Seasonal Defective Disorder

After surviving Saturday night's ice storm (a.k.a. Another of Mother Nature's Mood Swings) and being able to sing in church choir, it seemed like Sunday would be fine. But "she" just couldn't let things go.

We were able to hold an enjoyable Book Club and meal at El Mezcal last night. But as soon as we exited, the snow was coming down. And by the time I was on the home stretch, it was that fun Millennium Falcon-warp speed view. 

Not a fan.

I did get home safely but forgot how snow falls silently while we sleep.

When I woke up this morning, I thought "Yay, tomorrow is April 1st and TriCity Golf Course opens!" I mean, I have been counting down. But this view out the front squashed my dreams. 

So now I think the TBD opening date should mean "Take Bad weather Down!"

If only we had the power, right? The encouraging thing is that when I took a walk after work with my golf partner the snow was rapidly melting away. And based on the forecast – which I never know when to trust – temps will be well above freezing the rest of the week.

Not sure if there will be golf, but perhaps spring sports in the form of baseball and softball will make their debut! 

Get over you seasonal defective disorder, Mother Nature! Remember how good sunshine and warm temperatures feel!

In the Blink of an Eye

Pardon any photos that might be too graphic. A year ago today my sister Rachel was on her way to Easter weekend services at church in Minnesota when an approaching car crossed the center line and hit her head-on. 

When fire department personnel and paramedics arrived, it took an hour for them to extract her and her passenger (friend Brian) with the hopes that at least one of them – hopefully both – would survive. Honestly, it was touch and go. The med flight from the accident scene to the Twin Cities included some emergency blood transfusions just to keep Rach alive.

Brian had a fractured pelvis and a shorter, but still painful, hospitalization and recovery. For my sister, there were literally months of time in the ICU at Regions Hospital where we all took turns visiting – and you, my prayer warriors, were with me on those journeys. Thank you!

Three months after the accident, Rachel could finally return home. But it was during that time that my mom had her own home accident and ended up in a nursing home, then hospital, then passed away. We waited until Rachel was able to attend a funeral – months later – and that's where that top photo is from. All of us together – and our wardrobes giving a nod to Mom's love of flowers.

Today, Rachel is not out of the woods. She's fighting an infection from some of her new internal hardware. And, once that's clear, needs to have major surgery on that left leg that didn't heal at the correct angle.

What I've learned from this is that we can never take even the tiniest of moment of our lives for granted. Never take your family, your friends, your job, your health, your home, the air you breathe for granted. Life can change in the blink of an eye!

I also learned that when I reach out to friends and family – even strangers, there is an army of prayer warriors just waiting to support us, whether they've met my sister or not.

We so appreciate all of you for not only praying during the immediate crisis, but continually asking "How is your sister?" It means the world to all of us. And God is definitely listening. 

In turn, I pray none of you have to go through anything remotely as stressful and painful as this. Treasure each minute of each day!

The Calm Before the Alleged Storm

I love purple – but not when it indicates we could be in for a nasty wake-up call tomorrow. We're right on the bottom of the Ice Storm Warning and close to the milder Winter Weather Advisory. There's a chance the storm won't follow the boxy county lines, so I'm holding out home.

Still, we made sure our dinner plans started early enough in case it started this evening.

Since one of Jim's classmates lives over in the Fox Valley area and the rest of us are in Rapids, we decided to meet halfway at Simpson's in Waupaca. Five people in this photo are from the Assumption Class of '81. I still marvel at how close hubby is with classmates after all these years. So not my post-high school experience.

We had a good meal and great conversations. When you can linger over a meal for more than 2 hours, that's good stuff! A fun group! 

And as a bonus, the skies stayed clear our 45-minute drive home. 

We'll see what happens while we're sleeping. I'm supposed to sing in church choir tomorrow – coincidentally the same song we were supposed to sing on Ash Wednesday when that service got stormed out. Honest, Lord, we sound good. Let us sing it already!

