Takin' the Blog for a Walk
Join Waukesha resident Brien Lee and his blog, Sir Fido, as they explore the city and report on the interesting things they find.
Email Brien at howlinblog@yahoo.com.
Friends of Retzer
Attended my first Friends of Retzer Nature Center Annual Membership Meeting Monday as one of it's newest "Friends." It was a chili potluck: Retzer provided chili and we brought either salad or dessert. I brought a delicious, easy fruit salad found on the internet.
A day for sharing
The end of National Volunteer Week and Donate Life Month began early for me with a 6:30 a.m. appointment Saturday for a dual red donation at BloodCenter of Wisconsin on Springdale. I was concerned that after four months with the appointment I may not be able to keep it. I was trying to shake a cold I'd caught the week before, and was also asked if I could work Saturday morning.
Spring Cleaning
Earth Day 2013 is starting out pretty nice. It's in the low 40s here this morning.
Think Spring!
Daylight Savings in next Sunday, days are getting longer, and meterological spring is already here.
Rummage Yes, Apples No
The huge St. William Annual Fall Rummage Sale starts today at 8:00 and runs till 6:00 tonight and tomorrow, 9/21. Everything is half price Friday and the last day, Saturday, from 8:00 to 1:00 you can fill a bag for $4.00. I know there's a lot of bargains to be had - I personally dropped off a truck load. St. William is at 440 N Moreland between Summit Ave. and Michigan Street, Waukesha.
goin' green
Plenty o' green on St. Pat's. The unbelievably perfect weather was obviously something to bain sult as an saol. I have a strong connection to the day that has nothing to do with green beer - just call me Patrick, it's my middle name - and I immediately recognized upon waking what a truly beautiful day it was.
3 days in 3 minutes
I added many of my Janboree photos in a short video. I felt the weekend went great thanks to the many sponsors, volunteers, organizers, ice carvers. . . not to mention the cold and snow. Thankfully we had enough snow for sledding and snowshoeing and cold for skating, because everyone was really getting out and enjoying it.
Another Apple Fest Has Fallen From The Tree
Retzer Nature Center's annual Apple Harvest Festival was last Saturday. I've previously always mentioned it ahead of time to let readers know about it but didn't this year. That's how busy I've been. Fourteen hours of overtime last week with a chance to work Saturday too, but I was previously committed.
"Spit in your shoe."
It was Mom's answer to "What can I do" when I was a young lad. I often asked the question when no brothers were around to play with. I thought she was a little strange. It shut me up. Didn't realize until years later she was just messing with me by rhyming.
Apple Fest A Peeling
I thought the morning's rain and cooler temps may keep away more than just the wasps. After years of good weather for Retzer's Apple Harvest Festival I wondered if this would be the one time few would show up. Fortunately word has gotten around in the last 24 years of the festival and they came. They came before it officially opened. They came while it was still raining and, long after the parking field was muddy, they came. They brought cloth bags and picked up free recycling bins to carry their fresh apples home in.
10 to 1, had some fun
I joined the Friends of Vernon Marsh and the DNR for a nice canoe trip down the Fox River through the marsh today. From 10:00 in the morning till 1:00 this afternoon we enjoyed overcast yet cool, dry and calm weather for this first river outing of the Friends group. The DNR provided seaworthy matching canoes and a way for us to get back to our vehicles. Saw or heard a few of the more common birds, and some not so common ones. Saw snowy egrets, yellow-headed blackbirds and a cormorant, among others.
sensory overload
The 40th annual Earth Day is Thursday, a good time to spend a couple seconds thinking about the environment we share.
I don't know
I don't know why someone would choose opening day of the Brewer game over his job, but a guy from work did just that. He'd purchased the ticket but didn't adhere to the conditions to get the day off. He had a choice to keep his job. He chose the game. What I didn't know is he had to sell his ticket because he needed the money. Ironic.
