My Week that Was - January 11

From my 2024 Kwik Trip report. via email

The first full week of January was cold. It was below average but it is the kind of weather you should expect if you live in Wisconsin. We've had one snow that measured around four inches, but all that's left are piles created by snow plows.

Saturday I cleaned a small section of the basement where I keep my tool box (just enough to be dangerous), bulbs, batteries, and paint that may be necessary for one job or another. Thankfully, we have a home that's in good shape and I know my limits, so unless I'm sure it's something I can do, we call a professional.

When LED bulbs came out I bought a bunch of them. One of their qualities is a longer life than an incandescent so I decided it was safe to cut down the inventory and make them available to other people. There were a couple specific plumbing tools I bought but never needed, so they were sent to the local thrift shop so someone else can use them.

Image courtesy of Kwik Trip

 In Saturday's email, I received the 2024 report on my Kwik Trip usage. I recorded 306 visits in 2024, visiting 41 of 897 stores, which makes me a Trusted Tripper (250 or more visits). I bought 261 gallons of gas and my most common purchase was a soft drink from their soda fountain.  

 I finished the first draft of a new lighthouse presentation, Lights of Gitche Gumee, Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast. It will share stories on several lighthouses that dot the southern shore of Lake Superior. I'll also include several favorite lights and a video showing all the lights we've seen on three of the five Great Lakes. There is some urgency as I expect to give the first presentation soon.

For the videos, I use a Power Point presentation. The long version features more than 350 photos, it is fun talking about them and nice to share with others who share my enthusiasm.

The Packers had a disappointing result to end their regular season, losing on a last second field goal by the rival Bears. The team seemed off-kilter most of the game, finally taking the lead with less than a minute to play, but an untimely penalty and successful pass put Chicago in position to end Green Bay's 11-game winning streak in the long-time rivalry. 

The Packers aren't done, with a play-off game this weekend against Philadelphia in the Eagles nest. It will take a high-level performance to beat the Eagles. Green Bay has shown flashes of it this season, I'm curious to see if they can play a full-game like it to advance to next weekend.

Tuesday morning I had a dentist appointment to take care of a cavity. It's the first one since high school when I had four over a couple years. Memories of those cavities and how Dr. Turner (our family dentist then) took care of it. What I remember is a long needle to administer Novocaine, or a similar drug.

This time, thanks to a numbing agent, I barely felt a prick. The procedure was quick, and I was heading back to work 40 minutes later.

Newhart aired from 1982 to 1990. Internet image

I shared in September that we started watching Newhart. We saw a few episodes a week, making it to end of the fifth season. 

Wednesday we learned it is moving off Amazon Prime Sunday, so we powered through the last ten episodes of the season. That leaves six, seven, and eight - it's a big hill to climb but we'll do our best.

Realizing that watching 70 episodes is unlikely, we decided to pick six episodes from each remaining seasons.

Friday morning a light snow began. It didn't accumulate but in places around Madison it was warm enough to fall as ice, coating streets and highways, some of the Beltline looked like a parking lot because of accidents.

Friday morning. 1/10/25 dwm

 It was a busy week. In addition to calls, I spent time setting times for this year's resident pizza parties. There are just four more to get on the calendar with seven signed up.

 Friday it was nice meeting with a friend who raises money at another non-profit to talk shop and compare notes. The week ended by getting to show a donor what their gift provided for the campus. We had a nice chat about the project and its upcoming spring dedication.

 The biggest news at home is buying a 2022 Subaru Outback. The Kia had started acting up. It didn't seem serious but the service manager told us it wasn't worth fixing. We weren't surprised because we anticipated replacing it this year, just not this soon. So far I've only driven it a short distance in a test drive, that should happen this weekend.

 Thanks for reading, have a wonderful week!