Tag Archives: Minnesconsin

Adventure, Hope, Intentionality, Positivity, Spring, Travel, Writing

Re-Re-Re: Number 5

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What comes to mind when you hear the word “renew”?

If I’m being honest, when the word “renew” is uttered I cringe a little. Because “renew” makes me think of things I have to do. Things like renewing my driver’s license, car insurance, tabs on our truck. And library books (check out this cool article I read a few weeks ago about an artist who uses old library check out cards for her pieces). The things we do, perhaps begrudgingly, as responsible adults.

Not very “pollyana-ish” of me, is it?

Time for me to shake off the cringiness and consider alternate applications of the word “renew”. I mean, it’s springtime after all, and isn’t this season all about renewal anyway?

The ground beneath our feet is in it’s renewal era at the moment. Here in Minnesconsin, the multiple inches of snow we got earlier this month has melted entirely. The ground is soaking up that moisture as we speak , beginning a state of renewal. Soon, our yard and gardens will come alive with new growth. I anticipate my interest in spending time outdoors and doing the work required to nourish this new growth will be renewed.

What does renewal look like to you? What does it feel like?

Maybe you’re feeling that you want to renew your sense of adventure. Try things altogether new. Visit places you’ve never been. I’m doing this by obtaining my very first passport, ASAP. It’s not going to happen for a while, but Mr. NOA and I will be traveling to Canada. My hope is to meet and learn more about my dad’s side of the family from Quebec. The DNA sample I sent in to an ancestry website earlier this year ought to be processed soon, and I’m looking forward to the adventure of discovering who is all in my family tree.

What steps might you take to renew your sense of adventure?

Perhaps you’d like to renew your sense of hope. Hope for your future and your people’s future. Hope for humanity. I would wager that we can, if we are intentional about it, find glimmers of that hope stuff. It’s so easy these days for our attention to stay with all of the awfulness happening in our world. While I think it’s important to keep oneself aware of what is transpiring within our governments, locating bits of hope here and there helps to balance things out a little and makes things feel less bleak.

A quick google search led me to this article about youth in California banning together to advocate for reducing the amount of pickleballs and tennis balls going into landfills. That is just one little bit of positivity happening here in the U.S. amidst the mayhem our government seems hellbent on creating. There are still people doing what they can to make things better in this country. We musn’t lose sight of that.

What renews your sense of hope?

I’ll leave you with a song I’ve always found to be breathtakingly beautiful. It wasn’t until I was 30-something that it occurred to me that this song originated as a hymn sung in church.

May you seek the renewal that your heart desires.

Dogs, Grandparenting, Lifestyle, Simplicity

What’s on your Summer Bucket List?

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The thing about summer is that it’s so fleeting. It comes up so fast and before you know it, the leaves are changing and the temps are dropping. Boats are put away for the season and kids are getting back to school.

Here in Minnesconsin, it is just now starting to feel like a proper summer. We have had so much rain it’s ridiculous. And if it wasn’t raining, it was in the high 90’s. As a result, we’ve been spending more time indoors than we had hoped to.

Today, however, it’s in the mid-70’s with nary a cloud in the sky. Mr. NOA and I are planning to take a cruise on our pontoon once he’s done with his workday.

I have a history of being that person with lots of grand ideas about cramming as much fun into the summer season as possible. I’m determined that this summer, with our newest grandson about to be born (daughter is being induced on Friday!), things will be less frenzied than summers past.

There’s no big travel plans on the horizon, save for a few days visiting my side of the family in northern Minnesota. We are, for the most part, staying put.

But staying put doesn’t mean fun isn’t going to be had. The fun, however, will be localized and simple.

Things like making homemade ice cream with the fancy machine my awesome SIL got me for Christmas. As many pontoon rides as possible. ‘Smores over the campfire. Putting ice cubes in the kiddy pool for Radar and our kid’s two dogs to play in on a hot day. Drinking wine on the patio at our local winery. Seeing a summer blockbuster movie in the theater. Playing croquet in the yard with our 11-year-old grandson. Gardening and further beautifying our outdoor space. Getting out in our kayaks.

