Weathering the Storms

My trip up to Luck and back can pretty much be illustrated in this photo of a very flooded farm field. Rain, rain, and more rain! Insane!

At home we got 2 inches overnight and I have no idea what they got at my sister's house, but it was 100000% humidity and wet garage floors today.

Our goal in "Luck Cardinal Country" was to move enough of Rachel's furniture out of her house and into her garage so she'll have room for a "hospital bed" in her living room and very few pieces of furniture in the way of her wheelchair - when she gets released from Regions Hospital in a week!

It sounds like good news but it's a bit disconcerting since she can stand on her right foot and leg but hasn't been able to take one step yet since she can't put weight on her left leg until August. Frustrating how quickly insurance companies ASSUME a person should be ready to go home. We'll all do what we can to make this transition work!

It was helpful that for the heavy lifting today that we had some strong Luck firefighters helping. (Flashback to my fun newspaper reporter days! IYKYK!)

Anyway, it's going to be a lot of "learn as we go" while we see how she adjusts. Rachel's doing so amazing, we don't doubt her determination. It's just, like I've said before, the little things we take for granted - like making a cup of coffee or heck, just showering. 

Continued prayers are always welcomed. 

P.S. We will have a benefit for her and her friend/passenger Brian in Luck in late October, so if you want to contribute anything toward raffle baskets (or create one), let us know. It's quite a ways away, but I'm mentioning it now as a reminder to get my crochet hook hookin'!

New Beginnings

Pretty appropriate that our dinosaur-obsessed little boy got to drive a "dinosaur truck" from Bluejay Drive to his new home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Yup, he and Mamie arrived Friday night with the U-Haul and somehow got everything in there – including some of the big stuff (dining room table and chairs, coffee tables, etc.) that have stayed in our basement for the past two moves! We've got some space back!

Why Cedar Rapids? Well, just like their moves to Denver and Raleigh, they researched areas for things like quality of life and safety – and interesting things to do. This time, they also prioritized being able to comfortably afford the cost of living there. They've learned the hard way.

I'm just glad it's just a little over 4 hours away! Same as going Up North to see family. No biggie.

So while they moved south, I attended a dance recital at the Performing Arts Center in town. A couple of senior moms were paying me to go. And I saw a handful of other dancers I knew, too. Let's just say I took a thousand pictures and leave it at that.

From there, I went straight to Stevens Point to celebrate another new beginning – our friend Marigene's retirement party.

While Marigene is my golf partner, Dar is her real-life partner – and Jim and I just adore them both.

Looking forward to having her at my golfing beck and call during her retirement. Ha!

Stayed up super late editing dance photos and continued this morning. Pretty much a low-key day until our next new beginning for the summer: Couples Golf League at TriCity.

It's I think just a 6- or 7-week league so I'm glad our first opponents were our friends Craig and Sara. Fun to golf with people you know. There's like 22 couples signed up so there's a chance (even though between hubby and me we do know a lot of people) that we'll be playing against strangers (aka new friends) in the coming weeks. Should be fun!

Only thing is that we got home at 8 p.m. and I feel like the weekend was gone in a blink of any eye. 

I still gotta get that petition going to add a day between Sunday and Monday. Who's with me?!

Have a great week, everyone! 

Lights, Memories, and Bears, Oh My

The past two days felt more like a very long weekend with all the activities going on between here, Up North and back again.

First of all, even though I left by 8:30 a.m. Friday, it was a long haul going up to Grantsburg. For you future travels, it's almost all one lane going north on I-94 from Osseo to Bloomer (via Hwy 53). In the picture above we were pretty much at a standstill the last few miles on I-94 before I could exit onto 53. 

Guess Friday is a travel day even if it's not summer. Of course, those weren't my only delays.

Saw at least 5 deer – hey, they even cross roads in daylight! And, for the first time in my life, a black bear crossed the road in front of me. I was so startled that between slamming on my brakes and trying to grab my phone for a picture, I only caught this...

His quick scamper into the woods. Unreal! I mean most of my siblings who live in the Northwoods have seen a black bear – even Carter did vacationing up there as a child – but not me. Wow.

The only other delay was one of my own choosing – stopping to visit Dad. Unfortunately, the only flowers nearby were dandelions. 

Still, it was nice to visit with him and see my childhood church! 

I also stopped to see Mom at the nursing home before going to her apartment so I could give her her Mother's Day gift and visit a bit one on one. She's been having good days and not-so-good days. But she wants to get better and get her strength back!

