On a date!

Today Linda and I were Mom's dates!  She treated us to lunch at Perkins, with Linda being the driver, for Mom's Ladies' Aid end-of-year outing. She had a tough time figuring out what to wear, and just before Linda came over, decided to change into a more summery top. We sat at the table and chatted for a bit, and something Linda said made Mom laugh. I caught the greatest picture of her. Linda had given Mom an extra orange peeler she had on hand but am not sure if that made her laugh or not.  

There was a nice group gathered, including some husbands, plus the two pastors. We late comers got to sit on the end of the table with Pastor Schaefer and Anna, with baby Alice. She ate all my applesauce which was perfect because she was so hungry! 

On this end of the table you can see the baby plus her parents and Mom. I was seated next to Mom and Linda next to Pastor. On the other end is a lady who is even older than Mom!

After the luncheon, Linda and I dropped Mom off at home and then we went over to her house. Linda was making sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes for our dinner, which she served over rice. Delicious! She made the mistake of telling me it was turkey sausage but it sure did taste good! 

In the smaller pan is the sausage, cut into teeny pieces

From her house we went to a member's home for Bible study. Kathy W. again leads this study, and presently they are hosted by Jean, a former teacher at FG. She retired due to ill health but is making a good recovery right now. Anyway, this study was in I Cornithians 14 and again was most interesting. All the ladies present tonight were from FG but other times there are attendees from elsewhere. I loved it, such good material we covered. What a great day filled to the brim with time spent with members from FG in social settings!

Mission accomplished!

For years I have heard from Mom about her big box of papers she has accumulated, primarily health insurance paperwork, and needs to have it addressed. Usually when I am visiting Mom doesn't permit me, ahem, to handle any projects at her house, saying I am so busy. Actually I am not, or I wouldn't be watching reruns of "NCIS" or her other favorite programs. At last, I got permission to shred her papers.

The first order of business was to garner permission from the insurance company as regards these papers. I called the number on the card and after several false starts or restarts, finally got hold of a person. I had to answer many questions before she told me my name wasn't on the list of those they could talk to about my mom's health insurance. Mom was right there and yelled, "It's okay!" and I jumped in with saying, "All she wants to know is how long to keep EOBs." Immediately the lady relaxed and we visited like old friends. She said Mom has been with them since 2006 and I said we had every single one of those EOBs yet. She said to shred away! The ones that come in the mail should be used to verify that patient saw the doctor on this date, etc. and can then be disposed of. If questions arise later, both the doctor and the insurer have copies of the form. That's all I needed to hear, and away I went!

For about two hours I fed paperwork into the shredder, filling four bags with shredded paper. The fifth bag in the photo is household trash also ready to get hauled out. Some of the items in the box, an archive box, was dated from 2005, but the rest was 2006 to last year. Thankfully Mom does not have all that many doctor visits or it would have been twice that amount of paper. One less thing for Mom to think about, the box is now empty!

We also visited her bedroom closet where I looked at her slacks and tops to see what colors of pants she needs. Having such skinny legs makes it hard for her to find dressy slacks to fit properly so I wanted to see what tops she had to match things up. She can use about any of the standard colors to pull her outfits together. It sure would help if she could buy complete outfits when she shops but ordinarily buys the slacks one time, and a top later, not necessarily coordinating. Jill said they should make clothes for older folks like they do for toddlers, Garanimals, so they could mix 'n match. Makes sense to me, too!  

For dinner, Mom opted to stay in while Lynn, Jill, and I went The Green Street Tavern. While there we saw our 'old' neighbor, now called Ed (Jr. to me!) before being seated. The owner of the place greeted me, welcomed me back from FL. That is so cool!  Lynn and I had the perch dinner but Jill had liver and onions (ewww!) plus we shared a plate of cheese curds. Somehow, we weren't able to polish them off. The soup which came with my meal I had packed to-go (cost me a quarter!) for Mom. As much as I like their soup, I knew it would make me too full and she'd enjoy it. I loved our evening out!   

Feeling humbled

Linda picked me up late morning and went to have lunch at Applebee's, a place where she can order her more specific menu items. She has an app on her phone to track her calories and fat. I ordered from the appetizer menu, trying cheeseburger rolls. They were on the order of an egg roll, but with hamburger and cheese stuffed into it. I ate one and a half of them, taking another whole and half home with me. While we were there, her good friend, Debbie, came in with a group. How fun is that!?  We are getting together with her later in the week. 

Linda and I then went to Bible study at church, studying II Kings side by side with II Chronicles. I am in the presence of greatness, listening to these knowledgeable ladies! They are amazing with what they know and have learned over the years, using Prof. Wendland's notes. Kathy throws out a question, a deep one, whose answer is not automatically "God", and these ladies can come up with responses well thought and often accurate. They have been studying together for many years, and have learned a great deal. Again, I am in awe of their education! 

