Winding Down the Weekend

Whew... what a busy weekend!  But it's slowly winding down now while we watch the Packer Game tonight on tv.  So far it's a winning score, and we are happy.

I thought I would write up another blog post....

Thursday evening, we unloaded the motorhome after leaving High Cliff State Park....   I didn't feel like cooking, so we hit our favorite Mexican restaurant 2 towns over in Kiel, called El Camino.  The food is SOOOO good, and Steveio had his favorite chicken fajitas and I have my regular seafood chimichangas (they are not on the menu, but they make them for me each time I ask)   They serve you so much food, I take half home and it's lunch the next day. Plus margaritas are only $3 on Thursdays....  link: El Camino Facebook Page

Our weekend filled up before we knew it.  On Saturday morning we got some house chores done, and Steve worked on the broken air horns on the motorhome.  Seems when I blasted them last time, I suddenly lost all pressure.  Steve determined it was some old bad connections, and got it all fixed up.  He also did a few other projects on the air conditioner shroud, fixed the sagging insulation in the engine compartment and I did a good clean-up and clear out of summer items from the rig.

Next camping trip will probably be Halloween at High Cliff State Park, which is a huge event to attend with the kids and grandkids.

Speaking of kids and grandkids, we got a happy surprise visit from our daughter Heather, son-in-law Jesse, and both grantots Jameson and baby Whitney!   Wheeee heeeeeee

I got in a LOT of cuddles, changed a poopy diaper, fed a bottle and played with the sweetie who is starting to smile back at us!  Big Brother Jameson got to pick a restaurant --- link: Penelope's Pizza Facebook Page

It was such a nice visit and we got to spend some time just marveling at how much she is growing in her short 6 and a half weeks.  Giving Jameson as much attention and interesting things to talk about is important too.  He got to ride in our car to the pizza place, and was doing double digit addition in his head.... and just started second grade!


Saturday night, our nice neighbors to the back had a party... and invited us over to hang out.  Crackling campfire, good laughter, and dogs hanging out looking for treats.  We are so lucky to have a bought a house near such great neighbors!

 We hung out till late, 

and then toddled across the yard to bed.  

Easy commute! 

Sunday morning started with fresh bagels and coffee on the porch.  The mornings are crisp and cool, but as soon as the sun comes in, it warms up and we are comfortable.  Soon Steveio hopped on the lawnmower and I set about knitting socks on my antique circular sockknitting machine. I have to get some inventory built up for upcoming shows and Etsy sales for seasonal holiday shopping.  I can do about a pair an hour, and am working up some bright colorful wool socks in blends of pretty yarns.

Cup of coffee

French vanilla creamer

Soft celtic music

and creative yarns! 

At noon, it was time to load up my sockknitting machine and head over to the Calumet County Historical Museum.  We volunteer there to staff the museum during their Sunday sessions.  Here is a blog post I did earlier in the summer about helping out there: 

working-at-calumet-county-museum

and their website:

http://www.calumetcountyhistoricalsociety.org/

I have been working on the Fiber Display.  Today I took care of spreading more Howards Feed N Wax on the rest of the fiber tools--- spinning wheels, yarn swifts, niddy noddies, and hand cards.  Even a big ol' treadle sewing machine got a good soaking in of preservative conditioner on the dried out greyed wood. It also repels insect intrusion with the natural orange oils. I am proud to say the display is looking quite fresh.

(this is only half of the fiber display) 

A fellow member dropped off some sheep-shearing tools from various eras in the past.  I went through the box to identify most of the equipment and decide what else can go in the Fiber Tools Display and which should end up in the Agriculture building.  We have a lot of different displays depicting early life in Calumet County, WI.

Once our chores were done, we set up for visitors.  We had a whopping 13 people stop by this afternoon!  Steve likes roaming and poking around in the agricultural displays with people, looking at old farm implements and small engines over the years. Someone came in and donated their dad's chainsaw, from the early 1950's.   It was fun to document the item and get it ready for cataloging.

