TGIFF (Thank Goodness It's Fun Friday)

When Friday fun is on the agenda, I go all out. First was our company picnic. I worked a few hours in the morning then headed up to Stevens Point. My goal after last year was just to get a spot at the BINGO tables and win something.

Plus save 2 spots by me for my co-worker/friend Sharon and her daughter. 

Mission accomplished. Then Sharon won. Then I did!! I picked the Five Crowns card game as my prize. It's on that my sisters and I always play during sister weekend!

After that, it was time to eat and cross fingers we'd win one of the "big" raffle prizes – with an obvious 2,000 to 1 odds. I did not win.

But in Robyn's world, getting free ice cream is the same as winning. Just not the same dollar value as say a 4-some golf round at SentryWorld or a PS5. I crossed my fingers so hard! To no avail.

Then this evening the fun continued at the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game. The church in Rudolph where Jim sings in the guitar choir had the Rat Trap upper deck platform reserved.

Nice view of the game, but mostly just chit-chatting with friends and eating for a few hours. The scoreboard was not working so I don't know if our hometown team won. Based on the lack of cheering, I don't think we did.

Still it was a fun evening after a fun afternoon. I'd take a "work" day like this anytime!

Enjoy your weekend!

A Reluctant Hello to August

I say this every year, but this time I really mean it. How is it already August? And where did my summer go? So insane. 

I has definitely felt like summer all week. So hot. And usually I like hot. But it's been crazy humid and has created some crazy weather.

Caught this picture on the way to work yesterday. Was raining but I could see the sunrise around the bend. Maybe we can get out of our own rain storms and find some peace around the bend. Neat concept. 

Then yesterday afternoon and evening, it stormed so much, they actually canceled our Ladies Golf League. We got an inch of rain here. But as you can see from my dry and crispy flower basket in the background, that wasn't nearly enough.

Today was about 90 degrees and we had already purchased tickets to a Wisconsin Rapids Rafters baseball game. A group of folks from the church in Rudolph where Jim sings was going and we sat up in the elevated "Rat Trap." Thankfully the game was after 6 p.m. and we got some shade from the stadium. Whew. It still was so hot and humid. But we got free food and drink the whole time, so I think we all coped.

Their mascot Roscoe the Rat was trying help Jim text. Kids these days and their phones!

He was gracious enough to take a "nice" photo with me too. Well almost nice.

He must have been roasting in that costume! Uff da!

And to keep the streak alive, I managed to spot a pretty sunset on the backside of Witter Field. These gorgeous colors this week are probably caused by wildfire smoke from somewhere. But my camera still loves them.

Wishing you all a safe and cool weekend. Stay hydrated and let's try to embrace this August thing!

Atmospheric Disturbance

Right before bedtime last night, the rains came. Actually more thunder and lightning than anything else. And a ton of lightning at that. This is the storm lighting up our front yard at 10 p.m. Crazy.

I shouldn't have been so surprised to wake up with a sinus headache. I mean the disturbance in the atmosphere is all over the place. I powered through it and worked all day. Ibuprofen and some essential oils helped.

Tonight was Assumption night at the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game. And the 50-50 raffle was a fundraiser for the baseball program. Coach Austin and the other coaches had important jobs overseeing the beer tent. I mean the ticket sales! 

I wandered and visited a bit and helped tear up tickets for the drawing. But not for long. Rain, thunder, and yes, lightning came and brought the game to a standstill.

I mean yay for rain. But boo for this being my only Rafters game this year. I left about a half hour into the rain delay and they ended up "officially postponing" it about an hour after that.

Didn't quite make as much for our baseball boys, but we can't complain about that much-needed rain. I'm knocking on wood as I type this but... I think even my hanging baskets of flowers have come back from the dead!

Soak in your blessings anyway you can this weekend!

Fri-Yay

This is the perfect illustration for someone like me who was all excited to have the day off. Then started my to-do list and realized I needed more time!

It didn't help I slept in until 8:46 a.m. WHOOT! That's a TGIF right there! But then I felt behind. I haven't been home long enough lately to get chores done or run errands or anything. So today... Got some chores done, edited photos from last night, got my oil changed (and wipers, too!) and delivered flash drives of pictures to people. Oh and then took senior pictures late this afternoon. Then headed to the Rafters game. 