The main purpose of my visit was to help go through her apartment with my siblings and decide what we wanted, what others might want, and what we could donate as we clean out her place by the end of the month. Friday afternoon was spent with a handful of my sisters as we cleaned out things and organized them into piles we could all look at today to see what we wanted to keep for ourselves.

Four of us had dinner at T-Dawg's in Grantsburg and Renell, who I was staying with, had some work training. 

I was enjoying the pretty sunset view from her apartment and considered it a good day. 

But it wasn't long after she got home that Jim texted me a picture of the Northern Lights from the Rapids area. My mind has been in so many places this week that I didn't realize this was a big thing that pretty much everyone in the contiguous United States could see.

So we got in the car and headed north of town to Phantom Lake in the Crex Meadows area. And dozens of other cars full of people had the same idea.

It was really strange. To the naked eye, we couldn't really see the colors, just some wisps of "clouds" in the sky. But then when we took pictures with our phones, we could see the brilliant colors everyone else was capturing. Pretty amazing.

And pretty cool seeing them by a lake where we could capture the color reflecting on the water. First time since childhood I've really got to see them. It was awesome!

This morning, the 7 of us (with Rachel there in spirit) were sorting through things at 10 a.m.

I wasn't expecting that Mom had all our baby shoes ready for us to take home. Yes, I guess my tiny shoes are antiques.

And yes, Mom wanted evidence that we were all alive and not fighting each other over anything. We survived it fine and really didn't had any reason for fisticuffs. 

By mid-afternoon, after I had two boxes of stuff "I don't need" but took anyway, I stopped by to see Mom one more time and hit the road.

I took a different route back. But turns out Highway 53 from Spooner to Rice Lake was just one lane so that wasn't a quicker route home. And, if you can believe it, I saw another black bear cross the road in front of me between Neillsville and Pittsville. It was far enough down the road, I didn't have to slam on my brakes but too far for me to get a picture. Just unreal to experience 2 bear crossings in 2 days.

And tonight, I could experience the special lights 2 out of 2 days. At least some of my unexpected surprises were good. And the others, thank goodness, didn't cause any damage to my car! 

Thanks, God, for the beauty and the safety!

Life Detours

There's two seasons in Wisconsin – Blaze Orange and Orange Barrels. If you know, you know. 

Even though I'm facing a detour on my commute the next 7 months, I didn't realize we'd get simultaneous major detours in life. My family has had quite the orange barrel season the past month.

The good news is that my mom is out of the hospital. Yay! But she is going to the nursing home section of the same hospital. She's having a positive attitude, so that's good. It will be different to visit her where Dad was living in his last days. I hope that she's there much longer than Dad was.

The other good news is that my sister Rachel had some 8 hours in surgery today and she survived just fine. Hopefully, that means her left elbow and foot are fixed. The last of all those broken bones. Praise the Lord! 

I guess when we see how much work HAS to be done, we sometimes have to remember that we have to trust it will be done. Maybe not on the timeline we wish for, but it will be done. 

Thanks for all the prayers for my family. But we still need them. I can't imagine what it will be like when Rachel tries to take her first steps when both legs have injuries. Just like I can't imagine what Mom will go through the first time she wants to bake something or tend to all her African violets.

We'll need prayers for just a bit longer as we navigate these detours. Thank you!

Fake Spring No. 6

We keep having these fake springs and I swear I'll fall for it one of these times. But all of in the Midwest know the other snow-shoe is going to drop at some point. Still, we are tempted to believe!

While our thermometers tried valiantly to set a record today, it was not to be. Fell short by 2 degrees here in Rapids. Don't beat yourself up little mercury molecules – you tried your hardest!

It'll plunge back to normal March vibes tomorrow but it sure was nice coming home and having windows open to usher in that Fake Spring air!

The Kids and I worked up a sweat hauling some stuff from the garage down to the basement after work. Funny how the basement felt "cold" before we started! 

Be patient. According to the calendar, the Spring Fakers might be gone next Tuesday. I mean one of these times it HAS to be Real Spring. Right?

I won't hold my breath. But I will keep breathing in this nice fresh air for a few more hours!

Morning Views

Although I slept through the 2 a.m. arrival, I certainly was overjoyed to be greet this sight this morning.

And it only got better.

My sunrise commute to work was simply gorgeous.

