Drive up banking in the winter – when you make the passenger get out and knock the ice off the card slide
Let me first start by stating the obvious – IT IS COLD OUTSIDE! Yes it was -16F when I woke up. No that IS the actual TEMPERATURE you don’t wanna know the wind chill – somewhere in the -30sF. I don’t plan to go out until afternoon when we are supposed to warm up to about oF. Okay formalities taken care of I’ll start on my post now.
Due to work I didn’t go down to see the folks (mine and his) until after Christmas. It worked out just fine. Aaron and Sara came down later and stayed after us as they wanted to celebrate New Year’s with their friends here. Ahh I remember when we actually stayed up in dressy clothes and partied with others. Now just staying up is the challenge. Funny as I get older I get more like a baby routine keeps me from being grumpy.
Any way here are a few photos from the trip. Not much as I only had my phone.
We visited my parents for a few days. Here’s Mike and my folks outside a Mexican restaurant in their town. Yes we had to show our support for the Tennessee Volunteers – all graduates of the University of Tennessee ya know. Dad is a golden grad and got his 50 years since graduation pin.Mom’s kitty Sylvester – I have two black cats, Mom has one, Aaron has one, and my bff Patricia has two – do you have a black kitty?The house shoes my parents gave Mike – yes they are slippers!That’s Greeneville Tennessee the town to where I grew up out in the county. I’m setting a novel (urban fantasy with a rural setting) centered right on the corner where that church is.The view of the Smoky Mountains from my in-laws neighborhood. As you can see there was snow on the mountain but it was still nice enough in the valley to go golfing.Jellico Mountain area of Kentucky on the drive home. The roads were clear the whole way just a long drive.The snow just started as we hit downtown Chicago.Back home to typical Wisconsin Winter views.
Okay tomorrow and Thursday I work so hopefully I’ll get another post in the pipeline for those days – maybe about the great YWriter and a postcard from the past… or maybe swamp tour or Colonial Williamsburg… or maybe not… Until next time!
Why hello there! It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. Lots has happened and not so much has happened. I do have a good excuse as to why I’ve been gone.
First off Miss Mo my female kitty got worse. It was very sad. She died and we did discover that the issue was a fast developing spinal cancer. I still miss her very much. She was a very special girl.
Miss Mo at the Vet’s. She made a number of visits before the spine cancer took her.
Next Mike graduated another post-grad program in Norfolk. It was another trip there for a few days. I was very proud of him. While there we went to Colonial Williamsburg. I made lots of great picture. Yes I’ll do a very belated post about them.
Then there’s work. A few times we’ve had short staff for medical reasons, people moving, etc. At times I’ve work full time rather than part time to help out. I love what I do so I don’t mind. BUT for me it’s a side thing.
Finally my writer’s block broke. Yes I furiously wrote 41 chapters of a whole new story, 21 chapters on my Urban-fantasy with a rural setting, and about 12 on my steampunk novel. The muses were so demanding I’ve been cramming in writing where ever I could. Now my goal is to go to an event in Madison by their continuing education branch where I can do pitches to publishers and agents. Oh to get an agent! My focus will be on the whole new story and getting it prepped as that muse is the most demanding.
He’s a cadet now. He’ll be commissioned as an officer upon his graduation. This photo is from his graduation from basic earlier this year.
Aaron is doing well in college and in ROTC. He got a full scholarship in bio-chem from them. He loves having his own small apartment. No roommate problems that way. Being one who has to report to PT at 5:45 am with roommates who think 10:45 am classes are early can be difficult.
The holidays were nice. Our big present this year was a new furnace and boiler. Our 30+ year old one finally gave up the ghost. Heat is a must in Wisconsin and a new system isn’t free. So each time the radiators bang with a surge of new heat we wished each other a very Merry Christmas.
Did craft fairs again this fall and winter. They went very well. Now maybe I’ll make time to get an on-line shop up in 2014 along with a book agent and a few novels sold! Eh? why not dream big!
Mike and I took a vacation to Florida in the fall. Again we enjoyed an airboat tour. Also we managed to not go to a single amusement park. Did hit the beach though!
