Anatomy of a DIY (Doing Intermittent Yardwork) Project

On the surface, it might seem my "summer" landscaping project could have been done in a weekend. But we're dealing with me here. Me and a busy schedule and well, time and funds and energy.

Today, well past summer (technically just a week), I finally can call it complete. Until spring when there will be actual flora and fauna there.

So here's the before and after and steps in between...

Late April I decided to start digging out the old flat rock layers in front of the house. Since we had the new driveway put in last summer, I wanted to upgrade. The rock border had been there since we moved in 16 years ago.

Early May and I thought I had it all done. Some was piled in the front but most around the corner on the east side of the house. But then, when I was going to dig up some shrubs, I discovered that clinking sound you only get if you've discovered buried treasure... or another layer of rocks.

That took another day's work – between the rocks and finally getting rid of every living thing. My specialty.

In late July, we picked our new rock border and I couldn't install it. Jim and neighbor Mike did the bulk of it since each bottom layer brick was like 70 pounds and top "cap" bricks were each 50 some. Yikes.

After that was set – in August – I had to place the thick underlayment on top of the dirt so things wouldn't grow through it and we could layer white rock like our front "garden" area. Also, I had that fun time painting the new lattice to match the deck.

Two weekends ago, when I was gone to Madison to see my nephew ride horse, Jim surprised me and got the white rock and put it in place.

All it needed was something landscap-y added to it.

Today, thanks to a nearby supply at the neighbor's Pumpkin Shed, I got some fall decorations to draw attention to our beautiful project!

Lots of blood, sweat and tears. For real – between scrapes and bee stings – it was tough work.

Like they always say, though. No matter how long it took, it was worth it!

Sunset Signs

The sun has set on another busy week. Not sure why this always happens, but by Friday night, I am out of words. Ha.

Lucky you!

To recap the week, I'm down to one chiropractor appointment so my back is much improved from two weeks ago, thanks to adjustments, electro-therapy, a back brace and using a lacrosse ball to work out knots and tight muscles.

For fun this week, was able to take some pictures to help out the Assumption yearbook staff. As it turned out, shooting middle school volleyball was pretty cool since I knew a few girls on each team, after all. Forget they are growing up and in middle school now!

Mostly the week was filled with prayer requests. Sadly, a lot of people need healing thoughts.

Fortunately, I just have to look at my sunset snapshot from tonight and see that God is there for them.

He is here for all of us.

We're Gonna Postseason

Baseball is reassuring. It makes me feel as if the world is not going to blow up.
                                      ~Sharon Olds, This Sporting Life, 1987

For a majority of baseball fans, it's probably easy to jump right into the NFL football season come autumn. But for a select few, we get to hang onto our summer fan gear all the way into the golden month of October.

Not that I lost faith, but I cannot believe my team pulled off the impossible – well, improbable – and made the playoffs!

As of last night, the Minnesota Twins, yes the same team that lost 103 games in 2016, have secured a spot in the 2017 postseason. It's both exciting AND historical. A season after winning just 59 games, the Twins became the first team to lose at least 100 and then make the postseason the following year. Who's awesome now?

I need to hang onto this feeling of accomplishment for my boys while it lasts. Come Tuesday, we will likely play the stinkin' Yankees, who have booted us out of the playoffs more times than I want to count. And we only get one chance. Two Wildcard teams. One game. Winner moves on.

So for now, while you Packer fans are waiting for a lightning delay to conclude, I'll just sit back and relax and wait for my playoffs to start.

Go Twins! We're gonna win, Twins. We're gonna postseason.

Natural Distractions

I forgot to share my distractions in nature on Saturday when I was doing my senior photo shoot.

It's like we were going along, making progress when suddenly I brake and say, "Oh look, a butterfly!" or "Look at that mushroom!" and I stop to shoot it. With camera only.

So here is the monarch and the mushroom in all their glory...

Mr. Bee was trying to steal the spotlight.

This mushroom looked like the Elephant Ear I had at the fair.

But even deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, I would not eat this. Just not a fan.

Those were my natural distractions for the day. They work, don't they? Now you can't remember what you were doing online.

