Takin' the Blog for a Walk

This is my Hope:  that Ana, Jeff, Garrett, Shannon, Krista, Michael, Mitch and Zack will continue to lead peaceful, helpful, and faith-filled lives.                                                 This is my Dream:  someday I will be there to see their children confirmed -- and maybe they will be their kids' catechists. 

This is my Question:  after years of religious instruction, are they finally ready to become adults in the Catholic Church?                                                 This is my Answer:  the candidates themselves are the only ones to know for sure, but all eight have my endorsement.

This is my Birthday:  my gift . . . their Gift of the Holy Spirit.                                                 This is my Wish:  their baptismal candle never flickers. The anointing oil of chrism never wears off.

This is my Rhyme:  This is the prayer           I'm honored to share.                    Teach as Jesus did, that is my role.          Model God's love to others, this is my goal.                    I'm a catechist, and I want to teach.          It's the teens I want to reach.                    I'd like to be there to watch them grow.          Jesus' life I'd like them to know.                    They're adults in the church, anointed with chrism.          More responsibility, less criticism.                    They are the future, I am so proud.          An inspiration to their faith, proclaimed aloud.                                                        This is my Reason:  the opportunity to teach, and to teach as Jesus did no less, has left me with a profound sense of warmth and accomplishment. Being there for them during the last year of preparation before confirmation has been my greatest honor.

This is my Joy:  proud to have a role in this sacrament, and thrilled for all those confirmed at St. William's today.                                      This is my Sadness:  Besides the eventual and eventful end to a memorable final year of preparation, my own son chose not to be confirmed today. 

This is my Prayer.                                                      And this . . . is my Amen.

I squeezed in one last crosscountry ski trip to Retzer on one of my "spring" break days off yesterday. Still snow everywhere but of varying quality. Still beautiful though. One thing some people have realized, with Retzer's rolling landscape and open fields, it can be a good place to play in the snow.

Seeing a pair of sandhill cranes fly over Grandview Blvd. Saturday reminded me that the Midwest Annual Crane Count is just a month away. The crane count always coincides with Earth Week. Being at Retzer Nature Center reminded me to look into the free Earth Week activities - this year between April 20th and 26th. I also signed up for the April 20th Waukesha Parks canoe outing, where we sometimes see or hear cranes, on the Fox River this year but changing location next. Register for the canoe trip before 4/14 by calling 896-8007.

This year's crane count is Saturday morning, April 19th, between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m. (the snow might be melted by then). Cranes are a most interesting bird and the world's oldest known bird species. Last year 81 cranes were counted in Waukesha County, one or two by me. I'm looking forward to this year's count and will let you know how it goes.

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Hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter. I did. Sun out. Family over for Easter turkey. It was a nice quiet day here.

Went to the Easter Vigil mass last night at St. William with Mom and Sis. It was Father Jason's first leading of the Easter Triduum, and from what I saw last evening he did a great job. During the 2-1/4 hour service he blessed fire, water, oil, the Easter Candle, the congregation, altar and catechumens, bread and wine. He baptized four people, distributed first communion to several others and welcomed still more into adulthood in the church through confirmation. Michael played the pipe organ and piano to a full house and the choir sounded great. It was a good experience made even better by seeing so many familiar faces. One familiar face was missing though; Father Leonard isn't feeling well, wasn't there. Prayers for Father.

Note: The confirmation I mentioned above is not the same service my small group and the 80 or so other Waukesha Catholic kids have been preparing for. They will have their own special mass one week from today with Archbishop Timothy Dolan presiding. To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement. 

Be proud! Shout it from the top of the snowbanks! We are number one and Milwaukee is number two. Just forget for a minute that we're talking about snowfall totals for the year, not something like water quality or jobs. Forget also that Milwaukee has been keeping snowfall records longer than Waukesha has.

We can be proud of our ninety inches. It's been an interesting winter for everyone, especially those like me who spend time outdoors every day. I loved this winter. So much to deal with. Kept me active, not bored. I loved the many, many times the snow stuck to branches and everything looking so beautiful. My opinion would differ if I had to work all day in it instead of just shovel it occasionally, but then I'd probably appreciate spring more.

I didn't mind Friday's snow. Got off work early and made it home safe. Many people were home from work and school because of Good Friday, otherwise the roads would have been much worse. The snow doesn't look like it's going to ice up and stick around for very long. It will add moisture to the ground for a good growing season. We'll be able to look forward to beautiful flowers and vegetables and should be able to water less.

It was better that the 14 or 15 inches of snow fell now instead of earlier or later. With temperatures warming, most streets and sidewalks are already clear. If it fell later it could've been like May 10th, 1990, when trees were leafed out and many branches were broken. While there's still a few days or weeks left when we might see snow, this was probably the last one we have to worry about. The sun's out. Enjoy the snow while it lasts..

