T-Shirt Tour Resumes

When my work from home 6-week stint began, I thought I'd be sharing a different T-shirt every day. But it got hot and life was mostly about tank tops.

This morning I was wearing a coveted tank top from Twins Spring Training a few years ago in Florida. But by the time I was rounding home from the neighborhood loop I was getting rained on!

So I had to put that shirt on a "drying rack" and grab a "new" t-shirt.

Today's shirt is courtesy of a really fun concert featuring Here Come The Mummies. Look them up! 

Back in the days when hubby and I commuted to work in Iola, nearly an hour drive, we listened to the Bob and Tom Show on the radio in the mornings. Their often close to R-rated programming format is showcasing lots of comedians and bands that also could pass as comic relief. 

That's when we first heard Here Come The Mummies. We immediately liked and were entertained by this eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000-year-old Egyptian mummies with a one-track mind. 

So when I got tickets a year ago, it was great to see and hear them in person. I completely forgot about the T-shirt until I made a concerted effort to seek a new shirt each day. First time wearing it! I'm starting to wonder why we even buy shirts for events it we don't wear them. But then, I'd probably need to purge a lot!

What's your favorite concert (or Broadway musical) T-shirt??

It's All Relative

It was a weekend on the road seeing family and cousins on both Dad's and Mom's sides of the family tree.

Not all smiles and laughs, but we still found occasion to sneak in a little of each. And hugs. Lots of hugs.

Saturday we headed to the Twin Cities for a celebration of life for my late cousin Dan't son Andrew, who died at age 34 in a motorcycle accident. He served 10 years in the Navy and has two children. Yesterday would've been his 35th birthday.

So tragic!

For context, my dad's brother Ray was Andrew's grandpa. So we had a few Hedberg cousins there obviously for support and sharing. The two love ladies seated are 2 of our 3 remaining aunts. That's all that's left of the OG Hedbergs.

So we treasure any and all time together.

Naturally, since we were in the Metro, we made plans to connect with COOL son No. 1 for COOL treats on such a hot day!

Casey met us at a little ice cream and burger joint called Dream Creamery on Minneapolis' north side.

My kind of place!

We all had ice cream and their homemade Scotcheroo was delightful!

After an all-too brief visit, we headed north to Luck, where we stayed the night at my sister Rachel's place.

Today was my mom's side of the family to get attention. Jim and I met my cousins Laryn and Lydell for a 7:10 a.m. tee time at the Frederic Golf Course just north of Luck.

Early but that was fun. We somehow managed to get 18 holes in by 11 a.m.! That gave us time to get back to Luck to Rachel's and pick her and our potluck food items up and get to Siren for the Johnson family reunion.

This year, in Mom's absence 💔, my siblings and I were the hosts. I sent most of my stuff ahead so it could be there for setup while only 4 of us took part in the morning golf outing. It's a great thing to pair with the reunion!

It was one of our biggest turn-outs (over 50 people) but was due in part that it was combined with a celebration of life (yes 2 in 2 days) for my mom's cousin's son Lamar.

By strange coincidence, two of our high school classmates were there. I say "strange" because last night was our Luck Class of something a long time ago reunion and Raylene and I didn't make it.

So we took a "mini class reunion" picture of our own. Rhonda (left) was there because she's related to Lamar on the non-Johnson side. And Jordan married our cousin so we see him more often than he'd probably like. Ha.

After reunion cleanup, Jim and I got Rachel home and were on the road around 3:30 p.m. Traffic was strangely light compared to Saturday's commute to the Cities. And we were OK with that.

Side note: Temps were warm but tolerable. And same with the air quality – not too bothersome. Thank goodness or some of my family/cousins might not have ventured out.

Hope you all enjoyed a good, safe weekend too!

CR Withdrawals

OK now the wildfire smoke is impacting my new "work from home" routines. Yesterday, due to air quality concerns, they canceled our downtown farmers market. Today, citing the same concerns, they canceled the big one south of here in the town of Rome.