Whatever happens, be careful out there! And remember – it's not the worst thing to be home-bound during March Madness! 

 

How Great Thou Aunt

The best part about being an auntie is that you get to watch your little nieces and nephews grow up – then they have littles of their own and you get to watch it again!

Was excited to learn a few weeks ago that my nephew Travis and his family were going to be in my neck of the woods today on their way south. Not many family members come through here, that's for sure. So it was a treat. Of course I was happy to see Travis and Michelle but my great-nieces Kenlee and Khloe (above) kind of steal my heart! 💖

Since they were spending the night in nearby Plover, I thought I'd treat them to some time at our friends' store – Feltz's Dairy Store – where they can see cows through the store window and do some fun farm-like activities.

Since 2-year-old Khloe just learned to sing Old MacDonald, she was thrilled that was what was playing on the little merry-go-round. She bravely held onto Jake the cow so she could do actions while singing!

And Kenlee fed the bigger cow that they could also pretend to milk!

And then there was Buttercup, the biggest cow. A must-see must-photo opportunity. It burned off a little energy after their long drive anyway. If you haven't checked this place out, do so. Once school lets out, they also have a fun outdoor play area opening up. Shop local – entertain yourself locally.

From there we hopped over to Chili's since we figured they'd have something for every aged appetite! Good food. Good visit. And good reminder I better get in shape if we ever ever have grandchildren. I couldn't keep up. And this was in a restaurant! Ha.

Loved every minute of it. Seeing the grown-up dad version of the kiddo I saw the day he was born also melts my heart.

Treasure family time. Always!

Inching Toward Real Spring

I feel bad for the robins and other birds who thought it was spring a few weeks ago. After the lovely snow and ice storms, I was relieved to see a survivor in our yard tonight. Have they not learned their lesson that April is the earliest month to return – and May is even safer?

The human side of me was just thrilled that we were inching closer to 60 degrees. My friend Marigene and I took a walk after I got home from work and I even wore short sleeves. The madness!

But since I knew tomorrow was going to be a hair warmer, I took my car to a "manual" car wash so I could hang my car mats and give them a good power wash. So much salt on my driver mat. And so nice to get rid of that. 

For now.

I mean you never know in Wisconsin. And there could be rain on Saturday – or ice. It's too soon to tell. But for $3, I can handle re-doing today's wash and vacuum again! 

My preference, however, would be to keep inching toward real spring – and stay there!

Cowboy Up

If there's one thing I've learned from my cowboy nephew Zach it's to "get after it!" – whatever "it" may be.

Because he does just that and creates his own opportunities in life, he and his wife are in New Zealand this week, where he's conducting a "Cowhorse Clinic," going a hunt of some sort, and enjoying the gorgeous Down Under scenery with his wife.

I'd be 100% jealous if I hadn't had my own opportunity to "Cowboy Up" today.

OK. I admit it's a complete stretch. But I did get to try out some cowboy gear at work today while we prepped for a video shoot related to a Wild West sales trip for some top employees. I say, if you can't have the fun, you gotta invent it. 

Side note: I just happened to be wearing clothes today that would match any Western gear, hat, or lasso. Yay me! (Or is it Yee-Haw!?")

My advice: If life gets boring, play "dress up" and create your own fun! You might find your own cowboy swagger as a result!

The First Birthday Without You

This is the first time in my entire life that I could not wish my mom "Happy Birthday" via phone, card, or in person. It hurts.  

When we celebrated her birthday last year and she was smiling and enjoying her cake, we had no idea this was her last birthday. Never take your parents for granted!

And of course, just like 3 days before she died in May, she was a card-playing wizard!

Her youngest grandson happened to beat her that day, yet she still smiled because anytime with children and grandchildren was so treasured.

