Barb's Blog: Cousins Communicating

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cousins Communicating

"The dialogue I hear:

Eli: ...And you know what happened next? Bailee charged into the room and right into my block tower.

Henry: You know, maybe I don't actually want a dog...

[that awkward cousin pause]

Eli: ...I'm stripes!

Henry[raising arm]: I'm frogs!

Eli: Play trains?

Henry: K"

Greg
Assistant Professor

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Supper Clubs 2023

January 13, 2023 Schwarz's Supper Club in New Holstein, Wi We met Sharon and Mark Leider and Barb and Larry LeMahieu who we hadn't seen for quite awhile. So great to hang out, catch up, and smile together. When we arrived we ordered a drink in the bar area and they provided a food menu. Once we all knew what we wanted to eat, we stood our menu up and a waitress immediately arrived to take our food order. We gave our group the fun name Leiders 50th Anniversary. When they called us to our table it had a basket of warm rolls, a small relish plate and salads. Then our dinners arrived shortly after we finished our salads. Waitress was very nice and we all liked our meals of prime rib (me princess cut) (Bob queen cut), Mark walleye, and the others fillets. It was a 2 hour ride for us, but we'd return. Bob would order the pork chop next time and I would try something else like broasted chicken or a steak.. August 20, 2023 With Gerald and Vicky, after the 175th Anniversary of St. Nicholas Catholic Church up in Dacada, Wisconsin. Wallace Lake Supper Club outside West Bend, Wisconsin where Gerald was camping with their motor home for 17 nights. Bob had fried chicken. Gerald had salmon. Vicky had a tenderloin sandwich and I had a sample plate with tenderloin, shrimp scampi and chicken. They had a salad bar (yay) and warm bread. Delicious and a great view. We enjoyed our time there. I would return, but there are so many supper clubs in Wisconsin and we’ve only just begun.

Hike/Bike during Corona Virus

1. Lake Kegonsa State Park, Stoughton, Wi

B&B distancing ourselves from everyone. Very pretty lake.

2. Geneva Lake Shore Path heading West from library in Lake Geneva.

B&B on a cool but gorgeous day. B&B and I walked over a mile and Bob walked further. We passed lots of piers pieces that await return to the lake this Spring.

3. Shore path from Lake Geneva near library, heading West.

B&B fun hike and we took photos of all the piers and parts of them along the shore that will have to be returned to the lake this spring.

4. Kishwauketoe Trail, Williams Bay, WI

Met Roeder family here, stayed proper social distance apart, and walked on a cold day.

5. Bong State Recreation Area, Kansasville, WI

B&B enjoyed seeing the park and hiking, but there was too much mud.

6. Biked in the Roeder's neighborhood in Mukwonago with their whole family. Crosby rides like a big boy and a trooper.

7. White River County Park, North of Lake Geneva, West of Burlington, off Highway 36.

B&B on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Small park but with beautiful hiking along a fast flowing river. We will return here to hike other trails.

8. Peace Trail in Janesville. Parked near Anglers Park, picnic tables and a place called Flippin' Frog (Ice Cream & Tasty Treats). Great paved bike trail. Road south (I think) with the river to our left side. Stopped when paved trail ended and returned. Great ride on a gorgeous day.

9. Kishwauketo of course, hiked to see the spring flowers and new children's area.

10. Met the Roeders on Highway 120 and biked together on the White River Trail, plus ice cream afterward. It was great.

11. Bond Falls up off Highway 45 past Conover and into Michigan. Cool hiking and great falls to view.

12. The Yellow Trail at Wehr Nature Center in Franklin, Wi. Hiked the 1.5 loop and saw water most of the way and a waterfall in the middle.

13. Nashotah Park - met the gang for hiking and a then big circle of friendship eating our own supper, enjoying a beverage and sitting safely distanced on our own chairs - fun.

14.Naga-wakee County Park. Delafield Met the gang for hiking and another big circle of friendships shared. Ate our lunches together.

15. 10/9/2020 Just Bob and I hiked in Southern Kettle State Forest, Scuppernong Hiking Trails. Very nice intermediate trails. Bob did over 3 miles and I only did 1/3 of a mile and sat on a wonderful picnic table and read, smelling the Fall leaves. It was Bob's choice to go here, on his birthday! (I recently had an x-ray and mri on my left knee and will be seeing the surgeon on 10/28/2020.

16. Glatzels, Cichuckis, Pat G and we met at Minooka Park, on Sunset Drive in Waukesha. We brought our own lunches and then played cards as it was gorgeous outside and very little wind. We all wore our masks while we played. 11/6/2020.

Diners

September, 2017
Joni's Diner, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Kathy and Barb, lunch after collaborating on a craft project and visiting a helpful shop. It was fun to talk about Halloween decorations with Joni, the owner. Eyes from the Dollar Store.

October, 2017
Fred's Diner, Grayslake, Illinois

Kathy, Barb and Sharon, lunch, poured our hearts out, and Kathy and I traveled vicariously through Sharon & Jim's recent trip of a lifetime (a castle, French food, and the Eiffel Tower).

2020

Can't go to diners and eat inside, COVID19.

May, 2018
Lauretta's Italian Bakeshop, Mundelein, Illinois

Kathy, Barb and Sharon, long lunch, shared our current woes, grievings and dilemmas. Once a mom, always a mom with our children in their grown-up ways and needs. Will pray for Sharon's upcoming surgery and hope to get together again after she recovers. Finding a date isn't always easy, because we are busy retired friends.

