Super Cold

 

It's definitely a Midwestern thing where we are obsessed with weather forecasts from Thanksgiving to Easter. So we all knew we'd have the coldest morning of "fall" today, but we sort of had to document it to compete to see who had it worse.

Frankly, I didn't want to compete with my Up North counterparts because -7 degrees is low enough for me. I was just happy my car started fine in the nice garage and I made it to work safely. And when the temperature was twice as high – at 8 above – during lunchtime I ran to get gas so I wouldn't have a "low fuel" light come on after work when it was likely plunging back to the negatives.

I went straight from work to St. Vincent's to shoot hoops – pictures of the middle school girls, that is. I think today was their first game, but I prefer to take pictures early in the season so I can "skip" the games when it's snowing or just icy out. Apparently, I had an exception today for the COLD.

Speaking of cold, the "Cold Moon" was shining brightly tonight.

I don't know if this is the "what seems to be common SUPER moon," but it was a super Cold Moon on a super Cold Night so I think this one fits the bill. Ha.

And these are the highlights of my day. I have quite the basketful of "low-lights" but I am still processing those. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off with total focus on my upcoming family Christmas on Saturday. 

Step aside, Old Man Winter and Work Stuff, I have Christmas on the brain! 

BACK (yes, my back) to Reality

Sometime in the middle of the night when I was getting up to do my business, my back decided it was out of order. About 3:30 a.m. I took Alleve and hoped for the best. But today ended up being a "back at work but not at the office" kind of days.

But, looking at the calendar, it was also the day for my monthly chiropractic adjustment. How does my body know? Also, since I usually do that on a Monday, my body (and back) were very in tune to the fact it was 2 days overdue.

It's so logical, I can't question it.

But the adjustment was good, as always. And I even got a deep-tissue massage scheduled for first-thing Friday morning!

On the way home, I remembered we were set to have a full moon tonight, which I spotted long before it was to rise over the trees in our yard.

Me stopping to take a picture? You know me!

Me zooming in to take an even better picture? You know how competitive I am – even with myself.

I might actually get a better view when it rises over our pines in the front yard. But I'm probably just going to "focus" on what will make my back better for the night. 

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!

The Cookie Toss

Friday night's full moon reminded me of a cookie for some reason. Maybe because I was tossing them all weekend.

Not the "it's a fun bean bag toss" kind of game. But tossing my cookies (a.k.a. upchucking, puking, vomiting, dying). Only I didn't die. Just felt like it.

Could not keep anything all Saturday and even into the night. Finally about 2 a.m. I could keep a few sips of water intact. Big victory!

And today, I've managed some saltines and more water and 7-Up in moderation.

While yesterday I couldn't even sit up for more than a few minutes. Today I was able to bond with Mr. Recliner and enjoy a Vikings victory. They're on TV here a bit more often now that they're 8-2. But I honestly hadn't PLANNED to be home to watch it.

I was bummed all my weekend plans were shot to heck. No book club or shopping yesterday and no church, BINGO, or movie time for me today. I was too weak to even watch Hallmark. Now you know it was bad.

Not sure what kind of bug it was but another few friends have had it this weekend too so something evil is going around.

At least I was able to upgrade from Saltines to Ritz for supper. Guess I'll be all back to normal (my version of it) come morning. 

Let's have a good week!

Political Poll: Half Full, Half Empty, Don't Care

When you get home from work and the sun is setting, yet you see the moon... Well, you gotta take pictures. When I saw it was possibly going to have some "silhouette branches" in front of it, I zoomed in to take a picture.

Then I realized the moon looked like it was trapped in some sort of bondage. Definitely the wrong angle. 

Then I thought, just take the half moon for what it's worth. It could mean we wasted so much of the first half of "something." Or it could mean we're just starting. You see less than half of what's to come, but we've got a great thing on the way!

Maybe after all the politics we're burnt out about whether we're half full, half empty, or fully just don't care. 

