Monday, August 31, 2026

This afternoon I got the news that I have been waiting for over two years to hear - an apartment at Greenspire in Stoughton is available for me and I did not hesitate to accept it.  The person I spoke with is with the management company so I will have to work with her on the lease, deposit, and rent but will chat with the manager at the apartment for a move-in date. Based on the new address that she gave me, my apartment is on the first floor, faces east, and I will have a small patio to enjoy.  Carol and Richard are still willing to move me with his snowmobile trailer and I have already touched base with Dustin to load it up with my stuff.  

I talked with both of my boys and Pat was happy to hear the news and Ben has mixed feelings, as do I.  I am confident that I am doing the right thing, as my long-term plan since way back when has been to get back to my roots.  I think Stoughton will be a good place to age gracefully and I will have many contacts to keep an active social life going.  

Charlotte's sweater is coming right along, I started on a sleeve today. I will be going to her first high school junior varsity swim meet tomorrow - dang - she is growing to be quite the young lady and is excited about high school. 

Sunday, August 30, 2026

 Tom and I managed to fill up the days this week, mostly with walks around the neighborhood, daily naps, and dinners.  I had a haircut appointment with Shirley on Tuesday and he and I went to Costco and Cub to do some shopping on Wednesday.  

Thursday was laundry day, as Tom was getting ready for his trip back home to AZ on Friday. We had a nice steak dinner that night and watched a good movie with Liam Neeson called "The Land of Saints and Sinners".  

I got Tom to the airport around 11:30 on Friday for his 1:15 flight back to Phoenix.  I heard from him around 5:30 that afternoon that he had gotten back to his trailer, his truck was still there, and all was good.  The last three weeks have been nice having him around and we manage to find things to do, but we both kind of enjoy doing our own thing too - reading, napping, watching shows on TV.

I stopped at an estate sale and a couple of garage sales on my way back home and then it was time to get accustomed to living a solo life again.  I bought a couple of books but that was about it.

Yesterday, Jill called to see if I wanted to come by for pizza and birthday cake for Charlotte.  I took along the 'work in progress' gift that I am making for her (I need some measurements before I can continue) and she really liked it. She is really excited about high school, has made several new friends on the JV swim team.

Charlotte's Birthday Gift

Me and the Birthday girl, Charlotte

Camille and Norah

Sunday, August 23, 2026

 Happy Heavenly 79th Birthday to my Mike today.  Dang - I sure do miss him at times, mostly on memorable dates, but there are reminders all over my home and just about anywhere I go can spark a memory. Thanks for those, Mike!

I went and picked up Norah on Thursday afternoon for a couple nights sleepovers. Charlotte is staying with Lois as she has two swim practices each day plus 2 hours of weight lifting and various events with her friends. Ben, Jill, and Camille are in San Diego to celebrate her upcoming 13th birthday. They will be taking Norah to New York City later on in October. 

Norah and I did some shopping so I would have plenty of gluten free options for her to eat - and she mostly wanted junk and snack foods. Imagine that for a 12-year old.  She wasn't interested in doing a whole lot other than being on her iPad but we did walk to the nearby school grounds and she got into some of the playground equipment and we watched a couple of movies. I taught her how to play 21 poker and that was kind of hit, especially when there was money involved.

Lois had to go out of town on Saturday for a funeral and needed some backup help.  She dropped Charlotte at swim practice before heading out and Norah and I picked her up, went to their house and out until it was time to take her and her friend Holly to a pool party later that afternoon and then Holly's parents brought her back home. Norah was hoping to stay at her own house and sleep in her own bed that night and Lois was ok with it, so I came back home without her.  Of course, she forgot a few things at my house, and I returned them today after Tom and I went for breakfast at Ruby's Family Restaurant. Breakfast was good and I would definitely go back there.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

 We haven't done a whole lot this week, although it has been busy. I had Stampin Up on Monday and it was nice to see the gals again. We assembled 120 autumn themed cards to donate to hospice for patients and their families.  Ronnie provided a yummy dessert of a pie with vanilla cookie base, topped with melted caramel, then melted chocolate and a dab of whipped cream - it was yummy and something to keep in mind for the future.

