Category Archives: Friends

Happy Birthday, Roger!

May 31, 2020Friends, funsusanmanzke

There was another country parade today heading south on Miller Road.

I almost missed this celebration as my family had come by to help out around the house.

As we were doing chores, we stopped to look up when we saw some strange vehicles honking past Sunnybook Farm.

As they passed, I remembered I had been invited to join this country parade. It was to celebrate our neighbor, Roger Roskoms’ birthday.

Again, I wasn’t close enough to photograph the beginning of the parade, but I did click one photo before they disappeared down the road.

Roger’s daughter, Juli said: We had a fantastic turnout with three fire trucks from Navarino, Nichols, Cicero, a mixer from Green and Gold Concrete from where Dad used to work, a bunch of old cars and cool tractors. … We had 53 Vehicles total … not too shabby I guess.

Happy Birthday, Roger. You are a good neighbor with a lot of good friends and a loving family.

I hope you enjoyed your country parade.

Finally in the mail

April 17, 2020Family, Friends, Memories, Odds and endssusanmanzke

I write every day on my blog, but writing individual letters seems like a lot of work for me. I’ve found a solution.

After digging through a box, I found a bunch of postcards Bob and I had gathered over the years. The oldest is from our honeymoon in 1973 when we stopped at the Arch on our way home.

Anyway, I used these cards the other day to write short notes to people–the space limits what I can write and if the cards are small enough, they only cost 35 cents to send.

Anyway, now a few people will find a little greeting in their mail that isn’t a bill, an advertisement, or political.

I hope they enjoy my efforts.

I even sent some to grandchildren. Of course, they like to get mail, too.

This is nothing earthshaking, but it is an idea of how to use those vacation postcards that never got mailed. Postcard souvenirs will now brighten up someone else’s day.

If your vacation souvenirs are postcards like mine, maybe it’s time to send them winging on to a mailbox. You’ll brighten someone’s day, I guarantee.

Being best friends from a distance

April 2, 2020Friends, fun, technologysusanmanzke

Joyce and I have been friends since first grade. We started school together in 1956 and have been best friends ever since.

Even though Joyce lives in Illinois and I’m here in Wisconsin, we still manage to visit. For quite some time we used our telephones to talk to each other, but we are going high tech now and we use the internet.

For Christmas, Joyce was given a Facebook Portal mini with the idea of connecting to me. Well, we finally figured how to use it and instead of holding a telephone, we are now talking and visiting as we look at each other.

We are also playing Words with Friends as we talk and laughing a lot, too.

Joyce and I are enjoying our visiting time together more than ever.

I also connected with writer friends the other day. There were four of us visiting at the same time.

Isn’t technology wonderful? Especially since we are all sheltering at home.

Happy Birthday to a friend

April 1, 2020Friends, funsusanmanzke

I received a reminder that my friend had a birthday today. Usually, a bunch of us would meet for coffee and cake to celebrate, but that won’t happen.

What could I do? I’m not big on singing the birthday song and I already sent a card, but there should be more I could do. I thought and thought. While going into a drawer for saved seeds, I found balloons leftover from a grandchild’s birthday.

The first balloon I tried to blow up, popped. It had a weak spot. The other three inflated without issue.

My stake for the balloons was an old clothes hanger I stretched out.

Getting ready to stick the balloons in the birthday girl’s yard.

I rang the doorbell (but I didn’t run away). We visited a bit from a distance. It felt good to talk to someone in person, even if I was in the yard and she was in her doorway.

Other people are reaching out to family and friends in creative ways, too. A lady I know is heading over to do a sidewalk chalk drawing for her friend’s 80th birthday. Now that’s being creative.

Purple lunch

February 24, 2020food, Friendssusanmanzke

I’ve had purple food before, like grapes and plums. I’ve also had purple drinks, like a grape float. I’ve never had a purple potato, until today.

Friends, Ray and Judith, came for a visit. Often when they come they bring something from their garden. In winter, it had to be something that lasts through our cold months.

Last week they brought me potatoes. Some were small and two large ones were purple!

I roasted one of the purple potatoes while they visited. It took one and a half hours.

On the outside, the uncooked potato looked rather ordinary. It wasn’t until I cut into it that the real purple appeared.

Today, I ate half of the roasted purple potato for lunch with a bit of butter and salt. It tasted like an ordinary potato, so yummy.

If I’m smart, I’ll keep a portion of the second purple potato, with eyes, and plant it this spring.

I think I’ll do that, unless I get real hungry, and eat my last one.

Thanks, Ray and Judith, for the special treat.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person