What does this mean?

No crab rangoon for me!

It's become a new random summer staple for me. And yes, I know, I am weird. But they're so good! The ones in Rome were top of the line – but I can't recall the vendor. My bad. I think LK Cuisine or something like that.

The good news is that the air is clearing a bit. And oh, while looking for an image, I found a recipe link for a crab rangoon dip! Say what?

I might change out a few things, but this is something future Robyn is going to tackle. Here's the link if you want to check it out: https://www.thegraciouswife.com/crab-rangoon-dip-recipe/

I wouldn't be drawn to a "warm" dip in the summer necessarily, but hubby and I do like our crab meat. And dips! 

I'm overthinking it!

Hope y'all are still able to get out and do your normal things. Just keep praying for the firefighters, homeowners, and wildlife!

Just Breathe... But Indoors Only

 

It's insane that wildfires from Way Up North, Minnesota, can impact us here down in central Wisconsin. But we can see it. And probably worse, we can smell it!

It's just enough haze to think you're about to drive into a thick fog. Crazy. 

But as for Duluth... our neighbor's brother who lives up there took this photo. Crazy. 

Our favorite new Duluth residents, Carter and Mamie, can no longer see the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee" from their apartment. And they can't escape the smoke smell. It's outdoors, indoors, everywhere. I'm just grateful neither one of them has any respiratory issues.

Hubby and I are planning to go up there next weekend. His first time "seeing" Duluth might not be what I built it up to be!

I did manage to get out for a walk at lunch and realized the smoky haze was not blocking our view from everything...

I could still see this wild daisy where I swear the flies were lining up to create a smiley face for me!

And of course, there is always something purple on my route!

Or a more "artistic" purple! 

The only downside for me is that they canceled golf league tonight, citing "outdoor conditions." Probably a combination of the 90-degree heat and the air quality advisories. There's nothing boring about Wisconsin summers!

Be smart and be safe, my friends!

Kickin' It In Gear

I'm sharing a picture from Sweden when we were there during World Cup soccer time. It seems everyone on the planet is super engaged in "futbol" – not to be confused with America's "football."

I've paid some attention to the World Cup this year – as our host country should. But when it came evident that Argentina was going to rock it, I joined the bandwagon.

My nephew David's wife was born in Argentina and their three children are Argentina fans whether they want to be or not. They have the Messi jerseys and I am sure they were tuned in this afternoon when Argentina won to advance to the championship game.

No matter the sport, it feels good to support any hard-working team trying to claim a championship. I mean, unless it's the Packers in our version of FOOTBALL!

Sorry, not sorry.

Take time to enjoy what should be an interesting championship game!

Made For Each Other

Some things just go together. Peas and carrots (thank you, Forrest Gump). Popcorn and butter. Robyn and ice cream. Oh, and chocolate and peanut butter!

I didn't realize there's a "peanut butter and chocolate day" next week when I began planning for my trifle today. But no, I'm not making another one next week! I already felt guilty like I was cheating on my coworkers because this one was not going to the office. 

But it traveled to Rudolph for a night of music and laughing with friends we'll be performing with in the near future. I'll fill you on that later. For now, the recipe I cobbled together this time... 

For the bottom cake layer, I tore apart one container of those "brownie bites" you can buy at most grocery store bakery areas. (I used a second container for the other cake layer later.) Also around the bottom, I cut Reese's Thins in half to border the outside.

Next layer is the pudding layer. I mixed two packages of white chocolate pudding with 4 cups of milk, then added in a heaping tablespoon of PB2 powder (basically powered peanut butter that goes great in smoothies, too). Only use half the pudding to start since you'll have another pudding layer!

Third layer is the crunchy layer. I diced up a package of Little Debbie Nutty Buddy bars. Made the perfect amount for the two crunchy layers. I refrigerate for a few hours so the Nutty Buddies dice up nicely – no mush.