I set up my sockknitting machine and kept working on socks while Steve visited with people and helped show them around the various displays.  My sock machine garnered attention all by itself... and is an antique from 1925, so it fit right in.

This is such a fun place to hang out. While there, I explore a lot of the old newspapers, photos and albums of scrapbooks that people have donated. I am learning more and more about our tiny community.

Admission is FREE

but donations are gladly accepted. 

Well, it's Packers half time now, so I will wrap up this blog and get it posted. Steveio is starting to make some popcorn for the second half of the game. The doggers will gather to beg their share.  He better make a BIG bowl! 

We Are Through With Restaurant Food for a While!!

I am thinking we are through with restaurant food a while.  Not because it was bad, but because we have had WAYYY too much--- a complete overload!

My sister Shmoo (Linda) and her husband Fuzz (Mike) and his brotherinlaw Dave own a bar and grill in the U.P. of Michigan.  It's called Fuzz and Dave's Mid City Bar and Grill    The name Shmoo is from the Lil' Abner cartoon.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmoo

Because they cook and serve food in their bar, they were invited by their food supplier to come to Green Bay for a huge "Food Show" on Wednesday.  Since they come all the way from Caspian, MI they travelled down the night before, after they were done with work.  We met up at The Texas Roadhouse in Green Bay for dinner with them for:
(restaurant meal number ONE) 

We enjoyed mar-gar-EEE-tas!  Each drink has an iridescent plastic test tube of tequila shots set in each glass called "Kickers"  What a surprise!

Steve ordered half a baked chicken and I had garlic shrimp,

Fuzz had a rib eye steak and Shmoo had sirloin &shrimp---- yummmm

We ate wayyyy too much of course, but it was so good and we left with full bellies for us to wander on back to our house and them to their hotel for the night. With promises of seeing each other in the morning, we went home to sleep off the restaurant food as it was quite late.  I think a walk would have been better for us, but it was after 10:30 and Steveio had to work early in the morning.



Arggghhh I woke up and felt just as full as the night before!  Steve left for work after getting a BIRTHDAY KISS  from me... Yes.. Wednesday is Steveio's birthday!!!!  He is one year older but also one year better!



I let the doggers out to the potty yard one last time before locking them back in the house for the day.  I hopped in the car and drove up to Green Bay.  I met up with Shmoo and Fuzz at their hotel and we headed over to the Shopko Hall Expo Center for the food.... this entry scene just BOGGLED THE MIND:

This array of fresh vegetables and fruit was just "too much" 

and I have NO idea why they displayed all of this in such a humungous manner????  

It was later torn down and donated to a food pantry.

Each vegetable was perfect in size, shape and color,

even the potatoes were polished or oiled up to a sheen?

What was the point? 

 The colors were eye dazzling and the fruit was amazing too. 

We were registered and I was their guest so I got a name tag too.  The general public is not allowed in, just restaurant and bar owners that serve food and have accounts through the main wholesaler, Reinhart Foods.  The folks displaying today are all the vendors who offer their foods to be ordered through the wholesaler, not direct sales.  So it really wasn't a "sales pitch" at each booth, more of a "taste pitch" and "hope your next order with Reinhart you will remember our food and add us to your order" type of offering. 

The first stop around the expo hall was also the most interesting.  It was booth of all the commercial cooking supplies, utensils, gadgets and tools. These items could be bought on site and carried home, or left till later or ordered/delivered with your normal food order. We browsed for a while, and then decided to come back there later to pick up the things they needed for their bar's little kitchen. I really enjoyed seeing some top quality kitchen stuff at really wonderful prices, many lower than what you find in any cooking gadget store or retail outlet.

There were six aisles with food vendors up both sides of the aisle.. so that is TWELVE rows of food to learn about, sample, mark your order books and perhaps get some non-perishable take-home samples.  Everyone had their "best of their best" food cooked up and prepared for sampling.

So many things to try... the best cuts of meats, the freshest fish and shrimp, the newest flavors, ideas, spices and sauces to sample.  The folks manning each booth seemed knowledgeable and there wasn't any high pressure sales because technically they weren't "selling"  they were giving the restaurant and bar owners the opportunity to taste the products that they already have available.

