There is something wonderful and exhilarating about finding in your field guide that the bird you found is uncommon to your location. We do we adore the “rare” in life, I wonder? Such was the case with our spotting today of this lovely black-crowned night-heron. It is always such a thrill. We are very easily amused.
Read MoreFor Ann Frank’s birthday I decided to write each of the granddaughters a History Letter from Ann Frank and another from her friend Miep. I also bought them each a diary and made an inscribed bookmark to track the current page. Click to read more and see more photos.
Read MoreDan arranged a foursome at South Hills today giving Greg a chance to cap off his week-end in Fond du Lac with his favorite past-time of all. Despite a little rain and wind, and a below average performance on the links, Greg savored every moment. Golf clubs have a magic effect on him. 18 holes of happiness!
Read MoreOur wish: “We hope you made it a great day. And now make it an even greater night! Congratulations on the amazing life you have made together, the amazing people you have made together, and all the amazing things yet to come. We love you!”
Read MoreI think this May Boys Mayhem should be at least a bi-annual event, if not quarterly. It’s so much fun to spend a good chunk of time together. One of the highlights was a family pool tournament and dinner at Tommy J’s. Everybody got to shoot, to win, to lose. We were having so much fun we lost track of who the overall winner was. Kallie was the only grandchild and a delight, especially to “The Uncles.” Keith was on so that’s always fun. I was not. But then again, there is a negligible difference between off and on in my case, so I never feel too attached to the outcomes. Excellent food, by the way. Best Reuben sammie ever!
Read MoreTwo of the things I love most about May Boys Mayhem adventures is the reminiscences and the laughter. We had an abundance of both at our delectable dining extravaganza at the new i-hop in Fond du Lac. Our waitress was really fun, the food was unusually tasty, and the company was perfect in everyway. I wish we could do this every morning. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Every morning would be great with these guys! They are three of the most genuinely kind people I know.
Read MoreThere was a little May Boy Mayhem out at Lakeside Park for the Walleye Weekend festivities. Fishing and Fun was the law of the day and they made it happen. Unanimously, the highlight was the fresh Walleye dinners and people watching.
Read MoreIt was rough fighting over every rule. Poor Google was exhausted and I think we crashed the Hoyle site. Not that we are inordinately competitive, but we did need to switch partners for this tournament so every possible combination was satisfied and the grandest player could be identified. And there was one. He won when he was Mary’s partner. He won when he was Greg’s partner. And he won when he was Al’s partner. Believe it or not, it was Keith. And I say that because he couldn’t even count his cards much less peg. All this proved is that cribbage is clearly not a game of skill. It is a game of chance!
Read MoreThings like this always make me wonder. I understand the love for amazing machines that go fast. I understand the male bonding ritual of looking over and admiring each other’s vehicles as a sign of acceptance and to build trust. But, what’s with the red? Both Greg and Al’s cars are exactly the same hue, perfectly matching the love of Keith’s life, the red Toyota pick-up. What is it that made three brothers choose the same color? Coincidence? A genetic favoring of this color? A common red car event in their childhood? Or perhaps a warrior blood lust due to an over-abundance of testosterone. But I digress, here we welcome the start of May Boys Mayhem - the Walleye Week-end edition.
Read MoreSince I had the May Boys together for some Mayhem and Greg brought assorted cheeses, I thought it would be fun to send Ada a photo. The assignment was to display two C’s, one C with each hand. I explained this stood for Cheese Club. Keith displayed a backwards C to himself with his right hand and a U with his left hand. Keith claimed this was the gang sign for sharp cheddar. Al displayed a C with his left hand to himself so no one else could see it. He hid his right hand completely. Al claimed that was the sign for asiago. Greg came closest with almost two C’s but had help from me. Greg wins for correctly displaying and naming the sign as Cheese Club and/or Curd Collective. He was the only one allowed passage to the Tier One tasting room. Congrats, Greg!
