Repeat......

One of the last days of the year and we celebrate another anniversary....this one our 55th! We can't help but look at each other and wonder "who knew??" We were so young when I walked down the aisle at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL and kissed at the altar. Who knew!?

Many, many years ago I started our "tradition" of signing up for one more year......and just one year at a time. At this point, some 30+years later we keep it going....no five year plan or any more of the "til death do us part" thoughts....on December 29th Dave will ask "one more year?" and, so far, I've responded "yes". 

This year we drove on down to Bay View and had dinner at Tenuto's....a favorite restaurant. Our servers asked what we were celebrating as they watched us spread our "memory tablecloth" over theirs and begin scribbling. This paper record was my idea for our 52nd and I dragged it along last night. I figured that, after 55 years, if we added to this we'd have something to talk about! The paper is getting crowded so if we ever do it again we may have to flip to the other side.

                               

It was a delicious meal with tiramisu as the dessert. When our server brought that he said "Congratulations to you...I've just been married for a year and hope I can someday celebrate the same. I'm not very artistic but tried to make the shared dessert special." He did!

So, happy anniversary to us.....and yes, we did sign up for one more year.....sort of romantic....but also "realistic" because we both admit we don't want to date anymore!  :-)

                               

                     

Expected Togetherness.....Unexpected Fun.....

Christmas 2022 took us to Meg and Mike's house out in West Bend. This has been a tradition now ever since they moved out there (with a COVID year gap). We drive out on Christmas Eve Day and she makes delicious cheese fondue for our meal. We sit around the table dipping veggies, fruit, bread, shrimp and tenderloin into the delicious "broth". Lots of laughter and conversations and a few dropped morsels going to the bottom of the heated cheese.

This year, after clean-up, we all sat around the smaller kitchen table to play dominoes. Friends taught us a new version a few weeks ago so we shared Chickenfoot Dominoes with them....and it really was fun. With one grandson a sophomore in college and the other a high school senior some of our game nights have fallen by the wayside. But everyone enjoyed this version! We played eight rounds before deciding to call it quits.

A little more conversation, boys wandering off to do their thing, yawns and general "slowing down" meant it was time to go to bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.

Morning was open-stocking-time and family gifts....always a fun time to be together. Three dogs examining their own stockings added to the confusion and activity! Another tradition is to eat Kringle while unwrapping the presents and then sitting down to an egg casserole full breakfast....yum.

Then, after another clean-up, we went back to the kitchen table and finished the last five rounds of Chickenfoot and I was the overall champion this time!  :-)

A very Merry Christmas!

What a Waste...

This is the time of year when we enjoy going to the mailbox as holiday cards begin to arrive. It's so nice to see familiar names in the return addresses and find a letter inside helping us catch up with friends far and wide.

This is also the time of year we get a lot of solicitations and junk mail.....much more than usual. Many of these envelopes contain a "free gift"....a calendar, some greeting cards or dozens and dozens and dozens of return address labels personalized for us.

I like to use the address labels for our Christmas cards.......all 50 of them. A few others get used during the year but, frankly,  we don't send snail mail very much any more. I also use a few to label our "things". One on my water bottle, one on Dave's, one on my quilting ruler etc. But still.....just how many labels do the organizations expect we would use....any how many trees, how much energy to produce them, how much waste??

Just a small "rant".....

 

Seattle Sky....

December in Milwaukee. The trees are bare and there is a dusting of snow on the grass. Lake Michigan even looks cold when you walk along the shore. The wind makes the day feel even colder. We were lucky with a long, mild fall season....so I am trying not to get too "crabby" about our winter temperatures. And I know we will see even colder days in the next few months.

One of the things that would lift the mood and help on these really cold days is sunshine. 

Sadly we haven't really had a blue-sky-sunny day in almost three weeks. Our local meteorologists keep ticking off the grey-sky days....ten, eleven, twelve. Waking to walk Fenway about 6:30 - 7:00 a.m. I can tell it's another grey day before even opening the curtains. It is dark!

