It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling so I'll tell the story.

Bought a set of cargo straps at Walmart Monday to replace the ones claimed by the Fox in April. 

Later in the day I stopped by someone's apartment to ask if I could help haul their things from a storage facility in Elkhorn back to Waukesha for them. They were appreciative because they were told it would be sold if payment wasn't received by Saturday.

Among the items they didn't want to take was a decent twin mattress, so I put it on the van roof, tying it down with the new straps. I didn't need the mattress myself, but with my St. Vincent volunteering I knew there'd soon be a good home for it.

Chanced upon a couch by the curb Tuesday, the second decent one in four days, but by the time I looked at it after work it had rained a little. Plus it sat too low for the person I knew who needed one. It was a terrible waste because it was in otherwise beautiful shape, and was a hide-a-bed.

An hour later I was visiting a family with a friend of mine. We were attempting to help her with furniture through the St. Vincent thrift store, but with the living room bare she and her four kids needed more than we could help with. They also were looking for a mattress. Within what seemed like 20 minutes, but was probably an hour, my friend and I picked up that hide-a-bed and delivered it, with the mattress, to the woman. Everyone was happy.

I helped someone move and kept a mattress they didn't need. The couch was too good to throw out, yet I had no need of it. Less than a day after acquiring the mattress, that and the couch had a new home. It's the ultimate in recycling. The warm feeling is the reward.  

    

I blogged about a similar topic in November, but this week's event promised to benefit the earth and fellow man. I was able to catch the last half hour of a pedal-powered concert in Wales on calm Tuesday night. Because the event was affiliated with the MS150 bike tour, it raised both awareness of wasteful energy practices and funds to help battle multiple sclerosis.

I was already in the Wales area for a dinner meeting in the beautiful Hills of Delafield, so Hazie and ScorpGirl can relax. I did not drive all the way out there wasting gas. I probably would have, though, had I known how cool the warm evening on Main Street in Wales would be.

About ten stationary bikes littered the lawn of an 1887 Queen Anne Victorian lovingly restored into the Pedal'rs Inn B & B. The Inn's claim to fame is that it was the location of George Webb's first restaurant. Because I arrived late, I found out about the house tours too late to see if there were two clocks side-by-side in the dining room. 

The stage was lit by energy-conserving LED spotlights powered by bike riders, many of whom wore colorful riding jerseys. It was mostly dark where the riders were, but even though I could see at least one biker going wild to the music, I saw no helmets.

This night was quite different from November's barn dance. It was outdoors, a lot warmer and a lot less crowded. But still I wondered if I'd get my first chance at pedalling. Is it hard? If I did get on, would I tire before someone relieved me. I asked someone if it was difficult and she said since she does spinning it wasn't too bad. That was no help because I don't even knit.

A bike did finally free up and I realized several things. People are more friendly to you on a bike. Either because bike riders are generally friendly toward one another, or because I was helping power a really good concert, either way people just seemed more open and friendly. The pedalling wasn't too difficult but was sweaty because there's no wind on these stationary bikes. I felt much more absorbed by music I helped power - felt connected to the musicians. The musicians felt connected to us - if they still had people willing to pedal, they'd be motivated to continue playing. The concert volume wasn't too loud, it was adequate. With each of the 9 amps I was putting out being put to use, low volume was just fine. And finally, outdoors on a summer night is the perfect venue for a concert like this.

I have to compare yesterday's crane count to fishing. Sometimes you don't see any, but the day is never wasted. Plus, a bad day of crane counting is still better than a good day at work.

The weather wasn't too cold for the start of Earth Week and the 5:30 a.m. start of the Annual Midwest Crane Count, though a few raindrops fell. My son accompanied me and we saw lots of deer, some turkeys and even a bluebird. We hiked around in the woods and saw the sunrise together. Even though we didn't see any cranes, hanging out in nature is not something we do enough of and the day wasn't wasted. Today, the same son would have gone canoeing with me down the Fox if I hadn't totalled the canoe earlier and if the Wauk. Parks canoe trip hadn't been cancelled due to the danger of high water.

Because I used to work weekends, and because of the coordinator's ACT tests last year, yesterday was the first time we were able to get together with others for breakfast after the count at the Machine Shed. Sara and her family were there as were several other counters, including first time Waukesha counter Kathy, who used to count in Central Wisconsin. It was interesting to hear how long the others have been doing the count, where they count, how many they saw, and why they are doing it. Sara, our coordinator, has parlayed her experience and devotion into a $5000.00 scholarship to Northland College in Ashland and will continue to lead our count from there as she increases her knowledge of the natural world.

