This column from 1983 tells the woes of having two birthdays on one day.
Our poor daughter thought having a baby brother born on her third birthday was special. Later little Becky found this not to be true.
Childhood birthdays are special. As adults, Rebecca (Becky) and Russell find their shared day extra-special.
Copyright 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved
This column from February 1981 is about my first attempt at cross-country skiing. Fun, but falls had me floundering in the snow.
Too bad my knees don’t allow this kind of fun any more. Darn.
You can now hear my thoughts as I slid forward for the first time.
I enjoyed this activity for many years. Too bad Bob couldn’t join me. He tried once but his legs and feet couldn’t make the skis go strait. But at least he tried, just to please me.
Copyright 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved
If you have an unheated enclosed porch, you have a refrigerator/freezer, depending on the winter weather. It has to be enclosed otherwise wild animals might raid it.
This column is an account of the time I used our porch as an extension of my refrigerator.
Our children didn’t raid the soup and stews that they found on the porch. It wasn’t until they discovered that I was cooling chocolate candies out there that the goodies became endangered–Bob liked to make a stop there, too, for a quick snack as he came into the house.
This winter, I’m using an unheated closet next to the porch as a beverage cooler. It works perfectly, too bad I don’t have a lot of company these days who would enjoy a perfectly cooled drink.
Copyright 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved
It’s winter, but I’m daydreaming of spring.
Even on a white, snowy day, I can close my eyes and think about the green things that will come. Spring is only 68 days away, coming on March 20, 2021.
Today, I’m not remembering the greens of spring, but an insect that also conjured up dreams of warmer days.
We had a large fish tank then that held a few goldfish large enough to gulp down a fly. My three little fish today wouldn’t be able to do this. They survive on flakes, which they gobble.
Car-E the cat was chasing a faux ladybug beetle the other day. That bug entertained him for a while. I didn’t squash it. Sending it to bug heaven didn’t seem right. It seems that even tiny critters are safe here, at least for the time being.
Copyright 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved
I recorded this column two days ago. I wanted to present something fun about Bob.
It is one year ago that we lost Bob to cancer. I miss him and I especially miss his odd sense of humor. This column shows how he looked at life’s problems and laughed.
I will be meeting Rebecca and Rachel today for a walk around the Green Bay Botanical gardens. There we can visit and cherish Bob’s memory.
Later I will will meet with Russ, Rob, and other family members.
It is too bad we can’t all be together during this COVID-19 crisis, but together or not we cherish our memories of our special husband/father/brother.
Copyright 2020 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved