2023! The Years Of Memories... Both Good And Bad.

So here it is!   The year in Review...  As seen by me.   This is going to be a tough one this year, because there are not a ton of running pics to flood the post...  OR Christmas  stocking photos.   It will be more about a story/time line.  And even then... How do I start it?   From bad to good?  Or good to bad?  I guess it would depend on how I would want to end the year and whether I want to end it on a high note or a low one.   Who knows?   Why not just buckle up and see where the winds of fate take us....   

So here we go!

I started the year with the Warehouse shutting down and coming under "New" management.   The Zebra Technologies that had been a client of GXO took over the building along with most of the crew that proved themselves worthy of staying.  It was a bit of a challenging time, but also an exciting time as there seems like a little more organization and order to the system.  I was one of the few folks selected for the "First Wave" of employees to set things up. ( and clean up... Everyone needs those Material Handler 1s)  With my positive blogging about the progress, I inadvertently changed people's minds on whether they wanted to stay with the program or look for opportunities elsewhere.   I feel pretty good about that.  

Sadly,  not everyone stayed for then entire year.   We lost Phil,  Patty,  Veronica, Mark, Melissa, and several others along the way.   ( Technically, we DID get Veronica back though.....  From that honey trap across the street.   Haribooooo!) We also lost Dave.   The initial  Warehouse Manager from the transition.   Not sure if he was "let go" or if he had met his contract obligations as the "Transition Man." who gets the crew safely moved over from GXO to Zebra.  Either way,  I rather liked the guy.   I'm sure he had his management flaws, but he seemed likeable enough and took in comments from the common folks on the ground.   How he reacted to those suggestions are a mystery to me... but bottom line,  he no longer works at that warehouse.

That little change-up helped me dust off the embroidery machine and make a few bucks on the side.   Not many people liked the "Warehouse Uniform" and when they found out all that was required was a Zebra logo...  I was in Business!  ( Well,  not really a business...) but I made a little money helping people get clothing  that was more flattering.  Orders have certainly fizzled now that most people got what they wanted.   But I still occasionally have ideas that I like to  sew up for myself.  

Speaking of Artistic endeavors...  I managed to dust of the chalk boxes and was asked to help out  the Wellman Library with a Summer Reading Event they had in June.  I accepted!  I used to do chalk art in the park back when I lived there so it was not really a huge decision.  I even managed to do a few Chalk drawings around Kenosha.  I would say the Library event was fun... and it was... Mostly.   But that event happened to coincide with another, rather "life-changing" event.... 

Cheryl and Ethan Get Divorced!  Ugh!   The ultimate low for the year.  And although it was not official until September....  This is when the process "officially" started.  There is not much to talk about that has not already been mentioned in this blog and the Midnight Carver....   So I will Skip the rehash.   Let's just say that Cheryl and I are no longer Officially "Husband and Wife."  On a bright note:  (And I do enjoy remaining positive...) Having no assets or children....  we were not much of a blood bank for the legal system to drain.   Namely,   We did it all on the Cheap!  Under $250 Bucks!  Screw you Lawyers and Lawmakers!  Big Government!  Why did we need their permission to get married in the first place?   Um...   Yeah...  Where was I?   

You might be confused though, if you read this blog...  Since we still talk and she has even come to Kenosha to run a Turkey Trot!  I can't explain it.    I'm as confused as you are!  But here were are.    It was fun!  And Dave managed to run with us....  For two miles at least.  (We did the 10 K)  I happened to set a new PR there as well... So I was pretty proud of that. 

2023 was actually  quite the year for running....  For me!  I ended up volunteering for two races. (The Kenosha Marathon and The Kenosha Firecracker 5K)  and running all the distances typically offered to runners.   A 5K, 10K, Half Marathon.....  And....

The Full Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon!    

I would call this the "High Point"  of the year... IF it had been anything other than a 5 hour suffer-fest!    Running a full Marathon IS life changing....  and I already posted two blog posts about it previously.   So... I will try not to rehash it.   I mostly want to acknowledge my accomplishment for actually enduring the pain and finishing it. AND  noting that I managed to complete it SOLO.   Which is not entirely true.   I had LOTS of help and support from fellow runners...  which even now, still wells up emotions  in the back of my mind.  The lady at mile 22 was an Angel!  

Speaking of Support!   After the lowest point of 2023,  A Ray of Sunshine parted the clouds from out of no where!   Family members from the Clemence side of my family (My Grandma Allen's family) contacted me.  I was invited to a family reunion...  Something I had not been to in YEARS!  ( I think I was just out of Grade School when I last attended one.)  And I had a BALL!   All of the people I used to play with are now grown up and have their own kids.  I didn't get to see everyone, but I saw enough to help me through a troubling time.  With a little luck,  I am looking forward to attending the next one in 2024.  

Besides Family,   I have some awesome friends.   Dave goes without mentioning.   (Too many reasons to list)  Besides Fishing, grilling, and drinking beer,   he took me to Michigan to sample  several breweries on my Birthday.  We stopped in to visit an old class mate who has started his own brewery and paid a visit to Dave's parents.  A great way to spend a birthday!  