There's a nice front page article in today's Sunday Journal Sentinel on the quest to reintroduce a second migratory population of whooping cranes in North America. Whooping cranes are the rarest cranes in the world and what we're doing in our count somehow helps in their reintroduction. Wherever sandhill cranes live, so whooping cranes can. By noting shifts in sandhill populations due to food, development or whatever, we are also helping tell the International Crane Foundation how successful their efforts at reintroduction could be. We're not just counting sandhill cranes any more. Sure, we're watching for a rare whooper, but we're also watching for leg bands, radio collars, and certain behavior... Are cranes exhibiting mating behavior or are they all males?  Are they guarding their territory or are they passing through? It all means something to someone. Getting out in nature on an early morning means a lot to me. 

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I know, it doesn't make sense. Same could be said for many of my posts. (But you didn't hear it from me!)

Had a long day yesterday. Rode the bus to work but missed the usual one and caught the next a few minutes later. I definitely didn't want to drive through opening day traffic in the afternoon. Making the earlier bus would have meant missing the opportunity to help the sight-impared person I found stumbling in the wrong direction on Sixth St. near Clybourn. 

I watched David as I grew nearer and it was clear he had no sight at all. Even though I made no sound, he spoke to me as I approached. I could've just turned him around and continued on to work, now with less time to get there because of missing the first bus. I stayed to walk with him, as most people hopefully would. I saw things from his perspective, which was real eye-opening so to speak. The sidewalk had large construction signs blocking the middle. Odd-shaped intersections with right turn traffic islands and no buttons for walk signals. Trees and lamp poles were abundant with an occasional bus shelter or parked car to avoid. He was staying at the Ramada so wasn't totally familiar with the path we were on. He was heading to a UWM campus near Sixth and State for a conference.

As luck would have it, one of the vehicles we worked to avoid was a UWM courtesy vehicle. I thought if ever there was a perfect use for such a thing it would be this. I hooked David up with it and they were happy to help.

Because I made a couple St. Vincent home visits after work, I didn't get home until probably 7:30, thirteen hours after I left. As soon as I walked in the door I was informed of a minor emergency. I rushed off to Waukesha Memorial with a family member after just one cold slice of pizza for dinner. They took great care of us, as they always do, and we arrived back home about 11:00 p.m. Everyone's fine. Tired, but fine. TGIF

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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.

Monday I was sworn in as a poll worker. Tuesday I spent 16 hours at Hawthorne School initialling and handing out ballots and helping make sure things ran smoothly at the polling station for Aldermanic District 4. Four of the seven workers, myself included, were first time workers. I think we handled the crowd pretty well.

I was very nervous about working such an important, unfamiliar job from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Could I remain alert enough after 16 hours? Could I handle the crowds, the rules, pressure, sitting on a folding metal chair, being away from TV, regular meals and a nap for 16 hours just to work the most historic election of my life? Knowing I'd need plenty of rest for such a long day, I got to bed early then tossed and turned much of the night from worry. But as you can see I survived.

Never before could we choose between an American hero, a minority, and a woman for the most important job in the country. I was extremely proud to see 1200 of my neighbors come out to vote, many for the first time.

For the most part the job wasn't too hard - my regular day job had already prepared me for doing more than two things at once. Besides, I brought a pillow just in case I couldn't handle it . . . for sitting on, not sleeping.

One of the hardest parts of the job was knowing which combination of papers, signatures, bags and envelopes goes with which. There literally are seals for the bags that hold a bag and envelopes for the envelope that holds the envelopes. There is a set order to everything, which would be hard to remember after an only ten hour day, and most things required all seven of our signatures. I was glad to do it too if it meant a close election wasn't decided by the way we handled our ballots.

Even though we were busy all day, 16 hours didn't really seem too bad. I'll be looking forward to helping out again during the big election in November, even though it's guaranteed to be busier with longer hours. I'll be nervous about it and lose sleep over it, but will take pride that I was around when history was made.

I'd like to thank everyone for making this a good experience. Marilyn took me under her wing and helped immensely. Maria was wonderful as the poll captain. Joan, Janet and Ruth helped me and each other as needed. All the voters were polite and patient with us even though the lines were sometimes long. The custodian helped make sure the floor was kept dry... 

