Hey, someone has a birthday!  I wonder who that is?     Always good looking,  better than ever.  Happy Birthday!  Love You

Back in Wisconsin for me.  I am thankful is has been a pretty good winter,  but I sure miss not being in Florida with the girls!   No shorts and sandals at home for me!  A couple of pictures of some manatee’s I saw in the intercoastal before I left.  A large group came through,  really neat to see.

Here we have had some light snow, and I was lucky enough to just miss some freezing rain.  Although the driveway has been a mess since I have been back.   But a couple of warm days coming up that hopefully helps to clean that up.   I have been doing some small projects here at home and staying out of trouble, honest!  And I am finally getting caught up at work, which feels good.   The bad news is our plant is slowing down which is not good overall,  but if I can catch my breath and then we pick up I will be happy.

My friends and I in our homebrew club are hoping the state legislature can pass some needed legislation to allow homebrews to legally be shared.   It is making some progress and even has both Democrat and Republican backing, which doesn’t happen often these days.  A number of articles in local papers including this one with some of my friends.  http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201300354

And I have had some fun.  Saturday Central Waters Brewery near Steven’s Point had their 14th anniversary party. Friends Andy and Sandy let me know about it and we got a room in Steven’s Point and the Brewery ran bus’s from the brewery to the hotels,  Sweet deal.  Met some other friends and had some great beers,  I did not keep count!  They make some great dark beers and had some they tapped only for that night.

So take care, enjoy life!

Having lots of fun in paradise!  .  The weather in Florida this year is back to normal after the last couple of years being cooler.  So in the 80’s today, blue skies and tropical breezes.  I sure do love it.  Time is going quickly, in Thursday afternoon and I fly out Monday.  But Chris and Marie will be here to enjoy it until I come back.   We have been trying to give Marie a feel for the area, and she enjoys our pool and neighbors.   Today we went to the farmers market in Del Ray which Chris and I enjoy.  And they had Atlantic Ave, the main drag,  closed and an art fair going on.  So we walked along and saw many interesting and beautiful things.   No room in the condo right now though!  So we also found a favorite place of ours to have cocktails and lunch.   And stopped at my friends cigar store to introduce her to domino’s and buy some cigars for her priests back home.     Then some pool time and now relaxing before going out tonight.  Tomorrow church and a couple of projects I want to get to, and maybe a nice drive along the ocean and into West Palm Beach.   We will see how the spirit moves us.

We saw Mom before we left Milwaukee and she is doing well.  She says she is enjoying her new apartment and is happy to be there.  So life is good.  Skip took her to the doctor the other day and she got a clean bill, as good as it can be going on to 91.

So warm up Wisconsin before I get back, not looking forward to it!

Half way through January, and winter has started to assert it’s self.  But we are happy that it has given us this reprieve from the last couple of years early winters.    So things are white,  the snow storm was not terrible,  just messy.   And cold has settled in, sounds like later this week back around 0 degrees.  Not a lot of people on the ice yet,  a few adventurous ice fisherman on the bays.   And the Sturgeon fisherman are hoping for a big cold snap so they can get their shacks out for the season.   I could do without it!  Sorry Pete.  Well it can get cold whenever I leave the state!      Hopefully John, Mary and Judy and have finally gotten far enough South to find warm weather!  It sounds like they are learning a lot about the new motor home!    We have managed to keep busy while we have been home.   And last week was my executive board meeting on the day of the snow.  We managed to taste some more amazing beers!  Somehow there are always new ones to try, and a few favorites to go back to.   And Friday night we had some neighbors over for a relaxing evening.  I don’t stop to talk enough as I drive down the road,  and don’t get the chance to during the winter.  So it was nice to catch up.  And this weekend the Christmas tree and decorations came down.  Chris did not trust me to take them down while she is gone.   It is getting cold this week so we are heading to Florida!  I get a long weekend in,  and Chris’s sister Marie is joining us and her and Chris will stay a few weeks.   I am happy Chris gets to spend some time at the condo and enjoy the good weather.  I can’t wait until we can both!      We don’t have to keep Sunday open to watch the game, so it may be pool time!    Enjoy your week.

So are you used to writing 2012 yet?   We are into the New Year.  So far it has been a good one.  We had a great trip to Florida after Christmas.  The weather was wonderful.  It cooled off last week, but on the day we were leaving.    So now hoping for great weather again when we head down January 19th.   Marie will be joining us this time and Chris and Marie will be staying when I come home from the weekend.   It will be good that they get to enjoy time there.   I have told Chris that she could in the past but now she will have some company.    I will head home at the end of the weekend and head back down a few weeks later.      I have started a project on the kitchen, the goal is to update it now that we have the dining room done.   But this will likely be a several year project!     A little at a time on the weekends I get down.   Lot’s of prep work to start with.  So you will hear more for a long time!