Maybe tomorrow......

 

Another Favorite......

As the Christmas holiday approaches our apartment takes on a new look. We don't usually decorate with a lot of red, but our Santa Claus collection gives December a fun, colorful "zip". I love distributing them around on shelves and tables even if it does make dusting a bit more complicated. 

A few years ago Santa left something really fun in my stocking on Christmas morning. We were in West Bend at Megan and Mike's when I unwrapped a small box.

With the colorful Christmas paper off I must admit I was a little confused by the gift. A melting snowman???? But once I read the instructions and made my first one I was hooked. I look forward to re-finding him every December. His ever changing shape sits on the kitchen counter overlooking our dining room. He starts tall and proud and within hours he is reduced to a white "puddle".

When he reaches puddle stage I peel him off the counter, take the hat, eyes, nose, scarf and arms off and start re-molding the white clay-like snowman stuff. Soon he is once again tall and proud.....for a little while.

I like our Santa collection but now I love my melting snowman. He makes me smile everyday....and that is helpful as we enter day twelve of no sunshine in Milwaukee! 

(You can buy yours on Amazon!)

Slight Change in Tradition....

Most families have holiday traditions that they enjoy year after year. A special meal, certain ornaments or decorations, an outfit that only comes out for December. Our Christmas traditions include some of the usual elements (the tree, colorfully wrapped gifts, having friends and family join us to share time together) and some that are sort of "just ours". My Santa Claus collection has grown over the many years. As I spread them out throughout our house/apartment they remind me of past Christmases and other homes they decorated. I used to make Christmas cookies for all the years the kids were home until the college years, but since I don't enjoy kitchen time that was one tradition I was glad to cross off the list.

Dave took charge of making a gingerbread house year after year with only a pause while we lived on the sailboat for two years. He picked it up again when we moved to Milwaukee and it was something he enjoyed sharing with our two local grandsons starting when they were very small. He would assemble the house itself and the boys, Evan and Zach would add the colorful treats.

                                

If they came to our place to make the house then the boys would take it home to help decorate their kitchen....and break it open on New Year's Day. (There was always some kind of surprise inside!) At this point, with one young man in college and the other a high school senior they basically "humor" us by participating in this long-lived activity.

I was trying to think of some way to make this year's house different and at least amusing for them when I saw an idea on Facebook. We bought the pre-made house and assembled it a bit differently this year.

We brought the creation to West Bend on Thanksgiving Day....a bit early this year but since Evan was home from college we bent the "rules" a little bit. After dinner they went to the kitchen table and began their work. It didn't take long before they sat back and showed us the results.

It was a bit different this year....but there was still a surprise for each of them buried underneath. I'm already pondering next year and wondering what we could do that would, once again, make this Christmas tradition hang on a bit longer. I just hope Facebook comes to the rescue once again.

Visions of Sugar Plums.....

The apartment is decorated. Our Santa collection is spread around and the tree boasts lights and favorite ornaments. I enjoy this time of year because the pops of red bring a new color palette to our place for about a month. Unpacking the familiar pieces is fun....and finding a new arrangement is also satisfying. We will have a couple informal gatherings this month so that friends and neighbors can appreciate our efforts! 

Fenway is being a very good boy. Every morning after his walk and breakfast he curls up on the living room couch.

Eyes open or quietly snoozing on Santa's lap....he knows he has to be good if he wants any presents on Christmas morning.

He probably is not dreaming of sugar plums....maybe a box full of his favorite treats are dancing in his head. Our sweet boy.....taking good care of Santa this time of year.

Facebook Friends......

Another trip around the sun....and this year my 76th fell on Thanksgiving. I always "tease" that many in the Country are celebrating my birthday every few years. Not. Our delicious meal was out at Megan and Mike's house. Sharing the holiday with them, the two boys and three dogs was a lovely way to spend the day.

