No explanation necessary!

Boo Hoo Brewers

Rick and Eva went to the Brewer game Thursday night, against the Padres. Brewers had 5 errors and the score was 9-4 (Padres) Yuck. On a lighter note, thought I'd add a few new random pics. First is Eva's kitty Mozart, and then one of Elle practicing on her pointe shoes. Otherwise a quiet Saturday...we're going to take a long walk tonight.

Happy Birthday to James!

A very Happy Birthday goes out to James on the 28th anniversary of his birth! The photo was a favorite of mine. It was taken at Gretchen's wedding at Aunty Jo's, and includes our lovely Krissy, James, Elise and thirteen-year-old Elle. Krissy and Elle stood up for Gretch, and Elise and James sang. It was beautiful wedding. Hope James has a great celebration for his 28th. Elise said they are going out to eat at a favorite restaurant.

Gretchie pics...

The first photo is of Gretchen and her cousin (my niece) Tatum. The other one is really neat. Jo brought the large canvas, and everyone painted a square of the flower. Neat idea. It turned out really cool, and of course, Gretchen will keep it as a gift from everyone. Today, I had a nice luncheon visit with Stan, and he shared some books with me. Afterward, took the birds for a walk on their tethers, and did a little laundry. Quiet evening. Elle and Aliyah danced, and Eva and Rick took in a movie.

How about those Packers?

Hey, 3-0 is a GREAT start...Go Pack! I listened to the game on the way to visit niece Krissy today in Sheboygan. She and Dave were making a turkey. Elle and I brought over some goodies. Afterward, we visited in Manitowoc with Koke, who has THE cutest kittens. They're two little girls, Rita and Lola. They are long-haired, baby-doll and blue-eyed. Just the cutest things. They've been brought up with lots of people, and so are very friendly. Yesterday's party for Gretch was a lot of fun. Just waiting for some pics. Otherwise, Koke shared a neat book about a cop who was shot in the line of duty, and blinded. He is now a motivational speaker, who she was fortunate to hear recently, and has since finished his Ph.D. His name is Bobby E. Smith, and the book is called Visions of Courage. Very inspiring book. I have a copy, if anyone wants to borrow it.

Happy Birthday to Gretch!

I've always loved this pic taken at a Buck's game, 2 years ago. It was a GREAT day...the Bucks won, Travis Diener (from Fond du Lac) played against them for the Orlando Magic, and Elle's children's choir sang the national anthem, conducted by James Estes! So cool on all fronts! A very Happy 30th. Birthday to Gretchen! Our family's first "Dr." We love you Gretch. Stay tuned for photos from her party. Also want to wish a happy "5th" birthday to Jason's oldest boy, David Dennis. He'll have a party next weekend at Lincoln Park Manitowoc. We'll be there, with camera in hand :)

Little Julie and Koke

Couldn't resist this cute photo from 1962...I'm 2 and Koke's 6. What some babes! P.S. check out the shoe strings...I hadn't mastered the art of tying yet :) And like Ellie, I wanted to do things "self", and wouldn't let anyone help me.

Koke in Fondy!

Had a nice visit and breakfast with Koke today. We shopped a little and then picked up some seafood for Gretch's big party tomorrow in Oak Creek. She's headed for Oak Creek now. I sent along some brownies, an apple tart and a stained glass gift for Gretchie's birthday. Lovely day. Just finishing up at Holy Family before heading home. Henry is in his outside cage today. It's windy, but a very warm 88. He loves the heat :) Elise had a slow day in her office in Nashville, so we e-mailed back and forth this aft. James is out of state at a wedding, so she's alone for a while. She went to Shoney's for lunch with NU (Nashville University)staff, and plans to clean all day tomorrow and do yard stuff. Welcome to the world of a homeowner! Eva and Rick are doing shrimp and veggie shish kabobs for supper on the grill...if it doesn't rain. If it does rain, we have a nice grill pan they can use instead. Yum.

thoughts and prayers for "middle" Dave, please...

Just heard that Krissy's husband Dave (middle Dave, because of a younger and older Dave in the family) is not doing well following ear, nose and throat surgery. Our staff and bereavement team might remember meeting Krissy, my niece, at the Buttermilk Park concert. Although the surgery was several day's ago, he's been readmitted with a fever, and can't swallow liquids. He's hooked up to IV's, and is feeling really poorly, per Grandma Mare. So, please keep him in your prayers tonight. Thanks a bunch. Our young people are very important to us all, so let's band together in prayer.

just in...

