Paint

Painting the bedroom

Sorry for the cell phone photos.  The color isn't great, but you can still see the differences.

Before.  Bright purple on one wall, pale on the other walls and ceiling.

During.  Some trim work and partially done on top of pale wall.

After.  A nice solid neutral color.  Not creative, but clean and better for future if/when we decide to sell.

My helper.  She only stuck her nose in the paint pot once and got only a little paint on her fur.  She did good.

Tornado Damage

We had a nasty storm or two last week, and as many of you know...it spawned several tornados.

...we know that lots of people were curious (or worried) about us since we were in the path of this storm.  Here is a picture of the damage that we had...

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Can you see them?  A couple of "branches" came down in our yard.  Brandi aided clean-up by playing fetch with the big one on top.

We were lucky, we know it.  The tornado hit it Hokah (about 5-10 miles from here), then re-grouped over our heads and hit again in La Crosse.  This is supposedly the same one that hit Sparta later. 

Up next, PAINT!

P Night

So...I haven't written in a while.  It's been busy...but right now, I'm sitting at Curves having just finished my workout, and I'm helping out my friend Teresa by closing for her tonight so she could go to her daughter's softball game.  It's supper time, and I'm hungry.  The ladies and I were chatting...and somehow or another P Night came up and I felt the urge to share.

P Night was a Grandma Vieth thing.  When we got to spend the night at her house when I was little, she would frequently have "P Night" for supper.

Pizza
Popcorn
Pickles
Peanuts
Peanut Butter (and Jelly, on fresh homemade bread)
Pepsi

You get the idea.  Now I'm really hungry...and will probably be planning a P Night of my own sometime in the near future!

The Most Feared Monster of Pettibone

Last summer, a new monster was discovered in the waters of the flooded Pettibone Park in LaCrosse.  Although this creature was not feared for its bite so much as its occasionally stinky butt, the recent storms and potential flooding leave area residents wondering if the creature will again surface. 


Meet: The Brandi-dile...or the Crock-a-Brandi...we aren't really sure!


What vicious terrors await those who get too close?



(Laughing at us) Surprise, it's just me, BRANDI-dog!

Forever in our Hearts

You will be greatly missed, Inez.

A Random Memory

Since I don't currently possess the energy or desire to continue a discussion about my fears for education and public employees in WI in general...and more specifically, my fears of how my LACK of desire to every teach there again may directly affect my career in the future...I thought I'd offer instead a random memory from elementary school.  I have several, many having to do with things I'm glad teachers I work with are more sensitive too...but this one is no sad.  Or happy.  Or really anything...other than a random memory that can make me crack half a smile at times.

It was 5th or 6th grade, and we had the opportunity to sign up for an overnight lock-in at the YMCA in La Crosse.  One of the many events we had the opportunity to play there was dodgeball.  I was playing because a bunch of my classmates were playing.  I was one of the kids who didn't jump out and taunt the thrower.  I stood towards the back against the wall and dodged when a ball was thrown at someone in my general area so that I didn't get run over by the person it was thrown at, or get knocked out by a ricochet.

Eventually, my strategy of NOT calling attention to myself paid off.  It was just me and like 2 or 3 other guys left.  Now, we're talking me, and two or three other popular "jock" types that like to bounce around in front and taunt the thrower who happened to also be another "jock" type.  As a result, it wasn't long before we were all thinking "Andrea won!  How'd THAT happen?"

I thought it was pretty cool, except that winning meant that now YOU were the thrower and I did NOT want to do it.  I said to Mr. Johnson (the supervisor) "it's cool that I won, but let XXX throw instead".  I don't currently remember who came in second place, but that's the person I wanted to throw, I was done.  Mr. Johnson was not having ANY of that...he was gonna make me throw...at least a few time, then someone else could take over.  I'm sure he was thinking positively and encouragingly, and I appreciate that now, even if I didn't then.  I don't remember how many I threw before before I was let off the hook but what I do remember clear as day was taking out SIX of the "best" payers on my first throw.  See, I really didn't want to do it, so I whipped it sidearm in the process of spinning around.  No one could account for the trajectory and few were able to get out of the way.  I felt successful, it was awesome...like the time I kicked a grandslam in kickball at recess (and had been picked last 'cuz no one assumed I could play). 