Repeat first 3 layers. The top layer is just Cool Whip and some mini Reese's cups. You can embellish with whatever you want. There are so many peanut butter and chocolate treats out there!

As predicted, it was a hit and I brought home just enough to have trifle for breakfast. Gotta get that protein in first thing, right?

Happy Trifle Tuesday!

Shut Up!

Thanks to AI probably, my favorite "It's so hot it's madness" cartoon is now a bit more 3-D-ish. Still makes me laugh. 

Despite dripping in sweat.

I went outside two times today. Once mid-morning to water my hopelessly fried flower baskets. And then after work to get a few trifle ingredients and supplies for a family reunion. I really thought the chocolate would melt before that 8-minute commute home. 

Oooof. Car just couldn't cool off.

Turns out our 92-degree high in Rapids was 10 degrees "warmer" than average. And you know I love summer. I'm 100% solar powered. But dang, this is gross.

On the flip side, the A/C is so cool in the house I had my little space heater running in my office today. 

Yes, I am officially at the age where my body doesn't know what it needs or what it wants or what to do with it when I got it!

Just breathe, stay hydrated, and be safe my friends. I promise not to whine about the weather tomorrow. (Honest... it's Trifle Tuesday!)

Red, Hot, and Blue

 

America's colors – at least in the Midwest – are red hot this weekend! When we teed off for couples golf league at 5:40 p.m. it was 93 degrees. When we got done after 8 p.m., it was still in the 80s. Crazy. Thankfully there was a bit of a breeze.

I guess I didn't bother checking the forecast. But it was quite warm at 11 a.m. when Mr. Deck Chair and I were enjoying a bowl of lightly salted watermelon! We didn't last long!

The blue part of the forecast was Saturdays activities. We had a "Something Blue Before I Do" bridal shower for one of the sweet girls who grew up calling Jim and I Mr. And Mrs. Awesome.

Ellie requested everyone wear blue to the shower. There are definitely and endless amount of shades of blue! I brought this dress out of retirement. I had to stop wearing it when I realized every wedding, grad party, or celebration I scrapped for two years straight I was wearing this same dress! Now it seems new again.

The other blue yesterday was the waters of Lake Arrowhead where the Shermalot Water Ski Show Team was performing. I can't believe I haven't made it down there before now. And state competition it this week! If you've never seen a ski show, it's worth checking out – just down the road at Red Sands Beach on Lake Wazeecha. Oh and it's FREE! I'll be out of town next weekend but do hope to catch some of the jump competition, etc, they do on Thursday and Friday.

Oh and one funny thing... the show host was wearing this shirt so I immediately had to text it to Carter. He said he's see a few around town. Might have to get one when we go up there in a few weeks. 

Unless it's cool and I need a new "I'm cold" hoodie. Can't have too many of them!

Fried-Day

Do not for a minute think that is me with a great idea for a friend or family self-absorbient object.

I was just trying to tell everyone the joy I had in Taco John's Mexi Rolls – a favorite i've loved since the 1990s. Not kidding.

And sadly, that is the excitement of my day! I had a normal work day with meetings, etc. Nothing earth-shattering. But I was able to sit outside with Mr. Deck Chair a few minutes to soak up some sun!

But later the clouds were super sporadic, which meant nothing consistent with our deck time or my chair time!

Here's to a mostly sunny weekend!

New Thursday Habits

While working from home, I've realized the Downtown Farmers Market on Thursdays can add something to my "happy." Mainly, these gorgeous flower bouquets for a mere $12. I bought a bouquet 2 weeks ago and I bought a new variety today!

And while I should, I don't feel a pressure to keep these flowers alive and flourishing.

I think if I keep cutting once a day and adding fresh water we're good. But that's the extent of my "gardening skills."

Please don't judge me because I can't wait to see what those green bulbs bloom into!

