Thursday, July 29, 2021

When I stepped outside this afternoon for Frisco’s potty break, I couldn’t believe the sky. It is filled with smoke from wildfires in Canada, so thick that it looks like fog, smells like smoke, and is irritating to the eyes.  When the sun started to go down, it was just a very faint light in the western sky. According to the weather forecasters, it will be with us again tomorrow and possibly worse.

Camp dropoffs and pickups with the girls went well this week. Wednesday was to be the last soccer night for them, so I decided to fix dinner, as it is always a hustle to eat and get out of the house on time. I made Chicken salad wraps with celery, cranberries, and pecans.  Charlotte helped with rolling up the wraps and shucking the corn.  

Tennis camp in the morning was canceled, so we went to Veterans Park instead, then after getting back home from afternoon camp, we learned there would be no soccer due to excessive heat and humidity. Too bad, it was their last game and there won’t be a makeup game later.

By this morning, I only had two boxes left to empty and I got that taken care of.  I now need to find a home for the empty boxes and wrapping materials and then I will be able to organize the entry closet. I will probably start hanging pictures in the next day or so.

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Hi Patty! I thought I’d better get a post done before your Sunday morning reading.  It was a busy week with the girls, with the move, and some great socializing too.

The girls had an interesting camp adventure this week, called Adventures in Cardboard. It was a mythical live action game played at French Regional Park in Plymouth, I would describe it as a kid scaled Renaissance Fair. My job was after-camp pickup and they were exhausted by the time I picked them up. They also had soccer on Monday and Wednesday. I went to the game on Wednesday and got to see Camille get a goal, Charlotte came close, and Norah did a great job playing Defense. Come Friday (their movie night), I’m sure that is all they had the energy to do.

I can’t help but think how fortunate those kids are to have so many fun learning experiences. They will be well balanced, hopefully.

This is the camp castle - embellished more each day,

Charlotte & Riley, heading to after camp meeting. This is first day, after making swords and shields.  Sorry, it’s not the best photo but you get the gist.

This is the end-of-day meetup where  a recap of wins and losses was discussed (Charlotte is between the two counselors.

Thursday, after a morning walk with Mavis and Frisco, sadly our last in this neighborhood,l I loaded my car with plants and food, using the fold-up wagon than Mary loaned to me. I then headed to Penelope 35 apartments where I met with the assistant manager and signed the lease, paid the rent for July, and paid the deposits. It turned out that I did not have to pay a deposit for Frisco ($300) because he can be considered an assistance animal. What a deal - of course, he assists with my mental health and keeps me getting my daily 10,000 steps in.

Edie and Steve suggested that we go to Mancini’s Chop house for a going away dinner and Mavis volunteered to be the designated driver.  What a treat! The restaurant has been family owned and operated for 40 years and the decor is probably much like it was when they first opened - a Las Vegas themed supper club.  The meal was delicious (Mavis and I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Walleye and Steve and Edie had the Petite Sirloin), complemented with a Cosmopolitan to soften the edges.  It was a very nice dinner experience with lots of good conversation.

Friday was moving day and it didn’t start out too smoothly. I got to the place to pickup the U-haul truck and it was secured by a fence - not to be opened until 10:00 am. I had the movers lined up for 9:00 am.  A call to U-haul and their excellent customer service, led me to another nearby location where a truck was available. I was able to pick it up and get back to my apartment where the movers would meet me at the new time of 10:00.

Alex and Shawn were efficient but not quite as efficient as previous moves with the company owner, Dustin.  They didn’t have all of the cool, efficient carts and wheeled boxes, so it was mostly muscle.  Regardless, they worked hard and had the truck loaded in about 1.5 hours.  I headed to Bloomington with the truck and they stopped for lunch (my treat) and met me there, then they loaded it all into my new apartment.  All in all, it was a 4-hour job. I later learned that they broke a wall sconce that I will be charged for, and then will try to collect the money from Dustin.

I got a decent night of sleep and proceeded to empty boxes again today, making pretty good progress.

I LOVE the view from my windows that overlook Old Shakopee Road (mostly auto traffic) but with a beautiful tree filled garden between me and the road.  I even saw squirrels playing and Cardinals flitting around. I think I’m going to like it here. People have greeted me in a friendly way and welcomed me to the community.  My apartment is a little dated (the building is 20 years old) but has plenty of cabinet and closet space, new flooring and paint.  I don’t miss the roar of the refrigeration condensers or the semi-trailer trucks across the street from my apartment at The Winslow at all.

This is the view from my place on the sofa.  I love it!

