My Week

Tuesday evening I went to a presentation by Johnathan Reyman on his experience at the Civil War Reenactment at Brice's Crossroads.  Ahh he even included the jigger bites.

Wednesday I did my usual bargain hunting.  In the evening I went to the Interveterans council.  I was the only one with a camera so I captured this picture after the new officers were sworn in.

Thursday I had my oil changed before my trip to Wisconsin to see my sisters, et al.  I asked about the corroded battery cap and I was told that they didn't clean them but I can just pour hot water with a little baking soda over it.  I tried it later and it worked.  While waiting for my car to finish, I noticed that the man who had just left had dropped his debit card and the Jiffy Lube looked him up in the computer for a happy reunion.  Afterward I went to Lowes and got a new screen filter for the hood of my stove.  Then a new battery for my watch (this was before cleaning the corrosion off my car battery who told me the same), and then stopped by Joannes for a peice of foam for a patriotic array of flags.  Hopping that those Wreaths Across America mini flags will go in this array so we can present them to Gary Sigler who represented our POWs.

Deep down inside, I know I don't need another Civil War dress but I did need a cool Summer Sheer.

I will definitely have to be accurate on the underpinnings because they will show through.  Awaiting for this to arrive to try it on.

I went to a book signing at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum for a book named "Mary Lincoln:  Southern Girl - Northern Woman".  It was a good crowd.  I couldn't find my wallet since it fell from my purse in the car but that may have been an omen because the book was $35.  I looked at the book from my seat in the auditorium and it is in very fine print.  The Q and A was dominated by Katherine.  I can't even recall what that question was about.  While there, I took these photos of an original apron since I am working on making my own patriotic Civil War Apron.

It says this is for a girl so the apron for a woman should be a pinner instead of a shoulder strap apron.  What amazes me is the variety of styles that the red-white-blue had on these patriotic aprons.

Friday after exercise class, I packed the car and headed to meet with my sisters in Wisconsin. On the way up I dropped off my dog with my son in Peoria to sit for her.   I saw two Amish buggies in Wisconsin.  I arrived in Viola and went straight to the high school where I met my sisters in the parking lot.  We went swimming while the men went hunting a coyote (seen but not shot).  I went off the diving board with a test of a plain jump then I dived three times.
That evening, we took pictures:

And some of you thought I was silly....

Saturday we went to run a few errands, including the city dump. Their neighbor was there at the same time and he was going to dump a rifle cabinet which I claimed and gave it to my son.  then to the ski jump.  See the website:  http://snowflakeskiclub.com/ 
I got in free because I am a veteran.  We met Nikki, Dan's daughter, there.  She recently completed her registered nurse training. 

 We had a ride on the horse cart around the lot.

The fur trader:

Ginny swapped out her knit head band for a rabbit fur cap at the fur vendor.

My favorite pose at the end of the ski jump of my sister in her fur cap doing "the stance".  I had never been to one before and was afraid of getting cold digits.  Thanks to my sister's boots and hand warmers, I was just fine.  Note to self....get boots like that. 

At the top, we met a friendly skier from Minnesota.  I blew it.  I'm ashamed.  In an effort to be inquisitive, I asked the omen of a question.


One of the winners with 138 meters from Finland:

My sisters, who both color their hair, asked if I would submit to them for a hair color.  Only your sisters would notice that I needed it.  I didn't know.  Sow we stopped by Walgreens.

Saturday night it started snowing.  Dan gave my sister and I a ride on the the snowmobile and I believe he got up to 100 MPH.  The farm is now known as the Kinsey amusement park.  Then he tied the toboggan on the snow mobile just like my dad used to do when we were kids on the back of the car.  At least Dan didn't go too fast.  We still tipped over a number of times.  Plus the rope and leather will need to be repaired.

Even the cows were snow covered:

I had planned to stop by Boscobel and see my other sister, Gloria, on Sunday on the way back but because of the snow, it was not safe to travel.  I was in no hurry.  I'm retired and the only thing I'd miss would be my exercise with the seniors at Powerworks but instead I got to watch the Superbowl with my sister.  Did you see me in the half time show? I was a shark.

I left on Monday and I stopped by my sister's work briefly to give her the same things I gave my other sisters:  A purse, chocolate and a jar of Slawsa.   I also gave her a dozen of eggs from our sister, Ginny.  I asked her co-worker to snap a sister shot.

I like the way she did her hair.

Roads were worse in WI but leaving Prairie Du Chein my GPS took me on the Iowa side down to Davenport and the roads were clearer.  I didn't see cars in the the ditch until I got near Bettendorf. Then I started seeing them, cars in the ditch (including a tractor trailer)but I stopped counting them because is saw one being pulled out by a towing service and saw more where tire tracks had been so the count was futile.

I saw a 4 eagles.  I stopped at the Illinois Visitors Center near Quad Cities and they have an Eagle just my size.

 The visitor center had a nice overlook of the Mississippi River.

I stopped by Alan's work before picking up my dog and dropping off the rifle cabinet.  It was brief but nice to see Justin before his deployment.  Sophie was happy to see me and remembered me too.  Especially since I've only had her about a month.  It reinforced that this is a forever home.  But then, it happened again, she slipped out the door and ran and I chased and she played.  Sophie was picked up by Alan safely.  I got home in time to unload my car and get over to the Hoogland Center for dance practice for the upcoming Lincoln's Birthday ball at the Old State Capitol.

This has been a memorable week and this blog will lock that memory.