The Latest Buzz

In case you thought the first sign of summer was Memorial Day or people wearing flip flops or today's gorgeous temperatures. Nope. It's something far more annoying.

Mosquitoes!

We should have known that with all the snow, rain and flooding this spring that there'd be standing water everywhere – I mean I still see it in ditches – which is the ideal breeding ground for skeeters. Trust me. When you live on a creek that may or may not have water, you pay attention to when it does! It's always followed by a bumper crop of blood-suckers!

I guess I do know how to grow something, huh?

Other than not being able to stand outside for long this evening, it was a super nice day.

And no, I wasn't joking about summer-like temperatures! Too bad it won't stay like that all weekend. Chance of some rain here and there. And tonight there's a chance I might not even need to turn on my mattress pad.

Hey, we've got the A/C cranked (just days after running the furnace), so you never know.

Steamrolled

There are so many conveniences these days, I don't even need to leave work to go to the Torture Chamber. That's not a slam against my job, I'm talking about the real Torture Chamber – aka Mammogram Machine!

For our convenience, the Boob Bus just rolls into the parking lot. Drive-thru pancakes, anyone?

It seriously is nice to just step away from our desks for 15 minutes. And it's always nice to enjoy, er endure, the pressing questions from the machine operator. And her warnings:

"This will pinch a bit."
Me: What the heck is "bit"?

"OK, now don't move."
Me: Wouldn't dream of it. Plus, not exactly capable.

"And just hold your breath."
Me: I stopped breathing two cranks ago.

Of course, you go through it and have to wait a few days for results. The tech person only knows how to flatten and focus. Someone else actually compares the new steamroller results with last year's.  Fingers crossed.

After watching a dear friend battle breast cancer for the past year, I know the smashing good time I had today was worth it.

Hope these puns didn't fall flat.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

One of the miracles of spring is that things are growing and blossoming – and I didn't have to do anything to make it happen.

Life in central Wisconsin is pretty in pink at this time of year as dogwood, cherry and Hopa trees all bloom. So pretty.

This is also what I call "rhubarb season." Usually people are begging to get rid of it because they don't have enough uses or time for it.

Since I have two black thumbs and don't garden, I wasn't sure if the 'barbs were behind thanks to late-spring snow and cold. So I put out a shameless plea on Facebook: "What's a girl gotta do to get rhubarb around here?" And what do you know, I have some now.

My neighbor across the street said I could pop on over and pick some from her garden anytime. I hate to admit it but even though I have a general idea of what rhubarb looks like, I don't know how to pick it. I mean, do you pull it or cut it or what?

This is how I envision rhubarb growing...

Already cut and, yes, placed in a sealable plastic bag.

And that's how I got it, too. Plus offers for more! Thanks, dear friends, for taking pity on me and my lack of bloomin' knowledge!

Now, what to bake with it...

As Mondays Go...

Mondays aren't too bad when they're actually Tuesdays! Right?

Had a decent "Monday"... Work was fine. Then got to shoot some softball after work featuring Rapids and Point teams. I knew girls on both teams so I had to just take pictures and keep my mouth shut. (No small feat. Ever.)

Strictly a coincidence, two blocks away – pretty much on my way home – was...

I know. I'm terrible. Just can't resist the King! It was my pre-celebration, though, since I knew (er, hoped) my Twins would rebound tonight and come back with a win over the Brewers – since I could finally see my boys on TV in central Wisconsin!

Butterfinger Lickin' Good was pretty darn good. And so was the game.

I'll just leave you with that and say goodnight!

We Remember

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for all of us. We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedoms in the United States of America. For my family, though. We remember something more.

Dad died 6 years ago today – on Memorial Day. It was fitting because even though he wasn't able to serve in the military for health reasons, he loved his country and especially loved any holidays where flags were flying everywhere – Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Veterans Day, any day.

One of my sisters took care of adorning his grave marker with flowers and flags. When I talked to my mom today, she said she was at the cemetery for a Memorial Day service because "the veterans need support for what they're doing, too."