And living in our apartment meant that neighbors dropped off cards and notes to add to the ones sent by good friends and family around the USA. It was fun to be remembered again this year.

The other part of my day was seeing how many Facebook Friends posted good wishes. And, even though Facebook has a lot of things to "dislike",  seeing all these specific entries made me smile over and over. Maybe I use Facebook a little differently than some others because we've moved so often leaving good friends behind. For me it's a little connection.

Seeing posts from Delaware, New Hampshire, Florida, Indiana, Japan, Maryland, Nevada  and all my Wisconsin friends, to name a few, meant a lot to me. Corny maybe but still, for me, very much appreciated. A special thank you to all of my Facebook Friends for taking a minute to send me a message, and often include a fun picture or gif.....I did enjoy and read each and every greeting. They "helped" with the 76 part of the day!

 

Texts......

Emails. Cell phones. Text messages. So many ways to quickly get in touch with people. Quick but also a little impersonal. Most texts I get are quick check-ins, or about a meeting that's changed, or a group text trying to organize a lunch gathering. Most texts are good. Some are not.

Two texts today from two different friends about their loved one who is now/suddenly going to be put on palliative care. Two friends who have been battling challenging diagnoses and it seems medical care can only do so much. 

One has been an amazing man.....with a cancer diagnosis expected to end his life at least five years ago. All this time he  has been a more-than-strong example of positive attitude in the face of new treatments and therapies. He beat the odds for a long, long time. Today this partner, who has loved him for years, sent me a message that my friend is in the hospital, can no longer communicate and the end is near.

The other is a new friend, someone we quickly grew to enjoy and were looking forward to building fun memories with him and his wife. His battle only began about six weeks ago with mystery symptoms, ongoing exams and diagnoses. He's been in and out of hospitals and rehab several times. Back in the hospital a few days ago his wife's quick text this morning said he's moving into palliative care. Her text was accompanied by a sad-face emoji.....and my eyes grew damp.

Shit. Just shit. Finding out by text and quickly responding by text......for now at least it's a way to keep in touch.

Waking Up.....

November 9th - the day after election day. I did not watch any of the returns last night...just refusing to see taking head after talking head giving statistics early in the game and saying they couldn't predict the results yet. Nope....I read a book, talked to a friend on the phone and watched HGTV before bed.

I woke this morning to see that the results so far were, frankly, much more positive than I had feared. The voters' common sense in some states held strong and send some of the more unqualified candidates packing. 

One of the first things I did read this morning was a letter from Heather Cox Richardson, history professor and author that I have been following since 45 took office and she began to write about current day America from a historians perspective. It's been helpful all along this bumpy road.

Today she compared this mid-term election to the "momentous election of 1884." I won't even begin to paraphrase what she said about that (read it for yourself please!) but part of the letter was a poem written by Walk Whitman:

"If I should need to name, O Western World, your powerfulest scene and show, 

"Twould not be you, Niagara - nor you, ye limitless prairies - nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado, 

Nor you, Yosemite - nor Yellowstone, with all its spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, appearing and disappearing,

 Nor Oregon's white cones - nor Huron's belt of mighty lakes - nor Mississippi's stream:

-This seething hemispere's humanity,  as now, I'd name - the still small voice vibrating - America's choosing day"

"America's choosing day".....I think, from now on, I will have more confidence in the electorate and the fact that so many know we hold our democracy in our hands.

The Question....

It's election day - the mid-terms. Dave, Fenway and I walked to our polling place about 8:30 and took our turns voting. There was a steady stream of voters coming through the door so that was encouraging. We were more than happy to put our "I Voted" stickers on our coats and head for home.

Moving down the sidewalk we both agreed that we would be SO ready to stop using the "mute" button to silence all the negative, name-calling advertising. Just so sick of it all....and the money wasted. Just want it over - for a few months until the rounds start for the Presidential contest. 

Of course we wondered about the other voters casting their ballots. What were the results going to be and just when would they be finalized (if ever).

