Beauty and the Bleat

What I discovered today while visiting a friend's hobby farm is that even though I know I'm not pretty, at least I'm not turkey ugly. It was quite a boost to my self-esteem!

Apparently her turkeys like to stand against their fence and harass the chickens all day. I'm siding with the chickens since they produced the two dozen eggs I got. Very nice.

Also, the chickens probably know the turkeys' days are numbered. That's the word around the coop, anyway.

My farm favorites were Gwen's kids. Oh her children, yes, but also the baby goats! I want one! The black one was bleating while I walked away, begging me not to go!

One of her sons has become quite the goat whisperer. He treats them like pets. But I know from another  friend who's had goats as pets that they like to head butt. No matter how much they love you. And they'll leave a bruise. Hope it works out OK!

Anyway, it was nice to see my former Wonder Twin from kickboxing days. And since I was down south in Adams County, I decided to take the scenic route home in hopes of maybe seeing some eagles or something. Apparently the eagles are too smart to fall victim to this fake spring today. But I did see a blue heron or two plus some sandhill cranes...

I snapped some shots at a few other spots that I'll share tomorrow. For now I gotta get a few more "Saturday chores" done before Monday arrives!

A Walk in the Woods

One of the joys of taking senior pictures is that sometimes you see friends you haven't seen in ages. Like we had to wait until their son or daughter was about to graduate to see each other. Silly us. 

Had fun tonight reuniting with one my former kickboxing buddies. We called ourselves the Wonder Twins and haven't seen each other since well before the pandemic. Gwen's daughter loves the outdoors so we met in a wooded (very wooded) and wet (very wet) park area in Adams County.

All of our shoes were soaked about 3 minutes into the walk. I'm guessing the mushrooms like the dampness, but we weren't so sure.

There also wasn't much of a path anywhere so at one point I figured I better take a selfie so my phone would have a location if we never emerged! Not that I'm a worrier or drama queen!

Anyways, Morgan was what you'd picture for a woodland sprite. Adorable! And super talented like her mom. She knit this scarf and a sweater she wore later. We had a blast catching up and trying not to fall over logs or into holes or get too many pricklies on us.

Failed in that part. You can see in this Wonder Twins reunion photo that we both have green dots on us. Not your usual prickly things, more sticky like press-on fingernail stickers.

See what I mean? I'm making progress in picking them off. But it was totally worth it. My shoes will dry. The stickers will come off. And I'll re-live our fun walk in the woods!

Penalty Kicks

Did I mention that dressing like a shark is the easy part of our United Way campaign? The hard part... trying to resist all the bake sales.

"It's for a good cause!"

You know how I love to bake. Well, I love to eat the baked goods just as much! No willpower to be found this week. You pay for a plateful and spread it out over days. I was successful in getting four meals out of this. Yes, you can't afford any other calories so cookies for breakfast are the norm this week.

And I'm not the only one. Believe me.

But I did feel pretty guilty and glutenous by the end of today. So I penalized myself by going to kickboxing. I know. You haven't heard me mention it in months. Because I have been too busy, er lazy, to go.

It did feel good to be back. And the kicking won't bother my pinky toe since we don't ever lead with that when we use proper form. Still, I tried to take it easy tonight.

Still, I was sweating like a pig. And still, I'll be cursing our instructor tomorrow because I anticipate aches and pains. I'm 50 now. I can't jump in and start kicking without paying the price. But it's better than kicking my scale and breaking another toe!

If I could just kick that willpower into gear, too.

How We Get Our Kicks

And this is how we get our kicks on a Saturday...

First, we stay busy so I for sure can't do Saturday chores on actual Saturday. Got up and made treats for the TaeKwonDo and kickboxing open house, then went to the open house. And yes, hung out with Iron Man.

Seriously, watching Iron Man break concrete. That is impressive entertainment.