I'm glad both of my parents taught me not only to have respect for the flag, but respect for others, too. I'm also glad I got a piece of their cleverness and sense of humor. I'm definitely a mix of the two of them!

And, I learned today, that Mom is opinionated. She said as much on the phone. "Oh here I was blaming Dad for that all this time," I said. "So I'm opinionated because of you and I get my stubbornness from Dad? OK. Got it."

That's why I'm so well-balanced, I guess.

Glad I can still find plenty of Dad in myself so I know he's always with me. And with any of you blessed to know me. Ha.

Today's High... Sugar

Today's Word of the Day was definitely SUGAR. For me, anyway.

After 4.5 graduation parties (we went back to one of them a second time), I am crashing hard from my sugar rush. I don't remember the question, but the answer is yes, I did try a piece of cake at each one. Merely comparative research, of course.

I also got to sample the mints (above) at the party for my friend Michelle's son. Just kidding, I made them so they passed the taste test at home.

If your mother or grandmother ever made them, you know they are delicious. Putzy to make, but so yummy. Ingredients are 8 ounces cream cheese mixed with 2 pounds of powdered sugar. Plus, a half to full teaspoon of flavoring. I use mint extract. Mix it together a chill for a bit. Then roll "dough" into little balls, roll in regular sugar, place in mold, scrape off excess and pop out of mold.

Like I said, putzy, but the sweet graduate was worth it!

After starting the party circuit 10 hours ago, I can confirm we've got some great friends AND that we're too old for marathons of this nature. Thank goodness for this...

Happy Memorial Day! Also known as no-sugar Monday for this girl.

Blue and White

Full day today with Blue and White as the class AND Saturday colors.

Photographed the Assumption graduation from 10 a.m. to 11:30-ish. Worked out well. Close to crying with some of those kiddos, that's for sure!!

Here's a link if you want to see ceremony pix:


After that, since it was sunny and 80 degrees (not a typo), we took advantage of the Blue skies and went kayaking on Lake Nepco where, unfortunately they had White caps. Not a typo there either. Very windy. But we did manage to get a few hours of paddling into our should muscles!

Got home, showered and went to a grad party. Which will pretty much be the scene tomorrow.

Right now, my eyes need a break from editing pix. Too dark outside to visit Mr. Deck Chair. But Mr. Recliner was neglected all day, too.

Hope you are relaxing, too, and enjoying this weather!

Let the Three-Day Weekend Commence!

I hear thunder right now, but.... The great news is that it's supposed to be 80 degrees and NOT RAINY for tomorrow and Sunday anyway.

Hopefully, you camping types make it through tonight OK. Then it should be nice for you and for anyone who wants to be outside for gardening, golfing, kayaking, graduation partying – or all of the above. Yup, pretty full weekend on the horizon but we're looking forward to it!

Tonight, we kicked it off going downtown to hear some friends in a band. Since one of the singers is a classmate of Jim's (a different one than the other band – his class was musical!!), we also saw a handful classmates there and visited with other friends. It was nice. Plus great music.

We made it home at a decent time – not because we're old. We're just storing up energy for the rest of the weekend. All three glorious days of it.

Have a safe and awesome Memorial Day weekend!

Remember the Bright Side

Ever feel like Eeyore and you've got a dark cloud hanging overhead and maybe even following you? Sometimes it's a physical cloud. Other times, it's an emotional cloud – brought on by sadness, loneliness, anger, some sort of despair.

I think there's probably a cloud like that hanging over a bunch of kids tonight as they (and their teams) lost during the high school baseball and softball playoffs. And sadly, both the Royals teams are among them.

The look ahead down the road seems dark right now. Just dreary. Maybe not stormy, but just cloudy enough to dampen your spirit. Don't let it happen. I know people are often encouraged to keep focused on the future and not the past, but sometimes – especially when all you see is a dark cloud – maybe it's time to look back.