Just received this publicity photo for the "Music Man" taken by area photographer Kris Fehrenbach from Studio One. The cast did such a great job...wish I had pictures of everyone:) Anyway, thought I'd share this.

sharing chips

Thought this picture was cute...2 chip eaters. Today was a bit unusual. We got a request for a funeral mass, but the woman is native american, and the family would like some tribal customs included. Fr. thought it best that they be done at visitation or at the committal, but not necessarily in the body of the mass. Makes sense. Did hospice visits also, and the patients always impress me with their strong faith. I always enjoy going. Otherwise, Elle's dancing again tonight, and Eva has a boatload of homework. She and Rick are hanging out tonight after he has supper with his grandparents.

relaxing sunday, busy monday

Still no photos from this weekend, but Krissy promises them soon. The weather was perfect for the walk, just 60 degrees and breezy. On Sunday, Elle's choir sang for mass at 10, and friend Katie came to spend the afternoon. We really didn't do much, but it was nice lounging around. We had a boiled dinner with lots of garden produce. On Monday, I visited Stan, who's having some landscaping done. He was upset when I told him our offices were broken into. He just couldn't understand it, as none of the staff could either. On a lighter note, Elle is really loving this year in dance. Monday, she does hip-hop and jazz and tap. On Wednesday, she does ballet and pointe. Tuesday is her day off, so tonight we're celebrating the night "off" by swimming! The air temp is mid-80's today, and with the solar cover on the water is quite warm. How neat! We're squeezing out a few extra days of summer:)

success

The Briggs and Al (Maguire) Run was a great success! There were about 19,000 people there. Cheerleaders and bands of every type cheered us along. Thanks to Krissy for getting some nice photos, which I'll upload soon. Our camera was stolen during the Holy Family robbery :[

A very Happy Birthday goes out to nephew Erik, who's 16 today, and also a fond remembrance of Grandma Hilde, who would have been 85 today. I'd also like to include my co-worker at Holy Family, Sr. Stella Marie, who is still young at heart! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you, all! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

big day tomorrow

Every one's ready for the Children's Hospital run/walk. Actually, it's the Briggs and Al (Al McGuire) run/walk. This is the 30Th. year, and we're happy to be part of the fund raiser. We leave early. We meet Jo, Tim and the kids at the park and ride, and Gretch also. We'll walk through downtown Milwaukee, and end up at the lake. It's going to be a good time...family, friends, and fun. We heard the media will be there also, as the event raises lots of community interest. The wheelchair races are also popular. To bed early tonight...up at 6 for our trip to Milwaukee :]

quiet-ish

It was a little cool today, but the birds enjoyed being outside. I also include a photo of Lena who does nothing but lounge all day...typical cat. I had a nice visit with Stan today, who was having lunch with his daughter and son-in-law. Otherwise, it was a rather quiet day; only worked 4 hours this morning. Elle's off to another dance class, and Aliyah and Eva went to the aquatic center to swim. The house is quiet...that is, except for Henry and Earl :] Yak, Yak, Yak.

good bye to alex

Alex, the African gray parrot has died. You may have seen him featured in programs on Animal Planet, and other networks. He was trained and studied at Harvard and Brandeis Universities, and had an unusual ability to communicate. He was a "genius" in the parrot world. Rest in peace Alex.

wedding shower

We've been busy lately getting addresses of friends and family for Elise's wedding shower, which will be held at Jo's on October 14th. Other than that, Elle has a new pair of jazz/hip hop shoes that she's wearing for the first time tonight. She loves them. She now dances twice weekly, 2 hours plus a class. This is a recital year, so we'll have our hands full in May with costumes. We've been doing this since 1988 when Elise was 4, in her first recital, so at least I know what to expect. Even so, it's always tons of planning and rehearsing. Tomorrow, I have a full day at Holy Family, which includes a Health and Wellness meeting, with the topic being whether or not we need a parish nurse, and hospital visits to the sick and new mothers, which is always an interesting and fun time for me. (About the parish nurse...many might say, well of course you need one, and I agree, but our pastoral care ministry currently does a lot of what the parish nurses would do, and with the new church, there are budgeting issues, so we need to talk and make some decisions.) Today I visited Stan for a few hours, and prepared some waxed beans and beets from the garden. Stan's excited to attend the "Books between Bites" program of local authors tomorrow. It features the author of "Ordinary Sisters, Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes," Margaret Lorimer. She was an english professor of mine at Marian in 1984. The book is wonderful. It's a detailed history of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes. It has a great deal of local history described also.

biggest fondue pot

Today, the Fond du Lac Fondue Festival was held downtown. Eva and Paul entertained with "Music Man" selections. Brenner Tank Company made the largest fondue pot supposedly in the world. It broke some kind of record, but I actually didn't see it. Here's the accompanying article from the newspaper last week.

