Thanks to all who post comments on the blog,  good to know you do take a look at it!   Allen you are welcome again to see the  remodeling!  Let’s hope we have a long, warm summer though before we head back to Florida!   Craig, stop by for cocktails anytime!  Bring some of your homebrew.

Our prayers stay with Deb and John, as his Mom is battling through a tough time and John’s MS is challenging him also.  And also prayers to the Madrids.  Marie, you will see  Chris soon!   Chris will be spending 12 days in Albuquerque.  I don’t get to go,  but I am sure the girls will keep busy!

And Charles yes we don’t build our houses to last the centuries as the Europeans do!   We Americans don’t want to stay in one place for a long time!    And I enjoy being able to open up a wall to change electrical or put a new opening!   And you are right, a good Swiss Army knife would do it!

We are enjoying a wonderful Wisconsin spring.   We continue to be blessed with temperatures well above normal.   I am sure I have not had the dock and shore station in this early in the past.   There might still be ice on the lake.   We have some freeze warnings, since flowers and trees are blooming,  But normally a freeze would be normal most nights!   I received some extra firewood from the field next to us.   IT was not welcome,  but some dead branches have been hanging over our wood pile for some time.

And a picture of Marie, Chris, and our friend Vivian down in Florida.  This was when I was not there,  looks like the girls planned on a night out.  By the way, Viv is 90 and ready to go!

So just a wish for a  Happy Easter.

Happy St Patrick’s day!  OK,  one day late.  We celebrated with friends, a party at the pool and catered in corned beef and cabbage.  But very good, and the Irish coffee’s topped it off.   We are in Florida since Tuesday.  Weather in the Midwest is record breaking, but we do love Florida.   Once the sun goes down here it is still warm and comfortable.  We booked awhile back, and to get decent airline rates stayed a week.  And my boss let me work some days from here so I did not have to burn up vacation.  That works great.   And weather has been wonderful here also.  Every day sun shine and ocean breezes.

I have worked some hours on our kitchen plan.  We did cabinets in the dining room last year with a plan to extend to the kitchen eventually.  Just a small kitchen here.  And some condo’s had opened up the wall, and we really like how that opens up the kitchen and dining room.   So I feel good that I have made that progress.  This may be our last time down until next winter,  so we can plan with how it looks now.

So everyone enjoy the wonderful weather.   We are all blessed!

opening of the wall startedbright and airy

new look

Well we made it into March,  but Mother Nature has reminded us that summer is not around the corner yet.   We have had a mild Wisconsin winter,  and last night we had the biggest snow fall of this winter.  About 6 inches of wet heavy snow.  It makes for plowing a gravel driveway to be a little messy.   But things are cleaned up and temperature is around freezing.   And by mid week we could hit 50,  which will be pleasant.   And will add some moisture to the wet lands for Spring!   Next weekend daylight savings time!

And better to have snow than tornado’s.  Say a prayer for those without homes, and we hope that weather can be done for this season.

A down week at work.  We are going through another round of down sizing, so each day the buzz was about which names we heard.   I think there are still some to find out about this coming week.

So a couple of things around the house,  but a relaxing day.  Tonight I go with friends to a beer dinner and festival at the EAA.   A beautiful setting in the museum.  A dinner by an excellent local restaurant paired with New Glarus beers.  Life is good.

So have yourself a good Saturday.

Mom and Dad

Heading into the weekend,    Spring is getting closer and the sun is starting to feel some warmth here.   And a special weekend to celebrate Mom’s 91st birthday coming up this week.   She has had a rough 91st year.   Her knee is pretty bad and not walking much, and not a good candidate for surgery.   But she has adapted well to the wheel chair and her new assisted living apartment.  And overall keeps a positive attitude.   So we will see what the next year brings.   She has said it is OK to pray for her not to have pain,  but not to pray that she lives longer.    These pictures are back from the 70’s and 80’s I believe!

Chris and Marie had a wonderful time in Florida.  The weather was warm until a couple of nights when they were about to come home, but still not bad.   So coming home was a ‘jolt’, even though we are having a mild winter here in Wisconsin.  I see this morning it is 77 in Boynton Beach, 41 in Albuquerque, and 29 here.   That’s Fahrenheit Charles!    But my goal is to get to Florida each month this winter, and we are doing pretty good.   We will have another long weekend in March.    I have a project going on in the kitchen and hope to accomplish a little more on the next trip.  Work continues as a challenge as I keep busy with projects but the plants are down from the economy, and the printing industry is a dying industry not a growing one.

So the days are getting longer and Spring is getting closer.   Lent starts this week.   Stay positive and enjoy life.   It sounds like there was some good news for Charles wife, we will keep the prayers for that to continue!

Chris, Mary Jane, Mary Biegel, Mom, Dad

Mom and Skip

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.