Goldilocks CSI (Cat Scene Investigation)

Sometimes the cat forgets I am second choice in the house and acts like she enjoys spending time with me. And even missing me.

I have evidence.

Since Christmas season and the arrival of our matching recliners, Sylvester has had no shame claiming ownership of Jim's chair. And, of course, her favorite human enables her. She sits on the arm of the chair, the back of the chair, Jim's lap (that's a new thing) and the foot rest when it is in reclined position. If Jim wants to get out of the chair, he leaves the foot rest elevated so the princess can continue her nap, uninterrupted.

Last week, I sensed a shift in the wind.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, view Exhibit A....

Somebody's been sitting in MY chair!

And now, the closing argument... Exhibit B....

Somebody's been sitting in MY chair. And she's still there!

Thanks to the Nanny Cam (aka Jimmy Cam), she was caught red-handed, er white-pawed. I surmise she actually likes me and missed me this past weekend and wanted to feel close to me.

Or thought, "Hey, free chair! No one's used it all week!"

Either way, I hope the loving feeling continues. Hubby is gone until next Monday for work and play. You know how Princess Poops-A-Lot acts when he's gone! I suspect she'll sit in HIS chair, not mine. And hopefully won't do anything nasty in either one. She's already been leaving little gifts (aka poop piles) around the house so she is starting to get stressed about the separation. I fully expect that will continue, unfortunately.

Will she be willing to spend any time with me? I think so. View Exhibit C...

Somebody's been blogging at my computer. And she's still there!

She likes that I can pet her with my left hand while typing with my right. And she likes her "sun lamp." I think the evidence points to me being used to suit HER needs. She is a cat after all.

Case closed.

Canyon Countdown

Photo from Yavapai Point by Cat Connor

My sister Rayna shared this photo today from the U.S. Department of the Interior. In just 2 weeks, Carter and I are going to see her, my brother-in-law and this old thing.

Yesterday, Grand Canyon National Park celebrated its 98th birthday. Long before it became a national park, this landmark’s timeless beauty was well-known throughout the country and parts of the world. Today the canyon is no less a source of inspiration than it was for these early tourists.

We will celebrate nearly 100 years of protecting this special place by finally seeing it in person! Some may say it's just a big hole in the ground, but to the photographer's eye, it's got potential!

Since it's nearly 11:30 p.m. and I'm just finishing up work and special projects, I really can't wait to escape to the desert! Looking forward to seeing sights, seeing family, relaxing, enjoying the sun (it's only 32 with windchill of 27 in central Wisconsin right now) and the son.

Let the countdown begin...

Slumber-less Party

Even though this year's camp theme was "Slumber Party," there is more scrapping than slumbering, that's for sure. My oldest friend (as in years known, not age) Julie and I had a great time. Plenty of visiting and occasional trips down High School Lane.

Overall, not as productive as I would have liked, but finished Carter's final, final school album so was able to move back in time to the 2012 family/chronological album. Yeah! Am as far as September of that year, so getting there one step, er page, at a time!

Weather wasn't too extreme. This was the view Thursday night on my early arrival.

This was the view today before my departure. Yesterday there was a good layer of ice and snow on the walkways and driveways but that melted.

Besides missing sleep, I missed out on the Assumption boys hoops win on Saturday giving them the conference championship, and missed out on a tough OT playoff loss for the girls, whose season is now done. Missed out on kitty puking and pooping in the basement. And missed whatever Jim and Tony were up to that I don't know about. Ha.

Good to be home. I'm tired and I'll probably force myself to watch 20 minutes of the Oscars just so I know what people are talking about tomorrow. Then it's bedtime in my nice, comfy, non-plastic mattress bed!!

Hello, Slumber. Let's party!

The Quid Quandary

Since we really don't know how much snow winter storm Quid (who names these?) is bringing,  I started my weekend early.  Just in case.

So instead of having my car packed and ready to go to Camp Crop-A-Lot in the morning,  I am here, blogging from my cabin, which I have all to myself ... except for those things that go bump in the night.

Good times.

