My Week that Was - July 27

A Dane Co. corn field. 7/20/24 dwm

 My week began with breakfast at 'our spot,' the Prairie Cafe in Middleton. I ordered a pancake and a chocolate-banana smoothie.

 There is one person behind the counter at the cafe that does an especially good job making a smoothie. She didn't make it Saturday and the result was disappointing. In the universe of disappointments, this was a small one.

 After breakfast, we picked up things at Menards and dropped off a box of stuff we no longer needed at St. Vincent de Paul's.

 The Brewers got off to a good start after the All-Star Game, beating Minnesota in extra innings on Saturday and getting the winning runs on the board Sunday in the eighth. They ended the week winning 4 out of 6.

A flower garden at Prairie Ridge. 7/22/24 dwm

Monday I went to grab lunch from a drive thru, which I usually eat on my way back. After parking, I grabbed stuff from the front seat, locked the car and headed to the office. It was four hours later when I realized my car keys were not with me. I searched the entire office then retraced my steps to the car. There they were, laying on the passenger seat, and the door was locked!

I called the dealership to see if there was any way to unlock the car. The person who took my call thought it might be possible to run something inside the car to press the door lock key, but that seemed unlikely. Finally, I went to my only option, calling my wife to drive across town to unlock the car. 

She arrived faster than I expected during an afternoon commute. I unlocked the door with her key, she was on her way, and I was heading home 45 minutes later.

The Crane family visits. 7/22/24 dwm

 At home we had a more pleasant surprise, when a family of four sandhill cranes stopped by. After walking around the playground they found a buffet set up in the backyard of a neighbor.  Well, not a buffet, lets call it a bird feeder.

 Three of them ate while one stood guard, with several glances at me when I took pictures 15-yards away.

 After work Tuesday I dropped off a suit at the dry cleaners. I don't wear it often but it's been awhile so it seemed like new when I got it after work Wednesday.

 Wednesday I had two donor visits. It was a beautiful day on the Capitol Square in the morning. Later in the day, we sat on a deck overlooking the Yahara River which connects the five lakes around Madison. 

At home Wednesday evening, the crane family returned, walking past our open front door, mom and dad, plus two young, walking up the driveway then around a condo to find the bird feeder. It's like they were a family going out for ice cream.

Thursday was a perfect day for a picnic, which was convenient since we had a picnic scheduled on the University Woods campus. Music played and people gathered, employees and residents for the annual event. Staff members received an Oakwood t-shirt and bag in addition to a nice lunch with Chocolate Shoppe ice cream for dessert. 

My two jobs were the same as last week, handing out shirts and bags then picking up trash the second hour. Handing out gifts is a great way to catch up with co-workers you've not seen in a while. I met at least three colleagues who I knew only through email and caught up with two I hadn't seen in more than a year. 

Friday was a day off but I kept busy in a non-working way. I started with my longest ride this year, then we went to see Twisters. More on both events will be in this space in the coming days.

I hope your week has a lot in store, thanks for reading!