A Weekend of Thankfulness

I would like to ask for special thoughts and prayers of comfort and peace for a family member who is going through a really rough time right now. We are holding him in our hearts and our thoughts and waiting for more details later today.

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The Pfundtner family gathered for their traditional Thanksgiving feast. This year again, brother Peter and wife Cindy were hosts at their beautiful home in Menasha. Many of the family were able to attend and it was good to have all five of the Pfundtner siblings together with their father.

Good food and family, interspersed with many fun stories of the past and thoughts of the future.

Steve's dad, the patriarch of the Pfundtner clan, was able to make it all of the way from Sister Bay. Three of his great-grandchildren helped him celebrate his birthday with homemade cards and big hugs.

We trekked on back home afterwards, and kept two of the grandkids overnight at our house. We held fun challenges of playing rounds on an old "Trouble" pop o matic game. Each of the children took their turns having a bath in Grandma's elegant clawfoot tub, sipping glasses of apple cider and snacking from tiny dishes of treats set on my wooden bath tray suspended across the tub. How spoiled is that?

The morning breakfast of homemade waffles was delightful as well as a morning baking session where the kids helped put together a pumpkin pie.

We planned a smaller close family gathering on Sunday, so this our was going to be dessert. I just had to keep myself from cutting into it between Friday and Sunday!

It came out perfect!

Now I know most people go rushing to stores on Friday for all of the Black Friday specials. Not us. But we did go to the Menards store in Marinette to pick up some extra two-by-fours and some carsiding wood to enclose the triangular closet area in the she shed.

It was starting to snow/rain/sleet so we didn't want to take the trailer behind the Tracker. Snow and slush on raw wood is not a good thing.

We do know that in my big old Lincoln Continental, we can fit 8 foot long boards if we set them on a diagonal between the floor on the passenger side, between the seats, and up to the back window on the driver side. That's how we roll!

After some careful measurements, Steve started framing in the two little side walls for the triangular closet. Our house does not have a coat closet anywhere and right now we are currently using the guest bedroom closet for storage. By having this little triangular coat closet near the back entrance, we will have a place for our coats and boots as well as our Swiffer and stick vacuum cleaner for the she shed.

While Steve worked on framing in the doorway, I was finishing up a new rug on my loom. From time to time as he needed something I could be there to lend a hand or hold something for him. I love the togetherness we have in the she shed room where he can be close by doing something and I can work on my fun stuff at the same time.

Most of the Great Lakes area was forecast for a heavy snowstorm. They had said it was supposed to start already on Friday but we didn't see anything that would accumulate much. By Saturday morning we were hoping for a few more flakes but all we were getting was rain. It started more in earnest Saturday evening but not with snowflakes. Instead it was sleet and icy rain slinging itself against the woods and our windows.

We were cozy warm inside, sitting next to the gas fireplace. Watching out the big french windows, it was interesting to see all of the ice clinging to the glass. It was pretty noisy pinging like needles as the winds whipped in from the Northeast. In the morning it looked almost like lace stuck against the glass panes.

With the Great lakes water levels as high as they are, the winds coming in from the Northeast drive the waters right up the bay into the small city of Oconto.

The houses all along the edge of the Bay and harbor were flooded with the waves crashing in from the high winds. This area is less than a mile from our home on the other side of the big swamp and nature preserve. These pics are from the local Facebook Page, we did not drive over there ourselves.

 Yes, these are roads, and yards.

The residents haven't ever seen it this bad.

They had to be evacuated and could not drive out on the roads.

We have water backing up in our yard, but not anywhere near the horrible conditions out on the edge of the bay. Roads were closed and people were evacuated.  When this all freezes solid, we will have an ice rink back there!

Power was out all over, but for some reason ours stayed on. Various people around town were complaining about the power outages at their houses. Businesses closed down because they had no power so the local grocery store, gas stations, and even McDonalds were all closed up.

With a high water table to begin with, the water floods over into our city's waste treatment plant. The city had to put out an emergency warning to not flush your toilets, run your dishwasher, run your showers or baths or put as little water as possible down your drains until they could pump things out and rectify the situation.

With the heavy ice on the tree limbs and then the winds blowing so hard, our neighbors lost half of a tree. Fortunately it landed right directly into their dog exercise area and not on their workshop nor on their house, nor on any of their vehicles. Very lucky!

Sunday morning it begin to snow. I mean REALLY snow!

We were forecast anywhere from 6 to 10 inches, maybe 12. It was hard to tell how deep it was because it was so windy out of the Northeast. Deep drifts in some areas but windswept down to bare ground in others.  Steve was able to use the snowblower for most of the heavy wet slushy snow to clear the driveway and around the fire hydrant in front of our home. It's our responsibility to keep it clear of snow, or else we get a letter and a fine from the city!

The kids and grandkids were coming over for a noonday meal during the Packer game. Both of our daughters have four wheel drive vehicles and were able to make it here safely with their families.

We had such a fun time hanging out in my she shed. We had popped in a large turkey breast in the pressure cooker, and whipped up all the fixings to go with.

When the food was ready, everybody filled their plates. 

Instead of sitting at my big dining room table that seats 8, or at my new table in the kitchen that at least seats four, instead we all congregated back down in the she shed and balanced our plates on our laps.

Granddaughters Whitney and Claire

 even carried their little table and chairs

 from the playroom 

down to the she shed.

We sure had fun watching the Packers win and the kids were having a great time. Whitney and Claire always have a giggling good time as you can see below on this little video clip:

The snow came down pretty heavily all day until late afternoon. I think we got about eight inches total. It's hard to tell the final total because of the wind blowing around so much. The weathermen were saying it was around 10 inches.

Once all of the leftovers were divvied up between the families, everyone donned their hats and boots and jackets and mittens and tracked on out through the snow to their vehicles. Neither had very far to drive, and made it home safely.

It was a wonderful weekend with a lot to be thankful for.

~~~~~

Today is our oldest granddaughter Allegra's 10th birthday. 

My oh my, how time flies. 

We hope she has a wonderful day

 and enjoys her birthday to the fullest.