Wonderful airboat tour to ourselves!
Health wise 2013 was one of improvement. My 2012 surgery seems to have helped many issues. It’s a slow and gradual process getting healed and stabilized but well worth it. Sadly as you get older bouncing back from such things goes slower than I’d like.
Finally for Mike – he’s nearing the end of his Navy career and retire looms on the horizon. I don’t know what we’ll do with ourselves. We’ve spent all our relationship with our lives accommodating the Needs of the Navy first and foremost. Now, there will be no monthly drills, no 2 weeks or more of active duty, no call ups – just waiting until we need to collect retirement. However that might be pushed off another year or two if he can. Captain Mike loves his Navy.
Yep Blue is the leader and the cause of frequent screen repair in the summer. As you can see his brother hangs back to ensure all is well.
Our remaining pets the two Furry Boys – Red and Blue are facing problems of aging cats. Red has chronic kidney insufficiency. Blue had hyper thyroid. They both take medication regularly. They are healthy and happy but aging like the rest of us.
As for comics… Yes I’m still into them. Saw Thor The Dark World and enjoyed it. However I do agree Tom Hiddleston’s Loki got the best lines. Then again I’ve always enjoyed snark (sarcastic humor). As for reading – I am behind. As in a few short boxes behind not counting those I only get in digital form. So be patient with me, I’ve been writing more than reading. However if there’s an issue you really want to chat about – shout out to me and I’ll be sure to move that title to the top of the catch-up list.
I guess that gets everything caught up about me and mine. Hope you and yours are doing well, had a great holiday season and are looking forward to 2014.
You know that Mike hast to go some where on nice weekends. This time it was a reenactment over at Silver Lake in Kenosha County. Of course we got in the faithful old Mustang, put the top down and took off. When we got there we discovered a nice park not far from our house. A quaint reenactment set just before the Revolutionary War broke out. Here’s the photos from the day.
This was the first thing that caught my eye. This barefoot little girl ran past us and down the back of the tents. I loved her costume! She was adorable.This was a pewter smith demonstrating how he made eating utensils. If you click and hop over to my Flickr account you can see some of the many trinkets he has made with his 100s of pewter molds.Well I assume you know what lace is but a lucet is a tool used in making cords.This tent had some beautiful handmade furniture for sale. Lovely stuff!This gentleman explained how to fire the cannon, the different types of shot used and when they were used in battle, then took the scouts through a drill enacting the process of firing.The don’t tread on me flag was flying.The storekeep in the tent in the background there had a very floral ensemble whose hat only made me think that he looked like he had been sleeping. Also I loved the lady walking by in historic garb.Red coats took off their red wool coats and slept outside their tents on the unusally hot day.
As always you can click on any photo to be taken over to my Flickr account. There you can see more images from the day. Until next time!
Back on May 26th Mike and I were looking for something to do. You know he HAS to get out and DO something if it isn’t snowy on the weekend. So after seeing in the paper that there were boat races on Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie we were off to see what it was about.
It was about small boats that sound like lawn mowers doing laps on a very small lake not far from our house. Really there were heats, different levels, and such. Interesting but as the sun started to set the day was getting cool we headed home. Here’s a few shots of the day.
We weren’t the only ones out for the day. Here come three boats on the turn…As you can see they didn’t leave their opponents in the dust but rather in the mist!With the races on Froggy wasn’t renting any boats that day.Here’s a shot of mechanics working on some of the middle class boats.There where the green flag is in the photo was the starting line. They used flags like in car racing. If a boat broke down there would be a caution flag. Winner got the checkered flag.Safety crew was out in wave runners. They’d tend boats that stalled or broke down. They’d also act like tow trucks of the water.Sure it was a cool day. I had the hood up on my hoodie (take that Geraldo Rivera I rehabilitated the hoodie for middle-aged moms!) but this spectator was a bit excessiveAs you can see Mike wore a polar fleece but bundling wasn’t necessary for us.