See why I'm the T-Rex and can't quite clap my hands over TGIF?

The Rafters did win, but I didn't see much of the game. Of course I was socializing! But also helping out at the 50/50 raffle ticket table. Tonight it was a fundraiser for Royals baseball. The players sold the tickets, the coaches' wives tore them apart, and the coaches supervised. Just kidding. Head coach was a good money handler and assistant coach Austin was a good barker. Is that what you call them at the ballpark?

"Get your 50/50 tickets here!"

Anyway, it went very well. raised $800-plus for our baseball program. And the Rafters won 6-5. 

Now we can start the weekend, right? Like normal people who worked today?

Have a good one!

Our Cup Runneth Over

I know what you're thinking. I finally got myself one of them fancy bird baths. Close. But not quite. Though I will say everything that can hold water these days is filled up and overflowing.

After last night's rain and lightning show, our rain gauge showed 3 1/2 inches this morning. Then, we got another round...

We literally had waves across our driveway but I couldn't quite capture that out the front window.  In an hour's time we had another inch and a half – so yes, math fans, 5 inches of rain here in the past 24-30 hours. Uff da.

It did stop a little after 5 p.m. so we cashed in our rain checks and attended the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters baseball game we were supposed to go to last night. It was a good game. They won 7-0 in a no-hitter. Not that I was 100% watching the game. 

Saw a lot people we knew, including my friend Nicki that I used to work with... plus lots of Assumption folks since the 50/50 raffle ticket sales tonight were benefitting our boys basketball team. 

Now it's early to bed and early to rise. Gotta special work project in the morning so my alarm will go off by 530 a.m. Hoping the rain will take a break by then! Surely someone else needs it more than we do!

Tail End of the Week

I forgot that when I took pictures of my friend's cowgirl the other night that I also got to see the miniature horses they board. They are the sweetest little things!

When I finally looked at the photos today, this one immediately caught my eye. Angel is walking away, swaying her hips like she is all that and a bag of chips. The "movement" of the tail is pretty cool. And fitting at the tail end of the week.

What did the tail end bring?

Didn't blog last night because hubby and I went to the Rafters baseball game. It was our first one this season. We weren't necessarily going because the team is in first place in the Northwoods League. We were primarily going because the Assumption Baseball team was selling the 50/50 raffle tickets.

I said I'd go along if they needed help. Turns out, with busy summer schedules, only 4 players could make it. So we had 4 players selling, 3 coaches and 1 coach's wife tearing apart the tickets and getting them in the super-secret magic bin for the drawing. We ended up selling nearly a thousand dollars' worth by the 7th inning. The winner of the "half" jackpot is a father of kids who went through Assumption, so he donated the money right back. How generous! Did you know it costs $400 alone just for the game balls each season? So a little goes a long way.

Needless to say, it was a late night for a work night. Came home and went straight to bed. Did not pass GO. Did not collect $200. Did not blog.

Ironically, tonight, the start of the weekend social calendar, we have nothing going on. I have been just hopping from one thing to another here at home. Had hoped to get a freelance design project done but got distracted in 5 other directions. I have all weekend. I'll get it done.

We found out today that one of our hard-working farm ladies just around the corner died yesterday. She is only Jim's age but has had a lot of health issues in 2017. Still, so sad for her sister, who she runs the farm with, and for their mother, who lives with them. Very kind ladies. This will have a big impact on their lives, that's for sure.

Don't forget to be grateful for what you have – at the beginning of the week, the tail end of the week and every day in between.

School Night Fun

Tonight was Assumption Catholic Schools Night at the Rafters game. The Rafters is our Northwoods League college-age baseball team started here in 2010.

When an organization or business or what have you sponsors a night there, we participants get a picnic all-you-can-eat meal to kick off the evening. Tonight, we used that time to also announce recent raffle winners from our Royal Event. Uhm, no, there were no winners at this address.

This also meant the state championship basketball team was honored, along with last weekend's state track championship boys relay team. Very cool. Our friend's daughter threw out the ceremonial first pitch, then the Assumption choir sang the national anthem. Awesome.