Look at all the sunshine behind me! That is you and your memories. Think of all the great times you've had playing ball and, more importantly, bonding with teammates that have now become your brothers, your sisters, your family.

I wish we could give wins for playing with the most heart. But it just doesn't work that way. Instead, I hope you feel like a winner because you not only gave it your all, you also were a good teammate and showed your love and respect to others.

It's just plain old good sportsmanship. That's what we parents and fans are most proud to witness. A trophy will sit in a case, but your attitude and actions are on display for the world to see.

Keep making us proud. On and off the field.

And, remember the bright side.

Sawing Logs

Occasionally, I complain about not getting a good night's sleep. But boy howdy, I must have been sawing some major logs last night! I missed a few things.

Today is garbage pickup day. When I was driving out our driveway, I noticed all the garbage cans on our street (including ours) were knocked over. My first thought was that is was some sort of prank – like "mailbox baseball" but with garbage cans. Or a hit-and-run. Or just "fainting goats" syndrome.

Further down the road. I notice a wreck of a canopy in a yard. And further down the road is this tree.

Say what?

I must have been in a major deep sleep. Did not hear rain, thunder, wind. Anything. Apparently we lost a big branch in the back yard – but not as big as the tree above. (He's got major logs to saw.) And some other neighbors lost power when branches fell on their line.

Weird. I guess it was good sleeping weather.

Tonight? Well, they say damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes are possible. Pretty much anywhere in the Midwest. Depends where the pattern goes and what pops up. I'm predicting some rain here but requesting a dry afternoon tomorrow for baseball and softball playoffs. That's my dream world.

That and good sleep.

I Will Come Back to You

There were literally half a dozen activities on my calendar this afternoon and evening. I was going to start with golf league and juggle as many of the others as I could – softball, baseball, church meetings. But then one appointment trumped all others.

The calling to be with a grieving friend.

This evening at 5 p.m. they held a mass at St. Vincent's to honor the memory of our friend Greg. His wife (and my dear girlfriend) Brenda and one son were there – flanked by a dozen close friends. We didn't tell Brenda we were coming. We didn't expect her to talk or visit with us. We just knew this first major outing to remember her soul mate was going to be hard. Beyond hard. We merely wanted her to feel our presence, love, and support.

It was fitting that the gospel reading was from John 14. Part of it is shown above – a great reminder that we should feel peace and we shouldn't be afraid to hurt, to feel anger, feel lonely, to wonder what comes next.

The verses after 27 go on to say: You heard me tell you, "I am going away and I will come back to you." If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father...

Yes, our dear friend has gone away but he will come back to Brenda and the kids and all of us... through the mirror-like mannerisms of his sweet boys, through the same smile and eyes in his adorable daughter, through the endless memories Brenda and our close-knit group will cry about and eventually laugh about some day.

The reading response tonight was equally fitting: Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 

Now it's our duty as friends to make known to Greg's surviving family that he is in a glorious place and looking down on them and loving them – sending smiles, hugs, and secrets signs that he is with them today and always.

How blessed we all are to be touched by such friendship and love. Thank you, God. And take good care of Nut, will you?

The Sideways Shuffle

Did you know "bikini season" is right around the corner? Not that I've worn one since I was 7 years old, but still, the message these days is: Are you ready for it?!

One word: Nope.

All these ads are guilting me into remembering that if I had started and stayed dedicated to some sort of plan months ago, I'd be in a good place right now. But no. I have no willpower. I love my sweets. And I don't want to waste money getting caught up in one of those "eat right and exercise" schemes.

Those never work, do they?

Yeah. I know. They do and that's what you should do. And you'll reach your goals, oh so gradually. Which is never quick enough for Ms. Impatient here. So I say screw it and grab a peanut butter cup or whatever treat is within arm's length. Or even a short drive. No end to my reserves of non-willpower.

That's why I tend to shuffle side to side with my goals rather moving forward.

After getting disgusted not finding something to wear this weekend that fit good and looked good, I shook myself awake and declared I need to do something. As it states above: The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.