And I can't remember if I had something real to blog about.

Shooting the Messenger

Not that I'm against modern technology. And I wouldn't say it's against me. We're just not on the same level – at the same time, that is.

After successfully hooking up cable to my TV last night, I felt like rock star. I can do anything!

And I can.

But can my smart phone?

This afternoon at work, my phone suddenly pinged to notify me I had voicemail. That's weird, I thought. I didn't even hear it ring. Well here it was a voicemail from LAST Friday. Yes, just getting delivered today.

And it was an important message – for me anyway. Thankfully no one else on the other end needed me to get a message. I mean hubby could have had a flat tire or been stranded somewhere. Or College Boy could have needed money. Oh wait, that message always comes through!

I was upset about responding 4 days after the fact and hoped it wasn't too late to deal with what I needed to deal with. I don't want to say point blank that "Verizon stinks" because I suppose dropped calls, texts and messages could happen with any carrier.

But would it happen with a carrier pigeon? As far as I know, they only drop their poop.

Could be worth investigating if our cat agrees not to eat our "service plan."

Cutting the Cord

When our children are little, they rely on us. First we feed, clothe and bathe them. Plus wipe their hinders. Eventually they can wash themselves and take care of other personal hygiene – with nagging from Mom. Up until they turn 16, they need us for rides to important places like school or a friend's house (usually the latter).

At all ages, they need us for low-hanging fruit on our Money Tree in the backyard.

And what do we need kids for?

Besides having an easy target to pick on, we (or this mom anyway) need them for all these new-fangled high-tech gadgets and such.

I didn't want to be THAT mom but I had my reality check a few years ago when Carter had to show me how to answer my smart phone. I wasn't smart enough apparently. And I've needed him a few times since.

Tonight I had a new challenge. It's the new season for fall TV and I wanted to watch The Voice down in the basement so hubby could watch football or whatever he wanted from the comfort of his recliner in the living room.

Now I am not much of a TV watcher. Probably only watched 2 or 3 hours of non-sports TV since the season finale of This is Us last May. Seriously, I have too many other things going on so it's just not my thing. Until The Voice and This is Us are on. Then I'll watch.

Needless to say, I hadn't watched the basement TV in ages – especially during the summer when it was the "Man Cave." So when I turned it on and couldn't get "TV" I didn't know what to do. After checking out the cords in back, I saw College Boy went off to college and left mom's TV hooked up to some gaming system. Now what? How do I get cable? How can I watch The Voice??

After getting a flashlight and checking out the back of the TV I was able to pull the plug on the gaming system and found the red, white and yellow cable cords to take their place. By then, hubby just let me watch upstairs in my recliner anyway.

There's still something I gotta adjust on that TV downstairs – the color seems off – but maybe I'll just wait until College Boy comes home next month.

Not that I'm afraid to learn something new. I'm just not ready to completely cut the cord yet.

So That Was Hot

That about sums up the day. We spent most of the day down in Wisconsin Dells at the speedway watching our nephew Colin in a championship race. Good thing there was no butter nearby or we would have been popping like popcorn!

Was really, really warm. Well, I guess since it got up to 90 degrees, it was hot.

And here's my hot date!

Don't you dare tell him I took a picture of him! He won't take me to the races again this year.

Oh wait, they are pretty much done now. Colin was racing in the Tundra Series, which was 6 races at different tracks this summer. The wrap-up championship races were today. Colin was not quite in contention points-wise to win the overall championship but he did have enough points that he almost – this close – got the rookie of the year. Shoot.

He did well today, though. Fought his way up to 5th and just got passed with a few laps to go. Finishing 6th was not a bad way to conclude the season. He said he was hot and his car was not liking the heat either. I can only imagine! Uff da.

Got home and I had some work to do. That helped me finally quit sweating. Now it's 10 o'clock and I really need to shower before going to bed.

Or my hot date is over.

First Focal Point

Today was a big day for my girlfriend's daughter – and a big day for me, too. It was the first Senior Photo Shoot for both of us!

Have to admit I was a little nervous. It's pressure for such an important occasion. I wanted to do it right! Scoped out a few locations as recently as yesterday after work. Had it all mapped out and, due to the heat and humidity, we were off and running by mid-morning today.

