Top Ten- Nov 13

1.  My parents bought us a second car.  I guess they were sick of having to accomidate when I was at work and they wanted Bryce.  It is a 1984 Buick Cavalier.  No cup holders, cruise control, or power windows, but it drives incredibly well, has low gas mileage, low miles, and has good heat and air.

2. Steve's Birthday.  Had an outing with friends on Saturday night.  Went to Steuben for prime rib and out to some bars.  Not as much dancing as the Rasmussens' anniversary, but it was still a lot of fun. 

3. We have a new vendor at Whimsy Market.  Reality Check from Dubuque brought over body jewelry, bead to make your own accesories, hats, gloves, and sunglasses.  They are a custom skateboarding and snowboarding shop and plan to bring over some of those big items in the future.

4. Link is really into his shapes right now.  Everywhere we go he asks for the triangle pizza and he points out any octagon he sees, which of course is usually a stop sign, but he found some without stop on them the other day in a craft store.

5. Schera's Art Gallery opened for a show a couple weeks ago.  Great paintings by Ben Moore of Decorah, a show of newly illustrated record album covers called 33.3, and a few of Bryce's older works as a last minute addition.  There was a fun opening reception and it makes our shop look better than being by a vacant.

6. Tribute to Charles at the Museum Annual Holiday Party.  I love Charles.  He wrote for me at the paper, he volunteered teaching art with me at the elementary, he birthed one of my favorite friends (Leslie Schiller) and now he is preparing for the end of his years as he has terminal cancer (and he is in his 90s I think).  He is still a super active community member walking the streets of Elkader.  I learned a lot about his life as his friends toasted him at the party (he has been President of the Museum in Elkader since he moved here from teaching at Laguna Beach High School).  Amazing life, lots of travel and fun. 

7. I returned to work last Monday which has been pretty good.  I certainly missed my daily drives over the Mississippi River.  The river rejuvenates me and seeing it go through the seasons is so beautiful.  Now that we are entering a time of low temperatures I get to slowly watches as it starts to freeze over. 

8.  Brenda visited this week to see how I was doing and check my iron.  We shared several tears, but it was great to see her.  She is going over to Africa for three months to serve as a midwife.  She is super excited and I am for her too. 

9. Pinterest.com.  Last year I searched the internet over for an online scrapbook.  I was realizing I was no longer tearing from magazines, but saving folders of images online and I didn't want to print them out.  I recently heard about Pinterest and it is exactly what I wanted and it is perfect.

10. John Craig has an art show up at my office.  He is a local Crawford County Wisconsin artist and does some really great collages.  Most people in my generation know him because he did the cover of "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness."  I try to find as many reasons to go down to the mail room that I can just so I can take in more.