We also got to be in charge of the 50/50 raffle ticket sales. This was a fundraiser for the Assumption baseball team so Jim and the other two coaches made sure we had players on hand to sell tickets. Someone went home with a $460 pot. Again, it was not anyone at this address.

Still, had a blast. Saw lots of people from school, naturally, that I feel I haven't seen in ages. That graduation business puts everything in a time vacuum or something. Also saw several friends who are either hosting players in their homes or are just big supporters. Pretty sure we won the game, but I may have been paying more attention to the social scene.

Managed to nab a photo with the mascot Roscoe P. Rafter. Not really a fan of rats – even river rats – but since the snakes in my yard aren't taking care of the rodent problem, I'll just roll with it and smile.

Pretty good time for a "school" night! I'll be sure to get back there again.

Pounding the Pavement

I could never be one of those sports arena vendors hawking goods while yelling up and down the stairs of their assigned section. One, I think people would just plain ignore me or ask me to get out of the way. Two, it's just plain tiring.

Tonight, our cross country team got to sell 50-50 tickets at the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters baseball game. We haven't had a fundraiser for cross country before so we were excited to learn that tonight's crowd was to be the biggest of the season. Money, money, money!

I had designed t-shirts for the team (see above) and brought those with but we didn't have a whole lotta team members there. Carter was, thankfully. We had two pairs of boys, the coach went off by himself and I paired up with Sammy, our middle school runner.

What did we learn? Selling raffle tickets is easy when you've got the cuteness factor! The tickets are as tall as Sammy, but don't let her size fool you. She's the rock star of our girls cross country team!

The two of us did pretty well despite an unexpected challenge of having another organization sell tickets. This other group was there the wrong night but rather than start over, we decided we'd evenly split our earnings.

I think we cleared like $350, which is better than nothing. Not sure what it will be used for – maybe post-race waters for the season. Definitely don't need them for t-shirts since I got those for $7 a piece. Yes, I am a bargain shopper. Good thing, too, since there were 9 other designs voted on and I liked some of those even more. For $7 each, I can afford a few, even without winning the 50-50.

Right now my reward is just getting off my feet. Guess I am not cut out for pounding the pavement like a door-to-door salesman.

I can always bring my adorable sidekick, though...

A Baker's Dozen

Over the course of the last dozen years, I have had 12 different bosses, have commuted more than a quarter of a million miles, and provided treats in the Magic Blue Pan more times than I can count.

As of today, the Magic Blue Pan is retiring (sort of) and I am retiring, too – from publishing that is.

Yup, today marked my last day of employment over in Iola. Was not necessarily desperate to escape, just had the right things fall into place late this spring and early summer and was offered a job shortly after my birthday. The perks include a 8-minute commute versus 50 minutes and growth rather than downsizing tied to declining subscriber numbers and ad sales. Come Monday, it will be a very positive change, I believe. (Visit www.renlearn.com to learn more.)

Since I didn't want to leave my main two coworkers in a bind, I stayed through the car show, baked and brought one more treat in the Magic Blue Pan and spent all of yesterday and evening compiling "how to" lists on the many aspects of my job. That is why I didn't blog last night. Could barely stay awake by the time I was done.

So today I walk in for my last day and am greeted by fresh flowers from my department and a steaming cup of cappuccino and nice card from a friend. As soon as I started tearing up, I knew it was going to be a long day!

It went quickly, though, and I am not sure I got around to saying goodbye to everyone. My co-workers fed me a pizza lunch and had an "ice cream social" in my honor later.

Don't you absolutely love this sign? It is me to a T! And the real ice cream at our "social" was good, too.

After my exit interview and saying my last, tearful goodbyes, I got out of work by 5. And more importantly, survived my last long commute without mishap.

Tonight was our previously scheduled Girls Night Out gathering. We went to a Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game, where we got free food and drink, got a chance to visit with a variety of friends I saw there, and meet the mascot.

Hi Rosco! Always fun to bond with another R person, er rodent!

The Rafters lost but that did not put a damper on all the good vibes and love I felt today. There are so many people I will miss so much. Good thing for Facebook, this blog and cell phones texts.

Heck, actually talking on the phone might even work.

Sojourn

My oldest sister left the southern tip of Texas yesterday and is making her way due north to the Peace Gardens in Canada via Highway 281. She is chronicalling her trip with photo/video stops every 100 miles so when she arrives at her destination, she will literally see how far she's come.