Who would have thought scheduling it for Sept 23 would be the hottest day of the year? Well, close to it. And the humidity... wow.

But Emily was a trooper and sat and climbed and leaned and smiled whichever way I told her to. We were on a mission to not melt. Basically 5 locations in just over 2 hours. Not kidding.

Just like I did when Carter got his senior pictures taken, my friend Chris photographed the process – in case I need evidence of me "working" for my portfolio, she said. Ha! Up above I am taking some pictures at the Swiftwater ice cream place in Nekoosa. It has a really pretty wall mural that I thought would make a funky background.

It kind of worked. I would have loved a cloudy day, though. Bright sun makes for "hot spots" on the photos and subject matter that are hard to edit out. Photographers love clouds.

They also love ice cream! Too bad this is just a cardboard cutout. A girl can dream.

Our first location was their backyard so Emily could be pictured with her dog Max. Surprisingly, it took less than 10 minutes to get a perfect shot with him looking at me! Big sweetie! Then it was off to a few other secret spots.

I was going through my more than 300 frames after the fact and was going to pick out a few for Emily and her mom as a sneak peek. I ended up showing them 20-some! The Divine Miss Em was just so photogenic.

I don't expect all my subjects to do this for a photo but it's pretty stinkin' impressive! That's a dancer for ya!

After laying on bridges and wet grass and who knows what, we were both hot and a bit dirty by the time we were done. It was fun, though. I have some good ideas for the next time. Whenever that may be.

Now taking appointments for fun, photogenic, obedient subjects!

Welcome to H-autumn

Nothing like getting in a 98-degree car after a long day at work! Isn't that crazy for the first day of fall?

Actually the high was more like 90, I think, which, yeah, is still pretty hot. And it was humid, too! tomorrow I'll have time outside so at least I can experience it.

Did you know that 5 years ago on this day we had snow? Yes, at least in central Wisconsin. Several friends posted photos of that today on Facebook. Considering how we had the heat on last weekend, I can see how that would happen.

I couldn't recall the fall flakes and then realized we weren't here then. That was the week hubby and I were in New England grave hunting (for family tree stuff) and seeing what we could of Vermont, New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts (Boston, anyway). Awesome, awesome trip.

I also recall we had just beat the peak of fall color out there. This year, I have seen trees change dramatically around here and already lose leaves. Then there are the great many that haven't started. I think this weather is goofing it all up. Instead of denying that it is too soon to have fall colors, I better embrace it and enjoy it!

In the meantime...

That's me to a T. Pumpkin spice, everything nice and – this weekend anyway – don't forget the ice.

Parting Words for Summer

I'm not kidding when I say my brain has run out of words this week. I've had a big project at work and, well, after more than 100 pages of words from my brain, it's painful to even try.

So my parting words for summer are brief. One, for the photo shown above, I hate the fact that it is ending. Hours of daylight are shrinking little by little 'til suddenly, getting home after 7 p.m. means getting home after dark.

Hate it.

Ironically, while I don't think we reached 90 degrees once this summer, we might see it tomorrow... when it's officially fall!

We'll see. Today was supposed to be crazy hot, too, but instead we had some off and on rain and the sun didn't stay until afternoon. Either way, it seems like it will be very summer-like to help us transition to autumn. I will not complain about that.

Plus, if my work project wraps up on time tomorrow, I might even be able to enjoy summer's leftovers.

I'll take them any time, Mother Nature. Any time.

Rocking Like a Hurricane

We got quite the deluge in central Wisconsin this afternoon. As soon as I left work, it started lightning, thundering and raining hard. Very hard.

I didn't mind. The grass needs it. My car could definitely use a wash. I love the smell of rain. And, frankly, it's pretty pleasant compared to what my friends in the south and southeast have endured this fall.

Say what you will about crappy, cold Midwest weather, but it beats getting rocked like a hurricane. A friend of mine who lives in central Florida shared these photos recently to give us some perspective about what Hurricane Irma did and why Maria scares the poop out of them.