I tell you, with probably 70-80 different booths, each with multiple deep fryers, nesco roasters, sterno stoves, heat lamps and baked foods on display, it got VERY HOT in there in a short time.  Whew....

This guy on the left had "fish n chips on a stick" it was like a fishstick patty on a stick, and coated with tiny lumps of hashbrown cubes and then deep fried.  It was a "take and go" meal!   The guy with the crazy pizza hat was actually selling the individual items to go on pizzas so restaurants can buy the ready-made supplies and do their "own custom pizzas" instead of pre-made ones.  Hmmmmm

As we wandered around, sampling, testing and talking, 

we had a bit of silliness too! 

One especially friendly vendor was selling relishes, condiments and items for bar drinks like in bloody mary's etc.  We told him we were the Pickling Sisters and Pickles Queens of the Iron County Fair!  Haha... so he gave us some of his big dill pickles on a stick to munch on!

Any of you readers from up in Iron River will remember the little unique store called "The Pickle Barrel" and how you got to dip in the big huge barrel and pull out a pickle like this to chomp on.  This sure brought back memories!

The array of dipping and cooking sauces was amazing.. but the BEST booth was the Sweet Baby Ray's for BBQing! Yummm it's our favorite!  They have now come out with Sweet N Sour Baby Rays, and were already all out of the samples in the first hour of the show.  We know it's available in stores, but in much smaller sized bottles.   Even these huge sized bottles don't last long in our family, for all the amount of this we use when cooking while camping!

As the day wore on, we were wearing out!  We took a break for a while, and a nice vendor near the sitting area was giving out bottles of water to drink.  With all of the salty deep fried foods we had sampled so far, we needed it!   I think we were beginning to smell like french fries! 

All throughout the day, they had drawings for door prizes, and we were listening to the announcements as we strolled around through the last two rows of food. Nope, we didn't win anything.  But we were so full to the point of bursting that I was thinking a nice long nap was in order.  Haha..... 

Finally about 3:30 we left and went outside. In Wisconsin, today had bitter cold, blasting winds, snow flurries and FREEZING outside.  At first it felt kinda good after the heat and odors of inside.  We noticed as we walked through the cold to the parking lot, we could smell the scents of frying oils, fish, and grilling meats on our clothes, hair and skin!  The cold temp magnifies the odors even more so. Ewwww! 

I consider this day as  

(restaurant meal number TWO)  !!!!

I slugged my way back to my car to drive back down to Chilton.  Steve was going to be home from work soon, so I wanted to get back, get his presents wrapped up and let the dogs out.  The dogs had been locked in the house for 8 hours and that is the longest we have ever left Binney so far since we got her 4 months ago.  Finney is good for that long, but we weren't sure on Binney.  Got home and all was just fine and dandy!  Whew!   

Was the day over yet??? Nope.. we still had to celebrate Steve's birthday!!!!  Plus my sister and her husband have never seen our house yet.  They came down about 5 pm to join up with us.  We gave them grand tour of our home.  Little Binney is not happy with people coming in and disrupting her "routine" and "order" of her home.  I swear she is OCD and doesn't think things should be in different places, or people in her place.  She definitely has PSTD from her previous life, so anything that has changed is bothersome to her.  When people come in, she hides in her "safe spot" on the couch, wedged as tight as she can into the corner cushions. 

My sister is very loving and gentle, and knows dogs.  We placed Binney into her arms... with soothing coos of her voice which is close to mine, Binney relaxed and cuddled in safe and sound. Ahhh her world was okay.  

After seeing our house and putting the dog down, it was time to head out to celebrate Steveio's birthday!  Our favorite mexican restaurant is El Camino in Kiel, WI about 10 miles south.  Soooo this is ---- yup, you got it---- 

(restaurant meal number THREE) 

We do eat here about once a month, and know what we like the best... of course we have to have the margarEEEtas before the meal comes.  Steve had the steak fajitas that come a-sizzling and a-crackling to the table on a cast iron pan. 