Dug the cross country skis out to get a better look at the hoarfrost, or whatever it is, that covered every needle and twig today. Had such a good time at Retzer yesterday that I decided to do it again. I covered the same territory and trails as yesterday but had even more fun on skis.

As much fun as it was silently gliding through new snow, the best reward came when I was able to help someone who was lost. It was about 20 minutes till sundown and I was close to the woods after completing the outer hiking loop when I met him. A small boy of maybe 8 or 9 was heading south, alone, away from the woods. I looked around, knew he wasn't walking toward anyone because I just came from that direction. I didn't know if he couldn't talk because he was bundled up so tightly, or because he knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. At any rate, he kept walking and wouldn't answer my questions, though I did hear him whimpering just a little. However, he was smart enough to change direction when I told him to not keep walking in that direction.

OK, the kid's lost. Don't panic. Stay with him until he's found but don't frighten him any more than he already is. Start walking toward the Center. Stop. Listen. "Did you hear that?" Someone is yelling from the woods below us. Whistle. Is that them? Will they know it's us? Stay with the kid. Let them come to us. Yes, it's them. Hallelujah!

Being a parent myself who's lost track of children in stores, I was glad I immediately recognized the situation. Retzer close to dark in winter is no store. The good feeling I got from helping in a time of panic stayed with me the rest of the day. Please be careful.

One of my favorite stores is one that everyone in Waukesha should be aware of. Plowshare Gifts, at the corner of Grand Ave. and Main in Downtown Waukesha, is a fair trade gift shop. Everything in the store is made by craftsmen in developing countries. People normally paid pennies for their labor are guaranteed a living wage and access to health care and education through the fair trade program.

The store, with a wide range of gifts, clothes, jewelry, coffee, musical instruments, etc. is the only one like it in Waukesha County. It's a neat educational experience to see and feel the crafts made around the world. It's truly amazing what some people can do with soapstone, or recycled plastic, steel and aluminum, or clay, brass, native woods... This week I bought two small, hinged, inlayed wooden boxes from India. Just to UPS a box across town would be a minimum of $4.00. I only paid three dollars for each box (there's two more left). For the price of one beer at Miller Park, I left with two beautiful, handcrafted items made by someone in India who I know was paid a living wage. I don't know how it's possible, it just is. 

The store is non-profit and volunteers help staff it, keeping prices low. There's so much to see and bargains to be had, but my favorite are the Tibetan singing bowls, something you won't find at Walmart.

A couple years ago my son's class sold fair trade chocolate from the store to raise money to spend at the store for an item to donate to an auction for the school. The price of the candy bar was a bit more than a Hersheys, but the kids learned so much more about the world from selling it. It was the best fundraiser, one that helped everyone down the line -- from the cacao producers, to the craftspeople, Plowshare Gifts, all the way back to the school in profit from the auction.

If you can't find an inexpensive, useful or beautiful gift for the "hard to buy for" at Plowshare, let me know. My friend, Ken with Wind Dancer, is running ads for balloon flight gift certificates. The more often they go up the better my chance of helping out, and I love crewing! You can e-mail Ken if interested at wiwinddancer@cs.com.

 

 

 

It was much easier to criticize the job others did in cleaning up after last week's heavy ice and snow storm than it was to clean it up. I usually keep my mouth shut and if you could see my walk and driveway you'd know why. Most everyone with snowblowers out last weekend were struggling with clogs. Many shovellers, including me, were seen bent by the weight of the normally fluffy snow.

My walk to work in Milwaukee accross the 6th St. Viaduct was slowed by the skating rink it became after someone plowed the snow off but left the ice. Without salting. It didn't help a couple days later when more snow fell hiding the ice underneath. I decided to take my chance in the street with the traffic. (It was plowed again but still not salted.) It doesn't help that 14 street lights are out in it's one mile length but at least there's a handrail.

Several years ago, when Sentry was still where Pick 'N Save is on Moreland, a couple helped out a stranger by pushing his van through fresh, deep snow so he could continue his newspaper delivery route. The stranger couldn't say proper thanks because he had to keep going to maintain momentum, but he never forgot the helpful couple. Because he still felt a need to thank them he would "pay it forward" and make every effort to help other people stuck in the snow.