While I did feel rushed to get here and hope I didn't forget anything, it was nice to take my time enroute.  And by take my time I mean stop at King Cone for supper. Honest, it is right on the way to the Rosholt Lions Camp. Sort of.

Believe me, Blueberry Yes Please Cake ice cream is worth a detour.

And I beat Quid here so that's a bonus,  too. Who knows what exactly it will bring. We joke about a foot of snow, but schools  (including Rapids) are already called off for tomorrow in anticipation.  Uff da. This could be big.

Good thing it's a short walk to the scrap hall from my cabin. If I survive the night. ...

What was that noise?

Hey Spring, Thanks for Visiting

 

Ahhhh, spring.... Did we get spoiled? Yes. Is it going to continue? No.

I don't even know if we broke a high-temperature record today because all the weather authorities are talking about is this alleged storm of the century... or year... or season. Now the latest, latest, latest is that we'll get about 8 inches of snow in Wisconsin Rapids between Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, before that even starts, we are dealing with the impact of the fake arrival of spring.

The Yellow River over by Pittsville (to the west of us) is causing crazy flooding. In Rapids, the Wisconsin River is high and the river banks are disappearing. I took a field trip to the walking path at lunch and you can see the water has risen up to it and on to it. Not sure what 8 inches of precipitation is going to do. Don't think it will be good.

I feel bad for the ducks (and birds and caterpillars). They are way confused. And, like the rest of us, in for a rude awakening when the pseudo-spring departs tomorrow.

We knew it wouldn't last but I sure enjoyed the work walk breaks outside, the medium-sized runs outside, opening the windows the let the fresh outside air in, and just, well, everything! It was good while it lasted.

Obviously, my main concern with this alleged storm is how it is going to impact Camp Crop-A-Lot. All I need to do is get from Rapids to Rosholt (just east of Stevens Point) by noon on Friday, then it can snow us in. They – as in the authorities – haven't quite pinpointed when it will start, though.

Right now, I have a lot to get packed. So I probably should get off the computer and get my scrap together so I am ready to race the storm Friday.

Thanks for visiting us, Spring!

Sports Ticker :: GBB Regionals Round 1

Regional playoffs started tonight for high school girls basketball. Our Lady Royals hosted Tigerton. Our defense was on fire and we managed to score a lot off of turnovers. They did great!

Final score: Assumption 61, Tigerton 49. Now it's off to Wild Rose on Friday evening.

That's your sports ticker for the night. Sorry so brief! Now I have to go see what I missed on This Is Us plus see the season premiere of The Detour.

Lots going on for a Tuesday night in the middle of winter!

Monday Mist

Typically we're in a fog the way it is on Mondays. But today, as the temperatures returned to their now-typical mild state, the rain came and brought the misty fog with it.

It was a strange drive home from work as I noticed little patches of fog along the roads and in fields. It seemed everywhere the drizzling rain was hitting snow, the fog was growing. By the time I drove home from kickboxing later, it was floating across the road, making for some random blind spots. Uff da.

Wasn't going to head back into town for the boys basketball game after that fun drive, but I decided to put on my big girl pants – and my driving glasses – and gave it go.

Not saying our boys were playing in a fog, but they just couldn't match Stratford's ability to score and rebound tonight. Darn. That was the last boys game I'll see until playoffs.

One would think with these warm temps and the ending of basketball soon that it would be time to hit the field for baseball. But no, it's only February. And yes, there is supposed to be some 6-11 inches of snow dumped on us, come Friday.

Apparently, my reality has been in a fog, too.

Be careful out there!

Son-Day Drive

With record-high temperatures in Rapids and other areas of Wisconsin, it was a perfect day for a Sunday drive.

Make that SON-day drive.

As luck would have it, a friend of mine had to drive her daughter down to UW-Platteville today for a music competition. A month ago she asked, "Would you like to ride along?" Heck yes!!

So we left at 9:30 a.m. and were home at 7:30 p.m. In between there, we had perfectly son-ny skies and I got to have lunch and a walk and a visit with my son!