We are enjoying the good weather this winter.  I certainly enjoy Florida more!   But it was nice not to come home to below zero and a driveway full of snow.   I am OK if it stays this way!  We had a good time at Chris’s work Christmas party this weekend in Milwaukee.  She does not get many chances to see the people she works with and it is always fun to see some of those that have been there a number of years.    We stayed over night at a nice hotel on Bluemound Road with a nice breakfast included.   And we got to spend some nice time with Mom and do a few things for her.   Then home on Saturday,  a nice sunny afternoon for a drive.  And home in time to do some things here.   This morning church and then afterwards met old friends Deb and John Ebel   It always seems so hard for us to get together but so enjoyable when we do.   A fun time catching up with family and plans.

So now the football games are over.  We know the Giants will be in Lambeau next Sunday.  And New Orleans and San Fran should be fun on Saturday.  Time to prepare for work.   I have to go in for 5 days this week,  that will be tough!

Chris and MJ Dec 2011

Christmas at Denise's condo, women at work

So I am way behind on updates, for a number of reasons.    But life is good for Chris and I .    We are both in jobs that get crunched at month end and especially year end.  but The good news is that we are in Florida doing our last work days of the year!   We are blessed.  Today was cool,  only in the low 70’s.  Tomorrow should be better.  We got down to the pool a couple of days before the cold front came through.

Christmas was good.   Mom is settled in her assisted living apartment and we all feel she is doing well.   Some comments about her having to move from her 2 bedroom apartment, and all we had to get rid of in downsizing.  But even those comments have stopped.  She gets around in her wheel chair well, we don’t think she walks and that is OK.  With that knee it would be too painful.  And her apartment is nice and we tried to move in everything she wanted (well almost).   On Christmas we all had dinner with her in the restaurant there and it was very good.  She says she gets too nervous with too much going on.  So we had dinner and then were invited to Neice Denise’s condo for drinks, snacks and the Packer game.  we had a good time, then flew out the day after Christmas,  Chris Mary Jane and I.

December was a very busy month.  It started out with us going to Detroit on Thanksgiving for the Packer game.     Chris’s sister Marie met us and then came home with us for a week.  On Dec 9th we came down to Florida, Chris and I.  And Marie headed home.  The first time Chris and I got to see our new dining room cabinets!  And good friend Noel picked us up at the airport and stayed with us for the long weekend.  Our annual trip to see the intercoastal Christmas boat parade.  We had a great time.

Then lot’s of things going on and work has been hell.  But I am hoping to be more under control to start the year.       We hope you all had a good Christmas and wish you the very best for a HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR.

We are in Boynton Beach enjoying warm Florida weather.   About 80 degrees, partly cloudy.   Beautiful    Noel picked us up at the airport on Thursday.  He drove over from Fort Meyers and is keeping us company.  Life is good.    Saw the boynton Christmas boat parade on Friday night.   Spent some time at the pool yesterday,   I got some sunburn.  I had figured if we drank 3 beers, at Noel’s pacing of 1/2 hour per beer we would leave before I was sunburned.  But we drank slower and spent more like 2.5 hours.   Have to plan better.

Sitting on the porch now enjoying the warm weather.   Will head to Two Georges shortly so we can catch the Packer Game at an outside bar.  Will eat supper there,  good food and drinks.   Not that I need much more food,   will diet this week!

Mom is all moved into assisted living.   Harbour , 5800 Mockingbird lane, apt 211,  Greendale WI.   We packed lot’s of stuff in that apartment.  But it made her happy.   So now she is working through her Christmas boxes and decorating.  She is working to be positive and was in a very good mood when we saw her on Wednesday.   So that is good we are off to a good start.   When she settles in now we can spend some time at home and Skip and Claire can relax a little.  They made lot’s of trips to settle her in.  Thanks to Bob and Joe for helping us clean out her old apartment in the middle of helping move Jim and Diane also.    Hopefully we can all get together after the holidays to relax!

So Noel will drop Chris and I at the airport on Monday,  hate to head back to the cold but a hard week of work ahead.  Lot’s of things I need to get done before the end of the year, and we come back south after Christmas.   Hope everyone is getting some time to enjoy the holidays.

The end of another weekend.  But a short week ahead.
Time continues to go quickly,  it will be that way through the end of the year.   We have lot’s of plans and some unknowns ahead for December.  And somewhere I have a number of work projects that need some time,  but that is not as important as life.

Tuesday November 29th Mom will move into her new apartment, 5800 Mockingbird Lane apt 211.   It will be much smaller than she is used to  but she will get much more help.  It is hard for her to walk so the smaller apartment will be better.   And she will have much more help.  We had her at her old apartment on Saturday and she helped us decide what to move and what had to go.  She held up very well and is working very hard to be positive.   After taking her back to the nursing home Skip and Claire and Chris and I  worked on boxing up and sorting out, what to keep what to go.  Skip made a trip to Goodwill and we made a lot more progress than any of thought we could in one day.   Then treated ourselves to a pizza and some beers.

