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!)

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!

Doh! Or Doe?

Interesting day as I transitioned between doh and doe. While earning the dough, of course.

Today was our last day in the office for awhile. Every time I thought I had everything together and ready to exit, I'd have a Homer Simpson "DOH!" moment when I remembered something else. Trust me, though, I was ready by lunchtime to head out.

Our full team of writers had our Last Lunch – not at all to be confused with the Last Supper. But I bet AI could alter this image. Not even going to think about trying it.

I gave a few hugs goodbye – because you know I'm a hugger – and was out the door well before 4 p.m. because our golf league tee times changed up at the last minute.

The weather tonight alternated a few times between long and short sleeves. Thankfully there was only a few sprinkles of rain before the wind blew those evil clouds past us. Molly and I did not do as well as last week but who cares? We had fun! 

And as competitive as I am, this is one area where I know my limits so I am 100% here for fun and spending time with a friend!

As I drove into the driveway, there was another DOH or DOE moment. I raced into the house to take a picture of her through my office window. Not the best photo, but she just hung out there, enjoying the evening for a good half hour. 

I know nothing about wildlife. I was just concerned she might be injured. Or, on a positive note, pregnant. Who rests in a yard when there's traffic nearby on the street and in the driveway? But then, she was gone!

Doh!

Anyway. A random plus-side is that the weather forecast for Friday calls for no, possibly minimal, rain. So get out and enjoy the Cranberry Blossom Fest events. We might luck out and have a weekend of weather in our favor! 

A Two-Some Weekend

Saturday was sort of like an episode of Wedding Crashers... but we were more like Wedding Surfers!

We happened to have two weddings on Saturday – one family, one friends. We somehow managed to get to both ceremonies. First our friends' daughter Allyse (one of Carter's prom dates from forever ago) at 1 p.m. When the ceremony start was delayed a bit, we wondered if we'd get to the other ceremony at 3 p.m.

Thank goodness both wete within 5 miles of Wisconsin Rapids.

After Allyse's absolutely beautiful wedding, we got out to Rooted in Red for Jim's goddaughter's Becca Austin's wedding. It's a nice venue for any outdoor ceremony, etc. The weather was just pleasant – not super hot. So nice. And so great to visit with Austin family and cousins.

Becca was the happiest bride!! Just loved to see her joy! 

After our dinner and some dancing – oh yes, two dances with hubby – we headed home and stopped at wedding No. 1 reception at The Ridges on the way. Got to officially congratulate the bride and visit with some friends. Full day of two-some fun!

Then this afternoon we started our "two-some" couple's league at Tri-City. The fun thing is that Jim and I go against another couple and we get to do a scramble format so we can keep the pace of play going. The non-fun thing is I realize once again my hubby is a phenomenal golfer and I am a complete dead weight. Unfortunately, according to couple's league rules, they have to use at least 3 of my drives in the 9 holes. 

I need more rounds than 2 before I can contribute, that's for sure! But somehow we came out ahead in the match tonight! Whew.

At least on a surprisingly cool Sunday I had my new Cutter and Buck golf pullover that I may or may not have bought myself on my trip to Minnesota last weekend. 88 degrees that day and yet I thought, "I should plan ahead!"

Very comfy and light but warm enough when whimps like me can't deal with wind and chill!

Side note: I love it and I'll be wearing it for much more than golf!

Carter called when we were putting out our last hole. Then we connected later when we were home. We're looking forward to seeing their place up in Duluth and showing them a few sights. How is it that all the weekends in the summer just fill up so fast?!

Hopefully something works out in July. Hubby hasn't been up there and I want to show both of them plus Mamie some of the must-see sights. 

At least we all agree it has to be a summer-type month.... not winter! Appreciate summer right now!

A Par-tial Improvement

So tonight was our second week of Ladies Golf League for my friend Molly and me. This time we were in the last grouping at 5:20 p.m. so that meant "normal/regular" golfers had tee times behind us. We were well aware of that. And hoping those guys behind us realized that we were held up by the ladies in front of us and so on.

They never FULLY caught up with us and gave us grief. And for that, we're grateful.

It also helped us maintain our more "relaxed" vibe compared to the first week. It certainly helped that one of us is done with work for the summer (thanks to a school district job) and the other of us was more serene (thanks to a decision/action at work).

I think we both knocked off 7 strokes from our week 1 performance... which is a big deal with just 9 holes. You wouldn't even recognize us... except for our matching clipped up hair. Ha.

We don't normally take a cart because we like to get our steps. But there was this threat of rain. And our hair, OMG, what would we do?! In the end, we did not get wet. AND we had more time to visit than when we use our own pull carts and zig and zang to the green.

