Foggy with a Chance of Photo-Worthy Clouds

Tuesday was an emotional weather day. Is there such a thing? If not, I just made it up.

First I had to deal with thick fog on my morning commute. God thankfully answered my prayer of "Please keep the deer off the road" because they're active now and I wouldn't have seen them in time to stop. I didn't want to drive on the interstate because of yield signs and road construction, but after attempting a shortcut and seeing all traffic stopped for a train, I turned around.

I haven't been this grateful to arrive at work safely since the last winter storm!

All day I was monitoring the weather because I was supposed to take senior pictures at 6 p.m. and the various apps kept saying "rain and storms start at 6 p.m." So we changed our start time to a little before 5 p.m. to "beat the rain."

Well, we definitely beat it because it skirted around us somehow. Meanwhile we suffered in high 80s heat and about 300% humidity. Uff da. Thankfully it was a boy since they usually don't have to worry about the whole humidity and hair bad combo.

As we were wrapping up, I was treated to one amazing view of the storm clouds as they passed and the setting sun was catching up to them. 

I saw this view and was like, wow, that is cool. Then I zoomed in a bit was completely awestruck...

We've got a stormy sea with that peek into sunny skies in the middle. Wow. Just the coolest thing to capture!!

When I got home, we still had kick-ass cloud views, but nothing like that quick moment that I snapped before it moved on. Still... very cool. Thanks, God.

Speaking of photographers... I have still been pretty much bonding with Mr. Recliner and watching the Olympics. Gymnastics is pretty much my summer fave so I HAD to see those girls capture gold last night. Well, me along with all these photographers – and millions of viewers. Go team USA!!

Hope you're finding some photo-worthy moments in your life this week. Even if they're just nice moments with no cameras in sight!

Sabbatical Spoiler Alert

Dear, gentle readers...

If you've followed me long enough, you know I'm a weird Olympics junkie. Probably because I'm the most un-athletic person you'd meet. So I'm full of awe and admiration when The Games come around.

That also means there's a deep connection between me, Mr. Recliner, and the remote. Just your patriotic threesome. Nothing to see here!

That also also means I will be blogging sporadically since the daily highlight broadcast ends way past my bedtime.

But if I have something interesting to share – like this goldfinch enjoying his lunch while I scarfed down a bratwurst – then I'll be sure to let you know.

In the mean time, Game on! 

That One Time... in France

I love when the Olympics are held in a country I've actually visited before. While I haven't been to Paris, Carter and I spent a day in nearby Strasbourg, France, when he was studying abroad in Germany for a semester in college. I was only visiting for a long weekend and said, "Let's hop a train and go to France for the day!"

So much easier than it sounds. Like maybe 90 minutes on trains between Heidelberg, Germany, and Strasbourg. 

It was pretty cool, but we also learned that the French are a bit uppity and don't really want to lower themselves to speak English.

Glad they're sporting a different attitude for the Olympics!

I took Friday off and drove up to Luck to do my sibling home healthcare shift with Rachel. After getting Friday fish fries for the famous Hack's Pub (owned by a childhood neighbor boy), we sat down and watched the opening ceremonies. Some of it was kind of strange, but overall we wondered how Los Angeles could possibly replicate something so unique in 4 years.

Bon travail! (That means "good job" in French, according to Google translate!)

We got up this morning and watched a bit of bicycling in the slipper rain, water polo, soccer, and extreme ping-pong (what the heck?!). Got home tonight just in time to see some gymnastics and hopefully swimming. My life is in NBC's hands!

As much as I love the Olympics, I will update you that more importantly, Rachel is doing great. Miss Super Independent! She's still in a wheelchair and can't put weight on her left leg for a few weeks. But managing so well. I was just there as a hands-off guardian angel – trying to keep cool air circulating in these nearly 90-degree temps!

Uff da!

That reminds me, of course I'm cheering for Team USA but I'll root for my home countries of Sweden and Norway when our red, white, and blue aren't in the mix!

Go TEAM!! We got this! 

Much Needed Break

 

By some strange coincidence, the stars aligned this week and I had 2 girls nights out in a row. Last night was Book Club and tonight was are appropriately named Girls Night Out (GNO) group.

I can't always make our monthly GNO meals, but it happened to work out this time. We dined at R&R Patio Bar (formerly Jokers on the northern way out of town).

It just happened there were 3 big groups tonight so it took quite some time to get our food. Frankly, that just meant that the 8 of us there this time had more time to visit and catch up. 

