MNF (Monday Night Fright-Ball)

I think I've misjudged what is truly scary on Halloween. While I had hoped Monday Night Football would be a treat, it is looking like a trick instead. Might as well call it Monday Night Fright-ball because it is scary.

When it's Game Day and Halloween all rolled into one, a person is compelled to dress the purple part a bit. Jamberry just released an NFL line of nail wraps so I made sure my Viking ones were good to go!

Basically I was dressed for Halloween (like every other day) as a pathetically hopeful Vikings fan who wants JUST ONE Super Bowl victory before she dies. Right now, I will take a win against the Bears, though.

Other than the scary game, we had a quiet night on Blue Jay Drive. A family of 5 kids from around the block stopped by for treats and that's it. Typically, we might get a few beyond that if there are girls looking for Carter but now that he's gone, there were no extra trick-or-treaters.

Just extra candy leftover.

I have to convince myself that no matter how this second half goes, I will not stress eat. I will not find "comfort" in those treats. Of course, I can't exactly chew my fingernails either since they are so pretty.

Guess I'll have to suck it up, cross my fingers and see if maybe there's one more treat in store for me this Halloween.

Seeing Red

Finally I remembered this year to wear red to church on Reformation Sunday! It was fitting, too, that we only have a few colored leaves left in our yard and some of them are red, too!

Had to take a few pictures because, well, what am I going to photograph once the last ones are gone?



It looks like a nice sunny day but it was mostly cloudy and just cool enough I could not bond with Mr. Deck Chair or anything crazy like that. Did get out for a walk though.

I like seeing the "veins" in the leaves. It's like a red life line. Only I don't faint when I look at this one.

Not all leaves are perfect either, especially when some bug has been munching on it. What do you see when you look through that hole?

You see red! And not in a bad way. Good reminder that there is always a different, maybe even positive, way to look at things. I need to keep that top of mind because, well, tomorrow is another MONDAY after all!

Hope you get a chance to enjoy those last colored leaves clinging to trees like a life line!

Miles to Smiles

There were a lot of miles covered today – both on foot and in vehicle.

Figures the one morning I am going to sleep in but set my alarm to 9 a.m. "just in case," I end up wide awake by 8 a.m. Guess it's as good a reason as any to get a run in before the day's activities. With all the rain lately, I am off my run schedule so only went 2 miles. Better than none, right?

By 11 a.m. we were on our way to state cross country... just down the road. It's weird but there are two state high school events that are always held in Wisconsin Rapids – state cross country and state gymnastics. So when we go to state, it's not an exciting road trip! Since they close off all parking around the golf course, though, we had to park at the Grand Rapids Lions Club and ride a bus over.

Our boys were pretty nervous but excited. I tried some reassuring words like, "Hey you did the hard part. You are one of the top 16 teams in the state. Have fun out there." I don't think I was effective. I think they put a lot of pressure on themselves to do well. And you just never know who's going to have a great day and who isn't.

With 151 Division 3 male runners, it was hard to tell how our team was doing. With thousands of spectators, it was also hard to get a close look, too! Got a few photos and then cheered my lungs out near the finish.

Our team ended up finishing 6th, which is right where we finished last year!

And 3 of the senior runners from last year were there to cheer them on. Carter is in Madison this weekend so we kept him up-to-date.

After the final results were in, within minutes after the finish, Jim and I hopped on shuttle bus back to our vehicle and hit the road for more miles. My oldest sister Rayna was throwing a birthday party for her husband Paul in Hudson. Got there a little late but they saved a corner piece of cake for me! Ha.

Now that Rayna is living here and not Texas, I am the one who is the far one from "home." If I am there, it's not so unusual that we have a full head count. Mom and her 8 R's. Above we have Raylene, Mom and Renell in front and me, Rayna, RoAnn, Rachel, Ron and Romey in back.

There were also numerous nieces and nephews there, along with my Aunt Gwen and some cousins closer to Rayna's age category. Haha. Picking on her and it's not even HER birthday. I'll be nice since she sent home cake with me.

Got to spend some time with my twin and my nephew Tony, too, who is enjoying his first taste of freedom in a long, long time. Glad we had the whole gang there to greet him.

Hit the road sometime after 7:30 to come back to Rapids. It's less than 3 hours and slightly closer than Platteville. That's how I judge distances now. Rained the whole way home. I hate rain in the dark. Thank goodness hubby was driving and got us home safely. We also were rewarded with listening to a Badger win on the radio.

Now I'm going to reward myself with a snuggly warm bed. I think we're mile-d and smile-d out.

Not Old, Just Classic

If you ever wondered if Generation Gaps still exist, we've got your answer right here.

Tonight, while Carter was enjoying a rap concert with Schoolboy Q and Johnny Badass in Madison, hubby and I saw classic country artist Marty Stuart in Wisconsin Rapids.

Generation Gap defined.

