Looking for a puppy?
UPDATE: These four have been adopted, but keep checking the site. We are closed on Mondays, but check back every day to see the new pups available for adoption.
Volunteer to Assist in Removing Invasive Weeds from Our Parks
“Citizen Stewardship of Our Milwaukee County Parks”. That’s our mission statement; a nice concise
phrase packing a lot of meaning in a few words. Stewardship means different
things to different people, but one meaning is maintaining the health of our
neighborhood parks - something that can not be accomplished by our dedicated
park workers alone. That’s where you come in!
Waiting for a Turn Around
Between the snow of a couple weeks ago and the rain today, I took a walk. It was great walking along the path through the park without having to worry about slipping on ice. I followed it toward the business district. It had been a while since I’d been on Milwaukee Avenue. So many empty storefronts.
I stopped by the Wild Flour bakery. Thank goodness that’s still there. It was buy-one-loaf-of-bread- get-a-second-one-for-$2 Wednesday. Out of cranberry, my fave. So I settled for one raisin and one sesame seed.
88 Degrees
Last week, my oldest son spent the night at my mom's house.
With the TV on, a bowls of chips, and the realization that he was cold, my son (as he thought of more pleasant times) looked at the thermostat. He then proudly and slowly turned grandma's thermostat to 88 degrees.
Running a Half-Marathon in Local County Parks
On Saturday, April 12, I ran in the Badgerland Striders South Shore Half-Marathon. My son, Chris, came home from college for the weekend and we ran together (at least for the first nine miles).
The race started at 8:30 am at South Shore Park in Bay View. The weather was not too bad at that point. It was about 40 degrees with very little wind. It was damp but not raining. I was dressed in very warm clothing, having been "burned" with frost-bite at previous races due to the wet, cold conditions and severe wind chill.
Aicardi Beer & Wine Tasting Fund-raiser Huge Success!
April 12th was the date of the 3rd ever Aicardi Foundation fundraising event. This year interest in this event exploded as evidenced by the quantity of people there and the noise level of talking and laughing. With wine tasting and beer tasting tables (and there was PLENTY to taste), appetizers, a cash bar, live auction, silent auction, products to purchase, and DJ music later, there was enough to keep us busy for several hours. My boyfriend even won a door prize! This is the a great way to have fun and help raise money for a very worthy cause. They did a great job, and I will definitely attend again next year.
ADOPTED! Furry Olympian Seeking Coach
Meet Mae. She's the kind of girl willing to throw all caution against the wind and propel herself through the air, across the room and into unknown territory simply to catch that sneaky catnip mouse. Mae is also a very lovely feline with round emerald eyes and a dense tiger-striped coat. She's a healthy weight and maintains her figure by practicing gymnastics.
Can I Get A Cup of Coffee To Go?
Every workday I drive by the empty storefronts along Milwaukee Avenue (in So. Milwaukee) and wonder why one of them isn't a drive through coffee place like Dunn Brothers, or dare I say ...Starbucks? South Milwaukee may not seem savvy enough for a Starbucks, but I know if there was a specialty coffee shop that serves coffee fast as I am on my way to work, I would certainly frequent the place.
I noticed a new cafe that is about to open on 10th Avenue (the old Grebe's - Yea!!!) and I hope that they can fill part of this need. McDonald's certainly provides morning coffee quickly, and many gas stations too. But it really would be nice to have a drive through alternative to McDonalds.
Signs of spring
Our Florida-wintering neighbors came home today.
Sounds of a lawn mower from another neighbor's yard.
UPDATE! Adopted...Yellow Dog, Heart of Gold
Mario met his match and went home last weekend with a great family!
Tourist with an Internet Connection and No Money
Google Maps provide a great way to view the world from your computer. Normally, I'm not a big fan of looking at street maps. However, the satellite Google Maps provide real images and are very cool. Here are some of my favorite.
(This is called A Tourist with an Internet Connection and No Money!)
Local Athlete Trains for Ironman Competition
Once again, there is lots of news to report this week.
I participated in the Crazy Legs Classic 8k in Madison on Saturday, April 26th. I ran this race in 43:21. It was a cold day with temperatures in the 30's and very strong winds. There were also some large hills at the beginning of the course. The course started out at the Capital Building and ended at Camp Randall Stadium. There were 17,300 people running or walking in this event. In terms of number of participants this was the largest event I ever ran in. My son Chris finished in 38:34 and his roommate Kyle finished in 40:06.
Car-Free Sunday
Since it was Sunday, I hadn’t set an alarm. Turns out I didn’t have to. The throbbing of what sounded like a hyper-amplified boom box woke me. It was 6:30 a.m.
Although the Grand Hyatt Jakarta’s guest rooms are superbly sound proofed from each other, street sounds do penetrate. That’s where the music came from. It was the monthly car-free day.
ADOPTED! Amelia the Gentle Giant
You may not be able to tell from her photos, but Amelia is nearly 100 lbs... of pure love! She's what dog people call a "leaner," a dog who loves to brush up against you and lean into your body, wanting to be as close to you as possible. Amelia loves to be cuddled, brushed, nuzzled and given belly rubs. At 3.5 years old, this Labrador Retriever/American Pit Bull Terrier prefers praise over toys and slow walks over triathalons. She likes to play with the occasional plush toy but isn't very fond of fetching or aerobic exercise.
