FOTO FRIDAY: THE RED NOSED 3 MUSKETEERS

FOTO FRIDAY:   Due to preparing for a move across the country one particular family close to my heart couldn't make it in to celebrate our family's simchas last month. 


BUT we were so glad La Crosse was one of their family stops en route to Utah. It also gave us an opportunity for them to get their party favors of red noses.

You can understand how this had to be a FOTO FRIDAY pic. 

Have a great weekend and send your FOTO FRIDAYS anytime my way and I'll include them. Do you have a pic of someone with a red nose?

Best wishes in your new stomping grounds you 3 Musketeers. You will thrive wherever you are!  xoxo

Last week's FOTO FRIDAY:DUCK,DUCK, GOOSE?

TBT: YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP

TBT: This past Saturday while I was in Milwaukee, Natureman was enjoying the 4th Annual Juneteenth Citywide Celebration with the African American Living History Bus Tour.  I was so bummed to miss it but it was so successful there's good news as there will be a second tour held in the future...

As I spoke about this event to my couchsurfing Milwaukee host Carol, my traveling partner, Lynn, mentioned one of the tour's stops would be at La Crosse's claim to fame, the African American Mr. George Coleman Poage's home, a two times Olympian bronze medalist.   

Carol quickly added that a relative in her family had also competed in the Olympics. I asked her when as I pulled up my blog posting from 2016 re: the dedication of a park a 112 years late in recognition of Mr. Poage's accomplishments. Carol replied that it must have been early 1900's and would you believe after doing the math (2016  being 2 yrs ago and the title 112 +2 = 114 subtracted from 2018), and a quick Wikipedia search for Hahn, both men had competed together in the 1904 games in St. Louis? Both were medalists too. 

Carol's relative Charles Archibald "Archie" Hahn, a German American,  had attended U of Michigan and was the first man to win both the Olympic 100m and
 200m while George Poage held the honors of being the first African American to win an Olympic medal. (Archie also won the 60 m in 1904 and in 1906 won one more gold.)

What are the chances to discover this coincidence during a first conversation. Talk about Throw Back Thursdays!

Credit to Wikipedia for all photos posted in this entry including this one of the 1904 USA Track and Field Olympian competitors. 

 Below also is an except from the Tour's booklet and also a link to the Poage Park dedication...

* If  you'd like to read a bit more about George Poage, here's that blog link. A 112 YEARS LATE

DOGGONE IT

Since severe thunderstorms were forecast for our overnight at an out of town wedding and Romeo, our dog, is deathly afraid of storms, staying at home alone would not work with just the neighbor checking in on him. Romeo, mostly lab at 15 also now suffers from hip arthritis and it's worse when it's humid. 

For the first time in 13 years since we adopted our dog Romeo  stayed overnight in a kennel. Whether you have pets or not maybe you can understand the trauma of leaving a pet elsewhere besides home. Perhaps we all have kennel stories but this was a new experience with Romeo.

The Cedar Valley Kennel seemed like a good idea. No problem with reviews nor proximity.  I was asked to drop him off earlier than I had planned as the owner had to leave for work so I took the time to write notes of care including his age ailments of being hard of hearing and limited sight along with his feeding instructions of 2x/day moistened dry food and daily meds which I crushed up and packaged in packets for each feeding. I explained the dog ate smaller meals once in the am and then one about dinnertime.  I repeated the short instruction page outloud but wasn't sure the kennel owner was listening, but figured at least there was the written note. 

At the time of the drop off there were 2 other dogs present and Romeo was placed at the opposite end of the kennel away from the other dogs. He checked out the outside run and returned back to his kennel space and his futon bed pillow which I had brought from home. 

I informed the owner Romeo would be picked up about 5:30pm  the next day.  He told me to use a door code since he had an appointment close to that time and where to leave the money.  

Well, it did rain both days and we decided to head back a bit earlier so Natureman could regrade the road.  We returned to the area about 3 and decided it'd be easier to pick up the dog en route home rather than to have to go back out for him later. 

Maybe you can guess what followed. 

As we got out of the car by the kennel and cleared the back seat to make room for the dog and his bed, the kennel owner drove up next to us in his robe no less. I handed him what he was owed. Well, the kennel owner was in a tizzy. He said he was working from home at his computer and was not happy to not have been alerted by a phone call re: our earlier pick up. He understood it was our first visit but call them next time as they were worried to hear an unexpected car on their drive. 