Of course I am crying as I type this because we just never know when it's the last time we are all "normal." We could never have predicted that the next weekend – Easter – would include a head-on collision that nearly claimed my sister's life and that a few weeks later my mom would fall and that signaled enough problems to end her life.

I appreciate that Mom can finally celebrate a birthday in heaven with Dad. But knowing how her birthday was the beginning of the end is a tough pill to swallow. 

Don't feel bad for me. I just ask that if you have one or two parents still alive that you treasure them!

White as Snow

Not to  be confused with the Disney live action movie (failed version) of Snow White, I literally have seen snow white (er, white as snow) 2 weeks in a row now.

After visiting my back cracker after work today, I stopped my car on the way home for 3 brown deer crossing the road. Then Mr. White Deer, the second I've seen in 2 weeks, starts to cross then turns around and bolts into the woods. Both me and the driver in the opposite lane stopped to watch. For some reason, we figure it's bad enough to hit a normal deer, but super bad luck to hit a white one.

Not sure there's any proof behind that thought. But I know from experience, every car versus deer collision is painful to the car, the passengers, and the pocketbook.

I'm glad it ventured just a bit into the road because when it changed directions, it was using that white snow as a camouflage!

Speaking of snow... Apparently official reports put our community at just 2 inches of the slushy stuff on top of the layer of ice. Our street never did get plowed during the night or today. I guess they were relying on Mr. Sun to melt it away. 

Not quite.

When I left for the chiropractor at 4:15 p.m., there was still some unkind slushy ice piles dragging against my low-rider vehicle. I don't mean it's  a cool low-rider, it's just closer to the ground than hubby's truck.

Hope you all were able to enjoy some white or interesting winter scenery today!

Deja No Thank You

Since the winter storm came through on Wednesday, we had choir practice at 8:15 a.m. today before church. Little did I realize we'd have the same weather exiting church today. Mr. Deck Chair was not a fan.

Yup, all day on and off again snow and sleet. With a mix of a ton of NCAA hoops on TV. 

Later in the day, I finally decided to watch a movie on Netflix that I'd read the book on. It Ends With Us was not fun to watch but it did match the disturbing storylines of the book. I guess that means I'll have to turn my attention to a different book tonight. 

Hope you all stayed safe traveling today. Please continue to wish for spring!

Spicing Up Our Saturday

You're never too old to try something new. Sometimes your only regret is that you didn't try it sooner. After tonight's delicious dinner, hubby and are definitely wishing we'd tried Korean food sooner.

We finally got to celebrate son No. 1's birthday. He had some car issues during his actual birthday weekend 2 weeks ago, but Casey and Emily it over from the cities this weekend. Clay and Becca recommended we all go up to Stevens Point and try one of their favorite places – BroKogi Korean Fusion Restaurant.

According to USA Today's 2025 Restaurants of the Year list, this little restaurant (which started out as a food truck just a few years ago) is one of the top 44 places to eat in the entire country.

We could see why.

My dish above was the Spicy Sweet Gangjeong (fancy for boneless chicken). I got to choose my spice level from 1 to 5. I love spicy but I went with a 3 level to be safe. It was super tasty. Jim got the Jobchae. Both boys managed to eat their meals with chopsticks! We gotta get out more!

Anyway, it was so great to have at least 75% of our little clan together. And now that our Rapids contingent knows the is restaurant is within eyesight of my work, there may be to-go orders on the way home in my future.

Looking forward to returning. So many other dishes I'd like to try. 

Including their larger than life cheesy Korn Dog. Emily gave it two thumbs up! And Casey had to help her finish it. It was ginormous.

So tomorrow starts a new week. Make a goal to try one new thing. You might like it!

TGIMM (Thank God It's March Madness)

 

Of course I filled out a bracket at work. No cost so it's not illegal. We just have some interesting "traveling trophies."

Do I even know what I am doing? No. Does the competitive me still hope to win? Of course.

But I just pick a random upset here or there and see if it pans out – after no more than 3 seconds of picking each winner. Today Memphis lost and I had them set to win 2 more games. So I logged off and started my weekend pity party early.