"I LUV U"
It's not that I don't love each one of you, it's just that I wouldn't come right out and say it like this. By using quotation marks in the title I'm able to avoid any emotional connection.
loss of a friend
Remembered Lou at the nature center today. Retzer was a great place to remember a great man who had just passed away a week ago, during the winter solstice.
sweet weekends (are made of this)
And I thought last weekend was sweet. Just one summer weekend to go and it keeps getting better and better.
third year's a charm
It's been three years since the beginning of WaukeshaNOW and this blog. There's still plenty going on to share. The enjoyment I get from writing hasn't receeded, and as long the computer is working, and I still have the time, I'd like to continue.
up the crick without a boat
The literature for Waukesha County Park System's 39th Earth Week initial event was pretty specific: Participants must provide their own canoe. Problem was, I still didn't have a seaworthy craft. The last time I was in one was the day I totalled it last year.
almost heaven
There's three things I look forward to at 5:00 in the morning, but it's rare I'm given the choice of all three at once.
looking for Easter
If you're looking for Easter around the neighborhood, chances are you're not going to find decorated Easter trees or lights around the eaves. We've been lucky, so far, in avoiding the overcommercialization of a more important church holiday than Christmas. This is one celebration still looked forward to and anticipated, not dreaded. 
Ginger's bowl
Late for The Fall Crawl, I thought all the good Artful Bowls might be taken. With 500 bowls at the start, there were still plenty of beautiful ones to choose from. Mine was lovingly made and signed by Ginger from Waukesha South.
a golden delicious Saturday for Retzer's festival
The weather was Prima. Thousands of happy people came to Retzer Nature Center to celebrate the apple harvest with a Royal Gala... or a Honey Crisp, Cortland or Molly's Delicious.
apple pie anyone?
I'll be selling apple pie slices from 9:00 to noon next Saturday the 20th at Retzer Nature Center's 22nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival, and you're invited to buy some. Keep me busy.
birds, bees, flowering trees
Yesterday was almost perfect; the weather sunny and calm, many things are in bloom, not too hot or cold and no bugs. This is a great time to welcome the birds that were away for so long. There's cute baby bunnies hopping around the yard lately, and there's just a couple huge bees busily polinating around the house.
if a tree falls in the forest...
I was enjoying a quiet walk in the woods at Retzer Nature Center today. It felt good to slow down and notice things that were buried under snow not that long ago. So many shades of green... It would have been a lot quieter had it not been for the howling wind and squeeks of bending trees rubbing against one another. I had stopped to listen to all the sounds and moments later heard something unexpected. A dead pine tree came crashing down in the area I had just come from.
a bad day crane counting. . .
I have to compare yesterday's crane count to fishing. Sometimes you don't see any, but the day is never wasted. Plus, a bad day of crane counting is still better than a good day at work.
it ain't over till the fat snowman melts
I squeezed in one last crosscountry ski trip to Retzer on one of my "spring" break days off yesterday. Still snow everywhere but of varying quality. Still beautiful though. One thing some people have realized, with Retzer's rolling landscape and open fields, it can be a good place to play in the snow.
Groundhog Day all over again
As in the Bill Murray movie of the same name, this Groundhog Weekend was the same as last year's; Mom had a birthday and celebrated it at the Original Pancake House on Bluemound, went to Retzer's annual Wild Winter Night Activities, and wrote about both in the blog as I'm doing now.
lost blog
Dug the cross country skis out to get a better look at the hoarfrost, or whatever it is, that covered every needle and twig today. Had such a good time at Retzer yesterday that I decided to do it again. I covered the same territory and trails as yesterday but had even more fun on skis.
frosted flakes
Say what you will about all the shoveling, slippery roads and walks, but you have to admit yesterday's snow was beautiful. There was no controversy over closing schools. The main roads weren't too bad, the snow not too heavy. It wasn't too cold and wasn't blowing. It was perfect snowman weather and quite a few have been added to the neighborhood population.