January, 2019

Brandon's Diner in Upland, California

Gerald, Gary, Bob and I had great filling breakfasts on a 70 degree morning before we were heading back to cold Wisconsin. Peach pancakes for Bob; Egg skillet for Gary; and Corned beef hash and eggs for Gerald & Barb. Talked and laughed about many things and followed it up with a relaxing visit on Gerald's porch where we viewed many of his wood carvings and he showed us pictures from his iPad.

May 2019

Owl Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mari, Kathy and I enjoyed supper here one night when visiting Mari. Cool place, old time music, stools at a long counter, and booths like the old days. I'd love to go there again, but for breakfast next time. Kathy said Mari and I looked like lesbians sitting on one side of the booth when she returned from the ladies room. Gabbed and enjoyed each other's company to the max. I had a good burger and fries, but the Lotta Burger joint the next night had an even better burger!

September 2019

Sunshine Cafe in Ashland, Wisconsin

B&B had a fantastic home cooked meal here and would return in a heartbeat.

September 2019

Time Out Cafe in Washburn, Wisconsin

Met Ed & Charlie Wroblewski for a very nice breakfast in Ed's favorite breakfast spot. It was fun to chat and catch up with them.

2020

No diners due to COVID19.

April, 2021

Talked Bob into stopping at a Denny's on our way home from Myrtle Beach, SC. I feel like it's a diner of sorts. We both loved our food and beverages and service and it was really a clean restaurant.

Roepke’s in Chilton, Wi

2017-2020 Hopes, Dreams & Bucket List Items too

Racy Readers 2012...

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Young Wife by Pam Lewis
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
At The Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
Behind Closed Doors by Paris
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
Caught by Harlan Coben
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton
Diary of Anne Frank
Doll Baby by Laura McNeal
Drop City by T.C. Boyle
Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
Fever by Mary Beth Keane
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko
It's Nice Outside by Jim Kokoris
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
Molokai by Alan Brennert
Moment of Truth by Lisa Scottoline
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz
On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson
One of us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The Brave by Nicholas Evans
The Child by Fiona Barton
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Girl They Left Behnd by Roxanne Veletos
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes
The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
The In-Between Hour by Barbara Claypole White
The Intruder by Peter Blauner
The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
The Last Alibi by David Ellis
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Piano Tuner by David Mason
The Queen of The Big Time, by Adriana Trigiani
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson
The Unseen Word by Liz Moore
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Time and Time Again by Ben Elton
Trust your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton
Whistling in the Dark by Leslie Kagen
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Wild Swans by Jung Chang (Joy)

Book Babes 2007----

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich.
A Man Called Ove
A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin
A Sister's Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Against Medical Advice by James Patterson
Alicia, My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
All are Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
An Hour Before Daylight: Memoiries of a Rural Boyhood by Jimmy Carter
Any Minute by Deborah Bedford
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
Blessings by Anna Quindlen
Born Survivors by Wendy Holden
Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Cane River by Lalita Tadeny
China Run
Coop, a Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg by Michael Perry
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Dead Sleep, by Greg Iles
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Edward Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky
Fire by Night by Lynn Austen
Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwaski, Rande Brown
God's Gift by Dee Henderson
Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
Hands of My Father by Myron Uhlberg
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
Her Mother's Dream by Francine Rivers
Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers
Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Hidden Places by Lynn Austin
Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon
House Girl by Tara Conklin
How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers
Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Population: 485 by Michael Perry
Sandpebbles by Patricia Hickman
Second Glance by Jodi Piccoult
Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Shrman Alexie
The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Forgotten Seamstress by Liz Trenow
The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan
The Good Daughters by Maynard
The Good Dream by Donna VanLiere
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Judas Kiss by Victoria Holt
The Language of Flowers by Vancess Diffenbaugh
The Negotiator by Dee Henderson
The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood
The Redemption of Sarah Cain by Beverly Lewis
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth
The Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932 by Jim Fergus
The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson
This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury
Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews
Uncharted by Angela Hunt
Under the Sabers by Tanya Biank
Visiting Tom by Michael Perry
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Wedding Belles by Haywood Smith
When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
While the Locust Slept by Peter Razor
Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Favorite quotes

The first thing that reading teaches us is how to be alone. - Jonathan Franzen
"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." Angela Schwindt
I believe that the hardest part of healing after losing someone you love is to recover the "you" that went away with them. (Kelly's Treehouse)
Bite the Bullet.
Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Dale Carnegie
Sometimes you have to make your own fun. - Dorothy Kelroy
Anything simple always interests me. — David Hockney
Don’t worry about mistakes. Making things out of mistakes, that’s creativity. Peter Max
That which chiefly causes the failure of a dinner party is the running short―not of meat, or yet of drink, but of conversation. Lewis Carroll
We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. Joseph Campbell
To be happy, it first takes being comfortable in your own shoes. The rest can work up from there. Sophia Bush
There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. Hodding Carter
Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. A.A. Milne
Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free . . . your true self comes out. — Tina Turner
Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year. Spanish proverb
The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. — Jill Churchill
Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it. Jean Jacques Rousseau
Tears are nature's lotion for the eyes. The eyes see better for being washed by them. ―Christian Nestell Bovee
Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.~Author unknown
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. — Irish Proverb
There are many people who come and go in our lives. A few touch us in ways that change us forever, making us better from knowing them. You have made a difference in my life, and for this I am grateful.