Dave had Fenway on his leash ahead of me and I happened to notice a little stick on the sidewalk. A perfect comment on my thoughts for the day.

We don't expect to hear final results on all the races before we head to bed in the morning. I have to say I'm not all that sure I want to open my eyes to the news in the morning.....but I will.

In the meantime if anyone from the MAGA party sees this they will no doubt challenge the results at our precinct.

It's Over....

And, within a matter of days, the color is gone. We had a very windy day and some rain....so now I walk Fenway through a carpet of leaves.

There are a few hangers-on, but most branches are bare and will remain that way until late March or early April when we start to see the green buds of 2023's leaves. We enter the next almost six months with big grey/brown/black trees pointing at winter/spring skies. 

Sigh....I miss them already.

The Annual Beauty....

On the last Sunday in October Dave and I took a short drive up to Whitefish Bay and back. I wanted him to see the amazing fall colors I'd noticed while driving the route the day before. After the drive we stopped at Lake Park and walked Fenway along the trail to enjoy some of the beauty up close.

The thing that really struck me this year was that one tree could have SO many different colors. I'm sure this has been the case in other years, but it really caught my attention this fall. I stopped at one maple and picked up a number of leaves from the one tree.

I keep thinking, as a quilter, that if all of these hues could be transferred to quilters' cottons I would buy yards and yards for my stash!

Impact.....

I can't remember not enjoying a good book. I loved to read for fun probably starting about fourth or fifth grade. A good book can transport me and once it grabs my attention it's hard to stop turning the pages. But, to be honest, most books are just "fun or good reads" and not ones that stick with me after I close the covers.

I picked up Beartown, by Fredrik Backman, in our ECP library downstairs and brought it up to the apartment last week. When I first started I soon realized this novel was about a high school hockey team in a small town in Canada....and I thought "Oh, I will never get into this!" I could not imagine reading a book about hockey that would keep me engaged. 

I was wrong. This novel is so well written and has so many layers that I was sad to page 415 and realize I was done. There were so many sentences and paragraphs that made me stop and think....but I literally read the following paragraphs three times.

"Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understatnd and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple.

So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side, because that's easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time. The second thing that happens is that we seek out facts that confirm what we want to believe - comforting facts, ones that permit life to go on as normal. The third thing is that we dehumanize our enemy. There are many ways of doing that, but none is easier than taking her name away from her.

....

It doesn't take long to persuade each other to stop seeing a person as a person. And when enough people are quiet for long enough, a handful of voices can give the impression that everyone is screaming."

This book's copyright is 2016 and the author is Swedish. His thoughts perfectly echo so much of 2022.

If you want a more-than-good read find Beartown. You won't be sorry.

Fool Proof......

I have a copy of my mom's wonderful lemon bar recipe. I know I'm prejudiced....but no one can top these! I've made this easy, fool proof treat probably 100 times or more since she died in 2010. I serve them to friends after dinner parties, make them to take as dessert at other friends' homes. I cut the bars for treats at my book club or with my quilting group. I've made them many times since moving to our apartment and share them with even newer residents as a welcome treat.

Yesterday morning I assembled the ingredients and began another batch. The first step crust was perfect. I poured the egg-lemon mixture on top, set the timer for 20 minutes and went to do some computer work. Awhile later I walked into the kitchen and realized that somehow I never really set the timer.....and it was way past 20 minutes. 

The result???

Inedible. Burned on the bottom and the corner, flat and barely tasting of lemon. I failed at my fool proof recipe and the whole thing went into the compost bin. So this morning meant a walk to the local grocery store to buy another lemon and more powdered sugar.

Sigh.....trying again. As mom would say "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" Somehow that old adage applies to this task perfectly!!

Fun.....and Goofs....

I spent some time this afternoon playing a card game, Hand and Foot, with friends. We met at one player's home in Cedarburg and the five of us "rotated" around her table since only four could play at one time. It turned out to be one of the most laugh-filled afternoons in a long time.

