Sun 27 Feb

Another month nearly gone, so quickly they pass. At least this week promises slightly warmer temps, highs in the 30s. Nice to have a bit of a break. Took a nice walk at Schmeeckle to enjoy the beginning of it yesterday. Food: 7:55 am Blueberry almond danish, 102 g blackberries, coffee

Sat 26 Feb

Chilly but sunny walk to the Farmer's Market. David was having a rough day. His Wausau seller came down with Co-Vid and he didn't have a replacement available so he had to bring all his inventory from both sites to the market here. Hope he has a good sales day. He was having things fall or just generally go wrong, so he was grumpy. Wished I could have bought extra to help him out, but we already buy one thing for every day of the week and we still have other goodies in the house. Food: 9:05 am Chocolate caramel walnut babka, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 25 Feb

Still sore from Wed Body Pump, but I'll trust Nicole that I'll be better off trying it again today (unless I feel even sorer come time to go). Must admit I'm not looking forward to it. Fish fry from St Joe's Winterfest tonight. Must remember to go pick up the food. Food: 7:50 am Apricot danish, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 24 Feb

Walking slightly later (9:00) with Kathy as she is hosting one of the student retreat prayer leaders and has to feed him breakfast in the mornings. Today he left earlier than usual, but we had already planned the delay so we're sticking to it. Food: 7:55 am Chocolate pecan snail, 102 g blackberries, coffee

Wed 23 Feb

Back to Body Pump today for the first time in quite a while. My shoulder is pretty well healed, though perhaps not quite the range of motion as before and untested on weight bearing above my head. We'll see. Planning for Geoff and Michelle's visit in July. They'll be here, camping at Jordan Park, 7/1-6, and are scheduled at Aqualand in Door County 7/8-15. We'll try to get reservations in Valmy for 7/8-11 to spend some time with them showing them the sights of Door County. Food: 7:55 am Blueberry danish, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Tues 22 Feb

George Washington's Birthday - Happy Birthday, George. It appears that at least the first wave of the big predicted snow went far to the north of us. Grand Marais may be happy to have had a fresh infusion of snow for the skiers, and much likely just fell into Lake Superior. There's another system currently over Minnesota that might hit us, but it might also bend north. The forecast has been amended to a couple of inches this afternoon, then possibly a couple more on Thursday. It remains to be seen. Food: 7:55 am Cherry danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Mon 21 Feb

Going back to the gym this week, will seem strange not to call the whole day my own any more. Hopefully I won't be as bothered by the lack of masking now that new infection numbers are down considerably in the county. Food: 7:55 am Chocolate eclair, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Sun 20 Feb

Supposed to be another of those anomalous warm days today, maybe as high as 47°. It's already at 25° just before 8:00 am. and the sun is even shining. Might be a day to put on boots against sloppiness and trudge through Schmeeckle this afternoon. Food: 8:00 am Lemon-filled polonaise, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Sat 19 Feb

Decided it was too cold to walk to the Farmer's Market today. Temps are still just below zero, and last evening's winds were so wicked, it's hard to trust that they are completely done. David had eclairs today, so I have two of them. Bob doubled up on some other things to balance. Eclairs are delicious and generously-filled. Sun is shining brightly today, but it'll be awhile before it warms up. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is supposed to get quite warm. Ah, Wisconsin winter. Food: 8:30 am Chocolate eclair, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 18 Feb

Ate too much chocolate last night (and the scale reflects it), but really enjoyed the little bit of socializing with friends and acquaintances that we haven't been able to do for so long. Saw Andrew from Rockman's, Dave and Julie Marie, Cindy and Paul Piotrowski, one of the fellows who had been on the Suicide Prevention committee with me, Ann Hubbard, and perhaps a couple of others I can't remember. Enjoyed occasional chats with the bartender as we found good places to plant ourselves and our food at the far end of the bar. Chose to give away our free drink tickets for Mikey's (to Dave Marie) because we really were satisfied and ready to go home. Paul Piotrowski has been working at PCHHS as a contact tracer, and he said the number of new Co-Vid cases is drastically down, so I think I'll go back to my gym routine next week. Food: 8:00 am Chocolate pecan snail, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 17 Feb

Not as warm as yesterday, but shouldn't be too bad for my walk with Kathy. Evening of Chocolate Decadence tonight, split between two shifts and held at a-soshel in Plover. First time in-person in a couple of years. Hopefully safe. Food: 7:55 am Chocolate pecan snail, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Wed 16 Feb

Time marches on. Some days I just get a feel for that more than others. Perhaps because it's a tad warmer today (an anomaly), it feels like we're getting closer to spring. I hope I'll feel comfortable going back to the gym before too long. I hate not doing any really good strength training, but I'm not motivated to work at home as long as a Body Pump class. Food: 7:55 am Apricot danish, 102 g blackberries, coffee