I order the same thing EVERY time, and know even if I only eat a little, I can take the rest home with me.  It's a seafood chimichanga without the brown sauce on top.  Also I forgo the beans, which gives me extra rice.  This meal is good for three more lunches at home, each with 1/2 a chimi reheated and some rice too.

Fuzz had a beef burrito and taco

 and sister Schmoo had a taco salad. 

in the middle we had a HUGE mound of guacamole to share! 

 Yup.... Holey Guacamole! 

If that wasn't enough, now it was Steveio's birthday treat!   They bought out a big plate of sopapillas which are deep fried pastry triangles, rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They are drizzled with thin lines of honey and chocolate sauce.  In the middle is a big mound of "fried" ice cream!  They roll a ball of vanilla ice cream in cinnamon and sugar and freeze it hard. Then it is taken out and stuck under the broiler quick to caramelize the coating without melting the ice cream. Complete with whipped topping and candle!  They all sang Happy Birthday to my Steveio!

(he shared some of his treat with all of us) 

Okay... we left fully full to the fullest, and carrying our "take out containers" for additional meals for the rest of this week. Whew! 

Shmoo and Fuzz were on their way back to the hotel, and we waddled on home to our doggies.  Little Finnegan was happy to see us, but Binney kept looking around for "those peoplez" who were in her house!  She kept going around from room to room until she was satisfied that they were not in her space.  Once we got ready for bed, her "routine" returned to normal and she came willingly to have her teeth brushed and ready to crawl into her bed alongside of Finnegan.  Her world was "right" again.  

Soooo it's Thursday.  Guess what I had for lunch???  You got it, leftover guacamole, chips, half a seafood chimichanga and some rice! 

(restaurant meal number FOUR) 

Tonight is our oldest granddaughter's dance recital up in Green Bay. We are looking forward to going and see her shine on the stage.  Then... guess what?  We are going going to a RESTAURANT for ice cream after the performance!  LOL   

You got it... 

(restaurant meal number FIVE!!!!!!!!) 

Five Days of a Fishing Widow

Oh my what a long long five days it has been!   Steveio left on Wednesday afternoon for a five day fishing trip with his dad and brothers to central Wisconsin.

The dogs and I held down the fort here at home....

I got in some sewing and some weaving, here and there, but mostly got SICK and didn't like to do much of anything!!!   By Friday I was down and out.  I slept on and off most of the day, I read a few emails and posted a few facebook things, but that was about the extent of it.

I drugged myself up good with Nyquil and dozed off, woke up and watched old movies, and fell asleep again.  

By Saturday I finally felt good enough to head up to Oconto.  You see, our youngest daughter Heather and her husband Jesse bought a house!  They had some snafus on the closing date, so they didn't know when their moving day was getting pushed ahead to.  Otherwise Steve would not have gone on his fishing trip if he had known they were moving on Saturday.

But it all worked out and they got the go-ahead to move on in.  Where is this house, you ask?  It just HAPPENS to be about half a mile down the road from where our old house was-----  Gee whillickers!  They wait till we move 70 miles away and then they go and buy a house back in the town Heather grew up most of her teenage years in?

(Funny....when we built our house in 1997 up there, both girls HATED the idea of moving to "Hicksville" and now BOTH of them each own a house there and are raising THEIR children there???)

Erin and I kept all the grandtots and the granddoggers occupied in town at her house---

All the while the Big People moved in the loads of furniture, boxes and assorted things they have collected in preparation for the new house.  They had a full garage stall packed to the top of things, a storage area, and a very large apartment full of stuff to move from Green Bay to the new house. Plus they had gotten a whole bunch of furniture at an auction that had to picked up and brought to the new house too.

Once they were done with their last load for the day, we were then invited to bring out the grandtots, the 3 doggers and let Jameson show us his New Home.  He had seen it during the showings, but now it was filling up with his own things.  Mommy and Daddy were sure to take along his boxes of toys and crafts to put in his very own play room, and his things into his own bedroom before he even got there.

