A nice story

 I had listed my wicker patio set on Facebook Marketplace as "'free' with some hail damage and the cushion's pretty beat, but that I had stretchy covers for them". And I had no takers. 

This morning, I had a text from a woman that said they wanted the set, and that they were coming in 30 minutes. And, shockingly, they did.  When they arrived, they were super excited about it. Once I told them, I was moving, he asked, are you getting ready of any of your lawn ornaments? And I said, Yeah, all of them and here's how they left.

He, Jim, was the master at jamming stuff in.  He ran around the backyard grabbing all manner of items,  many of which I had not remembered were there. He insisted that they pay me for some of the extra items, but I requested that they make a donation to their favorite cause.  They assured me that they would donate to St. Judes.

Good enough. 

And she, Michelle, told me their story.

  They had dated when they were 19 and then went their separate ways. He was married and had a daughter and his wife passed away and I believe she was married as well  A few years ago, their mutual friends, from when they were 19, arranged for them to see each other again. And now they are a couple living most of the time in Milwaukee, and some of the time up here in Weyerhauser. She told me that they are getting married soon.

The best was the name of their dogs....Indy and Kody PENDANT. Funny. 

We friended each other on Facebook.  They hugged me when they left.  

My house keeper came over this morning to chat with me.  She's going to come on Tuesdays for 2 hours every week to help me pack.  I sent her home with a 4 bowl set of very vintage Coors pottery mixing bowls.  She has little kids,  those bowls will get used. 

This was a good day. 

The news from here

 So, the news from here is that I am putting my house on the market and downsizing into a rental in Luck, WI.

After owning my own home for 45 + years, I am ready to live without home ownership responsibilities. It will be fun to live closer to family ❤️.  

The purging has begun....this is not the fun part.

I am well, this move is all about living with less stress and zero responsibilities.

Posted on Facebook 2025.08.28

Teachers rock

 Tonight, I gave all my Dad's stash of wood scraps and lumber odds & ends to a K-12 art teacher from a local school. 

I had an ad on Facebook Marketplace asking $1 for the wood. 

The buyer said that he  would come at 430pm, so after I sat in the garage for 30 minutes, I was wondering if he was blowing me off.  I sent a message through Facebook Marketplace asking if he was still interested. His wife asked if 7 pm could work.  I said okay. 

In the meantime,  I made up a Facebook Marketplace ad for the Dremel Scroll Saw that was sitting on my workbench. I posted that advertisement. 

At 7pm he pulled in with his Mom.  His wife was home with two littles (& a 3rd on the way).  He got right to work taking the wood down from the rafters. 

 He was so happy and I was even happier!  I asked him if he wanted the scroll saw. He jumped on it. He was so delighted to get the Dremel Scroll Saw.

Then I loaded up 2 ice cream buckets with boxes of screws and nails.

He left a very happy fella, and I was even happier.

I deleted that ad for the scroll saw. 

Job well done Facebook Marketplace!

So It begins

 

Friends from Colorado

 Al was one of my best friends at Coors. He started at Coors about 10 years before I retired from the brewery.  We had many fun times and I got to know his 2 daughters, and his wife Beth.

From the time that I left Colorado,  Al had said that he wanted to visit me here in Wisconsin.  Al retired a couple of years ago,  and, this Spring, his wife Beth finally retired. 

They were planning a trip to Chicago to celebrate their daughter's 30th birthday and decided to come to Rice Lake, on their way. 

Al & Beth arrived on Monday evening.  We spent Tuesday touring the Luck area,  with lunch in Milltown at Sonie's drive in, a tour of West Denmark and a visit with my private banker, & nephew, Kyle.  We capped off our Polk County tour with a beer on the patio at Wilkins' Resort on Bone Lake.

We had planned for a supper club evening but instead headed to Tokyo for sushi. It was the better choice.  We had good food and a peaceful conversation. 

Restocking free zone

 I'll try to list what has disappeared from the Free Zone.  It's a lot. 

Big flower pots x4

2 or 3 ice cream buckets of hand tools

2 hammers, 1 hatchet

My bike

A one- seater pew

36 inch Christmas wreath, green

36 inch gold glitter Christmas wreath

Christmas balls, 3 packs

Chop saw & radial arm saw.

Oh never mind,  there is too much.  Today was a good day at the Free Zone. 

I also sold the wooden sled.  The buyer will pick it up 9.10 on his way to Lutsen to see his Grandkids, perfect! 

And,  I think the wicker set is sold too. If it is,  I'll have a fun story after it is picked up.  Most of the big stuff is gone. 

