My Week that Was - December 20

A cold day in Verona. 12/13/25 dwm

 While it's been cold and snowy this month in Madison, it felt like January or February this past weekend when Saturday's high may have reached 7. 

 On Sunday we were lucky to get above zero and that it wasn't as windy as predicted. It was serious cold for early December, with temperatures more than 20-degrees below average.

 Most things continued as usual, but a bike ride for riders wearing Santa suits was shortened to get riders out of the cold and the holiday light display at the Vilas Zoo was canceled for two nights.

 My priority was getting the rest of the presents for family and friends. I thought most places would open at 9 in the lead-up to the holidays, but the first couple stores didn't open until 10.

 I bought a mix of gift cards from places I knew they would like, but didn't want to risk getting the wrong thing. I found five gifts in a thrift store for some co-workers and feel they will be appreciated.

Backyard Santa on Monroe St. 12/14/25

Sunday after church we drove to Monroe Street to see many of the inflatable Santas lining the road. 

It was good for a blog (it went live Tuesday, Dec. 16) and some nice seasonal photos.

 

The Green Bay Packers played a strong game against the Broncos into the second half. During the third quarter, the Packers threw a long ball downfield to receiver Christian Watson. 

 

It was intercepted and Watson was injured. An early report indicated it's to his chest, which I'm guessing is better than a shoulder injury, remarkably, Watson was cleared to play tonight (Saturday, December 20)..

 

Then the Packers and their fans were shocked to see Micah Parsons fall to the ground while chasing the Denver quarterback. It was a non-contact injury, which is usually a worst-case scenario. Parsons tore his anterior cruciate ligament, which usually takes 9 months or more to heal; he's saying he wants to return in time for the start of next season. 

 

Green Bay is still a good team, but Watson and Parsons make them legitimate Super Bowl contenders.  After the Packer's loss, we watched the third-seed Wisconsin women's volleyball team defeat top-seed Texas on the Longhorn's home court and advance to the Final Four Thursday night. This will be the Badger's 7th trip to the Finals; they won the championship in 2021.

Most Mondays, I'm on Oakwood's Prairie Ridge campus, and for lunch I usually purchase the McChicken Value Meal for $5. It's a McChicken sandwich, small fry, four McNuggets, and a small soda. It's a good deal, except it's too much food! Most of the time I find a co-worker to eat the McNuggets.

Wednesday we had an office dinner. Twenty of us gathered at Buck & Honey's in Waunakee for a buffet. We were asked to purchase a holiday ornament and bring it inside a wrapped box. There was good conversation and good food, then after dinner, the person at each table who has worked at Oakwood the least amount of time, got to choose the box they wanted. Then it rotated around the table until everyone had a box. 

 

There was no guidance beforehand on whether the ornament should be a gag gift, so I looked for something nice. I was happy that the person choosing first took mine and said they liked it. I ended up choosing that person's contribution and was happy with the selection. There were a couple of gag gifts but they went home with the other person who brought a gag gift.  

 

I exchanged a few Christmas presents at work and received a few. The one I want to share is the Wacky Inflatable Tube Man, the short version, as this one is just 17-inches tall.

The Wacky Inflatable Tube Men you see at used car lots and in-front of cellular phone stores was invented by a Jamaican artist and received their first fame during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. For what I expect to be a short period of time, the Wacky Inflatable Man is on display in my office.

At work I keep track of how many calls I make, how many people I talk with, and how many appointments are made. This week had to be (because I don't track these statistics) the most calls ever with 100 and I reached 45 of them. 

The Badger women played a strong game in the National Semifinal against Kentucky but lost by the slimmest of margins in the 5th set. They had a great season. 

The calls are to thank donors and wish them a happy holiday season. I wish you and yours the very same, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!