As I mentioned last week, we have passports for our planned trip to The Czech Republic in September. On Monday we stopped at the AAA office and applied for an International Driver's License. We filled out the online form to take with us and then paid the fee and had the permit in short order.
Ray searched online and purchased tickets to take us to Prague. He learned that you can get the best price by leaving on Monday and returning the following Sunday. We won't be staying in Prague but a smaller town that is closer to where his ancestors lived before coming to the U.S. We're hoping to learn more about their background. We've watched episodes of "Finding Your Roots" hosted by Henry Louis Gates and I wish we had the resources he has to find the information we're looking for.
Nancy was released from the hospital last Monday evening. We were on call to pick her up and take her home if she had been released earlier in the day. On Wednesday she reported being tired and still finding it difficult to sleep and having to deal with quite a bit of pain.
Another Little League game on Monday evening. Jayden was assigned to third base and made two outs throwing from third to first. This is his first year playing baseball and he's still learning a lot about the game. Last Saturday the weather was hot and we sat under an umbrella and I got a bit of a burn on my arm. Monday evening was much different with 60 degrees and a breeze. I was glad to have a hood on my jacket.
Have you been watching Jeopardy? It's part of our evening ritual. James Holzhauer has accumulated more than $2 million and seems unstoppable. He has only been tested once that I can recall when another contestant did well and James didn't have a runaway. A newer version of Les Miserables was recently shown on PBS's Masterpiece but we waited until all six episodes were recorded before watching so I guess you can say we've been binge watching although we haven't watched all the episodes in one day. It's a gripping story with more detail than other versions.
Even though the Indianapolis 500 race is on a new network this year, we still weren't able to see it and I didn't even try to listen on the radio as I have done many times in the past. When the rebroadcast began this evening I was amazed at all the pageantry that goes into the pre-race activities. Tomorrow is a holiday but it will seem like a regular Monday with the exception of no mail service and some businesses being closed. Happy Memorial Day everyone.
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Rain, Baseball, Nancy, etc.
Last Tuesday afternoon we were able to sit on our patio for a snack. It's not been warm enough until now as we continue to have rain and cool temperatures. Besides the weather not being cooperative, our dryer is not working as it should. After about three minutes in the drying cycle, the dryer turns off and can't be restarted until it's cooled off. On restarting the dryer continues operating fine and the clothes are dry. I've called the maintenance department and they are looking into the problem thinking there may be a clog in the exhaust line. Sometimes birds like to nest there but the nesting season should be about complete. Even though it's a bit irritating to have an ill-functioning dryer it's not the most serious problem we've ever faced and one that we can live with.
We watched two Little League games this week. On our way to the 6 o'clock game, we picked up sub sandwiches for our supper and placed our lawn chairs behind the backstop to watch the game. There are dozens and dozens of cars that might all leave at the same time, so we left at the top of the final inning with Jayden's team ahead by one run. Later we learned that the game ended with a tie. As I mentioned in a previous post, Little League games can end in a tie because of the two-hour time limit. The Thursday game was rained out as we had thunderstorms roll through the area. The final game of the week was Saturday morning and Jayden's team won by forfeit. The umpire was unhappy with the other team for reasons not totally clear to me. One of the players used profanity but that shouldn't have caused the forfeit. There were other factors involved I'm sure. The game wasn't very far along when the umpire called for the forfeit and left. The coaches for the two teams agreed that the game should continue giving all the players a chance to execute plays and have a chance to bat even though there wasn't a chance to change the final score.
On Friday we realized our landline wasn't working. Sometimes we had a dial tone but couldn't make or receive calls. We called the phone company and they scheduled a service call for next Tuesday! We later learned that the thunderstorm on Thursday was probably responsible for the outage.
Nancy's back surgery on Friday at St. Francis was successful with Joe calling us about 5 p.m. that she was in her room. It was a long day for him, I'm sure. We found our way to her room on Saturday following the forfeited baseball game. Her friend Vicki stayed with her overnight in the hospital and plans to help her when she gets home.
We applied for passports and they arrived this week and now we can plan a trip to Europe that we've been thinking about for a while. More details to come as they are known.
We watched two Little League games this week. On our way to the 6 o'clock game, we picked up sub sandwiches for our supper and placed our lawn chairs behind the backstop to watch the game. There are dozens and dozens of cars that might all leave at the same time, so we left at the top of the final inning with Jayden's team ahead by one run. Later we learned that the game ended with a tie. As I mentioned in a previous post, Little League games can end in a tie because of the two-hour time limit. The Thursday game was rained out as we had thunderstorms roll through the area. The final game of the week was Saturday morning and Jayden's team won by forfeit. The umpire was unhappy with the other team for reasons not totally clear to me. One of the players used profanity but that shouldn't have caused the forfeit. There were other factors involved I'm sure. The game wasn't very far along when the umpire called for the forfeit and left. The coaches for the two teams agreed that the game should continue giving all the players a chance to execute plays and have a chance to bat even though there wasn't a chance to change the final score.
On Friday we realized our landline wasn't working. Sometimes we had a dial tone but couldn't make or receive calls. We called the phone company and they scheduled a service call for next Tuesday! We later learned that the thunderstorm on Thursday was probably responsible for the outage.
Nancy's back surgery on Friday at St. Francis was successful with Joe calling us about 5 p.m. that she was in her room. It was a long day for him, I'm sure. We found our way to her room on Saturday following the forfeited baseball game. Her friend Vicki stayed with her overnight in the hospital and plans to help her when she gets home.