And of course, rocking that baby.

I’ve created a Spotify playlist for our pontoon excursions this summer. It’s filled with “yacht rock” style music, mostly from the 70’s and 80’s. I’ll be adding this one as soon as I hit the publish button on this post.

Please share what’s on your summer bucket list in the comments!

Books, Personal Growth, Reading, Self Improvement, Time Management

24 Books in 2024

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I’ve never read a Stephen King book. I tried once when I was a teenager, but I was overwhelmed by the number of pages.

Not that I don’t like or appreciate Stephen King. I’ve enjoyed the movies and mini-series that came from his books, especially “The Stand”.

Why am I talking about Stephen King? Because of this quote I read in 2023 that really stuck with me.

I have to paraphrase it because I’ll be darned if I can find it online.

“When you have a lot going on in your head, write. When you are not feeling inspired by anything in particular, read.”

This *paraphrased* quote gave me permission (in my head) to not force myself to write. It let me off the hook. It’s a simple yet very valuable piece of advice, don’t you think?

So, I’ve been reading more. I enjoy a variety of different genres, though I gravitate towards self-help, memoirs, psychological thrillers/mysteries, and books with fictional stories about multi-generational families and the secrets they keep.

I’m currently reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I am getting a lot out of it. Plenty of great tips and tricks which, to me, seem to fall under that awesome phrase from Jen Sincero’s “You Are a BadAss” book: “your brain is your bitch”.

After living in Minnesconsin for nearly 2 years now, I finally visited our local library earlier this month. As one of my areas of growth this year is to increase our savings, this was a good move. No more buying books via Amazon for me!

My aim is to read 24 books in 2024. “Atomic Habits” is of course the first one. Just 23 more to go!

I recognize this is a terribly ambitious goal, especially considering that the only consistent time I seem to be able to read is right before bed. Prior to my reading time, however, I tend to watch t.v., which of course I will need to cut back on if I have any chance of even reading 12 books this year.

I have a great interest in choosing books from the various lists I’ve seen online of banned books. Those books that particular self-righteous religious zealots have deemed inappropriate for young readers in public schools. Books that contain stories about race, sexual orientation, and social (in)justice.

I was so greedy at the library that I came out with three books that really piqued my interest. They are: Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five”, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers, and “Trigger Warning” from Neil Gaiman.

While I have a few books I plan on adding to my “24 books in 2024” list, such as “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “1984”, I would love for you to share in the comments any thoughts you have about the books I have thus far on my list and/or suggestions on what I ought to pick for the next 19 books to read.

TIA, my generous reading and writing friends!

Dogs, Gratitude, Humor, Lifestyle, Love, Pets, Photography

Monthly Subscriptions and My Good Boy

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This past Sunday morning, as I was spewing out my thoughts and feelings into my personal draft folder, I caught a glimpse of the most precious thing.

Or, to be more exact, the most precious furry being there ever was: our good boy, Radar.

This is what I wrote:

I just got distracted by Radar. Normally the distraction is in the form of an unanticpated barking session. But this one is sublime. He’s curled up and sleeping next to the front door. Basking in the square of sunlight that landed on the green carpet he’s laying on. With his front paws beneath his head, and his right paw laying atop one of his most favorite toys. That tough navy and bright green wheel thing he got in his monthly Bark Box.

I resisted my usual temptation of grabbing my phone and snapping a picture. I decided it was unnecessary; and besides, the chances that he’d still be there in that exact position by the time I was ready to snap one were slim to none.

I did get this one a bit later in the day, however, as he was laying on the floor as Mr. None of the Above and I watched the Vikings vs. Packers game.

Look at the gorgeous mane!

Here’s one in which he’s wearing his “day of the dead” bandana while sharing the love seat with me and his favorite afghan, which was made by my mom.

Ain’t he a beaut?

