Message Forum

Kathleen Piette (Iwinski)

Kathleen - so sorry you and your sons are losing Richard. I will add my positive and caring thoughts to our classmates' prayers. Also a big thank you to all the hospice people like Joy - may there be one there for each of us if we need one.

Congratulations Jim - you may already by now feel as I do, that grandchildren are the reward for having struggled through being a parent ( that's in addition to the joy of seeing those expensive sources of worry and frustration turn into responsible, caring, productive members of our communities).

Barb, I hope your arm is healing well. Two women close to me, both my age, broke their wrists in the past year. I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have a huge flower garden with circles and ovals edged by rocks (our whole area is on glacial till) and every time I shove a wheelbarrel full of weeds or compost over the gravel paths I think that I should widen them again by half and make them less winding. I 'm more careful every year, but it's only a question of time....

Been gone from the site for so long.....summer too busy, and a couple of trips in September and October. (One fun, the other one not so much). It looks like we're all hanging in there. Hooray for Custer '62 !!

10/27/14 08:51 AM

#1801

Thank you, everyone for your kind words. Richard Phillips died on Friday, Oct 24. Our oldest son, Gary, was with him along with Kathy (Rick's wife). He died peacefully in the hospice. There will be a memorial service for him on Saturday, November, at Schmitt and Bartelt in Menomnee Falls.

10/29/14 02:05 PM

#1802

Barbara Blair (Brenzel)

Kathy, your news saddened me also. My prayers will be with you & with the family. My parents died when I was quite young and it is such a hard time.

It's difficult for me to type - with this stupid cast on my wrist! I'll see the orthopod next week & am hoping that the cast will be coming off. This is the first broken bone I have ever had & I hope it's the last! I still can't believe that it happened - I've been sooooo careful about falling - especially since I had the back surgery. Be careful, Nancy! It can happen in a flash!

Second half of the last Packer game was such a disappointment. Hope that they'll be "back" after the bye week.

10/29/14 07:40 PM

#1803

Welcome back Nancy. We were thinking that you were snuggled up in your electric blanket and ignoring us.

We know that you northern Mich trolls, der hey, ain't as hardy as dem Yoopers, ya know, hey. Any day between May and Sept ain't snowin' da Yoopers call a growin' season, der. Know yer ain't a true Yooper, but figur'd you'd get on yer swampers and get dos flowers in before the freeze again, ya know. So now, der probly all frooze already solid, right hey. So again now, ya got time to heat up dat ole computer and speak with us again, aina, hey? Glad to have ya, der.

10/30/14 07:14 AM

#1804

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Not ignoring you at all, Jim. In fact, most times when I read your posts, I wish we had known each other at Custer.

Summer was too busy with the little one (age 3 1/2 ) here every day for four hours, So much fun, but every day when she left I needed to sit down for a few minutes to re-group. As soon as the kids left the lake, we had houseguests for a week. The second half of September was busy with gardening and Karsten putting all the boats to bed; then I left town to help a family member who had health issues. Came home and packed for our cruise to celebrate our 50th. Who would have believed it !? Fifty years !! I guess we're part of a dying breed.

Barb, I hope your orthopedist has good news. Yes, I know how quickly it can happen - have taken a spill or two in the last few years ( I think often because of being in a hurry and not paying attention......am consciously trying not to do that any more). Of course, for us here "up Nort" it's almost time to get the YakTrax out of the back of the closet. Would that our friend had done so two years ago. He slipped on some black ice in his driveway and broke his pelvis. Nasty business, that.

How's the new grand child, Grandpa?

10/30/14 12:14 PM

#1805

Nancy, Barb, et al...

I'm thinking of wrapping myself in bubble wrap for the winter! After experiencing black ice woes last March (broken leg, surgery to insert metal plate w/11 screws, 3 months of non-weight-bearing), I almost dread the first snowflake and icicle! And I love Winter!

10/31/14 08:49 AM

#1806

Kathleen Piette (Iwinski)

Jeanne - YakTrax, yak trax, yak trax

I have hiking poles; maybe I'll just outfit those with ice picks.

11/03/14 10:09 AM

#1807

Thank you, Garry, for the nice message about the passing of Richard (Rick or Dick) Phillips. The celebration of his life will be on Saturday, November 8 from 3:00 to 5:00 at the Schmitt-Bartelt Funeral Home in Sussex (Not Menomonee Falls, as I said earlier).

11/08/14 07:14 PM

#1808

So, I'm doing a crossword puzzle and the clue is "Popular German card game." 4 spaces.

How do I get "sheepshead" in only 4 spaces?

11/09/14 08:55 PM

#1809

Ranking great quarterbacks for the Packers - Rogers, Farve, Starr, - JAY CUTLER!

11/12/14 11:36 AM

#1810

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

11/12/14 11:46 AM

#1811

Sandy Wachs (Oldham)

The previous picture is of Mitch Heindricks at his Quarry House in Door County. Mitch has donated a free weekend at his carriage House as a door prize for our Reunion and Picnics in the past. I was up in Door County with a friend, and we decided to drop by. It was easy to find, as everyone in Fish Creek knew where the Quarry House was.

It was interesting to see how he built his home using part of the quarry. I will post a picture of his living room that is made up of the original quarry floor and wall. His home is decorated with his war memorabilia and his art work. What talented alumni we have.

If you are ever in the area, stop by to see his amazing, original home that he built.

11/14/14 01:03 PM

#1812

Judi and I won the Quarry House prize at last years picnic. We spent Memorial Day weekend there, this year. We plan on going back in the middle of June, next year. I'm not a fan of the word awesome ( because it is overused ) but, awesome is the only way to describe the Quarry House. It is well worth your while to visit; if you're in the area.