Visiting the hot spots

This morning Lynn contacted Mom and I after her class at the Wellness Center to see if we were interested in some lunch. Of course, I was all about it. There is a new bbq place in town they were waiting to try when I got here but when we pulled up, we found they were not opened on Monday. Back into the car we went to find some place else to dine. We chose the new Noodles & Company restaurant which was quite good. Mom and I had the steak stroganoff with wide noodles and Lynn had a Caesar salad and a wrap sandwich. Mom and I combined our unfinished food into a to-go box so that I could enjoy my giant Rice Krispie treat.  Lynn was ahead  of us at the register and told the lady, "Wait until my sister sees these!" and sure enough I had to grab one.  

My giant Rice Krispie Treat

After our lunch we went shopping at Younkers because I so wanted to see if I could find another cotton cardigan like my orange one. I regret often not taking more colors when I got this one, it is so versatile. I did find a black one at Ross a few weeks ago for less than $10 which is a third of what the orange one cost. I so prefer a color rather than black but hey, I'll take it. None was to be found but Mom and Lynn each found a purse they liked, getting additional discounts on top of the sale price once at the register. Nice!

From there we went to the ice cream parlor to have a treat, my 2nd visit since arriving. The first time I was there on, Saturday, I saw a Facebook friend whom I knew when I was a young teenager, shared him with my friends, the Zahns. This would have been back in the last 1960's/early 70's. Facebook is so fun this way, and he recognized me immediately. He did better than I did as it took me a millisecond to figure out who he was. 

Lori arrived, horror of horrors, during Jeopardy!, so had to wait until it wrapped up to be greeted by her mama. Priorities! I knew that was going to happen. We went to the Charcoal Grille for dinner, Lori's place of choice. She was able to tell us about the goofy person in her office, speeding her way towards retirement which is in August. It was funny but sad to hear about her work situation which was formerly enjoyable. What a great meal we had and good fun. Lori is bunked down in Mom's room as she needs cool and stays up late. Mom sleeps her best in the living room anyway. Lori can't sleep in with me because I have it warm and have my "Seinfeld" playing all night long as I sleep. Nope! Mom gets up early and has coffee while she listens to the radio so also nope for Lori in the living room. This works for us! Good night all!

Mother's Day blessings

This morning our day began with Mom and I greeting Kerry as she arrived just prior to our departure for church. She had an hour and half drive over from Oshkosh after working overnight, just to surprise her mama!  Jill drove Mom and I to church while Kerry chose to come separately, as did Lynn. Mom was pleased to have four of her girls with her in worship. Lori decided to not make the drive over from Holmen since she couldn't get here until later afternoon and our Mother's Day plans were for lunch. They would have turned around the next day and driven back so it didn't really make much sense. She will try to come another time during my visit.

After worship, Jill had to leave for work, and Kerry came back here to catch some sleep while the rest of us went to Bible study. The pastor's brother-in-law, Josh Zarling, led the class which was about OT covenants. He mixed in some humor by using quotes from a movie and having the class say the next line. Lynn got it at long last as he kept going...it was from "Young Frankenstein". She had the advantage over me since I've not seen it. I know, I live a deprived life..

Our luncheon reservation was for 1:00 pm which worked for Jill as she had to open the ice cream parlor and get things rolling before she could leave. Jill met us at the restaurant, Kerry taking her own vehicle as she would have to leave right from the restaurant to go home and sleep. It was a buffet-style meal with many delicious items to choose from including baked chicken, beef tips in gravy, and roast pork, with mashed potatoes and other veggies. The hall was half empty already when we arrived, and I found out while dining that we had just missed Harv and Barb by about 10 minutes! We posed for a picture before Kerry had to leave for home. 

Our  Mother's Day photo: Jill, Lynn, Kerry, Mom and me. Mom had to be coaxed into the photo, glad she gave in!

Lynn, Mom and I came home to Mom's for a while before we headed to Rockwood, suburb of Manty, for the installation service of their new pastor, a son of First German. Bruce went to school with my sister, Kerry, and I've known him since he was little. He is the uncle to my dear young friend, Naomi, who was at the service with her husband, David. They each took a turn on the organ bench for the pre-service and installation service, David playing the majority of it. We sang such good hymns and were privileged to hear the sermon preached by our former pastor from FG, Arno Wolfgram. It was good to be there for this service, and in support of Bruce. 

My dear young friend, Naomi, and her husband, David playing the organ for the installation service

I had planned for us to have hot ham sandwiches and corn on the cob for dinner but no one was hungry enough to indulge me. Lynn went to her home and Jill had to check back in at the parlor before retiring to her home to recuperate from her lunch. I had a nice long phone conversation with Justin late afternoon before Mom and I watched some TV. It was a good Mother's Day!

The 2nd day of my visit

Bright and early this a.m. we ladies had Bible study at First German. Lynn first picked up her friend, Bonnie, and then me for the class. Linda was already there when we arrived. Our course of study was about Eve (and I didn't have a thing to wear! Ha ha) The pastor's wife, Anna, led the class, with 7 ladies, meeting in the church office. It was a most interesting class, lots of participation. One younger lady struggles with some 'issues', the most primary one being the loss of her parents relatively close together. Anna did her best to keep things on track while at the same time giving the lady the time she needed to speak. I enjoyed starting my time in WI with two church events in two days!