Hmm.  That's my random memory.  And now I've posted something.

He told me to go...

...and be with IA.  I was going to wait until the weekend.  I'm glad I listened to my husband. 

I got to see IA on Wednesday night.  He wasn't feeling great, had lost lots of weight and wasn't eating or moving much.  BUT...he did wag his tail when he saw me.  He did sit up for me and let me pet and cuddle with him for a few hours.  He ate ice cubes, lots of them, from my hands...he even had a sip of mom's wine.

...and before I left that night, he had moved out onto the porch.  This was a huge endeavour for him, but he made it.  And as he sat on the porch I got to take his head into my hands again, put my forehead to his, and whisper into his ear. 

I told him I loved him very much, and that I hoped this wasn't the last time I got to tell him that...but that if it was, he should always remember it.  I also assured him he would be in excellent company when the time did come.  His brother Dillenger I'm sure was waiting...and my puppy love from growing up, Odie.  I'm sure they are all running through the fields, digging up cow bones, and rolling in manure to their heart's content. 

One day, we'll meet again.  Until then...I'll miss you IA.

On Wisconsin

It is time for the part of the school year that drives me crazy. We are wrapping up our regular pep season, playing for both girls’ and boys’ basketball teams in the playoffs, working Dorian honor band (with music that came 3 DAYS instead of 3 weeks in advance), holding our winter concert, and competing in large group competition all within a three week time frame (four if the boys make it to state). I’ll leave out further details because as busy as it is, it is for the most part fun. Suffice it to say that this season leaves me with 2 primary thoughts:


1. I wish this didn’t mean 3-4 nights per week at school until well after 10pm including weekends

2. I wish the kids worked as hard prepping the concert and contest as they do their outfits for playoff games.

With all of this on my mind, I haven’t been able to spend as much time fretting the Wisconsin situation but that doesn’t mean that I am no longer following it. I did have a rather wordy post ready to go but the more I re-read it, the more it became obvious that it would be easier to rewrite it now that I have calmed down significantly.

It should be obvious given my chosen profession that I am very much against Mr. Walker’s budget repair bill. When it comes to paying more for pensions and healthcare…those are issues that can be dealt with and certainly in these times are necessary. However, I am very much against removing collective bargaining rights for the public employees. Unions negotiate…and by all means feel free to negotiate tough with them…but removing the CBA rights inhibits the abilities of local schools and governments to work with their employees in a way that is/can be beneficial to both sides.

Besides the CBA, there are other issues that disturb me about this bill. In no particular order:

1. Federal transportation money is dependent on workers being unionized. Taking away CBA may cause a loss of 40% (and in some municipalities 80%) of this operating budget. This could hurt elderly and students as well as people in lower income neighborhoods that rely on this transportation for daily life.

2. UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee will be given permission to split from the rest of the UW system. This will allow them to create their own boards and although they will still receive state funding, THEY will have control of how it is divided. They will also be able to raise tuition without going through the legislature. I don’t see anything wrong with these concepts except that they shouldn’t need to split off…those abilities should apply to all schools in the UW system.

3. The Republican position is typically LESS government. This governor made one of his first acts in office a power grab. He made it a law that any state regulation for any state agency must go through him before it goes to the legislature. It seems to me that the job of the legislature is to weed out the good and the bad regulations and to pass those that worked and reject those not in the best interest of their people. Now all of this goes through one person, he has the decision in his hands on even letting the regulation get to the legislature.

4. Healthcare. There is an exception in the budget repair bill to the above rule change. The healthcare committee is to be given the authority to change anything they see fit to see all the healthcare programs (BaderCare, SeniorCare, Medicade, etc…) are solvent. They do not need to go through the governor nor do they need to go through the legislature. Those 12 Republicans and 4 Democrats can do as their majority pleases. So far, the changes being discussed will mean thousands upon thousands could be removed from their program and left uncovered or with less coverage than they currently have.