First the unbelievable wind... Can you imagine flying debris that can do this? Holy crap. That would be scary as heck. It's amazing a lot more people didn't die from fatal injuries. Thank you, tree, for taking the brunt of that punishment.

Of course, the wind (and flooding) did no favor to anyone as it blew things over that subsequently fell onto power lines, knocking out electricity for millions of people. Yes, millions.

Want to know how people come together? The Miami Zoo has been a staging area for utility trucks and teams from all over – not just the U.S., but even Canada. Wow.

And guess what these women are in line for? Not ice cream, that's for sure. They are waiting to take laundry from linemen so they have a bright spot in their day when they wear a clean uniform AND restore power.

It's a sad situation but certainly gives me hope for mankind. There are good, supportive, helpful, caring people out there. Everywhere. It's unfortunate it takes extreme conditions to bring some out of the woodwork.

But once they're out, maybe they'll stay.

September Born

When you think about how cold Januarys are in Wisconsin, it's no surprise that there are so many birthdays the 9th month of the year. Nearly half the people in my department at work have September birthdays! Needless to say, the Birthday Fairy has been working overtime.

I do my best to match the treat with the birthday boy or girl's taste. And if I don't know it, I just invent something in my trifle bowl or magic blue pan. No one complains.

Tomorrow's birthday girl likes apples. While it would have been nice to use local ones off a tree, I ended up buying pie filling to make my Caramel Apple Crisp. I am sure the "girl" won't mind. The rest is my mom's recipe. Plus, I found a bonus ingredient.

Did you know the chocolate-maker Ghirardelli now makes caramel-flavored chips? Found them by accident tonight. So I melted a cup of those and drizzled it over the top of the crisp when it got out of the oven. Now it really is a CARAMEL apple crisp!

If it tastes as good as it looks, we're in business.

Just need to remember to grab the Cool Whip and a mighty big spoon when I head out the door in the morning. Then that's a wrap for September treats.

For work, anyway.

Pavlov's Mom

If you took any kind of psych classes in high school or college, you know all about Pavlov's dog.

In 1927, Ivan Pavlov experimented with his dog on the subject of psychological training – specifically conditional stimuli and response. He found that when he rang a bell each time before he fed his dog, the dog no longer salivated in response to the food, but to the bell. So a conditional response is when you're trained to respond to something such as Pavlov's bell, as opposed to using simply your reflexes.

For me, my conditional response this summer was going to the nearest office window when I heard the sound of a lawnmower, usually on Mondays. That was the day Carter's landscaping company visited my workplace to mow grass, trim hedges and whack weeds. If I timed a walk break just right, I could see him.

Or I could hover by the window like a stalker and watch him on the big mower below.

I only got away with that once before he spotted me. I guess kids have Mom Radar like moms have eyes in the back of our head.

Today when I heard my "bell," I didn't jump up and go to the window. But it did prompt me to text College Boy and tell him I missed him. How can there only have been 2 weeks of school so far? Seems much longer.

A friend – and new empty-nester – asked me today if year 2 gets any easier. I said it does because we know what to expect... few trips home when they are far away and a general lack of texts and phone calls (unless money is needed, of course). It doesn't mean I like it any better than year 1, it just means we parents (well, mostly moms, I bet) have tempered our expectations.

What's different this year is that he isn't just a kid transitioning to adulthood. He's like a fellow adult now who shared occasional good conversations with me this summer. I miss that. And those countless hugs goodnight when he was sleeping under our roof for 3 months.

OK. Stop talking about that. Now I'll get a lump in my throat.

Why didn't Pavlov's dog tell me this was so ruff?

Sun Day of Rest

I am pretty sure the word "Sylvester" means "sun worshipper" in cat speak. While it was too hot to have the house "open" yesterday, today's high of 70 degrees meant the windows and screen door could once again let in the breeze and only slightly filtered sun.

Kitty was in heaven sitting in the front door frame while I slaved away in the kitchen baking cookies to ship to College Boy. She was a very good supervisor. Kept me on task.

