My Week that Was - May 20

After months, the Prius was cleaned again. 5/13/23

Saturday was busy.  The regular workout, cleaned the car, cleaned up, grabbed breakfast, and then took the bright yellow car to the Mermaid Car Wash.

 

Since I cleared out the car, their crew was able to vacuum the seats and floors.  A series of machines along the automated path washed off dirt and grime from the exterior and the chassis.  I bought an air freshener to hang from the rear view mirror and was all set.

Clearing out the car made me realize the difference in how I used to drive when I put 3,000 miles each month on my first Prius driving to see clients in Clark, Eau Claire, and Chippewa counties and how it is when most days I'm driving less than 15.

One stop left, towel dry by hand. dwm photo

 I don't need the same things in the car for short trips as I did for long treks.  Back then I relied on satellite radio to keep me in touch over long empty stretches.  Now I have a handful of radio stations at the ready.

 After lunch I drove to Janesville, arriving early enough to grab a cone at Frostie Freeze, then picked up my friend for the trip to American Family Field.  It had been a while since I drove that stretch of U.S. 14 and Interstate 43 but I didn't miss a turn.

 It looked different heading home in the dark.  I was nearly convinced I missed the Janesville turn-off when the sign for it came into view.  It was around 10:30 when I delivered my friend home and just before midnight when I got to sleep.

Sunday I woke later than usual, got in my walk, then my wife and I headed for breakfast and a trip to Menards to grab eight bags of mulch, three bags of soil, and several plants.  After lunch, I watched the Brewers complete their sweep of the Royals in between a few rounds of shut-eye.

Another note about Sunday; when going through my email, I saw a message from Kwik Trip offering to credit me with 15 visits if I spent $10 in their store that day.  We needed a few things, so I thought that was worth a trip.  I drove over, bought two 1.5 gallon containers of ice cream and a Twix candy bar, you know, the necessities.

A few hours later I looked at my app and found my visit total only advanced by 1.  I re-checked the email and this time saw that I had to accept the offer electronically so I could receive the reward.  Kwik Trip has a great reputation for customer service, so I did a test.  Through the app I sent a message with purchase information from the receipt and explained I made the trip and purchase without looking carefully at the email, and asked for grace and the credit.

Tuesday morning I heard from Kwik Trip.  They gave me credit for 15 additional visits.  And that's why I'll 'see them next time.' 

Photo from Variety Show at Prairie Ridge.

Tuesday was our second of two donor dinners, this one on Oakwood's Prairie Ridge campus.  It went very well.  The food was delicious and the people who gathered enjoyed it.

Wednesday night was Cabaret night on the University Woods campus and my wife and I were on the bill.  Several weeks earlier I was part of Prairie Ridge's Variety show singing a song from 1958 made famous by the Playmates.  

This time, my wife was wearing a painting depicting the front end of a 1958 Nash Rambler while I wore the grill and emblem of a 1958 Cadillac as I sang "Beep, Beep."

It's a song I've loved for years and always thought would be fun to perform.  I won't say our version was completely faithful to the Playmates version but we probably had more fun.  My wife was the driver tooting her horn while I tried to defend the Cadillac's honor.  We had a good time and so did the audience.  The whole evening was a great with many talented residents and co-workers bravely taking the stage to share their talent.

Lilacs bloomed this week. dwm

 It's amazing how much changes in a short time.  Just two weeks ago the leaves were barely budding, most trees were bare.  Some flowers were blooming but with cold nights, it didn't feel like spring.

 The lilacs began blooming before this week started, just in time for Mother's Day.  That's how I remember the lilacs in our backyard along the fence we shared with St. Paul Lutheran Church and School.

 They are pretty but it's the lilac's aroma that is the highlight of spring.  I'm glad we have a huge bush of lilacs at the end of our drive, it's the essence of spring.

 Friday was the end of a long week with plenty of joy and memorable highlights.  Sharing a song on stage with Rhonda that worked, getting both laughs and applause was fantastic.  There was plenty of work done and plenty waiting in the next one.  Have a great week - thanks for reading!

 

Photos, with the exception of the shot of me on stage were taken by me over the past week. The exception was taken by a friend during the Prairie Ridge Variety show.