…There are other issues…but I’m growing disheartened…

For me: This means I have given up the dreams of teaching in Wisconsin. I wouldn’t have a problem paying in…but I do have a problem going somewhere without CBA. It is also unlikely that I would be hired even if I did decide to go. Without CBA there is little incentive for a school to hire experience when a rookie out of school is cheaper. Rookie experiences typically occur in smaller schools anyway, but bigger schools with major budget issues will likely proceed in the same direction-especially in the Arts (if they chose to keep and Arts program at all!).

Spring Grove will likely not be a school when I hit retirement age. We are simply too small. No one can tell you what education will even look like in 30 years. We have 5 years in us yet for sure. More if we’re lucky. Our community is very supportive and I’m sure will continue to be until it becomes obvious our students would be better off consolidated with another community. The band directors on either side of our school started the same year I did. There is no seniority between us. My program is currently the largest of the three but my students could easily be absorbed by their directors without the need to hire another. I can’t see either district removing their own director or even making them re-apply for a spot due to consolidation. This will leave me unemployed and unemployable. La Crescent and Winona directors are young yet and 14+ years experience (as of five years from now) and a Master’s degree will make it difficult if not impossible to find a job in Wisconsin or Minnesota…at least one within a commutable distance from our home.

The question now becomes: what’s next for me when this eventually happens…and what can I do to prepare for it now?

as we have it in MN

...That's right...I said WE in MN...that's me...a Minnesotan (that cheers for a "foreign" football team).  This is from the LA CROSSE TRIBUNE.

Minnesota lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s public work force, including paring the state work force by 15 percent and a proposed pay freeze for teachers.
But Minnesota officials aren’t expected to replicate Wisconsin’s efforts to have employees pay more for their benefits, as such efforts likely wouldn’t yield much savings in Minnesota.
A plan to end collective bargaining with teachers and thousands of other public employees is roiling Wisconsin, where Republican Gov. Scott Walker contends it would save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.
Walker is calling for employee contributions to rise from less than 1 percent of their earnings to nearly 6 percent.
In Minnesota, state employees already pay nearly that, said Jennifer Munt, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents about 20,000 state employees.
“In Minnesota, public employees pay 5 percent of their income toward their pension,” she said. “The average pension for AFSCME state employees is $13,000 a year.”
That’s currently a 50-50 match for the Minnesota State Retirement System.
Those contributions are defined by law — not in contract talks, said Jim Monroe, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, another large state public employee union. He said eliminating collective bargaining, as Wisconsin is considering, wouldn’t change that.
“If anybody here in Minnesota thinks that would generate savings, it would not,” Monroe said of Wisconsin’s plan.
Minnesota teachers have a similar deal. They contribute 5.5 percent of their pay to their pensions, which is matched by their districts. That’s scheduled to rise to 6 percent in July and 7.5 percent by 2014.
In Wisconsin, Walker’s plan also would require public employees to contribute more for their health insurance, to nearly 13 percent of the premium cost.
It’s hard to compare directly, because the benefits are a key factor in the cost of health insurance, but in Minnesota, AFSME and MAPE have bargained to pay 15 percent of a family plan for their employees. The state picks up the rest, with a $3,800 out-of-pocket limit.
Just as in Wisconsin, teachers in Minnesota bargain their health insurance locally, and it varies widely.
“We have a pretty good balance right now,” said Mike Parry, chairman of the Senate’s state government committee. “So I think we’re different from that.”
But lawmakers at the Capitol have been talking about statutory changes to public employment this session, including pay freezes for teachers and a 15-percent cut in the state work force.
Parry said he and other Republicans also would like the state to operate more like the private sector with pensions and other benefits.
“I would like to see the citizens, which is the state, be put in a position where they can decide what they’re going match, if they’re going to match, based on the surplus in the state’s coffers,” Parry said.
Bills have been introduced in the House this year attempting to change Minnesota to a right-to-work state, which would all but eliminate unions’ ability to organize. But so far, neither bill has made any progress in the House.

What difference a border makes

Minnesota and Education Innovation

Lawmakers Flee

...I have lots of opinions on this.  It's giving me migraines and stomach aches.  This was the root of the reason I started writing again.  I will eventually be calm enough to start making sense so I can write it out...I've started the blog, it is just not post-able yet.  I want to make sure I get it right, at least for me.