Even though some mock lady golfers, I'm grateful God recognizes the importance of female friendships. Any where. Any setting.

Take advantage of those, ladies! 💗 

Building a Mist-ery

Last night was so weird. As I exited work, I could see crazy dark clouds to the north – heading south quickly. As it turned out, two neighbor friends had come up to Stevens Point to meet me for a little experiment.

We got to be treated while taking very serious participation in a "test run" of a new upscale restaurant experience. (Hey, hubby and I know our share of restaurant owners and managers! And he had golf league. His loss.) So here we are indoors and we missed the whole storm, which did end up reaching Rapids and sort of flattening my flowers – and also took down walls of the new Pizza Ranch under construction. Gasp!

The important thing is that my friends have adventurous appetites so, following their lead, I tried new things, too. For the good of the experiment.

The super delicious salad I had was just the beginning with its blueberries and toasted almonds with... kohlrabi (first time trying – new fan), white balsamic vinaigrette (this typically ranch girl is a new fan of this, too), and... goat cheese.

What the heck have I been missing for... ever? OMG. It's so good and light and creamy and wow.

To defend my lack of adventure with the goat cheese... Who among you siblings and Hedberg cousins recall when we'd visit Grandma in her apartment, she would not let us have one of those pecan cups she always made "not until you have some goat cheese."

I don't even know if we ever had to eat it. But my mind saw it as disgusting punishment. 

Oh, Grandma Minnie. Sorry I disappointed you. It's good stuff!

The rest of the dinner – off the charts. When we stepped outside it was sunny. So who knew while we were indulging that things were twisting and turning and down pouring?

The weird thing was that because the asphalt was so hot during the day with nearly 90 degrees again, the cool rain created a weird, fog-like mist to drive through on the way home to Wisconsin Rapids. Some of it was pretty thick. But we all made it home.

Today my foggy mist was my brain and body working together to remember how to golf.

First night of Ladies' League at TriCity. My friend Molly and I were shaking off the rust but had a blast because, well, what's better than golfing with a friend? It's the one thing I am not competitive in because I know my limited skill set. And I don't want pressure. Just fun.

I saved our scorecard so we can see where we go from here. We can only go up... while our score goes down, that is.

I just re-read this all and realize... there's Robyn... typical 24-hour span of life... so much. And I didn't even mention I got to King Cone for the first time in 2026 as a welcome-our-intern social after work! 

#livingthedream #ifyousayso

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!

Ditto Day with Extra

While today's schedule was pretty similar to yesterday's, I had some extra fun – and sadness – at church today. Today was our last day of "work" for Dave, our choir director of 14+ years. And as a grand finale, we sang Handel's Messiah (aka The Hallelujah Chorus)!

Not to sound like a choir geek, but this has been one of my favorites to sing since I was a freshman in high school which (check history books) was long before some of you were even born! It was a staple in our high school choir Christmas concerts. Then fast forward 30-some years and I learned it was a "grand finale" as well in the Assumption Golden Mass right before Christmas break. I've never joined them on stage, but I know my soprano part to sing from the seats.

This is the You Tube link to the service. Fast forward to 01:24 in the service for our performance. I'm the short one far left in the front row. I was ready to cry by the last 4 notes. I love that song. And we'll all miss our director! We had a nice pot luck brunch after church. 

Then this afternoon we had two graduation parties this afternoon. One found us a Lake Arrowhead and the other was just a mile-plus away. I came home before hubby because I needed to search through 5 years of softball images for a few "particular photos" before playoffs on Tuesday. Found 'em!

Side note! It was summer-like today!! Still 74 degrees at 8 p.m. I'll take it. Tomorrow I'll have time to actually relax and enjoy. Gotta love 3-day weekends no matter the serious reason for them!

Hope you're taking time to relax and convince Mother Nature this is how we launch summer in Wisconsin!

Gateway to Summer? I Think Not

Unofficially, many of us think of Memorial Day Weekend as the "kickoff" to summer. But if we wake up to 42 degrees the day before the weekend begins... I claim false advertising.

Most of us "office workers" are smart enough to know we have to dress in layers. If it's cold outside, will it be chilly in the office or will the heat be cranked? One never knows. Because well, like most offices, it's not consistent.

Today I knew to dress in some warm layers because I was going to be walking across the street from my office to give a bit of a walking tour about SentryWorld. Could we have driven over? Yes. But now I have my 10,000+ steps for the day. It's all about priorities.

And I was quite warm by the time we returned!

Do you know what else warms us on the inside? Special time spent with old friends who know every good, bad, and ugly thing about you and still love you to pieces.

