Thursday, February 7, 2008

You know you're in Wisconsin when you see these sorts of things. Note that the fun is on Lake Winnebago. Not near, next to, or in the proximity. No, ON the lake.

Ice Bowling and Outhouse races. Life really doesn't get much better than this. The sturgeon spear fishing contest is the week before. I'm not making fun of the new past-times that I'm seeing. The creativeness of frozen people is amazing. Can't imagine what Alaskans think. Having met a few, I guess i can. They are wonderful and creative. (Salute to Gail, Pablo, Katie, and others)

Got really hit by a big snowstorm yesterday. Actually it snowed for almost 24 hours. Some of you know that my winter driving skills were severely diluted whilst living in California. Always thirsting for knowledge, stop laughing, I endeavor to expand my learning by doing. I rarely let an opportunity go by to drive in some of the most horrendous weather, and yesterday was no exception.

I had been invited to participate in a 3 o'clock manager's meeting at Jonathan's restaurant. (ok, that's another story) Jonathan's is located on the North side of Fond du Lac, about a 10 minute 'normal' ride from my casa. (hint of the strong urge to return to Mexico) Now mind you the wind was blowing, the snow was deepening, and the visibility was......zilch. It would have been simple to just call, and explain the circumstances, and sit at home cuddled up to the Closing Bell on CNBC. But no....... I wanted a challenge. Reviewing my alphabetized to-do list, I realized that I had about 6 errands staring me in the face. (ok, it was exactly six, not about) So here was my challenge: Perform all 6 errands before the meeting, and punctuality counts. Off I slid. Now along the way, I was given hints that this self-imposed challenge might be stupid. Two of the stores/stops were closed. The Mall was getting ready to close. Looking around, all I saw were snowplows and emergency vehicles and a few other idiots. This is really a good way to learn how to drive in snow and ice. Really!

Sliding into intersections and spinning to get started did not deter me from my goal. As you might have guessed I showed up on time for the meeting. The meeting that had been cancelled. Oh, well, I flipped open the laptop, ordered an ice water with lemon, and dug into my homework. About two hours later, and another ice water, they closed the restaurant. Final hint. Go home.

All was well until I approached my driveway and noticed the not so hidden 2 foot barrier of snow blocking my intentions. "Just blast through it!" was what the tiny little image sitting on my shoulder shouted. Before the other image could speak, I hit the gas. BAM! Stuck! Halfway in the driveway, a part in the gutter, and a part on the street. On with the flashers.

Images of a broken AAA card with the last 3 digits missing flashed through my head. The sight of our lonely orange shovel, leaning against the house brought another thought. "Who's going to shovel me out?" lol

About 10 minutes of winter labor, and some creative transmission abuse, I was free. Free to blast forward and wedge myself next to the house. Tomorrow is another day, deal with it later. Sebastions is across the street, another nice restaurant in town, with a roaring fireplace and their infamous 'double bubble'. With 3o minutes to spare, I leaped across the snow banks, now that's a picture, and found an open table near the fire. Actually the place was quite empty...duh! Sipping on a favorite beverage, I reflected on the day's learning experiences. Nothing. Didn't learn a thing. I love this place.