Saturday, 21 May 2022: Hartung

Dellene called today and said she had nothing good to say. Dellene is always positive.  For today it is so stinking hot in Texas.  We really lucked out with weather when we were there.  It barely sprinkled a few times, and it wasn't miserably hot at all.  thankfully!  If it had been horrible, I might never get Justin back again.  

I try to do something every time I walk downstairs to the basement.  I will set up my setting room down there one day.  For today I am just trying to sort things out and store them so I can find them easily.  This is a good time to reorganize so I am trying to get it all done.

Plants in the ground -- this year we went with tomatoes, a few squashes, summer and acorn, and eggplant.  We missed the asparagus while we were in Texas but it is too soon for them anyway.  

In the course of tilling the garden in preparation to plant, Justin dug up all the volunteer horseradish.  We processed it — never again.  That is the most toxic stuff I've ever dealt with.  I wore gloves and goggles and I still cried and cried.  We ended up with at least 6 quarts and 20 little Tupperware containers.  I gave some to Anne Marie, Ric, Terry, Jordan, Erich, Colleen, Gloria,  Mark, and anyone else who stood still long enough.  We are enjoying cold boiled shrimp a lot though — good trade off!  We will have enough in our freezer for the rest of our lives because we will never be doing that again.

In going through all the stuff from the storage unit, I found some treasures.  I found a cool cutting board Steph had given me but that I'd never used and I also found a mini Persian carpet mouse pad and coaster that Mary gave me years ago.  Old friends just like some of my dishes!  

            

      

   

Tuesday, 17 May 2022: Hartung

Our house is coming together.  The boxes are mostly under control.  I tackle at least three each day and the balance are out on the porch, in the basement or in the garage so we are not tripping over them in the living room or bedroom.  Justin hung at least thirty pictures today.  You might recall that we never got all the pictures hung when we moved out of Brussels last August so there were dozens and dozens. We are getting there.

Julie came over this afternoon.  She will return next month after a distinguished and honorable career as an elementary PE teacher in the Green Bay schools.  She says that Florida and South Carolina and Corpus Christi are still too cold for her in the winter so she’s thinking about Celestun for a month or two.  We gave her the rundown and answered her questions.  We also indicated we’d caravan down with her since her timing seems to match with our plan of right after Thanksgiving.  

Saturday, 14 May 2022: Green Bay

 Some sense of normalcy promises to return. 

The Packer schedule is out for next season.  Now we just need to decide which games we will attend.  Season opener in Minneapolis?  Home opener agaisnt the Bears?  Christmas Day in MIami?  Wish we could figure out a way to go to London!

We unpack a couple of boxes each day.  I’m trying to touch items only once; trying to put things in their place rather than needing to visit with them yet again to put them in their new home.  When we were unpacking the truck, we found the LeCruset on top of a lampshade!  AARGH!  I remember when my mother moved to Cairo and they'd packed Waterford in with cast iron.  Well, LeCruset with a lampshade makes no more sense!  

 Meanwhile, the gardens call.  Sure I know Justin has put more than twenty years into developing these grounds but, today, with just a modicum of TLC, they are popping!  Daffodils, tulips, hastas and bleeding hearts are bursting while the peonies and poppies are at the ready.  He got the planters prepped yesterday and he’s talking about tilling the vegetable garden next.  I’ve encouraged him to let go of that...except for tomatoes!  It’s not that I don’t enjoy the fruits of the labor, I just think it is too much labor.  He wants to spend time on boats and that seems to always get bumped by gardens and other events.  

Speaking of boats(1): I looked out toward the river and noticed something was missing... "Justin, your canoe is gone!"  We had had a bit of a storm last night and thankfully the canoe had just toppled over and had not floated away -- that was scary.   

   

   

Meanwhile, speaking of boats (2), we got the Cruisers out of winter storage last week.  Mark Neata needs to do his magic to “summerize” to ensure the engine is ready.  We’re looking at the Rack ‘n Roll option at the Boat Yard for easy access.  We’ve got our slip at Chadour’s Dock as well.  Jordan and Justin talk endlessly about getting a dock on the property so something will happen there too.  Lots of options.