The newly waxed table meant cards were slipping and sliding all over the place. As the sun began to move into the west it beamed through her big kitchen windows making it difficult to see the cards. So she used tape to try to hold the panels closed. Players forgot their count, one player (me) tried to go out before having the correct number of hands - two red and two black (using wild cards). We were beginning the count when my partner said "Wait a minute! We only have one red hand!" Ooops.

It just went on and on and happily everyone shared in the goofs and missteps so no one felt like a complete dunce. And we all agreed that laughter is the best medicine.

After I got home we got ready to have dinner at a friend's new apartment so we had an evening with conversation and more laughter.

Back home about 9:30 I went to change into my pajamas.....and what's wrong with this picture?

All day.....blue socks....one inside out. Oh well....I think this is a perfect end to a perfectly fun day!

Her Last Name Began with G.....

She died in 2016....so it's been just over six years I have been almost "cousin-less".  Growing up I only had two cousins, Claudia and her younger brother David. He is living in Colorado with his wife and growing family so I don't see him very often at all.

She was "my" cousin....only two years younger than I was. Growing up we spent almost every Sunday at our grandparents home in Antioch, Illinois so we had a lot of childhood memories to share. As adults we living in different parts of the country and reunions were few. But, once back in the mid-west, we often joined Claudia and the family at her farm in southern Indiana. Those holiday memories are full of laughter and good times....so many good times.

Today I opened my address book so that I could send a quick note to a friend. My friend's last name begins with "G"..... and my eyes suddenly pricked with a few tears. 

It's been six+ years....but I haven't crossed her name off - and the minute I see it all those good memories come flooding back. Interesting how some small thing will trigger just a short wallop of surprise grief.

Ah well.....the good memories outnumber the bad/sad so they will have to suffice. But I miss her.

 

One Last Gasp......

Driving home through Kentucky last week we were treated to lots of autumn beauty. The rust, orange, red and yellows were spectacular, especially up against the beautiful blue skies. Winding roads into campgrounds gave us many opportunities to exclaim "Oh!! Look at THAT one!"

I know that this short season means that colder Wisconsin weather is on the way, but I try to "ignore" the fact that I will soon be searching for gloves, hats and scarves and just take in the loveliness while it lasts.

Walking Fenway the day after we got home, where Milwaukee temperatures had been much colder and the first spattering of snow hit the ground the morning we drove up I noticed a little bright spot along the sidewalk right outside the building.

What brave little blossoms, close to the ground and peeking out from the decaying leaves and browning grass. They won't last long but maybe they are giving us a hint that spring will be back after the cold winter months are over. Yea!

Who, When, Why, Where......

An RV trip from Milwaukee to North Carolina took us along some "red roads"....off the interstate to avoid some of the trucks/traffic and give us a look at rural America. We like to make some of the trip on these smaller roads through towns we've never seen before, along fields and farms and through neighborhoods new to us. Many of the small towns are kind of "sad" and a bit left behind, others are still vibrant and boast well kept historic homes and buildings.

But when we drive through the countryside and see a home or barn such as these,

I can't help but wonder who, when, why, where? who used to live there? When did they leave and why? Where did they go? My imagination moves from one possible scenario to another. I'll never know, but these ghostly used-to-be homes and barns are some kind of testament to American history. 

I wish I knew.

Why……

We left Milwaukee on Monday with the RV heading toward Ohio and then on to North Carolina. We were looking forward to two weeks on the road and visits with friends we don’t get to see nearly enough anymore. I can’t even begin to count the number of times we’ve followed this route……94 south toward Chicago. For years, while in college, and then while living in Oconomowoc, Nashotah, Bayview, Port Washington and now Milwaukee we would take this interstate. For many years the destination was Park Ridge because we were going to visit my mom. So as you can see I am completely familiar with every mile of this highway. 