I can't emphasize enough the importance of girlfriends – whether connected by books, food, or entertainment. I don't have a ton of super close friends but I do have plenty I'm pretty sure I could call if the need arises.

Find friends like that. And thank you to all my girls who fill that role. Love you!

Work-Life Balance

What is work-life balance? Work-life balance is typically defined as the amount of time you spend doing your job versus the amount of time you spend doing what's important (or fun) to you outside of work, whether that is with loved ones or pursuing personal interests and hobbies.

Sometimes you can do both.

It just happened that today by some coincidence our boss is on vacation all week and "someone" commandeered the TV remote to have a "balance" of news and Hallmark. How strange.

Unfortunately, my work space is facing the other way, so I could only catch this "balanced" work atmosphere when I swiveled my chair.

Which, of course I did!

Next time I need the closed captioning on so I know when it's the falling in love part versus the conflict with 20 minutes to go versus the resolution with 3 minutes to kiss to the end.

Not that Hallmark Christmas movies are predictable – even Christmas in July.

After work, I continued the "life balance" with book club. Nothing beats homemade pizza and friends talking about a good read. In this case – The Frozen River.

I figure I'll keep the balance tipped to LIFE for the rest of the evening. That's the smart and healthy decision, right?

The Princess and the P

The idea behind “The Princess and the Pea" fairytale was that only the most refined – only a person of the highest breeding – could possibly be sensitive enough to feel the lump a pea made under 20 mattresses. And thus, a true princess was found.

I've often wondered if we had any royalty in our family tree because I seriously have trouble sleeping at the slightest discomfort.

But tonight this princess is not dealing with a PEA, but the letter P – which stands for PERFECT hair, of course!

The only down side of a late hair appointment is that my hair artist makes it look amazing – and then it's time to go to bed. So I will have to sleep very carefully.

Yes, it can be done. I'll try not to toss and turn for any reason – even the slightest pea-sized lump – so the curls can live to see another day. I have this challenge every 6 weeks and I can tell you, I've mostly been successful. 

I'll let you know how Tuesday morning hair looks. Or if I can just tweak it enough to make it look fresh. I mean we princesses have powers you don't even know about! 

Tonight I'll use my power for good. I grant you all a good week!

Par-ty Good

Tonight was our last night of couples golf league at TriCity. That was a fast 6 weeks! Since there were 20 couples signed up, we didn't to play against everyone, but it was a good mix of old friends and new ones.

We finished PAR-ty good for our first time doing this. Hubby and I took 3rd place for the league. And tonight our scramble foursome took 2nd! We'll use our winnings for a golf trip somewhere soon. Stay tuned.

Other than that, the weekend was photo-filled. Yesterday doing pictures for my mom's memorial service and today shooting pictures of the Shermalot team at the state water ski show less than 5 minutes away at Lake Wazeecha. They had an early start this year so I was there shortly after 7 a.m. (Two words: early bedtime!)

I don't know how they had energy that early but they pulled off some amazing jumps and twirls and pyramids. 

They're always so fun to watch. And I love when I can capture at least some of the action. If you ever get a chance to go to a show near you, do it. It's usually free entertainment. And it's the one thing I can watch and definitely can't say, "I could do that!"

I'll be content behind the lens!

PTO (Putting Time Off)

It was so awesome to spend much of my day off with my friend Christine, who I don't see enough of since she moved away. And oh yeah, spending much of my day off at the golf course is nice, too!

We golfed with her dad and friend Barb in the Royal Golf Scramble at The Ridges. We're not smiling here because we won – or even finished under par. We're smiling because despite the 50-some degree 7 a.m. start, it warmed up after just a few holes AND we were having fun!

Jim has golfed in this outing forever. In fact he did both the morning and afternoon session today with two slightly different foursomes. Glad I could finally participate. 0I love scrambles because there's really no pressure. USUALLY one of the four of us has a decent shot. I had several good shots but my share of chunks, too. My trusty 4-hybrid is absolutely my favorite new club!

After golf, I had a leisurely afternoon editing photos and, most importantly, getting an hour deep-tissue massage. So needed! 

Headed back to The Ridges for our delicious "awards" dinner. I only put awards in quotations because I didn't get any. I was really hoping to win the big 50-50 but I chose my lucky number 28 and the one drawn was 26. So close!

Jim, however, won prizes for both of his foursomes. Plus a new golf bag in one of the raffles. I guess I'll have to be content winning that $5,000 Royal Prize earlier this year!

And we were treated to a beautiful sunset while leaving the course. I'll take that prize any day!

When You're Too Awesome

Nothing sets the stage for a good competition like a win at work right before golf league. 

