Sunday, October 28, 2007

Iris bulbs

This picture of absolutely gorgeous irises is from my flower bed this last Spring. They bloomed for about 2 weeks in early June. I acquired them through a bag of a couple dozen left at Dad's 3 or 4 years ago by Bobi. I planted them on a very cold November night that was threatening snow. The irises bloomed the next Spring.
Why am I blogging this?
Today I dug up and split 1/2 the bed. It filled a child's plastic sled. I will finish the rest of the bed, replant 2-3 dozen and then share the rest, until they are gone, with whoever wants a low maintenance beautiful Spring flower. Contact me and we can work out some way to get them to you before the first snow.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Winneconne Regionals

Cassie called on Thursday to tell me she managed a ride to the regionals with a group of other CC runners. Of course, I made the trip to visit. It was a great day. It was not as windy as last week. There were clouds when I left home. I saw all kinds of geese flying in their Autumn 'V' on my drive North. There were none in sight once I parked the car. The top pic is Cassie running past me to congratulate her elite team mates of the women's team. The rest are her with the blue and orange painted on her face. She called her dad to visit while we went to the car to get her care package of the day.


Below is the early line up of the men's regional run. The banana was there for the purpose of team spirit. I met up with Cassie at the end of the men's 5 mile run and then headed home. She went back to school.


Monday, October 22, 2007

Back to school

I finished the formal concert dress just before I took Cassie back to school. She liked it, but likes this year's prom dress better. I finally got the fit right. Matthew really liked it. I think the concert is in November. They danced around the living room, Cassie in a band concert dress. Matthew in the Eisenhower prom t-shirt.
This is the view from Cassie's new dorm room. Her original room mate moved out a few weeks ago. Last week Cassie was given options of finding a replacement, allowing the college to find her a room mate or paying for a private room. Cassie switched with someone who wanted a private room. It took 15 trips, up one floor in the same building. Now she has a room mate.


One more picture of Autumn in Platteville. It was a wonderful weekend. A cold front came through today and brought Autumn. Cassie called today and said she was chilled after her running practice. I was shivering in the kitchen while she spoke. We discussed the practical-ity of dressing tonight for warmth and fashion can go pound dirt. Puppy pants and hooded sweat shirts for her evening class.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Winneconne CC race... the beginning






Cassie had a cross country meet in Winneconne on Friday the 19th. It was also her midterm break. We watched the race and brought her home for the weekend. The pics of this posting are of the warm ups and beginning of the race. Platteville is wearing the blue and orange. Cassie had a mix up concerning the laundering schedule so she is wearing her black leggings, baggy shorts and a torquoise tank for the race. The warm up exercises show her in a blue long sleeved shirt. The baggy shorts made her slower than she might have been because they caught the wind. Yes, it was drizzly and very windy and on the cool side. Some how she PR'd in this race, baggy shorts and all. She keeps on getting better. She was the last Platteville runner to finish the race. She was not the last runner to finish the race.

Winneconne CC race






Check last Spring's track pics and compare the two seasons. This is cross country on a golf course. New experience for us. High school cross country takes advantage of the local parks. Cassie now considers golf courses common place.

We drove home in drizzle and changed into warmer clothes, picked up Matthew and joined a church group for a hay ride and fellowship around a bonfire somewhere near Eagle. It was a long memorable happy day.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Japanese Lanterns

I heard a noise outside and discovered some heavy construction equipment working on the open back side of the strip mall on highway 100. It was after 6, but I tried for a picture, anyway. They did not turn out, but on a whim I pointed the camera down into my Japanese lantern patch before I came in from the porch. I used a bunch of enhancements and the above is the result.

This weekend the storm windows go up. In a couple of weeks the iris's will be split and transplanted. Maybe some weeding. What was I thinking? Forget the weeding. The snow will cover the weeds in a few weeks.

Tonight I am taking it easy and putting some time into Cassie's concert dress. It is a simple dress similar to the one Lynnette wore in high school, except it is solid black.

Larry is at a football game. It is a bit cold and I am a bit worn out to join him tonight. Maybe I will go next week.

The cafeterias are not always open when Cassie is through with her day so she has been keeping stuff to eat in her dorm room for those times. I sent a package of peanut free stuff to her from the airport post office on my way to work on Thursday. It arrived Thursday afternoon. I am amazed. She is pudging on chocolate covered almonds, raisens and almond butter along with some jams from the basement. It was a one time event. Shipping to her often could become pricey. We will send her back with a couple boxes of consumable stuff when she visits the end of this month.

Tomorrow she will run in the LaCrosse area with the cross country team. I look forward to her report after the meet.

Phil is working his way through this semester in his usual efficient way. He is now to the point that it is becoming hard for me to follow his explanations. I have met my match.