Catch-Up Day

Happy Memorial Day. Well I guess it's weird to say "happy" when it's a holiday honoring those who lost their lives fighting for our freedoms. Maybe just say have good Memorial Day. And you determine what's good about it.

For me it was good to have day with nothing on the calendar. I could catch up on a few things. Got a walk in this morning. Felt much more like spring-almost-summer-time walking around the lake this morning than yesterday! Could it be on the last day of May, we're getting somewhere with Mother Nature?

I type that as I hear thunder outside – which thankfully held off until baseball practice was over and our supper of grilled kabobs was done. 

My other achievement today, besides getting to watch my Twins win on TV and baking banana bread for the in-laws, was finally getting my hanging flower baskets. Most greenhouses have a depleted supply this late in the game, but I had some colorful luck at The Home Depot. And yes, there's plenty of purple to go around!

Now I'm trusting Mother Nature to cooperate!

Hope you had a good holiday weekend.

Our Sunday Best

Today's Sunday best had nothing to do with the clothes we were wearing or the fact I had a nice walk around the lake or the fact my out-of-town BFF stopped for a visit or the fact that we saw a ton of friends at graduation parties – that we haven't been able to hug in a year.

Nope, the best part was a morning call from son number one in Washington state who proposed to his number one girl on her birthday yesterday and, of course, she said yes!

So the best Sunday news: Casey and Emily are engaged! We're so excited! And you can see from the photo here that our grandpup Rey is ecstatic her human daddy and mommy are getting married and providing her a happily ever after home.

We can't stop smiling about it. They are the best of friends and make each other happy, so that makes us happy!

The rest of the day was pretty good, too, but you can't beat having a fellow Mrs. Austin in our future. Can't wait to officially welcome you to the family!

Masks and Hats Off!

I can identify with the feeling of jubilation the graduates felt today after walking the stage, receiving their diplomas, and whipping their mortarboards into the air because they're free! Of high school, anyway. And frankly survived the strangest senior on record. #thanksCovid

That's how I've begun to feel with my face mask. A lot of places don't mandate them indoors now if you're fully vaccinated. I've noticed in the stores and gas stations that I'm the only one still wearing one. Probably out of habit now since I'm assuming, er hoping, most people are vaccinated.

I'm not completely throwing caution to the wind, but I'd like to throw one of my half dozen masks up in the air! It certainly does feel great to see people again and actually hug them!! Missed that so much.

Tonight hubby and I decided to go down to a bar in the town of Rome, where a friend (high school classmate of Jim's) was playing outdoors with his band Rising Phoenix. The way Hoozels on the Lake is set up now, they have a ginormous outdoor patio, tented area and bar area – all for summer weather and outdoor entertainment. I think everyone had the same idea to just GET OUT this weekend, because we can! 

We ended up seeing no less than 2 dozen people we knew so it turned out to be a great night. And the rockin' music was just a bonus.

Of course, I won't have a voice tomorrow after trying to talk over the loud band and visit, but it'll be worth it. I may just toss a mask yet.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Kickoff to Summer or Winter?

Yes, we had snow this morning. Yes, this weekend traditionally kicks off summer. Yes, I wore a winter coat to shoot photos tonight.

And duh, we live in Wisconsin.

Freeze warnings and frost advisories have been issued for much of the area for the second night in a row. And oh goody, record low temps are possible when the air temps could drop into the upper 20s to low 30s.

Who's glad they aren't camping this weekend?

It wasn't as chilly at baseball and soccer as I expected since we did have sunshine. And it was especially comfortable – albeit in a light winter coat – when the wind wasn't blowing. Pretty pathetic weather if you ask me!

I'll cross my fingers that it will be nice for graduations this weekend and possible recreational activities involving swinging clubs and cursing! Now THAT's the sound of summer!

Have fun and be safe.

Memory Day

I guess for the rest of my life I'll think of and miss my dad around Memorial Day weekend. I feel bad for people who lose someone around traditional family holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. That is way worse. 