His sidekick (see what I did there?) did well, too. Compared to these guys and the kids breaking boards, I am sure the kickboxers were boring to watch. But I heard at least two new people sign up for classes, so our performances must have convinced a few that anyone can do it.

It did make for a fun day. Hanging out with the ladies from class and seeing what everyone does there. Two of my classmates were teaching another one to knit. I could have joined in but I am just thinking I probably don't need another hobby right now. I'll just "oooh" and "ahhh" over their work.

Had a great, standing-room only crowd at the 1 p.m. show and a smaller one at 3:30 p.m., but that allowed me to move around and get some pictures. Didn't have time to go through them yet.

Right after the open house, I got in the shortest car wash line I could find and took advantage of above-freezing temps to get rid of the salt and slush grime. That was awesome, said my car.

Got home, showered quickly and hubby and I were off to a retirement party for our friend Chet. Was a great crowd with plenty of people we know – including my BFF and her hubby in town, and a bunch of friends we mostly see at the races. Well, Jim sees them when he substitute bowls. But I don't. It was fun.

In fact, a pretty fun day overall. And we'll get to bed by midnight.

That's how us old folks get our kicks.

If You Can't Kick 'Em, Join 'Em

It's that time of year when everyone is trying to kick their diet and exercise programs into gear. Why not kick it literally?

We kickboxers and martial artists cordially invite you and your family to our 39th Anniversary open house at Park Institute on Saturday. While I haven't been a regular in class lately, I can tell you it is still in Wisconsin Rapids, close to the Sleep Inn, Wal-Mart and Applebee's. You know the area.

Join us for afternoon of fun, food and prizes! Oh, and entertainment. Check out this schedule...

Yep, shows at 1 and 3:30 p.m. And yep, this girl is dusting off her gloves to be one of the "showgirls." You might just have to see it to believe it.

Seriously, the cardio kickboxing is great for getting in shape and their TaeKwonDo program is outstanding – for any age! There will be deals to be had, too.

Stop by. I'll be there most of the day and can show you around – and feed you.

Let me know if you want to learn more! It's a great family to be a part of.

The Girl Who Baked the Hornet's Nest

No, I didn't actually read the REAL book, but when I hear "Hornet's Nest" in the title, I always think of my cake! I think some other people may as well.

Since I have a few days off this week, I made a point to get over to Iola to see my old workplace and former, former co-workers. Naturally I couldn't go empty-handed.

Magic Blue Pan Missions... bringing smiles one piece of Hornet's Nest Cake at a time!

It was fun to surprise the gang. Pretty much made my rounds through the building and got to chat with more than a dozen old friends. Well worth the trip. And I even came home with a few pieces of cake so hubby knows I love him, too!

Other than that, it was a quiet day. Got a freelance project done this afternoon just in time to go to kickboxing. Talk about old stomping grounds. Haven't been back there in ages, either. Now that my back seems to be "back in order" I going to ease back into it. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I kept it very low key, though.

Tonight, hubby had to bowl for someone so I just plunked down on the recliner and watched The Voice. Tomorrow is a work day. Around home anyway.

I won't be kicking a hornet's nest, but I better kick it in gear and get some cleaning, de-cluttering, organizing done.

Birthday Wishes Come True

When 4 out of 5 well-wishers recommend you enjoy your birthday with ice cream, you sorta gotta follow through.

A Wednesday birthday meant a normal work day (with decorated desk and treats). A rainy birthday meant no golfing or kayaking.

So I went to kickboxing and my fellow Wonder Woman kicker Gwen took me out for ice cream after class. It's a law that calories keep burning until midnight of your birthday. We enjoyed some salted caramel chocolate chunk something or other that was called Now This Is Serious.

This is serious birthday celebrating alright.

Was glad I was able to at least see my twin this past weekend. And I got a call from my momma. So it's all good. Of course the icing on the proverbial cake (nope, not a real one) was a nice card and hug from the boy. And then there's that new camera in my future, thanks to a Best Buy gift card from hubby to get me going.