Read MorePresley spent the day sweeping up all the propellers from the maple trees that blanketed our yard. For almost fifty years it has been an annual ritual for me to do this. It was delightful to finally pass on the broom. Thank you, Presley!
Read MoreI just love this photo to the core! When Maggie and Mollie were young, I would dress them alike often. It is a mild mental illness that still surfaces now with my husband and my pajamas. Totally unsolicited, they sent me this photo of them dressed alike on a chilly June morning walk in Wisconsin. Brrrrrr. That may be morning mist in the air, but I suspect it is smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Things like this stir those mommy feelings in my soul. They are still my little girls in these fleeting moments.
Read MoreEvery year for the past six, at Keith’s behest, I have called the City of Fond du Lac’s arborist to beg him to cut down our two Oriental Elm trees on the terrace. They are dirty, cracked, potentially hollowed, and interfere with the growth of the beautiful maple on our property. Today, we discovered a red dot on each of them. Further inquiry confirmed Keith’s deepest hopes, the red dot is indeed the mark of death. While he did his little happy dance, I prayed for all those people in India who have no idea they are condemned.
Read MoreToday SOUL was born, the Sisters Of Unyielding Love. The three sisters are Carey, Samantha, and me. Our first meeting is in late June and we have some wondrous times ahead. I love the 3-nun logo, the play on a religious order, and the branding elements, especially the bright colors. I am having so much fun conceptualizing this along with the graphic design. Love it!
Read MoreAbout once a month I have to shake the dead leaves out of the cascading vinca vines in the kitchen flower box Keith made for me on the second story interior window. This photo shows about 1/3 of the debris. It’s a fun ordeal, though. Indoor gardening takes on a whole new meaning when you have to rake the floor.
Read MoreMollie gave me one of her Hungry Root food service meals to try. Today Keith and I made their exceedingly delicious chicken tacos. The price is a stumbling block but there is a great assortment of healthy meals on their site that we can reproduce. That’s one thing I miss about Covid. I had meal plans, and a perpetually stocked pantry and made all our meals. Now, I don’t even want to think about food. So maybe Hungry Root will inspire me to rally the effort needed to master my food once again!
Read MoreLilly stopped by with two of her friends, Ria and Andrea, for popsicles. Lilly had a visit with The Rat, or should I say a fight. It was worthy of Saturday Night Live! They’re both such fast talkers and fabulous at argumentation, there was no clear winner. It looked like so much fun for her friends that I got out the puppy and lion puppets so animal alter egos could be cut loose. They want me to buy more orange popsicles and Bomb Pops for next time they stop over. It’s gonna be a busy summer. This is how I dreamed life would be. Keith and I feel so lucky.
Read MoreOh, what a joy this month’s entries were. I think the voters agreed with me because we just couldn’t seem to agree on a clear winner. After the votes were tallied we had FIVE record-breaking winners! We also had a couple bonus photos that would have been contenders but weren’t eligible because of that darn “one photo entry per photographer” rule. Someone should challenge this with the contest official. I hear she takes bribes. For just a few cookies, she’ll invent a fake identity for a long lost relative whose name you can use to sneak in another entry. Just sayin’ — cookies!
Read MoreIn a world filled with flavor enthusiasts and culinary adventurers, there is one extraordinary cheese lover who has remained devoted to her passion for almost two decades. Her name is Ada, the founder of The Curd Collective (formerly known as Ada’s Cheese Club). She is celebrating her 25th birthday this year, and, in a twist of fate, has decided to reopen membership exclusively to her beloved family. As we embark on Ada's remarkable cheese journey, we invite you to indulge in the enchanting world of cheese, filled with delightful flavors, mouthwatering recipes, and whimsical cheese crafts. I should know. I’m her Granny. And this is Ada’s Cheese Club!
Read MoreTo celebrate National Cheese Day, I made Ada, our resident Cheese-ologist, an extravagant e-card in the form of a fully branded website for her childhood cheese club, updated for the exclusive family membersship plan. I know it’s a little cheesy, but it looks grate.
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