I got to reconnect with friends tonight that I've known for almost 30 years. About how long I've been in Wisconsin Rapids. Some I see often. Others not so much. But boy, nothing warms you from the belly out like unapologetic laughter over other people's comments and stories. And firm, loving hugs!

Seriously, exactly what I needed in my current mostly stressed state of mind.

Thank you, God, for placing people in my life who enrich my soul and my attitude. And if you could do the same for Mother Nature, I'd owe you a big one!

WWW (What's With the Wind)?

I haven't been living under a rock. Though I try to most of time. But what's with the wind? I swear it's been like windy all the time going on 3+ years.

I just stumbled across a forecast for "marginal" (thankfully) chances of hail and strong wind tonight. Can I just go to bed one night safe in the knowledge I'll have electricity in the morning? No one wants to see me in the office without my hair curled. It was bad enough I showed up at Book Club tonight with my Monday work-from-home unwashed and randomly braided hair!

I didn't even know how to apologize.

But since our book was about witches, I sort of fit in. Yep from wind to brooms and witches, I guess it all ties together.

This month's discussion was on How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women by Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell, hosts of the popular Witches of Scotland podcast. I've told you several times our books run quite the gamut. We rotate who chooses the book each month so it often is something we'd never personally choose – but also opens our eyes and minds to subjects we didn't know we'd benefit from learning about.

In this book, which I considered a little more like a history book than a novel, the authors unravel the grim yet absurdly bureaucratic process of identifying, accusing, trying, and executing women as witches. There was possibly a little too much detail for this "fainting goat" about how they were burned at the stake and what happened to their bodies in the process. But otherwise, interesting! If that's an area of interest for you, check it out!

Of course, as we cackled in our coven we call a book club, I think we were in agreement not to let any of our husbands or kids read this.

Like the weatherman says: Safety first!

Be careful out there!

Soggy Sunday

Today was the extreme opposite of our sunny and 85-degree Saturday. It was rain all day and maybe a high of 55. Welcome to "spring" in Wisconsin!

So we did indoor things. Went to church. And I plunked down on the recliner under a fuzzy blanket and watched golf and the Twins-Brewers game (yay, Twins)... and perhaps napped here and there. Not a bad life. Ha.

Tonight we went to a meeting at TriCity golf course for our upcoming couples league. That should be fun again this summer as long as it's nothing like today's weather!

Now I have time to watch at least one mindless rom-com before going to bed. Look at me being so agile with Mother Nature's moods! Hope we all can do the same in the coming days!

Well That Was Fun

I could dub thee Sarcastic Sunday. Because some parts were not that fun.

Take church choir for example. There were 4 us. Not a fancy barbershop quartet. Just 2 men, 2 women. Not the strongest singers. Myself included in that. And our director sang with us to bring it up to 5. Yes, it was just the melody for On Eagle's Wings. But still. Cringe. 

But then it got fun. 

Ran up to Herrschners for some baby blanket yarn (bless them for Sunday hours) and worked on blanket #3 (boy them #2) while watching golf.

I love watching The Masters – especially on Augusta Sunday. And frankly, I want it to be a close competition. And today delivered big time. So many lead changes and people climbing the leaderboard. In the end Rory repeated for a back-to-back win, but he tried to blow it on the last hole – driving it into the woods!

I noticed his daughter Poppy is getting big. Yes, I do "know" some of the kids. I just wonder if they understand what the big deal is when Dad always wins things! You know?

And as the leaderboard was heating up, so too were the temperatures. The windows in the house and the screen door were letting in fresh air! Also, maybe something related to pollen. Not pollen yet, but I sneezed no less than 20 times this afternoon/evening. Grrr.

Did get out for a jaunt around the neighborhood after golf concluded. 

There was a hen party going on around the bend but since I just saw 5 out of 6 sisters the other day, I kept on walking. C'mon, that's funny, right?

Ok. Break time is over. Time to get back to hookin' something! Hope you had real FUN at some point today!

Purple Rain, Sleet, Snow, or All?

 

I hate when they make my favorite color purple look evil. But sure enough, we are in the heart of the worst of the ice storm warning starting at midnight tonight. I with this was April Fools, but it's not!

Let me translate what this particular purple means... up to an inch of sleet and up to half an inch of ice. In other words, travel is not advised early Thursday.

So since my home and my workplace are both the purple zone, most of us who have a commute are working from home tomorrow!

The one purple that did me joy today was a I sort of kicked bunny tail in our department egg hunt. I don't know if I found the most since not everything was tallied yet, but I snared 41 of them! Me, competitive much? Not a surprise at all.

Hope you'll be safe tomorrow no matter what color in the map you live in. Make smart choices!