I don't care what age I am – and no, this is not a birthday with a zero at the end of it – I love my birthday. It's fun to be a princess for the day and hear from so many friends and family through phone calls, cards, texts, emails and Facebook messages.

Of course, I'm going to have to stretch this celebration out at least until the end of the month. I don't think my single scoop meets the recommended requirement.

Sole Sisters

You'd think it was National Girlfriends Day or something. Got to spend some time today with some soul sisters and sole sisters.

Had early morning core and strength class with my sweet sweat sisters Teri and Gwen. From there I went to book club at the coffee shop downtown, where Brenda, Sharon, Cindy and I covered two books (December and January) and had to represent for the other half of the club that wasn't able to make it this month. Always a very nice visit (and discussion, of course).

After heading home, showering and making myself a bit more presentable, Cindy and I went to Stevens Point on a sole sister mission for shoes.

Now this was not frivolous shopping. We are going snowshoeing tomorrow and I do not have any waterproof hiking-type boots to wear with mine. Fleet Farm was having a sale, so that was our first shop. Initially, Cindy was "just along for the ride," but it's safe to say that between the two of us, we tried on about a dozen pair. A good half hour later (at least), Cinderellas 1 and 2 walked out with new sturdy glass slippers.

Second stop was Shippy Shoes. I need new running shoes. I suspected as much and after some slight blistering the other day after a long run, I knew I shouldn't wait much longer. I told my sole sister, "Now watch, I will be in and out of this store in a fraction of the time and spend twice as much money."

Truth.

Just walked in, told them brand, model and size. Tried them on to "be sure" and was done. When runners find a shoe that works for them – giving them support and no pain – they tend to stick with that shoe! Once you're sole mates, you are bonded for life. Or at least a few years.

While Cindy did browse, she behaved and we got out of the place with only one box.

Do you think I tested out either pair of new shoes when I got home? Well, no. Had to watch some football playoffs I didn't care about and start reading next month's book club book. Since Carter was gone to Minneapolis to visit big brother Casey and Tony was out for the afternoon I could have knocked off some Hallmark movies still in the DVR queue.

That sounded like too much work. I think I was exhausted from all that sole searching.

I'll let you know tomorrow if it was worth it!

Friday the Negative 13th

Who in their right mind would brave minus 13-degree temperatures at 5:30 a.m. (aka O Dark 30) to go to kickboxing class? Oh probably the same person who fumbled around in the dark the previous morning looking for a pair of jeans that still fit.

Yep. Cold and darkness be damned. This girl needed to burn some calories!

And yeah, I did warm up in class but the outside temps sure didn't warm up much today. Got just a degree or two above zero and that was it.

This afternoon while I was working, Jim and Carter headed over to Green Bay to watch one of Carter's classmates play hoops for the St. Norbert Green Knights. She was surprised to see them so I am glad they went to cheer her on!

Meanwhile, I worked and then decided I would treat myself to some hoops, too. Last night we watched the Assumption boys beat Pittsville at Pittsville. Tonight the Lady Royals hosted Marathon. Quite the aggressive game. We played tough defense but unfortunately our shots weren't going in. So the girls lost 55-40.

Had to have something to do with it being Friday the -13 right?

After the game I took the long way home to treat myself to a sound and light show. I cracked the window open and didn't hear much sound so I just snapped some pictures quickly because, well, yes it was freaking frigid out and who in their right mind has their window open?

They had lights on the house, garage and front yard, including several light trees and Olaf the snowman from the Disney movie Frozen. Frozen... that's appropriate!

Here's a play on words: Olaf yellow snow! Get it? I love yellow snow! Yes, my immature mind combined with my car's angle made me think the snowman was peeing.

Wow. This cold air really does a number on me!

Think I better crawl under some warm covers and quit while I'm ahead.

Do you want to build a snowman...

Saturday, Sunday, Bowl Day

It was enough of a holiday that the banks were closed and the post office didn't deliver mail. However, kids around here were back in school and that meant a lot of my friends had to work. Bummer. Especially if they like the Badgers.

