Sawyer At Rest

Dreams

A couple days ago Junie told me she had a dream that I went behind the counter at the McDonald's where she works and began making my own food, over the protests of her manager. It was apparently an apocalyptic setting and I was in full survivalist mode. She were also reported that I'm not very same night her friend Kevin dreamed that I murdered both him and her friend bella. So apparently I was marching through folks dreams that night, albeit not always in a good way. 

Dinner at OG

Late in the afternoon Lisa and I set out for a funeral in Pleasant Prairie of the mom of one of her coworkers, but we got a flat tire on my Mazda before we even left our neighborhood.

Thankfully Mr P's was open and gave us quick and efficient service patching the tire. Kudos to them. 

After the funeral home Lisa and I visited an Olive Garden nearby. It was one of the nicest Olive Garden we've ever been to, and the food and service was very good. 

Pawprints Keepsake

This is another of my Christmas presents, this one from Smiley. We did them late today,  after I got back from my road trip with LuLu. 

We anticipated Sawyer would struggle and fight to the point where it just wouldn't happen at all. 

As it turns out he was super agreeable and it took two seconds, sooooo.. we look dumb for rushing it with a muddy paw. D'oh!

Huckleberry on the other hand DID fight and squirm and raise a moderate fuss so we made do with what we could get in the moment. 

Then, without my permission, Smiley made a cast of both Kahuna and Benny's paws -  even though this was MY Christmas gift and I didn't want someone else's kitty cat memorialized. Hrmph lol

It was a thoughtful gift Smiley. Thank you!

Christmas Cards

If you sent a card, thanks! If you want a card from us next year, let us know, it's a tradition we plan to continue. Next year I plan to decorate our card "tree".

- Lisa

Ron's Place

As I mentioned after the mammoth creation, Lulu and I headed down to Kenosha to deliver both the statue and a dorm fridge she donated to my office. While we were in Kenosha she patiently waited for me to be measured for my suit, then I treated her to a late lunch at Ron's Place, restaurant recommended to me by my coworker Seth. 

I do not recommend the cheddar cheese curds as they are not really curds just small blocks of cheese deep fried. Edible and tasty but they are not cheese curds my friends.

I thought my entree was going to be a similar disappointment. I chose the 5x5 Burger, which is their mainstay and a popular item. But when it came out it looked like nothing more than a burger patty an oversized mediocre looking bun. I will say I was wrong. The burger tasted like it was grilled over charcoal, and the entire sandwich had great flavor the source of which I cannot easily identify. I would order it again.

Meanwhile Lulu ordered a modified club sandwich with onion straws, and a side of french fries. I don't recall what this item is called on the menu but it was mighty tasty too.

If you're in Kenosha and one casual pub food, Ron's Place is definitely worth a stop. 

 

Rebel Moon: Part One

Very late on Boxing Day, as midnight neared, I went over to Yaya's apartment to watch a movie with her and her boyfriend. We chose Rebel  Moon.

A Zach Snyder science fiction film, it's the story of a farming community at the mercy of a diabolical empire. The farmers believe that if they recruit enough mercenaries they can thwart the empire and gain their independence.  How even an unlikely victory would stop the empire from coming back and Alderran-ing them is never explained to my satisfaction. 

There's nothing original in the movie, as it's pretty clearly The Magnificent Seven meets Star Wars, but so what? Sometimes originality is overrated. It was fun, visually impressive, and had some decent action scenes. My main beef, honestly, was that Snyder once again dragged a movie out so long you start glancing at your watch.

I grade this one a solid B.

It's worth a watch on Netflix. 

Bobby Rivers

Bobby Rivers was a Marquette graduate who co-hosted a morning show on the old 93QFM, then moved into television at WISN, both here in Milwaukee. 

 At WISN  he became Milwaukee's first African-American film critic, taping segments for the nationally syndicated PM Magazine. In time this would lead him to leave Milwaukee, later working with Whoopi Goldberg on her own show, and hosting shows of his own on the Food Network and VH1.