But then, either way we've lost someone so that's hard any day of the year.

It's hard to believe it's been 8 years since Dad's been gone. It was 5:27 p.m. on 5/27 of unlucky '13. And it was Memorial Day that year. The perfect exit for someone who loved his country and loved the flag.

I say he's gone, but he never really left us. I mean all 8 of us kids have his charm, his stubborness, his strong work ethic, his sense of humor, his love for the flag and for polkas, and his need to have an answer for everything... why else do we call ourselves LeRoy 1, LeRoy 2, Le Roy 3, etc?

Eight years seems like a lifetime ago some days and other days, I cry like it's a fresh pain in my heart. 

As we enter Memorial Day weekend and what it really stands for, think about it. We are honoring the memory of countless thousands who gave their lives for this country, leaving countless thousands of loved ones to mourn them... to miss them... to cry for them... no matter how much time has passed.

As usual, I'll remind you to hug your loved ones – especially your parents. Some days it might not feel like it, but you're lucky to have them!

The EN Drop Zone

There's all kinds of Drop Zones out there. Near the water hazard on the golf course. By the front of a school. In landing areas for pilots in the military – or skydiving companies. In the movie theaters with Wesley Snipes.

And, oh, in the Empty Nest on Blue Jay Drive. 

As I previously alluded to, our 23-year-old is not embarking on the adventure (somewhat misleading adventure) to the Big City. So, since he had to be out of his college house by today – and he's back at Square One job-search-wise – he had to drop some "stuff" off here.

Hubby had gone down with the pickup truck on Saturday to get the big and bulky items. And today, Carter came to the Empty Nest (EN) Drop Zone. No quite air-dropping. And he didn't use the drive-through – but it was close to that swift with his visit lasting just shy of the 3-hour mark. (In his defense, I was stuck in meetings in my office and Jim was wrapping up work before baseball practice.)

So his room is filled to the brim. "I can't believe much stuff I can accumulate after 3 years in college houses." And he has a few things to "live on" down by Platteville, where he's still going to be spending some special time with a special someone while diligently job searching.

On a positive note, I don't have an empty nest anymore! Not completely empty.

Storm Chaser

Three things caused me a bit of stress today: 1) work, 2) seeing a snake in the front yard (thank you, neighbor dogs for racing over to rescue me after my scream), and 3) walking out of my deep-tissue massage session to a deep and darkening sky.

You've heard of storm chasers. Well I actually had the storm chasing me. It was coming in from the west and both the storm and I were heading east.

I was a storm "racer" – but hitting every red light trying to race it home.

This light turned green pretty quickly, but not as quickly as the clouds above were moving. Look how sunny and undisturbed life is up ahead to the east. Poor people!

It got windy and rainy here with a bit of lightning, but none of the hail they predicted. Yet. The baseball and softball teams were up in Wausau and Jim said they had lightning in the 6th inning. They were losing 7-0 anyway. Darn.

So I just stayed home and worked on some stuff for my Alaska Trip. Today's countdown...

It finally dawned on me tonight that whoa, that's only 3 weeks from today! Wow. My sister and I both have a lot to do in normal life between now and then. Hopefully nothing too stressful to deal with in the meantime... like, you know, snakes and storms.

Be careful out there! 

Ladies' Fun Night

I don't mind being a substitute if it means I get to do something fun because somebody else couldn't. Tonight I got to be a sub at the women's golf league at The Ridges.

I said I was able to do it because of 3 reasons: One, I'm working from home so don't have to leave work early to get there. Two, The Ridges is only 5 minutes from my house. And three, my friend Wendy assured me it's a FUN league when she asked me to sub.

And thank goodness it wasn't competitive because this is me smiling after my one and only par dance tonight. Although I did putt for par a few times. Just didn't sink 'em. 

Yet, they still said I could come back if they ever need a sub again. So that's exciting. I miss the old days – pre-pandemic – when I was working in the office and we had golf league at SentryWorld across the street. This will definitely do for now.

Love the "almost normal" moments these days, don't you?