OK. Decision made. Not staying. Now... ACTION!

My goal today was to not eat treats at work – no matter whose birthday it was or what was sitting around in candy dishes. When I chose grilled chicken over the "totchos" covered with ground beef and melted cheese for lunch, I demanded a high five from a co-worker. That was a big accomplishment right there because the bad stuff looked sooooo good!

I also got my 10,000 steps in today. High five myself!

But I also grabbed a Schwan's Root Beer Float bar tonight and ate that without blinking – or thinking. After I threw the stick away, I was like, "Oh yeah, that's right. I wasn't going to eat stuff like that today."

Unfortunately, since there's some sort of law you can only start diets on a Monday, I'll have to wait a week, force myself to eat graduation cake this weekend and start after the holiday.

I'm kidding. And it's not a "diet" or I'll quit. Just gotta get moving – even baby steps forward are steps forward – and make more wise choices. We're almost to the season of fresh fruit and veggies. That'll help.

Unfortunately, it comes right after the season of frosting. But I'll find ways to balance it out so I'm ready for one-piece swimsuit season at some point.

Are you ready? Did you do something today that deserves a high five? Celebrate the small stuff, friends. Let's keep moving forward together.

Just Going For It

If you don't like where you are in life, change your location. If you don't like the direction you're headed, change direction. If you don't like who you are, change.

Nope, not easy. But worth it. Just ask our nephew Tony.

He came to live with us 2 1/2 years ago and decided it was time for a change. To accomplish what he needed to, he decided to enroll in the nearby technical school here and, most importantly, stick with it. There were some close calls when it was too stressful to balance a school and work load, but he did it!

And today we got to celebrate his completion in the Machine Tool Technician program!

The ceremony this afternoon was at the SentryWorld fieldhouse (indoors, thankfully, will all the rain pounding on the roof). They needed a bigger venue this year because they were doing one graduation for all four MSTC campuses: Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, Marshfield, and Adams. Hundreds of graduates from age 18 to 63. Pretty amazing.

Proud parent moment for my twin Raylene and her hubby Steve.

And proud uncle and aunt moment for Jim and me!

Of course, there's only one way to celebrate such an accomplishment...

King Cone!!

Plus it was on the way back to Tony's place and we didn't have time for a lunch since Raylene and Steve had to hit the road and head back Up North, where they had snow today. Keep it up there, please.

There's a whole lot of graduations, celebrating and cake going on in the coming week, too. Thanks for kicking off the fun, Tony. Congrats!

Bundle Up, It's May

Instead of yelling, "Batter, up!" at baseball today, they could've just said, "bundle up!" Yes, this is the accurate temp for May 18, not March 18. Even have a windchill – or at least a "real feel" of 38 degrees.

Uff da.

So yes, chilly and occasional rain showers and the half our activities today were out of doors.

Full day for me, anyway. Book Club, Assumption baseball at Nekoosa (lost 7-1), graduation party/pig roast, then dinner with my twin and her hubby who are in town for my nephew's MSTC graduation tomorrow.

So the cool events were sandwiched in by warm ones. Until we got home. Yep, time to turn the heat back on. Not just my mattress pad either.

Maybe it will be too cold for the birds to wake us up at 5 a.m. again. I will sacrifice heat one day for that. This must be what they mean when they say life is a balancing act.

Fun at the Drive-In

I'm poking fun at myself and my use (and respect) for essential oils – and the fact this is my Friday night feels thanks to a wicked lunch at the drive-in.

And by "drive-in" I mean the drive-ing range!

One of my golf league partners and I decided to pop next door to SentryWorld during our lunch break. I thought a small bucket of balls would be too few so we split a big bucket. That was way too many.

For this old lady.

But we were so thrilled the forecast for cold weather and rain was wrong, we just had to get out and prep for golf league next week. We also had a putting contest and he's up by 2 right now. I don't know if I can redeem myself or I just owe him a cold one on opening night. We'll see.