But let's focus on the sliver of brightness that is showing and continue to work on that until we're full and those who matter know it! I vote for that.

I Saw It!

A funny thing happened on the way to the farm... After getting home from volleyball tonight, I was heading over to the Pumpkin Shed – yes, in the dark – to take pictures of their lighted inflatable Halloween decorations since I had nothing good to blog about.

I saw a dark figure around the bend and sure enough it was good neighbor Mike. With a binoculars and a telescope. Basically, he just needed to point me to the two stars above the neighbor's tree then a little to the right and up and I saw the infamous A3 (Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)! Not really with the naked eye but with my phone camera. 

I texted hubby to come look through the binoculars at least since neither of us will be around in 80,000 years unless we're haunting this sacred piece of land on Bluejay Drive!

Got a few more pictures of that big ol' Hunters' Moon, too, on my short walk back home.

The photographer in me thought it might look more striking with some of the trees in yard as the foreground.

I could almost see ET riding his bicycle through the sky on this one! Love me some sky images!

Now I can quit talking about what I am missing and hopefully focus on what I DO see! 

Happy viewing, everyone!

Night Watch

We've been so blessed with stunning – and visible – Northern Lights this year, plus many gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. So I was hoping for the trifecta with comet viewing. Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, also known as comet A3, is allegedly visible across the U.S. tonight through Oct. 24. 

I must have missed the best viewing opportunity while I was at choir practice because the only Comet I found was under the kitchen sink. Oh c'mon. Someone appreciate my attempt at pun humor!!

I did see an unusual moon though. My camera picked up a ring of light around it. Cool.

But then when I zoomed in, there was nothing unusual about it. Oh well. I still enjoy watching the night sky for the beauty – and the unusual.

If I remember tomorrow, I might see if I can time my viewing to the suggested "just after sunset" time. 

Did any of you see A3? Would love to see what you captured!  📸

Back to the 9 to 5

The par 5 9th hole at SentryWorld was the last hole we played tonight for our work golf league. When I saw the sign, I reminded how next we go back to the "9 to 5" so to speak. No early exits for afternoon league.

Dang.

At least we had perfect summer-like weather. It was very un-September like today.

Except for the fall colors on my morning commute. Those definitely speak September.

The shadows were getting long on the course, too. It seems like there golfers on every hole. Everyone wants another summer round – it is technically still summer!

I liked that when our round was wrapping it, I got another dose of color on my commute back home.

Oh and then pull over to see the colorful full moon, too.

I guess when I get stressed about life in the "9 to 5," I should just look around. I can see God's trying to get my attention. "9 to 5?! Work, smerk," He says. "We got this."

 

Different Kind of Fall Colors

Most of us love the colors of autumn. Of course, the warm hues of maple leaves come to mind first. But today, there were some different colors for me.

First of all, the faded yellow rose each of us 8 kids received at Mom's funeral a month ago. I know it's time to go out with this week's trash. But I'm grateful to feel her presence in my kitchen for a few weeks.

And while I can't keep up with what's happening on the planet, I appreciated this colorful drive home after a photo shoot tonight.

I was definitely confined to the views I could catch on the drive home. 

In fact, when I pulled over to catch this shot, helpful pickup drivers from both directions were concerned if I had car trouble since I had my flashers on. I am quite sure they had no appreciation for my answer that "I just stopped over to take a picture of the ball of fire in the sky."

Their loss, right? I mean, talk about glorious fall colors!

Of course, there was a sliver of a moon making his presence known simultaneously. No offense, Mr. Moon. I just need to soak in the shades of autumn first!

Hope you all got a glimpse of something pretty today!

Same Space, Continued Pace

The glorious full moon (aka August moon, aka blue moon) late last night made me feel anything was possible today.

After a mildly stressful day at work, our same foursome from yesterday headed to Golf League night at SentryWorld. Since I only captured flower photos yesterday, I concentrated on the the water views today! We played the back 9 tonight so this was our 3rd hole – the par 3 12th hole over water and unto the green.

