It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature!

Some of us of a certain age recall a TV commercial for Chiffon Soft Stick Margarine in the late 1970s – one of the memorable ads with "Mother Nature" uttering her famous line, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" 

This was back in the day when you had no choice but to watch the commercials. So we all new the popular ad slogans whether it was "Madge, you're soaking in it" to "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!" And we all were intimidated by Mother Nature.

Let's just say I forgot about her power.

I've been staging a silent protest. Obviously, a fruitless one. I decided that if she doesn't do her job of giving us rain FOR 23 DAYS IN A ROW then I don't need to do my "job" (ha) of blogging.

I surrender! This is our crispy crackly yard! She wins. Dang. 

We have finally gotten a teeny tiny bit of precipitation. In fact, Friday night when I was getting steps around the neighborhood, it started sprinkling and I kept walking. It was refreshing! Also I hadn't showered in 2 days so you know... two birds, one stone.

Today in church when we heard the familiar 5 loaves and 2 fish story, I thought maybe that's a sign for a miracle. The Weather Channel does not agree. And when I went out to try to resurrect my flowers – time of death was called last week – a snake slithered under the deck. So now I have to deal with satan AND Mother Nature! 

Our couples golf league finale tonight didn't lean the way of miracles either! Still fun though! And the grass was green! 

These days that's winning.

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's 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!

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!

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!

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!

In and Out of Luck

Headed Up North yesterday morning. After the detours and road construction I encountered a few weeks ago, I decide to take a different route north-westward. I went up to Colby/Abbotsford to get on Hwy. 29.

And it was one lane each way 'til my Chippewa Falls exit for 53 North. Grrrr.

By the time I got to my sister Rachel's in Luck, I was ready for a nap!

I visited with her awhile (while she got me hooked on Sullivan's Crossing) and then went up to my sister Romey's near Grantsburg, where two other sisters – Rayna and Renell – joined us for a short visit.

From there I went to Adventures restaurant in Siren to meet my twin and some of her family for a belated birthday dinner. Coconut shrimp for the win! My nephew Tony was home visiting from Green Bay so it was nice to see him, too!

From there I went back down to Rachel's to stay at her place for the night. She's just down the street from our high school. Even at 8:36 p.m., it was still class of '86 degrees out. Ha. Yes, this heatwave is ghastly.

Got home late this afternoon. Yes, my A/C works in my car, but there were times I wondered. It was just that hot out! 

Hope you all are staying cool and hydrated. My vacation is already going by too fast! 

Summer Sweets and Treats

Summer is always full of cool treats – and some that are just delicious room temperature ones! Three examples:

1. I forgot to mention that after we all went to an early dinner after the dance recital, we (Ken, RoAnn, and I) were on a mission to find some good "hard" ice cream on the way home. However, there were so many detours just to get back home that we said screw it – let's just get it at the grocery store near Pine City!

Of course, after being in air-conditioning and walking into their very cool house, Ro and I said we needed to light the fire "pit" on the deck before we sat out there and ate the ice cream. Sometimes you have to warm up enough to eat ice cream, ya know? Smile if you understand our logic!

Side note: It was Cedar Crest Blueberry Waffle Cone. So good!

2. Both mornings I was there, I had a slice of delicious Amish Friendship Bread for breakfast. Amish Friendship Bread is like an adult chain letter for people who like to bake! Once you accept that batch of "starter" you cannot leave the cult. You can only break the chain by throwing away whatever starters you can't give away – including your own! So I resisted getting back into that (been there, done that) but did take a half-plus loaf home.

Got home from work today and this is what is left! So I guess hubby does like it. I remember that now. Should've rejoined the damn cult!

3. On my way home from work, I had to hunt and gather ingredients that may or may not be used in a trifle soon. (Hey, gotta get one more in before we're all working from home for 6 weeks!) And that's when I met my sweetest downfall.

Hadn't seen these before nor purchased them. But they fit my "theme." I am a huge HUGE coconut anything and everything fan. But I still felt I should taste test one when I got home. Just to be sure it would blend with the rest of the flavors and all that. I demand quality in my creations! 

Or something.

Anyway, I kid you not, I moaned out loud at first bite. Holy perfectly delicious flavor combination! Good thing Jim is golfing or he'd wonder what the hell was happening in the kitchen!!

I quickly shoved them in the fridge to chill with the other cookies – you have to do that so they cut up nicely (rather than mushy) the next day. But you know that from my previous Trifle Tutorials. I don't know how I can stay away from them! This will be my biggest test of willpower strength in recent days, that's for sure.

I mean I do have another cookie type to cut up as well for the cookie layer, so I might not need to "use" all them. #MeJustifyingANewAddiction. Bwaahaa.

Just... if you love coconut like I do, get yourself some of these!!!

I mean it is a flavor of summer after all... at least tropical islands that are summer year-round! Enjoy the treats of the season!

And Just Like That... HEAT!

You know I am mostly solar powered. But stepping out of the car IN LONG PANTS at the softball diamond after work, I really wished I would've checked the forecast this morning!