Hump Day Excite-Mint

I had a nice little surprise this morning. Oh not on the level of getting a hole-in-one to start to day, but it did provide me some enjoy-MINT.

Hubby had a chiro appointment first thing and apparently stopped at a store on the way home. He told me to check the freezer.

Well happy birthday MONTH to me! And they were on sale! So there is another box in the lower freezer drawer!

If you want to know if this counted as "lunch" with Mr. Deck Chair today, it most certainly did. It's a sandwich, after all!

When I got done, I said to hubby, "Well that was dumb. I shouldn't have had dessert first. Now I don't want to eat anything else. I want this flavor to stay in my mouth all day!" Yum.

Now to pace myself with just ONE per day. That would get me through the month of birthday excite-MINT! 😀

Ace in the Hole

I'm pretty sure the phrase "Ace in the Hole" has more than one meaning. A lot of us think of cards or having a secret business plan. But today when my hubby texted me at 7:45 a.m. and said he "Aced #2!" I knew exactly what he meant.

Yup, Mr. Austin got his first hole-in-one. And, as he pointed out later, it was totally appropriate that it happened at Homestead, where he golfed often with the current owner's grandfather and great uncle back in the day. 

So happy for him!

I shared it with my work team with a "My hubby just got his first hole-in-one, what have you accomplished before 8 a.m.?"

And I'm stuck in two-day all-day meetings so I could not give him the appropriate accolades. But I did make sure he saved the ball so we can do something special with it.

Side note: He'd never want me to blog about this so if you run into him, just casually ask how his golf game is going this summer. LOL. 

He deserves to brag about this for quite some time. In my humble opinion.

Feeling Salty

I like blueberries and honeydew melon, etc, but without a doubt, my favorite summertime fruit is watermelon. Please tell me it's still considered a FRUIT!!

Hubby, however, is not a huge fan. So I have to buy a small melon – which still chops up into a big bowl worth of fruit – and try to eat it within a week so it doesn't ferment into watermelon wine or something.

Today I decided to have a small bowl full for lunch. Then I had a memory... For some reason my mom always added salt to watermelon. I think she claimed it brought out the flavor. So I had one small bowl unsalted and then another small bowl lightly salted. I gotta say, it did bring out the flavor. But I am such a "don't add salt to anything unless your popcorn or fries need it" person that I felt guilty.

I was wondering if this was a weird "growing up north of Highway 8" phenomenon like adding sugar to raw tomato slices. I presented a poll of my marketing department at work and so far, I am the only one who ever adds salt to watermelon.

But, to expand my flavor palate, someone did suggest sprinkling on some Tajín. Apparently, Tajín on watermelon is a classic combination that balances the fruit’s natural sweetness with a vibrant kick of chili, sea salt, and lime. Could make it interesting. Let me know if you've tried it.

I'd ask what your favorite summer fruit is, but I do have to make my way through this whole bowl of watermelon cubes this week. Remind me next week to take a poll!

Last Day of Stay-Cation

After such a low-key week I am totally not prepared to wake up to an alarm in the morning and get back to work!

One of my friends at church commented, "You know what your vacation sounded like? Retirement!" Oh, god. Now I want that. NOW.

I didn't get a ton accomplished but I am OK with that. The important thing is that I did not think about work. At all. That's a true victory for me.

Of course tomorrow morning might be a startling reality. But I'll deal. 

Today was pretty laid back. Church and some Mr. Deck Chair time and then baseball.

It happened that both my Twins and hubby's Reds were featured "squares" on the MLB Network. Yay, Twins, for beating the Yankees!

After that I was just lazing about, doing some crocheting and listening to an audio book. I really got used to that. Help me acclimate to real life tomorrow, please!

Hope all of you found time to relax over the holiday weekend. I'll never take if for granted again, I swear!

America Turns 250

This 100% does make me old. But I do remember a parade and singing patriotic songs at the park. It was a big deal. 

And I know people are making a big deal about America turning 250 today, but I just couldn't get into it with the same child-like enthusiasm. Our celebration included...