Since we arrived 12:30 and Carter had a frat meeting at 2 p.m., we really had to focus on quality time, not quantity. So I said hello to a few of his friends and he took me to lunch on campus. Technically, since I am the one who put money in his Dining Dollars account, I sort of took myself out to lunch. Ha. But the company was much better when he was buying!

Got to catch up, plan our spring break vacation a bit and enjoy the son-shine. Most importantly, he had some clothes for me to take home and, in exchange, I had his muscle protein whey stuff, some Tide pods and a couple dozen monster cookies! Sounds like a fair trade.

Plus I got a few hugs out of it! A perfect Son-Day, if you ask me.

Pre-Spring Thaw

Has the spring thaw hit? Yes, it's short-sleeves weather and you probably opened the windows today. But "Spring" during Valentine's week? It's fun to wish, that's for sure.

Today was definitely part one of the pre-spring thaw. No, it did not melt that much here. The photo above belongs to my sister Renell who is ready to plant flowers in Minnesota.

Meanwhile in central Wisconsin we're like, flowers? Grass? What does that look like again? Crazy what a difference location makes. Apparently Wisconsin Rapids is in the heart of a "snow belt" because friends and family Up North and down south (near Milwaukee) do not have snow like we do.

It did melt some today. I saw more patches of brown grass starting to show in the back yard. But the front looks pretty much the same. It was still nice enough to get out for a run and enjoy a quick fire at the neighbor's.

Was excited on my walk back that the snow melted at the edge of my rock garden just enough for a solar light to see the light of day again!

Mr. Deck Chair, however, is not quite ready to come out of hibernation. We'll see how the next few days play out. It's still February, I know, but that's what's tempting me.

I've got pre-Spring Fever. And I've got it bad!

55 and Over Club

There are some perks to being over 55. And I'm not talking about AARP cards and retirement villages. I mean the outside temperature.

Today, when we had hopes of reaching the half-century mark, Mother Nature surpassed our expectations and pushed it to the 55 limit. And it was glorious.

Took a walk break for lunch and by the end of it, I had my sweatshirt off and was walking in short sleeves. We may be a little brainwashed after winter in Wisconsin, but I was seriously looking for Mr. Deck Chair! Took another walk in the later afternoon because, well, who knows when the weather will be this perfect mix of sunshine and spring warmth again? That time I left the sweatshirt at my desk and was plenty warm in my T-shirt.

Only in Wisconsin (and Minnesota) does belonging to the 55 and over club bring so much joy!

In fact, when we went out for fish fries with our friends Mike and Cindy, it almost seemed logical that we go kayaking first. Did I mention we are brainwashed in Wisconsin?

Can't wait for to paddle again and fully realize it is a long way off. I'll just enjoy this brief intermission and hope Ol' Man Winter also has been brainwashed... into thinking he should go home.

No one under 55 allowed, mister.

4th Time's a Charm

As we increase hours of daylight a few minutes at a time, it is not longer pitch black when I leave work. In fact, every single night this week it has been pretty in pink.

Each night I have driven home, seeing the pretty sunset in my rearview mirror, hoping that went I get to an open field near my house that I can still capture the myriad palate of pinks and yellows and oranges. No such luck.

The trick was that I had to be the one who wasn't driving. Tonight, riding shotgun to the basketball game, I finally could capture some of the beauty. Amazing.

I think I'll just leave you with that. No sense bringing any stress or negativity on the scene after a long day.

Just look, appreciate and be thankful.

Keep Calm

Am I a spoiled princess? Some days.

This afternoon when I was slaving away at work – as usual – I got a call from the front desk that I had a visitor. Was not expecting anyone so I had no idea who it could be.

When I got to the lobby and saw my nephew Tony standing there I thought maybe something was wrong. Until he turned my way and I saw the Shamrock Shake in his hand!

For ME??

Yup. A nice belated Valentine's Day treat! I gave him a quick office tour and introduced him to my "team" – then quickly let him go on his way so I could drink the shake before it melted!

Oh, that hit the spot. And it was perfect that he waited until after Valentine's Day so it was officially Shamrock Shake Season. Plus, he knew I'd be going to kickboxing tonight to work it off. I had quite a workout but I don't think it justified the minty calories.