Instead of criticizing the job others are doing with the icy mess, maybe this is an opportunity to help others while meeting our neighbors. There could be many reasons some sidewalks are still bad a week later - I wouldn't have recommended elderly people try to shovel the sloppy mess. If we know of someone who could use a little help maybe we could "pay it forward" and help instead of criticize. Santa's watching!

hug an alderman

Had a chance to see the last portion of the 9-1/2 hour rebroadcast of the 11/20 marathon Common Council meeting on cable Ch. 25. (Ald. Bull had already left so I knew it was after 3:00 a.m.)  After all the criticism and controversy of unpreparedness, vote changes, job cuts, projects on hold ... any alderman, mayor, city employee or even camera crew that sat through the record meeting until 4:30 Wednesday morning for the good of Waukesha has my utmost respect. It was almost painful to watch as many were obviously tired, hoarse and quiet-voiced as they were forced by us, the constituency, and the state by it's late budget, to stay there as long as it took.

I felt bad for everyone who was there:  Steve Crandell and the IT guy with him who were rushed to crunch numbers after so many hours of the same. Mayor Nelson who could get only a couple hours sleep before an interview with a city administrator candidate. All the aldermen who spent countless hours in meetings and study for this budget to save us a couple dollars. I sympathize with them all, for I know it's not easy staying alert and working with numbers at 4:00 a.m. (I was only able to stay awake till 11:00 p.m. on 11/20). And give a special hug to Alderman Charlie Betker as he supposedly announced at 4:30 a.m. that he won't be seeking reelection in April. (His mic was off when he said it, but the papers reported it)

sworn to secrecy

I haven't blogged in a week because I was sworn to secrecy. OK, maybe just for a couple hours yesterday, but it sounded good anyway. My confirmation group helped at the Women's Center for a group service project and signed a paper stating that we won't repeat anything heard or seen. So I guess I can't mention that volunteers have provided the center 12,000 hours of service this year (I think that's the figure. It's a secret). All I can say is the shelter is a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there, if you know what I mean. (It's for battered women and their children.)

T-bone, not well done

I was one car back from witnessing the 6:00 p.m. accident in the intersection of Northview and Grandview on Thursday. Though I only heard it and saw it through the windshield of the car in front of me it looked like the people turning left collided with the one going straight. More than likely trying to beat the light - the Packers were playing and everyone was in a hurry. We all stayed motionless for a bit, probably in shock, until one sensible person in another car ran to check on the occupants. The car in front of me then left without so much as a goodbye. Is it a law for witnesses to stay and give their name once it's determined everyone is OK? No, but it's almost required if the accident's serious or if there's injury. Did I stay? No, I wasn't a good witness and, besides, the fire station is just a few yards from the accident scene.

On occasion, throughout the last month or so, there's been utility work at that intersection so I wondered if poor street lighting was a contributing factor to the accident. I noticed on Friday night that almost all the street lights were out from Silvernail to Northview, but the intersection was fully lit. 

speaking of Packers

I don't think the Packers lost because Favre got hurt. They seemed to play better after he left. Favre put too much faith in the long ball to double coverage in this game. Aaron Rodgers at least wasn't afraid to run the ball for first downs. He played very well but you could tell there was poor communication between him and the other players. I thought the game would be a lot closer but it definitely was fun looking forward to it all week.

and finally

The photos in my last post are not upside down. Reflections are funny that way.

 

 

 

Oddly enough, the shrill beep of the smoke alarm this morning coincided with the start of fire prevention week. All the fire-related events this weekend made me think about the two out of three alarms we have without batteries. I put a used 9 volt in one of them after it tested OK, but it must not have been strong enough and set the alarm off.

Yesterday I was invited to help out at the Town of Waukesha Fire Department's pancake breakfast by Rod, a hot air balloon pilot. I gladly accepted and helped set up his balloon for a demonstration. We soon began giving free tethered rides to fire fighters, EMTs and families, only stopping when it got too windy. I was glad to be there, lots to see and do, and happy to give back to the community - Rod donated his time and fuel for this fun event.

From one fire station to another. The official dedication and open house of Fire Station #1 in the City of Waukesha soon followed the festivities of the pancake breakfast. I enjoyed the tour a lot. The kitchen is beautiful as are so many other areas; the outdoor grill, den, workout room, conference room... I enjoyed meeting the alderpeople, mayors past and present, county exec., and firemen. I also enjoyed receiving a free Bradbury book, Fahrenheit 451, from David the librarian, who was in attendance to promote the month-long Big Read Waukesha.     