Admittedly, I only knew Marty Stuart by sight. I remembered his Bedazzled outfits, heels and teased up hair from the '70s and '80s. But for the life of me, I couldn't remember a single one of his songs. Still, when our friends Mark and Lisa asked us to go to the concert with them, we couldn't turn them down. It's always great to hang out friends. Plus, with a band name like The Fabulous Superlatives, you've got to give it a chance.

We met at The Ridges at 6 p.m. to have supper before the 7:30 p.m. show.

We sat in the 10th row right in the middle so we had good seats. And while I only recognized a handful of songs, I was tapping my foot and/or clapping along to most the show. 

All the band members were incredibly talented and sang a variety from honky tonk and rockabilly to gospel. Very entertaining. Great show!

It was nice date night, too. That goes without saying!

I am sure Carter will say his concert rocked his socks, too. But there's something to be said about lyrics you can understand and music that appeals to an audience of three generations.

Kind of didn't mind being part of the younger generation for one night.

Princess and the P... U

Somewhere in cyberspace there's gotta be a list of the worst excuses for being late for work. I added to it today.

Yup, the old "diarrhea emergency."

More specifically CAT diarrhea emergency.

This is not the first time this has happened when the princess is pining for her king. Jim has been in Baltimore for work since Tuesday morning, so Sylvester is stuck with me. As much as that prospect brings joy to many, it does not to her. She wants her man!

On a typical day, Jim works from home so she has access to him nearly 24/7. Suddenly he's gone and I think she is so anxious wondering if he'll return that she has made herself sick.

I should have known something was up when I was just about to leave for work and ran her food down to her dish in the basement. She always follows. She needs to break her fast. Today she looked at me and walked down the hall. When I got downstairs, I found my gift.

A steaming pile not far from the litter box, in fact.

Texted my excuse to work, fought off the gag reflex, cleaned it up and was on my way. Coming home tonight I just wondered if she was still in a giving mood. Sure enough. Went downstairs and Princess Poops-A-Lot had struck again. This time FOUR little diarrhea deposits.

Gag reflex in overdrive now. Time for the Michael Jackson mask! Because I, too, am a princess.

Naturally I had to text Jim first and make sure he makes that connecting flight from Charlotte to Madison. Do not want to wake up to this crap again. Oh yeah, pun intended.

I wish kitty was a little bit remorseful, but she seems more annoyed that I am making a big deal out of this, doesn't she?

Of course, I will feel bad if she really is sick-sick and not just heart-sick. It's hard to tell. When the princess sleeps 22 hours of the day, how will I know if she's suddenly lacking energy?

I'll keep you posted. And I'll keep the cleaning supplies and "odor guard" mask close by.

Get home safely – and quickly – honey!

Go Ahead, Punk-in

It might sound like the mantra of a crazy person, but there really are a lot of Pumpkin Spice options this time of year. To add to Forrest and Bubba's list above, this season I have also tried pumpkin spice coffee (non-latte), pumpkin spice cereal, pumpkin spice ice cream, pumpkin spice eggnog, pumpkin spice pudding and pumpkin spice Pop Tarts.

To name a few. I just, well, like pumpkin spice!

And apparently I am not alone. Did you know today is National Pumpkin Day? Go ahead, Punk. Mock me now!

Maybe this "holiday" was designed to praise the pumpkin and fall harvest. But it has morphed into all sorts of pumpkin possibilities – and they probably all have their own "day" as well.

I don't always observe random holidays, but when I do, baking is required.

I whipped up a Pumpkin Spice Trifle last night. Wasn't sure would go well together but as an experienced mix-ologist, this is what I came up with, from the bottom up...

Layers 1 and 4: Baked a yellow cake mix but added 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix for flavor. This was a really light flavor though, so you probably could go with 2 teaspoons or a tablespoon. After it cooled completely, I crumbled it up for the two layers.

Layers 2 and 5: Pumpkin Spice instant pudding with some Pumpkin Spice Eggnog mixed in with the milk.

Layer 3 and 6: Planned on Cool Whip only for both layers but I was short on pudding for top layer so mixed pudding with the Cool Whip.

Very top: Dollop of Cool Whip and a Maple Leaf Sandwich Cookie. Found those at Aldi. Nice visual touch but they taste like Maple (duh) and that doesn't go with Pumpkin. Trust me on this. So I will find a different use for the rest of the package. (Maybe cookies with a side of bacon?)

And that is that.

Brought it to work today and didn't even have crumbs to bring home, so I guess it turned out OK! Plus we had a bigger group in our department since 3 team members who normally work offsite are in town today and tomorrow for meetings. We had dessert first, then went out to eat for dinner after work.

Probably a good plan to sweeten them up since tomorrow is National Cranky Co-Workers Day!

Under the Surface

We never know what lies under the surface. Our exterior may be tough and exhibit an "I'm fine" attitude, while underneath there is pain, suffering and sorrow. We may see someone who is beautiful and think, "wow, they've got their life together." But does outer beauty equate to perfection or happiness?