If you are someone...

...who believe that in government "less is more", then how is it not contrary to your beliefs to write a new law which basically says that before any rules or regulations are create and/or changed, you (as in YOU, ONE PERSON in Government) must personally approve of the change or the new rule. I thought this is what our Legislators were for...nothing is approved without going through them so now why must it come through YOU FIRST...Isn't that asking for more power?

Also at issue (and possibly to be discussed at length in the future): Tort reform, Union-buster, land favors, insurance minimums, personal security....

I need...

...to write. Perhaps that is really what is needed. There is a deep and profound sadness in my life and I have ideas about the contributing factors but no real way to grab and fix those things that are beyond my control. I am beginning to think that the best way to sort through it all and get it out is simply to write...and get it out somewhere.

I have also come to the realization that our blog has been grossly neglected...although it is entirely plausible that this is not something I really had to realize as much as it simply needed acknowledging. The issue here is that I felt I was boring you, our sole and lonely reader. I didn't have anything really "new" to say and I can only thrill you with so many pictures of our little princess pooch, Brandi. My husband is an amazing man but does not like his pictures posted here, and considering I am not a fan of having my picture taken at all, I can hardly blame him.

Recently I read a friend's newly created blog. She doesn't bother with pictures. She just writes (and very eloquently at that). Reading her thoughts is rejuvenating, refreshing and inspiring to me. I've come to understand that this doesn't need to be about entertainment value or filling the world in on the redundant day to day stuff. It needs to be about anything. In that knowledge and with that understanding-I've decided to use this forum to write. Just write. I'm not promising pictures or thrills. What you will get is simply what's on my mind. My intention is to let it out. I most likely can't solve the things that are making me truly sad but perhaps this outlet will provide some relief.

Now, before I begin about what's sad in my world, I believe it is imperative to mention what is not. My husband is the light of my life. He is my everything and without him I would be lost. His mere presence is enough to make me feel safe and comforted, and with him by my side and me by his, there is nothing we can't face togehter. Also right: my cuddle-bum Brandi-dog, my career as it is right now, and generally day to day life. Don't mistake me. Life IS good. It's the ability to keep it that way and my concern and empathy for outhers now and in the future that is inspiring this current word splurge.

Now you know what to expect and perhaps understand that what follows may be totally unexpected. I know that my goals are. I'm trying to do better here (in this blog). My hope is that with this new conceptrual idea for this blog, I will be able to satisfy not only your desire to read, but my desire to purge this sadness within.

That will be it for today. More WILL follow. I am making an effort at this committment.

(PS...it should be noted that my current mood is no longer the deep melancholy I felt this morning when I formulated this blog. I am currently at peace. My hubby took me out for V-Day, yoga was tonight, and this word splurge have all contributed to a state of mind in which I find myself still concerned for the others but personally content)

What is me...

Cut and Paste links to make them work...

S.A.D.~~~Seasonal Affective Disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder

This is NOT me.

Melancholy~~~

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/melancholy

This is more like...and this certainly varies by day. Maybe if I turned off NPR...

Just a touch

For now...just a touch of what I owe you. I will try and complete another update tomorrow.

So, it's a four day weekend, and it doesn't feel like it. I'm sad that tomorrow is already Sunday and school is looming on Monday again. I'm still tired. I really would like to sleep and sleep some more. That was my intention this weekend but it didn't turn out that way. I still managed to get to the fitness center, made HUGE progress in reorganizing the basement, got the yard mowed and some of the plants cleaned up for the winter, did some spoiling of myself, movies with the hubby, dinner with Dad and Mary (and Lizard)...LOTS of stuff, and good stuff...just not sleep. And tomorrow is a late night...the Packer/Viking game doesn't start until 7:30ish. Monday will be miserable at school, especially if the Packers forget to show up and play. On the other hand, if they pull their heads out of their butts and play like they know how...then the adrenaline will help we through the week!

Ok, so that's what is CURRENT...now for the first part of the back log of things to share with you.