I met Mr Rivers very briefly at WISN when I toured the studio on a Scout field trip. As I recall it was nothing more than running into him in the hallway where he smiled, waved and said hello to the group. Still, by that time I already recognized him as someone of importance here in Milwaukee and someone with a future in the entertainment industry and so that meeting has stuck with me over the years.

Rivers died Boxing Day in Minnesota at the age of 70.

RIP

Dig a Mammoth Skeleton

For Christmas Yaya bought me a mock mammoth skeleton that came encased in a block of clay. The box included a plastic hammer and chisel with which to free the individual skeletal pieces. 

I greatly enjoyed digging them out but, just as with model airplanes as a kid and Legos when Smiley was briefly interested in them, I really am no good at assembling these kind of things. So Smiley stepped in to help with that part of it.

Shortly thereafter Lulu and I delivered the mammoth to my office in Kenosha, where it sits a top my microwave and one side of my Polish flag, with the other side guarded by a porcelain bird that Lu got me for Christmas.

It was a very thoughtful gift.

Herb Kohl

Few names are as synonymous with this state as that of Kohl - both a longtime, beloved grocery chain and the national department store were founded here by the family.  In my lifetime, Herb Kohl, a son of that family, took up the torch and represented both the name and the people of Wisconsin.  

From 1989 to 2013 he served most publicly as our Democratic US Senator, but around here he was primarily seen as the owner of the NBA Bucks. Without him, and his efforts, that team would have left Milwaukee decades ago. There's a thousand small ways he impacted the state too - who else remembers his 25 cent milk both at the State Fair?

Herb died today at the age of 88.

RIP. You did your family, and your state, proud. 

Christmas Lessons

Christmas was different this year. Gifts went way different this year, our kids received way less than usual. Covid and work schedules put wrenches into some plans too. Even decorated less. But overall, I'm calling Christmas 2023 a huge success.  I am so grateful for the fun we had and memories made and traditions kept.

What I learned: 

1. My kids still want pj's on xmas eve. We skipped it cause we didn't think anyone would miss it. We were wrong.

2. We skipped putting up 2nd tree. 2nd tree will return as it was missed too. I will be trying to talk Dan into another fake tree and no more real ones.

3. Incorporated a game. We will keep games, prob add more.

4. I never regret sending too many cards, only not sending enough. 

Hope your Christmas was wonderful, even if it was different likes ours!

- Lisa

Andre Braugher

I can't believe it. 

Andres Braugher, the actor from Homicide: Life On The Streets who will forever (in my mind) be remembered as the hilarious Captain Holt from Brooklynn Nine Nine, has died after a brief illness. 

He was 61.

Wow.  I really can't believe it. 

RIP Captain. 

Monk - Mr. Monk's Last Case

 

As longtime fans of Monk, we were excited to watch the reunion movie on Peacock - I had it on my calendar for a month, Lisa bought popcorn and treats, I invited the whole family to watch it together, and  . . 

What a let down. 

The mystery at the heart of the movie is so basic and so ridiculous, even by TV standards, that it makes you wonder how any crimes are ever solved. The villain? A generic Elon Musk, because why not embrace the "bad guy" of the moment. 

Then there's the complete, utter lack of humor. Gone is the wit and playfulness that made the series special. No, no. In 2023 one must embrace the role of victim and dwell in the dark, and Monk spends the movie - the entire movie -  planning his own suicide.  

It was a completely cynical, dry movie devoid of any spark of what made the series special. 

Grade: C-

Ralph Passes

At 11:15 this morning I saw that Smiley was calling me at my office. Knowing that it would have to be something bad for him to call (not text) during work hours, I answered by saying "What's wrong?"

He told me that Ralph was dead.

Smiley had woke up and found Ralph beneath his cat tree, clearly having passed away overnight.

I remember wondering that morning why Ralph wasn't downstairs to greet me as I prepared for work, as had become his custom.

Even in this picture, you can tell he'd lost a lot of weight in the last three months.  We were concerned enough to adjust his food to a less diet- conscious brand, but we chalked it up to the stress of joining a chaotic household. 

In retrospect, while he did become a resident of the second floor instead of the common areas on the first, he never seemed phased by the noise, or by Sawyer. 