There's always something happening at St. William's, my home parish at 440 N. Moreland. Last weekend was the rummage sale. Today we hosted the St. Matthias meal for the needy and tomorrow is blessing of animals in observance of the Feast Day of St. Francis. This Sat. at 6:00 p.m. is wine and cheese and Sunday is a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to noon -- both in the Parish Hall, and both a fundraiser for Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County's new kitchen.

I'll be helping out in the kitchen Sunday for a couple hours, but may have to miss linking with fellow parishioners for the Life Chain on Bluemound between 2:00 and 3:00.

The following Sunday, the fourteenth, should be interesting. J. Christ will be in the Parish Hall and the Packers will be in the gym! Jennifer Christ will be talking about the rosary at 10:00 a.m. and the Packer game will be shown in the gym at noon. Tickets for the game are only $5.00 at the door and include a brat or hot dog, chips, soda, etc. There's a movie and sitter for the kiddies and raffle for the big people. The game is a Home and School fundraiser for Waukesha Catholic. Meeting J. Christ is free. As it should be.

 

 

I couldn't imagine better weather than we had here for the last day of summer Saturday. Golden delicious! The delicious weather brought out thousands of people to Retzer Nature Center's 21st Annual Apple Harvest Festival. I was real glad to see the people too, even though it made for more work for me in the food tent, because some things are just too good to not share.

I must've poured a hundred cups of cider, constantly moving to restock all beverages, and never got stung by a yellow jacket, (wish some of the young kids in attendance could say the same.) Besides a game of tag with the yellow jackets, the children's craft area, scarecrow display and musicians were very popular. The wagon ride had a long line as did the apple pie area.

I guess one could judge the success of the fest by how much was left at the end. I really don't know what all was left at the end because I wasn't there and didn't ask, but in my brief survey of the situation I noticed the apple pie slices were gone, the cider sold out and the 62 varieties of apples down to about 12. And I was thinking about purchasing 4 gallons of cider!

I would've loved to help clean up after the festival ended at 5:00, but I put in my three hours and hot air balloons were calling. Since this is my first year regularly hot air crewing, I'm not sure how long the season lasts, or if there even is a season. I was just happy to have the opportunity to help on the last day of summer.

Crewing went just as great as Apple Fest. A total of four balloons launched together in Monches and floated an hour toward north east to touch down in Hubertus. An ultralight fly-in was going on in the area and they seemed to have the time of their lives flitting around the four huge colorful balloons. The hilly wooded area around Holy Hill, where we were chasing, is starting to get really pretty with the new color in the trees. It was a joy to be there and it was nice to be needed. It was nice to be needed there. My family understands.

It turns out the couple who went up in our balloon were celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary that very day. A huge surprise. Scheduling around the weather and availability usually means flights don't necessarily go up when you'd like. Sometimes a year or two can go by if there's many weather cancellations. So we see a lot of first-time fliers but not a lot of birthdays or anniversaries unless by chance. This one was their anniversary. I don't know how they planned it that way.

I gave away a ring; a finger rosary actually. I was given the ring 21 years ago by my sponsor on the occasion of my adult confirmation. A few years ago, when I sponsored a teen in his confirmation, I gave the ring to him. I asked if he could keep it going by giving it to someone if he's a sponsor. So there's no telling where the ring, given to me by Pat and Maria, will end up.

Besides doing whatever we think we should to keep a candidate on the right path, there is usually not a lot for a sponsor to do after confirmation. This could explain why I've only seen my candidate once since confirmation, at the funeral of his mom. If I felt he was the kind of kid that needed more than just my prayers, I would've done a better job of keeping in touch.

I chose to ask Pat and Maria to sponsor my confirmation even though I didn't know them. I saw their dedication to God and took that as enough of a sign. Getting their baby, Angela, ready and making it to 7:00 mass every day told me they knew something more about worship than I did.

As busy as I was working two jobs, it should be no surprise that I lost touch with my sponsors. I got married and had kids. Pat and Maria had another child. Then another. Another and another. Eight more children after Angela. I talked to them once by phone after reading Laurel Walker's 2002 column on the family but haven't seen them in 21 years. Until today.

Add reunions to the many benefits of quarterly St. Vincent De Paul breakfast meetings. I always enjoy seeing new prayer spaces and meeting new priests among the 26 parishes in Waukesha County the meetings rotate among. I knew Pat and Maria used to attend St. Luke's, today's destination, and found they still do. I was thrilled to see them and their beautiful children - of the eight girls and one boy they have, all but three girls were with them at the mass.