How often do we dare look under the surface? Probably easier to do on others than ourselves. We know from experience that the more we are exposed, the more vulnerable we feel.

Peel away some layers and you might be surprised at what you find. There may be some trash, yes. But there may also be some treasure. A hidden talent or two. Possibly some strength you didn't know you had.

My friend Cindy and I got to see firsthand some of what lies beneath when we took a walk around a nearby lake that, like many of us, is sort of under construction and due for a good cleansing.

The county lowered the water level of Lake Wazeecha last month to clean out extra debris and sediment buildup and prepare for dam maintenance. Over time, sand and sediment flows into the east side of the lake and builds up into a sand bar. They don't want the whole lake (home to the state water-ski tournament) to fill up.

People love that sand bar, though. (Not all "defects" are bad, right?) We always see teens out there in the summer, tossing around a Frisbee or playing volleyball. I just assumed it was always there, but that's because the last time the county did the "draw down" was 1994, before I moved to the area. Now that they are back into a cleaning mode, it made for some interesting photos...

Pretty much every sandy surface you see is typically under water.

We could tell by lots of footprints in the sand that we were not the first explorers.

Got around to the swimming area with its much expanded "beach" area and noticed a commotion.

Quite the gaggle of Canada geese gathered. And note that they are staying within the swimming boundary buoy lines removed from the lake.

One heckuva party before flying south, I guess. Or do they go to Canada? I don't even want to think about all that goose poop in the water when it comes time for swimming next summer. Not me.

This is some of the area near shore where the kayaks would hit bottom. Now we know. The sand goes pretty far out!

 Looks like a Mississippi delta or something. Yeah. Me and my photographic imagination!

In the distance we recognized a tree we normally see dangling in the water. Time to get brave and check it out.

 Whew. No quick sand!

You know how the cattails look 2 feet tall or so above the water?

 They are actually more like 6 feet tall according to my 5'2" frame swaying with them in the wind!

Whatever that scary object is, we will note not to dock by that shore with our kayaks. It could be a prop from one of those Friday the 13th movies. Just sayin'.

 Funky roots.

This is one of the little inlets that went from a flowing creek bed to a depository for fallen leaves. For now.

Now this tree looked scary but we just had to get close to take pictures. It's not black crappy sediment hanging from those branches. It's zebra mussels! If you didn't think we had a problem with this invasive species, here's proof.

Almost pretty but no, they're not!

 Gross.

And grosser.

The highway bridge can be seen in the distance, marking the east end of the lake where the big sand bar is / was.

We're not talking a little sand bar here. You see from Cindy's height, that's kind of a big deal.

Not sure what the buoy lines are needed for. Maybe to keep the geese out of the construction zone?

They drive out, scoop up sand and haul it to some nearby county land, I guess.

You can see the water rushing in still. Must not be too much if the lake level is still so low.

View from the 80th Street bridge.

Quite the undertaking. Guess we'll see what sort of difference it makes. I know when I uncover something good, I want the world to know about it and see it! The zebra mussel-type stuff, not so much. Always a work in progress.

Just need to dredge up the crap on occasion and remove it.

T Time

The tough part about living in central Wisconsin is that I am still 4 hours from "home." The great part is that it is close to just about everything else (except, obviously, not Lake Superior). So when a friends or family travel for work or pleasure, sometimes they land "close" by on the map!

This week my nephew Tim and his family are in the area, so to speak. They drove from Rapid City, SD, to Wisconsin Dells to stay at a resort with an indoor water park and all that good stuff. Haven't seen them in at least a year. Since the Dells are only an hour away, I hit the road right after work to visit Tim, Tawnie and their 4 T's: Tyler, Tyson, Trey and Teegan.

Or, as I like to call them, my sweet little pumpkins!

They were all dressed in matching Halloween shirts, which I am sure my sister (Grandma RoAnn) and brother-in-law got a kick out of during their visit. They left late this afternoon to go back to Minnesota so there wasn't much of a break before more "company" arrived for T Time at the condo. In other words, no time for naps.

But, they were still more sweet pumpkin than little monster! Here Tyler is doing rabbit ears behind Tyson. So adorable!

And little Trey is holding up a remote-control snake that Grandma (who hates snakes more than anything) apparently bought them. I think they had their hearts set on scaring me but I was a good sport.

 I even let it kiss my cheek for a photo. Yep, Tyler thought that was funny. What a brave old aunt!

And my typically bald little great-niece Teegan finally has hair! And she's walking and talking and trying to put on her sparkly Skechers! She's a sweetie. And she holds her own against those 3 big brothers!

Trying to get all 6 pairs of eyes looking at me AND smiling was next to impossible. I don't envy portrait photographers. Love that Dad is just hanging onto a wriggling Teegan and Trey is looking up to be sure Tyler isn't doing rabbit ears on him. Too cute.

Was a short but sweet visit. When it was bedtime, I figured I better head home and dodge the deer.

Hopefully I won't have such a long wait before my next T Time!