In late July, Duane and Kurt headed out west on the Boys Motorcycle trip. I was jealous they were going but this is the same time I was having Lasik surgery. It was scary doing the surgery with NO ONE there but me...but I stayed in a hotel, pampered myself, and did just fine. We won't mention that they knocked a couple hundred bucks off the price since I had to pay for a hotel! Anyway...I would post pics from his trip, but he prefers not to put them online. If you're interested, ask and he'll share!

On the Zumba/PiYo/Curves Challenge front:

Zumba is AWESOME, I will take a class again. Our instructor teaches in several places so I think I'll track her down again in the near future. They usually go in 8 week cycles and my last class is this Thursday. Due to end of the semester stuff at school, I will likely sit out this next cycle but then start again with her in the new year!

PiYo (Pilates & Yoga mix) is WAY cooler (and harder!) than I thought it would be. I will have to miss the last session in our 8 week course due to a home playoff game for the football team, but I will be joining the next session beginning November 8th at my Curves. I will only have to miss one week in that session due to our Holiday concert so it's well worth the $50. I think I really like this course because it's not only a strengthening thing, but MEGA stretching and balance. Plus, I ALWAYS sleep really well after a PiYo session!

The 6 Week Curves challenge is over. Elizabeth and I both did awesome. I won't go into details because I'm not sure she would want them posted here, but let's just suffice it to say that between the two of us we swept all the awards categories. Part of the prize package I won included a gift certificate for a session in the chi chair (I've talked about here in the past) at Body and Sol; and a free pedicure and shampoo/style from "By Shear Design" in Onalaska. I took advantage of those things today to spoil myself a little at no cost to me. It was WONDERFUL...and I found a new place to get my hair done! LOVED IT!!!

So tomorrow (if I decide to write), I will include some school info. and some pictures from a Brandi-dandy day when Wendy visited.

I owe you

I know I do. But it's not going to happen tonight. I am tired, and there is a book calling my name. SO...next week, we have a FOUR DAY WEEKEND due to convention. I WILL fill you in then.

Things to look forward to:
A few pics from Duane's trip out west with Kurt
Zumba
PiYo
Curves challenge
School stuff (Parades, homecoming, and HAUNTED HOUSE)
Wendy's Visit and Brandi Dandy-day pics
...MAYBE even some before and after of work in the basement (MAYBE!)
...and anything else I can randomly think of...

A Fast Start

So the school year is off and running...running fast. We have now completed our first week of school (4 days because of Labor Day) and my band has had 4 early morning rehearsals and 4 performances. We've done 2 football games and 1 volleyball game (all Spring Grove Victories!) and the Mable-Canton Steam Engine Days parade. I was prepared for a difficult year with some rough transitions. To this point, my bands have 100% exceeded expectations. I'm starting to get pretty excited about all our prospects for the year, it looks like it could be fun after all! This coming week we only have one performance for volleyball on Tuesday night. It looks like we'll finally get to take a little breath and get into the grove of daily school life (until it's disrupted by homecoming the week after!)

Life at home is as happy as ever too. I'm done with JCPenney and loving it. It means that I get to come home after school (except for Pep band nights!)and have time for whatever I want. I'm still managing to get some reading in which doesn't normally happen during school, I've got me and those that eat in this house working on eating properly again and I've found a new love. It's called a Chi Chair...and it's awesome. I only get to use it a couple more times because I only bought a month pass and don't really have too much time over the school year for it, but one day I WILL own one of these things. It's like a really light touch massage and energizer. It makes me feel so energized and relaxed all at the same time. Pretty cool!

I'm also involved in the "Fall Off" challenge at Curves. I love it when a challenge is on because it helps with motivation. So far so good. This time around I'm also taking a yoga and zumba class that Curves is offering. Yoga is Tuesday's and Zumba on Thursdays, both classes running for 8 weeks. In September I'll be missing one class a week (yoga once, zumba thrice) because of pep band, but in October I'll be able to crank it up a notch and do both. So far, I've had just the one Yoga class and I actually liked it. It kicked my butt. This week, it's Zumba and I'm REALLY excited.




I guess that's it for now. Nothing else new or exciting to share...until next time!

I don't know what to tell you

It's raining here. We don't need the rain, we've had plenty. I DO hope that it will help cool things down.

I wish I'd left JCP earlier. The last 2 weeks without being there at all have been amazing. I've had time to get the house together and get my thoughts together for school.