I was so thrilled to see them and meet the kids after all the years that I invited myself to their home, using the gift of an accordian as an excuse. I remembered Laurel mentioning their musical giftedness. I knew I had this instrument I'll never play taking up space in the basement, so I offered it to them.

I really wanted to take my whole family but only my oldest child complied. Their home, hidden in the woods, is beautiful. It's large and tidy and the girls were doing their homework on the kitchen table. The large accordian, almost as big as the youngest child, was passed around and Pat played a recognizable tune. We had a good visit.

Even though we haven't seen one another, Pat and Maria taught me a lot about family, faith and perseverance in the face of adversity. As if holding together a family of 11 wasn't enough, Maria suffered brain damage following the birth of her last child. She had gone into cardiac arrest after doctors couldn't locate the source of internal bleeding. When I last saw her she was a new mom breast-feeding a dependent baby Angela. Today she is a still a wonderful mom, but now is more dependent on her children. All nine of them.

I learned valuable lessons about family and faith from Pat and Maria which I hope to pass along to the next generation. This year I was asked to be a catechist for teens preparing for confirmation, and I gladly accepted. I'll be there to ask and answer questions, and I know they'll have lots of questions. There's 150 of them the kids have to answer before confirmation next spring! I might be able to help.

There will be over 60 varieties of apples, not counting the music group Apple Jam, at the 21st Annual Apple Harvest Festival this Saturday the 22nd at Retzer Nature Center. In my last blog I mentioned that I'd happily grill for a big crowd again. I may get another chance as I'll be volunteering in the food tent from 11:30 to 2:30.

Apple Fest is the one time of the year that admission is charged at Retzer, and the $5.00 per car is well worth the money. There are crafts for kids going on all day. Horsedrawn hayrides from 11:00 to 3:00. Plenty of other entertainment plus vendors selling natural and handmade crafts and food. My favorite is the apple cider which is sold at a decent price, and the very large apples which I purchase individually to get the most variety.

If the weather is poor Saturday, come right out to Retzer. If the weather is nice Saturday, finish mowing the lawn, then come out to Retzer. Apple Fest is running 9:00 till 5:00. Retzer is at S14-W28167 Madison St. (Take Madison St. straight west from Waukesha until it ends at Retzer.)

Stop in for a piece of pie and say hi.

Went to two North football home games against Mukwonago this week. Thursday was my child's first home game of the year in freshman football, and he played most of the game; offense and defense.

I went to Friday's varsity game at North to work concessions. Temperatures were close to fifty with lots of wind but I had the ideal job. Even though I dressed very warm, I didn't have to worry because I helped work the grilles. It was the first time the three grillers had worked concessions and we did well thanks to good instruction and preparation. We never made people wait for food and we didn't have too much left over.

I saw football from a different perspective Friday than from the stands Thursday. The end result was the same - North fell to Mukwonago - but at least North Football Boosters won with $1500.00 cleared from concessions. Grilling for the large crowd was a challenge I would be happy to repeat. It was fun.

It was something we were looking forward to for a long time. We wanted to pick up where we left off with the last balloon rally of last year. We wanted to hook up with the great couple we hung with last year and share more good times. We were going to help them get their bright yellow balloon up, chase it until it landed, then pack it back up. We were going to talk about the past year over pizza and check out the fair together. It was going to be so great.

Well, we didn't crew for "Yellow Fever" and we didn't even crew for the Re/Max balloon as I mentioned in my last blog. A nice thing about being involved in hot air ballooning is that having a good time doesn't depend on who you're crewing for. The only disappointment can be the weather and the weather was great last weekend. No rain and not too windy meant every time they were scheduled to launch they launched.

Crewing with someone new exposed us to a whole new set of fun. "La Ristra," the 800 pound, 128 foot tall, world's largest chili pepper balloon never took off, just inflated, but that was enough. The pilot, Mike Shrum, from my favorite state that I've never been to, New Mexico, was a lot of fun. Because it takes four times the normal about of crew members to fasten and unfasten velcro on 56 chilis, get trapped air out, lift it, etc., it seemed like a big party. By the time he took off in his regular balloon from Butler Middle School on Sunday morning he had more than a dozen people either in the cab or bed of the pickup truck or following behind in a car. In the two years I attended Butler I never imagined I'd be helping launch a hot air balloon from it's athletic field.

We didn't crew with the people we wanted but we saw them often and even launched from Butler together. La Ristra clearly needed our help. We not only helped unpack, inflate and pack up the chili balloon, but because we were from Waukesha we also navigated the chase vehicle when Mike flew.