Mom and Lynn are met half way down the block by fellow church member, Tom Drill, who greeted them, and us, excitedly

Linda and I went ahead to Manitowoc Coffee while Lynn took Bonnie home and then picked up Mom. Linda and I were warmly greeted by the bell ringer, Tommy Drill, he nearly stopping traffic to do so. He rings the bell at times not Christmas or ThanksLiving, evidently, having a little hut on the busy corner of 8th and Franklin Streets. We went into the shop and ordered our treats, secured a table, and had a ring-side seat to watch Tommy running down the street to greet Mom and Lynn as they got out of their car. Oh, my! Such a commotion, more than Mom is accustomed to getting for her morning coffee!  I got some photos of them through the window of the shop.

Linda ordered a gourmet coffee which looked divine

After we finished our coffee and treats, we walked around a little indoor 'mall' where area vendors had their arts and crafts set up. We didn't venture into Ivy Trails as I'll save that visit for another time. Mom doesn't like to go in there with her walker so I'll go sometime when she is not with me. Linda went on home and Lynn took Mom and me to Festival Foods. Yay!  I had the best time there, love that place!  On the way back from Festival we swung into the ice cream parlor to have a treat with Jill. Oh, yum! Ran into a man I knew back when I was young, and I was amazed he recognized me. Guess he did from my photos on Facebook, which is a blessing in helping to remember others. 

At Festival I got the ingredients needed for some recipes I am making for us while here plus some of the goodies I like such as caramel corn, ham salad, 'Sunday' ham and rolls, Chermak summer sausage, and peanut squares....As I walked down the cracker aisle I came upon a box of round saltines. Stop the presses!  Never before had I seen such a thing and told them lady next to me, whom might think I was weird, that the world is upside down!  Even the guy in the meat department who sliced the sausage for me asked to see the box, never hearing of it himself. It was a long time coming. Now I think I should have taken two boxes!

For our dinner I made the meatball sub casserole which turned out perfectly. Jill liked it so much that she took a portion along home to take in her lunch the next day. The cheese stuck to the pan so it's soaking in the sink overnight, hope we don't have to scrub it. I got ingredients to make chicken and dumplings, chili, and meatloaf to get us started. Tomorrow we are eating at a buffet for Mother's Day. Lori decided not to come since our reservations were for noon. She wouldn't get here until later afternoon so figured it wasn't worth the quick turn around trip. I agree with her. Hopefully she can come another time during my visit so we can hang out. 

Well, time for me to go to sleep so I am bright as a penny for Mother's Day worship and Bible study.  If time allows after our lunch buffet, we are going to attend the installation service of a son of the congregation at a neighboring church. Our former pastor from FG is preaching the sermon and Naomi is going to play the organ for the service. I look forward to the whole day! 

Flawless travels!

It's so seldom that I get to say this, having had either delays or witnessed traffic accidents on my travel day but today's trip was picture perfect. Terri stepped in to take me to the airport since Justin's start time was changed, otherwise he'd have been able to drop me off before going to work.   God bless her!!  Justin got my luggage downstairs and loaded in her car before we hugged and kissed good-bye. I'm going to miss him!  

Terri dropped me off and I got checked in outside, the guy's first customer of the day!  When I got to security, I had been granted TSA pre-screening status so didn't have to undress but did nearly forget to grab my phone out of its holder. In no time at all I was at my gate, ready to fly!  My connection in ATL was just across the hall and down so no hustling needed on my part. Mom, Lynn, and Linda were ready for me when I came out the doors, driving past but in enough time to pull over to scoop me up. From the airport we stopped at Perkins for a bite to eat before heading back to Manitiwoc. We did encounter some slow traffic leaving downtown but eventually broke free of it for clear sailing.  

This evening Lynn drove Mom, Jill, and me to Howard's Grove to see Gabe and Manny in a musical. We arrived a bit later than we wished so got to sit on folding chairs rather than the bleachers! There I met a Facebook friend I'd never seen in person, his wife a teacher at their school. I got some pictures of the boys but cannot post them using this device. Can fix that when I get home again. The two boys seemed less than gregarious about their roles but it was nice to see them again. Angelo was a doll, of course, but I am biased!  

Gabe is shown 3rd from the left in blue shirt

After the musical, Lynn drove us to eat at a place in HG called The Log Cabin. They had wonderful perch dinners, mine coming with a side of potato pancakes. Mom had German potato salad with hers and the other two ladies did baked potatoes. I could eat only a small portion of the pancakes but ate every bit of my perch. Delicious!!!  

This is my perch plate from the Log Cabin in Howard's Grove 

By this time, I am more than ready to go to sleep so please excuse me. Good night, and praise God for my safe travels and time in Manty!