Now, can someone tell me what that cold white stuff that is falling, here. Nancy, I don't envy you; if you spent winter, here in Michigan. Normally, we'd be in Arizona, long before now, I haven't been this cold in 5 years. The only snow that I've seen has been on the mountain tops; across the Colorado River, in Nevada.

I know that I haven't posted in awhile. It seems that manana never comes.

11/17/14 12:32 AM

#1813

Garry Sellers

As Terri said last Fall, we do get Fall colors here, even if in limited amounts. This is the street around the corner from my house, taken today, 11/16 (smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley). Don't confuse the grey skies with precipitation. We've already had our 0.1 inch for the month.

11/17/14 01:06 PM

#1814

Looking out of my window, the only green that I see is on the pine trees; and, a few patches of brownish green grass. What isn't covered in snow. Thank God that it's only 3 more days before we leave for Arizona. The problem is going to be the 3 days that we have to drive through the remains of this mess that is called weather. I hope that driving in snow is like riding a bicyle; as, I haven't driven in snow in 5 years.

Also, we are starting to think about living in Arizona, year 'round. Maybe Sierra Vista, where the summers are not so hot.

11/17/14 08:27 PM

#1815

Garry,

The 0.1 inch is standard for CA rain. I think that's as high as the rain gauges go out here.

11/18/14 12:54 PM

#1816

For quanties like that, I think that a weather rock makes more sense than a rain gauge.

It's a balmy 21 degrees at present with partial sun. And, it hasn't snowed for the last half hour. I found out that I still know which end is which on a snow shovel. Two more days and we leave for reasonably warm; but, windy Arizona. Just have to make it through the snow and cold belt.

11/18/14 07:57 PM

#1817

Terri Levenhagen (Hoornstra)

Drive careful. As I remember, there's plenty of folks back there who don't get their winter driving brains reprogrammed until sometime in February, if ever. This cold and snow is way too early for them.

11/19/14 12:59 PM

#1818

The first raindrops are falling of what is promised to be many more to come in the week ahead. The winds this morning should have taken care of any of our colorful fall leaves remaining. What kind of trees are those on your street, Garry? Instead of the Keystone pipeline, lets build a WATER pipeline from east to west. The environmentalists won't too be concerned about "water spills", I'm guessing.

11/19/14 02:10 PM

#1819

I've rerouted our first day's drive, to take us away from the lake effect snow. It'll be 30 miles farther. It's 2,000 miles total. I set it up for 500 miles a day. Years ago, I'd do it in 3 days. I was young and stupid, then. Now, I take 4 days.

Part of the problem, in winter, is that most of today's drivers learn just enough to get their license. And then, they believe the hype about all-season tires and front wheel drive. Put a few thousand miles on all season tires and you can forget about traction in snow. Give me an old Buick Roadmaster with snow tires. Have to remember too, that 50 years ago, there were a lot fewer cars on the road. Should be in Arizona, late Monday afternoon. For what it's worth, we're only 5 1/2 hours fron San Diego.

11/19/14 10:03 PM

#1820

www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IgzksUqpQ

Terri - I've always thought the same thing, at least in the spring to control floods, kind of an "overflow" system. If they can bring oil ?5000 miles across 2 countries, they should be able to pipe water 2000 miles from someplace to here. Do you think the problem is that they get $3.++ for a gallon of gas and $0.0019 for a gallon of water?

Lauren - If you want reminders of snow when you get back to warm country, try watching this:

11/20/14 10:40 AM

#1821

For all of you thirsty folk out there: a pipeline for Great Lakes water, sure. Let us know when you've finished xeriscaping all of your landscape (including those thirsty golf courses), installed rain catchers and cisterns in your buildings, outfitted your streets with that special permeable surface, installed drip-water irrigation in gardens and fields, and cleared away all the brush around your houses (wildfires are so water-consumptive). Then let's talk.

Your Official, Selfish, Great Lakes Curmudgeon,

Nancy B.

11/20/14 12:31 PM

#1822

Jim, After shoveling that dirty white stuff, each morning for the last 3 days; I don't think that I need any more reminders. And, if I want a reminder; I just have to look at the mountain peaks, across the river, in Nevada. I have also worn my sheepskin flight jacket for the last 4 days. I'm going to miss the heat wave, here this weekend. After a week of below freezing temps and snow; on Saturday and Sunday, it's supposed to be in the 40's and rain. But, I can see Monday morning's roads being skating rinks. But, by then I'll be in Bullhead City with temps in the mid to upper 60's ad dry. And, just think, the climatologists are blaming all of the cold and snow on Global warming.

11/20/14 04:27 PM

#1823

Actually Nancy, I wasn't thinking about draining the lakes. Where would all those people from Illinois go to recreate if they didn't have lakes in WI and MI?

Considering that most of the US is needing water, I was more thinking about the super waste we make of what water we do get. Southern Cal is crisscrossed with massive concrete "rivers" (e.g., the car race scene from Grease) that, in the name of flood control, dump zillions of gallons of rainwater into the ocean as fast as possible. Florida, which is considered in a drought, builds networks of retention ponds (my sister-in-law designed them) and storm drains (her husband designed those), to get rid of rainwater. We have floods all kinds of places, even in Arizona. Are you and Terri and I the only ones that think maybe some of that water could be shunted into reservoirs somewhere? How about an overflow drain, like in your bathtub, on the Mississippi or Missouri rivers, when the river passes flood stage, the excess flows into a system that takes the water somewhere where it's needed? If we can move oil and other stuff like that, why not water?Control flooding, save property and lives, and reclaim usable water?

And, if you believe that could happen, well, I'd sell you some swamp land in FLA, but that's dried up too.

11/20/14 04:47 PM

#1824