New Cass Street Playground

 Tuesday, October 13, 2026

On this spectacular fall day I took my knitting to the reconstructed Cass Street Playground.  It is magnificent, colorful and inviting.

The children were out for recess and enjoying all of the equipment. (I'll edit this blog to include more pictures).

St. Rita Square was kept informed and involved in the progress of the playground.  I made a donation for a brick that would be included in the construction.  I walked the paved paths and found a half circle with bricks of donors. 

 Mine was at the very corner.

I met a few teachers supervising the playground and when I told one teacher about practice teaching at Cass St. School and my brick, she insisted on taking my picture with the brick.

No Austrian Club Meeting Today

 Sunday, October 11, 2026

I had a beautiful plum coffee cake for the Austrian Club meeting, but no one was there, except Adolf and Magdalena Menhardt, who were also confused that no one was there.  Adolf had  the September newsletter that gave the meeting for today, but my newsletter gave only the date of the Austrian American Day at Kegel's.  Both Peter and I failed to see that there was no meeting today.

To take advantage of the day, we headed for Bandaro Country Wood Grill to watch the Packers.  As we were getting our bearings, Peter noticed Silver Spring Dr.  Going to the Bavarian Baer Haus made more sense.

We watched the Packers beat the Bears 31 - 7 while having a beer and a pretzel with Peter's free coupon.  We also split a Reuben.

Now, what to do with my plum coffee cake?  I could take it to the Pot Luck that starts at 4:30 p.m.

That Pot Luck had a better selection of food than last time, and more people were participating.  There was not a crumb left of my plum coffee cake.

I watched the start of the Brewers/Dodgers game in the Club Room, but the commercials were driving my crazy.  I also had a knot in my shawl.  I went to my apartment and watched the Brewers beat the Dodgers 2 - 1 in a nailbiter last out, and could work on my shawl watching much of the game on mute.

In desperation, I cut my yarn and continued on the shawl.

Symphony Friday

Friday, October 10, 2026

The concert was again another winner.  The highlight was a violin concerto featuring a local artist, Julian Rhee. a graduate of Brookfield High School  

https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2026/10/08/brookfield-east-grad-featured-in-next-milwaukee-symphony-concerts/92127028007/

He played the very difficult Violin Concerto in D major, Opus 35, by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who was the subject of the preconcert talk about artists who were subjected to the Nazi regime in Austria. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Wolfgang_Korngold

Julian included a Bach encore.

Also on the program was Medea's Dance of Vengeance, by Samuel Barber and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances Opus 45.

Our bus was at a stop light on Wells and Water when a car ignored the stop light and turned left, lost control of his car, drove into some barricade and smashed his left front of the car.  It looked like a mess.  Abby Hauser alerted an approaching police squad car.  The driver got out of the car, apparently uninjured, but he was waving his fists for some reason.

Pediatrist/Hair/Pizza

Thursday, October 8, 2026

I had to reschedule my hair appointment, because my toenails needed attention.  My appointment was for 11:20 a.m. and I was finished before that time.

I should have taken the dominoes before going for my hair, since I was having a color and would not be finished in time to set up the game.  I called Michael Bruske while my hair was processing to get my bag from behind my bedroom door.  The wind was very strong and gave my hair another style

The game was in progress when I arrived and we eventually had six players.

Peter suggested Pizza Man which I thought was a great idea.  We had red wine and an appetizer before Pizza Man pizza: very thin, crisp crust, loaded with meat, and an attentive waiter.

I ordered suspenders for Peter when we got to my apartment.

Blessing Hello Dolly

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Pets were blessed after mass on Sunday on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment and animals.  I didn't think Dolly would have been too happy getting into the carrier and being amid all the other critters, so we did not go.

Cookie Anderson had a special prayer for pets that she wanted to share and asked if I'd like to participate in blessing Dolly.  

Dolly greeted Cookie and Sue Cottrell this afternoon when they came to offer a prayer for Dolly.  I said a special prayer, and then Cookie and Sue said another.

Hello Dolly participated by rubbing ankles and lingered about.  Hello Dolly is such a lovable kitty, I hope these prayers prolong her life with good health.

Father Gene's Help Center

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

I signed up to volunteer at Father Gene's Help Center; Dwight Morgan and Terri Miller were the only other people to answer the call from SRS.  Other Capri communities signed up for other shifts throughout the day.

Because we were so few, I rode with Dwight and Terri; Abby Hauser drove two other staff members from SRS.

Rosemary greeted us and gave us the background of Father Gene's, also a tour or the shopping area.  The shopping area resembles a department store with clothing for all ages arranged attractively.  Patrons were waiting to be checked into the database where they could select the number of items corresponding to their family size.  Patrons may come every three months.

We learned that 4000 clothing items are distributed each day; over 150,000 each year.  Clothing is donated not only from the Milwaukee area, but from other states, since Father Gene's has such a great reputation in its charitable work.  Clothing is also sent to other countries, such as Peru and Ukraine.

We worked at a table in a huge room where the sorting takes place before it is put in the showroom.  We prepared Halloween clothing, women's tops, pants, nightwear and women's coats.  We put the items on hangers; some we also separated by size.

Dwight and I are putting clothes on hangers.

Our St. Rita Square Group after our morning shift.

Father Gene's depends on volunteers to carry out its work, with a very small administrative staff.  People are encouraged to help as often or any length of time they desire.  There was an active crew of helpers today doing various jobs.  

I felt it was time well spent.

https://www.fathergeneshelp.org/

Morning Disaster

Monday, September 28, 2026

My knitting needles were delivered in an outrageously large box that I wanted to share with the breakfast group.  I placed the carton on my walker with my tray with cereal, milk, banana and cup on top.  As I left my apartment, the tray dropped off the walker, causing my beautiful, favorite bowl from Donald to break, plus a cup.  Jim and Eldeen Carpenter helped sweep up the mess, but I am heartbroken by the loss.

