Only on Tuesdays (my day off)

Garland is not just a Christmas decoration. The door needed something and I had these garlands and spools of ribbon, a few spring trinkets and wheat...I still have a few more pieces that I'm working on to add. I never know what it will turn into.



I've also converted old hardware nuts and bolts containers into spice drawers.

A few peg-boards also gave extra space for the kitchen as well as easy access. It's hard to leave work at work. I frequently "re-planogram," use labels when I can, hooks, peg-board and sometimes do inventory! We even have a shopping cart!

I will be working on painting Polish folk art on the woodwork when we can open the windows. It's always been my dream to feel like I'm back in the Polish countrysides. I may have to forget the thatched roof. Storks don't like our winters here anyway!

A new perspective...

To begin again. This time a different perspective. Mine. Mel is going to focus her blogging on our new site about freezer foods. Sounds simple? It's a lifestyle that pays back in time and delicious meals when you're on the fly. So, you've got me now. Here goes to our future together!

Starting with the most recent, Mel and I attended a small event which was quite moving on Friday night. Our little town has a historical landmark that was a shul. No, not a school. A small house of prayer for local Jews. Not as grand as big city temples, this little rural synagogue last had services in the 1980's. Friday night it was once again full of prayer and song. The gathering of a few original members who were children back then along with members of Mount Sinai in Wausau made this event happen. It was moving to see the now older children kiss the mezzuzah on the shul's door. The door that they opened when they attended Hebrew classes or celebrated their bar mitzvah's, now years and years later opens the door of their memories. Moved to tears, they hear the same Hebrew prayers once again. I had the honor of taking the Torah among the members during the service. It marks a few changes to contrast with a different past. Back then a woman would not do this. As I walked with the Torah in my arms, I saw the faces of those who reverently touched the Torah with their prayerbook and then mindfully kiss their siddur (prayerbook.) It was almost as if I could see the faces of those who made the shul come alive so many years ago. Our cantor, our very own Melanie, led us through some fitting Hebrew melodies. Rabbi Dan, a rebbe tonight, read the parashat for the first time facing the ark, not facing the congregation as is done now. A change that we could only reflect on by seeing the rabbi's back as he read.

It's Summertime...and the Livin' is easy.....

Well, again we've neglected the blog. You'll see why shortly. It's been a very busy spring, and we've expanded the yard. Melanie thinks that we'll have to move pretty soon because we've entirely run out of yard. Lorie has planted a garden in the FRONT yard consisting of a strawberry and raspberry patch. The backyard continues to be a jungle. Melanie has her 2, 8'x4' square foot garden plots. This year there's brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, beets, carrots, leeks, onions, parsley, mint, chives, thyme, basil, peas, beans, cauliflower, peppers of many varieties, eggplant, radishes and probably other things that Melanie has forgotten. We also have a patio tomato plant and two, topsy-turvy tomato planters with upside down cherry and early girl tomato plants. Another addition was the corn! We dug up yet another section of yard for the corn "patch". There's also pumpkins in the backyard- one promises to be over 100 pounds! The backyard is a little more groomed. There's lots of vines, LOTS of bird feeders/houses and some beautiful perennial gardens. Lorie has really worked hard to get everything looking wonderful back there! You could definitely pick our yard out in the neighborhood. Our neighbors have very plain, grass filled yards and then BOOM!-- there's this strange house that looks like a jungle! Lorie's son said that he needed a safari hat just to find his way back to the fire pit.

As the garden continues to green up and develop wonderful summer colors, we'll introduce you to other areas. Also, we'll soon be eating from the garden! (tonight, we had baked potato with sour cream and chives grown in our very own garden! It was the first official harvest of the year) Lorie wanted me to add that she's looking forward to harvesting the hops. Yes, we grow our own hops! Our hops is even used in a local home-brewer's recipe-- he even includes a "shout out" to us on the label of the beer bottle by saying "Now featuring locally grown hops!" How fun!

Sing it with me!!! Matzo-Matzo Man!!