Besides being able to turn on the oven, I was also grateful it wasn't too hot out today because then church might have been unbearable. Instead, I survived both reading scripture and singing with the choir this morning. It went well. May have to figure out how to move my legs a bit so I don't lock up my knees, but I seemed fairly distant from the thought the of fainting or anything. Whew.

After church, I baked the Monster Cookies and watch the Vikings get their butts handed to them. Then had a few little projects and I was good for the day. See, not every day is filled to the brim with madness!

Unless you count needing a small box to ship the cookies so meeting a friend in town at King Cone to get the box and pay her with cookies, too, as madness. Then delivering some cookies to Tony later and taking him to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. If you count that as lots of running around, you are right.

But worth it. And not just because of the food!

Now, while everyone else is watching some football game, I can lay in bed and read my Book Club book and get some sleep.

Not a complete day of rest, but we're working on it!

Short List Saturday

While my "To Do" list never ends, I only had one thing on my "Must Do" list today: Book Club.

So while hubby was off golfing with his friends, I started the day with Book Club with some of my friends. We met at From The Ground Up coffee shop and that meant a Pumpkin Spice Latte for me. Of course! It was a nice time chatting up a book and mainly catching up on each other's lives. Love this group of ladies! Bummer when we aren't able to get everyone there.

After club, I thought I'd get to my optional "To Do" list – the fun Saturday chores (actually on a Saturday for once), some freelance projects (all done) and some church stuff (mostly done).

I wanted to run through my choir music for tomorrow. We're doing one song but only had one practice so I wanted see if I could nail the alto part. Well here's the thing. I am not exactly a gifted or even non-gifted piano player. I was a killer organ player when I just had to read along with the "numbers" on the keys as a kid. Thankfully, Carter's Casio had some labels he put on there for lettered notes (not numbers, though).

So I had to add a few more visual cheat sheets. Don't knock it 'til you try it. I was able to muddle through the notes and the song and no neighborhood dogs were howling. So that's a win.

Rewarded myself with a little time with Mr. Deck Chair before taking a walk with my neighbor. It was glorious out today. Another summer-like day with 80-some degrees. Love it! Wouldn't have minded more time outside but I just had things to get done now that I was home for a day and was actually upright with considerably less back pain.

Tomorrow we go back to autumn with a high of 70. Thank goodness shaving my legs was not on my "Must Do" list today.

That would have been a waste of time.

TGIFF (Thank God It's Football Friday)

What a perfectly gorgeous Football Friday. Temps a sunny 80-something degrees and a little breeze. Perfectly pleasant sideline weather.

After work, I stopped at the school to see the Middle School Royals take on the Spencer-Marshfield Columbus combined team. Seeing these "little kids" run around AND run up the score brought back old memories of Carter playing in middle school. The size difference can vary a whole bunch from 6th grade to 8th grade.

This photo of one of the competitors sums it up. Many of the kids still have to grow into their helmets, it seems!

Did get some pretty nice photos since it was most sunny and I could stand by the sidelines and get right into the action. Tonight at the varsity game was a different story. Was much darker by 7:30 than it was just 2 weeks ago when I shot photos. Didn't even look at those yet. Am still bummed after a tough loss to Abbotsford. Will check those out this weekend but enjoy a few cool shots of my friends' sons in middle school...

Oh you knew I had to get artsy at some point!

The rest of the weekend should be nice football weather, golf weather, walking weather, do whatever you want weather. Enjoy!

Big Fair Weather Fan

I'm not just a fair-weather fan. I am a fan of fair weather!

Loving these summer-like temps that sneaked back into the forecast. I think today we might have gotten even warmer than 82 degrees here but I couldn't find the final high. Was able to take a walk break at work and get in a walk tonight.

The only downside is that if you look closely at the forecast you will see we are losing practically 2 minutes of daylight a day!

Tonight, my neighbor Cindy and I got out for a walk and needed a flashlight on the way back and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. Dang. That's the part I don't like about the late summer transition to fall.

That and those pesky allergies that are just my nemesis this year. If I could possibly just address one ailment at a time, my body would appreciate it. Thanks.

Still, I have it 100 times better than so many who have no reason to enjoy the weather – as it has spawned these terrible storms in humid areas and fires in dry areas. Uff da. I'll take a nice summer-like September day with a stuffed nosed over any of that.