Doggone it, I get it but it got me on the defensive since he forgot to tell me to notify him if the time changed. Besides the fact he didn't even take the time to put on a pair of pants (I find that disturbing), he added that Romeo didn't eat his food with his pill the night before. In my mind maybe Romeo was distraught over the new surroundings. Anyhow, the owner opened the main door for us and told us we could go get the dog. He left.

More dogs had arrived but Romeo was still all by his lonesome at the other end of the kennel row. Sadly, there he was curled up on his bed with a load of poop on it. This has never happened to him before. Dogs usually don't go to the bathroom where they sleep. Was this the beginning of him becoming incontinent? Now,  granted it could have recently happened because he couldn't stand up. 

When I grabbed his food supply bag, it was obvious from the amount that he hadn't been fed that morning either nor given his arthritis meds. 

Poor dog.  Of course, Romeo was ravenous and polished off both meals + and his pill upon his return home. Yes, some dogs may not eat when distressed but they also have to be offered the food.

Our pets are like part of our family and when we leave them in anybody's care, we expect them to be taken care of / at least have reasonable instructions followed like medicines.  As you can well imagine, we won't be patronizing that kennel again.  I don't need a doggie cam to figure out that Romeo didn't get the care he needed.

Sorry, sometimes one just has to vent.

WHICH IS YOUR CUP OF TEA/COFFEE?

This past week two different events took me out of town away from the End of the Rainbow Valley so lodging was needed.

Monday was a family wedding in the Twin Cities. Reservations were with a chain hotel close to the wedding venue.  In spite of its beautiful decor and good ratings, it took 3 rooms until Natureman and I had a functioning AC. ,

eliminating the possibility of pool time before the wedding. In addition to the moves even though we had decided on a later start the next day to avoid rush hour traffic, housekeeping decided otherwise, slamming doors all around us and then the early knock came on our door. Housekeeping. Guess it was time to get up only to discover there was no caffeinated coffee in the room so I had to get dressed to go downstairs to grab ours. To say the least it wasn't a stellar Sheraton stay. 

The following weekend accommodations were of a very different nature since instead of trying hotels.com I opted for my Couchsurfing membership. I was also traveling with dental hygienist buddy Lynn as we were volunteering again this year at MOM, Wisconsin's free dental clinic. ( Previous posting) Lynn introduced me to MOM and I in turn introduced her to Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing is actually staying with other couchsurfing members in their homes with no charge except to pass on the kindness.  Imagine an AirBnB where the owners live without the charge. We've met some really wonderful folks. 

Our Milwaukee suburban hosts, Marty and Carol, went out of their way to be accommodating starting with regulating the house's temp by remote control , having hotel toiletries and fresh towels awaiting us,  

including us the next morning on their local farmer's market jaunt with delicious smoothies, local vendors of seasonal goodies like strawberries and herbs, music, etc...

 followed by Marty's favorite breakfast         hangout eating breakfast al fresco before we headed out to volunteer. No time to try out our hosts tennis/pickle ball court... 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
We even attended their annual block party with them and met the neighbors. Some even had lived in our neck of the woods.  How 'bout that? A block of all ages of residents with even princesses! 

Our Couchsurfer hosts's home and gardens were as lovely as they were. We hope to return the hospitality some day. Our 'block' party will definitely be smaller, like 'just us', BUT we can certainly continue our conversations... Couchsurfing makes the world a little smaller and I would say preferable to a sterile hotel room. For me that's my cup of tea/ coffee.   

MOMs COME in ALL SIZES

Streetside view of Saturday's line midday of folks waiting for free dental care...

One might have thought folks were standing in line for concert tickets considering the long lines beginning while it was still dark in the wee hours of both Friday and Saturday mornings by the convention hall on Wisconsin's State Fairgrounds. Actually the line was to gain access to Wisconsin's MOM  (Mission of Mercy) 2018. MOM started 9 years ago in my home city of La Crosse with a purpose to provide free dental care to those who don't have the resources.  I have volunteered at 7 out of 8 MOMS around the state helping mainly those patients with limited English ability. 

Some 2000+ folks this past weekend made a 'dent' in their dental issues coming from all over Wisconsin to attend MOM on the State Fair Grounds in West Allis. Although doors didn't open for patients until 5:30 am, folks hoped to be early enough to be able to be serviced for all their dental needs. 