Almost 20 balloons launched on four occasions during the Skyfest 2007 rally. I hope most people were able to catch a glimpse of them. Maybe you saw the chase vehicle convoy pass your house or maybe a colorful balloon touched down on your street. Till next year . . .

The newspaper notice stated a group was looking for extra help today, Saturday, for litter control on the stretch of road they "adopted." If Lady Bird Johnson, who's funeral was today, could devote much of her life to highway beautification, then it shouldn't be too much trouble for me to devote two hours of my time, and it didn't hurt that their stretch of roadway is the mostly undeveloped and beautiful Hwy. N northwest of Eagle.

Besides fresh air, exercise and the nature of the Scuppernong Prairie in Kettle Moraine State Forest, I knew it would also be a good opportunity to learn more about the group, Waukesha County Environmental Action League, and meet some earth-friendly people. WEAL was formed almost 30 years ago by citizens concerned about the loss of natural resources and habitat to development in Waukesha County. Since then they have been involved in educating the public and influencing government about quality of life and growth, about Waukesha's ever decreasing rural environment and wildlife habitat, among other things. Most of WEAL's officers were there for the cleanup including Russ, one of the founding members.

I passed a sandhill crane feeding alongside N as I drove toward this morning's meeting spot and saw a turkey vulture eating a roadkill rabbit shortly after I mistakenly passed up the spot. We were furnished orange safety vests, after introductions, and were paired off and given territory to cover. There were about ten of us total and I was in a group of three. We were told we shouldn't pick up dead animals but one of the first things I encountered was a dead animal I had to pick up -- a sandhill crane. This was going to be an interesting two hours.

As you may remember from my 4/15 blog, I'm an Annual Midwest Crane Counter and a big fan of the birds. Since this bird was recently killed by a car and was still clean... Yes I picked it up. It would be the closest I'd ever come to one and I wanted to learn more about it. Was it still warm? Was it the one I saw just minutes earlier? There are rules against the public keeping birds like that, and the DNR office is closed weekends so I couldn't tell them about it, so it looks like the many turkey vultures in the area will feast tonight.

The great weather and camaraderie, picking up litter and seeing nature was just part of the total equation. Paradise Springs, a nature trail in the State Park System, is along Hwy. N and we took a few minutes to walk the path to the spring-fed trout pond. The pond is perfectly clear and 47 degrees and we saw many brook trout. There used to be a hotel and horse track in the area and the remains of a spring house and water-driven turbine are still visable.

Before finishing for the day we stopped to bother a local resident with a hundred questions. The woman spent at least a half hour showing us her four extensive gardens and offering samples of it's goodness. I tried currants, gooseberries and raspberries. Mmmmm.

Back at the parking lot we happened upon a writer for Chicago Wilderness Magazine up from Chicago to check out the Vernon Marsh. We set her straight, gave her a map, told her she was in Scuppernong and needed to go east to find Vernon, and pointed her to Retzer Nature Center to learn more.

There was no graduation ceremony for eigth graders when I attended Butler Middle School. There was special recognition for kids who did well in a particular subject, but no graduation ceremony.

Our youngest graduated eigth grade last week; cap, gown and diploma, from St. Joe's Middle School and from Waukesha Catholic. After an eleven year involvement with Waukesha Catholic education, my sons now both attend public high school. Waukesha North is a great school, my wife and I both attended, and I'm sure our boys will do fine.

North seems to have everything; great facilities and teachers, an outstanding band and athletic teams that do well. And from what I've seen of the graduates coming from North, they are doing something right. I just wish there was more communication between us and the school.

At Waukesha Catholic, a weekly envelope came home full of news and volunteer opportunities, things to fill out and return. Parents were strongly encouraged to help as often as they could and, once I got over my fear of volunteering, I came to like it and actually looked forward to it. Some of my best memories of their school years come from volunteering; I was an "Art Mom", where I'd research and teach each grade about a different artist each month. I chaperoned at Camp Whitcomb-Mason and tried to teach the kids about archery. I would describe Waukesha Catholic as "close-knit" and I think it earned that by everyone pitching in.

I have to admit "News Notes", the weekly envelope from St. Joe's, did get old after a while - the volume of paper was sometimes overwhelming, but when we think back on it, I'm sure we'll appreciate too much information rather than too little. North doesn't have a student newspaper, and School Times Magazine every month or two just doesn't cut it.