For me, that meant kicking some butt and being too awesome at our monthly marketing meeting–before heading to golf league. And thank god I did good at work because my partner and I could have had our best round and still wouldn't have beat our opponents.

Still, I was feeling good with my foxy head cover and new clubs – which I'm gradually getting used to. I will say that 3 of the 9 holes I was putting for par. And I did not sink it. There's a slim possibility that I should replace my putter – the only holdover from my old set – or that I need to practice putting.

Either way, I'm crossing my fingers for good foxy vibes when I participate in a scramble on Friday! I can't wait to have the pressure of only 1 out of 4 shots. 

Sounds awesome to me!

Sports Illustrated Retro Swimsuit Edition

As I'm going through pictures to scan in for my mother's memorial service, I'm naturally coming across childhood pictures. Some I'd want to share and some I'd prefer were buried in that ark Indiana Jones allegedly found.

The reason I like the one above is because there was a certain time in my life (I'm at left) when chubby thighs and knees were cute with no judgment!

I would love that right now!

But it's also a cute picture with my twin and our next oldest sister Rachel. And without asking them, I'm sure they'd agree it would be amazing to feel those care-free things we felt at that age.

Something I'm sure anyone can identify with!

Here's my Wednesday Wish.... May we all remember a non-judgmental time in our lives (no matter how far back) and realize we were awesome and deserve to pay our amazing selves forward!

The next generation will thank you.  

Tis the Senior Season

After a rain delay last night, I officially kicked off the 2025 Senior Portrait Season this evening. 

While I love shooting sports, it's always fun to do these. I enjoy the challenge of making reluctant boys smile. And love when I can shine my favorite people in a bright light! 

It's always interesting when I don't know the future graduate at all. God bless word of mouth for that. The inaugural session tonight was just that. The family and I had mutual friends who I adore, so I'm glad they recommended me. Per usual, the mom insists her child probably won't cooperate. But I had the young man trained within 3 minutes and we whipped through 5 locations in about an hour!

And when I don't know them personally, I figure out a way to match their personality with a location. The result?

I know a secret graffiti wall in town to go perfectly with that Pink Floyd vibe! Fun!

Full disclosure: I am about to promote my own photo business... If you haven't scheduled your child's senior pictures yet, I do have a few openings. I promise, I am easy to work with and will make your soon-to-be-senior feel like a super model.

It's just my personality. It's just what I do. 😊📸

Hey, Hey, Hallmark... Goodbye

I didn't fully comprehend the destruction of our fried cable/DVR box. Until the handsome technician came today to replace that box. 

When he said, "I hope you didn't DVR too much because it's all gone now," I said, "Oh no! My Hallmark movies!!"

The only positive is that I have an excuse to watch them over or record them again! And according to my sources, I still have time to record a few "Christmas in July" episodes. 

Trying to focus on the positives but I'll miss things like state softball and basketball – even though I was there in person for both!

I should be grateful they followed up today with some new equipment. But as I know from my Facebook account, that means starting over from square ONE.

I think we can get through this together!

Just Blowing Through

 It was a very hot day yesterday, but we knew there was going to be rain coming at some point. Maybe thunderstorms. But what we weren't prepared for was crazy wicked winds with it. I mean it seemed like it was blowing less than 5 minutes. 

But it definitely left its mark on our neighborhood.

First, we see Mr Deck Chair getting blown off the front deck. Jim rescued him! Then, the power goes out – while our pizza in the oven was only half baked. Then, it was complete silence. Very eerie.

I couldn't resist driving around the 'hood. You see that stop sign there? This was what lay ahead of us and our usual way out of our neighborhood circle. Thankfully the other exit wasn't blocked.

Every street was littered with branches of varying sizes. And since, all the trees were falling in different directions, we're wondering if there was a funnel cloud involved or just straight-line winds. Haven't heard anything official, though.

My golf partner's house was missed but this big ass tree was blocking their driveway!

View from the stop sign looking into the 'hood.

Three houses away.

Our only loss.

Snapped right off between our yard and the next door neighbors'.

Damage around the corner.

And some more nearby on Deer Road. So crazy.

Meanwhile, once the power came back on after 2 hours, our cable and internet were still out. After talking with the help desk guy for more than half an hour, we couldn't get it to work. Thankfully, they sent someone out this morning – even though "we don't usually have techs working on Sunday." So glad they could fix it. Our main concern was needing internet to work from home tomorrow (and of course, blog!).

Good neighbor Mike was also promptly on the scene with this chainsaw this morning so we could get things cleaned up before it got too hot.