And that pretty much is 4 out of 5 Wisconsinites, isn't it?

Our office was closed so I had another day off to add to my confusion on what day it is. I was thinking bowl games were usually on Jan. 1, but what would I know? I don't follow college football too closely. Just catch a Badger game when I can.

Today, though, I slept in but got up and ran some errands, then sat down to watch the Big Red. It was so mild out, about 30-ish degrees, that I even took a 2-mile walk at halftime. After the game – and Badger victory if you missed it – I went to kickboxing, too.

Don't get any ideas that this is going to become a habit. It's possible that in addition to the Cotton Bowl, Outback Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, there may still be an Ice Cream Bowl before the day is done.

Gotta love Bowl Day!

Winner, Winner, What's for Dinner?

Two of my best and, at the same time, worst traits are that I am competitive and predictable.

As noted above, December sort of is just a month-long eating contest. Darn my competitive nature. I think I am totally winning!

Which brings me to predictable. I won't even bother looking back at past blogs from the last 6 or 7 Decembers. I can almost guarantee. I can almost predict, rather, that I was having issues with the holiday graze craze. It really is the most wonderful time of the year when it comes to home-baked treats. Oh my gosh. So many yummy, yummy choices. So much mint and chocolate, too. Where to start?

Where to stop? Can I stop?

I think my will power goes right down the drain with my energy and extra cash this time of year. The other day I actually stopped at Culver's for an eggnog shake because I heard McDonald's was out and I considered it a crime if I didn't have one before Christmas. It goes against the law of Christmas cheer or something.

Was it worth it? Probably not.

I did the usual berating of oneself when one is eating like Elf.

That might have played into why I actually got up for 5:40 a.m. kickboxing on Friday. Alas, the martial arts center was closed the next 3 days. So I continued to eat my way through the long Christmas weekend and am coming up for air today.  

Sadly, I can't seem to break the cycle. Am I the only one? My thought pattern is something like this. I try to eat right for the most part and exercise when I can. Just enough of both disciplines for me to feel like I DESERVE these treats this one time of the year. Anyone else feel that?

I won't sugarcoat it – though that might be tasty – but this means there is some level of emotional eating going on here. I deserve this because I am stressed and need it or I have been good and earned it. Either way, it's not because of needed nourishment.

The other bit (not bite) of bad news about this "one time of the year" is that "one time" equals a month! OK, let's be honest. More like 6 weeks spanning from Turkey Day to New Year's Day. Not good, folks.

Obviously, you and I are not the only big "winners" in this competition. Why else would all the diet and exercise products be on sale for New Year's?

Let's just accept it and enjoy the rest of the year. We're into the 6th week here. Can't undo the choices we've made. And frankly, there weren't too many bad ones. Most were delicious beyond measure!

Keep on winning. We have all of January to be big losers. Plus, there's kind of only one way to get rid of these treats around here.

Open wide and say "Ahh-m-m-m."

Winner. Winner. What's for dinner?

Make Room for Stuffing

On the eve of National Overeating Day, there was surprisingly little to do. When you think about it, pretty much everything from cooking the turkey to the mashed potatoes has to wait until the actual day.

Not the pies, though. I had to make the pies. Considering I only make pie once a year on average, I was OK with the result. My biggest concern was not burning the crust. And I didn't! But since I was squeezing my Martha Stewart project in after work and before kickboxing, I think I shortchanged the baking cycle a bit. I'm hoping they'll taste OK tomorrow. If not, just add more whipped cream!

I actually got out of work a little bit early and timed it – I thought – to when Carter was getting home for the weekend. Just like last time, though, he wasted no time hopping in his car and going off to see friends. So I just missed him. Now it's 9:30 p.m. and I still haven't seen him yet. I have to keep reminding myself that when I was home from college a hundred years ago, spending time with my parents was not high on the list. It's just typical. Remind me of that when I forget!

