SRS Octoberfest

Thursday, September 17, 2026

An Octoberfest menu was featured for the Community Luncheon.  I invited Peter and he brought steins; I furnished Riverwest Stein.

We sat with Frank, Barbara Todd, Winn and Shirley.

The meal started with a delicious bowl of beer cheese soup and pretzel sticks, followed by the entree: pork schnitzel with gravy, spaetzle and asparagus.  It was rather disappointing.  The schnitzel was too thick, not tender enough and should not have gravy, the asparagus was rather limp and tasteless.  The warm apple dessert was very nice.  We enjoyed a beer with our meal; SRS offered cans of Spotted Cow.

Peter won one of the games of Screw Your Neighbor; I didn't win, but I enjoyed playing.

Peter wanted to drive to Von Rothenburg Bier Stube in Germantown hoping someone turned in his cooler with his very nice Hoffbrau Haus stein that he left there last night, also to return the CD changer that I ordered from Amazon that was defective.  

We drove to the UPS Store on Jefferson Street and a young man helped Peter carry in his heavy box.  After waiting in line for a short while the box was checked in with no problem.

We got to von Rothenburg  and were fortunate getting a seat at the bar, because it started filling up for their Second Anniversary.  

We each had a wine and a couple of appetizers that were passed around, very good, but messy to handle. 

The very large bar was filled, with many people standing.  A male vocalist sang some nice standards.

I glanced into the almost-filled dining room which I thought was very dark.  I don't know how people could see what they were eating.

I planned for a luncheon, but we stretched our time filling almost the whole day, with some pleasant surprises.

September Red Hat

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

If we had our Red Hat Luncheon on the third Wednesday, as usual, three ladies would not be able to make it.  Kathy Schmagl had a conflict and if she couldn't make it, neither could Julia Rice or Rita Bruce, because Kathy brings them.

We agreed on Hale House for this month; however, Hale House does not take reservations, but it's first come, first served.  I asked how possible it would be to seat ten ladies on that system.  "Have someone come early and wait for a table", was the answer.  That was not satisfactory.  We liked Ricky's Double Barrel Inn, and Terry and I thought that would be a good alternative.

When I called, I got the answering machine, and l gave the details for our reservation.  I called again the same day and then today, with the same results.  The web site did not say it was closed.

The parking lot was deserted when Lyft dropped me off, and so was Ricky's.  Barbara Fritsch arrived and we started to wait for the others.  I called Terry and I suggested the Irish Cottage; I called, and they were able to accommodate us.  Terry was able to contact Kathy and Jane as they were driving, so that was covered.

I rode with Barbara, but did not know there were two Irish Cottages; we went to the wrong one, we wanted Irish Cottage 2.  We had to do some adjusting, since Rita was not able to do steps, and had to enter through the kitchen.

The Cottage was very cozy.  We were the only diners and felt very comfortable.  There were many choices on the menu; I had a BLT and a Guinness , some had the shepherd's pie.  I think it was a good choice.

I joined Bob and Terry to play sheepshead at the Muskego Library, and won about $1.

I forgot about the Red Hat luncheon when I signed up for the SRS community dinner at 5:00 p.m.  I brought containers for the soup, which was loaded with vegetables and the chicken casserole that was lacking in chicken.  There was also a peanut butter brownie.

We had story sharing in the evening.  My learning experience was taking sewing lessons at the West Allis MATC that benefitted me for many years.

Bye-Bye Pick 'n Save

Saturday, August 29, 2026

I placed my order last night for delivery today, most of the usual items.

As Benjamin shopped, he texted there were no red peppers. Next, I agreed to substitute Hillshire Smoked Sausage for Johnsonville. The store did not have Village Hearth unseeded rye bread, or Artesano White Bread.  Benjamin texted that the large eggs came in cartons of 18; I told him to select any carton of 12 eggs.  He replaced Kroger large eggs with Kroger Grade A large eggs, but delivered Extra large eggs.  I do not buy extra large eggs, because recipes call for large eggs; extra large eggs affect the end product in baking. The store did not have Chobani Plain non-fat yogurt.

I was livid, and in my comments I asked if the store was going out of business.

When I checked the price of naval oranges they were $1.69 each.

I ordered a few items from Amazon yesterday and before placing my order a bar came up asking if there was anything else I needed; different kinds of fruit were pictured including oranges at $0.69, I ordered 3.  The oranges were delivered today and I thought there were more items in the bag because it was so heavy.  The oranges were so heavy; they were huge, in an insulated bag.

I never considered buying groceries from Amazon, mostly household items, clothing and other odds and ends.

Tonight I'm searching Amazon groceries and there is everything I would need, plus free delivery the next day.

I pay a fee to P & S to get free delivery, plus I include a tip.  No More!

Maybe this happened for the best, because I will get a better selection of groceries and at a lower price.

Schlaraffia

Saturday, August22, 2026

Peter was invited to a picnic by a member of his stammtisch (German speaking reserved table) group at the Schlaraffia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlaraffia meeting hall in South Milwaukee.

Peter was a member of this group a number of years ago, but the drive from Wauwatosa to South Milwaukee was a little too demanding.

People were gathered at the rear of the building, and soon we met old friends and were introduced to new ones.  We were just in time before the spanferkel (roast suckling pig) was going to be cut up.