Tues 15 Feb

Halfway through February, one could hope more than halfway through winter. 10° above zero this morning, always an improvement. Supposed to be a couple of warmer days mid-week. Forgot to do my absentee ballot; possible that I could still go vote in-person today. Food: 7:55 am Cheese danish, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Mon 14 Feb

Happy Valentine's Day! So nice to look at that picture from the beach restaurant in Kauai and remember just sitting there and sipping coffee and scanning for whale breaches at the horizon. Brings peace. Food: 8:00 am Kouign amann, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Sun 13 Feb

-4° this morning at 8:00 am. I was hoping for a longer reprieve from the bitter cold, but alas! Hopefully it won't last as long as last time. We'll see whether Bob has the ambition to walk to church today. Winds are currently between 3-6 mph so not too bad. Food: 8:05 am Lemon-filled bismarck, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Sat 12 Feb

Cold temps this morning, but with minimal wind and the right clothing, the walk to the Farmer's Market wasn't too bad. We're quite well-stocked with goodies now with a full complement of David's pastries, a Racine Kringle, a couple of morning buns, some day-old pumpkin scones and a cinnamon roll from La Brioche. Yikes! Food: 9:25 am Cherry-filled bismarck, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 11 Feb

Had a couple of dreams that were unpleasant as the people were confrontational. Both had me back at work, though not with anyone I knew. One woman and her small child came into my office when I wasn't there and built a maze of blocks all over the floor. The other couple insisted that I buy them meals whenever I wanted to meet, and when I refused, they ordered food delivered to my office, payment on delivery, before their meeting. Twas frustrating. Food: 8:00 am Honey bear, 103 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 10 Feb

My dad would have been 106 today had he lived. I'm sure he's glad he didn't live that long! He is still loved and missed. Walking with Kathy today for the first time in several weeks. Temps are at 18° so not too bad, though there is a bit of wind. Food: 7:50 am Chocolate croissant, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Wed 9 Feb

OMG, it's 34° outside before 8 am! Cloudy, but warm! I know it's only temporary, but very welcome. I'll have to get outside for a walk today, though it'll probably be quite sloppy. Food: 7:50 am Chocolate pecan snail, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Tues 8 Feb

Already appreciating the abating of the really cold temps a bit, even though I didn't go outside much yesterday. Today I'll walk to the library to return a couple of books and see if anything else has come in. I believe it's supposed to get up around 30° today. Food: 7:50 am Kouign amann, 102 g blackberries, coffee

Mon 7 Feb

Not as cold a night last night, a bit of a relief. It's 13° out now. This week will be a bit of a reprieve from the bitter cold that has been around too long. The timing of our Hawaii vacation was good to escape some of the worst of it and refresh us to finish out the long haul that is Wisconsin winter. Food: 8:00 am Apricot danish, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Sun 6 Feb

Lots of good deep sleep spread throughout the night, so feeling pretty well-rested. Would have liked to be able to head out to "our table" on the beach, order breakfast, and watch whales breaching on the horizon, but alas, it was a short-term thing. Instead a chilly walk to church, though not nearly as chilly as yesterday - it's already 18°! Food: 7:55 am Cherry-filled bismarck, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Sat 5 Feb

Another chilly morning, but supposedly the last of the below zero nights for the next 10 days at least. Chilly walk to the market, but at least minimal wind. And David's goodies to make it all worthwhile. Got eggs, bacon, and liver as well. No need to go back outstide that I know of today, and almost 7500 steps to show for the effort. I take lots of small steps when the sidewalks are potentially slippery. The only really bad slippery area was the block outside the rec center where there had been melting and refreezing. Food: 9:35 am Lemon-filled bismarck, 101 g blackberries, coffee

Fri 4 Feb

Starting to re-acclimate a bit to being back at home. Didn't feel the need to sleep in this morning. Get to tackle the full laundry basket today. Not sure when I'm going to feel comfortable getting back to the gym. Need to assess the current Co-Vid transmission status in Portage County. Food: 7:55 am Costco cinnamon roll, 102 g blackberries, coffee

Thurs 3 Feb

What a wonderful trip to Hawaii! Slept i a little this morning after having spent the previous night sleeping on a plane, so I'm a little bit groggy and off-center yet this morning. Too cold for Kathy and I to walk (which was probably good since I'd have had to rush out without breakfast to make it in time!) Will pick up a library book at 11, still to be decided if I'll drive or walk depending on temperatures and wind. Food: 8:35 am Costco cinnamon butter loaf, 101 g blackberries, coffee