Big fan.

Preaching to the Choir

Despite all my "Chiro Practice" visits this week, I did go to actual Choir Practice tonight, too!

Yup, I decided it is never too late to try something new. Well, old but new now. I loved high school choir. I had actually planned to join our church choir back when Carter was finishing up confirmation but that was about the same time my panic disorder revealed itself. I decided anxiety and warm choir robes don't mix. So I pushed the idea to the back of my mind.

Not that I am cured now. But I am going into this with the mindset that if I can survive the first performance, I will stick with it. Well I had no idea we already are singing this Sunday!!

Guess I better remember how to plunk out a tune on the organ so I can learn my part. There were no tryouts required and I got a round of applause just for showing up. They don't know if I can sing or read music or do the harmonizing alto part, but they didn't care. They were happy to have me and I felt very welcome.

And yes, it does ease my anxiety a bit when I realize I know 90% of the members. So that's cool. And there is some serious talent I can listen and learn from. I can still read music. Am just a little rusty.

Of course, hubby – the former high school show choir star – probably doesn't realize how much I enjoyed singing then and now. So just substitute Jim for Joe in this and you'll get the picture.

I suppose it does no good that we can hook up earphones to the Casio. That only blocks out the sound of the organ, not me.

Pray for us.

Mildly Shocking

First, I should be clear that the title "Mildly Shocking" has nothing to do with the Vikings' win last night. That was actually overwhelmingly pleasing. I could physically get up and do a happy dance either or my chiropractor would have grounded me.

I already am sort of grounded this week.

With the pain level high enough I couldn't do much of anything yesterday morning, I got into the chiropractor and begged her to try anything and everything to relieve it. Be careful what you wish for.

She started with some typical adjusting, following by extra cracking and a stretcher technique that envied torture chambers in movies. Then she said, "OK, we're going to try some electro-therapy." What?

In my head, I pictured getting hooked up like Doc Brown from Back the Future and zapped as needed. That's kind of what it is but not painful. Thankfully, shock therapy does not enter into this at all. Patches that contain electrodes were placed on my back and a device that produces a current was switched on to send electrical impulses to my muscles. Apparently, according to my chiro, that sends some signal of distress to my brain, causing it to send out endorphins so I feel better. I was like, "Doesn't my brain know I am in pain already? I have certainly been telling it enough."

It was a weird 13-minute sensation but I felt a tad better afterward. Until they mentioned the next device. "We need you to try on a back brace."

Again, I picture the worst – a contrapment like Joan Cusack's character in Sixteen Candles. Maybe I should stop watching movies. Actually since I just referenced two movies from the '80s, it appears I have!

So the brace is a big ol' Velcro thing that could probably double as a girdle. Winning. I only have to where it as needed but it helps keeps me in line (physically anyway) while I heal.

Apparently the combination of all of Monday's treatments did some good. I was able to bend over and tie my shoes this morning without using Lamaze breathing techniques to get through the pain. When I got to the chiropractor's later this morning, I wanted say, "Look, I tied my own shoes!" like a proud kindergartner. (OK, yes I did say it.)

Had a repeat of all the mildly shocking fun today and we're on for the same tomorrow morning.

I wish I knew exactly what triggered it but I have a feeling it was a combination of "I can lift this," "I can run this," "Bring on the stress," and more. Guess I need to make smarter decisions from here on out and act my age.

Now that would be shocking.

Love Your Neighbors

Sunday was the “God’s work. Our hands.” service day at our church. This was the second year First English Lutheran participated in the national event, which serves as an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.

We had a brief 8 a.m. service then, outfitted in our matching mustard-yellow shirts, split off into work teams to do good for our neighbors.

Service work offers an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. As a congregation, we examined the many needs and determined what we could do to help make our community a better place.

All totaled, we had nearly 100 volunteers who did projects at a nursing home, elementary school, handicapped-accessible playground, Boys and Girls Club, the humane society, and The Family Center (domestic abuse shelter). We also had volunteers stay at church to tie fleece blankets for emergency personnel and The Family Center, assemble hygiene kits for Lutheran World Relief, and make lunch to feed us hard workers.