And, on the other boating front (3), Steven has a new boat in Valdez Alaska.  One plan is that we drive the Suburban to the northwest, then take the ferry to Valdez, then sail/motor down to Oregon to store the boat.  Steven would sell the Suburban there as we set out on our “repositioning cruise”. The trip would take about three weeks and the timing looks like it would be around solstice.  All this means I’d get my Alaskan cruise!  Of course, this plan could totally deconstruct at any moment but it’s fun to plan, and to dream (while I am unpacking a box).  

Colleen came over this morning while we were having brunch out on the deck.  We had a nice visit with her and we ended up getting four tomato plants that she’d started from seed.  Later in the afternoon Ric stopped by.  He tested positive for Covid early in the week so thankfully he’s past his quarantine period.  Will we ever truly be past this pandemic?

Saturday, May 6 2022: Hartung

 We pulled into Hartung last night just after 1am.  After too many days in a tin box, we’d spent the last two in a Uhaul truck towing our car behind to return to Wisconsin.  Now for unloading.

Our trip to Texas had not been a fun one.  In the course of the last three weeks, we took off Easter Sunday; we took off one day to go to Brenham and I took off one day to go to San Antonio with Dellene to buy drawer pulls for our bedside tables in Mexico.  Even on that day Justin got some work done on his own.  Every other day, we were at the storage unit going through stuff and working to get out of that storage unit.  Every stinking day.  

Highlights of the trip: Easter dinner with Dellene’s family, playing Auntie Paula by doing homework with Luke and baking cakes with Harper and Brewer, and just visiting with Dellene.  We just hadn’t seen each other in so, so long.

    
                            

Another absolute highlight of the trip was getting to meet Yurig and Irene Petrov, our renters at Hartung.  We ended up buying three huge shelving units from Home Depot, setting them up in the garage and then loading then up.  Irene took a few pieces of furniture into the house too.  Their ease is up in January and even if we find that we need to revisit this plan then, we will still be a few steps ahead.  for now, it is all good.  We ended up storing about 1/3 of our stuff there in Georgetown, bringing about 1/3 back to Green Bay and getting rid of the last 1/3 through selling, giving to goodwill and the Assistance League or giving to friends.  Bottom line: we are out of the storage unit!

The daffodils were here to greet us.  And so were Lloyd and Gloria.  They wanted to chat (and honestly, we did too) but with paying the movers by the hour, we were moving.  I'd forwarded our mail to Millway, but third class mail still cluttered our box and Gloria had been kind enough to collect that.  Lloyd had been in the hospital and then in rehab for several weeks so it was nice to see him at home.  Ric and AnneMarie came over to help us unload and that was a huge bonus.  

Our lives were made richer through knowing Bruce Derr.  Today we have a huge void and fond memories.  I trust that Michael, Christopher and their families will find peace in the days ahead without their dad.  

Wednesday, 20 April 2022: Brenham

Each day, the storage unit calls...today it is calling, but I have selective hearing.  We are heading to Brenham to have lunch with Jim and Betty Journey.  Not only do we get to see our longtime friends, but we will also get to have Texas BBQ for the first time in forever.  

The first stop of the day was the DoT in Austin to sort out our toll tag.  They changed their software during the pandemic and didn’t tell anyone (hmmm). I can’t log in to check on my account.  I have it on autopay but I probably need to make sure the credit card hasn’t expired.  Oh, wait!  We changed the license plates on the car!  Does that matter?  Do you read it from the license plate or from the transponder in the windshield. (Guess I better check the Ipass transponder too!). 

The hour and a half drive to Brenham was easy and the bluebonnets were great.  There just aren't as many as I remember from my childhood and as young adulthood, but that's the way things go.  Our lunch was great; the company and the laughs were spectacular.  And dang it, I didn't take one picture.  Jim and Betty look just as they did twenty years ago... none of us has aged at all!

Sunday, 17 April 2022: Kim's house in Austin

 

Christ is risen; He is risen indeed!

Our first stop this morning was at our renters in Georgetown.  Yurey and Irene Petrov were charming and delightful.  They seem to be happy in Sun City.  They moved to the US in 2000 when, as Russian immigrants who both have PhDs in Physics, they went to work for UTMB in Galveston. Their son, who now works for Google was here visiting for a week or so.  When we asked if we could store some items in the garage and in the attic, they were gracious and accommodating.