And I don't care. Shamrock Shakes are still way healthier than Thin Mints. Been eating a ton of those and still haven't seen any Thin results!

Scam.

Enjoy the season!

Feeling the Love

Tom Cruise said it best as Jerry Maguire, but give hubby props for his romantic side...

I'm kidding. He did not give me this for Valentine's Day. Though I suspect he would have if he had thought of it! And I couldn't fault him for that. I am a complete mess. And he loves me anyway.

Lucky me!

I did feel the love today. Actually yesterday. First, I got a package at work – a red rose preserved and dipped in gold. That's one way for Jim's flowers to last!

Later, when I got home and picked up the mail, there was a handmade card from my mother.

She decided to paint them this year, but made it clear she was only making them for her 8 kids (no grandkids) or she'd never get them in the mail. You can tell where I get my creativity from, right? And that penmanship... It does not look like the cursive of a woman about to turn 85. She's amazing.

It was our first Valentine's Day without Carter in the house. So that was weird. Like my mother, I had to mail his greetings. Actually I was shipping a package anyway with a few things he needed. So I sneaked a valentine and chocolate and, naturally, some cold cash. Nothing says love like that.

Since my nephew Tony is underfoot, he got a sweet treat, too. Hoping he is willing to share some of his peanut butter cup hearts... That would be a loving thing to do!

For a Tuesday, I am having a romantic evening. Jim was gone bowling and Tony is out of the house on a date. So it's just me, my recliner and the remote. Oh, and did you know there is a new Hallmark movie on just for Valentine's Day? And, since it's Tuesday, my favorite show This Is Is is on, too.

Feeling the love.

Natural Novelties

The nice thing about plodding through the woods on snowshoes is that you have time to notice your surroundings. If I was skiing or doing something ridiculous like running in snowshoes, I'd miss the unique photo opportunities and oddities. They'd whiz right by.

So we saw a few interesting things on Saturday. For the record, Cindy is not an oddity in nature. I was going to take a photo of some leaning branches but the way they framed her on the path ahead of me made a much better image!

Did this tree come down with a case of the zebra mussels? Seriously, it kind of reminds me of the trees we saw after the lake was drained this summer.

After some research, I learned these are called "shelf fungi" or "shelf mushrooms." Make sense the way they are stacked up like shelves.

Some cultures also refer to them as "potato chip fungi" or "Lay's mushrooms."

And depending on the angle, some refer to them as the "snickerdoodle shrooms."

You could tell it was mild because we could now see water in the tributaries off Nepco Lake. A month earlier, we shoed right over them and probably couldn't tell we were on water. Thankfully, there is a little foot bridge we can use to cross.

Speaking of weird things in nature... I don't think this is what they mean when their label says "recyclable." Of course, we didn't take them down in case they are legitimately part of some experiment. I suspect littering but would hate to screw up some expensive research project.

While we did not see or hear Woody Woodpecker, we know he was around. And perhaps invited a few friends over. I did run into an acquaintance on our hike and he said this is the work of a "downey woodpecker." I will take his word for it.

Whether he was "down" or up, he was definitely hungry. That's for sure.

Here's an uprooted tree that takes on a new look once nature clears all the brush and sand and weeds off. 

Kind of creepy and cool at the same time. But creepy enough I am glad I wasn't on this trek alone.

Plus, it is always fun to have another set of eyes looking for the bizarre and the beautiful along the trail. Not that I want to extend winter, but there is still something unusual hanging in one of the trees that we have yet to see. It's sort of like our personal scavenger hunt so I hope we get another chance to find it.

Anything to help pass the time until we can search for eagles again while kayaking. Why does that seem like an UN-naturally long time away?

Stiff Breeze

You know it's windy when the flag unfurls to a full salute mode. And stays that way.

Despite the sunshine and supposedly mild temperatures today, there were up to 40 mph gusts of wind that created a nice little wind chill. Had to be sure I captured a picture of one of the ginormous flags in town on my way home from church.

It pretty much stayed in the over-starched position like it was hanging on the wall. Nice to look at. But not necessarily nice to be outside.