Since I was home alone, I got the pies done and went to kickboxing class. Our fitness instructor called it the "Annual Make Room For Stuffing" class. If we burned enough calories, we could eat guilt-free on Thanksgiving! And we did. Definitely burned some calories!

I don't know if it will be enough to compensate for the turkey, my mother-in-law's amazing dressing and whipped cream, er, pie. But I definitely made room for it.

Bring on the self-induced coma. Right?

Noah Way

If you live in Minnesota or Wisconsin, you may be on the waiting list to get on Noah's ark.

Have we had a day without rain lately? How about a night without a "sound and light" show? In our area alone, there have been roads, schools and even lakes closed this week due to flooding. Crazy.

So far, the typically dried-up Bloody Run Creek in our backyard is not kayak ready. And we're OK with that.

What we're not OK with is fall temperatures like highs only in the mid-60s. Yes, I realize autumn is officially here, but I don't want to paddle if it's cold and rainy and the trees are ugly. Fall color is seriously lacking around here. I suspect it will be pretty one day and the leaves will be blown off (or rained off) the next. We do hope we can see some nice leaves from the 'yaks. Just have to make sure we can time it for a weekend excursion. It would be nice to go after work some evening, but guess what? Fall means the sun falls out of the sky faster.

Tonight we were in the living room and I thought it was pretty late. I looked at the clock and said to hubby, "Ohmigosh, it's 7:22 and it's already dark out!" Needless to say, not much daylight for paddling. And needless to say, I was ready to go to bed by 8:30!

Didn't help I got up for 5:40 a.m. kickboxing class today. Had to do it since I wasn't going to go out in the rain and do something silly like walk or run. Hopefully, Mother Nature gives us a little break so we can enjoy some outdoor time tomorrow. Initially this was going to be a golf weekend away but our friends had to postpone that. Now we'll cheer on our Assumption Royals football team in Chippewa Falls under clear blue skies.

Right, Mother Nature? Right, Noah?

Why don't you two just take the weekend off? Thanks.

Maniacal Monday

As I left the house for work this morning, I noticed my car's odometer was about to switch over to an interesting, if not evil, set of numbers. I got to a stop sign just after it turned and took this photo.

Leapin' Lucifer! It wasn't until I got to work that I noticed even the temperature matched up! Yowza. As if Monday in itself wasn't evil enough, I had this little devil of a thought sitting on my shoulder all day.

Luckily, the only "Hell" I experienced was a crazy-hard kickboxing class tonight. Oh, and we got our first-ever college tuition bill today! Now that is almost worthy of ice cream.

But no. After my "Don't Sit On Your Arse" angel made me go to class, I better not erase my minimal progress. Lead me not into temptation...

And deliver us from this evil Monday with a positive sign that this is going to be a great week. Just like my odometer, the bad can turn over to good in no time.

New Horizons

When the temperature is already 75 degrees at 7 a.m., you know it's going to be a hot one. In fact, even though the air-conditioning was turned on, I still worked up a sweat curling my hair. I know. In a word: Ewww.

Did take one walk break at work this morning and it was already muggy Monday to the max. Ick. By early afternoon, it was 90 and "felt like" 97. More ick.

After work, though, I knew I had to get back to kickboxing class. When you are called "The Phantom" when you walk in the door, then you know you've been absent too long. I don't have enough excuses to fill in the past 2 1/2 weeks since I was last at class. I mean I probably do, but the teacher didn't want to hear it. Instead he worked us hard. Very hard. Thankfully, the building is air-conditioned, but I was still dripping sweat.

I know. Everything is ewww and ick today!

Well, not everything. When I got home, Jim and the neighbors were set to go kayaking. Even though I was pretty beat, I couldn't pass it up. It's usually cooler on the water. So I got some dry, non-stinky clothes on and we headed over to Nepco Lake. Another new place to paddle. Another place to watch the sun lower on the horizon.