I'm starting to work on caps for the MARTA December luncheon and found a simple pattern with a decrease stitch I'm not familiar with.  I encountered a mistake when I selected the Toddler size instead of the Kid, I ripped when I found a dropped stitch that I could not pick up, and I was decreasing incorrectly.  I never did a SSK, and could not understand the pattern telling me that I decreased 8 stitches when I only did 4.  The cap did not look right, so I ripped again before the decrease.  Good old YouTube, which I should have consulted first, showed me exactly how to do this decrease.

As I was going to meet the Needlework Group, Shirley Bascom asked if I was going to play sheepshead with Bob Koebert at the Catholic Home.  I thought someone else might have liked to go, so I was not planning on going.  Since a fifth player was needed, I gladly agreed.

Chuck Boucher drove Shirley, Jack Champagne and me

We met Annie Hahn, who is recuperating after collapsing in her apartment.

Bob had a room reserved for us, the same as last week.

We played for and hour, and I'm sure we lifted Bob's spirits.

Dr. Gundamraj/Errands

Friday, September 25, 2026

Peter agreed to pick me up after my appointment and we'd go to breakfast. That seemed like a good plan since I fasted for my lab work.

Dr. Gundamraj gave me a good report and asked me what I did for my complexion.  She'll see me next year.  But I won't make an appointment the day after my Birthday when I can't celebrate because I have to fast.

Peter was completely bewildered when I called; he forgot our arrangement.  But he insisted on picking me up and taking me home.

We stopped at Bunzel's for some ground chuck and ground turkey, also fresh liver sausage and Sciortino rolls.  I picked up cash at the ECU on Center Street and learned how to get my own bills.  Because Peter likes to go through Van Buren with a stop light, he made a little detour to go past Pick 'n Save; I could use some wine, I also bought a six-pack of beer.

So doing these errands was a lot better than going to breakfast.

I fixed some liver sausage sandwiches on buns, with Laura's pickles that we had with beer.

My 94th

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Since my Birthday fell on the same day as the Complementary Happy Hour, I thought it would be nice to treat SRS with cake.  Abby Hauser said that she would provide plates, napkins and forks and the kitchen staff would cut the cake.

I ordered a full sheet pan carrot cake from Sima's, and Peter agreed to deliver it.

Before breakfast on Monday, I asked Chef Ein if there would be someone to cut the cake. He apologized and said that he was short staffed, and could not do it.

I sat next to Cheri Franch and told her what Ein said.  "I can cut the cake she said"; my problem was solved.

Peter brought the cake with his gift of a dozen yellow roses and a Birthday balloon.

Cheri was equipped with an assortment of knives for any culinary purpose, plus latex gloves and serving pieces.  As she cut the cake, Terri Miller placed the pieces on plates to serve one of the largest gatherings in the trattoria.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1PDgT9sfTW/

I was hoping Laura would join us; however, she said that she was unable to come because she had a dinner guest. Then, when I wasn't paying attention, Laura was at my side with a vase of beautiful flowers.  I was speechless, since I was not expecting her.  I was so happy to introduce her to many residents who had heard so much about her.

The cake was an absolute winner, with a good portion to freeze.

The numerous cards that I received had beautiful personal messages that I will treasure.

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 Schnagl 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.

Birthday for the Ninety Year Olds

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Frank Schmitz's Birthday this year included celebrating those in their nineties.  The day was perfect for this event.

Peter had to arrive early with the Austrian Club banners and flag, which involved about three clumsy containers.  He wanted to drive into the grounds but had to remove some barriers before he could proceed.  A member was very upset that he drove in, since the road was for pedestrians only.  Peter drove out and re-entered at the first entrance we passed, which we should have taken.

We sat with Anita Kuchler, Eileen, Steven Hauser and John Puchner.

There was plenty of food: brats, hamburgers, salads, and, of course, beer.

Here are the ninety year olds:

Charlotte is the oldest, at 97.

John Puchner provided some music.

Magdalena gave me a lovely rose for my Birthday.

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 it 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 Luck Breakfast/Frank'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).

Stormy Weather

 Monday, July  31, 2026

During our Needlework Group meeting the skies turned black and rain came down in torrents.  The wind came in gusts and knocked over a lot of things.  Cecile Langford said that a heavy pot on her balcony was tipped over; my plants really got whipped around.  I hope they will recover.

Saturday, August 1

Through the night there was lightning that caused power outages.  My microwave and stove lost power and there were random outages throughout the two buildings.

There is no cable TV due to a part that needs replacement.  I really didn't miss it.  I can still use Roku.

Friday, August 7 ?

Cable has been restored.

Preview of Irishfest

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Jerry McClusky, as he did last year, engaged Irish musicians to play for us starting at 5:00 p.m.  Last year they played in the piazza, but rain threatened, so they played in the trattoria.

There were snacks and Guinness beer

People remarked that they liked the group playing indoors where they could hear it better.  

I stayed as long as I could tolerate the repetitious music.

I was able to maneuver the remote to watch The Exotic Marigold Hotel in the Club Room.  I saw it more than once before, and still loved it. 

Wrong Yarn

August 1, 2026

I ordered a pattern on-line that looked interesting for women instead of the plain cap I've been making for men.  It featured a chevron design.  I was eager to get it finished, but as I worked, it looked extremely large.

It was VERY large and bulky when it was finished.

I inquired with AI about knitting with Caron Wintuk and it advised me that that particular yarn is more suitable for outdoor or sturdy projects, not for items close the the skin which would by scratchy.