I was glad we went snowshoeing yesterday. Probably could have handled that and/or a run today but instead was cooped up in my office. All. Stinking. Day.

Had some work to do on a few projects, then had lots of prep work to do for my upcoming scrapbooking weekend. Just 2 weeks to Camp Crop-A-Lot!

I've got the pictures printed for wrapping up Carter's senior year album. Just needed to add baccalaureate, graduation and the party and it's done. Then I will switch gears to my chronological family albums. Before I got focused on doing ALL of Carter's school albums, I had completed scrapbooks for 1998-2011. I was nearly halfway through my 2012 album when I switched gears. Now I can go back to that one at camp.

Took me awhile to locate the "stuff" for that year. I knew I had it all together in one place. Just had to find that one place. Whew. Glad I did. Most of it was organized with pictures in order. But I had more for that fall and winter to get printed out and set.

Came across this picture from my dad's 85th birthday in October of 2012. It dawned on me that this was the last picture of the three of us with dad since he died the following spring. If that didn't turn on the tears!

It was a good reminder that I am justified in the time and attention I give to my scrapbooks. I want to look at "old" pictures now and years down the road so I can laugh or cry or maybe both.

I should have known I'd be thinking of Dad at some point today. He was probably behind that stiff breeze that kept the flags at attention. Oh how he loved and respected that flag! Sure makes me miss him like crazy.

Be thankful for warm hugs from loved ones on a wind-chilly day.

Keep Calm and Celebrate Life

First weekend at home in almost a month. Plenty of "tasks" to do. Ready.... Go!

OK, right off the bat we have a decision to make. Pull a kitty and relax or get something done! She's sort of our own groundhog. Predicting spring pretty early. But she overestimated the warmth of the fresh air and only lasted about 20 minutes in the window.

The fresh air – combined with a little '80s music – got me motivated to knock a few things off my list. And it turned out to be a full day.

With our scrapbooking camp just two weekends away, I went over to my "dealer" Becky's house to pay up and get a few supplies. Since I haven't seen her in ages, we had a nice visit catching up... just in case we don't get time at camp!

Got home in time to see my nephew Zach compete in the NRCHA World Championships. That's a National Reined Cow Horse Association event in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend. I don't profess to have a clue what he is doing besides looking and acting like a cowboy. But it was streaming live on the Internet so I finally got to SEE what it is he does. I'll have to have him explain it sometime. Didn't have time to research it then since I had pressing matters to attend to.

My early afternoon was spent at the funeral home for a memorial service. Miss K, a special education teacher at the elementary school Carter attended, passed away this week. She was only 57 but had multiple health complications over the past many, many months.

I didn't actually get to know Anne through Carter but through my friend/neighbor Cindy, who invited me to a Stamping Up! party years and years ago. Anne was the demonstrator (dealer) and, in a word, she was a hoot! Loved getting to know her through stamping and I know her quirky personality will be missed by friends, colleagues and students.

And her family. Uff da. Hard to hold it together when you see a mother having to say goodbye to her child. That has to be the hardest thing ever for a parent. So, so sad!!

After the service, Cindy and I decided the most appropriate thing to do was to celebrate life – like Miss K did every day. So we walked around in God's world for awhile.

The mild temperatures in the upper 30s today made it very comfortable weather for snowshoeing at Nepco Lake Park. Trails weren't the greatest because of recent ice/snow mix. But we made the best of it and had a good, calm, distracting walk. The sun wasn't shining this time, but I got a few interesting photos I'll share tomorrow.

Not long after I got home, hubby was on a mission to get rid of the brush/wood pile in the front yard. We had to wait until we had good snow cover on the ground, mild enough temperatures to stand outside and no wind. Today was the day!

The pile not only included tree branches and such from the back yard, but also our former wooden "sidewalk" that was torn out and replaced by our concrete driveway this summer. Yes, this pile has been awhile in the making.

We were both glad to see it go. It was a pretty farewell, too. And warm! 

The fire burned so high awhile that a selfie made me look angelic ... until you see the satanic sparks flying from the top of my head!

I blame it on the 80s music. Tomorrow I should just start my day with organ music at church instead.