It was gorgeous out. Minimal boat traffic and just fun to paddle around and see all the new homes going up. Very, very nice new homes. I really wanted to take pictures but decided to respect their privacy.

That didn't apply to my fellow 'yakers!

Jim looking relaxed.

Mike casting a beautiful reflection.

And Cindy kicking her feet up and enjoying the fact she is not home cleaning.

I was just glad to keep up. Actually, the workout adrenaline kept me going for the first part. Then I remembered, you don't need to kayak at full speed. Just enjoy the scenery (including a bald eagle), the nice breeze and shooting the breeze.

For our tour tonight we stayed on the east side of the lake, which is actually divided by State Highway 13. Next time, we'll paddle under the highway and check out the other side. Yes, there is a bridge to sneak "through," but it just sounds more adventurous to say we went under the road!

After we returned to shore and loaded up, we went to King Cone. Hey, some of us didn't have time for supper. Besides, two workouts and I had burned the calories before my first spoonful!

I'm going to sleep good tonight.

So glad our friends introduced us to this new hobby. There are a lot of places to paddle around here and new horizons to explore.

That's definitely the part of summer where you can say Ahhh instead of Ewww!

Summer is Here if You Didn't Notice

June 20th means SUMMER is here. Officially. In case the 90-degree humid weekend didn't give you a clue. What I like about summer...

And what I don't like about summer, well, today anyway...

That's the summer solstice for you! 

Actually, was good to have a long day. I got my work done. Was able to go to kickboxing for the first time in 10 days and get called out as the slacker I am. Went to Wal-mart, where I learned that the easiest way to stop a cart from squeaking is to warm up the tires like NASCAR drivers. (Yup, once a gearhead, always a gearhead.) Got home and baked a birthday treat for someone at work, then went for a walk, hoping the solstice "strawberry moon" was rising.

Not yet. I will have to go back out there and wait for it like the Great Pumpkin, I guess. Meanwhile, it seems like the sky is prepping for it with some pink-ish, strawberry-ish clouds as the sun was setting.

So maybe tomorrow I will have some lunar magic for you. As long as it arrives before my bedtime. Just because it's the longest day doesn't mean I have the stamina to stay up late.

I will, though, because I don't want to miss a single minute of SUMMER!

Drawing a Blank

My whiteboard creativity took a nose dive today. Yesterday I had a countdown of 10 days to the opening of King Cone in Rapids. Today I just crossed off the 10 and put a 9. "I'm drawing a blank!" I said. Then realized I could draw a blank.

Oh ha. I told you dry-erase markers are the best thing. Ever.

For those of us who need a life at the office, that is.

Since Monday my primary focus at work has been sitting properly. Don't tell the boss. I mean I do other things, but I have laser focus on my body positioning.

After putting up with a week of an on-and-off pinched "psychotic" nerve, I saw the chiropractor Monday. Turns out I did have the proper diagnosis, but was surprised at the cause.

So I have a right pelvic bone rotated forward and the left is back. There is stress on my gluteus medius muscle (who knows how to spell that, just consider it the upper left cheek) which, in turn, is pinching the sciatica. This was not caused by kickboxing. Kickboxing merely called attention to it. Turns out I have been sitting at an odd angle for hours at a time while staring at my second computer monitor at work. It sits just to the right and I apparently forgot my chair swivels. Talk about drawing a blank!

The good doctor will work on my realignment and I have to work on my posture and angles. I have caught myself multiple times in the last two days at work sitting straight with the upper body turned right. I have to yell at myself, "Swivel!"

At least the nerve is no longer pinched. Had my second adjustment today and it's feeling better. The chiropractor said I could go to kickboxing and it would not make it any worse. It was up to me how much discomfort I want to endure before this saga of treatments and recovery is over. So I went to class tonight and my drill sergeant took it easy on me. We just kept it low key and warmed up the muscles. If I started drawing a blank and wanted to kick like normal, he'd tell me, "Don't do that!"