And my drive home was nearly identical. Crazy beautiful and colorful. Awesome.

Then, of course, my day was made seeing Carter and Mamie. Who knows how long they'll park their belongings here, but we're in no rush. Awesome to see them and know it's not just for a weekend.

Thanks, God, for blessing us with a beautiful entrance and exit to the day with warm hugs and love in between.

Spring Chickens

While I'm no spring chicken, I do find more pep in my step when the temperature rises. Yesterday I took a little walk, but the temp wasn't quite there yet. The "I'm going to get some sun AND steps" temp. Just too windy for that.

After work today, though, I was like "Yes, this is more like it!" And while the chickens around the corner were loving the all-you-can-eat buffet of green grass, we were all clucking a bit.

I feel like Mildred here (name changed to protect the innocent) is my spirit animal. Heavy on top with skinny legs but not afraid to strut her stuff – no matter who's watching. Slow your roll, Milly. I just got started trying to get some walks in. I'll crow when I'm ready to strut.

Tomorrow is going to be even nicer. We may set a record here. But I'll be back in the office so that's not going to matter much. I will be racing home though – not for Mr. Deck Chair or the Chicks – but to see our boy and likely help unload the U-Haul. 

We're expecting it to roll down Blue Jay Drive after 10 p.m. tonight. The kids are enroute from Carolina and they'll park here (just them, not the U-haul) for a bit before heading on their next adventure (a.k.a. lease) somewhere. No ideas yet.

For now it seems we're all running around like a chicken with his head cut off. 

Not to alarm my new chick friends down the road. Just keep moving! 

And I'll try to do the same.

Enjoy spring while we have it!

Settling In

After their cross-country move, the kids are finally settling in at their new apartment in Raleigh. I shouldn't say settling in, but more like still unpacking and organizing. And finding a place for everything.

Then they'll need to buy furniture. Ugh. Adulting is challenging, isn't it?

This is a floor plan of their place so you can see they will have room to create a home there.

We got a virtual tour tonight via video call. And it was nice to see that it matched what they advertise on the website. Whew. The nice thing is that they have a washer and dryer in their unit, plus decent closet space, a little deck-patio, A/C and heat, and they're on the first floor so it'll be easier to haul in, say a couch or kitchen chairs, if and when they choose to purchase those.

One step at a time. Like I said, adulting can be a challenge with a capital C (ash). I love that they love it and are excited for their new adventure. And are welcome to us visiting. Once there are two chairs, that is.

I miss them already but wish them the best of luck and success out there! 

I suppose this means we're pretty close to being official empty nesters now. I'll be accepting that one step at a time, too!

Springing Forward Sans Spring

Is it legal to spring forward even though it is anything but spring-like? I got so wrapped up in life today that I forgot the weather dudes predicted some 24-36 hours of snow this weekend. Didn't take me long to remember when I had to drive home from a party this evening. 

While my day had little events happening – like going with a friend to the craft fair at Milkweed Market then coffee at Cravings, followed later by a surprise 60th birthday party for another friend – most of my brain was paying attention to my phone.

Waiting to hear that the kids arrived safely in Raleigh, N.C., and that their new apartment – which they signed up to live in for a year, sight unseen – matched the descriptions and photos online. While there were some hiccups that caused a few gray hairs today, all's well that ends well and they're in their new place and call it "pretty decent." Still waiting for photos of proof, but hopefully that'll come tomorrow. 

Either way, they're officially East Coast residents now.

Not that I miss them halfway across the country, but I did spring our clocks forward pretty early this evening just so I could be in the same time zone as them for a few hours! Desperate mom move, I know!

Also desperate Wisconsin resident mindset thinking that we're one hour closer to spring. I'll keep you posted on that, too.

Be careful out there!

Social Hour

Mental health awareness has definitely jumped back into the spotlight after yesterday shooting at an elementary school in Texas. It's too distressing to talk about those events right now. Not going to have a sad, depressing blog. Basically, if you're a parent, a teacher, or in law enforcement, I feel for you. And if you feel alone, depressed, or desperate, please get help. There are healthy ways out of that dark place.

I like this graphic shared by our Wood County Health Department today. I agree 100% that connecting with people boosts your mood. Why do you think we were all so down during the first part of COVID when we were all under house arrest? We need people.

We need to be social.

So tonight I took the perfect medicine for curing these depressing 24 hours where it has rained continually and the news feed has been continually tragic. Got together for dinner in Stevens Point with 9 co-workers. One of them is moving away so we needed a sendoff since he'll be gone before we return to the office next month. He'll still work with us, just really remotely now. 