And trust me, for someone who loves heat, it was sooooo hot!

Jim and I had couples golf league this afternoon and we were roasting! Thankfully, we took a cart so we could create our own breeze once in awhile.

Mark your calendar. I am NOT turning on my electric mattress pad tonight! Hope you all survived the heat and any storm-related fun in your neck of the woods!

Reality Check

Since my sister Rachel is out of the hospital and recovering, we've finally set a date for Mom's memorial service. So on August 10th, it will start to feel REAL.

Actually it is already since I volunteered to scan in photos of Mom for the picture boards and the computer screen. The picture above is from her early 20s, I'm guessing. Trim and fashionable in those roll-up jeans. I love it! 

In fact, there are a ton of images that make me say, "Wow, Mom was pretty and knew how to have fun!" Why don't we ever think of our moms that way? They were young once, too, and enjoyed their pre-K (pre-kids) life!

So I'll be busy with this task this weekend but the funeral service info is now live here: https://memorials.swedberg-taylor.com/marlys-hedberg/5434811/index.php. Or you can read it here....

Marlys Victoria Hedberg, age 92, passed away on May 22, 2024, at Burnett Medical Center, Grantsburg, WI, surrounded by family.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 10, at Faith Lutheran Church in Grantsburg. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Marlys was born on Good Friday, March 25, 1932, to Ernie and Florence (Larson) Johnson in the town of Daniels, Burnett County, Wisconsin. She attended grade school at Siren, Wood Creek and Alpha and high school at Grantsburg, making many lifetime friendships. Marlys held part-time jobs at Daniels Seed Farm near Grantsburg, Duncan Yo-Yo in Luck, and Stokely’s in Frederic.

On July 2, 1949, she married LeRoy Hedberg and to this union were born 11 children (including three sets of twins.) They lived in Grantsburg until 1960 and moved to Cushing for LeRoy’s job. When her youngest two were in high school, Marlys began working at the United Pioneer Home in Luck in the laundry department until her retirement at age 62.

Marlys was mainly a stay-at-home mother who loved music, dancing, performing in the Pleasant Valley Kitchen Band, baking, and being creative with sewing and crafts. She had a green thumb and entered countless plants along with her delicious baked goods in the Polk County Fair. Marlys loved to write letters and send out cards for birthdays and anniversaries. She was an active fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Each year she strived to raise more money, usually being one of the top individual fundraisers for the Luck/Frederic Cancer Walk. This was a cause near and dear to her heart as she lost her father and a sister to cancer. Marlys and LeRoy were also actively involved with the Sterling-Eureka-Laketown Historical Society.

For fun, Marlys liked to play solitaire and even more so, enjoyed playing cards and other games with her children and their families— who always knew when she had a winning hand as she started humming. She also enjoyed watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune daily on her TV. Family was important to Marlys. The gatherings with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her so much joy, as well as attending many Johnson and Hedberg family gatherings over the years and hosting some sledding and Halloween parties at their home.

Although Marlys didn’t graduate high school, she earned her GED certificate in 1969 and she was an active participant in the Class of 1950’s reunions. Both she and LeRoy believed strongly in education and instilled this value in their children.

Marlys and LeRoy and family were active members of Laketown Lutheran Church, participating in the Women of ELCA and the annual Fall Bazaar. This will be her final resting place.

After LeRoy’s passing in 2013, Marlys remained in their home until January 2018 when she moved to Courtyard Square apartments in Grantsburg. She remained independent until April 2024 when she became hospitalized and moved to the Continuing Care Center at Burnett Medical Center.

Marlys was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 63 years, LeRoy; two infant sons; one infant daughter; a grandson, Bryan Chalstrom; sisters Melvina Washbon, Violet Peck, and Virginia Larson; a son-in-law Paul Delaney; sisters-in-law Gladys, Audrey, Betty, and Gwen; and brothers-in-law Dudley and Ray.

Marlys is survived by her children, Rayna Delaney, Romey (Rick) Nelson, Renell Pagel, RoAnn (Ken) Goor, Ronald Hedberg, Rachel Hedberg, Robyn (Jim) Austin, and Raylene (Steve) Swanson; grandchildren, Eric Nelson (Stephanie), Caryn (Michelle) Chalstrom, Matthew (Kristina) Chalstrom, Beth (Anders) Hopkins, Timothy Goor (Tawnie), Travis Goor (Michelle), David (Sara) Hedberg, Zachary (Liana) Hedberg, Carter Austin (Mamie), Tony Soderquist, and Ashley Swanson (Devan); step-grandchildren, Dawn, James, Casey, Clayton, Joshua, James, and Jesse; great-grandchildren, Anthony, Adryan, Makayla, Michael, Nash, Quinn, Hans, Nils, Tyler, Tyson, Trey, Teegan, Khloe, Linus, Millie, Arlo, Audrey and Kenlee. She is also survived by brothers-in-law, Hartley (Alice) Hedberg and Charles (Sally) Hedberg, sister-in-law Barb Hedberg, cousins Ardyce and Myrna, and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home.