I'm 100% in favor of opening downtown to bikes by closing streets to cars. Of course I'd probably feel different if I lived downtown or if I hated loud music or bikes. But while listening to last night's Common Council meeting, all my questions were answered and I actually let my mind imagine what a wonderful thing this party could be. The alderpeople asked a lot of difficult questions and I always heard good responses. I could feel the enthusiasm from here. The only person to vote against it was Ald. Payne, who incorrectly thought he wouldn't have a voice in determining street closures.

The only business owner to speak against the Labor Day Harley party was a lawyer from the Nelson House, adjacent to Cutler Park where most of the music and drinking will be centered. She complained she'd have to pay her staff for the four days they'd have to close because they couldn't park nice and close to the building. I guess I must be really out of touch because I thought most lawyers had Labor Day weekend off.

I'm surprised more residents of downtown didn't speak up against it -- I can just imagine trying to sleep! But maybe they're like me and just want to wander around town with an open intoxicant while listening to free music.

This party will happen whether Harley endorses it or not.  They say that if it is endorsed it would give our city global exposure. Did I mention I saw Japanese bikers at the Expo Center campground during the 100th?

You might think it all seems so rushed. That it takes a year to prepare for an event like this. Actually, the organizers are experienced promoters who seem to work well with the many important people and large companies like Miller Brewing and Kirk Topel, owner of Hal's Harley, that things like this require. They know their limitations and are willing to take the financial risk that will ultimately benefit the city as a whole more than it will themselves.

New people in town think they can come here and not only turn a condemned dump of a building into a high class hotel and restaurant, but have the vision of something more for the city? And do it all at the same time? Their's isn't the only construction that has to be done by the 105th. I walk past the Harley Museum every day on my way to work. They don't have to work hard to attract people. People would come if the old bikes and memorabilia were stored in a tent on an old soccer field. Instead, a beautiful black building surrounded by water on three sides, with the majestic white 6th St. Viaduct suspension bridge on the fouth, is within months of welcoming visitors.

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So it could be with our own museum and The Les Paul Experience. Time is running short. It should be a priority to get it done while Les can still come and see it's completion, and he's over 90 now! We could avoid town at all costs when the Harley enthusiasts come, but that would be a big mistake. We should promote our museum, we already know music will attract people downtown. Let's run raffles and promotions. (don't tell my wife, but I once bought a $100.00 raffle ticket for the chance to win a Harley V-Rod. I didn't win.) Let's get this Les Paul exhibit built! 

Today is the 18th of March. Tomorrow, the 19th, Sir Arthur C. Clarke will be dead at 90. He will die as he lived... in the future. 

My Uncle Lee once travelled to Sri Lanka to meet Mr. Clarke. They both shared a common interest. My uncle founded SCOLA to link the world by satellite for education. Arthur C. Clarke, in 1945, described in detail how satellites in geostationary orbit could be used for worldwide communication. The stationary-orbit area above earth where many satellites are positioned is now called the Clarke Belt. I'm sure my uncle and Sir Arthur had an interesting visit.

90th birthday

I share this machine with two teenagers and a cat, so that could explain why I haven't been doing a lot of writing lately. Fortunately, Pepi just stays put where it's warm atop the monitor, or I'd still be waiting. Now that I have the time though, thought I'd talk about what I did last weekend.

Much of what I do on weekends I hear about first on WaukeshaNOW, and last week was no exception. I find that the site's community events description is a little more in depth and easier to access than the alternative.

I went to the UWW play God Willing: A Twology not because I'd heard it was good or even because I'd heard of it before. I checked it out because it promised to be different. Two avante-garde plays in one with seating on the stage for the audience. I won't try to describe it because I can't. I can't relate it to anything I've seen before. It was entertaining, serious and thought-provoking. It was intimate and dark, quiet and loud. I guess you could say it was a good play for the university because they tried something outside "normal" and it was a good experiment. 

Saturday morning I joined my confirmation group for a service project at Jeremy House, a homeless shelter for individuals with mental issues on Moreland Blvd. We prepared breakfast for the guests and learned more about the facility. It was a worthwhile experience for all of us, and fun too.

After mass last Sunday I interviewed candidates for confirmation to see if they had any thoughts, good or bad, on the whole process and to make sure they grew spiritually in this last year of preparation. Tomorrow is confirmation rehearsal.

Later Sunday I attended Waukesha Choral Union's production of Handel's Messiah while not realizing what I came to see and hear. I penciled the Carroll College event on my calendar because WaukeshaNOW made it sound good and, the best part, it was free. I arrived after the last of the programs had been handed out and, because I've never been to "Messiah" before, didn't recognize it. Bumping into a friend at intermission, I mentioned how religious all the pieces were. "Well, it is Messiah. The whole concert is related to the bible, starting with the Old Testament and ending with the New." She showed me the program and every aria, recitation and chorus was straight from a bible verse or psalm. Up to this point the one thing I knew about "Messiah" was the Hallelujah Chorus. Two and a half hours after the start of this concert I was much better informed. It's a monumental production with orchestra, pipe organ, soloists with community members joining the chorus. The concert was fully funded by donations from individuals and businesses. It was director Gregory Carpenter's last production of Messiah. His last production with the Choral Union will be in celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday: Mozart's Requiem at St. Joe's Church in Waukesha, May 4th, with orchestra and soloist. I'm going to pencil this one in too, and hope I don't forget why.  