Back to the Bark Box subscription. We signed up for it back when we lived in Colorado. When we moved to Minnesconsin in 2022, I re-started it. Not at all making any note whatsoever on my calendar so I could consider if it ought to continue after six months. So of course, that date came and went and I noticed a charge on our bank account for another six months. Radar had accumulated so many “tough chewer” toys via this subscription, but here it was already paid for. So we’ve been periodically sharing the treats and toys with other doggie friends because we simply don’t have the room for so much!

You should see this dog when the monthly Bark Box comes. He knows what it is when he sees it. He pounces, barks, wagging his tail as he expresses his jubilation. I have this little fantasy in my head that one day he’s going to manage to open it up all by himself, you know, after he grows thumbs, but for now I unseal it, then set it down on the floor for him to finish. It is the most hilarious thing ever and I’ve captured it on video but am not sure it’s good enough to share in this space.

I’m just so darn grateful for this goofy pooch of ours.

Baking, Comfort Food, Food, Halloween, Lifestyle, Middle aged belly fat, Recipes, Weight

Thursday Thoughts from a Good Cooker

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I’ve got so many tabs open in my brain as I begin writing this blog post. Tabs about our Halloween costume options (crap, it’s less than a week away!). Tabs about upcoming plans and shopping for Christmas presents. Tabs about how to express what I want to say to a person I love and miss so much who has distanced themselves from me.

For this week’s blog post, however, I’d like to focus on hearth and home. Domesticity. Cool air and the rust, amber, and scarlet leaves falling outside while we remain cozy indoors inspires this in me.

Being indoors, cooking and baking, heck, even going through my raggedy-ass recipe binder is my jam right now. It comforts me and keeps my mind occupied.

I remember, years ago, while our oldest (probably 8 or 9 at the time) was enjoying whatever supper I had just put on the table, she said “Mom, you’re such a good cooker!” It warmed my heart and gave me the giggles. It remains a family joke, tossed around liberally when any of us makes something another deems delicious.

I do have a recipe to share with you here today, fellow foodies. I’ll put it at the end of this post.

First, though, I’m going to be real with you here. I’m overweight and conflicted about it. I go back and forth in my brain on a daily basis about it, frankly. On one hand, I’m not that overweight. 13 pounds, to be precise. Just 13 pounds. I keep a food diary to keep myself honest but it’d be dishonest of me to say that practice is the secret to any weight loss. At this point it’s more like a compulsion.

There’s plenty that I like about my body, my shape. I have the ability to dress myself in ways that camoflauge my mid-section, where my extra pounds tend to gather. I’m able to easily walk a couple of miles without needing to take any breaks. My extra weight does not hinder me from doing anything really.

On the other hand, I’ll catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror sometimes and cringe. Or a picture of myself. I’m sure at least some of you can relate.

But this is the time of the year when I start to dream of all the goodies I can bake. The hotdishes that bring to mind growing up in Minnesota and adulting in Wisconsin. Showing my love for others via tasty comfort food.

Suffice it to say that my commitment to losing weight by eating healthier is waning as the temps decrease here in Minnesconsin.

Ok, folks, it’s time for the promised recipe. It’s a classic recipe for bars I’ve made numerous times over the years and it does have oatmeal in it, so it’s not entirely unhealthy. I just made a batch the other day and brought 75% of it to work (lest I gobble it all up myself in the kitchen late at night).

M ‘n M (or is it M and M?) bars:

Mix up the following and put 1/2 of it in a 9 by 11 inch baking pan:

2 Cups Quick Oats

1/2 Cup Flour

1 Cup Butter, slightly melted

1 tspn. Baking Soda

3/4 tspn. Salt

1 Cup Brown Sugar

Bake that at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

While that’s baking, mix up the following:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/3 Cup Peanut Butter

Pull the baking pan out of the oven after 12 minutes and pour that sticky goodness over the top.

Then take the other 1/2 of the oatmeal crumble mixture that’s left and mix in a cup of M&M’s (I use the Halloween colored ones because I’m fancy). Sprinkle that on top and then put it back in the oven for 18 minutes.