Friday, July 16, 2021

I can’t believe I have so much stuff! I’ve really downsized through the years but looking at the stack of boxes in my bedroom (and I’m not finished) makes me think I still have way too much stuff.

I did after camp pickups with the girls on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week and they were tired and dirty when they got off the bus.  The twins had horse camp and Charlotte had sailing camp. I had planned to go to soccer with them on Wednesday evening, but it rained a good part of the day, so no soccer. I did stay and have dinner with them and it was so nice to sit around the table and have good conversation with the family. 

I finished Camille’s sweater while she was gone on vacation and I was able to give it to her on Monday. She loved it and I think it turned out really cute.

Friday, July 9, 2021

A week has passed and I haven’t written. It’s been a quiet week, the family is on vacation, so I have not been involved with after camp pickups. My activities have mostly been involving my upcoming move - packing, changing addresses, etc.

I celebrated the 4th of July at Brian (Mavis’ son) and Curtis’s home for a good old summertime cookout with burgers, brats, potato salad, coleslaw, and sweet corn topped off with a Bundt cake that had red, white, and blue sprinkles on it. Their friends Michael and Patty and Michael’s service dog, Hubert also came and we had some great conversation. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Fireworks have gone off for the last 3-4 nights during I could see some of the higher ones from my bedroom windows. Just a few was plenty for me.

On Monday evening, Mavis, Brian, Mary and I had a very pleasant ride on the Padelford Riverboat cruise on the Mississippi. They have a Monday Madness special for $10 per person and it is well worth it.

There was a farewell party here at the Winslow for the head maintenance guy, Omar, who is moving on to bigger and better opportunities. He is a very nice guy, responding quickly to work orders and keeps the place in good shape. I wish him well.

This morning, Mavis and I parked at the Concord Street trailhead and walked the footbridge over the highway to access the trails at Kaposia Landing Park. Along the river, we were able to watch a tugboat guiding nine huge barges through the open bridge. It’s amazing how they can control those heavy loads. 

The trailhead is marked with this beautiful metal sculpture.

Friday, July 2, 2020

Where did this week go? It’s been a good one. I did after camp pickup for the girls and that was a piece of cake, as they were tired after having full days of peddling, paddling, fishing, and swimming. In fact, on Wednesday, they peddled 26 miles. Amazing! The most I ever rode a bike was 32 miles in a day, on the Elroy-Sparta Trail in Wisconsin - and I was in my 50s. 

I fixed dinner for them that night and shortly after getting home from camp and eating dinner, we were headed off to soccer.  Needless to say, they weren’t really into it, but Norah came really close to getting a goal and Charlotte made a great pass to the teammate who got the only goal for their team. 

Mavis invited Mary and I for dinner Thursday night and we had a really nice time; we enjoyed a glass of wine, ate a nice summery meal, and had lots and lots of conversation.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

I took my Westminster chime clock and a couple of other antiques to the Touch of Home Antique/Consignment shop to be sold. I had attempted to sell them on marketplace without success, so this is the next best alternative. I would like to consider this downsizing, but I usually manage to buy something to take its place. 

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Not much went on yesterday except for a few garage sales in the morning.  I also started to pack, putting some things that won’t be used in boxes. Doing a little each day will make for a much easier move.

I had taken some ground beef out of the freezer and decided to make a pot of goulash. Since there was so much of it, I invited Mavis to join me for dinner and then we watched a movie together - a nice way to spend a Saturday night.

She and I went shopping at the outlet mall this afternoon and when I got back home, I had a message from Nan and Dale, who are passing through southern Minnesota in their motor home, on their way to Wisconsin. So I packed up a few cans of Spotted Cow beer and the remaining Goulash and Frisco and I headed to Albert Lea for a visit.  It sure was nice to see them again, to see their motor home, and talk about their recent adventures. I’m happy for them.

Friday, June 25, 2021

It’s been a busy week, as I committed to do camp drop offs, pickups, and lunch with the girls on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. All went well and they were well behaved and burning lots of energy. They all had tennis camp in the morning and Camille and Norah had American Girl tea party camp and Charlotte had Hip Hop Dance Camp in the afternoon.

Jill did pickup on Wednesday afternoon and I came home and took a nap. Mavis and I went to watch the girls play soccer in the evening. It was fun and I got to see them each get a goal.

Mavis and I were planning on going to go to the Fireside for fish fry tonight, but even better, we got invited to Doug and Linda’s apartment for fish fry.  It turned out that there were ten of us who got to enjoy the meal.  They are into fishing and we were treated to crappie and sunfish that they caught. It was lightly battered and delicious. What a nice evening spent talking about food, pets, travels, and personal stories.