I tend to putt like Happy Gilmore or his grandma. No in between. So I need to get in touch with the feel of putting again. Don't see it happening this weekend. Unless the weather dudes are wrong again.

The odds are not looking good, though. Crossing fingers for a dry baseball game and graduation party tomorrow! Hope your weekend plans work out, too!

So That Explains It

I didn't realize we were on the cusp of a full moon. Technically, Saturday is the day. But since we're supposed to get rain through Sunday, I suspect it will be cloudy. So I got out the tripod and gave it a go.

Still working with different settings but, then again, I don't profess to be a professional photographer – especially with nature. No matter how slow-moving.

The near-full moon might explain a few things, though. Some crazy stuff at work, at home, and the fact our Royals baseball team couldn't seem to hit the ball tonight. According to coach (I wasn't there), Stratford scored 18 runs in the first inning and managed to "hang on," as he put it, beating us 18-0. Ouch.

That's crazy full moon madness, isn't it? For our team anyway.

We'll see what other lunacy the weekend has in store for us. Hopefully nothing that prompts us to start howling.

Be careful out there!

Hump Day Headlines

OOOOH, THAT SMELL: I got a sneak peek today at what's coming our way. No, not the rainy weekend. Ignore that. I'm talking about lilac season! It's the most wonderfully fragrant time of the year.

In my opinion. And that's all that matters in this blog. Ha.

After a few days of sunlight and warm temps, it's like BAM! here's spring. Caught sight of the first blooms during my lunchtime walk. By Friday for sure, I'll be in heaven.

Of course, I have to "borrow" pieces of heaven. We don't have them in our yard so I borrow from those who have too many that there's no way they can use them all to scent up their homes. Again, in my opinion. No one's yelled at me on my borrowing sprees yet.

Shhh. Don't tell.

GOING BUGGY: Of course, spring also means open windows for kitty to lie in and the occasional winged visitor in the house.

Sylvester is staring down a teeny insect and then attacked it – well, put her paw on it – when it got close.

"Ewww. Bug germs! I have to wash my hands!" What a princess! 

SORRY TO BUG YOU: Since Mr. World Traveler is leaving in two days – to go to Platteville, not out of the country – we finally had a birthday/goodbye dinner with him. Dad and I took him to Anchor Bay. When the waitress carded him, I said, "Oh don't worry. We're celebrating his 21st birthday." Still, it's her job to check if he looks like he's under 30.

Later, after our meal, she brought out a birthday cupcake for him with a little candle.

This is the look I get when he thinks I had something to do with it. Honestly, no. I'm innocent here. She was just an attentive waitress. And even though she saw on his ID that his birthday was May 1st, she wanted him to feel special.

He may not have enjoyed the attention, but the Red Velvet cupcake was gone in record time.

I guess we all have our spring time happy place, don't we? Lilacs, window seats, and PBR with a side of Red Velvet.

Happy Hump Day. Happy spring!

Where the Wild Things Aren't

Sunny with lunchtime temps at 69 degrees. That's a sign it's time to hit the trail again. Since we had such a rainy (thus, muddy) spring, I hadn't ventured across the street from work to the Schmeeckle Reserve yet. Today I made it a priority. Steps PLUS the opportunity to maybe see some wildlife.

Got the steps anyway and a few nature shots. Little reflection in this pond which may or may not be a pond normally. We'll see when we string together a few dry days.

Probably because I just finished a book about a "marsh girl," I envision this could the Louisiana Bayou. Minus crocodiles, of course.

The book is "Where the Crawdads Sing" and I think you could picture her living back there. Eerie.

I kind of was on the lookout for snakes. Was a perfect day for them to warm themselves in the sun but a big cloud accompanied me on my walk so this is the only snake I saw...

That rare Sealcoat Rattler. It's dangerous, alright!

Still, it was nice to get some fresh air and get the exercise. Supposed to stay this nice all week. What are YOU doing about it?

Spring Really Has Sprung

In an attempt to keep my blog positive this week... there is this arrival today of, gasp, NORMAL spring temperatures!

