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.

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.

 

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.

 http://www.milwaukee-mullers.org/muller-tradition/

 Fun Wednesday

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

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  A Moon for 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 that 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.  This was such an unexpected good time.
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.

Good-bye 2023 - Greetings 2024

 New Year's Eve 2023

I lectored at the 10:30 a.m. mass. Afterward, many of us gathered for coffee and conversation.  I called Jim Tarantino's attention to the St. Rita Square Facebook page promoting a workshop on "Moving Made Easy".  With the exodus of people moving out, I asked him if it was information on moving in or out.

Jay, Laura and Anton hosted Claude, Peter and me to a delightful New Year's Eve Nosh with an astonishing array of light (?) food: Smoked salmon filled deviled eggs topped with caviar, spicy Korean chicken wings, jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, barbecued meat balls, taco spread with chips, Chex mix, spiced pecans, a vegetable platter with dip, home made pickles; and cheese and crackers from Claude.

We passed the time nibbling, imbibing wine/beer/soda and light banter.

We gathered around the dining room table to play Left, Right, Center with dimes for tokens.

Laura was the first winner, so she immediately liked the game.  I won another and, I think either Peter or Anton the last.  We played while enjoying Christmas cookies and champagne to welcome the New Year.

Peter and I stopped at the Cathedral for a Peace vigil that was held from 6:00 p.m. until midnight.  Claude joined us. Fireworks were blasting and lighting up the sky as we were leaving.

The party was still going at SRS that began at 7:00 p.m.  There was a great assortment of snacks and sweets.  Some people brought games and Bruce Wiggens organized Mexican Train dominoes.  I did some coaching for people new to the game.

This was a fine way to end the 2023

New Year's Day

I worked on a bolo that I had ripped about four times already.  Now, I have to sit under the reading lamp with my glasses on and no TV to distract me to avoid missing a stitch.  The yarn is fuzz, with no way to pick up a dropped stitch.

I prepared spicy barbecue mini wieners for the Pot Luck today.  I had my small crock pot pretty well filled.  The dining room was well attended with residents and guests and the food was plentiful and varied.  

We mentioned the enjoyable time we had playing games on New Year's Eve, and it's possible we might organize a game night with various games.

    

Christmas 2023

 December 25, 2023

In the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Cecile Langford and her son Chad led us in singing holiday songs.  Gilbert Manegold dressed for the occasion.

It was overcast and foggy most of the day; I did not venture out.

I went to the 10:30 a.m. mass on Christmas Day.  The church was beautifully decorated.

Our very petite vocalist with an amazing voice was the cantor.  

In the afternoon, we gathered at the festive Sorensen home, ready for Christmas dinner.

and this Latvian village scene.

While Laura was putting the finishing touches on the main dish, Janice was frying the peirogi that she made beforehand with Claude and Brad.

After some delicious appetizers, we are ready for the main course.

Before sitting down to dinner, we said grace and shared oplatki, wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

After toasting with prosecco, we feasted on the tenderest of beef tenderloin, pierogi and Caesar salad. 

Our dessert was an assortment of Laura's cookies and Janice's gingerbread men.

Claude got his yearly quota of coffee by dunking his gingerbread man in his cup.

We took Annika home, driving in a light rain on an unusually warm, wet Christmas Day.

When we got to SRS, Peter presented me with a gorgeous orchid.

and a bag of walnuts and a bag of dates wrapped in a black apron.

I guess the men in my life (Claude and Peter) want to be sure that I eat healthy.