It's probably a good thing nobody trusts my memory. At some point I'll remember all the clever things I was going to blog about today, too.

I wonder if a person can get their brain cells aligned, too...

Another "Sun" Day

There's a lot of pressure on us – and our personal grooming habits – when the weather gets nice.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous "summer" day with highs just tipping 80 degrees and the sun shining ALL day. Awesome!

Managed to get a walk break in at work and it was heaven. Now the weather will get back to Wisconsin April Normal, which means cooler temperatures and rain.

But for those 3 summer days we had, I had to adjust my personal hygiene, for lack of a better label. Jamberry'd my toe nails yesterday so I could wear flip flops and not scare anyone off. Today I wore shorts to kickboxing because I knew it would be really warm in the building. My instructor said he wasn't sure he'd ever seen me in shorts. I said I wore them last summer but not during the winter, so it had been awhile. Plus, I shared, "I finally shaved my legs."

Everyone was grateful, I'm sure.

Would have been a great night to be at the ballpark but no games were on tonight. Well, not high school.

Finally got to see my lowly Twins play. Love when they play the Brewers because then it is televised here! Was actually multi-tasking with the remote trying to catch the game, The Voice and then our new favorite show The Detour (on TBS). Freaking hilarious, in our opinion!

Twins are still playing, hoping to extend their winning streak, so I better log off and get back to enjoying this Sun-day.

Even my Twins logo is sun-shiny sparkly. Let that be enough!

DST Manic Monday

Anyone else suffering from the DSTs today? Otherwise known as the Daylight Saving Time hangover?

I don't understand how a one-hour change can make such a big difference, but every spring and fall I have the hardest time adjusting to losing or gaining those 60 little minutes.

It was definitely a manic Monday.

Even after 8 hours of sleep, I was like, "I'll take a caffeine drip to go, please." Thankfully I was busy enough at work that my mind had to stay awake. So I was up. Then, I had a post-work therapy session, make that massage therapy session, and that just about put me under. Went from there to kickboxing and I was a bit sluggish but got back up to speed by the end.

Took a shower when I got home and wanted to put jammies on but now it's still light out at 7 p.m. so I feel like I'd be breaking some kind of lounge wear etiquette rule. It's dark right now, at 9 p.m., so perhaps going to bed early is allowable.

No matter what, I know it usually take a few days to a week to recover from the time change. Good thing we have a slow week on our social calendar. I can transition from manic to my normal maniacal self in no time. Lucky you.

Door Busters

Apparently when word got out there were "Door Buster" sales at Wal-Mart yesterday, this cow decided to bust his barn door and get there.

Seriously, a cow was trying to check out the dairy section or something in the Wal-Mart in Plover (next town over, just south of Stevens Point). The animal got loose from a neighboring dairy farm around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, according to Portage County dispatch officials.

Authorities managed to corral the cow and got it back to its owner safely – but not before enough people saw it and posted photos of it on social media! Only in Wisconsin.

I usually am not as concerned about what I will see at the store, but rather who will see me. I do not want to end up on one of those People of Wal-Mart websites but I push my luck pretty often.

It just happens that the place I do kickboxing is basically next door to the store. So oftentimes, after class, I head over there, still wearing some funky outfit and waiting for the sweat to stop dripping off my forehead. Even if I am physically beat from the class, I make my way through the store in record time, hoping to escape before I'm recognized by the paparazzi – or just somebody I know.

It just happens that two of the neighbor girls (Carter's age) are cashiers. I never see them around the neighborhood in the winter time but you can bet I'll see one of them or both when I am speed shopping after class.

Tonight I saw one of them and said, "It never fails I only see you when I'm coming here after kickboxing. I want to assure you I do actually take showers, curl my hair and wear makeup every morning."

She just laughed and said, "Hey, I applaud anyone who works out."

Still, I might need a decoy next time. Wonder if my neighbors would mind if I borrowed one of their cows...