Away From Home This Weekend

My photo doesn't match my post....sorry. My camera is back in the motel room and we are sitting outside in the parking lot of the Minocqua public library at 7:50 am so we can use the library's wifi system. The photo is a snapshot of one of our hosta gardens on the lakeside. Off to the right (and up high) is our kiwi tree that provides shade for the hostas.

I'm just taking a few moments to post today, even though I'm visiting my aunt & uncle for a family reunion this weekend. We have no internet at the cottage and no Internet at the motel. So, the solution was to drive over to get a triple shot Americano this morning, and find an establishment that provided wifi....yup, just look for a public library. Solution solved.

This is the first family get together where no kids are present. I guess that shows that my family, including me, is getting older and reaching the time where our kids are grown and have busy lives of their own. It feels weird without all the cousins, grandkids and our children, but that's life. On an uplifting note, I love my family....they are so fun, so goofy, so down-to-earth. Lots of laughing yesterday, and more today when my twin sister shows up this afternoon. I hope to post current pictures later tonight when the motel fixes their wireless problem.

I Think I'm Tired!!!

Remember Me (hosta)

Today was a "go-go-go" kind of day. Lots to remember, lots to do, errands to run, people to call etc, etc. I'm now finally sitting down to the end of my long day and it's 1o pm. Went to work, today then met up with my girlfriend for a quick bite to eat before our usual Wednesday night bible study.

Got a chance tonight to talk with my sister in Jacksonville, FL and make our final plans for this weekend's family get together. I'm excited because I get to spend a weekend with my side of the FAMILY! Whoo hoo.....watch out cuz when we get together we laugh a lot, and we laugh really, really loud. When we all get together we: crack jokes, we do imitations, we sing, we eat too much, we express our opinions, and we reminisces. How great is that? The last time we did one of these family reunions was sometime in the late 90's. My aunt & uncle own a summer home in Northeast WI on a beautiful lake, so that's we'll be relaxing this weekend.

Guess my biking will have to hold off until next week. Once I get back to my routine of bicycle communting, I'll feel normal again. There's just not enough hours in the day to do all the things you want to do!

The Raindrops Are Peaceful

Got home later tonight since I had a library board meeting after work. Kitty greeted me at the door all happy to see me. She's not use to being alone all day. The first thing I do is open the sliding glass doors for her so she can linger by each door and watch for chipmunks, bugs and birds.

It started raining when I was driving home tonight. I knew the rain was approaching, but it took a long time to enter Northwest Wisconsin. We definitely need the rain, but I definitely need the bike miles too. I can't bike tomorrow either since I have another commitment tomorrow night. Oh well, I'll make up the miles when I have time. Life is too busy sometimes. Someday I'll have no time commitments/schedule and I'll be able to bike whenever and wherever (maybe two years from now???). We'll see what life brings me.

Those purple flowers are my favorite!

It Was A Ghost Town

I know my post title doesn't match my pictures, but let me explain. First, this was a very weird day. Had to get up early this morning to be to the clinic for lab test etc. I stopped at home to make a quick sandwhich but then got a call from the Police Chief....all the electricity in our municipality was total out! He told me I could come into work, but all the businesses were closing, so maybe I should think about closing the library. Well, I ended up driving into work so I could empty both book drops.



Talk about a ghost town, wow! No cars in the down town area, however, down the side streets where people live, the yards were alive with children playing outside. It was like being back in the 1940's. Kids were actually playing outside....tons of kids. Even adults were hanging around outside in their yards. It just goes to show how television and computer/internet has changed our lives.



Now, getting back to my pictures. As you can imagine, I went back home today since I couldn't do anything at the library...oh darn! One of my hobbies (when I have time) is jewelry making. So, that's how I spent my afternoon. I was in heaven, really!


I had fun taking all my supplies outside and I sat on my deck making earrings this afternoon. I took a few photos of my bead boxes. I think I have six boxes, plus smaller boxes for crystals and seed beads.

I also like to keep my gold and silver spacers and findings separate. It's much easier when trying to design jewelry pieces.

One of my pair of earrings I made with a couple pieces of enamel, paired with small green crystals and gold clasps. Most of my jewelry pieces I give away to family & friends. I receive a lot of pleasure from just giving, rather than selling. Sometimes our talent (gift) is not meant to make money...but rather to share our joy with others. How could you ever put a price on a persons moment of joy, excitment or happiness?

PS. Well, I ended up going into work anyway around 4:45 pm because our whole computer system would not connect to WAN. I'm not good at troubleshooting computer equipment, and we are too small a library to employee a tech person, so lil Lis will just have to figure this out tomorrow.

Perfect Day

What a relief, I can finally upload pictures on my blog again. Last week I was using my work camera and computer to add photos to each post...that was a pain. So here's the scoop: my laptop is pretty much dead, but if you lay it on it's side, you can sometimes use it! My husband finally had a chance to look at it yesterday and was able to copy all my photos, but he had to do the sideways thingie...very strange.

I did find our old laptop that I'd forgotten about, and it still works, however, the keys stick. For now I will use the old laptop until I can figure out what I want to do. Not sure if I should order a new laptop, or just wait until September and buy a used one from the University of Wisconsin - Stout. They refurbish students laptops and sell them to the public for $300 each...that's a bargain.

Yesterday was one of those days where we needed to put "time in the saddle"!!!! Almost three hours of riding the Aunt Krissy route and then east to west and back home. All country roads of course, but 2/3 of the ride was hills. I did fairly well and climbed (or tried to attack) most of the hills. After a couple hours of riding we stopped along a stream called Popple Creek. My husband wanted to check out the water flow because this is one of the streams that he monitors for his DNR work. Was able to eat a chocolate goo, so that really helped me tackle the rest of the hills on the way home.

Later on in the afternoon I got the pleasure of taking my husband's granddaughter out driving so she could practice for her drivers test. She did ok, but still needs practice breaking, turning corners, parking and not speeding!!!! I had to remind her a lot yesterday on the highway to slow down...yikes. When I was her age I had the opposite problem. I drove too slow like an old lady. I hope she didn't mind me giving her driving advice and a lecture on SPEED, but I just wanted her to understand the she is in control of the "machine" as I call it. The machine is powerful and can kill! A lot of people don't understand that, or forget that. I know this for a fact because I'm a bicyclist and those machine can kill in one swipe. I just wish more people would understand that and slow down.....and, get off those darn cell phones. What's my biggest fear? Trucks, and trucks with big side mirrors and trucks pulling trailers!

So today, I'm just doing chores around the house and enjoying a sunny afternoon on our deck. We have a nice breeze over the lake with a temperature of 79 degrees. Perfect.