My Week That Was - December 26

My Sunday walk passed through
EPIC. 12/20/20 dwm photo

  Saturday was an unusual and welcome day for Wisconsin sports fans.  

  The 12th ranked University of Wisconsin basketball team was making up a Covid postponement with Louisville.  The UW football team made up its Covid cancelled game with Minnesota.  The Green Bay Packers played the Carolina Panthers in a game the NFL moved to Saturday night.

  The NFL announced the teams playing Saturday just last month and both Badger teams only learned of their rescheduled contests last week.  That it fell into place with basketball tipping off at 11; UW football at 3; and Green Bay at 7:15 meant cheese heads like me could watch all 3 games.

  The basketball Badgers dominated Louisville while the football team needed overtime to maintain their grip on Paul Bunyun's Axe.  Green Bay started like a house on fire, then played like they were all wet in the second half but managed to win.  So we got to watch three state teams play and win - a wonderful trifecta.

Sunday morning I followed a different path for my walk.  It took me west then south as the path followed the east side of the Epic Systems campus.  It's home to more than 10,000 employees in non-pandemic times who work on software for healthcare providers.  Their employees work in themed buildings - farmhouse, wizardry, and deep space to name a few - which show a touch of whimsy inside and out.   

Tuesday morning I saw something for the first time.  It was a coyote walking around the nature preserve on Oakwood's University Woods campus.  I doubt he would have been visible without snow.  It appeared to be hunting, unafraid and confident since he was the apex predator in the woods.

Our 2020 tree. 
12/19/20   dwm photo

When the pandemic hit Wisconsin one consequence was cancelling several talks I was scheduled to give in area libraries and community centers.  Tuesday was the first one since March when I talked about lighthouses in Wisconsin and Michigan on a Zoom chat with patrons of the DeForest Public Library.  Other than a small snafu sharing my screen that was resolved quickly, it went well and the audience seemed to enjoy it. 

Monday night was the closest Saturn and Jupiter had been in earth's night sky since 1226.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy in south Wisconsin so we missed it.  Tuesday the planets weren't as close, but it was an incredible sight.

Just two days before Christmas I learned that the internationally known store and shipping giant wasn't going to deliver the expected presents by the big day.  

It's a risk you take when you rely on 2 day shipping from any warehouse on the globe.  The upside is another gift-orderer in the household is up against the same dilemma, so I won't be left holding an empty bag.

Like a thief, winds blew warm air all day Wednesday elevating the temperature 15 degrees above average.  Overnight the winds changed and Thursday's temperatures dropped 15 degrees below average which will save what's left from the snowstorm two weeks ago.

Years past Christmas Eve was spent on the road traveling to see family or waiting for family to arrive at our place.  This year no one in our family went anywhere.  Despite that, Christmas still came as usual.  While we weren't in a church pew for Christmas Eve worship, we were in our living room for it.

Wherever you spent Christmas Eve, I trust you found the same Light of the world.  

One of the presents under the tree Christmas stood out, a gift of story telling from a company called StoryWorth.  The idea is to preserve stories from parents and grandparents (or others) that can be preserved and shared with family.  

At first it sounded like something you might give an elder in the family to capture those stories before it's too late.   I do know I'm getting older, but this confirms it, ha!

Once a week I'll be emailed a question.  I reply with an answer and it's bound and preserved at the end of a year.  Sounds interesting and will create blog content.  Depending on when the first question shows up, I hope to share something every Sunday starting January 3.

I hope you enjoyed Christmas to the extent you can in this strange times.  Thanks for reading and have a great week.