Add in Christina,  Who checks in on me from time to time and occasionally offers suggestions for upcoming events.  Working at Sam's Club has it's perks on alerting you to what Kenosha has to offer. 

There are also the work friends who I have managed to engage outside the Zebra Warehouse.   Fransisco and John have joined me at the Bar once or twice to talk about things that are not job related.   Along with Marion,  who I occasionally meet in the park during my long runs.  They all are seemingly small threads that end up forming  a solid network.  Together, I feel like there are roots beginning to form here in Kenosha.  

Besides roots...  They also offer activities!   After all...  There are more things to do than just going to the Bars in Kenosha.   (Right?  Christina?) There is also fishing! 

A rather successful fishing year this year.   At least the several times Dave and I went out.   In fact,  the last time I think I set a record with 21 Bluegills of edible size!  A wonderful way to end the fishing season...  alone on a private pond. ( Until that guy kicked me off... grrr)   It got me thinking about perhaps upping my game this next year and actually purchasing a fishing license and trying out the other streams and lakes that are local.(And Public!)  If for nothing else,  there is a solitude and peace of mind that I have lost for many years.   It has taken me a while to re-discover it.  But now I'm wondering how I lost that activity that used to bring me such joy and peace.  It might be time to start the pursuit once again...

And if the fish are not biting,  there will always be the Mushrooms!   Mushrooms were a but if a "feast or famine" type of year.   I missed out on the Chicken of the Woods,  But did well with Oysters and Maitakes.   Chanterelles were also a bumper year.   We added a couple mushrooms to our list of edibles.   The White Dapperling and a few others that we had not found before here in Kenosha.  ( Dryad Saddle, Lung Oysters, Field Ageric, And the Lion's Mane!)  The Dapperlings were the Surprise.   Ever since My cousins showed me an App  for my phone,  It makes ID-ing the unknown mushrooms much easier!  And the Dapperlings look a LOT like a destroying angel mushroom!   But Dave and I at a LOT of them this year and survived to tell the tale.  So now those little white mushrooms are on the menu for next year.

This is getting long!   As most end of year recaps should....  However,  we are nearing the end.  Many of the things I will gloss over and say that I went to a couple additional concerts, but they were not as magical as that first one back in 2022.    

And then there are the projects:   Cardboard fish and Origami tips for waitresses and donations.   I have posted so much origami in the past that it seems a waste to post it here.  And the cardboard fish end up looking more like taxidermy rather than some crafted sculpture out of recycled cardboard.  but it keeps me busy and allows my artistic chromosome to   get used a little bit.  Currently,  I'm working on a new one and will post further progress notes.  

You might have missed it, but there was a solar event in October!   The Ring of FIRE!  A solar "Almost" eclipse where the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely block out the sun.  But on April 8, 2024...  There will be a REAL...  FULL Solar eclipse!   And I may just make plans to see this one. 
 I missed the last one back in 2017.  It was cloudy, but I still managed to see it through the clouds... ( the clouds helped filter the rays.)   But it was not at the path of totality!   In other words...  Not a FULL black out of the Sun during daylight hours.   I have to experience this event at least once in my life time.   Call it a bucket list thing.    And in 2024...  the opportunity will present itself to me once again.  Weather permitting,  I think I want to see if I can do it for real .. to see the entire event.... start to finish!  With my own eyes.  

And there was 2023.   A full year in Kenosha!  With plenty of ups and downs to ruminate about.... I would like to think that things will improve.  And that God has a purpose for me.  Here!   For some reason.   Because I'm now never going back to Iowa.  So I'm here!   In Wisconsin.   For how long? I'm not sure now.   But there is something that feels oddly driven about this entire chain of events.  But I will leave that for a future blog post.   Possibly because the future is impossible to predict and being able to roll with the punches is one of the gifts God gives us.  In the mean time.... I would like to wish everyone who has bothered to read this far a Very Happy New Year this coming year.   May all of us enjoy it!  Because,  for all the good and the bad....  Every second counts.

Turning The Corner On The Flu. Preparing for 2024.

I may have mis-labeled my little illness yesterday by calling it a "cold."   I'm pretty sure I had some version of the Flu.   One co-worker even suggested that it might be a new strain of COVID.  Whatever is was... I'm feeling better now.   I was still feeling bad this morning, but at least I felt good enough to eat some frosted mini-wheats. 

More like the flu...

I even had some coffee!   (which ended up bad, because having no caffeine for two days then drinking nearly an entire pot made me feel dizzy, nauseated....And run for the bathroom!)   But having survived that ordeal,  I now deem myself "Most Likely to Survive"  and will now focus on my end of the year blog post. 