After completing a medical information sheet, having their blood pressure taken, each patient is triaged by a dentist who determines the urgency of various dental needs. The possibilities include cleanings, fillings, endo, extractions, flippers (partial dentures). 





Toothcare Education is also one of the stops.



Host cities begin planning a year in advance and as you can imagine it's a huge undertaking. 1300 volunteers helped with MOM 2018. Over 2,000 people were helped in the 2 days of the clinic. I wish everybody could have been helped with all their needed procedures.

Many thanks to local businesses who donate food for volunteer meals and snacks for patients. 

My favorite this year was Amore's meatball and pasta lunch with a wonderful salad.  

Patients  were offered fruit and even Racine Kringles one day for a snack.



Despite being tired from the long waits, patients were so grateful for the services rendered free of charge. Besides verbal appreciation, many wrote notes and  extended hugs to their caretakers. It was an emotional weekend for all of us.

Dino, some of the interpreters, and our fearless leader Marissa (in purple) from my Friday shift 

May our country figure out a way to offer better, more affordable health care for all... sooner rather than later.

* Here are the final numbers for Mission of Mercy 2018:
"More than $1 million was provided to children and adults, ages 1 – 90, during 2,087 patient visits at the ninth Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation Mission of Mercy held June 22 and 23 at the Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.

8,332 dental procedures
1,090 X-rays
1,436 fillings
3,923 teeth pulled
818 cleanings
801 sealant/fluoride treatments
72 root canals and therapeutic pulpotomies
156 full and partial dentures
It takes more than people – it takes dollars and in-kind donations to make it happen as well. Special thanks to the sponsors who contributed to our first eight MOMs:

Delta Dental of Wisconsin Foundation
First Supply
Henry Schein Dental
Dr. Tim and Mrs. Sue Durtsche
Professional Insurance Programs – a division of WDA Insurance and Services Corp.

FOTO FRIDAY: DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE?

FOTO FRIDAY: There's a new family in our hood. To be exact in our pond by the mailbox. I have seen muskrat, sandhill cranes, egrets, geese and different kinds of ducks there but this is our first wood duck family in my 16 years in the End of the Rainbow Valley.   

Aren't they wonderful?

Last week's  FOTO FRIDAY : ARE U DRAGGIN'?

TBT: EL SALVADOR Y NOSOTROS

TBT: Seven years ago a group of Viterbo students and I were just returning from a trip through GATE -Global Awareness through Experience. 

We saw and heard firsthand some of the results and effect of our country's presence and interference into another country's government and economy. 

Hopefully those students took those lessons with them and understood the magnitude of our country's responsibility to war torn nations, many of whom our country's greed has affected.  

May the signing of reunification of families also remind them of the importance of immigration reform. 

May future generations vote for lawmakers who don't make lives worse. 

El Salvador's Cinquera and its town historian

Here's a link to a blog entry of that trip:EL SALVADOR Y NOSOTROS

TROLLIN'

Sorry folks, some things do supercede postings and weddings are one of those. So yesterday's posting was delayed due to one of Natureman's nephews getting married in the Twin Cities. We were thrilled to attend the joyous occasion... 

You know what they say about 'no rest for the weary.' We had put the breaks on weekend plans a bit. We did have an unplanned stop Saturday at Norskedalen for their Midsummer Fest after finding 'Dead' on Main Street instead of 'Live' on Main St in Cashton. Heat can do that to any event...


Being life members of the Norwegian Heritage farm we had no entrance fee and we could stay as long as we wanted when we faded. The green was much better than the previous pavement! 

Entertainment was provided throughout the day and we arrived in time to hear a little guitar music and vocals by  Gregg Hall in the Shelter House. (In case you're interested there's Music in the Valley every Wednesday evening throughout the summer, except for July 4th).



Royalty even helped serve up Norwegian fare like lefse and Rommegrot/ other desserts and Troll Rolls. 

How many times can you say you've  been waited on by Royalty? Wink, wink.

 We walked by the kid crafts area where kids could make seed bombs/ design their own rubber duckies to actually race in the creek. At least the rubber duckies could cool off on this 90 degree day. 


In the field behind the craft area, folks were playing Kubb (keb), a lawn game which is a mix of horseshoes and bowling with ash wood batons thrown to knock over wooden blocks (kubbs). 


