My Week that Was - May 24

The clock on top Baraboo's courthouse. 5/16/25 dwm

 Saturday started cool and a week after a ride that was so warm I was unsure it was the last time I would wear the long-sleeve bike jersey.

 May 17th barely got out of the 50s, thanks to afternoon sun, but I felt good in the jersey even after I removed the hat and stretchy gloves 20 miles into the ride. 

 Considering it's Memorial Day weekend I'm confident and hopeful that I won't need the jersey, gloves, or hat until the darkening days of autumn, which feels a long time from now.

Sunday was quiet and relaxing. After church, I picked up some items for the cupboard in the office where I keep frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches known as Uncrustables; packaged tuna and crackers; and, usually soup. 

That's what was missing from my lunch stash, so I picked up 8 of Campbells Creamy Tomato Soups at Hand and a box of Wheat Thins. These two items have been part of my lunch routine going back almost 25 years.

Monday was my first day of 'batching it' since my wife headed out to help a close friend pack for an upcoming move. Thankfully, there were freezer meals in the deep freeze thanks to her, and while I'm not highly skilled, I can warm things up. It rained hard after Monday turned into Tuesday with clouds opening faucets all the way around 3. It kept raining throughout the day, giving the ground a much-needed soak.

After getting home Tuesday, I turned on the oven so it could preheat while I changed clothes then retrieved supper from the freezer. This one was more complex than the night before, requiring more than double the time to cook. 

Mission Impossible 8 - The Final Reckoning comes out Friday. Over the last month, I watched movies 1 through 7, finishing 7 Dead Reckoning Wednesday evening. The first one came out in 1996 and this will be the last one (probably). Can Ethan Hunt defy all the odds and create a fairy tale ending out of a dire set of circumstances? I'm looking forward to the end of the story.

Thursday was the last day of my week (again) and it included some fun as residents and staff celebrated a campus-version of Brat Fest. This weekend, Brat Fest will feed thousands with one of Wisconsin's favorite foods. As part of the event, Metcalfe's, a local grocery store, delivers free bratwurst to senior communities in the county so more people can take part. Oakwood's kitchen crew prepare the food and staff members volunteer to serve the brats and everything else that goes with them. I handed out chocolate chip cookies for the last hour of lunch.

A mega-sized brat drive-thru. 5/23/25 dwm

Friday morning, I got up even earlier than usual and made my way to Willow Island at the Dane County Fairgrounds where the the world's largest bratwurst cookout was underway.

It was my first time helping at Brat Fest. There will be more about my experience and the celebration tomorrow. 

I signed up as a volunteer with our church. The volunteers are what give the event its energy. Every volunteer is working on behalf of their favorite local not-for-profit. 

Twenty-five members of our church signed up, including me, in exchange each charity will receive $12 for every hour worked by each volunteer!

After my four-hour shift, I used my brat certificate so I could eat before heading home. In addition to the free brat, I received a t-shirt, and a coupon for a free treat from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream.

Thanks to the early lunch, I was ready to ride. My seventh ride was an out and back trip going east, then turning around when 25 miles were under my wheels. If finished 50 miles in 3 hours, 15 minutes. Thanks to my day off yesterday, I'm hoping to get in another ride before the four-day weekend is finished. 

Have a great week!