour and Happy Hour with cookies and other snacks.  Mikka hosted the cocktail hour with a pink cocktail in stemmed glasses rimmed with sugar and garnished with a strawberry slice.



Rita Edwards has her cocktail, with ashes still on her forehead.

                            
You can tell who the Catholics are.



Friday, February 16, 2024

A few people displayed various handcrafted work in the Connolly Room.





 
At 3:00 p.m. Cheri French and Bob Koebert hosted the Talent Show where our residents displayed their unique talents. 

                 

Tyler Palzkill amazed us by wiggling his ears, and Amy Syverson matched him, adding curling and clovering her tongue; Avery Aten led us in some sing-alongs.


Bruce and Terry Wiggins told us about their Mardi Gras trip and threw out trinkets.


Lanore Lee recited Anna's speech from "The King and I", with amazing memory.


 Barbary Leigh read some poems that she composed. 


Janice Collins recited "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service, another memory challenge.


 Marilyn Minor sang "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "My Funny Valentine", accompanied by Avery Aten.


Cookie Anderson showed us some of the Peep creations that she entered in previous Peep shows at Racine Fine Arts.  

And a group put on a puppet show. 
 

We ended with a parade led by people wearing shawls.

Peter and I had fish fries at Sazz's and finished up with drinks at the bar.





Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Paczki/Mardi Gras

 Tuesday, February 13, 2024

I was at Sciortino Bakery at 7:30 a.m. to pick up the eight prune-filled paczki I ordered.  I would have preferred sugar coating instead of glazed, but they were generously filled.  I cut them in two, since they were quite large.

I fixed yogurt, banana and sliced almonds for my breakfast, put Dolly in her carrier to take to the vet and arranged the paczki on our table.  I was disappointed by the number of people that came to breakfast; half the amount that came last Tuesday.  But those who came enjoyed the paczki.

Dolly traveled well, both to and from the vet.  Her exam was interrupted by an emergency, but she behaved very well, all 16.8 pounds of her.

We had two tables of sheepshead until it was time for the 4:00 p.m. mass. 

Our Mardi Gras started immediately after mass in the Fitness room as we assembled with our hat creations and played instruments provided by Avery Aten, who led us on his large tom tom.

We lined up and paraded through the first floor dining room and lobby.  We had a lot of spectators, including Father Tim, who said mass.  He said he had one paczek, and with a sour face said that it was not prune filled.

Next we went to the B Tower and paraded through the 5th and 3rd floors. That brought a lot of clapping and smiles.

https://fb.watch/qdnJ0GjWjx/

We ended on a happy note to prepare for the Lenten season ahead.


 

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Spielmanzug 2003 - 2024 (trans. Brass Band)

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Peter and I had prime seating at Vivian Jung's reserved table at the Homewood Suites in Oak Creek for this gala event.  The room was roomy and comfortable.

This is part of Mardi Gras, so the costumes were very imaginative.


This was a first-place winner


The Speilmanzug led the procession of dignitaries.


Prinz Julian Kegel greeted Austrian American president Frank Schmidt.


Schutzmann (police constable) Wolfgang Schweizer kept order when Board member Cindy Regenfuss misbehaved.

The Milwaukee Mullers, with their unique costumes, circulated around the room.




                                        
Muller musicians provided the music for the lively Muller parade



The Mullers have a national tradition and each of their costumes has a particular significance.


You can learn about the Mullers and their traditions here.