Conference Leaders

With roughly one week of the regular season to go, our Assumption boys basketball team stood undefeated in the conference. Then along came Marathon to put up a fight.

We beat Marathon at their court earlier in the season and, apparently, they haven't lost since. So maybe they were a bit fired up tonight. That and they have a player who couldn't miss a 3-point shot with his hands tied behind his back.

We kept pace with them and even traded off the lead the last few minutes of the game. The photo of the tip-off above is actually the start of overtime! Yup. All tied at 73 at the end of regulation.

The thing with OT is that we don't get a fresh start when it comes to fouls. So in those precious extra 4 minutes, we had 2 players foul out and Marathon made their free-throws. Dang. Final score was 83-77, in favor of the visitors.

The good news is that even though it was the first conference loss, the Royals still lead the Marawood South Conference! If you can't see the fine print, their record overall is 14-4. We haven't seen that for a few years with our boys team so that's extra exciting.

Even more exciting than a Snow Moon, Eclipse and Comet in one night.

Well, I can say that because it's cloudy on Blue Jay Drive so we won't see diddly. But we are looking forward to SEEING a few more weeks of hoopla.

Go Royals!

When You're 16 Going on 17...

It would seem during the winter months in Wisconsin, the brighter the sun, the colder the air.

Leaving the house this morning, there were two things for me to remember: my shades and my gloves. I remembered one. The sunglasses looked cool but my hands were cooler (literally).

When I checked on the weather in the late afternoon, I was encouraged that the temperature had risen from below zero overnight to 16 degrees above. A look at the small print, though, and it only "feels" like 5. Uff da.

A look at the even smaller print and we see the Northeast already has 18-plus inches of snow today. Where would you rather be?

The answer is Mesa, Arizona.

What? I also have that "favorite location" saved on my weather search because me sister Rayna and brother-in-law Paul are out there. You know, the ones who moved Up North from southern Texas last May. Since they are trying to ease into Wisconsin winters, they are spending January, February and March in the Phoenix area. Plenty of time for friends and family to pop out there for a visit.

And we are.

As it happens, hubby has a work conference out in Vegas at the end of the month, so he'll drive up from there and spend a few days with Rayna and Paul. Come mid-March, when Carter is on his spring break from college, I am going to kidnap him and fly out to the desert for a few days.

I would suspect this will be our last mother-son trip together. Not just because he's going against his will (not really, I swear), but he is at the age where spring breaks are likely to mean babes in bikinis, not old ladies saying "Uff da." And I am OK with that. We are both looking forward to the trip and Rayna and Paul have a few things planned for us. Thanks to a short February, we fly out in just 33 days!

Am I excited? Well, for the record, when it was 16 degrees here today, it was not just 16 going on 17 in Mesa. It was 80!

Where would you rather be?

Uphill Battles

It's been said that we cannot pretend to know another person's journey until we've walked a mile in their shoes. Or perhaps, pedaled a mile on their bicycle.

I came across this gentleman this morning on my commute to work. It was windy and the temperature was hovering around 15 degrees – the high for the day.

I could only imagine what a frigid uphill battle he was facing on this stretch of road. In fact, this may have been the easy part of his journey. In jeans and flannel jacket, he wasn't dressed for recreational exercise. But I have no idea where he was headed or how long it would take him to get there.

Or if he was even struggling. Maybe he was exhilarated by the below-freezing breeze. Maybe he just had to get to his next-door neighbor's.

We don't know. We can guess. But we really don't know.

I've had my share of uphill battles. Some I've made public and some, not so much. Each and every day there is something that appears in the form of an uphill climb. It might be a little hill, or it might be insurmountable. My goal is to level off some of those big hills so that I am on a steady course.

It IS a battle. I try to hand it over to God. But I don't always let him take it. He reminds me that He doesn't make junk. He doesn't care if I am a size 6 or size 16. He loves me as I am. And I need to love myself.

Can you imagine how freeing it would be if the bike was going in the other direction and we were coasting down hill?

That's what it must be like when one is at peace with herself. I can't pretend to know. I can only imagine.

But I hope to get there one day.