2025 Year in Review.

 As the last remaining minutes of this year tick by,  I wanted to remember and share the Roller Coaster ride I had this year.  Let's just say that I am FULLY looking forward to a new year and another opportunity to start over again.   (And just when I thought 2024 was bumpy!)   I know God has a way of Answering prayers.... And looking back,  he did just that.   But not in the way I had intended or wanted.  

That being said...  Things somehow all worked out!   And I actually had moments of fun and happiness and peace.    

So...  Without further delay...  Let's get started

The year started off with me still being a High School Science teacher...   It seems like a lifetime ago...but was actually less than a year.  

I went to a lot of Basketball Games and cheered the kids on.

I even judged a couple Robotics meets!  

We took on an Exchange Student and I drove him back and forth to school. 

But the teaching thing did not quite work out as well as I would have wanted.   And I guess the feeling was mutual... They were ready to let me go and I was ready to leave.   So it all worked out.  Not exactly the rosy colored world I had imagined or talked about in previous blog posts.   But there comes a time when you have a nagging question of life answered.  And you may not like the answer...  But at least you no longer have the question bugging you.   

With all that new found time,  I spent it mushroom hunting and nature walking.   And running.  

I had to burn off that anxiety somehow.   And although I did not have the same level of training as before,  I decided to run the half marathon here in Kenosha.  13.1 miles!  

I finished!  But I had to buy new running shoes a week before the race.   And as a result,  I did not have them thoroughly broke in.   Causing an injury in my foot that has plagued me all year!   

But before I could blame the shoes... something else happened.  

 Dave's House Burned Down!  

Just when I was worried that I would not be able to treat the stress of unemployment with running,   I now have an even bigger issue!   Homelessness!

Actually,   the Church rallied to our aid and I was never without shelter.   Another prayer God answered that was not in the way of my liking....   

But He is God... and Who am I to say otherwise....

Now,  With lots of Time,   New exotic living locations.   AND no earthly burdens to weigh me down.   I discovered  my love of Fishing once more!

I fished a LOT this year.    Mostly small ponds and streams.   With a LOT of bluegills to fry up.  

Dave and I also managed to go out on the Big Lake and catch a few Coho.  

Other events:   There were the Bag Pipers of Kenosha.

The AMC event on simmons Island.   (Too many pictures to show here.) 

 The 4th of July 5K...  Where I volunteered and caught up with a former student. 

And then there were the Mushrooms! 

 

LOTS and lots of Mushrooms this year! 

Eventually,  the money began to run out and the job search was beginning to grow cold.   After the fire,  I headed over to Zebra for an interview.    And secured the job.  

The next day... Haribo Called.

It really did come down to  the wire and benefits.   Haribo pays slightly more and has a nice benefits package.   But Zebra was familiar and I know a lot of the people. 

But I chose Haribo.  

From the "Ashes" of defeat to the glimmer of Gummies...  I somehow managed to find my way back into the warehouse/production  business and have enjoyed every minute of it.   

During that time,  Cheryl dropped in a few times to visit.  

I would frequently kidnap Christina's Dog for a walk and mushroom hunt.  

I ended up running the Turkey Trot... alone.   And SLowly!   (My foot injury has not fully healed.)

  

OH!  And I got a Cat.    Compliments of Christina. 

The cat has been a Ghost to me over the last several months.. Only showing up whenever Cheryl would come over to visit.  

But Now...  Somehow,  She has become annoyingly present and obvious!

I also traveled to Tennessee. 

And Saw Rod Stewart on my Birthday!. 

  I helped Pastor Gorde Move along with the Hinz....  ( The newest Teacher at the Middle School.) 

All of the Paper Fish I created are now gone...  But I managed to save two of them that did not get damaged from the water.   

The Walleye, Brown Trout were not so fortunate.  

 Well,  I'll skip the small stuff for now and begin to close this blog post out.   Let me just say, it was a heck of a ride!   The Chinese Animal for 2025 was the snake. Fitting....  if you don't like snakes.  Also fitting if you do.    They get a bad rap for the whole poison venom thing.... And the Fall of Man.   BUt really they provide a great service by keeping rodents and bugs down.   You just have to look past the scaly, slippery exterior and bad reputation. 

That being said,   I'm ready to embrace the Chinese  Zodiac Animal for 2026.   The Fire Horse!

I mean...  Things can only look up after being knocked down to the ground.  Am I right?  

A side note to my friend Dave.   "Pastor Pagel" to many around here.  After the House Burned down, he has had his share or bumpy roads and roller coaster rides as well.   But he is preparing for a new adventure in a not so distant place in Canada.   Perhaps his prayers have been answered as well...  (Though,  again,  I'm sure not the way he had imagined it...)  God knows what is best.   And I truly believe that even if the path seems bumpy and rough... it is the best  or ONLY possibly path.  

So have faith!   And Trust in Him. 

  So Happy New Year to Everyone who managed to drop into this lengthy Blog Post.    And Let's hope we can all make every second of this next year count.  

Tales From The Ghost Cat.

 So the cat has gone from "Never Being Seen" to "Intolerably Annoying" within just 48 hours!  This after several months of avoiding me.  Who can ever figure out what a cat is thinking? 

At least this behavior is more familiar to me.   I have had the "Sidekick" cat... and the "Cuddlebug" before.   So jumping up and sitting on my face is normal.  I even got her to play with the feather wand today.   And the laser pointer!   I guess that is progress.   

The only problem is when I am trying to watch a video or write a blog post.   She tends to sit on the keyboard or in front of the screen so I can't see what I'm doing. At the moment,  she is somewhere else, so I am trying to write this as quickly as possible.  

Having nothing really planned today,  all I did was rest up and put on some Cat Videos for her to watch.   And since she has been mostly under the sofa for the last several months,  I guess the stimulation of birds and squirrels running around has been successfully exciting for her.  The only bad part is that I can't use the computer when she is into her videos.   

Other than that,  I attempted to bake a pie this afternoon!   A Cherry one this time.  I don't really know what possessed me to make a fruit pie.   But I do know that every since Helen gave me some pointers on making a crust for a pumpkin pie,  I have attempted to learn a new skill.   

Even Cheryl helped push me in that direction as she gifted me a pie book for Christmas. I have not really read any of the recipes yet.   I don't usually stick to recipes anyway.   I mostly looked over the techniques and pointers that the book has to offer.  And I'm sure all pie makers tend to "make the recipe their own" so, adding a little ginger here or a dash of vanilla there when it is not called for is a baker's prerogative.  

I must say,  for a first fruit pie attempt, I think it turned out ok.   A few tips I learned from pumpkin pie making was the "pre-baking" of the crust before adding any filling.   ( It's called "blind" baking.... No idea why.   No one is blind here!)  I also learned that when blind baking the crust...if it calls for 20 minutes, I give it only 10.   And so far that has worked out for me.   I may attempt the "pie weights" and stuff later... But I doubt I'm going to ever go "All In!"  when developing my pie making skills.

In the mean time,  I have a small log on the fire and a I'm finishing up the last of the Holiday food.   Namely,  a Tom and Jerry in my new Gremlin Mug that Christina gave me.  

Ok,  I know it is a baby yoda mug... But I grew up in the 80's and Gremlins was a thing back then.  And the Baby Yoda kind of looks like a gremlin.   So I'll  stick with that.  

Well,  Shadow the Ghost cat. has returned to my lap and typing is virtually impossible.  So I'll end this now and try to make every remaining second count.  Tomorrow.  I go back into Haribo.