I was thrilled to hit the green. But it is such a massive green, it took 3 strokes to sink a putt. So a bogey on a beautiful hole!

Looking back at the 17th green, you can see how it slopes so far that it's impossible to par – even after my great drive. Still, we just had so much fun it didn't matter our scores. And we felt great to be back in the same space as yesterday.

Plus, I was treated to a beautiful drive home. No balls lost and I can still smile!

Hope you all can do the same this week!

Half Empty or Half Full?

When I noticed a half-moon on my way home tonight, it instantly brought to mind the question of whether my glass (attitude) is half-full or half-empty. With all the challenging situations on my plate, am I focusing on the positives more than the negatives?

It didn't take me long today to realize I was exhausted. Not just from the physical driving yesterday but all of the emotions attached to it. At that moment this morning, I was thinking about me and my empty tank. 

Later, I realized that all I can do about my sick family members is think the glass is half FULL and offer a positive attitude and prayer. Thankful for their progress. Hoping to fill that cup.

My struggle with coping with what's happening to my mom and sister is nothing compared to what they are literally going through. I need to remove ME from the situation and focus on them. 

If my "glass" is only half-full right now, I need to fill it up with prayer and positive thoughts. I need to realize that my prayers will be effective.

And as I told my sister yesterday, let's thank God for how far He's got us now!

At the end of the day, many of us should just thank God for what we have and for miracles he's performing that we don't even know about.

P.S. Extra prayers will still help!

For Your Enjoy-Mint

So it turns out my sun-seeking sister Sylvester is also my Shamrock Shake sister! I couldn't eat all of it on Valentine's Day, so I put it in the freezer and we both enjoyed the slightly thawed version Friday night.

Which served as my inspiration Saturday morning when I made a Thin Mint Magic trifle! As usual, I never make a trifle the same as previously. I just FIND the ingredients. In this case, the cake layers didn't involve me baking. I happened to see a big frosted mint brownie pan at Festival Foods and grabbed it. Next layer is white chocolate pudding with a bit of mint extract and green food coloring. Then comes a layer of crushed Thin Mints. Repeat and add Cool Whip to the top and sprinkle Andes Mint chips on top. 

And yes, it was as tasty as it sounds!

I brought it to Rudolph for the pot luck after church – featuring the guitar choir – last night.

Besides great music and fun with friends, we were treated to this gorgeous sunset out the back door of the Welcome Center.

Today I sang in my own church choir and was treated to an early moon view this afternoon during a short walk. It was finally above freezing again after a few days of cold, "normal" winter. 

And our brain-washed Wisconsin minds are thinking... it's 36 degrees. Maybe we should grill out for supper! The brats in our fridge are yelling, "Yes, please!"

Hope you found some sources of enjoy-MINT this weekend!

Now You Want a White New Year?

While we only got a touch of freezing rain overnight, the above-freezing temps took care of that before we hit the road before noon to take Carter down to the Platteville area.

It was like we hit a line on the interstate north of Madison and the rainy snowflakes were definitely sticking despite the warm temps.

By the time we were to his girlfriend's brother's place, this was our front grill. Ice, ice, baby! But the roads were mostly OK ( I can say that as I was the passenger and Jim seemed to handle it all fine.) When we headed back and were north of Portage, it was like it hadn't rained or snowed here at all.

And our driveway and front yard confirmed that.

Looking up, I think the moon was just trying to mess with us one more time before the end of the year. Hopefully, that's it. And thankfully, we all got where we needed to go today safely!

Be careful out there! 

Holiday Views

There's just a sliver of a moon tonight and apparently a meteor shower to come later. I may or may not be awake for that. I guess depending how many Hallmark Christmas movies I watch. The DVR has been very busy for a November!

Last night it as fun to watch a Heidelberg Holiday. Carter attended college there for a semester and I visited him one weekend. Things looked familiar and it was awesome!

