My Week that Was - May 6

Choc Chip pancakes. 4/29/23 dwm

  For breakfast last Saturday we returned to the Pancake Cafe nearby on Nesbitt Road.  It was the first time we've been there since before the pandemic.

 We were happy to see it survived and pleasantly surprised by the redecorating which made it look like a new place, more comfortable and welcoming.

 I splurged with a chocolate chip pancake but tried to limit the damage by ordering just one instead of a stack.  The other calorie-saving step is probably as effective as ordering a diet soda with an ice cream sundae but I skipped the maple syrup too!

 After breakfast it was time to head to Woodman's for some household supplies and to get pop for the office fridge. 

 The weather was poor enough it was a good day to catch up on recorded programs and Ted Lasso.  I'm the only one in the house interested in that program on Apple+. I just finished season one of three.  

I don't watch because the situation of this comedy is a British soccer team but for the story of a fish-out-of-water Midwestern football coach as he negotiates a new sport and locker room while being polite,  understanding, and curious.  It's received a lot of accolades so it doesn't need mine but I'll give it anyway.

It was windy Monday and Tuesday as the cold and cloudy weather started moving out of state.  As I was driving away from work Tuesday afternoon, I saw a couple recycling containers tipped over with papers and cans blowing around the yard.  I decided to stop to pick up the recycling and hopefully secure the cans.

Three times I had all the cans, bottles, cardboard, and paper picked up when another gust of wind blew the lid off the top, tipping the can backwards and all its holdings were free again.

On the third attempt, I turned the cans so the wind couldn't lift the lids.  One of our facility services guys came out to help and thanks to his expertise we picked up all the recycling and positioned cans so they wouldn't be as vulnerable.  30 minutes after I left work, I was on my way home.

Wednesday the weather improved.  The sun was out.  The wind was calm, or at least calmer than the days prior.  On campus, the parking garages are being cleaned, so while that happened, I parked outside.  

Another great thing this week was that Covid cases in the county are low, which means masks are optional again on both campuses.  I don't mind wearing masks and recognize they helped me from getting sick often in the last two years.  Lately the mask gets stuck on the little facial hair (after shaving) I have and it is uncomfortable.  That's a reason for me to celebrate mask freedom.

The Sugar River under the Military Ridge Trail.

Several weeks of effort culminated in a generous gift that will develop a part of campus over the next year or so.  There's a lot of work to do but it doesn't start without the gift.

As the week came to a close it's warmer than it's been in a long time.  There were a couple stray days in April that hit 70 but this feels different and more permanent.

After work, we took a walk along a portion of the Military Ridge state trail west of Verona where the former railroad line cuts across wetland and the narrow beginning of the Sugar River.  It is coming to life beautifully.

Speaking of the trail, I'm ready to ride when weather and opportunity finally intersect.  That's my week that was - please enjoy your new week!