Members of the Three Rivers Knitting Guild were knitting on the front porch of the Wold House and embroiderers from the Coulee Chamber Embroidery Guild were on the Engum porch, 

In the Holtze House we learned how simply settlers lived and the history of the young man who built the house, only to go off to war and not return. His parents came to live in his house. 

Next to the house was a demo of small motors that don't use electricity. 







In the homestead the blacksmith was busy forging iron into small horseshoes  for the children. 

Can you imagine how hot it was inside that barn?

Grazing by the horse barn were these gorgeous Fjord horses.        

     

In front of the barn, the Coulee Region Woodturners had a saw to demo turning wood and some of their carved household objects were for sale. 

The stunning Belgian Horses enabled visitors to have a ride to experience horse drawn carts. They also gave visitors a reprieve from walking the grounds. Those horses were working hard and were rotated with a different team to allow them time to cool down and rest.  Fortunately they even had huge fans to help them cool  down after their cart shifts.

Due to the heat we didn't stay to see everything and skipped the Arboretum Tours and the air conditioned Thrune Center but we had a wonderful time at our impromptu visit at Norskedalen's Midsummer Fest. It's too bad the weather affected attendance at all the well planned events in our area this past weekend.

In case you'd like to visit one of Norskedalen's other special upcoming events when the heat will not be so intense, here's their schedule. Who knows when you'll spot a Troll...

July 8: Art Fair on the Farm
Aug 8: Threshing Bee Dinner
Sept 9: Twilight Tour
Oct 12-14: Civil War Immersion
Oct 25:Family Friendly Trick or Treat
Oct 26-27: Ghoulees in the Coulees
Dec 1: Old Fashioned Christmas

MISSING LEATHER 'N TATTOOS

Last week I was just talking about summer cold and being chilled and then this weekend we get hit in the Midwest with a blast of summer heat. Okay, actually I had written about a summer cold as in cough and congestion, but one would have thought it was the deep South with the humidity and temps in the nineties. Unbelievable.

Our Father Day weekend plans changed as many other folks's obviously did too... 

We did take Red, the Miata on a road trip to experience Live on Main Street in Cashton, about an hour west but the only folks who had arrived besides us were not locals but 3 different bike clubs from central Illinois. We stuck out like sore thumbs without leather and tattoos. Natureman in his safari hat and me donned in my usual bright colors. 

The bikers had beers in hand and most were waiting in line ordering  lunch at a local bar-b-que eatery just outside the cordoned off Fest area where on the other side was a stage, 



blue grass music playing and not even 10 people inside the tent area listening.  

The heat was radiating from the pavement.



Besides the day's advertised music of 5 different bands, from afar we could see the car show which had originally lured us to attend. It was super small with less than 2 dozen automobiles. So when we discovered there was a $15 entry fee/ person, we looked at each other and knew it wasn't our cup of tea. The Latino music group, Realiza del Sur, I wanted to hear wasn't even on for another 3 hours. We would be melted in less than a half an hour.

We opted for  a walk around the block and discovered a sweet 'green' surprise, a little City garden tucked between two downtown buildings. 








What a smart use of space for a usually ugly dead space! AC units camouflaged by lattice and evergreens.

This gardener loved the old fountain filled with succulents and seeing green besides concrete.


 It was time to move on and leave Cashton for other festers who would arrive later.

Then, as we headed back down the country highway we saw a sign for Midsummer Fest at Norskedalen, the Norwegian Heritage farm tucked in the Coulee. 

Time for a detour.  All was not lost, the outing would continue...

 Check back tomorrow.  

FOTO FRIDAY: ARE YOU DRAGGIN'?

FOTO FRIDAY finds other visitors here in the End of the Rainbow Valley with wings. Only these are not singing visitors. The birds are not the only ones flitting back and forth.

Things are a buzzing, not just the huge bumblebees working on all the blooms, but an invite must have gone out to the dragonflies. 

 Look at these guys congregating at the warm cinder block retaining wall next to our garage.

Usually one might see a couple but there were about a dozen. 

Did you know dragonsflies symbolize change?  "Change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life." 

Very kewl. 

If you missed last week's FOTO FRIDAY, you can click HERE . It was a good thing the camera got in the garden last week because the downpours pummeled all the new blooms.