We applied for passports and they arrived this week and now we can plan a trip to Europe that we've been thinking about for a while. More details to come as they are known.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Mother's Day
Mother's Day 2019 was one of the coldest in recent years. Easter Sunday was much nicer for sure. The first weeks of May have not been particularly pretty or warm. There have been too many rainy days and I'm sure the farming community is hoping for warmer and dry days. I haven't had a chance to observe many fields but the several I see that are small haven't had any planting or preparation for a crop this year. Maybe they'll lay fallow this year.
Bart and Persephone tried to connect with us at noon for a Mother's Day chat. First, we tried FaceTime and then Skype. In the past, we've had nice conversations using either of these options but that wasn't the case this year. In the end, we talked on the phone. Later in the day, Nancy invited us to their house for pork tacos and cheesecake. Everything was delicious! We didn't go home hungry.
We enjoyed another Little League game on Saturday afternoon. Jayden's team played two consecutive games but we missed the early one because I was at church with the quilt knotting group. Jayden pitched an inning or two in the first game and did well but we missed seeing that game. In the 1 o'clock game his team was competitive with the game ending in a tie. That seems strange to me, but there's a time limit on Little League games and they don't play extra innings. It's a lot different in the majors as we found out when we got home. The Cubs were playing the Brewers in Wrigley field and the score was 1-1 when we turned on the TV. The game eventually ended with the Cubs winning 2-1 in the 15th inning with a walk-off home run.
Today is also the 109 wedding anniversary of my maternal grandparents, Paul & Ida Hollmann. They were married on May 12, 1910.
I don't recall ever meeting Minnie and the woman on the right was not identified on the photo that I have. However, my sisters and I have many fond memories of Aunt Dorothy. She was a classy lady!
Bart and Persephone tried to connect with us at noon for a Mother's Day chat. First, we tried FaceTime and then Skype. In the past, we've had nice conversations using either of these options but that wasn't the case this year. In the end, we talked on the phone. Later in the day, Nancy invited us to their house for pork tacos and cheesecake. Everything was delicious! We didn't go home hungry.
We enjoyed another Little League game on Saturday afternoon. Jayden's team played two consecutive games but we missed the early one because I was at church with the quilt knotting group. Jayden pitched an inning or two in the first game and did well but we missed seeing that game. In the 1 o'clock game his team was competitive with the game ending in a tie. That seems strange to me, but there's a time limit on Little League games and they don't play extra innings. It's a lot different in the majors as we found out when we got home. The Cubs were playing the Brewers in Wrigley field and the score was 1-1 when we turned on the TV. The game eventually ended with the Cubs winning 2-1 in the 15th inning with a walk-off home run.
Today is also the 109 wedding anniversary of my maternal grandparents, Paul & Ida Hollmann. They were married on May 12, 1910.
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| The woman on the left is Ida's sister Dorothy and sister Minnie stands in the center |
We've been told to expect close to 80 degrees in a week so that will be a pleasant change.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
End of an Era
For the past twelve months, we knew that our pastor, Rev. John Flamme, planned to retire and would preach his farewell sermon the first Sunday in May 2019. Today was bittersweet since the man who was our shepherd for almost 25 years would no longer be in our midst. But we also wished him well as he and his wife move to Florida to begin a new chapter in their life. The service was beautiful with special touches from the choir and with Pastor John's son, Rev. Brian Flamme, serving as liturgist and giving the final blessing. Following the blessing, Pastor John spoke the benediction and admitted later he was near tears but managed to finish. After the service, a celebration was held at Valle Vista Golf Club with a delicious meal and many people attending, some who were no longer members but joined us to show their respect and farewell. Several members and friends came to the podium to say a few word and gifts were presented.
However, a new era is about to begin. We'll have a new pastor in our midst sometime in June. We learned last Tuesday that seminarian graduate Paul Gaschler received a call to be our next pastor. We feel blessed to be selected as more churches applied for a graduate than were available. He'll be finishing his classes and graduating in the next several weeks and then he and his wife will move to Greenwood. His Ordination and Installation will be at Concordia on a date to be announced soon.
No Little League baseball games last week--too much rain. But we did get to watch some Cub games and enjoyed watching them play St. Louis to take over the lead in their division--at least for a little while.
On Saturday we ventured out in the rain to cast our votes in the mayoral primary at one of the early voting centers. When we walked into the library, the poll workers were really happy to see us. There was only one person in line ahead of us. Because of the weather and maybe a lack of interest in the primary contests, they weren't busy and welcomed anyone coming in to vote.
However, a new era is about to begin. We'll have a new pastor in our midst sometime in June. We learned last Tuesday that seminarian graduate Paul Gaschler received a call to be our next pastor. We feel blessed to be selected as more churches applied for a graduate than were available. He'll be finishing his classes and graduating in the next several weeks and then he and his wife will move to Greenwood. His Ordination and Installation will be at Concordia on a date to be announced soon.
No Little League baseball games last week--too much rain. But we did get to watch some Cub games and enjoyed watching them play St. Louis to take over the lead in their division--at least for a little while.
On Saturday we ventured out in the rain to cast our votes in the mayoral primary at one of the early voting centers. When we walked into the library, the poll workers were really happy to see us. There was only one person in line ahead of us. Because of the weather and maybe a lack of interest in the primary contests, they weren't busy and welcomed anyone coming in to vote.
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