We've all taken sojourns like that, haven't we? Sometimes physically and other times emotionally – always hoping in the end we can look back and note progress.

Not sure how far I've come since May 27, 2013.

365 days with a hole in my heart. 
52 weeks of catching myself saying "My mom and dad" instead of just "my mom." 
12 months of holiday firsts without you. 
1 year since our final goodbye. Miss you, Dad! 

Yup, today is that weird date we don't know if we call an anniversary or a day of observance or a Memorial Day of sorts.

Whatever we call it, I know without a doubt there was not one in my family who wasn't thinking about it and missing him... Dad... Grandpa... Husband.

I didn't want to dwell on it today and managed to keep busy at work. When weather (or something) canceled the Assumption baseball game at Iola, I headed home. Talked to one sister most of the way and we managed to get through the bewitching time of 5:27. Yes, Dad died at 5:27 on 5/27. Won't forget that one.

We had a good conversation – sad and uplifting at the same time. We know we are moving forward and we know Dad is watching over us. That feels good.

After that call, my friend Becky called me out of the blue and said she had an extra ticket to tonight's home opener for our Wisconsin Rapids Rafters team. I'm glad I decided to go. Perfect to be at a ballgame on "Dad's day." And great to catch up with a dear friend. Just comforting to be with people. Also strangely uplifting to have new people to pray for. People who have way more serious challenges than analyzing their grief.

We had a nice time (much better than the losing Rafters) and it was a pleasant distraction.

I haven't looked at how far I've traveled on my sojourn of sorrow but I'm guessing I've covered a lot of ground. Now if I could just figure out my destination.

Raise the Rafters

It was our family preventative-health day. Carter and I had our 6-month dental cleanings and hubby had one of those fun screenings that occur once you turn 50. The good news is that we're all perfectly normal.

And you know I am the last one to judge "normal."

To celebrate, we went to the ballpark. (You thought I was going to say something about ice cream, didn't you?)

Our next-door neighbors won free tickets to a Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game and invited us along. After the rain clouds blew through, it was a nice night for baseball. The Rafters are our professional baseball team -- if you call talented college-age kids from all over the U.S. playing on one team in their own stadium "professional." I'm pretty sure it's a few levels down from a "farm team," but I don't know all that lingo.

I just know they do a good job of entertaining the crowds and, in this case, getting a sound win, 14-2, over the Alexandria Blue Anchors -- a team that any other night a lighthouse freak like me would probably cheer for!

It was a fun evening. Saw a few people we knew and Carter managed to find some people to hang around with so he wasn't forced to spend unnecessarily time with the parents. Except when he needed money.

Oh it feels so good to be needed!

One More Gig

School's out for summer.... Classes may be done for the boy, but he had one more band gig duty to fulfill before he could officially start his summer vacation.

Tonight was Assumption Catholic Schools night at the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters baseball game. The Rafters, into their 3rd season in Rapids, are part of the Northwoods League, basically a summer collegiate baseball league around the Midwest.

Having "our" night at the game meant we had a tailgate party at school starting at 5 p.m., the band marched up to the ballpark at 6 p.m., played the National Anthem at 7 p.m., then marched back to school.

With all that was going on last week with my dad's death and funeral planning, I completely forgot about getting a ticket to the event -- which included the tailgate meal, a hat and game ticket. With nonstop rain (practically) since yesterday, the tailgating event was moved inside the gymnasium. I wasn't so sure the game would even be on. But since Carter had to be there for band, I decided I would take him to school and see if I could help as long as I was there.

I ended up serving up dozens of hotdogs and feeling useful. Then, as it turned out, despite the threatening weather, the game was still on and a friend had an extra ticket -- including a hat for me! So we walked up to the game, got to see our kids play the National Anthem and decided to stick it out awhile.

As I mentioned, I wasn't planning to go to the game because I figured it would get rained out. So I really wasn't dressed appropriately and it only took about 2 innings before the cold wind got the best of me. Carter wanted to stay so I walked back to school and ran some errands around town then parked closer to the field. I think I sat in the car and read for about an hour. But that was fine. I was WARM!