Thanks for all your prayers! 

Sundae Funday

It's not often that a Thursday has a "Fun Day" attached to it. But getting back to the office after a few days Up North, I was treated to a Sundae Funday on a Thursday! My co-workers definitely know how to generate fun during a busy month!

I appreciated this mainly because I love ice cream but also because I'm so ticked off about social media this week. As I mentioned a few days ago, they were reviewing my Facebook account. And then, decided to disable it permanently.

"First World" problems I know, but it was tough to see 10-plus years of photos disappear. And the same with all the book club ratings we've had on books for at least 10 years. Thankfully, I'm still trying to cope.

And I'm trying to reconnect with "friends" on social media so they can remain part of our sometimes fun life!

Sunrise, Sunset

I'm back in Wisconsin Rapids after a few days of my Home Health Nurse shift in my hometown. At least Luck treated me to a gorgeous sunrise off of Big Butternut Lake...

 

And a decent sunset off to the west of Rachel's place.

I was also treated to continuous surprises at Rachel's rockstar progress. And a chance to see every single sister over the course of my 3 days there! 

Got home to Rapids tonight and it seems like Facebook has deleted my account forever with no chance to appeal. So maybe no one will even see this blog. I'm pretty frustrated about that right now. I mean, what could a middle-aged woman from Wisconsin of all places do to "go against Facebook Community Standards"? If I didn't have connections with some people for senior portrait sessions this summer, I'd say screw it. But I do. So I'll see what I can do. Grrr. Way to screw up a positive 3 days!

So I guess I'll just hope for a pretty sunset here to ease my stress. I know – first world problems – but still! Ugh.

100% Kick Ass-ery

I started my road trip up to Luck early this morning with an attitude inspired by my new air freshener courtesy of my friend Sara.

But it didn't take me long after arriving at my sister Rachel's house to realize SHE is the one who's a bad ass and kicking ass -- if I may say so.

I'm here for 3 days and she is so Miss Independent I can't believe her progress. As I type this, she has somehow wheeled herself into the bathroom and is able to take a shower. All without my assistance.

I was a bit nervous signing up for duty for a few days, but now I'm just in awe. However, I did kick her butt in cards tonight so I'm not THAT nice of a sister.

The afternoon was spent catching up with my twin, who I tagged off on the mild care duties, and Rachel's son (my cowboy nephew Zach) who came by with his wife and they smoked a seriously tasty steak for dinner. I also started scanning some pictures for our mom's memorial service -- which is in Grantsburg on August 10.

In the picture above, my new superhero Rach is lower left and I am middle right -- realizing I still wear my hair that way when I'm hot or don't have time to curl it. Ha.

I'll be working from my legit HOME office in Luck, Wisconsin, the new couple days. I literally can see my high school from here. I guess some things come full circle, Too bad there isn't summer school going on so I can teach those kids about writing for the school newspaper.

Or prepare them that even if you're from Luck, you won't always have GOOD luck on your side. 

Have a great week, everyone!

Red, White and Confused

When you have a holiday on a Thursday followed by a day off on Friday, I wasn't sure if today was Monday or what. It seemed like we just had the weekend.

So glad it's not quite over!

Yesterday's excitement was random shopping for things for a raffle basket. Plus, I finally replaced the broken/non-working solar lights on our deck posts.

I'm pretty jazzed about the new look! How does that song go – Spend big money at Menard's!

Today we trekked down to the Dells to see our nephew Colin race.

It was 80 or so degrees but felt so much warmer up in the metal bleachers. I had to take a break in the shade after awhile.

Of course, as soon as the sun went down, it was time to throw on a sweatshirt. Happens every time down there. Colin's race did not go too well. It was a 100-lapper and I think he exited the track with 70 to go. Something got knocked loose when he got knocked around a bit on the track. It happens. Just bummed he couldn't finish.

At least we got a nice sunset (top photo) out of it. And a variety of fireworks shows on our way home. 

And... tomorrow still ISN'T Monday! Yay!