And by party I mean taking a 2-mile walk with a friend and watching a few more episodes of The Crown while Jim works his church fish fry. I will watch Marquette tonight to support Wisconsin. But don't judge me if it's on mute and I am listening to an audio book.

March Madness means different things to different people. Good luck!

First Day of Spring or Something

Happy first day of Spring! Or something. I mean we were eventually above freezing today, it didn't completely erase the "winter hangover" that occurred last night. 

To start the day, my commute was atrocious. Lots of icy, slippery spot but the sunrise made it seem beautiful.

After work, when I needed to get some steps, I realized there was still some icy messiness.

And also realized many neighbors got their dogs out for walks and the dogs probably loved it!

While I got my post-work steps, I also noticed the "frosted flakes" looking hay bales.

And the neighborhood kiddos making a snowman. Thank goodness I took this picture early since there was a Packers hat on him later!

Just. a few proofs of icicles last night that hung today!

And the big snow/ice chunks that ended up in the streets in town. I'm not blaming my "townie" friends but keep in mind low vehicles like mine can't handle that . 

Probably logical for what we call Spring in central Wisconsin! Be careful out there!

Spring Eve?

I don't know about you, but my calendar says that the first day of spring is Thursday, March 20. Uhm... that's tomorrow! Today, though, looks like this in central Wisconsin.

I drove to Stevens Point for work knowing that the Winter Storm Warning wasn't in effect until 1 p.m. Figured I'd work in the office and drive home at lunch. I guess the weather dudes were a little off schedule because I drove home at noon and it was flakes the size of quarters and quite the sh...shlush show on the roads.

Took me 50 minutes to drive my 30-minute commute.

But I'm not the only disgruntled one on Blue Jay Drive.

After grabbing some quality time with Mr. Deck Chair last week, he's pretty ticked off. I hear you, my friend!

Since today is Wednesday, I did venture out to bring bars to our soup supper before Lenten services and choir practice at church. Only to realize that was canceled tonight.

By then, visibility was even worse and the roads atrocious. So, as my baby advised me, tonight will be a good night for Hallmark. I hear you as well, my child! 

Hubby has his 37th annual March Madness "draft" party so I wish him safe travels home later. Hopefully plows get out. I might tackle a little shoveling later. But I like the idea of a good Christmas movie (I'm still behind) to set the mood!

Be careful out there!

Scenic Drive.... to Work

After working from home on Mondays – when I can set my alarm for 7:25 to be at my "desk" at 7:30 – Tuesdays are hard. Since the time change, it's now dark again when that 6:20 a.m. alarm goes off. But there are payoffs.

Exiting our cul-de-sac this morning I was greeted by a glorious sunrise. I guess 7 a.m. is perfect timing. I'll take it!

Then, a few miles down the road, I stopped for a white deer (I can't assume it's an "albino") about to cross the road. Of course, there was a car on my butt, so I couldn't stop for an actual in-focus photo, but it was cool to see. For you locals, this was on 80th Street just a bit before the railroad tracks and Highway 54. First time I've seen one there.

After that it was a pretty boring day. Work was filled with meetings so a fast day. There might be a pretty sunset happening now but I gotta catch up on some of my shows during my brief "off season." And check the forecast regarding some stupid winter weather tomorrow. That's my least favorite version of March Madness!

Be careful out there!

What are the Odds?

The phrase Sunday-Fun Day has lots of meaning. Basically, if you're winning at BINGO, it's fun!

If not.... well...

Since our (Assumption's) progressive BINGO jackpot was well over $5,000 yesterday, I got there about noon to stand in line. A line that stretched a LONG ways down the hall. All I can say is that my "BINGO besties" saved a spot for me so it was all good.

I even brought a new "good luck' charm – my foxy spirit animal. Which a lot of veteran BINGO-ers do! 