As always there’s more on my Flickr account – clicking on any of the images will take you there. Feel free to snoop around over there as much as you want.
Been awhile but here’s a photo post. Getting to be nice weather so time to get out with the camera! So sit back and enjoy the first photo post in a long time… as always click on any photo to be taken to my Flickr account where there are more photos on the topic.
If you know me – you know I hate snow. I despise it. I’ve lived in Upstate New York, Connecticut, Michigan, and now Wisconsin. Each time my hatred so snow has grown. I’ve been here going on 9 years – it went from being pretty if I was inside and warm to keep the blinds closed I don’t want to see the damn stuff. A friend here asked me when I was going to develop at least an appreciation for snow, I said “when it’s warm and dry.” “That’s sand.” she said. “Exactly, ” I replied, “I’d rather be a the beach.” If the truth be known I don’t like sand either. Having lived where it is sand – trust me sand gets into everyTHING best to have tile floors and throw rugs that can be shaken out. However having spent half my life where it snows and half my life where it doesn’t – I prefer doesn’t and will take sand over snow any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Yet I’ve got at least another decade in Snowberia… so I thought I’d share what it looks like to live where we are getting regular snow storms of multiple inches at least weekly. Heck we deal with them then the East Coast whines and names the damn things.
For the benefits of my friends who have never lived through real winters (yes Tennesseans this includes you) here’s what every day looks like.
Here’s what it looks like at home in the winter –
Our street after clearing…View from my officeOur porch in winterPorch Windows
Then this year I added the joy of driving to work in winter –
I get to clean off my car. The windshield wipers are left up so they don’t freeze to the windshield. You see when you drive the car and it gets warm inside and the motor the snow turns to water then park – zoom ice again as it cools.Some would call that pretty trees I’d say they will break under the weight. Also the piles on the sides are getting heavy they ice and make concrete bumpers should you be hit into one. I know I got hit one winter and spun into a snow bank – more damage from the bank than the Cadillac Esclade that hit me. Oh and as the winter wears on with weekly storms the piles become harder to see around. They contain road salt killing pretty trees and stuff under them.These are the neighborhood roads. To conserve salt after the onslaught of storms the secondary roads are just salted at intersections now and sanded else where. They become a sandy sludge. Oh if the snow banks get too hight then front loaders and dump trucks have to come after the snowplows and salt/sand truck to load the snow into the dump truck and haul it away to keep roads clear.Main roads (4 lane or more) get fully salted. Oh and here you can see the melt on the windshield… I didn’t introduce you to road salt film on the windshield as I was was driving but it happens and hopefully your windshield spray hasn’t frozen over so you can clear it. It can get so bad that it’s a white if you don’t have spray… I’ve had to stop fill up the resovior on trips. Also have had to stop, raise the hood, reach under the insulation find the tube to the spray head and squeeze the tube to break up the ice in it to get the spray going. Yeah this is so much fun – one person shouldn’t have it all…
Oh there’s posts coming up of Mike’s snow shoveling. Yeah that’s another joy. I’d rather have to mow three times a week like in Charleston than ever see anyone shovel or blow snow again… Until next time –
So if Aaron’s done it Mike can’t be out done. That’s the rivalry between father and son. Back some time ago, Aaron went to Buffalo Wild Wings and took the hot wings challenge. He beat it and got his picture on the wall just after completing it – a smiling sweaty snotty saucy mess but victorious. Since then, Mike has wanted to go to the same place (the one here in Kenosha) and beat it to at least tie Aaron.
Well Saturday, February 16, 2013 was the day! We went to lunch there before grocery shopping. He decided it was time. The challenge is 12 wings in 6 minutes, one napkin, no drink, have to remove the meat with your mouth not your fingers. Here’s the photo post of the challenge.
He starts out well with a full basket of 12 Blazin’ Hot Wings
What I found most impressive is he wore a white shirt AND KEPT IT CLEAN!
Even his face was fairly clean…
They POURED on the sauce a lot more heavily than they do the normal order. Mike said it wasn’t that spicy (this from a man who eats habaneros raw) but the temperature hot got him more.