Life's just a bowl of cheese for one Fond du Lac business.

Employees at Brenner Tank, 450 Arlington Ave., have been busy the last few weeks preparing a giant fondue pot for Fond du Lac's upcoming Fondue Festival. Event organizers will use the pot to try and break a world record for the largest fondue at the Fond du Lac Fondue Festival from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, in downtown Fond du Lac.

Rick Peterson, vice president of purchasing and materials, said building the world's largest fondue is no small task. Planning started last October, and construction began on Aug. 13. Company officials expected it to take about 20 days. They hope to complete the whole project by Wednesday.

The finished product, which could cost more than $10,000, will be 8 feet wide and 36 inches deep. The pot will be large enough to hold an estimated 275 gallons of cheese or chocolate, said Project Engineer Tom Hitchcock. It will weigh about 2,000 pounds empty and about 4,500 pounds when full.

"There's a lot of room in that thing once you start filling it," he said. "We can probably break the record."

He added that such a big pot requires big utensils. The two dipping forks could be six to seven feet long, and the lid is 8-feet, 2-inches in diameter.

neat reflection

When I first saw this, I was confused...Eva's violin is on the wrong side! After studying the photo, I realized that the photo is a reflection in the shiny finish of the open piano. Cool. It was taken at the savant art exibit. It was a success.

busy day unpacking

I spent the 8 hour day basically unpacking, organizing and helping others with computers and miscellaneous. The offices are very nice, and although smaller than what we had, everything is new and very pleasant. Elle had a busy evening tonight with a sax lesson, followed by a choir rehearsal for 3 hours. To get the kids through the length, Paul ordered pizzas at the break. Eva and Paul also played for an autistic art show at the Windhover Center for the Arts here in Fondy. Darold Treffert, the foremost authority on savant syndrome, and advisor to the "Rainman" movie, lives here. He was at the Center to introduce some of the artists. Paul and Eva played during the reception of artists. Anyone interested in the exhibit, can go here. http://www.windhovercenter.com/index.html
Very busy Friday :]

moving day

Today we officially moved the offices into the new church complex. For anyone who wants to know, the new address is: 271 Fourth Street Way. Lunch was very nice. We went out with staff and they treated Paul and I for our 25th anniversary. Afterward, Elle helped me "move in" to the new complex. It was a lot of work, but fun also, with everyone in the same boat. Our priest's secretary had a birthday, and brought dilly bars, and the business manager had pizza and pop. Now I'll get unpacked, which is a little overwhelming, but the job will get done. I have Saturday off, so I can finish up then if I need to. No new pics today...the camera's batteries are dead...need to charge them up.

pizza party girls

After a long swim, Elle and friend Kira enjoyed pizza with Aliyah, Paul and I, Eva and Rick. Prior to dinner, Eva and Rick helped Daddy Paul move stuff to the new church site on Fourth Street Way. Kira is recovering from a "shiner" as you can see.
She was hit by a water bottle, thrown to her after a cross country event. It was accidental, and the other girl felt badly. By the way, Kira is a talented athlete, and we look forward to her winning lots of races in the future!

back to school

Elle had a really great day today; her first in 8th. grade. Aliyah is with Minnie tonight, so I'm not sure how 2nd. grade went for her, but judging by how excited she was this morning, I'm sure it went well. Photo was taken this morning at 7:45. =]

No more paper routes!

Yippee, no more paper routes! I've been helping a friend with his rural route this weekend. It was tiring...3 to 6 am. I saw lots of critters, which was fun, but narrowly missed a calico crossing the road. I saw 7 deer, 2 possums, 1 dead skunk, and a beaver! Coming through Green Lake, I saw a beaver. For real. A fisherman at Kwik Trip said, "Yes, we have a beaver pond a few miles north." Cool. I never saw a beaver, much less 10 feet away in bright lights.

waning days of summer

Elle and I took advantage of the warm weather to swim a few hours. It felt great.

close up of window...musical symbols

hidden window

Such a neat story! When the pipe organ at St. Joe's was taken apart for the move to the new church, a big beautiful stained glass window was found! Most people had no idea it was there behind the organ pipes. The church was built in 1909, and the organ installed in 1912. All these years the stained glass has been hidden. Thought everyone would enjoy the photos.