All I can say is the 8 of us "regulars" sitting together were close to that $7,700 jackpot. But did not have any "cover all" success. Three people I do not know ended up splitting it!

Dang.

It was almost pleasant just having a normal, non-melodramatic work-from-home day today. I didn't even have any meetings to show off my St. Patty's Day green! I might have to wear it into the office tomorrow. I hate to waste any blarney or shamrock vibes!

P.S. I am 100% Scandi-hoovian, but my hubby and sons are a wee bit Irish, so I'm entitled to wear a wee bit of green once in a great while!

Golden Girls

I'll begin with how it ends. Spoiler alert: Our Lady Royals brought home the gold ball today!!

And it didn't come easy.

This is the 6th time we've battled Barneveld in the Division 5 championship game. Four of those were every year Carter was in high school when his classmates brought home two golds and two silvers. Always tough competition.

And today was a nail biter. We were behind and then kept it close to a 2- to 4-point margin most of the game. No one was grabbing complete control of the lead. It came down to our girls making some must-make free throws in the final seconds to put us up by 4. And our low-scoring victory was 34-30.

We'll take it! 

So proud of these girls – especially the 4 seniors who played at state as freshman. They worked hard for this and deserve it!

Now, after editing and uploading 425 photos in the past 2 days, this photographer is going to bed and relaxing for 20 days until that first softball game!

TGIF Victory!

What a great day off! Except for the very early alarm, that is. Our friends Craig and Sara got to our house at 6 a.m. and the four of us headed to Green Bay for the girls state basketball tournament. Since we made good time, we had to stall awhile before entering the Resch Center. 

But (spoiler alert) every minute was worth it in the end.

Our Lady Royals were ranked No. 1 out of the 4 state Division 5 teams but really, we are still battling one of the top 4 teams in the state. So I was very conservative with my confidence. And it was a slow start before both teams started scoring. It took quite a while for our girls to get past nerves or whatever and start taking control.

With my "school photographer" pass I had the honor of sitting courtside on a hard floor (since when do I sit for a half hour at a time in the criss cross applesause stature?) I was glad to successfully rise to my feet after the first half. Not kidding. But my second half location had several friends saying they saw my on TV (above). All I can say is the camera adds 20 pounds.

It was an exciting game, though, and our feisty girls did what they always do and even set the record for most steals in a tournament game – across any division.

So awesome! Hope they can carry that momentum into Saturday when we face Barneveld – the team we faced all 4 years of Carter's high school years. Both teams ended up with 2 gold balls and 2 silver balls. Quite the long-standing rivalry.

We did get back in time to enjoy a nearly record-setting  Friday in central Wisconsin. The weather will dip a bit tomorrow, but I hope we can still latch onto some records at the championship game. Go Royals!

Battling Bankruptcy

I sometimes wonder how a store I feel that I often single-handedly keep in business can go out of business. But for whatever reason, I couldn't save JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, who I just call JoAnn's.

There was a point in time when I learned to crochet just a few short years ago that I noticed Michael's (for you non-crafters – the other craft big box) was reducing their yarn selection. So I hopped on over to JoAnn's and was thrilled they had a good selection for my 8 out of 10 projects baby blankets.

I saw the news about many JoAnn's locations were closing and then the subsequent announcement that ALL were. My notification about the "everything up to 40% off" came on a Sunday. So I thought I was safe going on Tuesday when I was in the office and in the "not making a special trip to JoAnn's" radius.

I was a bit too late.

First of all, I noticed the yarn was only 25% off, not nearly close to 40%. Secondly, I was greeted by a lot of empty yarn bins (pictured above). My typical baby blanket yarn colors were out of stock. But I did find a few skeins to make a fun blanket for someone in the future.

I can't be too sad since there is a local spot in Stevens Point called Herrschners, who much to my marketing mind's delight now has a yarn sale. Will this be my pot of gold yarn on St. Patrick's Day? I'll let you know.