Age is Just a Number

You know what golf strokes and birthdays have in common, right? You'll be happier if you don't count them.

As it happens, my golf score is right around my age. Which you don't need to know. Just know I'm typically between 50-55. And of course, 50 is OLD – if you believe everything you've been hearing on golf media outlets the last few days.

I'm glad 50-years-young Phil Mickelson came through and showed them all at the PGA Championship that age is just a number. And 50 is not a big one. Or an old one. Show Lefty some respect!

I couldn't help but snap some pictures on the last hole when the crowd when wild and followed Phil down the fairway. What pandemic? Apparently social distancing was so last season. I felt nervous for both Phil and Brooks Koepka, who had to make their way through the crowd to get to the green. 

Activate claustrophobia and anxiety now!

It was a crazy sight! But an exciting major to watch (most of them are) – especially on a rainy afternoon.

I did get my walk in before the rain and golf started. I walked over the cemetery to visit my girl Miss Emily. That's a 4-mile round trip so it's good for my health and my soul.

I was encouraged to see that someone had visited and left a rose. I assured Em that flowers may fade, but our love for her never will. She's my reminder to count my blessings while they're here – and be grateful to be here.

Probably shouldn't have said age is just a number. Because it's heartbreaking when it's a low number that will never get bigger. Emily should be completing her junior year of college right now. And she never got to start.

I talked a few weeks ago about May being Mental Health Awareness Month. I urge you to do what keeps your sanity intact, what keeps you calm and relaxed – whether that's sitting in a recliner watching golf for 4 hours or taking a walk or visiting friends or family. 

If that doesn't work, ask for help. 

See that crowd of supporters around a golfer they don't even personally know? Well we have support networks, too, that are larger than we realize. They just need to know you need them. It's tough carrying around regrets that you weren't there for someone, but worse regretting that you needed help and didn't ask.

Let's be human for each other. nami.org

Coffee Hour

Big day today. It was the first time Book Club got to meet in person at the coffee house – since February of 2020! That coffee and apple coffee cake never tasted so good! (I was too excited to take a picture so this stock photo of coffee cake will have to do.)

Due to the lovely pandemic, our monthly club had to get by with mostly online ZOOM meetings with a few socially distanced meetings outdoors in the summer. Sure felt good to really see people and, of course, hug them! 

Just made my day.

After our meeting, I met up with one of the seniors at the high school. Our photo got rain-shortened the other night so we finished today – dealing with occasional bright sun, breezy (not good for long hair), and heavy humidity. Thank goodness we were done by noon, because it go pretty warm today. A few faves...

While I was having fun, hubby drove down to Platteville to get as much of Carter's "big stuff" as he could haul in the truck. Something like 3 tables and a TV and more. It was a quick trip down and back since Jim had a class reunion meeting of some sort late this afternoon. 

Thanks to the 108% humidity, I dutifully turned on the air-conditioning. 

That naturally means kitty spent most of the day on the heated bathroom floor – and this heat lover will likely turn on her electric mattress pad tonight. Yup, we're two P's in a pod.

And the P stands for Princess.

 

Heart Transplants

Even though I skipped blogging last night, the sun still rose today. Well, sort of. It's pretty much been raining off and on since yesterday. The bad news is that today's baseball and softball games were canceled. The good news is that the rain has magical powers. 

Nope. Your eyes do not deceive you. Robyn has had her first green thumb moment. Things are actually growing on purpose! And, there is now evidence I performed a successful bleeding hearts transplant!

Nearly 5 weeks ago, I took three of a friend's extra plants off her hands. With a chronic case of Black Thumb, I had no idea what I was doing. I dug out dead stuff, then put in these 3 new shrubs, and crossed my fingers.

I honestly thought they died since they wilted almost immediately. Then my friend said, "Have patience. They might grow new shoots. And they did!

When I looked out the back window today and saw the pink, I was so amazed. I know, it's a normal thing for most of you, but I can chart my gardening successes on one hand – and that includes the black thumb.