Monday's Micro-Dose of Spring

This. This is 100% me. And also why I decided at 7 a.m. – after consulting with Mr. Deck Chair and the ugly upcoming forecast – I was taking the afternoon off. I mean It's almost April and I've used one day (of 6 weeks' worth) of vacation in 2026.

Best decision!

I logged off at noon and was at my friend Jenny's house in town by 12:15 and we commenced to enjoy a leisurely but calorie-burning 3-mile walk. With so much catching up!

Got home and started assembling a trifle for tomorrow (no spoilers allowed this time). Then sat on the deck to paint my toenails a sparkling pink SUMMER color (of course!). Then sat on the swing to let the nails dry while I listened to my current Book Club book that is changing my life – Theo of Golden. Trust me, as soon as I'm done I'll be blogging about it because I want everyone to read or listen to it!

Took another walk later because well, it was still gorgeous out. Plus I had to get in a few more steps. I think my health and fitness program at work is going to think someone stole my FitBit because... 10,000 steps TWO days in a row?! This is not the Robyn Austin we've come to know.

I fully acknowledge that shortcoming. Working on it, working on it!

The challenge comes with winter allegedly returning in 48 hours or less. Gah. I think Old Man Winter and Mother Nature should just pool their resources and pay for therapy for the lot of us!

On a serious note... graphic photo alert... today is the 2-year anniversary of my sister Rachel's horrific crash that tried to claim her life (a few times!) but the angels decided it wasn't her time yet! If you don't believe in God and miracles then look at this photo and ask yourself how else she and her friend survived!

Even now, she's not out of the woods yet. She's advancing more to walking without a cane or walker but is smart when she knows she should use one of them. And the legal battle for which insurance company will pay her medical bills is ongoing. She even had a deposition today of all days. Minnesota's "no fault" rule means she was 50% at fault for the accident because she was on that road – even though the other driver crossed the line and struck her. Obviously with impact! If any of you are the praying type, she still could use your prayers.

It continues to remind our family that there are so many miracles of spring. We love the birds and the little shoots of flowers blooming. But having our sister still with us tops them all. 💖

Hug your loved ones. Or if they are far away, tell them you love them!

Spring Brake, Palm Sunday, Etc.

So I was thinking that when my church choir and I sang two songs on Palm Sunday that for sure I'd have an "in" to win the cross BINGO. Nope. There were two games that I was one away from BINGO and couldn't claim a payout in time.

Close does NOT count in BINGO. Still, so fun! Too bad there's only 2 Sundays left this "season."

When I got home and it was 64 degrees I quickly changed shoes and went for a walk. Dang the snowplow drivers did some damage to neighborhood yards when they could tell road from anything with 2 feet of snow.

Was fun to catch my friend Marigene on the circle and the a few miles in, though. So nice!

Went to the store later for trifle ingredients and was struck by the knowledge that we really never know of a spring pothole is half an inch deep or half a bucket deep! Uff da. Wow. Actually so grateful for the bucket at this grocery store because my Black Betty would not have handled that well!

Of course, spring brakes wouldn't be complete without something BREAK-ing. For me. That's my bracket. Dang Duke. 

As Forrest Gump would say, "That's all I've got to say about that." 😩

Forget all the madness. Enjoy spring the next 24 hours!

Weekend Yarns

 

Long before I became acquainted with yarn I though a yarn was a story or a tale, especially one that is incredible and probably made up.

But then a couple of years ago my friend Julie introduced me to crocheting and what the magic of yarn can do.

For awhile after that I was obsessed with making scarves of all kinds. But since then... baby blankets.

So we have 2 sets of young adults in our life who are expecting babies next month. Contrary to popular pre-parenting practices, neither is finding out the sex of their child.

With my self-imposed deadline looming, I commenced to hooking today. With a 50-50 chance I said, let me start with girly colors. Well that didn't last long because my stupid skein was somehow messed up and in knots. So, not that it will effect the outcome, I switched to some typically boyish blues. 

Got a good start... but do you know baseball is on TV now (yay, Twins) in addition to March Madness hoops? Yup. This might take me a day or two. Good thing it was cold and windy with no forecast of me doing anything outside today!

Spring. For Real er No?

In my heart I know that our first full day of spring is fake. But it felt so good to embrace it anyway!

After an in promptu choir practice this morning, it was really just hoops and hoops and little outside exposure.

And I got to meet our new neighbor! She's so cute!

That was the highlight of the day other than remembering how to use my Cricut for an upcoming bridal shower. And visiting with my father-in-law. 

With the warm temps I did sit out on the deck steps for a bit. But dang, we really want this to continue! It won't of course. Despite the calendar. But please know, Mother Nature, that I truly liked you for one day!