The last trips to see my mom were back in 2010. She had undergone heart surgery and the rehabilitation did not proceed as she had hoped. Early one morning I got the call from my sister and Dave and I jumped in the car to race to the hospital in order to be with her. I was holding her hand when she took her last breath.

On Monday, as so many times before, I was reading a book while Dave was at the wheel. I had not been paying any attention to the passing scenery. I looked up from my book just in time to see the sign….Golf Road Exit - 1 mile.

And the memory of sitting at mom’s bedside for those last moments flooded back…..every moment clear, the emotions experienced in 2010 filled my heart and a few tears filled my eyes. It happens almost every time we go south on 94…..this exit grabs me and reminds me of my loss. What makes me look out the window at just that moment? Why couldn’t I just continue to the next page and look up five minutes later?

Why?

One Moment in Time.....

Wednesday, September 21st I stood up to close the blinds in the family room....the setting sun was coming in and reflecting off the TV screen. Within moments I moved outside onto our apartment's small deck. The view is to the west and the colors painted by the setting sun were just amazing.

As I turned from south to north and snapped a few quick pictures the colors changed but the beauty continued. Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time and Mother Nature gives you a priceless gift. 

So glad someone invented phones that take pictures! If I had to go and find our camera and get outside the moment would have been over. 

The Big Guy in the Neighborhood....

Fenway and I have our "normal" routes when we walk. Usually head two blocks east and walk around a "triangle" park and then head home. Or we go two blocks west to another "triangle" park....or sometimes up Stowell Avenue two blocks and straight back. Once in awhile we head the five blocks to the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. 

One day Dave came back from his turn with Fen and told me to check out the tree just northeast of us. He said it was one of the biggest trees he'd seen in a long time. So yesterday we went north on Stowell for one block before turning west to the first corner. And there it was!

This beauty towers over the house and takes up the whole front yard. It must provide wonderful shade for the whole house on hot days! I didn't get close enough to check out what kind of tree it is, but the trunk must measure six+ feet around. Look how tiny the cars look parked just below it's branches!

It really is the Big Guy in our neighborhood!

Back Off....

I left the garage mid-morning to run a few errands at stores just north of our apartment. A familiar route, I go through some nice neighborhoods and drive along the lake. On the way I pass some really huge homes with frontage on Lake Michigan. Usually all I can think is "I wonder what it takes to heat that place.' But, then again, if you can afford to buy the mansion and live there, the cost of heat probably never enters the equation.

This trip my eyes remained glued on the vehicle just in front of me. I had some concerns when this small truck met me at a four way stop and pulled out ahead of me. 

Maybe his "collection" was well anchored but it certainly looked a bit "iffy" to me. There was no way to safely pass him so I decided that caution would be the better decision. I slowed down and stayed well back of the truck. Within a few blocks he turned a corner and I felt a sense of relief as I sped up and moved more quickly to my destination. 

Maybe there were a lot of hidden bungee cords holding everything in place?

And So 13.....

We brought him home when he was eight weeks old....a handful of black and white cuteness.

Our first "small dog" after owning a boxer for more than 11 years. We loved our boxer, Daisy, and it broke our hearts when we had to say goodbye to her. It was many years before we decided to get another dog to add a little activity and laughter to our home. We felt we needed to "downsize" so decided on a Boston Terrier......and brought home little Mr. Fenway Underfoot Woodard.

All these years he's provided smiles and laughter and made us exercise. Walking Fenway everyday is just really "fun"....watching him stop to sniff a tree, or a pile of dead leaves or a stick. What is it on that stick that attracts his attention and makes him leave his "mark" behind. We can walk the same route day after day, but following Fenway's back leg criss-cross walk just makes us smile. 

Today is his 13th birthday! 13 years of this extra little personality in our home. So yes, we loved our boxer, but his guy.....this guy owns our hearts. Dave and I both get teary-eyed when we even think about having to say goodbye to him. 