As for the 4 ferns I transplanted on the same day, we'll see. They appeared dead and now 2 of them have had a rain-driven resurrection. Fingers crossed.

And I'll cross my bleeding heart, too.

No-Fly Zone

What do your eyes see? Is it a housefly on the window? Or a stealth bomber? 

Yup it really is one of the noisy military jets. Who knew something so small could make so much noise? Ha.

The problem is that they travel faster than the speed of sound, so when you hear them and look up... they gone! I got lucky and there was two of them doing training exercises. So even though I missed the first one, I captured the second one. Barely.

Maybe I'll pay more attention on a nice sunny day once. And have my real camera with the big old zoom handy. 

Or I could just zoom in on house flies...

Something tells me I better keep my eye on the sky. 

Which End is Up?

On spring days like today, I can walk in just about any room and there'll be a ball of fluff in the window sill. All depends on time of day and which window is facing the sun.

My first thought upon seeing kitty was, which end is which? With her head and paws and body pressed against the screen to feel every millimeter of sunlight, it was hard to tell. Spoiler alert: Her head is on the left.

I felt upside down and topsy-turvy today, too. They say that parents can only have as good a day as their children are having. You can't be completely happy if your child is stressed or sick or sad or worse. That's reality.

After yesterday's early news about the alarmingly unacceptable lodging situation for our young adult, things went from bad to worse. But in the end, the disappointments were blessings in disguise. I'll tell you about it sometime. I'm just waiting for God to sort the rest of the situation out first. I don't want to be responsible for jinxing anything.

I'll just bury my head in the screen and let Him do the heavy lifting. Though I'm sure Carter – and probably his parents – would appreciate prayers for patience and understanding. 

Mainly patience.

Optical Delusion

You've heard this before: Things aren't always what they seem. And sometimes when you get a peek at the real thing, it's beyond disappointing. It's sort of like the Wizard of Oz and the man behind curtain. Ooops. Spoiler alert.

It's like this pretty Vikings-colored flower I took a picture of yesterday. Today, upon closer inspection...

Holy scary, hairy legs, Spiderman! Eek! Let the heebie-jeebie creepy-crawlies begin! Not always a fan of surprises. Are you? 

That was a little life lesson some of us learned today and us older folks re-learned.

Our boy starts his new job next Monday and today was the day he was going to sign a lease for an amazing apartment. Well, according the online description and accompanying 67 photos, that is. The apartments and building (include pool and fitness center) looked gorgeous. We were all excited for this next big step.

But that next step forward turned into a 180, instead. Got the call that upon closer inspection, our new young professional saw a lot of optical delusions and deception. In his (modified) words, it might be too strong to say "crime-ridden crap hole," but "sketchy" was an understatement. 

You get the picture.

So it's back to square one with the clock ticking. That's the gamble when you for some reason you act like a normal adult and feel comfortable believing what you see. It can be quite a let down and, as the spider legs prove, even a bit scary.

God's got a plan here. He's the man behind the curtain we can actually put our trust in.

Par-Tee Time

Doing my happy dance. Not because I golfed a great game today, but because I finally golfed! 

Gorgeous day for me and my neighborly golf partner to commence our 2021 season!

Knowing hubby and his buddies were planning to golf down at Lake Arrowhead today, Marigene and I decided to hit up Tri-City – since we both have had 10-round punch cards in our wallets since Christmas. So we were a bit excited to finally get that first punch!

Weather was perfect. And maybe you can't see in the photo but our drives were pretty consistent. Her yellow ball to the left of the 150 stake and my white ball to the right. We didn't have too many god-awful shots, which usually resurface in abundance after our clubs have hibernated some 7 months. So that was encouraging.

And really, who cares? We were finally GOLFING!

Now it almost seems like spring is here to stay. Notice I didn't say summer. Not gonna jinx it as I'm sure there'll be plenty more days or at least nights where we're still running the heat in our house. Of course, now I'm looking at the 10-day forecast for my OWN spring sports season.