For you non-central Wisconsin folks: Where do you get your yarn??

Bear With Me

I think I'm in spring fight mode as we experience 50-plus temperatures to give us a feeling of spring. And knowing that it's short-lived. Bear with me and my short-term patience. I Still I gotta love the colors of spring...

Not your normal spring "green" but this still illustrates that the sun is out!

The other interesting object up above is that the sun and moon boys gave us a close and full view the last few days. I'm not sure that the planet vibes mesh with my beliefs, but it points me to some hopefully great success vibes [including lottery or BINGOP winnings].

Maybe I won't let the colorful view get to me. But I am definitely hooked on the spring weather that allows me to dream about a tee time and potential bonding time with Mr. Deck Chair. Just bear with me when I have to a jacket back on in a few days!

Fake or Imitation - I Don't Care

In central Wisconsin today, we saw what we love about spring. That perfect temperature where you can take a 2-mile walk after work in short sleeves! And still not quite break a sweat. Yes! So perfect.

Will it last? Heck no!

But we did set at record temperature for Wisconsin Rapids today and I took advantage of it! 

I had too much work to do to get a break at lunch in order to reacquaint myself with my old friend Mr. Deck Chair. But he's ready and waiting for me when the opportunity arises. We just need Mother Nature to cooperate.

I know. Such an LOL. We can't trust her enough to know if it's a really fake spring or just an imitation of what's to come. But based on today, I'd take either.

And based on the very extended forecast, there'll be some ups and downs. But mostly 100% "manageable weather" in Wisconsin.

Hope you found a moment to soak up the sun and warmth today! It's good for the soul, isn't it?

Springing into Almost Spring

When you adjust (sort of) to Daylight Saving Time, you realize how much we're all going to be tired for days. And that there are a few other things we need to adjust to.

The "after church" crowd was insane at the car wash. I mean, there's been 3 mild days and NOW you have to get in line to cleanse yourselves?! Since I had nothing better to do after a store run, it didn't rankle me as much as it might others.

Got home (with my clean car) in time to go for a very-spring-like walk with my neighbor (and golf partner) Marigene. While avoiding puddles and nearly-melted ice patches on the road, we definitely talked about GOLF! Especially since "our" course opens in just 3+ weeks!

Frankly, after that, I was just ready to chill out (any way I could) and ease into the week.

Tell me if you have something better in mind!

The Attempts to Be the Best

I can't even imagine the pressure a teenager feels during sports playoffs and the ultimate participation if they're among the best in state.

Today, my friend's daughter was the only Wisconsin Rapids girl to compete at state for her school – as a freshman – at state gymnastics. She looked young (and confident) during the walk-in parade of athletes but I knew her talent shouldn't be underestimated.

There was one tiny slip on her uneven bars routine that dropped her final score and I felt so bad for Elsa. A split-second can change the final score so fast! Same with the beam. 

Her reaction to that score sums up the day. I hope these young people (who don't care what adults say) realize that they are and were competing as one of the best in the state of Wisconsin.

After gymnastics, I had another playoff (to state) situation with our Lady Royals.

Jim and I headed to Waupaca (the neutral site) for the Sectional Final between Assumption and Sevastopol (which is over in Door County – I didn't know either). It was a nerve-wracking game, which I call any game we don't jump out to a 20-point lead by halftime. But we did actually get things moving and grooving in the second half so there was something to celebrate in the end.

Yup! The Lady Royals are headed to state!! Whoo-hoo! I know I have better celebration photos but we just got home and I am just starting that editing process now. Know that there was much excitement – especially among our 4 seniors who never want that "last" game.

And just like Elsa earlier today.... no matter how they do at state, I hope they remember they're now one of the top teams in the state for the 2024-2025 basketball season!

What a day! I see a very boring Sunday in my future. OMG and I just remembered we have to change our clocks! Spring ahead then set your alarm.