This week will likely be our first week in 7 1/2 months that we don't have a high temp in the 40s or colder! Can you tell me again why we live here! Wow. That's just a long time to ask for a stretch of mild temperatures.

Could it be that spring has sprung finally? Hope so. We still have a whole lotta spring sports to squeeze in the two weeks time.

A few faves from this evening's middle school softball...

Love this one because Macie (Macy or Macey?) looks too cool.

And this one because Claire is just so beautiful. Only a 6th-grader but those eyes!

There are 19 girls on the middle school team. Granted it is grads 6-8 so not everyone jumps up to high school, but still. That's a lot of girls. Glad I got to see a few in action anyway.

Any time it's nice, sunny and no rain, it's a win. Even in a scrimmage!

Mother Hens

Had a pretty laid-back day – as it should be. Right? Saw these chicks on walk.

I want to say these are all Mother Hens, but I think there may be some roosters mixed in. That tells you what I know about farm animals. I do know about Mother Hens – or at least women playing that role.

And today is all about them and all kinds of mothers...

Happy Mother's Day to moms, step-moms, and grandmas! To foster moms trying to make a difference. To birth mothers who gave their babies up and to adoptive moms loving them as their own.

To men or women who have to be both Mom and Dad. To moms in heaven and moms of angel babies. To godmothers, aunts and special Mother Hen-type ladies we call "mom." To moms of furry babies, too.

To new moms and old, er experienced, moms who all have the same abundance of fears and love. Thank you, God, for blessing us all!

Happy Mother's Day!

Crazy 8's for a Cure

Each year (for the past several), my mother sends out about 200 letters (she has no email) to family and friends asking for our support in her cancer walk. The combined Luck-Frederic American Cancer Society event always falls on the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. Most of my siblings  – closer to her geographically – have joined her for some or all of the years. For some reason, we've always had something going on, so I'd send my check and wish her well.

This year, my calendar was clear (enough) so we made it up there. I didn't tell Mom ahead of time because I wasn't sure we could swing it. Especially after this week's unexpected activities. On Friday, we actually went from the funeral lunch up to Marathon for the baseball game and, after Coach Austin was done, we drove over to Luck. The walk was this morning in Frederic, just a short jaunt up the road from Luck.

Mom was surprised! And it made me feel good, too! When my siblings all got there, she smiled and said, "Oh my! All my kids are here! I bet no one else can say that!" She was tickled alright.

So here we are, or I should say here we R – the 8 R's from left: Rachel, Rayna, me, Romey, Raylene, Renell, Ron and RoAnn.

And the whole team of supporters including sons-in-law and a grandson (and his plus 2).

Although none of us in our immediate family has been diagnosed with cancer (yet), Mom started doing this in memory of her dad and her sister.

I also purchased a tribute flag in honor of our good friend Cindy who has battled breast cancer for the past year and, knock on wood, has beat it.

My 87-year-old mom didn't walk the full route. Don't blame her. I know my hubby did and my sister Rachel, too, but the rest of us took too much time chit-chatting and walking slowly. We were looking at the map for a shortcut or to see how far behind we were. Ha.

Here RoAnn, Rayna and Raylene run up a hill – or do a convincing job "looking" like they're running up a hill.

I didn't do any running but I did have a ride in an ambulance!

Kidding. Nothing serious. My cousin Lonna was on duty (small town) and I got so busy visiting with her that I fell a few blocks behind the rest. So they gave me a lift (plus one siren blow) to catch up. Not my first ambulance ride, but definitely the shortest, least painful and least expensive!

When we got back to the school/starting point, we learned that a total of $43,630.64 was raised for today's event. Wow. My mom has pretty much always been in the top 10 individual fundraisers. This year she was in the No. 2 spot with $4,457 raised! Double wow. Isn't she amazing?

She may be proud to have her crazy 8 kids there, but we are all so very proud of her!

Happy Mother's Day to all of us.