Tom and I went to dinner at Shantytown on Tuesday and we're both happy with our meals - Reuben's - but our server was kind of a serious, gruff person, although she was speedy.

I helped out with food shelf on Wednesday and we got loads of good veggies and other goodies.  It was a busy morning.  

Sunday, August 17, 2026

 Saturday was a relaxing day and we mostly hung around the apartment other than going for walks.  Funny how a 3-day road trip kind of drags you down these days.

Yesterday was a little better and we took care of some chores including watering the plants around the building and going to the grocery store. I made quesadillas for dinner and we watched the movie "Arthur the King" with Mark Wahlburg - a good movie that had us on the edge of the couch a few times.  

Friday, August 14, 2026

 Again, after a nice continental breakfast at the motel, we headed out for a walk.  This time, we went to the Wisconsin Canoe Association Museum and learned about various canoe builders and their differences.  Since Tom MacKenzie built traditional style canoes, several of his were on display, as was a model that showed the various layers of how they were built and assembled.  I'm glad to have known him and glad that I got to revisit this place.

When we got back to the hotel, we packed up and headed to Rice Lake where we had a reservation at the AmericInn for the night. We were way too early and they weren't checking folks in yet, so we headed downtown to check things out. There isn't much in this town but we did stumble on the Agonic Brewery and Tom had a beer and I had a Bloody Beer that was quite tasty.  

Back at the motel, we checked in, got settled and by then it was naptime.

We had a reservation at Lehman's Supper Club for dinner and it was a great place that has been in business since the 1930s. We were seated in the Lounge and each ordered an Old Fashioned and the lighter Walleye dinner that came with salad, fries and white bread toast.  The walleye was excellent and then we ordered a crème brûlée for dessert to share - yummy!  Again, we were both full and felt like a walk when we got back to the hotel. This room is frigid and no matter what setting we put on, it is cold.

Thursday, August 13, 2026

 After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we headed to downtown Spooner to do some window shopping and check out the two blocks of shops. As we drove, we passed the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum and I immediately had a feeling of Déjà vu.  No wonder - as our dear friend Tom MacKenzie was a founding member and after he passed away, his entire shop and several of his canoes were donated to the museum by his wife, Karen.  Tom built two of the canoes that Mike had - the first was a birchbark and then he traded that one for a wood and canvas model, the first that was built in 1988. We attended the dedication of the museum and then I stopped again on my travels back in 2017.

We walked the streets of downtown Spooner, then headed out of town to the Spooner Outlet - a huge store that recently moved from downtown to a new location - they sell lots of outdoor clothing a sporting equipment.  

We had reservations for the dinner train ride on the Great Northern train. We had a reserved table in the dining car, an original that was built in the 1950s.  Our table was made up with white linen tablecloth and the works.  We ordered cocktails from the cash bar and our server, Freedom, gave us some information about how the meal would be served and a little bit about the route we would be taking.  

Each course was served on some of the original dishes and fancy glasses and the dishes were cleared off before the next course came out.  We started with cheesy biscuits, chicken wild rice soup, beef tender chateau with mushrooms, garlic mashed red potatoes, roasted carrots and then a dessert of blueberry cheesecake.  Everything was delicious.  

Once the meal was finished, Freedom told us about the various train cars, the history behind each car (dating back to the 20's and 30's, and then we were free to roam around as we wanted.  There were two additional dining cars and one was a western themed one with cowhide upholstered booths and stools (apparently Teddy Roosevelt rode on that one during one of his whistle stop campaigns). There also were three sleeper cars and we were able to see one of the sleepers - a queen sized bed and full bath, but not much else.  At the rear of the train, a staff member monitored the tracks (we were now headed forward) for animals and obstructions, ready to radio the engineer or to stop the train if necessary. All in all, it was a lovely night, we were stuffed and ready for a walk when we got back to the hotel.