The Dairyman's Daughter's Birthday Party

 

Sorry for the silence the last couple of days. Yesterday morning Travalon and I met Jilly Moose and OK Cap for coffee, then OK Cap left and the rest of us went shopping on State Street and checked out Art Fair Off the Square. In the evening a bunch of us went to a farm near Plain for the birthday party of the Dairyman's Daughter. That was so much fun! Her relatives grilled, and we all brought dishes to pass. It was such a lovely evening, but it did get a little chilly, so I was glad for the fire pit. The Dairyman's Daughter loved the card I gave her, of a cat carrying a mouse in its mouth, and inside I wrote that her cats were bringing her a birthday present. The presents I gave her had cats on them too: tea towels and notebooks. Little did I know she also loves llamas, so I'll have to keep that in mind for next year. Toward the end of the evening, her sister-in-law gave her and me a ride in an all-terrain vehicle; we drove on a very hilly road they call "the Roller Coster," and we could see the remains of the sunset, and the beautiful hills all around us, and some deer. What a fun party!

Today Travalon and I went for a hike north of the boardwalk in DeForest, on the path along the Upper Yahara River. We had gone up there a few years back, and the paths were all dirt, but now they are paved for the most part. Then Travalon was going to go visit his mother while I had Irish class and band practice, but his car died on the side of the highway not too far out of town. He texted me just as Irish class was starting, so I asked if he needed help, but he said no, he was fine, the tow truck was on its way. After class I had a short time before having to leave for band practice, so I texted him, and the tow truck still hadn't arrived. I started to get scared, thinking of him on the side of the highway, and maybe another car would smash into him, but I realized it wouldn't be safe for me to go get him either. I told him to contact the police, and then a state patrol guy came and took him to a gas station nearby. Just as I arrived at band practice, he said he needed a ride, so I left my puzzled bandmates and drove to pick him up. We don't know if his car is still on the side of the highway, and now this means I won't have a car for a few days,  since Travalon will need to use mine to get to work. I'm not sure how I'll get to Adoration on Tuesday, or my office on Wednesday, since I need to drive to get to the bus stop. It could be an interesting week...

Here are some recent photos. These are a koozie I got at the Graduate Hotel in Evanston, and two things I bought in Chinatown. My colleague who is originally from Shanghai says the fish hanging is for good luck. I just thought it was beautiful, and that the kawaii octopus was so cute.

This may look like exactly the same photo, but in fact the kawaii octopus is reversible, and now it is frowning instead of smiling.

My neighbor who is as crazy about trains as I am sent me a photo of this caboose just sitting there somewhere in Indiana. When Travalon and I went to the Railway Museum, we were never able to get into the cupolas of any of the cabooses, because little kids were always up in them, except in one case, when it was two adult guys. Maybe it's just as well, since I'm scared of heights.

Here are some photos from our hike along the Upper Yahara River today.

This is a dorky photo of me, but I'm standing on a tiny island. Not sure why I'm pretending to lift something...

Along the path they had signs that were pages from a children's book about Gerald the Giraffe who couldn't dance. By the end he could dance. Maybe he just had the wrong music at first?

Maybe Travalon should get this book for the kids he works with. They all like to dance.

Famous Hat