By now Mrs. Lee is wondering if I'm seeing someone because of being gone so much last weekend. (The family is always invited, but my tastes often differ from theirs.) I later attended Vespers, or evening prayer, at St. William. It's something I've not done before and my family wouldn't have enjoyed either. It was an interesting mix of hymns, readings, reflection and incense. All the prayer without the hassle.

After Vespers I joined 80 to 90 others from my parish to learn about Judaism and Jewish traditions in a Seder meal, something I've wanted to try but never had the chance. I felt this Lent was a good time to understand the roots of my own faith and this was a wonderful way to do it. The nicest Jewish couple, Sherry and David, led us on this trip to the past. Seder, the Passover meal, is full of lessons and history, details, ancestors, special diet and ways of preparation. I'd have to say everything had meaning and relevance and the meal was history come to life. Everything was performed in order, involved the oldest to the youngest, was entertaining and lasted about 2-1/2 hours. The education we received and meeting Sherry and David was wonderful. This meal was far more involved than any other meal I've shared, and I would happily do it again.  

The theme of the weekend seemed to lean toward religion. Not a bad thing with Holy Week beginning tomorrow.

One of my favorite downtown stores reopened yesterday after a several week closure due to water leaks.  The closure made me realize how dependent I am on Plowshare for unique gifts. When I tried to find the right gift at the next best thing, a store in Westbrook Shopping Center, I found that they had closed a while ago.

At any rate, if you're thinking of checking the store out now would be a good time. Because of the closure the store is now in the middle of it's largest clearance sale ever.   Everything in the store is hand-made of natural materials and each purchase supports the artisan and their family. Plowshare Gifts is at the corner of Grand and Main. The number is 547-5188.

Alderwoman Peggy Bull reminds us in yesterday's Freeman that with the coming spring thaw some of us with pets may be facing a mess in the yard and what a problem it could be for our health and waterways. The article went on to say that the city issued around 2000 dog licenses last year. I'll tell you right now there's far more than 2000 dogs in Waukesha and probably several times that.

The article then points out an obscure ordinance no one with pets would know: "By ordinance, the owner ... of the property is to pick up any dog waste within 24 hours. Even if it wasn't left by your dog, but by someone walking their dog who hasn't picked up after it, it's the property owner's responsibility to clean it up." When the ordinance was drafted it was probably copied from a community with the law already in place. A warm-weather community. 

I'll tell you right now that, except for our walks, I haven't picked up the yard after Sir Fido in months. How could I? If it's not too dark to see after work, then snow has fallen and covered it up. If not snow, maybe it rained and froze it to the ground.

So every day when I wade through the snowbanks hunting for a fresh pile... Suppose I find something, then what? Another bright ordinance tell us we can't throw it away in the garbage. We can't just not throw away dog waste but any animal waste. We're not only supposed to pick it up but pick it up every day then not throw it away. Makes sense.

What's the recommendation? "Day and the Wisconsin DNR website recommend finding an out-of-the-way spot in your yard to bury dog waste..." I'll get right on it.

I know Alderwoman Bull had nothing to do with these ordinances, but one has to wonder who passed these? Were they pet owners? I pretty sure it's possible to change the trash hauling contract to accept pet waste. It may cost more or require special bags but if we're required to pick it up every day year round in Wisconsin then I think we should be able to throw it away. Maybe if the city got after all the owners of unlicensed pets or if it charged a pet waste disposal fee to pet owners the money could be found to change the contract. 

Once again Sir Fido awoke me to take him out a half hour before it was time to get up. I saw the rabbit in the snow a few feet away from the door and knew he'd soon be scaring it away. A couple barks after the door was shut and I knew the rabbit would be on it's way. But the minor "there's a rabbit in the yard" barking turned to his frenzied "the paper guy is here" barking and I had to get back out before he woke the neighborhood.

So what did I do first to keep him from waking the family? Shut the door behind me. The locked door. It's before 6:00 a.m., I'm in bare feet and PJs, the door's locked, and did I mention the family's still asleep? You do know why Sir Fido wakes me instead of the others? Because they all sleep so soundly - not the attribute I was hoping for as my thumb pressed the door bell. 

Luckily the wife came to the rescue because I didn't want to be late for work. Yeah, that's it, late for work.

It can't be that uncommon to mistakenly lock yourself out, but how about twice in one day? Finishing the work day yesterday, I pulled the door shut behind me and pushed the lever to check the automatic lock. One problem, I was opening the next morning and accidently left my key inside the building.