Good ride

January 24, 2007 (1:45pm)
20º F, Cloudy, NNW wind 7 mph.

Good afternoon,

When I got up this morning, it was cold! 10º F with the wind from the NNE @ 3 mph. As soon as the wind switched to the NNW @ 3 mph, the temperature dropped to 3º F almost instantly. Since the temperature has had a very hard time rising very much. The wind has increased, and for a while, the wind chill was -6º F for a time too. Glad it was still dark out so I couldn’t do much if I had gone outside. Looks to be cold for the rest of the week, at least for lows. Noticed the U. P. had -18º F according to the weatherman.

We had a good trip to Milwaukee and return on Monday. The weather wasn’t the best, having snowed about an inch here over night. There was more in Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties, then here or south. The travel was some slower than normal until we got out of Sheboygan County, the speed and traffic picked up. We got about 10 miles from Milwaukee and the superhighway became a creeping parking lot. I really didn’t want to participate in that, so I turned off as soon as I figured out how I might be able to get to Immigration a different way. We ended up going the "slow" route along the lakeshore. I think it turned out to be the faster way. It sure was a nice ride, especially with all of the construction on the interstate. The traffic was very light and it was a nice drive. Since it was slower, we also made mistakes slower and arrived on time.

The three hour ride, resulted in a 45 minute interview for Margriet. This one was very calm and smooth. The last couple of times we were down there we got a different gal who was very grumpy and short (not tall either). This went the way it should have - every time. I did forget to bring my identification in with me, so had to go out to get it. Of course the guys doing the check-in had to give me the raspberries for being forgetful - Senior moment and all. The crew that was working was very nice and efficient too. They got a lot of folks in and out in a reasonably short time. Now we wait until we get the next form and then on to Citizenship! Hooray!

Since every thing went well, we got an earlier than usual start on the return home. Again we took the "slow" route along the lakeshore. This time Margriet had a chance to see all of the huge, expensive houses she didn’t want to live in. Me too! It was a pleasant ride. The roads were clear of snow this time and we made better speed and time. We got to Manitowoc early enough to stop at Lowe’s and look over the new store. The last time we were there, this summer, it had just opened and wasn’t finished being set up. We weren’t impressed this summer. This time it was set up and was some better. Still, they have a lot of stuff in it unrelated to building. Lots of stuff for the lady of the house to drool over, and less to actually build with. Not all that impressed by their tool selection, but it appears to be better quality than Menard’s for most.

We got to Two Rivers in time to stop for something to eat. We dined on a hot pork roast sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Super good as the last time we had that there. Too much for Margriet to eat, so I HAD to help her out and finish it for her. When we hit Kewaunee, we stopped for the mail and got some gasoline, then home. The gas price is back to $1.969/gallon in Kewaunee - the lowest we saw on the ride.

Yesterday, after Bible study, we made a supply run to Green Bay. Not much to get, but a couple of important things we needed. Stopped for a sandwich in Luxemburg, but place we normally stop at was very busy. We were a bit later than usual. Ended up eating at the Pancake Place in Green Bay for a mushroom and Swiss burger with fries. It was their special, but really too big for either of us. I couldn’t even finish up Margriet’s fries. Had a hard enough time with my own!

We did pick up a new phone to use as our back-up phone. Kept looking for one not needing a base, but ended up with one anyway. Apparently they don’t make them any other way. All the base on this one is used for is to close the shut off switch. I found that putting a rubber-band around it, we can through the base away. We only use it to call in when the power goes off, and I don’t want to mess with carrying a base outside too. What really amazed us is the cost was a bit over $5.00! Probably the least I have ever paid for a phone.

We picked up some miniature "Mexican Pasties" at one of the stores for supper. They look like pasties, but about 10% of the size and filled with chicken and "Mexican" spices. Mostly hot peppers. Not Mexican, but Tex-Mex and not to our liking. Don’t think we will be buying them again, but did finish them off.

Margriet is in a baking mode today. She made some bread sticks that are very good. Now I have something else to clean up around here. Boy, I never can get a head of the work here! Sure makes the house smell good!
Time to get a-going.

In Christ My Saviour,

Chris <><

P.S.

Guess this will go out later than planned. The Blog Spot website is down for "unscheduled maintenance" at the moment.