Band Camp went well. Better than expected by far. I think that I have some people who just needed to step out of the shadows of those that just left. Hopefully that keeps up throughout the year. The music level will be a bit easier because we are a very YOUNG band...but it will build. I'm no longer dreading going back.

The Brownlee Reunion was wonderful. We rode the motorcycle to Rochester on a PERFECT day for riding and got to spend some time with Duane's parents. I didn't know many people at the reunion but I DID know the immediate family and met several others. So many people and personalities in the same place make for an interesting experience. Duane made Kathleen's day when he took her on a ride. Picture a very tiny, very excitable, slightly older lady in an old fashion helmet and leather coat....she very nearly cried with excitement. Very cute to watch!

I took Brandi swimming on Monday. We had the beach to ourselves in the morning and it was VERY pleasant. Perhaps we'll go again on Labor Day if the weather cooperates and we can get there before it gets busy with people that have the same idea.

Inservices started today. It wasn't great getting up in the morning and I missed cuddling with Brandi all day but other than that it was fine. We go Wednesday and Thursday as well. Friday is no school, but we do have PEP Band for a football game. I'm off the weekend and we start full force on Sept. 7. The 25th is the only other day I have totally free in Sept. It'll be fine though...a fast start towards next summer's vacation!

I'm taking a Yoga and a Zumba class. Yoga will be Tuesday nights and Zumba on Thursdays through Sept. and Oct. All of September I will only be able to do one or the other, not both, due to the band schedule but in October I'll be able to both all month. It should be a nice lift as we are starting Phase 1 of our diet again after "maintaining" for the summer and I'm participating in the "Fall Off" challenge at Curves. Hopefully it will be a great way to help get through Pep Season...

That's all right now. Sorry no pictures...I'll try and post again soon, but forgive me if it takes a while. September is BUSY!

Sigh

There is nothing terribly interesting going on for me right now.

Duane left on July 26 for the Boys Trip out west. He calls nightly and by all accounts is having a good time. Brandi and I on the other hand...miss him terribly. Tonight we were outside playing with a stick and she heard a Harley drive by. She dropped the stick, perked her ears, and ran in circles barking and looking for her pa. After she realized it wasn't him, she brought me her stick and didn't want to play anymore so we went inside. Now she's staring out the living room window and whining...poor girl, I know how she feels.

My Lasik surgery went very well. It was a really scary thing to do with no one around that I knew, but it's done and it's AWESOME. They say it takes a few weeks to let the vision stabilize so every now and then one eye feels fuzzier than the other. It's worst when I first wake up because they are SO dry...kinda feels like I slept with contacts in. Already though, every day sees less and less fuzz and more time very clear. I was seeing 20/20 the day after with both eyes together so it looks like everything went perfect. The actual procedure is weird. There are no "lasers" coming at your eye, you really just stare at blinking lights...kinda like your annual eye exam. The difference is that this blinking light clicks and your eye is held open with a suction ring that also monitors eye pressure. Honestly, the worst part of the procedure was putting this thing on! I knew it was totally worth it during the procedure when the blinking light I was supposed to be staring at went from fuzzy to a solid pinpoint when the clicking stopped. Thanks again to EMILY for watching Brandi-dog Thursday night!

Yesterday (Saturday), I did my back to school shopping. I needed new slacks that fit (woo hoo!) and picked up a few new tops too. It was earlier than I tend to like to shop for back to school, especially because I KNOW that I've earned a few more $5 star coupons (JCPenney money for employees) that I could have spent, but I am leaving JCP soon and I wanted to make sure I got to use my discount. Today (Sunday) I stopped by JCP and officially submitted my resignation. My last day there is Aug. 14 (although my last scheduled day is Aug 13). I've moved up my hair appointment to tomorrow instead of Sept. so that I may partake in that discount one more time too. Leaving is bittersweet. I've enjoyed the job, my bosses, and the discount...but during the school year I teach in a JH/HS...I don't need to spend my time working in one too. The people in my department are worse than the most dramatic JH students and I'm simply tired of it. PLUS, I can always wait to do my shopping for friends and family days for the discount and now I can also do the surveys and get the extra 15% off...so really, I'll be just fine when I have to shop.

