Ultra Sound/Chairs/Hollander

Friday, July 30, 2021

None of the hospitals have valet service, which is really inconvenient.  I was hoping that I didn't have to park in the structure because I have difficulty going down ramps.  I was fortunate to get parking in the adjacent lot and did not mind walking on the beautiful, fresh day for my ultrasound appointment at 10:45 a.m.  The tech concentrated on just one small area that was of concern.  I waited until the radiologist came and took a look and did some more scanning.  She determined that everything was fine; however, I need to come in in six month to see if there are any changes.  It was a very light feeling knowing that I did not have to have a biopsy or there was something of more concern.

I had lunch on my balcony, and the air was fresh, but quite cool.  I waited for Claude who was picking up my dining chairs from Bob's Furniture.  I was surprised when he was at my door with the big carton of chairs in his arms.  It took him some time to assemble the first chair, even with Dolly's help.

 But the second went twice as fast.  I was very pleased with the fit and comfort, also they matched the table perfectly.  

He disposed of the carton, packed up the other chairs and delivered them to the Jay and Laura's.

In the meantime, Peter texted that he would like to have dinner on Downer, which probably meant Hollander.  We got there about 6:40 p.m. and had a forty minute wait, which we had with a beer for Peter and a wine for me.  When I got a text message that our table was ready and the hostess was nowhere to be seen, we seated ourselves and sat without notice until Peter approached someone.  Apparently, we should have gone to the hostess who was at the outside station.  But aside from that, the fish was good and the service was fine.  It was too cool to eat outdoors, but we would like to come again when we could.

First Time Baking

My phone rang at 1:40 a.m. waking me from a very sound sleep.  At first I thought it was my alarm; why would I set my alarm for 1:40 a.m.?  It was a heavy storm/tornado warning.  Tornado sirens were sounding also.  We had a very much needed rain; however, some areas were without power. 

I had some perfect bananas for banana bread, making the bread was another story.  Working on the counter was very easy, especially with the convenient electrical outlets.  As I was mixing the dry ingredients, I did not have baking soda after searching all possible places it could be.  I searched Google and one recipe did not call for it, so I eliminated 1/2 teaspoon and it worked out fine.  I was pretty exhausted from putting that all together.  It called for a little nap after lunch.

I decided to share the banana bread at Happy Hour, so I cut it up to take with me along with dominoes.  Jane and Chuck joined me instead of playing their game.  Another mentally disable girl named Martha joined us and her aide helped her.  Jane and Chuck really liked it, and Jane won a game.  I think it's catching on.

St. Rita Parish Is Open!

 Sunday, July 25, 2021

Up until today I was attending the 4:00 p.m. Tuesday mass in the church.  Only residents of St. Rita Square attended and maybe twenty-five or so were in attendance.   This week we learned that St. Rita would have mass at 10:30 a.m. today as a regular parish.

I did my normal Sunday routine and watched the clock when it would be time to leave for mass.  How long does it take to go down one floor and down the hall?  When I drove to St. Martin of Tours I left the house at about 10:10 a.m. to drive to the 10:30 a.m. mass.  But I'd rather wait in church than in my room, so at 10:10 a.m. I strolled out of my room to my destination.  Good thing I arrived early.  The church was packed with folding chairs filling up in the outer area.  I managed to get a seat in the church.  There were so many happy greetings among friends who hadn't been together in so very long.

The first thing Pastor Timothy Kitzke said was, "Welcome Home", to a round of applause.  It was such a joyful occasion, like Christmas and Easter combined.  The entire mass was very upbeat.  The singing was familiar, with the exception of a song in Italian during Offertory.  The cantor had an excellent voice, as did the lector. who is the daughter of one of my neighbors, Frank on the first floor who tends pots of lettuces and a huge pot of basil.  I am so happy to have been a part of this special occasion, as I  am now a member of the parish.  I also indicated that I would like to serve as lector and Eucharistic minister.  I will be put on the list in September.

July Birthdays

Friday, July 23, 2021

 We gathered at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate July birthdays in the Greek style because of the start of the Olympics.  Briana was dressed as a Greek goddess, two musicians were playing and the Tratoria was decorated with a lot of gold.

We had an assortment of drinks and the chef served a Greek salad, chicken breasts, shepherds pie and cookies.

Peter and I finished the evening at Pitch's Restaurant.  It was a very nice restaurant, quiet and surprisingly few people.  I have very good pan fried perch; Peter had Sicilian cod.  Our waiter seemed impatient to get our payment, hovering over us as we put together the cash.

Therapy and Party

 Thursday, July 22,  2021

My therapy at noon today concentrated on strengthening my right knee.  Drew does a lot of manipulating while I'm on a cot.  Then we worked at the barre where I squatted, marched with my knees as high as I could and stepping up a step.  Drew had a belt around me so that I wouldn't fall, but I also hung on to the barre with all my might.  I also worked on pushing a platform with more weight.

I worked on selecting photos to include with my letters to Don and Masako; I have not written to them in a couple of weeks.  I had unusual trouble getting photos printed on the Walgreen's site.  After I selected my photos I could not advance to the screen to order prints.  I ended up putting the photos on a thumb drive to print at the store.  A young man helped me with the project, since I had always done this at home.  I could wait for the photos, they turned out nice.

We had a farewell party for Briana who is leaving as our Program Director.  Most of the people were in dressy clothes.  It was hard choosing what to wear, because the weather was so changeable.  Everyone was comfortable with another layer, or long sleeves.  We had wine and assorted pizzas provided by River West Pizza.  Two musicians accompanied Briana as she sang.

Terry did not attend the Android SIG; that absence is worrisome.

Red Hats and Eyes

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

 Six of us met at Point After Bar and Grill on 76th and Rawson: Janice, Julia, Jane, June, Joy and I; Terry said she wasn't feeling well.  Everyone was satisfied with the location and food.  We agreed to meet at Balistreri's Blue Mound Inn in August.  On the way out two women commented about our group; one might join.

I had an appointment with Milwaukee Eye Care at 3:45 p.m. on Prospect Ave.  There was ample parking and a handicapped entrance.  I was given a peripheral vision test where I clicked a device every time I saw a flash on the screen.

A lot of people gathered in the Club Room to cheer on the Bucks hoping they'd win the championship in six games.  They did not disappoint.  It was a close game and very exciting.  The final score was 98 - 105 the Bucks over the Phoenix Suns.

Fiserv Forum

St. Rita Square's trip to Fiserv Forum included Judy, Marlene, Jon and I.

We began at noon with two guides: Tim led those that were not in our group; another young man took us, using the elevator.  It was over an hour and we covered a lot of the facility, starting pretty much at the top and working down.

The first thing we saw were the stairs with the current happenings.

Here is the downtown skyline.

The Forum is huge, which is really an understatement.  The arrangement of seats and accommodations for high spenders is amazing.

This buck is made of shredded basketballs; the antlers are basketball nets.

    

There were many portraits of past players, an impressive trophy display with room for more, hopefully.  

This mural was made by high school students depicting Milwaukee landmarks.  It is much wider than this photo with more landmarks.

We saw the Marquette area and on the main floor Tim explained that there are three layers, two for the Bucks, and one for Marquette that get exchanged for each game.  There is a special floor for hockey games to prevent the ice from melting.

Special shows have specialized equipment and Tim told us how efficiently all the equipment gets set up for each show's requirements.  This building is a marvel of engineering.

I was surprised how well I navigated with my walker.  My shoe occasionally caught on the floor, but I managed to stay erect.  I had no problem getting on and off the bus.  I just have to think and plan ahead.