I admire the dedication of teachers everywhere, especially parochial teachers who typically earn less, and am continually amazed by the example they set. One of my son's teachers at North likes teaching so much that she can also be found volunteer teaching religious ed at church. Another teacher likes his classes to do good things for the community and yesterday, on the last day of the school year, they put up a shed for the Waukesha County Food Pantry. The phy ed teacher at St. Joe's moonlights as Bernie Brewer, which is cool for the kids but I don't know what that fact alone teaches the kids; that you can have fun while staying active, I suppose.

So, from waiting in line in the cold at 6:00 a.m. twelve years ago to guarantee our family a spot at St. William School, to eighth grade graduation at St. Joe's last week, it was a good run. We may be done with Waukesha Catholic, but I could still be talked into volunteering.

It's a great time of the year: more daylight and less cold, grass greening and spring flowers trying to bloom. Yesterday we saw or heard finches, robins, crows, sparrows, bluejays, cranes, ducks, geese, swallows, red-winged blackbirds, turkeys and, because Nick and I canoed North Lake, a loon, heron and gulls. And those are just the few that we can identify - there were many others.

When I'm freezing in winter I think about this time of year. Next Sunday is Earth Day or, to be politically correct, "Environmental Awareness Day," and we'll be joining many other canoeists and kayakers for a Waukesha County Park System-sponsored paddle down the Fox River if the weather cooperates. A week from next Saturday, the 28th, Earth Week is celebrated in an extravaganza at Retzer Nature Center. A major ingredient to the festivities at Retzer in the coming weeks is most everything is free. The hikes, concert, planetarium, smores around the campfire. All free.

Even more than Earth Day, I look forward to the weekend before or, more specifically, yesterday. For the last seven or so years I've taken part in the Annual Midwest Crane Count, which was yesterday, the 14th. Hundreds of counters in several midwest states are at specific sites from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. on the same day. There's seventeen sites in Waukesha County and I've had the same one every year, which is OK with me because I think mine is best. I also think everyone probably thinks their site is the best one too.

I first got involved with cranes in 1999. I spent a week trying to identify some unusual sounding birds I'd seen flying over the house. I called the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, stopped at the library and talked to several people. As soon as I determined the birds I'd witnessed were cranes there was a Sunday Journal article on hunting them. Now, I know there's a lot of meat on a crane, but I thought it ridiculous to hunt a bird so rare that I didn't even know what they were and many people I talked with didn't know for sure either. In the article, the justification for hunting these magnificent animals is that they eat seed corn. Of course the article was side-by-side with another article picturing a huge pile of corn on the ground because the farmers were producing more than they could store in grain silos or buildings.

We've been lucky with the weather for the count. It's always chilly but every time it's rained it's always stopped by sunrise. This was the first year snow was still on the ground.

One doesn't have to be good at math to be a crane counter. The most we ever counted at my site was three or four. Sometimes I'd only hear them and one year not even that. (This year we saw one and heard another.) Being out in nature is never a total loss, even if we don't see or hear cranes there are lots of other critters to entertain us. Yesterday we saw seven deer as we left our car and saw many additional. Turkeys are also fun to watch and listen to.

One memorable year? Up to last year I was getting up at 1:30 a.m. to deliver Saturday Journal Sentinels, head immediately to my site to count, then to deliver the Early Edition Sunday Journal Sentinels. (Getting up to count was always easy for me because I was already up. Staying up was harder.) Several years ago on the route I stopped to break up a fight between a man and woman at 3:00 a.m. in front of a huge apartment complex and ended up getting a chain to the head. I escaped before he could do more damage but returned when I heard sirens. I gave a statement, had my head photographed and learned what I should have done instead. All I could think about was "I hope I'm not late for the crane count". So it wasn't a good day. Get hit in the head, irritate guys with guns - I had scared away turkeys while walking my site which, unbeknownst to me at the time, open season was on - and deliver early Sunday papers with blood caked in my hair because there was no time to shower before.

Because of the route, this was the first year we could join the others for conversation and breakfast at the Machine Shed after the count. Of course, this was the first year they didn't get together because our coorditators were taking the ACT tests. We went anyway.

One or both boys started going with me three years ago and they seem to enjoy it at least as much as I do. They are proud to usually be the first ones to spot any birds and I'm proud that I can take them out in nature and not have them hate it. It's definitely one of the better things we do as father and sons.

for more information on Earthweek events visit www.waukeshac