It's weird that the tulle bike track hasn't gone. I might put that back in the garage and see if any the kids might need a bike rack for the car. 

It's a load off to have that garage almost done.  

Tomorrow, a woman is coming to pick up a bag of baskets,  and any bases that I have.  Her daughter had a floral shop and is being hit very hard by the tariffs on her supplies.  She'll use the baskets and the vases, yay. 

One of my Hydrangea is really performing this year. I'll miss that beauty. 

More Free Zone

 Glenn & Kathy came by today to help me in the garage.  They brought KFC for lunch,  which was yum!

I said goodbye to my bicycle. 💔 I had many, many fun miles on that baby.  I kept notebooks with my rides, it was fun to read those. 

Many odds and ends for giveaway at the end of the driveway.  A few things are going.  Hopefully tomorrow is busy.

A bridge friend came for the patio set on the front deck,  yay.  

I did go down the rabbit hole on photos though.  I must have brought this tub home after Dad and Ev passed. 

Ev had made scrap books, what fun to look at. 

Monumental

 The task feels overwhelming at this stage but I'm trying to make a plan to break it down into small enough chunks that I can handle it. 

The meeting with the real estate agent went fine,  I think.  She seems to be the kind of person who will get a house sold and it's to her financial advantage to help me get the most money out of the sale,  so i'm planning to sign the contract. 

I requested that we list in October, after I am out.  I am trying to minimize any stress that can be controlled. 

I've asked my lawn guy to come and weed whip,  the yard is a jungle. 

Checklist and making plans

 Starting to get a good checklist together, there so many phone calls to make.  I can't really start any new services or end any old services until October 1 and/or I sell the house, but I can start gathering info.   And getting a good list will make it all go smoother when it is time to press 'Go'.

I spent most of today on the telephone.  My first call of the day set the tone.  On Saturday I got a summons for jury duty for  Sept. 22 to Sept. 26.  I called the courthouse and explained that I would be moving to another county that very week and, thankfully, I was excused.  I am so happy, it would have been quite poor timing for me to have to sit in court, trying to focus, with a million things to do.  Most of the rest of my calls after that one had good info, helpful people and better than expected results.

⚖️ 

I also spent time calling a few of my Colorado besties.  We had wonderful conversations catching up on each other's lives.  I do not make enough phone calls.  I don't know why.  I hope that I do better.

☎️ 

Tomorrow, I have a home visit here with a real estate agent.  I chose a woman who sells a lot of houses in this area. She has had her own company for more than 17 years and she is active in the Rice Lake community.  I hear she is aggressive and that is good for the seller.  This first meeting should be very interesting.

Eric Dueholm of Luck drew this and I just love it.

I will update tomorrow.

😴 

Free Zone

 The purge has begun.  I had been dragging my feet but Glenn & Kathy showed up to take the drill press, cement blocks, office chair, and a bunch of clamps  & extension cord,  etc.   

So that kick started me. I loaded up the rolling work table with all the hoes, shovels, etc. Put up a ' FREE STUFF' sign at the end of my driveway. 

One happy couple got the Christmas candles & candy canes. Yay.

 Before I was even back in the house,  I was getting rid of stuff.  One girl was looking for 2 bed side lamps,  I came in the house and grabbed 2 and gave them to her.  One guy and his wife took most of the shovels.  I reloaded with a big Christmas wreath and an office chair. 

 Tomorrow will be bonus day,  I am putting out a gas blower & a gas weed trimmer and the premixed gas.

All that stuff leaving made a dent in the garage.  I'm not feeling quite as overwhelmed now

6 weeks until moving day.  The unit next to Lois is going to be available October 1.  Here we go!

🚚 🚚

Summer Loves

 This first vine ripened tomato.

 

The cat on my lap when it's 80⁰ outside.  She has to lay on her fleece blanket for extra comfort.

Seeing hop cones on the hop vine by the front door.

Waiting for ripened sweet corn. 

🌽 

Counting the days. 

Summer goes fast. 

Life is good. 

More plumbing, uffda

 Some time ago, I noticed that my well pump was running more often than normal.  The pressure guage in the utility closet makes a clicking noise and I was hearing it pretty often.  

I called my plumber,  who had recently been here to fix a leak in the master bath shower line. He suggested that I check the toilets to be sure that they were not leaking.  I did that and reported back to him, no leaks.  He said he would try to get me in the schedule. 