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Fall, Gratitude, Happiness, Lifestyle, Photography, Summer Fun

Wrapping up Summer and Forging into Fall

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My new reality began yesterday, as I’m back in the workplace after a sweet hiatus (aka Gap Year). I prepped myself ahead of time for a few days by setting my alarm for earlier and getting my butt in gear within a more reasonable amount of time. My closet has been over-hauled as a new job means work appropriate clothes needed to be excavated.

I get to wear my nicer clothes again! One of the simple things to be grateful for.

I think this job is going to suit me very well. My new co-workers welcomed me with open arms. I was given a new magnetic name tag which made it more real. I’m excited to go back tomorrow!

Fall doesn’t “officially” begin until September 23rd. Yet, with the leaves beginning to morph from green to gold and reddish hues here, along with starting my new job, it is starting to feel like fall to me.

All of the time I got to hang out with family, friends, and neighbors these past few months made for a great summer.

I’ve been aiming to include more photos in these blog posts. Due to struggles with getting our internet to comply with my frequent “save to drive” attempts, I don’t have as many photos as I’d like for sharing. Just a little downside to this country/lake lifestyle. But here’s a few showing the highlights from our first full summer here in Minnesconsin.

My Splashing Strawberry from a “Sip and Paint” experience at Dragonfly Winery
Mr. “None of the Above” (formerly known in this space as “Hubs”) and me riding the bus to the Minnesota State Fair
Weird Barbie at the Minnesota State Fair
View of our lake on our maiden voyage with the new pontoon
Five frightened baby raccoons climbing a tree in our backyard
Floating and Motorboating with the fam, Labor Day weekend 2023 (Jimmy Buffet was on repeat all day) #RIPJimmy

My daughter and I will be meeting up with my sister and one of our cousins next weekend to visit family in central Minnesota. We’ll be staying overnight at our uncle Jim’s cabin. This has been an annual trip for my sister and cousin. Every single year, as we were always living too far away, I was envious of them for getting to go. No more!

There’s other things happening in these parts over the next several weeks as well. Namely, a couple of fall festivals to check out. I’m looking forward to enjoying these with my family and neighborhood friends.

A few blog posts ago, I mentioned that I was making a list of all of the local places I want to check out here in Minnesconsin. I got a good start on that list and intend to get cracking on it ASAP. Cross your fingers that I will be able to capture great pics and memories to enjoy and share in future posts!

And now, I present to you my favorite, well one of my favorites, Jimmy Buffet songs.

Changes, Empty Nesting, Frugality, Gap Years, Grandparenting, Gratitude, Happiness, Home, Lifestyle, Self-Reflection, Work

The One Year Anniversary of House Number 8

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Last Saturday was our 1 year homeowner anniversary.

If you’re new to my blog, here’s the story of why I refer to it as “house number 8”.

What an enlightening year it’s been. Another “Gap Year” for me (a year in which I was unemployed). Similar, yet different, to the “Gap Year” I enjoyed when we moved to Colorado in 2016.

Hubs and I got to experience a full 4 seasons here, for which I have much gratitude. Here’s a few images of the seasons in this beautiful place that we get to live in.

The primary difference between these two “Gap” years is that the one I’m in now is quieter. It didn’t start out that way, with me caring for our grandson while he was struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges. Over time, gratefully, his village of supporters grew and he began to thrive.

The more recent calm and quiet of my day-to-day life has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect. To sit with my thoughts and get curious about them. It’s led me to more fully embrace “K.I.S.S.”, my favorite mantranym, which, in this instance, stands for “Keep It Simple Sister”.

What does that look like? How am I consiously keeping things simple?

It looks like making meals at home that don’t have an inordinate amount of ingredients or steps. It looks like breaking up household chores in smaller increments. It looks like planning and executing un-fussy get-togethers with our neighbors. It looks like leaning into a more frugal lifestyle by consciously spending less money and time shopping. It looks like not over-committing socially, to allow for time to marinate in the peace and quiet of this country/lake life.

I realize this might sound boring to you all, but it works for me as well as my Hubs. A simple life=a happy life for me and mine.