Next up, well...not much. Monday I have a hair appointment, and Tuesday I'll have to go to Spring Grove to get out band camp letters. Other than that, Brandi and I are hanging out waiting for Wednesday when Duane gets home. I work Thursday-Monday. Also Monday I have a follow up appointment for my eyes. I'm hoping Duane will go with me this time. It should be just a simple up and back (which is good because I either work that night or have to find someone to work for me!). After that, I'll only have 3 shifts left at JCP! My last shift is Aug 13, and hopefully Aug 14 will be a motorcycle charity ride for something or another (Duane doesn't remember which one, I'm just hoping he'll let me go with him!) Then I take a week off, go to the BROWNLEE FAMILY REUNION in Rochester (Woo Hoo!), then 3 days of band camp, then inservices, then pep band, then school starts...etc...

Where did the summer go?

Kiss Me Kate Photos

In a recent post I told you I was directing the pit orchestra for the musical "Kiss Me Kate". This musical was a production of the Opera House in Spring Grove and took place in "Ye Olde Gray Barn". For those that aren't familiar with the summer musical in Spring Grove here is an overview.

Dinner is served "on the green" starting at 6:30. The meals and deserts are catered and awesome. They are also "show specific" meaning that they are meant to go with the time period/genre/ambiance/etc...of whatever show is being performed. After dinner in the billowy white and decorated tents, you find your chair on the hillside and watch a the show starting at 8:30 so that the sun is setting. The show is performed in a barn. The side walls open up to the stage, the orchestra sits in the hayloft on the upper right side (as you look at that stage), the dressing rooms are the horse stalls on the lower level. This is a horse barn in current use...with the horses moved out for the duration of the rehearsals and shows.

They have been doing this for YEARS in Spring Grove and the shows are well attended (hundreds of people attend over the 4 day run). It is a truly incredible sight to see if you've never done it before. Next year's show will (hopefully) be Fiddler on the Roof, so keep that in mind. Now for you viewing entertainment: pictures from the life of the "lofted pit orchestra people". Pictures are all compliments of trumpet extraordinaire Mike Ehr.

The Hillside
The dinner and snack tent

From Backstage
The catwalk in the loft. David (the director man in the pic.) spent most of the show up there running backdrops and curtains.

A Proud Norwegian Heritage in the community

The Barn
The Show
And Finally: My lofted PIT people






The view from the 3rd riser in the PIT orchestra's Loft

2 weeks from today...

Heading to the Lasik Institute in Edina, MN. SUPER EXCITED and very happy that it's a steal of a deal $2600 total. Gundersen STARTS at $2300 per eye...and yes, my eye doc. at Gundersen recommended them!

Custom Wavefront LASIK

With CustomVue LASIK technology, 98% of patients who used the VISX laser, can see 20/20 or better after one year after procedure.

Custom LASIK - Leading Edge Results

The key difference with Custom LASIK is the use of the wavefront analyzer which brings a whole new level of knowledge.

Custom Wavefront is 25 Times More Precise
Originally invented by NASA, wavefront technology is now available for medical uses. The wavefront analyzer produces a sophisticated map of your vision, like a "fingerprint", which is 25 times more precise than standard measurements. It also captures imperfections, or "higher order aberrations", or tiny irregularities which cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses.

Glares or Halos
These imperfections are typically linked to glare and halos with glasses or contact lenses - however with Custom Wavefront these issues are becoming a thing of the past. All of this personalized eye data is transferred electronically to the laser and a Custom LASIK treatment plan is developed.

This plan will exactly match and correct your visual errors. In fact, with Custom LASIK, many patients will actually see better than they could with glasses or contacts. Many also notice reduced glare and night vision problems versus previous corrective lenses before LASIK surgery. Custom Wavefront LASIK has been called leading edge because it has the potential to improve not only how much you see, but also how well you can see.

Custom LASIK is a "specialized treatment" using the most advanced technology in the laser eye surgery industry. This procedure is premium priced. Treatment and recovery time are typically the same with Custom LASIK as traditional LASIK. Learn more about CustomVue Technology!