This year, I was with the crew at The Family Center. The projects were pretty basic – moving shelves and other items and scraping paint and re-painting signs. I was the paint stripper scraper person and two little girls and another mom painted while singing everything from Jesus Loves Me to Jingle Bells. Hey, we had to find songs we ALL knew!

Most interesting to me was seeing what they do and hearing about so many of the services I did not realize they do. In a nutshell, The Family Center, guided by survivor voices, works through  education and  community involvement  to eliminate violence and provide safety for all people victimized by abuse.

I knew their primary responsibility is to provide safe shelter 24/7 for people who are in crisis as a result of domestic violence. But I didn't realize they also offered support groups and provided advocacy services for any men, women, and children who are dealing with current and/or past abusive experiences.

I have donated clothes and food there and now realize that any of those clients – not just the temporary residents – can take advantage of the free items and the food pantry. The center partners with other agencies, such as the South Wood County Emergency Food Pantry, to be sure The Family Center has enough of certain foods on hand for those clients.

Did you know they also accept quality leftovers? Yup. If you host a big party for graduation or a shower or birthday and you have a lot of food left over, you can call and see if they want it. They said they most recently benefited from dozens of buns left over from the city Labor Day picnic and the gift of a ton of homemade soup they could divide into bags and freeze. They even got a whole pan of fried chicken recently that they could serve immediately to the residents.

I had no idea. I usually drop off my free frozen turkey from work at Thanksgiving, but now I will keep this in mind. And, of course, as I promised the director, I am spreading the word!

It was great to meet together for lunch afterward to see how our "little" projects could have a big impact on lives in our community.

That really is our hands doing God's work.

Super-Sized Schedule

I don't know if I could have squeezed any more on my plate yesterday, but what I had was really good.

Got up at 4:30 a.m. to hit the road to Madison for a horse show of sorts. The only good thing about getting up that early is the sunrise. Fog did not affect driving but it sure helped the photo during a pit stop.

I arrived at the Alliant Energy Center for the North Central Western Working Horses Celebration (or WWC) at 6:57 a.m. and hoped I didn't miss my nephew Zach perform, since that was supposed to start at 7 a.m. Well he was still sleeping when I got there!!

To make a long story short, they squeezed in another event before Zach's reining event so I could have slept 2 more hours. He didn't get riding 'til after 10 a.m.

The good news is that that meant I could go to the building next door and see my friend Colleen's daughter Elsa perform. She was there the Ponies of America segment of the WWC. I know it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it? I'll be wearing a cowboy hat the next time you see me!

It was fun watching Elsa perform with her horse Lena. She was all dressed up and had make-up on like a "big girl." And of course, a very sparkly outfit. Took quite a few pictures of her since I had the time!

Scoping out the competition.

All smiles after getting a 5th-place medal. Not bad considering she was the youngest for that event and age category. What a cutie.

Made it back next door in plenty of time to see both Zach and his best man and best friend Ben perform. I don't really get what "reining" is. It's sort of going fast around circles and then going fast straight and making a sudden stop. Zach and Ben just laughed and said, yeah, something like that.

While the lighting was awful, I still got some decent shots. Here's a just a few of Zach in action... proving my "cowboy nephew" really is a cowboy!

Pretty cool, huh? After that I raced home so I could get home by 3 p.m., about the time my sister Rayna and her husband Paul were set to arrive. They had been in the Milwaukee area for a few days, checking out the sights and such, and swung through Rapids on their way back up north to Hudson.

Went downtown by the river to eat dinner at Jennings & Co. Had to pick a restaurant we haven't been to with them before!

Yummy food and nice visit. From there, they hit the road and we came home.

We were thinking of going out since we can do that now. Ha. But I begged off. Wanted to at least look through a few photos. Plus, despite a few trips to the chiro last week, my back is not exactly in great shape yet.

Maybe if I could squeeze in a day of rest, eh? Sunday (today) was... not it.

Had 8 a.m. church and then we went off with teams to do work projects for God's Work, Our Hands day. More on that tomorrow. My fingers are taking the evening off.