So we spent nearly 3 hours just chatting and eating and laughing and not thinking about the sad news of the day. It was refreshing. And fun. And the perfect distraction.

Oh, and good for my mental health.

I highly recommend little social hours here and there. You deserve them. And you need them! 

Sometimes they even come with hugs. 

Just Sitting Around Watching the Sunset

Wildfires in New Mexico are causing some hazy skies and pretty sunsets here in central Wisconsin. I took these pictures tonight at the soccer field. My last pictures of a two-day photo spree. Hey, it's spring and in the 70s. You gotta make hay and shoot pictures when you can!

Yesterday I covered the Royals middle school softball game since I hadn't given them any love yet. Then walked over to the high school soccer game, where our Lady Royals continued their undefeated dominance beating Wausau Newman. It took them all 7 innings this time, though.

From there,  I headed over to baseball. When I left the softball field, our guys were down 6-1. In my short drive over, we rallied and tied at 6-6. Of course, I got there and must have brought bad vibes or something because we ended up losing 11-6. Ouch.

From there, I went over to the soccer field where our Lady Royals beat a tough Amherst team 3-1 and maintained their undefeated status, too. We've got some hot girls teams this year!!

Today, I shot the Lincoln baseball game. Wanted to catch one of my fave seniors in action before he's done forever. And another friend's son who's having a hot year. It was tied 1-1 when I left during extra innings. Rapids ended up losing by 1 in 11 innings. Uff da. 

I would've stuck around but wanted to get over to Lincoln soccer to take pictures of one of the girls whose younger sister plays for our Assumption team. Logan didn't see much action because she was in front of our goal and Merrill didn't make their way down there much. Lincoln scored 3 goals in the first 3 minutes and were up 6-0 at halftime. 

That's when I took these sunset pictures, then headed home.

I had to make one stop at IGA on the way home to get coffee creamer and a few things. When I was checking out, the "kid" at checkout asked me if I was 55 years or older. Insert a "what the ??" face here. I said "Nope, I've got a ways to go." Then went home drowned my sorrows in the ice cream I bought there. NOT at a discount.

On the plus side, I did get home in time to get a call from Carter. He and Mamie arrived safely in Denver last night and really like their place and, of course, love the mountains! 

So, all is good from here. Nothing much happening, per usual. I need to get to bed!

The EN Drop Zone

There's all kinds of Drop Zones out there. Near the water hazard on the golf course. By the front of a school. In landing areas for pilots in the military – or skydiving companies. In the movie theaters with Wesley Snipes.

And, oh, in the Empty Nest on Blue Jay Drive. 

As I previously alluded to, our 23-year-old is not embarking on the adventure (somewhat misleading adventure) to the Big City. So, since he had to be out of his college house by today – and he's back at Square One job-search-wise – he had to drop some "stuff" off here.

Hubby had gone down with the pickup truck on Saturday to get the big and bulky items. And today, Carter came to the Empty Nest (EN) Drop Zone. No quite air-dropping. And he didn't use the drive-through – but it was close to that swift with his visit lasting just shy of the 3-hour mark. (In his defense, I was stuck in meetings in my office and Jim was wrapping up work before baseball practice.)

So his room is filled to the brim. "I can't believe much stuff I can accumulate after 3 years in college houses." And he has a few things to "live on" down by Platteville, where he's still going to be spending some special time with a special someone while diligently job searching.

On a positive note, I don't have an empty nest anymore! Not completely empty.

Coffee Hour

Big day today. It was the first time Book Club got to meet in person at the coffee house – since February of 2020! That coffee and apple coffee cake never tasted so good! (I was too excited to take a picture so this stock photo of coffee cake will have to do.)

Due to the lovely pandemic, our monthly club had to get by with mostly online ZOOM meetings with a few socially distanced meetings outdoors in the summer. Sure felt good to really see people and, of course, hug them! 

Just made my day.

After our meeting, I met up with one of the seniors at the high school. Our photo got rain-shortened the other night so we finished today – dealing with occasional bright sun, breezy (not good for long hair), and heavy humidity. Thank goodness we were done by noon, because it go pretty warm today. A few faves...

While I was having fun, hubby drove down to Platteville to get as much of Carter's "big stuff" as he could haul in the truck. Something like 3 tables and a TV and more. It was a quick trip down and back since Jim had a class reunion meeting of some sort late this afternoon. 