This is the Church of the Holy Ghost. And we saw the inside of it, too.

Here's my scrapbook page!

And of course every view has Heidelberg Castle in the background. It was cool to see in person!

Today's views weren't as exciting. Ran a few errands and got a car wash on this mild opening day of deer hunting. Then went with the neighbor to a craft show at Fallback while her electrician husband updated our kitchen and dining room outlets.

Now I'm onto the Saturday round of viewing DVR'd Hallmark Christmas movies. I'll be sure to let you know if I have any recommendations! 

West Coast Vibes

What a whirlwind of a work week. I mean I say that often, but at least this time there was some scenery. Our Marketing 6-Pack flew out at 7 a.m. Monday from Mosinee to San Diego. Our mission was almost impossible. Capturing two customer testimonial videos in 2 1/2 days – when normally that's what we need for just one.

But you know what's motivating? Palm trees! Whether it's Florida, Texas, Arizona, or California, they always put me in a good mood.

I mean a productive mood. This was a work trip after all! We seriously were pretty busy with the two clients from Monday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, but we did have a few hours in the evening to see a little bit of southern California – which, like Wisconsin, was going through a bit of a heat wave.

On Monday night, we went out to get dinner and stopped by the Sunset Cliffs area by the Pacific Ocean on the way...

A prickly Mickey Mouse out there!

It was very scenic. And we couldn't find a parking place anywhere near the dozens of restaurants, so we ate back at the hotel in San Diego-Mission Valley. 

On Tuesday, after we were done videoing our client, we all went to lunch. As soon as I saw one of the guys had a Porsche, I called shot-gun!

I mean it wasn't a sport Porsche Cayenne, but who cares? When would I ever be able to ride in one?

 

Naturally I called Carter the minute we hit the highway to remind him what a cool mom he has. And that the Porsh-a has a bit more pick-up than our Hondas! Pretty cool.

And frankly, you needed pick-up and super brakes for the crazy San Diego traffic. Yes, small-town Midwestern folks, that's 5 lanes each direction. Uff da. I was glad I didn't have to drive one of our two mini-van rentals. Being navigator was stressful enough!

After a successful day Tuesday, we took our client out to eat on Coronado Island, across the San Diego bay.

It required traversing a very long and very high bridge so I distracted myself snapping pictures of the harbor out my window.

Peohie's was a pretty nice place, right on the water. We could see naval ships and the entire San Diego skyline.

And watch the sun set. It was spectacular.

Basically, I felt like I was part of the Top Gun movie and I couldn't get enough of it!

This is the bridge we crossed – with the gorgeous almost full moon!

Let me impress my new friends with a close-up from my phone! 

Pretty cool, eh?

Of course, there were a few not-so-cool places. Like the neighborhood where we needed to get through a prison-looking gate. And the fact there was a homeless encampment in the trees and shrubs outside our hotel. It's not all Hollywood on the West Coast!

After we wrapped all the work up Wednesday, we headed down to the famous Gaslamp District for dinner. I kept calling it the Gaslight District, but I'm sure that has an entirely different meaning.

Pretty cool area. After dinner, we ended up at a Coin-Op Arcade for our entertainment. Fun times.

Time definitely went fast! And just when I was getting used to Pacific Time, it was over. We met in the lobby Thursday morning before 8 a.m. to head to the airport. Kind of sad when one whole day was basically traveling!

Had a layover in Minnesota. Hello, Twins Territory! And actually was able to start my Fantasy Football draft before boarding. Only got a few picks in and the rest was the dreaded auto-draft, which got me 3 kickers and no backup QB. Uff da.

Sunset was gorgeous as we left Minnesota.

Then that Blue Moon – which looked more like a Harvest Moon – guided us into Wisconsin. 

Today it was tough to get up on Central Time and work. Thankfully from home since I didn't get around to taking a shower until lunchtime! Might take me one more day to switch my West Coast vibes to Midwest vibes. Thank goodness for the long weekend.

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend!!