As we celebrate our 1 year ownership of this home, the “Gap Year” that I’ve been in, here in Wisconsin on the edge of Minnesota (aka Minnesconsin), is drawing to a close. Employment is coming to me soon. I’m ready for it.

I start a new part-time job as an office assistant in a local non-profit next Wednesday. I feel really good about this new chapter of my life.

The most gorgeous flower bouquet ever, courtesy of my wonderful in-laws to congratulate me on the new job

These lifestyle changes I’ve made (and there’s more yet to be made, mind you) in the last year are sure to serve me well as I make my return to the work force.

I am grateful, grounded, and geared-up.

Community, Dogs, Humor, Lifestyle, Neighbors

A Radar Adventure Story

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Our beloved 5-year-old dog, Radar, is so happy with his life here in Minnesconsin. Living here, he gets to run and play outside, sometimes without a leash. He gets to monitor all the little critters, the ones with wings and the ones with bushy tails, from our sun porch each day (aka Radar’s room).

Last week, Hubs was out of town for work. Radar and I were here, left to our own devices.

On Tuesday, as I’m sitting at the dining room table poking around WordPress, I got a call from our neighbor across the road, Mike. He said “Hey Rhonda, it looks like your pontoon is floating in the bay. If you need any help with it, I’m here, just let me know”.

Yikes! I thought. How could that have happened? Hubs tied it up very securely to our dock after our last boat ride. The next thought I had was “Where are the boat keys?”. I called Hubs, who, thankfully, answered right away. He tells me (of course) he’s got the boat key, but there’s a spare in the “cubby” under the steering wheel. Inside of the boat.

Really? How was I supposed to get into our boat, if it’s floating in the bay?

So, Radar and I headed to the dock to check things out. Mike was already there, on the other side of our little bay. I couldn’t make out everything he said, because of the distance between us, but I was grateful he was there nonetheless.

Thank goodness that it was not our pontoon boat out there, floating in the bay. It was our next door neighbor’s. I texted him, knowing he’d be at work (about an hour away) so he’d know his boat was adrift in the bay. As I told him, it wasn’t necessarily going anywhere. He thanked me, I let Mike know I’d contacted him, and then Mike proceeded to get into his small fishing boat, and pull our neighbor’s pontoon and tie it up to the nearest dock.

Neighbors “neighboring” is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

As this all transpired, Radar was having a ball. He grabbed a toy, ran around like the nutjob he is, back and forth between our backyard and the two closest neighbors. Running up and down each dock, smiling and panting all the while. But he then did something I wasn’t anticipating.

He ran onto our dock, reached the end of it, looked around for a second, and then jumped into the lake. In the year that we have lived here in Minnesconsin, I haven’t seen him do that.

He sunk. My heart sunk at the same time. Then his head popped back up, he started his doggie paddling, and made his way to the left side of our dock. Which, of course, is thick with long, green reeds. He’s slipping and sliding, trying to gain some traction so he could make his way up onto the solid ground above, but he’s not going anywhere. He then dips himself under the dock, which really freaked me out.

Thoughts going through my head in this moment included “is he going to get stuck in the muck?” and “am I going to have to jump in and pull him out?”. Then, as my heart is fiercely pounding inside my chest, he pops out the other side. He struggles a bit with the reeds, which, no surprise, are also on the right side of our dock. But he managed to gain enough traction to get out of that mess and onto the ground above.

Whew!

Then he smiles, excessively shakes his body to get rid of all that water, and runs up the hill towards our house.

He was so proud of himself for his adventure that afternoon. I could hardly be angry with him. Needless to say, he got a bath that night. And we both slept like babies.

Adventure, Blogging, Geography, Lifestyle, Travel, Vision Boards

The Big D, Travel, and Me

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The search for part-time work here in Minnesconsin has begun in earnest for me. Part of the search involved me going through every nook and cranny of this house to find my college transcripts, per a prospective employer’s request.

Ugh. I scoured through boxes and file cabinets all for naught. The job opening was taken down before I got a chance to request my transcripts from my alma mater.

What would be found in my college transcripts, because I remember and I’m not proud of it, is the “D” I got in Geography my freshman year.