Happy Birthday Favorite Fenway.....stick around for a few more years....please, please, please!

We Take It For Granted....

I enjoy my first-of-the-day walk with Fenway....it's quiet outside, not too much traffic, a few other walkers. We usually make it out the door about 6:45 or so. As we go east we have to wait for the automatic sprinkler to spray the ECP corner garden near the gazebo so we don't catch the last of the spray on the sidewalk. A few seconds pause and we are on our way again.

Today we continued straight east toward Lake Michigan, about four blocks away. A short walk along the top of the bluff and then we head back west toward ECP for Fen's breakfast and my first cup of coffee. There are some nice houses and gardens in the few blocks of our route. Historically the east side of Milwaukee has some of the larger homes lovely and interesting architecture. As I passed close to one house I thought maybe a water pipe was broken because water was streaming down the driveway and into the gutter at the curb.

As I got closer I realized that it was another sprinkler system aimed at their yard and the lovely flowering bushes along the driveway.

Goodness knows I enjoy walking along and noticing everyone's colorful blooms this time of year. I know that in only a few more weeks these bright spots will be replaced with a fall palette and then the white-grey of winter. We never had an automatic sprinkler system in any of the houses we owned. We watered the flowers with our hose and had one of those automatic go-back-and-forth-and-move-it-periodically sprinklers for the lawns. (The kind the kids used to love to jump and run through in their swim suits when they were young.)

I don't envy my neighbors, or fault them in any way. But just for a brief moment, watching that clean water run into the street and down the gutter Jackson, Mississippi flashed in my mind. Areas in our Country and around the world suffering crippling, deadly and long lasting droughts made me look at the water in a different way. 

We take it for granted....turn on the taps or set the timer and the water comes. I wonder how much longer before my city's infrastructure begins to fail or the Midwest climate changes so much that we need to carefully monitor every drop. Probably sooner rather than later.....and most likely after I'm dead.

A Puzzle.....

Eastcastle Place is undergoing a lot of renovations. The dining room has been closed for months, the reception area is having a facelift, administrative offices are going to look fresh and new. Once this first step is done, then other parts of the first floor will be closed off for their own re-do. Our library will be off limits, the club room will be enlarged to include a bar and will become the new pub. Lindsay Hall (where we have programs, speakers and church services) will also look fresh and new.

All of this, from my point of view will be a welcome change. While we enjoy life at ECP we were never really fans of the red and green carpeting and the repetitive art (with huge wooden gold frames) on the walls. Dave and I would just sort of "ignore" this part and when we walked into our apartment and closed the door our rooms reflected exactly what we liked.

The other part of the first stage of renovation is the outdoor courtyard area. This is completely off limits as the new "roadmap" starts to take shape. But as I watch out the window and see the machinery and yellow hard-hat construction workers busy as bees I wonder just how the heck they know what they are doing!

But, of course, this construction team is made up of professionals....and they do know what they are doing and how to interpret the plans. Right?

Can't wait to see the final results!

Why This Spot?

My morning routine starts with taking Fenway out for his first walk. Usually I head one block east and walk around a small triangle park so that he can "do his business". This means we cover about seven blocks before coming back up to the apartment for his breakfast and my cup of coffee. Plenty of time and places for Fen to leave "pee mail" and check on previous deliveries.

I have learned, since getting our first male dog, that taking a fast walk is pretty difficult. He wants to stop and re-claim every tree and bush that he "took" yesterday. Rather than fight the urge to rush him I figure it's his time to explore and let him stop when he wants. Certain trees, a dead branch on the grass, a pile of leaves....all spots where he empties a few more "drops" to let other dogs know this place is his!

But the one thing I do find funny is to watch him stop just to bury his nose into the grass and sniff like crazy. He plants his small feet and simply will NOT move until he is done with his nasal explorations. I watch him and wonder just what is it that made him veer off to this little bit of green, or this specific spot on the sidewalk???

Goofy dog....much loved goofy dog.