I didn't hear from him and I guess I was in denial about what was happening.  I was hearing the fan on the water heater too. There was plenty of evidence but I'm so shell-shocked from all this plumbing, that I just ignored. I still had water pressure,  so that was easy to do.  But every time I heard that gauge click, I knew I was on thin ice. 

Then I saw that the foundation outside was wet.  So, I called my plumber again.  It took 2 weeks for him to work me into his schedule.  (Every time that I have called him with no water,  he has responded the same day, so don't judge. )

Friday, it was my turn.  He stopped by,  crawled under the house,  and found a brass elbow spraying hot water. So, I turned off the well and he said his son would come and do the repairs.  

Desmond arrived a few minutes later.  It was his first time here.  

I tried to snap a photo of him coming out of the crawl space.  

He fixed the elbow in the crawl space and had me turn the water on.  I COULD HEAR WATER RUSHING IN THE WALL.  So, I turned it off.  

Then he found 2 more leaks, in the wall.  I got very lucky, he was able to remove 2 grates in the wall behind the washer dryer and do the repairs. When he tried to remove the line to the valves in the box in the wall for the washing machine,  the fitting broke off.  So,  in the end,  I think he replaced about 6 fittings and the box on the wall with the hot and cold water valves going to the washer.  This one won't be cheap.  But, all is quiet again and my water pressure is back to normal. 

The fun part of this deal was that Desmond is a brewer.  He went to school for plumbing and to college for chemistry.  When I told him I worked at a brewery for 31 years,  he was interested.  He had a micro brewery in town,  but it burned to the ground last winter. He's starting to rebuild on the same site with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday.  His new setup will be 7 barrel batches.  We had fun comparing bill of materials.  2.5 pounds of malt compared to 17,000 pounds of malt for a 500 barrel brew at the big brewery. We chatted about the brewery as he finished up.  He also noticed my hop vine growing by the front door.

I looked around the house trying to find my Practical Brewer book,  but I can't locate it.  I wanted to give that to him.  Instead, I grabbed one of my fancy beer steins from Germany. One with an ornate pewter lid.  I gave that to him and suggested that he drink a beer out of it once he's up and running again. He was so tickled.  He said he had never had a beer stein like that.   (One less thing for me to move.)

I hope I can track down my Practical Brewer book. It's a great reference.  The Master Brewers Association of America gave me one when I joined the guild. 

 I also have a series of tasting glasses from the GABF (Great American Beer Festival), I think I'll give those to Desmond once he's up and running. Brewers need to taste their batches.  They are collectors items, now that the GABF gives out only plastic glasses. 

So,  for now,  the water is where it is supposed to be.   Desmond really made a good impression.  He also cleaned everything up.  He had a battery powered shop vac. That was nice.  He also put everything back as he had to move both the washer and the dryer.   He was just a bit better at customer service. 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🍻 

I'm looking forward to visiting the new Agonic Brewing Company on the shores of Rice Lake.

❤️ 💙 💜 💖 

Sunday night update. 

I got this text message tonight from my plumber,  Desmond's Dad.

Small world 🔗

 Davis Bryant is the grandson of my Coors friends, Dick & Lois. Dick's son Matt is a golf course manager in Denver. Matt's son Davis was born very premature.

From an article on USGA website.  "Take 14, for instance. That is the number of weeks premature Davis Bryant was born on Jan. 7, 2000.

“I’ve got a picture where my wedding ring is wrapped around his fingers; they were so tiny,” said Matt Bryant, Davis’ father, “and he was the length of from my middle finger down to just about where my watch band would be.”

Or 1, which represents the days after birth the 1-pound, 10-ounce Bryant needed heart surgery. Or perhaps a 20-something number, which was the percentage given for his survival after seven days. Or even a number as high as 70, which was the percentage he would likely suffer blindness or cerebral palsy or some other developmental disability."

Davis played college golf at Colorado State University. He continued to finish his Master's degree. Davis recently got his pro card on the DP tour. 

Davis is playing in a professional DP golf tournament in Scotland this weekend.  He is tied for 10th after today's round, the final is tomorrow.

  I follow along on an app and the GOLF channel broadcasts some of it too. 

And, some small world stuff...my niece-in-law Lora, ex-wife of my nephew Kris, has a brother Luke Ebersold. Luke is the Head Greenskeeper at the course where Davis is playing this weekend. ⛳️  Luke has quite a resume with regard to golf course maintenance and design. He worked with Pete Dye for a number of years in French Lick, Indiana. He has worked at Whistling Straits and for many years he was living in the Dominican Republic working for a design company.  I'm not sure of his exact roles in these various areas but I believe he was a lead designer.  And now,  he's living in Scotland.