Chris and I stayed the night and headed back to Oshkosh this morning.  Unloaded the things we brought home and I made us some breakfast.  Then on to some progress here.   Part of that is preparing to go to to Detroit on Wednesday.   We will come down Tuesday night , I will work from Mom’s apartment on Wednesday until we go to the airport.  We will get to see the airports on the busiest holiday of the year.   More importantly we get to see Mary Jane and John, and Marie, and the Packers beat the Lions.  It should be a great weekend.

Skip and Claire finished taking things to Good Will today.  I was bringing the truck down for that, since there was a good truck load to take to GoodWill yet.  So they must have made many trips.  And we are in good shape for the move.  On Monday the 28th the movers will  come to move the furniture Mom will need.  And then on Tuesday We will bring Mom to her now home.

So we hope you all have some time with family on Thanksgiving.  We give thanks for all the blessings we do have, and continue to pray for the challenges God gives us.

So I have not posted for awhile.   We have been keeping busy though.   We had our first snowfall here in Oshkosh (I could have waited longer).  But the good news is I did not have to plow it and most of it is gone now.  I should change oil on the ATV and put the plow on,  it won’t be long before I will need it.   We do have most of the outside work ready for winter.   Not all yet,  but everything that needs to be.  I guess the garden will need to be tilled in the spring.     I have a fire going tonight,  time to get that going,  probably most days now.  The wood is stock piled and ready to burn.  I may need to go down and check on the fire shortly,  and grab a beer while I am at the bar.   I was not going to drink today,  I had a couple of nights out this week,  but spent most of the day with Mom.   It was stressful for her, and the rest of us.  Even Chris asked for an Old Fashioned tonight.

Mom has a couple of weeks they would like to continue working with her in therapy at Manor Park, and we need to get things in place for her leaving there.  We had hoped she could go back to her apartment and do the assisted living ‘light’ they offer there.  But they are very worried about admitting her to that program, as they feel she needs more help than that.  And they are probably right.   Today we toured the assisted living apartments at Harbour House, in the same community she lives now.  Skip Claire Chris and I all think it will be a good fit for her and give her good care, but it will require some significant downsizing from her current apartment.  But still much larger than the ones we looked at Manor Park.  And much more inviting.  But she would rather stay in her apartment.  But at the end of the day she acknowledged she needed help and would try it if that is what we want.  So more pain to come, but I think a plan is coming into place.

So that is consuming some of our time.  And work is always a challenge.   But we are still blessed to be able to enjoy life and do the best we can.  Last weekend we had a great time at the St Pius auction and enjoyed time with John, Jo Ann, and Father Bob.  And spent a few dollars.  We splurged with a group for Father Bob’s Bar B Que which we let pass last year.  And I missed the dinner, good food and friends.  So this coming year we will enjoy Father Bob’s hospitality, and great food and wine.  And we donated a nice chunk of money to St Pius!   And I had my homebrew club executive board over this week for a business meeting and lot’s of great beers!  And last night Chris and I were out to meet some friends at a great bar in town (missed you being there Marie) and then out for some supper and listening to Mike play with the SNB band.  So we are having fun.  And we pray for you all.  John and Debbie entering the next stage of their life,  Mary Judy and Muriel a safe train ride back to Milwaukee!  So everyone get out there and enjoy life!

Happy Halloween.  I think we will skip dressing up this year,  wait we do that every year?  Not our think,  but enjoy watching the rest of you if you enjoy it!  Nice picture Judy and Mary!    I thought you would go for the playboy bunny or milk maid costumes, but that was OK.   Thanks for the kind words, you have already lived through the homes and aging decisions and I appreciate your counsel.    And you are leaving on your train trip shortly?

We saw Mom on Friday night and Saturday.  She is trying hard and says she has to toughen up and get through this.  She is trying much more than I ever would have thought she could 5 years ago.  She is working hard in therapy and walking and trying to get to the point they sign off on letting her go to the bathroom on her own.    And she wants more  independence and less rules,  but in another way she likes having the nurses and aides around and worries about being on her own.    And she enjoys company and a chance to talk.

We left Mom and headed north.  We spent a very nice evening with Skip/Claire/Denise and Claire’s brother and sister in law at Kessler’s bed and breakfast in Cleavland WI.  Lot’s of conversation , a very nice meal (I pigged out on prime rib) at a restaurant in town, a good nights sleep and German style breakfast and more conversation this morning.  Very relaxing, after leaving Mom,  as hard as she is trying the visits can be ‘trying’ at times.  God Bless Skip.

Made it home this afternoon and took advantage of being home to get some more work outside done.  Cool and rain today,  but I had to get in the lake to work on the shore station and remaining dock pieces, so the rain did not matter much.  And good to have those things done,  I think I worked off last night’s prime rib.

So cold wet weather makes me think of Florida!  Early December before we get down there.   We will get to Detroit first for Thanksgiving, and a Packer Game!  That will be fun.  So November will go quickly leading up to Thanksgiving and finishing fall chores.  And work continues to be trying.  But that’s life.    Hope your week and weekend has been a good one.  At least we are not in the northeast for early snow!