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but one of the perks of keeping a blog is that you have an accurate record of the events of the previous year.  ( With pictures!  If you remembered to take and post them....)  A happy balance has to happen, though,  if you want  the meaningful events to shine through and all of the fluff to be sifted away.   I found this with those people who managed to post  on their blog EVERY DAY!  ( How was that even possible?  Kudos to them!)  Many of their posts were about daily routines and pictures of flowers or birds from around their yard.   And as much as I respect that dedication to posting a "little something" everyday.... It was very easy to lose the really interesting things that occur less frequently. 

All those pretty mushrooms in one picture...

And so it goes that I posted anywhere from 5 to 10 posts per month this last year.   (Which isn't bad...) And of those,  I have only a handful of events that I plan on mentioning.  To save space, I will probably work on making a collage of various pictures so I don't have to try to cram them in where they make no sense.   OR having all of my mushroom pictures being represented by one single pic.   ( How could I possibly choose the perfect one that represents them all?)   But we shall save that for tomorrow...

In the mean time,  I managed to do my laundry and have the energy to actually work on the latest fish.  It is funny even now, thinking just how weak I was that I could not work on my project for even a few minutes.   I was able to make some real progress this afternoon while listening to ELO and Frank Sinatra.   Once of the perks with having the house to myself is I can play my favorite music as loud as I want. Though, Dave has similar tastes in Music, so it is not really that much of a stretch.  Still,  Music is similar to clothes...  Everyone has their own shape and styles that they gravitate towards.   And no taylor-made suit fits the same.  

I was also able to watch a movie this afternoon.   The first episode of "The Blue Eyed Samurai"   It is a series on Netflix and I am hooked after the first Episode.  I hear there is a second season already.  But I will be happy if I can find a second episode to watch without subscribing to Netflix.  

Beautifully done!  Story driven.   Wonderfully animated. With Professional voice actors.  ( I read George Takei is one of the more famous voices on the list. Think: Star Trek) I'm looking forward to continuing the story.  

And that is all for now.   Now I begin the work to try to cram in a years worth of blog posts into a single entry.   I read last year's year end wrap up... And boy was I wrong!   That is what I get for trying to predict the future.   But it is good to remain optimistic when thinking about events that have not yet unfolded. Pessimism stunts your growth and limits your opportunities.  And opportunities do not come around everyday.  Because Life is Short!  And ever second counts.

Bringing In The New Year With A Cold!

Perhaps it is the Flu?

It started on Wednesday....  Weakness and stiffness in the joints.   I went to work and wondered if I had been pushing myself a little hard on my morning exercise regiments.  But by the end of the day...  I got a cold feeling in my nose and a small ting in the back of my throat.  Thankfully, the day was nearly over and I was able to finish it out.  I talked to a couple other people at work and they said they were experiencing similar symptoms.  The "Bug" had been going around the building. 

It snowballed from there.   That night I hardly slept!   I almost forgot that I have the option to call in sick for work;  and I would not have probably not thought of it, had I not had a lucid dream about it.  The funny thing is, after realizing I was going to call in and take Thursday off,  I kept having additional lucid dreams that I had already called in!  Several times I woke up realizing that I had not done it and was simply dreaming the entire event.  Call it a hallucination....

So I took Thursday off...  And it was not relaxing time.  I had plans to possibly get up and do a little crafting if I got bored    THINK AGAIN!   I was so sick I barely left my bed.  The Aches are killer.  With the sinus pressure and pounding headache, there simply was no escaping the pain.  All I could do was drink liquids and try to stay warm.  

I was planning on beating this thing before today....  THINK AGAIN!   Looks like Mother nature had different plans for me this New Year's Eve Weekend.  I called in to work despite knowing I would lose my holiday pay if I did not show up for the day before and the day after. In the end,  I think I made the right decision.  I would have been miserable, useless, and CONTAGIOUS!  So I'm sure most of the folks  at the Zebra and Happy I took the day off as well. 

So now... the weekend begins...  And I'm still feeling bad.   My legs are cramping up and my neck begins to hurt if I sit in a chair for too long.  I really hope it gets better soon.  

It could not have come at a more inconvenient time.  Cheryl asked if she could come up and see me.   We were planning on bringing in the New Year....Together!  But that is squashed now.  

As mentioned before,  We have Monday off and I was going to get Holiday Pay for it..  But not anymore.   Ah well.   Money can't buy you good health.

 And finally,   this is one heck of a way to end the 2023 calendar year.  Sick.  Alone.  And confined to the house.   My roommate happens to be in Sunny Arizona at the moment with his family... so I essentially have the entire house to myself.  Add to the cold and lonely factors.  

Ah well...   Just a rant I guess.   Sometimes things do not go as planned.   And it is disappointing.. But currently, I'm so sick I hardly care about any of that.   I have not had anything to eat for the last two days.  (no appetite!)  So other than lots of TEA and Hot Cocoa, I have only been drinking to stay hydrated. Hopefully,  tomorrow I will feel better and have the stamina to write a better 2023 in Review for me.   There were lots of Dark moments in 2023....  But also some good ones.  I'm looking forward to a long post... so this Cold had better be gone by then.  (OR at least less annoying.) Because every second counts.