It’s curious, I think, as a person who’s always been enthusiastic about travel, that this was my worst subject in college. I would have hoped that my interest in travel would have pushed me to do better in this course. Yet, my near-failure of this course may just be how I’m wired. I recently learned from my sister that she also stinks at Geography. We both also have no sense of direction. GPS was a Godsend for people like us.

Anyway, this all got me thinking more about travel. For so long I’ve been telling everyone I know and people I just met how much I want to visit Europe. England to begin with, as I’ve got a niece who lives there with her husband and kids and I know she’d love to show us the sites. She’s currently hosting her niece who flew in after graduating from high school in Minnesota (what kid wouldn’t love to have an auntie that cool?). Yet, at the moment, it doesn’t appear that travel to Europe is going to happen for us in the foreseeable future. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that it will happen at some point.

However, there are many locations within the U.S. that I’ve never seen before. Places Hubs hasn’t been to either. As domestic travel generally is less costly and requires less time off work, due to the distance differences, I think it’s time for us to consider where exactly we would want to go and what we’d want to see when we get there.

What places would you like to visit in the U.S. someday?

Off the top of my head, I can tell you that I would like to visit the following places in the U.S. (in no particular order):

  • Austin, TX (specifically to check out the art scene and Austin City Limits)
  • Cleveland, OH (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, people!)
  • North Carolina. A friend and sorority sister from college lives there and it seems lovely.
  • New York City (to be in the audience of SNL, see Times Square, Broadway, and more)

I think it’s time for me to assemble that puzzle I bought earlier this summer of the U.S. map. That’ll inspire me even more, giving me more ideas of places I want to visit. There are 50 states, and I’ve only visited 18 of them.

And don’t let me forget my most asinine hifalutin outlandish lifelong travel dream of the two of us getting ourselves an RV and driving through all 50 states. At a sort of leisurely pace. Yes, outlandish. But what an adventure too, right? But. Age.

But I digress, as one does at 56, perhaps. Though probably it’s just me.

Yet, taking it down to an elemental level, we’ve still only lived here for a year. There’s a shitload of places we haven’t ever been to within just a 1-2 hour drive from home.

My goal is to start rectifying that.

Once I hit the publish button on this post, I will be starting a list. It will include all of the places around these parts which I’ve not yet visited. Then, one by one, I’ll visit them. Heck, maybe I’ll even find some images of these places and slap them on a vision board for reference.

Then I will work on that U.S. map puzzle and come up with a new list.

Here’s a fun little video about travel and adventure from my youth:

And the song that inspired the title of this blog post:

***Header image of Cascade Falls courtesy of https://www.startribune.com/daytrip-osceola-wis/322524331/#4

DrivingSolo, Lifestyle, Positivity, Relaxation, Summer, Sweet Memories

Simple Country Drives

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Over the weekend, after spending time perusing handmade wares at a local arts and crafts fair with my SIL, I decided to extend my alone time by taking the long way home.

It was delicious. It gave me a sense of gratitude for the beauty of this area we live in. It relaxed me. It soothed my soul. It felt so freeing.

This song, by the marvelously talented Yola, came into my mind as I cruised along the two-lane country roads. It’s fine by me if you don’t continue reading beyond this; especially if you take my advice, which is to watch the video or simply close your eyes and listen to its goodness.

As I was tooling around in our Tacoma that day, I was reminded of summers when I was growing up. Sometimes my dad would up and decide that we were “going for a ride”. Not with any destination in mind, though sometimes a trip to the Dairy Queen occurred. Dad would get his peanut buster parfait or a hot fudge sundae, and I would get my favorite, a buster bar.

We’d sit in silence, or sometimes with the a.m. country radio station on, playing Kenny Rogers, Alabama, and the like.

We would chit-chat, my dad and I, driving the “loop” in our town and we’d meander our way in Dad’s brown Ford Thunderbird through the country roads and just cruise.

Priceless and peaceful memories.

I sure love my simple and intentional “country” life here in Minnesconsin.