Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Saturday, August 26, 2023 - MN

My Stampin Up group of friends had our summer picnic on Monday and after a delicious lunch, I taught them how to do a paper embroidery card.  There were mixed feelings - some liked the process and requested copies of patterns and others might not ever do it again.  I’ve been working on getting some Christmas cards ready for later in the year

Happy 76th Birthday to Mike last Wednesday - it’s too bad that the last 11 birthdays have been celebrated from wherever you are in the universe.  And also to Casey - such a great guy - who suffered through 
so many health tragedies including nine cancers in his 29 years, but he still managed to have a smile on his face and to keep on moving forward.  He would be celebrating his 46th birthday today.



I heard from my niece Monica that she and her son Logan and mom Nan are coming to Wisconsin for a visit next week and they will be scattering Rick’s ashes.  I checked with Dawn and there is a room available at her bed and breakfast, so - I’m making another trip there on Thursday.  I sure have been on the move this summer, but I just can’t pass up seeing Monica and Logan again.  We will meet up on Friday.

I’m finishing up my week at Ben and Jill’s. Just finished the laundry and final cleanup and have my stuff together, so will head home in a bit.  

My view from the deck.




The weather this week has gone from nice to Hot and Humid and now today feels like a fall day out there.  It’s a cool 70° with a nice breeze.  

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - MN, WI

Charlotte and I headed towards Wabasha on Monday morning in hopes of finding some interesting things to see and do.  The kids of today are different from years ago in that they are accustomed to keeping from boredom by being on devices rather than looking out the window to see what they can see or count cows or barns or play the alphabet game.  So she missed out on seeing some of the beautiful views that I saw along Hwy 35 on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River.  So I let her have her screen time while in the car.  It was a rainy day, so we planned to do most of our sightseeing indoors.

We stopped along the way and read the historical markers and learned about geological features and the Indian maiden who jumped off a cliff rather than be married to the man that her parents chose for her at Maiden Rock.  The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin was our first stop and it was very interesting to learn about where she was born, her early childhood years and what their life was like on the Wisconsin woods.  Charlotte remembered so many things from the books but she felt that Norah and Camille would probably enjoy it more - she has grown up a bit since reading those books.

We continued down the east side of the river and crossed over at Wabasha where we stopped at the National Eagle Center to learn more about the majestic birds.  There are three of them that live at the center and the museum I informed us of their habitat.  The center offers tours of nesting grounds and observation but we just saw the museum.

We were hungry, so Charlotte chose Beth’s Cafe in Nelson, Wi for lunch, so we crossed the river and had a nice lunch at Beth’s, then stopped at the gift shop next to the restaurant.  We just couldn’t go by the Nelson Creamery, so stopped there for a yummy ice cream cone.  We were both thinking that it was time head to our motel to check it out, so our next stop was the Alaska Lodge in Lake City.  I had reserved a room with a jacuzzi and we were both ready to try it out.  The room was very nice and had a small balcony overlooking Lake Pepin.  It was gray and dreary but we saw eagles and gulls flying on the currents and White Pelicans bobbing on the rough water of the lake.  Every once in a while, a huge barge would float by.  We had dinner at Big Bear Pizza, watched a movie, and went to sleep.

The Red Wing Diner was our breakfast destination and we spent some time at a few shops in Red Wing. We were headed to the Red Wing Pottery but the GPS lead us astray - there is construction everywhere - and we had to head toward home so we would be on time for Genevieve’s art class.  We made clay wall pockets and Charlotte kind of rushed through hers - I think she was anxious to get back to a game on the iPad.  We had a nice walk with Joey in the evening, watched a movie, and went to bed.



Joey had a nice and relaxing time with Deb.



I learned from neighbors at art class that the new manager who was supposed to start on Monday had a medical emergency and will not be working here.  So we continue on without a manager.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Sunday, August 13, 2023, MN

Most of the week has been spent right here at home other than a bit of shopping and stops at a few yard sales.  I spent the afternoon with the girls on Wednesday as they only had camp in the morning. This week, they were at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for a Harry Potter Camp.  They were having lots of fun when I arrived for pickup and seem to really enjoy it.  

Charlotte is getting a little burned out from camps, so Jill took her out of the one for next week and she will be hanging out with me Monday - Wednesday.  We are going on a road trip to the Mississippi River and exploring Red Wing, Lake City, and Wabasha.

I’ve been doing a lot of weeding along the foundation of our building this week. I just got sick and tired of looking at the crabgrass growing there and the appearance of neglect.  So little by little, I have cleaned it up and it looks so much nicer now.  Our new manager, Steve, starts tomorrow and it will be interesting to see what his approach to managing the facility is.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Sunday, August 6, 2023 - MN

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Patty yesterday! 

After Randy left on Tuesday morning, I had a haircut appointment and then it was getting ready for a National Night Out hot dog cookout here at Penelope.  Joann and I decided to get it going after our events were canceled by our manager who quit.  I dug out my Coleman camp stove and grilled the hotdogs and we had a potluck gathering with about 13 residents.  It was nice, but it always ends up being just a few people who get involved and do all of the work - that’s me and a couple of others.  It makes me feel good because any little extras are always well received.  Many of these folks rarely leave the building.

Wednesday was food shelf in the morning and pet nail trims in the evening.  Joey is still the only really naughty pet - the cats are cooperative and he is a little shit.  This is my setup and he still fought like crazy.  It’s a good thing Mary is experienced and willing to deal with him. He is great with me trimming him but when it comes to clipping the nails, he gets in fighting mode.  Sometimes I wonder what his life was like before me or is it just his personality.  



I’m still recovering from my bout with bronchitis but getting better every day.  The weather folks on the news are calling this “the summer if fires” as we keep having days with poor air quality because of smoke coming in from Canadian wildfires.  It is sure having an effect on me.