Hey, we divot divas have to be selfish once in awhile. Play ball! 

Heart Racing

 Rain may be lucky on wedding days, but not on race days. Despite the forecast for scattered showers, hubby and I headed over to Kaukauna to see our nephew race this afternoon.

Colin is competing in the super late model Tundra Series again so it's a variety of tracks. We don't know which ones we'll get to so figured we'd be sure to see the first one of the new season. 

And as predicted, there was rain and the resulting rain delays a few times. But saw Colin qualify, run his heat race and the 60-lap feature, where he started 4th. I like the photo above because there is so much gray and black, then bam! There's that beautiful Reffner Blue car!

The did not end well for the car – but we're so grateful God was watching over the driver! He was holding pretty steady in the 8th or 9th spot for much of the race. 53 3/4 laps into the feature, and this happened. 

He was coming into turn 4 and a very slow car was practically sitting there (from this fan's far-off view) and with a car on his right and guardrail on his left, Colin couldn't avoid him.

I kept my eye and camera focused on the car, holding my breath while waiting for a sign Colin was OK. We're both praying and at the same time saying, "Come on, buddy. Be OK."

Head pops up. Exhale breath. See him get out and walk around. Exhale more breath. Whew. 

I know he and his team are probably alternating between being anger and disappointment somewhere. The moms and aunts in us are more like, "Thank God he's OK. You can replace cars, not people."

Either way, it's always an adventure to watch him race. And we're blessed we haven't had a lot of hold your breath and pray moments along the way.

God much really like Reffner Blue. I know we do!

Royal Trifecta

As luck would have it, today's forecast called for Royal Blue skies and highs in the scores and the temperatures (well upper 60s felt good). I called it Home Field Friday since three of our spring sports were hosting at home this afternoon and evening.

I went to baseball to show them some photographic love and support. While I was there, our softball team made quick work of their game across town, beating Chequamegon by 15 to remain undefeated. Wow.

Meanwhile, baseball was pretty exciting. We ended up coming from a matchup tied at 2-2 to win 6-2 – just our third win, but so nice to see actual hits! Since that game went the whole time, I never did get over to soccer, but they won as well, 4-0. 

A Royal Trifecta of victories! 

We went out to eat at Ida's afterward to celebrate the victory – and eat a good fish fry, of course. So I got home after 10 p.m. and have several hundred photos to sort through. But I didn't want to go two nights in a row without blogging or you might think I died.

Or flew back to Arizona. 

Still tempting.

Good Ol' Rocky Top

The landscape of America is so diverse. I am fortunate I've seen hills and valleys and both sea shores in my various travels through at least 36 of the 50 states. I might have to recount. My favorite landscape is the mountains – not so much the Green Mountains of Vermont or the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but he Rocky Mountains. And hopefully the those in Alaska. 

And in close competition is the rock formations and various color schemes found in area like the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Sedona and other canyon areas in the desert Southwest.

When we were flying out to Phoenix, we saw a bit of each. After I work up from my flight nap, that is. Since we were up at 4 a.m., I zonked out quickly on the plane. But suddenly I awoke and turned to Raylene and said, "We should be seeing mountains at some point."

I literally pushed up the window blind and this was our view! Whew. Timing!

So I want to share some of those Rocky top scenes since we don't always get God's view. 

See the juxtaposition of red desert and granite mountains? So cool.

And what's the deal with the crop circles? Is it secret code to aliens?

Of course I had to look it up and of course there was an answer on the internet. They're from irrigation systems that pivot in a circle.

Crack-a-lackin'! Is it sand or a river?

And this little mountainous area popped up in the middle of nowhere. Reminded me of pictures of craters on the moon.

I bet the river running through that horizontal "crack" in this picture is gorgeous to kayak on!

Desert sands. Reminds of Red Sands Beach right here at Lake Wazeecha. But bigger.

And we landed in the populous desert area with mountains in the distance.

There's so much to see in this beautiful country – from the ground up. Thanks for flying with Robyn's EyeView Tours! ha.