Today was the day that Melanie and Lorie prepared for Passover. We drove into Milwaukee, and we immediately went to the Kosher Meat Klub. Despite it's name, it is not exclusively meat. Melanie was warned by our Rabbi that we could find the prices a bit high at this supermarket, but we were delighted at not only the prices but also the selection! This place was a DREAM! (I mean-- as much as you can dream about Matzo Meal, I suppose!!) We normally would go to Madison, and we would spend much too much on only a portion of what we needed. This year, we spent much too much, but we walked away with about two to three times more than we normally get for about the same price! It was splendid! Look at our haul---
















We also had a chance to visit a bit with Lorie's parents and Melanie's dad.... of course, these visits included us showering our parents in gifts! Lorie's parents got newspapers (her mom was sick, so we thought that she'd need some reading material) as well as donuts, cherry juice concentrate, and fish oil! (YUM!-- just take a shot of fish oil followed by a chaser of Cherry Juice! It's a new kind of martini for old people!) Melanie's dad got some shirts and a whole bunch of food from the Polish store including bread, sausage and liverwurst. (I know, I know.. yuck.... and not kosher, right?) We also went over to visit Lorie's sister. We figured that we shouldn't deprive Lorie's sister with the chance to have a nice, surprise visit with all the family showing up at her door! (just in time for Gizmo, Lorie's sister's dog, to poop on the floor.) Lorie's sister made fresh cookies for us and then told us stories about nail fungus and foot corns.

All in all, today was a strange, yet very nice day.

Purim Pigs and Plants

Today was the annual Purim Carnival up in Wausau. For those of you that aren't Jewish, Purim is a Jewish Holiday that celebrates the failure of Haman's plot to destroy the Jews. (Scroll of Esther) Everyone is supposed to be in costume and drink a LOT! Many were in costume, but there was no drinking. (this is a family event folks!) Melanie was lucky enough to win first place in the adult costume division. She went as a pig (already ironic at a Jewish Temple, no?) in lipstick with a "Miss Alaska" sash on... can you guess who she was? (Hint: I got all "Maverick-y"











Also, here's a HINT of Spring... typically, when Purim rolls around, we know that it's time for the spring thaw. One would never know this by looking out the window (we have a winter storm warning right now...), but we do have a hint of spring to show to you---- SEEDLINGS!!!!!!




We're amazed at how well the grow lights are working. Lorie had a brilliant idea to install this lighting system in our spare bedroom. This will save a LOT of money because we can now start everything from seed. Melanie practices a form of gardening called "Square Foot Gardening", and for those of you that don't know about it, you should learn it! It's amazing! It's very little work, and the crop yield is fantastic. You'll certainly get more pictures as the sprouts develop and reach to the sky! Spring has Sprung!

Mucus and Music

Nice blog title, eh? It's sad when you sit back and try to think of something exciting that you've done lately... and then you hear the crickets..... yep. Not much going on here. Lorie and Melanie both had a cold, and it's not just a little cold. It's a "knock your socks off, wanna crawl in bed and stay there" kind of cold. Hopefully, this will pass soon.

Music. This is a good thing. If you're a loyal blog reader, you know that Lorie has been taking banjo lessons. Well, Melanie has now decided to join her in music lessons. She is going to be starting guitar lessons. She's already taken lessons as a child, so she knows a bit about how to play. No, we're not forming a bluegrass band. Melanie is hoping to work on her songleading skills. Well, maybe we could have a bluegrass band, too-- we just have to convince Lorie's daughter to dust off her fiddle. Now THAT would be fun!

The doldrums of winter have taken over.....

We are terribly embarrassed because we haven't done a blog entry since August of 2008! It's been almost half a year since we've logged into the blog. It has been quite busy! Robert went off to Poland for the semester, and we both were extremely focused on the kids. Melanie also became completely obsessed with baking loaves and loaves of Challot. Isn't it beautiful? This was the challah at our New Year's dinner, and it was Melanie's first attempt at challah. It was amazing! She is now the weekly supplier for the Congregation in Wausau.


After Challah came winter. It's been a long, cold, snowy winter. I don't think that anyone thought it could get worse than last winter, but it did. Melanie has commented over and over that a "nice Jewish retirement home in Boca is looking better and better each year!"

Lorie tried to keep sane by starting banjo lessons in Wisconsin Rapids. Her teacher is "Banjo Bob". She's actually learning Jewish music on Banjo! We're hoping that she can elevate the not-so-popular form of music called "Jewgrass". I think there'd be a nice following....

Well, we promise that there will be more to come.... don't quit on us yet. We'll have lots of stories to tell this year... we promise!