Here’s his victory!
Afterward he started turning pink as the spicy heat hit him. That stuff builds ya know…
What did he get for his victory? A great new T-Shirt
This house is in our neighborhood. It’s just behind the bank and across the street from the grocery store. It is a sight to beho- ho-ho-hold!
One thing I noticed our first season here was the attention to yards. No really here and Michigan people on the whole tend their yards more than say in Tennessee, South Carolina, or Florida. Why I don’t know, but they do. I suspect it has something to do with the awful winters they generally have here and the Midwest ethos. I throw in the last part because there’s awful winters in upstate New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (all place I’ve lived) but they don’t pay attention to lawns like Michigan and Wisconsin do.
This lawn attention carries on to holiday decorating. I showed you our neighborhood at Halloween, now let me introduce you to it during the Christmas season. There is a street here in Kenosha called Christmas Lane. It’s known for the over the top Christmas decorations. It all started as a friendly competition between two neighbors. They tried to out do each other every year. It got so competitive that tarps were put up so the other fella couldn’t see what was coming until the great reveal! Eventually the whole street joined in the spirit of lighting up the night.
What follows are highlights of our neighborhood and of Christmas Lane. You can click on any picture to be taken over to my Flickr account and there see even more photos.
We are simple folk who go for a few simple strands of color. T he big bulbs like I remember being on trees of my childhood.The view down our street.Neighboring decorated housesThis one was done in all white lights but I liked it!Santa and his light reindeer!This looks like the Griswald place!This house on Christmas lane has a miniature scene in the window every year.Santa is on his way. I really like how they lit the windows in the background.Some look better a bit out of focus. Reminds me of watching the tree as I fell asleep on the couch as a kid.
Now that I’m up and running I’m looking back on my stay in the hospital. When you are in the hospital you aren’t at your best. Going in for planned surgery was better than being admitted for pneumonia but still anxiety was high. So things that I might get on the first take when I’m my usual self, in the hospital might take a bit longer or be greeted in odd thoughts. Then there’s the equipment – stuff I’m not familiar with and makes for new experiences.
One thing I remembered from my encounters with hospitals was being cold. No fears of that here. No I didn’t get a great warming/massaging bed like Dad had in ICU. But I did get a heated hospital gown called Bair Paws! I kid you not. My purple paper gown had ports that hooked up to a warm blower. Actually the blower reminded me of the old hair dryer mom used to have. You know the kind if you are a child of the 70s or earlier – the ones with the inflatable bonnet. So yeah you got a puffed out gown but it was TOASTY warm.
Next I was dehydrated so IVs were hard to put in. But what do you expect when you tell me not to consume anything including water for 18 hours? So they got one IV in and said they’d get the other in after I was out. Well the last thing I remember was we started wheeling out the gurney toward the nurse’s station and before we turned the corner to the door. BAM I was out.
The next memory was of someone having a damp sponge on a stick and swabbing my mouth. That was nice as my lip didn’t stick to my teeth any more. They also put lip balm on me. Not bad. I was relaxed sleeping well and someone was keeping me from being thirsty.
You know I never thought I’d have to be reminded to breathe. Even more than that – I never thought if I needed such a reminder I’d find it annoying. Still one of my memories is of a woman saying “Mrs. Eklund you have to breathe on you own now.” Well the first time she said it I thought “Oh, okay” and breathed. Then off to peaceful dreamland as a person who doesn’t sleep well – I was blissfully enjoying the dozing. Then she reminded me again. This time I thought ‘FINE I’ll do it go away! I want to sleep!!” Then about the fourth or fifth time I was getting beyond annoyed and onto pissed off. “Really lady bugger off your breathing thing I’m sleeping here!”
Next I was getting wheeled on the gurney into my room. Mike, Aaron, and Sara were there to greet me. They were asked to step out while the team got me settled. Don’t remember much until I woke and Mike was holding my hand. As I woke more I remember I no longer had on the purple warming gown. Well in most instances waking up to find yourself dressed in totally different clothes is disheartening but here it was par for the course, not as annoying as the breathe on your own lady was. For me it seemed just a nap between when I’d bid my family farewell and the waking in new clothes but it’d been about 5 hours or so.