Thank God I have a wonderful hubby who turned on my electric mattress pad hours before I got home. Now we can all be snug in our beds with no alarms set. Carter doesn't have to get dragged out of bed for school and we are working from our home office so we'll have a short "commute" that does not require getting up before 7:30.

Hello, Summer! Can't wait until you are really here -- and not just in name only.

In a Bind

This weekend, we've had the opportunity to help out two friends in a bind, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Thursday night, Carter's friend Harry's mom called and said their plans to have Harry stay with someone while they were out of town fell through so could we maybe take him? No problem, I said. That worked out great since the boys hadn't seen each other all summer.

Then this morning, my friend Becky texted me that her 3 kids were unexpectedly home alone all day and evening and wondered if I could do anything with them to either entertain them or feed them. No problem, I said. Her daughter is a year older than Carter, her oldest son is 2 years younger than Carter and the "baby" is 5.

We made plans and it worked out that I took Harry to meet up with his mom at 4 over in Plover. Then Carter and I stopped home so he could shower and change -- then headed over to Becky's house. The kids got a ride with a friend to go to the Rafters baseball game in town and I got to babysit Garrick. (Hubby warned me before I left that I better not come home wanting another one!)

Well, the little guy is adorable and I had a blast with him. I forget that at that age they need to be doing something all the time. So we'd go from one game or activity to the next and the next and the next. I really could have used some energy! But it was a great time and he was a really good boy. (No, I don't want another one, but I sure miss my own baby at that age!)

The older "kids" got back just as I was watching Michael Phelps swim his last race. Ever. That was cool. Not sure what other highlights I missed today. I'm just glad it was an "open" day so we could be there for our friends. It worked out for Carter, too. He had fun with his summer buddy and had a great time at the game. I thought it was because the Rafters won but it might have something to do with getting some girl's phone number.

Yikes. Who's gonna help us out of this bind?

Hangin' with a Hall of Famer

I continued my Summer of Stalking today. Yes, it was another veteran baseball player and, yes, it was another former member of my Minnesota Twins.

Paul Molitor was in town. Don't ask me how our Wisconsin Rapids Rafters minor minor minor league baseball franchise gets these Twins here, but I'm not complaining. He was here to sign autographs and throw the first pitch.

Thanks to our friends Christine and Mike, we had early admittance tickets that also got us all we could eat and drink before the game. The important thing was that we were the first (almost) in line for autographs. Christine has waited 27 years for Molitor's autograph. Apparently when she was a teen, he was supposed to come to town but failed to show. That hasn't stopped her crush, but it did make us keep our fingers crossed that he would show.
And he arrived, looking cool as ever!! Molitor played for the Brewers for most of his career and finished up with the Twins the same year Carter was born. He was always a very likable player and just cute enough -- not that I notice that about baseball players. I did stress to Carter that that we don't come across Hall of Fame ball players every day so this is a big deal.

And Carter was suitably impressed. He now has a signed baseball to start his own collection!

And Christine, well, just blushed right out of her flip-flops when it was her turn in line! So cute!

Here she smiles with her niece Allie -- who may have to be Photoshopped out for future framing.

The only downside of the day was that we are experiencing a slight heat wave in the Midwest and it was wicked, wicked hot! Here the guys are a little sunny and sweaty.

And so am I! But happy, of course!

My one failure was that I barely got my camera out in time for the ceremonial pitch. I'm losing my stalking touch! So it's a bit blurry but you can see old #4 still keeps himself in great shape anyway.

And he still has that nice smile for me -- just because he knew I was taking this picture for Christine, I'm sure.

Sigh. I need to take a cold shower! We are in a heat wave, after all.

Twins Territory

I may have mentioned a time or two that I am a Minnesota Twins fan. Always have been. But did you know that there used to be a Twins team in Wisconsin Rapids? There was an A-level team back in the '80s that 2 guys I know played with -- Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti. You've heard of them.

Tonight, the G-Man, as we close friends called him at the Dome, made a return trip home to Rapids to kick off the 2011 season for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. I knew about this months ago but figured I'd opt out since Carter had a baseball game at the same time. Could I really put my Twins before my son? Hmmm. Turns out a creative mom can do both!