Both Laila & I were up very early to follow Davis on the app & we both watched the TV coverage. 

When Davis's Dad, Matt, was still in high school,  I took golf lessons from him.  I also watched Matt play high school baseball.  I don't know Davis personally, but I was at a benefit for him when he was still in the NICU.  I remember seeing the photo of Davis on Matt's hand.  It is quite a thrill to watch him have success as a beginning Pro golfer. He has played all over Europe and Asia & even Australia as part of the DP tour.  

I love a small world connection. 

And I love watching kids follow their dreams. 

⛳️ 

Gold & silver, how much is it worth?

 I've been starting to think about 'my stuff'.  I'm trying to purge a few unused items every week.  I don't really want a house full of junk for someone to have to dispose of, when I have my deal. 

I began thinking about my jewelry box, after a friend mentioned that a local jeweler gave her some cash for her old class ring.  

When I was still working, I purchased a few nice pieces from a goldsmith in Boulder, CO.  My girlfriends & I would spend many a Saturday at Pat Patterson's Goldsmith store. I almost always had an item, or two, on layaway.   

Now that I am living a simple retired life,  those items never see the light of day.  Long story short, I talked to my local jeweler about selling my gold and silver jewelry. Gold prices are at an all-time high, so why not? 

This was not a quick decision but in the end, I decided to take photos of my favorite things.  Right now,  I'm waiting to hear from the jeweler to find out the value of my stash.

Here are my snapshots.

Silver beads

Gold and diamond ring.

Mom bought these two little gold & diamond rings for Laila and me for an unknown reason.  I'm not sure how, or why, I ended up with both. I'll give Laila her share of this money. 

Update: This ring ⬆️⬆️ was the only thing that the jeweler rejected.  He said it is neither diamonds nor gold.  So, Mom got the last laugh on that. 

Gold ring with diamonds. 

This belonged to my great great aunt Ida, 'Bubble'. I think it is citrine?

Mom's wedding band. Again, I don't know how I ended up with this.  I actually think it is gold plated, but the jeweler will know. 

Gold hoops, holo. I think the might be costume.

Sterling silver earrings.  I am always a suckerc for anything with cats.

For awhile I was into the ankh, a symbol of life.  I think I bought this pendant in San Francisco. 

This sweet pendant was one of Pat Patterson's designs.

I took a jewelry make class and for a while has visions of making money that way.  Laughable now, but this was my creation.

Another of Pat Patterson's earrings sets. Hammered silver.

These are big,  heavy silver hoops that move like a mobile, also from Pat Patterson.

I wore this silver bracelet for years.  I loved it. ❤️ I don't remember of it came from Patterson.   It's much too small for me now. 

Another one of my favorites.   These silver earrings have been worn many times.

This is what started this whole idea, I wanted to sell my class ring from Lakewood, Colorado. 

I think I paid $70 for this ring.  I can't imagine how Dad came up with that money. 

Tennis bracelet with Diamonique stones. I bought this gold bracelet from QVC with some money from a bonus of some type.  I wore it a lot. Lots of sparkle.

Probably my all time favorite Patterson earrings but I lost one during covid, I think I pulled it off with my mask.  😔 

Gold earring jackets from Pat Patterson. 

This is a Patterson ring. It started out as 2 bunnies holding a pearl. The pearl fell out,  Pat replaced the pearl, and it fell out again.  Pat soldered in this little gold ball to solve the problem.  It's a pinky ring and I wore it for many years. 

Cute little bunnies.

San Francisco souvenoir

I have collected many polar bear items over the years and this pendant from Pat Patterson was the most treasured of all.  This was on layaway for a long time.  It was pricey, wish I could remember how pricey.  Unfortunately,  it was hard to wear as a pendant  because it was so heavy.  It spent most of its life in a jewelry box.

I told the jeweler that I will keep this but of rutilated quartz since it has no resale value.

This sweet kitty in a basket charm was a gift. Sadly I just don't wear necklaces anymore.

I loved this little locket and I see I am wearing it in many photographs.  Nephew Kris was in one half and Nephew Ryan in the other half.  

The reason that these 2 boys were in this locket,  is that I had photos small enough to fit.

That's it,  other than a few gold chains that were tangled up. 

👏👏Update: I'm picking up a check for $1326.03 this afternoon. 💰

It's been fun looking back on these few pieces. 

I still have several pieces that will go to the nieces,  or great nieces, eventually.