As I progressed things made more sense but I discovered odd things about my post surgery body. It’s a bit disconcerting to think about people you don’t know dressing you while you are out. I know it doesn’t mean much to them, it’s a job they do and that’s that. But discovering say you have a scratch on the roof of your mouth from anesthetic intubation. Or finding I have a deep bruise on my right arm because of a failed attempt at the second IV. Or pondering did I have those scratches before? Good thing with the drugs to alleviate pain you tend to take it all in stride.
Speaking of stride – the first walk is always a dozy. I knew my abdomen would be sore I didn’t expect my hips to be so sore and stiff. The more I walked the better they felt so I wasn’t against doing the walks. The nights in the hospital are never restful. I mean why the heck wake me up in the middle of the night to do “dangles” to prepare me to walk the next day? “Dangles” are sitting up on the side of the bed with feet hanging off not touching the floor. They watch your blood pressure and stuff to make sure you won’t faint when it comes time to stand.
Oh, did I mention I loved the leg massagers? Okay I know that’s not what they are called. They are pneumatic compression boots that are to prevent deep vein thrombosis in the legs. I LOVED ‘EM. I’ll tell you my feet and legs always ache to some level or another. It’s just life after 40. But to have those on rolling pressure up and down my legs and over the soles of my feet. A dream come true – a leg massage all night long. The only thing that could have made it better was Hugh Jackman there doing it instead of pneumatic boots…
I have to take my hat off to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. They were fantastic to make a difficult experience go as pleasantly as possible. They did all they could to make me comfortable and my family too. Everyone was beyond professional but genuinely caring and nice. Well except that faceless woman’s voice that kept waking me from the best sleep ever to tell me I now had to take the responsibility of my own breathing… Okay thanks to her too since because of those reminders I’m here but it was annoying when I was sleeping so well!
Ahh this mug hits at the core of the truth, I need my coffee. Good thing caffeine is an acceptable addiction.
I love my morning coffee. It’s my joy and comfort. I don’t pollute or dilute it with anything. The darker and richer the better! Ahh, nothing smells better than coffee. I love it. From good old Folgers to the expensive favorite of Jamaican Blue – I adore my coffee.
When I first started building a home of my own I thought I had to have matching coffee cups. Since then I’ve given way to MUGS. They keep the precious fluid hotter longer. I also have given way to mugs that express or remind me of things. Matching is boring. Matching is bland. Matching is so June Cleaver. I want expression and the morning nectar of the gods. So my morning mugs have become a collection of favorites. All give me a bit of cheer in the morning. Here are a few of my favorite mugs.
This mug is from the Chicago’s Untouchables Tour It’s a great historic bus tour of the gangster history in Chicago. Years ago Aaron and I took the tour with my BFF Patricia and her family. When I use this mug I think of history and happy memories two things I always enjoy.I’ve had this travel mug for years. It’s the style and weight I like. Also the map on it is a reproduction of a map showing the first coffee trade routes to Europe. History and functionality – great combo in a coffee mug.My favorite season if Fall. I love the color and the crispiness. I bought three matching fall mugs one year after going to Dubuque to have a girls weekend away. I sent the other ones to my dear friends. I filled the mugs with candy and wrote a note telling each of them what dear friends they are and how much I treasure our visits. Now when I use my mug I smile with warm memories of friends and good times know they have one too.This one is history, crafting and friends. I have taken many classes at the local Kenosha Museum. From pottery to fused glass, from ancient Egypt to local history, from writing (the start of my writers group) to silversmithing. I have taken many classes with friends or alone. All are good times and excellent things to remember over a steamy cup of joe in the morning.This mug came from Aaron’s orthodontist. Dr. Crawford straightened Aaron’s teeth beautifully. Every time I use this mug I think of my son’s beautiful smile. It’s a warm proud Mom feeling even before I get my first sip of coffee in the morning.
Mary Louise Eklund 