I decided at 6:25 I was going to go. That meant I had 30 minutes basically to get into town, find a parking spot, stand in line for a last-minute ticket and not miss Gary Gaetti toss the ceremonial first pitch at 7:05! Could I do it? Let me just change into Twins gear, grab my old World Series pennant off the wall and see!

By the time I did all that and got into the park and found his table, Gary was just standing up and finishing his session. I said, "Awwww, no way!" And I think he saw my adorable Twins hat and thought, "OK, one more," because he sat right down.
And signed my dusty old pennant I did not have time to clean up. Hey, it's not in bad shape for getting packed and unpacked in something like 8 moves!

They distributed photos at the gate so I got an autographed picture, too! Then I shook his hand (no hugs, darn) and said thanks for all the excitement. "Now go pitch a strike!"

I sort of stalked him after that because I could legally stand within 5 feet of him, take photos and not get arrested. That's a small town for ya! Here I was pretending to take a picture of him meeting the lucky young Rafters catcher. But really I was thinking, "Look at those pipes! He's still got it!"

This is when he stood on the pitcher's mound and pointed my way and said, "See that girl over there in the Twins hat and Twins shirt? She's the best fan ever! She saw me play a half-dozen times at the Dome in 1987!" I'm pretty sure reading lips, that is what he said about me. How could he not?

They were reading off his accomplishments -- playoff MVP, Twins Hall of Fame, etc -- and he humbly motioned to wrap it up.

I sort of missed the ceremonial first pitch. G-Man, you gotta wind up or something. I was unprepared!

Here he is smiling because he's back in Rapids and he knows NOW that this is Twins Territory!

I could have told him that.

And yes, I did make it out to Carter's game (the correct field) for the first pitch. Super fans can do anything!

Win Some, Lose Some

Oh I would have loved to have been at the Twins game tonight! Got home to see they stomped all over the Royals 19-1 and my boy Mauer was 5 for 5 with something like 7 RBIs. I wish I could SEE these games once in awhile instead of cheering after the fact.

Ah well. We were enjoying a different level of baseball tonight.

Remember last month we ventured to our first Wisconsin Rapids Rafters game? Well that night was a "guaranteed win" night so when they lost, we got FREE tickets to another game -- and that was tonight.

It was a fun game. This one was much closer but, unfortunately, the guys couldn't pull it together in the end so they lost 3-2 against Waterloo, Iowa.

Highlights included free baseballs for the first 500 kids, so Carter and friend Nate each got one; a foul ball caught/captured by Carter; and the "beer batter" striking out twice so Jim and friend Mike got half-price beers 2 times! My highlight was seeing friends at the game, including some people from church.... and getting home and seeing the Twins score!

Have a mentioned I love baseball?

We're even going to a game next week in Miami when the Marlins host the Phillies! Just got very good tickets at a very good deal. Apparently no one goes to those games (if you ever see highlights on ESPN and see all the empty seats!) so for one night they'll have 3 Brewers fans, 2 Twins fans and 1 Reds fan cheering on their home team. Should be fun.

But when isn't it?

Home Team

We have a new organized ball club in Wisconsin Rapids this year -- the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters -- that plays at Witter Field. We play college-aged teams from similar-sized markets like Wausau, Appleton, Green Bay and, tonight, Waterloo, Iowa.

This was our first outing to a Rafters game -- mainly because kids who were involved in Rapids baseball and softball this summer got in free tonight if they wore their jerseys. So it was a good excuse to check it out. It was a good crowd of more than 1,500.

They make it entertaining, having different games and giveaways between each inning. In fact, my husband won the trivia question about "Witter Field History" so we will be treated to a free appetizer at Applebee's sometime. Excellent!

The game itself did not go so well. The Rafters got shut out 15-0. But, the bright side for fans anyway, is that this was a "guaranteed win" game. That means if they didn't win, we all get free tickets to the next game when Waterloo is in town. So it looks like we can see another game on Monday, July 26, if not before.

We had a good time and saw a ton of people we know from around our baseball league, plus old friends. It was a nice family night.

And to top it off, I finally got a chance to eat some birthday cake and ice cream when I got home. I know it's super late but I was not going to let another day go by. Plus, after that sorry scoring game, we gotta find something to celebrate.

I'll take one for the team. Well, make that two. Scoops, that is.