That was a brutal few hours. Thankfully, our Lady Royals defeated Hilbert 10-1 in round one of the Regional playoffs and will advance to the next round. Still, it took quite a few minutes for me to cool down when I got home.

Side note: Hubby finally didn't need to wear long underwear to golf! That's how crazy Midwest weather changes from week to week (and day to day).

I will not need to turn my electric mattress pad on tonight... for the first time in 2026. 

Unless hubby really cranks the A/C, that is!

I never claimed to be normal. Stay hydrated and be safe out there!

Chilling Out Not What It's Cracked Up To Be

No April Foolin', the darn weather dudes were right. We were in the heart of a wicked ice storm. I took this picture at 8 a.m. and realized it doesn't matter how little ice it seems to be, most of us were not driving to the office.

Especially since it just kept accumulating all day.

I fired up the laptop and was able to work for 3 hours. The lights had flickered a few times and then, at 10:44 a.m., they went out. Without electricity, our wi-fi router wouldn't work, so not more work for me. I shut down my laptop to conserve power. Our lovely cellphone provider wasn't providing great signals all day either. Add to that, no running water or use of indoor plumbing.

I forgot what it was like to live like Laura Ingalls!

Most of the day I kept an eye on our bunny ear trees, which normally stand pretty straight up. This was early in the morning before even more ice accumulated.

At their lowest point, this was how close it looked like at least the right one would break.

But then the ice stopped coming and it warmed up just enough for us to witness an ice rain as the ice broke up and fell from all the trees. At the end of the day, the trees hadn't parted ways but they put some distant between themselves like fighting siblings.

Throughout the day we could just hear the snap, crackle, pop as tree branches (mostly pines) were falling everywhere – in the woods around us, in the neighbor's yard, a few in our yard, and all the way down the street.

This is typical of the destruction everywhere in that darn targeted purple area. No surprise about the power outages. In the early evening, many of us on our street were notified that power was restored. We're all like, "No, it's not." So we all had to resubmit our outage reports. And think that put us to the back of the line – of thousands of customers without power.

When we went to bed in our dark, chilly houses last night, the last we heard was that our power would be restored by SATURDAY afternoon. Ugh! 

Somehow managed to get a little sleep – even without my electric mattress pad. First World problems, I know. But dang. We do take a lot for granted! This morning, I went to the office to be warm and productive since yesterday was a lost cause.

Suddenly I was getting texts that there were Alliant trucks in the neighborhood. Would I dare get up my hopes?? Jim texted my a picture of our dining room lights on at 11:50 a.m. (25 hours without power). So I raced home and showered and made it on time to church for 1 p.m. Good Friday service. I guess God really does answer our prayers on His time.

Here a few "cool" shots from yesterday...

Poor birds falling victim to fake spring and looking for anything to eat. Icicles weren't doing it!

I hope this didn't kill off any of our budding trees!

And how safe our these power lines in our yard?

I was happy to learn, though, that there are things you can do when it's a daytime power outage.

Mind out of the gutter! I meant practically completing a whole baby blanket! 💗

Want to send a special shout out to all those offering up generators, water for our toilets, and a place to stay. We have the best people in our lives. Take care of your friends and loved ones, too! 

And we've potentially got more of that freezing rain coming tonight. Be smart and be careful out there, friends!

Heat Misers

At one time during our childhoods, I think each of the kids in my family perfected the art of hogging all the heat!

It was a simple task really. A large furnace grate was on the floor between the dining room and living room. Just hunker yourself down on that when the heat was blowing and it felt gloriously warm. Though the rest of the house wasn't feeling it. 

I can't even count how many times I was yelled at to "Get off the furnace!"

But dang, the house was big and that was the heat source. Looking back, I suppose I could've warn long underwear and an extra sweatshirt in the house during those winter days that felt much like our current Deep Freeze.

But then I wouldn't have had to fight for the seat on the furnace register! Where's the fun in that?

I hope you all stayed warm today. We didn't have anywhere to go, thankfully, so I finished my girl baby blanket and started on my boy one. All while listening to an audio. So I was technically multi-tasking AND productive.

It's still going to be below zero when I wake up for church choir in the morning. I don't recall us ever canceling church because of the cold. So I better set an alarm and plan on it.

Stay warm and safe and be careful out there!

B-b-b-east Mode!

 

I can't recall the first 6 months of 2025 but I know today was definitely the coldest day of the second half of the year!

And wouldn't you know it, we had the guy coming over to clean out/vacuum whatever our duct work. With the heat turned off!

His giant suction machine was called Beast so we were literally in Beast Mode rather we wanted to be or not. Thankfully he got done in less than the 4 anticipated hours. I promptly took the hottest shower of my life when he left!

Today was the Rudolph Christmas celebration but with the ultra cold temps, all outdoor activities (including petting the reindeer) were canceled. Jim went up there to go to church with his guitar choir peeps and socialize after.

I stayed home and opted to buy a Powerball ticket to get us out of Wisconsin Winters...

And catch up on a cozy Hallmark movie or two. (Duh!)

After getting a Hallmark BINGO yesterday on my day off – where the prize is eating the spicy gumdrop game pieces – I had to try again. Looking good so far!

Be careful out there and stay warm!