I told Smiley to wrap Ralph in a pillowcase and lock him inside one of the dog's cages and to tell the rest of the family.  I told him I would leave early to bury him and say goodbye, but that I had to stay at least until early afternoon.

Shortly before 4:00 I came home, dug a hole along the fence line, and gathered Lulu and Junie with me. Yaya had been notified by phone and sent her sympathies and a number of great pictures of Ralph. By this point Smiley said that he had shed his tears and said goodbye and did not want to participate.

We clipped some hair from him, collected his custom engraved brown leather collar that I had ordered for him, placed him in the grave, and said some prayers.

He was not with us long, just like the grandfather that I named him after, and the similarity of him passing in his sleep unexpectedly was mentioned more than once.

He deserved a longer life. We deserved more time with him.  But I am confident that his 3 months with us were spent surrounded by happiness and love, and were certainly a better alternative than life in the shelter that I took him from in September.

Rest in peace Ralph. We love you. 

Julio is Born

Introducing my first Grand-Nephew - 9# 8 oz, 21 1/2 inch long Julio Daniel, the only bright point of this otherwise sad day.

Welcome to the world little man!

Jesse Passes

More awful news: Jesse, the father of a long time friend, passed away today after a long battle with illness. He was, in the vernacular of my Grandma, a good Joe. 

RIP 

Norman Lear

 

Norman Lear, the man who created nearly every 70's sitcom worth watching, has died of natural causes. He was 101. 

Here's a sampling list of Lear's legacy: 

Good Times

Maude

Sandford and Son

All in the Family

The Jeffersons

One Day at a Time

The man essentially created 70% of the TV I watched in my childhood. More impressively, he was acknowledged enough for it at the time that even as a child, I knew his name and his influence. 

RIP 

Sola Scriptura

I'm not trying to start a holy war here among my other Christians, but I do believe this satirical meme sums up a good argument for why the Catholic Church does not rely on scripture alone. There were 300 years of tradition, practice, thought, and debate *prior* to the formal compilation of the New Testament (not that the Gospels weren't around).  To believe that a written book, 1100 years before the printing press, created in an era of widespread and acceptable illiteracy, would  be the sole standard for a faith seems like a stretch. 

Date Night in Cedarburg

On Saturday Lisa and I went on a date to see "White Christmas" at the Rivoli, a historic theater in Cedarburg. This is the second year in a row we've gone to see WC at a theater, and it's a tradition we hope to maintain. 

To our surprise and delight, Cedarburg's downtown was picturesque, full of  Christmas music and holiday lights. It was a bit like walking through Bedford Falls itself!

We stopped into a historic home that was having an open house and saw a sink that wasn't far removed from what we lived with for a decade. 

Dining options were at a premium as the street was packed. We finally found open seats in the heated tent behind the Lime Cantina. 

The chips and salsa? 10 out of 10. 

Lisa loved the tortilla soup

Their elote sucked, as did their rice and beans, but my word! The mole on the enchiladas was marvelous, and (to me at least) carried more than a hint of cinnamon. 

Then it was time for the movie at the charming theater. We had to get their early to get seats as the owner warned us it was going to be a sellout, so we sat and chatted for about half an hour. 

It was a great date night with my lady! XO

 

Our Tree

My tree is finally up*. 2nd tree maybe next weekend :) Now to get some presents bought!!! St Nick comes Wednesday morning.☃️🍬🎁🎄✨️

- Lisa

* she means decorated; the tree was purchased and set up in the living room the Saturday of Thanksgiving week.

Sandra Day O'Connor

 

Sandra Day O'Connor, a Reagan nominee who was the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, and the first SCOTUS nominee to have televised confirmation hearings,  died today of complications of dementia. She was 93. 

O'Connor spent 25 years on the Court, from 1981 to 2006, and as a moderate conservative often played the role of the swing vote on SCOTUS. Even so she showed an ability to cross ideological lines if the ruling aligned with her legal beliefs: she authored Bush v Gore but upheld abortion in Planned Parenthood v Casey. 

She and Rehnquist are the only "legal" names that stand out from my childhood; not that I knew or cared about SCOTUS or what they were deciding, but because Rehnquist was a Milwaukee native and O'Connor an influential "first."

RIP