Two men carved the roast, putting the meat in large roasting pans and took the pans to the lower level of the building that was set up for the meal.  The dining hall was full, the largest it has ever been, according to a long-time member, with between sixty and seventy people.  This was a fund raising event; at $20 per person in was both good for the organization and the diners.

There was a huge buffet to accompany the main course.  The meat was delicious: moist, tender and done to perfection.

Another large table had an array of desserts, both home made and commercial.  My favorite was a Kahlua bar with coffee.

Nothing like music to aid in digestion, and we had that also, with one of the members playing familiar melodies on his accordion, along with ein prosit to finish off the beers.

Peter guided me on a tour to the main hall on the upper level to learn more about Schlaraffia, which is an International organization with hundreds of groups around the world.  The building once housed a women's group, but the architecture and design fit this group perfectly with its old world details.  There were a lot of owls which symbolize wisdom, which is one of the precepts of Schlaraffia.

A few of us gathered at a small bar where we finished the event having shot glasses of apple schnaps. 

We did a little shopping at P & S before Peter dropped me off at SRS.
 

Pot LuchFrank's 95th Birthday

Saturday, August 15, 2026

I made a frittata with ham, spinach, tomato, Swiss cheese, heavy cream and a dozen eggs for our pot luck breakfast.  While it was in the oven I delivered Birthday cards to Marilyn Minor, Nancy Mitchell and Julie our new resident.  I turned on the warming plate and put out items for the pot luck.  

We had one of the largest groups attending with enough food and Dwight Morgan's pancakes.  My frittata was cleaned up.

I was pretty tired, especially lifting that full cast iron pan.  I took a nap and felt refreshed.

I sat on the piazza with my knitting just before 3:00 p.m., expecting more people to assemble for Frank D'Amato's surprise party.  Frank's son was busy grilling and Frank was sprucing up tables for "some of his family" he was expecting.  All the guests had assembled in the Cannoli Room and filed out together, much to Frank's surprise.  Guests from SRS included a number of church members, plus Chuck and Jane Boecher.

There were appetizers and beverages, followed by a huge buffet with salads, fruit, Italian sausage and hamburgers.  Frank circulated among the guests.  Here he is with Mike Bruski and Jane Boecher.

I took my dessert to my balcony and had it with some hot tea, while I still watched the party from up above.

The forecast had been for thunderstorms, but the day could not have been more ideal.

Friends of Friends Gone

Friday, August 14, 2026

Brad texted me an obit asking if I knew this person: Chuck Zahnow!, what a shock.

https://www.muellerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/charles-zahnow

Peter and I enjoyed sitting at the table with Chuck and his wife Bonnie at the MARTA luncheons for many years.  Every September he would present me with one or two of his fabulous dahlias.  I was so happy that I could post this photo on his Memorial page.

Then, Terry sent a message that Marilyn Schrader died.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/marilyn-obituary?id=62175075

Marilyn was such a vital part of WAUC, leading us on her keyboard with seasonal songs and bringing her scrumptious cheesecake to WAUC parties.  She was a serious sheepshead player and would not tolerate bad plays.

These were two friends and friends of each other; Marilyn and the Zahnows were close friends.  Both funerals were the same day, hours apart.

Peter and I drove to attend Chuck's funeral at St. Paul's church in Grafton.  Because we were very early, we filled the time picking up a few things at P & S.

The service was lovely, with a men's choir singing two hymns, one in German.

I greeted Rev. Scultz afterwards, commenting on his homily that reflected his connection with Chuck.  Peter had to remind me to mention that Brad is a member of the church.  That sparked a recognition.

We started thinking about lunch and I suggested Ma Fisher's, where I had never been.  Great idea. We had more food than we could eat; the lunches included soup and salad/fruit.

We drove to the ATM for cash and to Whole Foods to get a refund on my Amazon sweaters.

That was a pretty full day.

German American Day and More

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Laura said she had home made bread and apple pie that she would put together with a dinner if Peter and I would like to come.  I put that on hold until I checked with Peter on how long we wanted to stay at Schurz Park.  He was more than willing to have dinner at Jay and Laura's when he picked me up.

The day was absolutely perfect for this event, outsmarting the weather forecaster's rain prediction.

My handicap hanger helped getting us parking closer to the entrance.  We found a grassy area to park our chairs among many people having a good time.  Peter got our steins filled and he talked me into having something to eat; I didn't want to spoil my appetite for later at J & L's.  I'm glad he did, because the hot dog and brats were in a wonderful bun, not the regular soft buns or the massive buns, but they had nice substance.

A couple that we met at Kegel's stopped by looking for the Austrian Club meeting; Peter thought the meeting would be here, I have no idea how that could happen.  I got comments about the shawl that I was knitting.  We also shared a plum coffee cake and a cup of coffee.

We left shortly before 4:00 p.m. and took Capitol Drive to J & L's, getting there just at 5:00 p.m.

We sat under the pergola for a short while until Laura determined the flies were bothersome.  Their patio shelter is priceless on these lovely days, devoid of bugs.  We had appetizers before Laura brought out her home made bread, a chicken/avocado/raspberry/ garden Swiss chard salad with balsamic dressing.  She topped off our dinner with home made apple pie ala mode.  What a wonderful dinner.  And I got to take some chicken home.

We had such a good time laughing, mostly at my expense (Poor Dolly!  Nobody loves her).