Category Archives: fun

Too early a season

November 10, 2019fun, Odds and ends, reviewsusanmanzke

When I married into the Manzke family, I found that one winter activity they did was jigsaw puzzles. I think I had attempted one once in my life but found we didn’t have a large enough table for a puzzle so that one was never solved.

Bob taught me how to start a puzzle. When turning over the many pieces, extract the edges and put them together first.

It wasn’t until we moved here on Miller Road that Bob and I took up doing winter jigsaw puzzle ourselves.

Today was the first of the 2019-2020 season. It came to us as a gift for my August birthday from a friend named Susan and is 500 pieces.

Our first finished puzzle of the 2019-2020 season.

These days our pieces are larger in size, but fewer in number. Only on rare occasions will we do 1000 piece puzzles. Five hundred and even three hundred work better for us these days.

So we’re off, with one puzzle under our belt, though it’s too early. In many past years, we didn’t start until December, after fall farm work was finished, but nothing is ordinary anymore, especially the weather.

Now it’s time to box this puzzle up and bring out a second. The season has had a good start.

National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day

October 9, 2019creativity, fun, photographysusanmanzke

I almost missed this monumental day. I think it’s a good day to remember my good friend, Wendel T. Bear–the T. stands for Teddy.

Years ago, I had a slide show of Wendel. He went to school, the doctor’s office, grocery shopping, and a ton of other places.

Wendel did all kinds of fun things, like go shopping with his little friend, Pookie.

I started digitizing Wendel photos. Maybe someday, I’ll have a PowerPoint to take on the road again.

Wendel is waiting patiently for his new digital debut.

Movies at Muehl Public Library

October 7, 2019art, funsusanmanzke

It was the last showing at our library. I didn’t know if I’d make it, but somehow I managed to squeeze out three hours to join the fun in Seymour.

This was the second year our little library was included in the worldwide showing of the ten films featured in the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Imagine little ole Seymour being included in this global event.

The other three showings had more viewers. Sunday afternoon is football time, after all, but we had enough people (all women) to make comments and share reactions during the break. Also, the free popcorn added to our movie event.

I can’t wait until next October when we will host the 23rd Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Picture Perfect Day

September 25, 2019art, crafts, Friends, funsusanmanzke

Today I joined a group of women from the Outagamie County University of Wisconsin Extension – Association for Home and Community Education at their fall Picture Perfect program.

The people there were dedicated to repurposing cards and calendars.

Some of the women were taking old cards, cutting and pasting them together to form new cards.

One finished card example

I worked across from Lois Schwister. We and others were taking old calendar photos, putting them into plastic sleeves, and making flipbooks. These would eventually be used by people with dimension.

The repurposed cards are given to other people to use as they wish.

It was a good day to work with industrious, talented ladies who also made a great pot luck lunch.

A lovely outing

September 24, 2019fun, reviewsusanmanzke

I didn’t have to twist Bob’s arm too much to get him to go to an early movie today. We went with our friend Marilyn to the 10 am show at Bay Park Square to see the Downton Abbey movie.

It was a $5 Tuesday showing so the price was right. All we had to do was bring Bob’s pills along so he would be able to take them at 11 as scheduled.

We have watched all the TV episodes of Downton Abbey. It was great to see the characters again, living a different time and a different place.

I don’t think you had to have watched the TV episodes to enjoy this movie, but it helps. Women were the majority viewing the movie today, but Bob was not the only man there. There were 5 or 6 others.

Bob and I both recommend Downton Abbey the movie and also the television series.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person