Me dressing in my only patriotic shirt to go to the farmers market downtown...

Hubby cutting grass (always smells so good!)...

And me taking a walk and checking out the neat decorations some neighbors put out.

Tonight we had fresh from an Amish garden baby red potatoes and grilled brats from Ski's. Jim enjoyed a Bloody Mary brat and I really liked my Nashville Hot Chicken brat. Good stuff!

We are not going to the fireworks in town. It is a zoo. I mean people were putting out their "save my seat" blankets at 10 a.m. today. It's crazy. We expect there will be some set off close by, per usual. Just feel bad for the dogs in the neighborhood who absolutely hate fireworks. In another world, all dogs would become ex-pats!

Hope you found a fun and safe way to enjoy this historic day. And took time to appreciate your freedoms!

Palooza Wrap-Up

 

While today was "cooler" by the heat wave standards, the high temps and humidity definitely made our birthday-anniversary palooza week less eventful than it could have been. 

My birthday Sunday, our anniversary Wednesday, and hubby's birthday today. Our palooza has officially petered out. 

Jim got lots of birthday greetings (thank you) but we didn't have big plans. Clay came over and helped him with a backyard project. So I took off to Point. Herrschners was have a "Sale After The Sale" sale! Got some more cheap yarn for a new project.

I also stopped at Ski's Meats, Walmart (with a million other people), and Feltz Dairy Store. And ran in the rain at every stop.

Needless to say, the backyard project didn't get done. And I found myself with more Mr. Recliner time than Mr. Deck Chair time. Sad.

Since my tummy is still a bit wonky, we did not go out to eat. But Jim made himself some delicious-looking fajitas! He's got his recipe nailed down if we ever want to serve company. Ha.

Tonight we're just relaxing in the A/C and watching baseball. With the MLB Network, we can see both the Reds and the Twins play – plus two other games. My mind can't wrap my head around it yet. I'll just pretend I'm at Buffalo Wild Wings and there are 4 games on 4 different screens.

Pass the ranch for my spicy wings, please!

Enjoy your holiday weekend! Be smart and be safe!

Absolutely Nothing

I'm taking my stay-cation seriously. And since I had a terrible night's sleep and felt a bit "ick," it was the perfect excuse to plant myself in Mr. Recliner for the day.

Mr. Deck Chair 2.0 wasn't an option since there were on and off thunderstorms all day.

Hoping I get decent sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow so we can have our belated anniversary dinner.

Speaking of anniversaries... 77 years ago today our parents got married!

My sister decorated their grave with patriotic items and a small flag with a bicycle. Mom told anyone who would listen that she had to sell her bicycle to buy her wedding dress. Then often added, "I sure miss that bicycle."

Guess I get my sarcasm and snark from both parents! Thanks, Mom and Dad. You done good!

Well the thunder has started to roll again. Perhaps I should see about rolling out of this comfortable chair, too.

Stay cool, my friends!

In It For The Long Haul

Some things are worth waiting for. And some aren't. Hubby and I are in this dreamland together of a Viking Super Bowl victory some day "before we die." We don't invest much time in that, trust me!

What IS worth waiting for is the right partner in life. To love and support you unconditionally – and make you smile, laugh, and love yourself.

That's was I was blessed to find in Jim. And today marks 24 years of marriage. I won't say "wedded bliss" because people are lying if they say that after more than two decades with someone. There are ups and downs. But when I'm down, he pulls me up, and when he's down, I offer to help, but he usually helps himself! 

When you find THAT person, it makes it all worth it!

We didn't really get to celebrate today. Jim worked and I cleaned out a large box worth of clothes from my closet for donation. (Yay, stay-cation!) That's a start. Tonight he has golf league. 

But more wicked storms are coming, so he'll be lucky to finish. And I figured I better blog while we still have electricity.

Hug your blessings today – and tell them you love them!! 💜💜