Thanks to the 108% humidity, I dutifully turned on the air-conditioning. 

That naturally means kitty spent most of the day on the heated bathroom floor – and this heat lover will likely turn on her electric mattress pad tonight. Yup, we're two P's in a pod.

And the P stands for Princess.

 

Optical Delusion

You've heard this before: Things aren't always what they seem. And sometimes when you get a peek at the real thing, it's beyond disappointing. It's sort of like the Wizard of Oz and the man behind curtain. Ooops. Spoiler alert.

It's like this pretty Vikings-colored flower I took a picture of yesterday. Today, upon closer inspection...

Holy scary, hairy legs, Spiderman! Eek! Let the heebie-jeebie creepy-crawlies begin! Not always a fan of surprises. Are you? 

That was a little life lesson some of us learned today and us older folks re-learned.

Our boy starts his new job next Monday and today was the day he was going to sign a lease for an amazing apartment. Well, according the online description and accompanying 67 photos, that is. The apartments and building (include pool and fitness center) looked gorgeous. We were all excited for this next big step.

But that next step forward turned into a 180, instead. Got the call that upon closer inspection, our new young professional saw a lot of optical delusions and deception. In his (modified) words, it might be too strong to say "crime-ridden crap hole," but "sketchy" was an understatement. 

You get the picture.

So it's back to square one with the clock ticking. That's the gamble when you for some reason you act like a normal adult and feel comfortable believing what you see. It can be quite a let down and, as the spider legs prove, even a bit scary.

God's got a plan here. He's the man behind the curtain we can actually put our trust in.

Discerning the Difference

Shot some golf after work – well, shot photos of high school players competing in golf at TriCity. Yes, it was super windy. And no, I don't know how they did. I do know I cracked up when I saw this sign by the restroom. Man, woman, both, neither, alien... just wash your hands.

Everybody's welcome.

I'm hoping to find a welcoming neighborhood like that for our boy. Spent the evening apartment searching online. He created a list and I reviewed it with the mom eye. Thank goodness that you can narrow searches by size, rent cost, length of commute, and more. Also, thankfully there are photos online so you can see for yourself if it's a newer complex or rundown building.

And, though I was careful how I worded it, you can ask Google if XYZ is a good neighborhood in Milwaukee. And by good, I mean their report on crime and safety numbers. What every nervous mom cares about when sending their baby to the big city. 

So we'll see if we can discern the difference between good and bad places to live. As long as they welcome aliens, we shouldn't have any concerns.

Be careful out there.

Good (bye) Friday

I took today off so I could get out of the house. And make a special delivery. And attend Good Friday services (online, of course).

It just happens that my oldest sister and her husband are about to move from Hudson to the Phoenix area in the next few weeks. It just happens that during my recent decluttering stint, I found a plethora of bubble wrap they could use for packing.

So today we met at a somewhat halfway point in Osseo to make a trade. I'd give them the bubble wrap and some Easter cookies – and they'd give me hugs goodbye.

I know. We are guilty of bending the rules. Don't worry. We played it 100% safe and did not let our guard (or masks) down. I felt like we were meeting up for a Wild West duel of some kind! But we both walked away alive.

I had tears in my eyes, but I'm happy Rayna and Paul are moving (again) to someplace warm (again) where they don't have to deal with Mother Nature's mood swings! Believe me, come Monday when I have a snow shovel in hand, I'll be reminded (again) why she's the oldest and wisest sister!

Side note: It was so nice to get out and take a road trip! Even by myself. Just to not be in the house or in my office. I'll never take freedom for granted again.

Doggone Doghere

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time I was helping to find a friend's missing dog. This weekend a dog came to us. In other words, our grand-pup is here! Our grand-pup is here!

Son #1 is visiting this weekend one last time before he and his soulmate take their puppy and their belongings and move to the Seattle/Bellingham, Washington, area.

I think Rey will adjust fine as long as she has her ball to fetch. She's an expert!

"Again!" 

Run, Rei, run!

Over course, hubby and I enjoy the visit far more than Sylvester. I bet the whole neighborhood heard her hissing and growing and screeching. She's in her master's closet now and doesn't trust us. But she fails to understand this is probably the last time she'll see her furry "cousin."

Jim and I will be OK. We have neighbors to give us our dog fix. And we're pretty certain the planes fly West from here!