And Again!

Wow. After begging for spring to arrive, we've had the second day in a row of record-high temps in Rapids. And again, we were the warmest in the TV audience radius, anyway.

I'm probably the only one loving this!!

To be fair, there's super low humidity so really, everyone should enjoy it. Except that means this...

I've never been in a Red Flag Warning area. But it means absolutely no burning outdoors. There are too many wildfires going on right now in Wisconsin. Not that I planned a fire or anything.

The nice temps also mean that not only is road construction in full swing, but the motorcyclists are out and about too. I had a scary experience with that on my morning commute.

There's one area of I-39 near Hwy 10 in Stevens Point that is down to one lane right now. I saw a few vehicles ahead of me that suddenly a care swerved into the ditch / median area. It was freaky. Then we all slammed on our breaks. And I could see people moving a man off the road.

We sat there and I was only 4 cars away from the scene. There were road construction guys on their phones so I thought maybe one of the workers was hit. I heard sirens so I knew the police or ambulance or both were en route.

Then the stopped vehicles in front moved over to the closed lane and we could inch forward. That's when I saw the damaged motorcycle. Not sure what exactly happened but two vehicles had very distraught drivers standing there. Uff da.

A good reminder to pay extra attention now that spring has sprung! 

Be careful out there!

Precious Moments

We all know life can change at a moment's notice. Sometimes it can be a good thing -- like the birth of a child or meeting the love of your life. Sometimes, though, it can be a tragedy.

This morning before I went for a run, I was checking the temperature and radar on a local news website when I saw a story on a fatal motorcycle accident that occurred in Iola yesterday afternoon. There were no names listed but I figured there was a chance since it happened in the very little town where I work, I may know someone involved.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I learned the motorcyclist killed was a man we used to work with. A super nice guy. And his wife still works with us. What an awful, awful tragedy. I can't stop thinking about it.

It sure makes me appreciate having my loved ones close at hand. Alive and well.

Since this is Carter's birthday weekend and we didn't really have anything special planned, we decided to take him out for ribs tonight. But then on the way to Plover, he decided on a pizza place in Stevens Point instead. Whatever you say, Carter. It's your birthday.

So we went to Polito's in Point, where the slices are as a big as the plate. Carter had a "steak and french fries" and a "mac and cheese" slice. I just had an all-meat one and hubby had 2 supremes. Good stuff.

On the way home, we just had to stop at Belt's Drive-In for a soft-serve treat. Jim and I had "Mini Cadbury Eggs" flurries and Carter had a "Puppy Chow" one. Yummy. Was still so full that I couldn't finish mine!

When we were almost home, Jim had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a deer. Thank God he stopped in time to avoid an accident. It just reiterated how quickly things can happen.

And reminded me once again we should never take life or our loved ones for granted. Enjoy each precious moment with them!

Rest Stop

My sister RoAnn and husband Ken rolled into town on their motorcycle Friday. They had ridden from Minnesota down to the House on the Rock by Dodgeville, then took a detour over to our place as a "rest stop" on their trip Friday and Saturday. They headed home this morning.

When they arrived Friday, Carter took them out to eat and did, as promised, keep them entertained while hubby and I enjoyed our golf outing. (By the way, Jim's team tied for first and I got a prize for longest drive. Fun afternoon!)

On Saturday, we let our guests sleep in but they joined us later at the scrimmage. That's pretty cool. We rarely get out-of-town family visiting when Carter is playing in his sports so it was nice he had an extra audience of supporters.

Despite weather forecasts of rain and scattered storms, we had a perfectly sunny day. We ended up going down to The Lure Bar & Grill on Lake Petenwell for supper. (For trivia buffs, Lake Petenwell is the second largest lake in Wisconsin.)


We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset while waiting for our food. After the meal, we took a picture on the breezy beach (at right) with just the traces of the sunset left.

Carter also challenged Auntie Ro and me to a game of pool. He plays every day at Kidz Camp so assumed he'd kick our butts. He forgets Ro and I play once a year or every other year during our sisters weekend so we can be in top pro shape at the drop of a hat (or 3 quarters). Yes, we beat him after a long sloppy game. I told him, "Your aunts and I always get our money's worth!"

This morning, before our special guests headed home, Ken gave Carter a brief ride on the motorcycle just around our subdivision circle. Carter gave it a "thumbs up"! RoAnn and Ken just got the bike this spring and both say it is a comfy ride. Good thing, since they still have a few hundred miles to go before they get home today. I'm glad I called in ahead and ordered a perfectly sunny day for them! Nothing but the best for family, right?