Next stop Easter dinner —

What a treat to be able to share Easter dinner with Dellene and her family!  Kim hosted us all at her home.  We met her three year old daughter Brewer and husband Branden for the first time as we got reacquainted with now all grown up Luke (10) and Harper (8).  Chris, son Branson (5) and girlfriend Kara were there too as was Paul.  Add Dellene, Justin and me and Kim had a houseful. 

   

   

Friday, April 15, 2022: storage unit in Georgetown

We got into Austin last night and got to hug Dellene.  The last time I saw her was Uncle Harold's funeral and before that was the very beginning of the pandemic when we stood in her front yard and didn't even get to hug.  This visit was better... well, in some ways.  

We’d started the day in Tulsa and bid farewell to Lorayne. Perfect, but short visit.  This time I got to see Kenny and his wife Debbie and, we got to meet grandson Brenton and his girlfriend Kimberley. An added bonus was seeing Jeremy Kintz.  

 

Then we were on the road and headed HOME. Back in Texas, the bluebonnets greeted us. Great to be HOME.  Our first stop was in Waco to visit with Dave and Susan Hemmer.  They were on their way to spend the week in Galveston.  We took a quick trip down the DoDDS memory lane but were able to move on to more current events and the future.  They will be in Wisconsin later in the summer so we will look forward to seeing then soon.  

Tinker and Gemma getting to be friends

Dellene had dinner waiting for us then we arrived last night.  What a treat!

While the rest of the Christian world honors Good Friday, today was Day One at the storage unit.  We have so much to do... it i overwhelming!  Dellene brought lunch from our favorite local Greek restaurant.  Our dining alfresco experience was memorable.  Early in the afternoon Justin started listing things to sell. 

We fell into bed early.  

Tuesday, 12 April 2020: Lorayne's house in Tulsa

After just nine nights in our bed, we were back on the road. 

The arch in St Louis
hidden in the clouds  

Our first night out, Monday, 11 April, we stayed in a little hotel on Historic Route 66 in Lincoln, Illinois. Tuesday, day two, we were on the road by 8am headed to Tulsa.  We paid $3.96 for gas.  Most gasoline was closer to $4.15. Those 20 cents a gallon matters when you're retired. 

We wrote to Dave and Susan Hemmer to see if they could meet us for breakfast in St Louis to find out they were on the road to go to Galveston.  We made tentative plans to meet them later along the road.  They added the list started by Stephanie, Dellene and Lorayne, all who have jumped through hoops to accommodate our travel plans. 

There are substantial differences in the sights of spring. Red bud popping out, lots of green grasses… not so much yet in Wisconsin.  As we got farther south, we even saw places where the grass needed to be mowed already.   

We took a detour to go to MidAmerica Industrial Park. Justin bought stock in GOEV / Canoo and this is the electrical car manufacturer's future home.  He'd envisioned knocking on their door and asking for a tour.  No sign of that yet. 

We ended our day at Lorayne’s home in Tulsa.  How nice it was to see her again!!!

Today in Oklahoma… passage of another Uber restrictive abortion law

Today in NYC … another mass shooting

Today in Bellingham Washington … Bruce Derr was taken off palliative care and placed in hospice care. 

Friday, 8 April 2020: Green Bay

We've been back a week.  Even though it is two weeks later than originally planned it was still too early.  We got the boat and truck out of the garage in Brussels so we are totally and officially out.  Deb and Rick had given us until 15 April to clear and we were well ahead of that date.  

While we were there, we walked around the property. Justin still grieves; I’m sticking with the sale being a good idea especially when we saw water in the boathouse.  It was NOTHING like several years ago when the entire front side had been knocked in from an ice shove, but still, standing water can't be a good thing.  

We had a new garage door installed at Hartung.  We'd ordered the door before we left in the fall with the understanding that the door would be installed in about a month.  Ric was prepared for the call from Andrew, our garage door guy.  Unfortunately, Andrew kept saying that there were supply chain issues.  grr.   Anyway, we now have a new garage door.

Got our next COVID boosters. Guess it was our responsibility to get them documented on our vaccination card.  I called to ask, the good folks at Bellin said we could drop by to get our vaccination card update.  When I watched her sign the card, I thought I really could have done that myself... but we did it officially... and compliantly.  

Eruch ad his kids came to town fr the weekend.  They stopped by our house and we got in a quick visit before the kids headed to see their cousins.  Even Sophie got to try out Gemma's bed.