Once exciting part of the move is for little Jameson.  Not only will he now have a whole house, instead of an apartment.. complete with yard, trees, deck, and a farm nearby.... but the sellers included a PIANO!  That is all the little could talk about was "His Piano"

Plus there is an outbuilding on the property with some office space and soon-to-be music studio. They set up Jameson's drum set and even hung his Sponge Bob Square Pants Guitar on the wall... all in preparation so he could feel it was his space to enjoy.  How thoughtful!

Now.. here's the kicker----  I can NOT post any pictures yet until they have their housewarming party!   So all I can tell you is this and share the ONE photo that Jesse posted on Facebook.  (it doesn't show much and not NEARLY the wonderful inside of the converted school house in a tiny rural crossroads)

We know the people who sold the house to our kids, plus we know the craftsman who converted the school house from the original one room school formation to a completely modern and innovative home.  He is a very careful and talented person who worked many months on the conversion, and did a wonderful job.

Another sweet benefit is that I KNOW older people from the surrounding farms who went to school there, and also I KNOW one of the last teachers who taught there before it closed... and she is going to come to their housewarming party to tell tales of the school days!

Here is the history I was able to compile about the school house, and I printed it up and framed it for the kids to hang on their wall:

HISTORY Of The School

In the 1860's a small log school stood where the School now stands. In this school the parents of many of the oldest residents of our district studied along with a few Indian children who also attended the school

At about the turn of the century, it was decided to change the building. It was to be a wooden one. It has no basement and you entered it by climbing a number of cement steps located in the middle of the front of the building. 

The people were interested in education and as a result the school year was always nine months in length. Of course, it wasn’t unusual to hear a person mention the raising of only $250.00 to run the school for the year and also pay the teacher.

In about 1935 the school was remodeled. A basement was put under the building and you entered the school at ground level in the Southeast corner. The school's appearance has remained the same, but many modern conveniences have taken the place' of the old appliances.

In 1951 an oil burning furnace replaced the old jacket-type stove. Indoor washrooms and toilets were installed and the inside was beautifully painted in a pastel green shade with dark brown bulletin boards. The school was insulated and aluminum storm windows helped to stop the wind from sweeping through the building. An adequate library is becoming a reality because the district supplements the amount paid by the state for books with an extra $25 a year. The school was also used for card parties, 4-H meetings, and other gatherings. The school closed in 1964 as students went to Oconto for classes.



Jesses' folks supplied a nice meal for the moving folks.  Once the grandkids were all fed and we explored the new place from top to bottom, I was totally worn out.  I popped my 2 doggers in my car, kissed the grandtots goodbye, and headed on back the 70 miles to Chilton.

I got home late, dragged myself into the shower and off to bed.  Zonked out for the night, and no Nyquil needed, that was for sure.

Sunday was dreary, cloudy, humid and muggy.. with storms threatening.  But I didn't mind because I knew that would mean Steveio and his brothers would convince their dad to pull in the boat early, pack up the motorhome, and head on home.  Yay!

About 1 pm. I wanted to head down to the season opening of the Calumet County Historical Museum, but Steve wasn't home yet.  So I left him a note to come and find me if he came home!

He did.   AWWWWW it was so good to have him back home!

We wandered around the museum, and I got propositioned for a task for the local newspaper, (more on that later)  and we learned a lot about our area and the people and the houses and businesses as Chilton grew to the lovely town it is today.

To celebrate being back home, Steve said let's go to our favorite little mexican place, the El Camino in Kiel, another small town south of us.  We drove through the downpouring rain to get our favorites: Steve's chicken enchiladas and my seafood chimichangas.  The portions are so huge, we have enough left over for lunch tomorrow.   Yummmm and some margaritas!

We spent the rest of the evening watching the rain pour down from the comfort of our front porch.  Check out this little video clip (it's only 40 seconds long)  and watch for the silver SUV coming from the left side... wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee   now That's Entertainment in a Small Town

Boy oh boy it's great to have my sweetie home again! 

Finney thinks so too---