A Weekend of Happy and Sad and More Happy...

Brynwood Needleworks - Milwaukee Symphony At St. Josaphat Basilica

 

The weekend began with a trip to Milwaukee for dinner and a Milwaukee Symphony concert. Late Saturday afternoon, I drove to Mequon, with a dear friend, for an early dinner at The Chancery. Our meal was delicious, and "just enough", considering we were going to be listening to an evening of music.

From The Chancery, we headed through downtown Milwaukee to St. Josaphat Basilica, which was this concert's venue. I'd never been there before, and I have to say, it was a magnificent place to listen to the program, which was a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and two other pieces (one of which is a new favorite Ricard Wagner's Siegfried's Idyll).

You know how people in my generation hear the William Tell Overture and immediately think of the old television show "The Lone Ranger"? (No judgment here. I do, too.) Well, I happen to have that sort of experience when I hear the first movement of the Four Seasons. 

You see, when I first opened my needlework shop here in Wisconsin, I bought radio time to advertise the opening of the shop. I also continued that radio advertising for some time after. The music I chose behind the voice over? Yep. The first movement of the Four Seasons. Even after all these years, I can't hear that piece of music without also hearing the male voice begin to announce "Stitches...". I wonder if it's the same for any of my customers who heard those same ads? hmmm

I took photographs of the Basilica prior to the start of the concert, but was happy to turn off my cell phone to simply sit back and enjoy every single second of the performance. I was swept away by the music, and when it was time (all too quickly) to turn for home, the trip seemed short because we talked about the entire drive. I wish Handsome had been here, too, and when we discussed it, he said the same thing. It was a fabulous evening of friends and music.

Brynwood Needleworks - Critter Update

Every evening, I stop to look out the window to see if Fuzzy Butt has returned to the feeder. I've been keeping him fed since I returned from Florida, and he really likes the kitten food I added to the mix. 

So, I was pleasantly surprised to sit on the floor and watch as he brought another opossum to the feeder Friday and Saturday night. You can see the two of them in the photo with the arrows. I apologize for the poor quality, as I took that photo through the window.

Fuzzy had been to the feeder about four times (while I was awake) on previous nights, so I just got in the habit of looking out the windows whenever I went from the living/dining room to the kitchen. Can you imagine my surprise when I looked out to see a great, furry raccoon at the feeder? 

And, when I saw him, I noticed that Fuzzy was under the feeder roof trying to scare off the raccoon, who wouldn't have it. The raccoon would just back off, reach in and grab a mitt-ful of kitten food, and then stand back to eat it.When the raccoon finally ambled off, Fuzzy stayed there, eating like he wanted to completely empty the feeder to keep it away from the new, neighborhood bandit. I stayed there for at least forty five minutes watching it all play out, before Tag and I finally headed up to bed.

My youngest sister came to visit on Sunday, and after she was inside, she said, "Donnie, I think your 'possum was hit by a car." I was stunned. I asked, "Where?" and she told me that she'd seen it past our intersection, but on our road. I grabbed her keys and drove down to it. 

I knelt down on our rarely-used road (there are only six houses the whole length of it), and I was on the shoulder. He hadn't been dead long, and was still warm. I picked him up, not really knowing until then, whether or not it was a female or male. I wanted to make sure there weren't any babies in the pouch in case they needed to go to a wildlife rescue, as is often the case with hit females. Of course, there was no pouch on a male.

I gently moved him off the road, and went back to the house, but it really bothered me (I was crying when I got home), so it wasn't long before I went back down the road with a towel in my hands, wrapped Fuzzy Butt up (yes, it was him), and brought him back to the farm.

I carried his lifeless body up the hill to where I buried the baby raccoon last year. I couldn't dig a new grave because the ground is still frozen, so I placed him on the marker stones for the baby raccoon and covered him with all the broken sticks and branches I could find. When I was finished I slowly walked back down the hill, and went to spend the rest of the day with my sister.

Brynwood Needleworks - Eldest and Youngest Sisters

I'm sure I've told you that I'm the eldest of six. She's my youngest sister, and there are 12 years between us. I look at this photo it warms my heart, as I see that we squinch our noses the same way when we smile. We share the same laugh lines around our eyes and our mouths, and it's easy to tell we're sisters.

 

We were actually celebrating her "extended" Birthday (which was in February). We just hadn't had a chance to get together sooner. We had lunch, ate Birthday cake, and had a great time visiting until late afternoon when she had to leave.  

 

She's vice-prez of her younger son's lacrosse team, so she had to drive from the farmhouse to Green Bay for a board meeting. She actually stayed a little longer than she planned, but it was so nice to have her here. It was a happy end to a day that had some sadness, too.

 

She helped me see (through tears), that while the little 'possum was gone, I'd made him comfortable and happy through the winter by giving him a sheltered, safe place to get out of the weather and eat. That brings me a measure of comfort. 

 

After she left, I moved the feeder over to the other side of the yard, and away from the house. The critters can eat over there in peace, and while I'll know they've come because there will be empty feeders, maybe I won't get so attached to them. (We'll see about that part, but I'm going to try.)

 

It seems the older I get, the more these things seem to bother me. When I get sad, I'll just try to remember the good parts, and not the sad. Perhaps that the way we should look at life every day, isn't it? 

 

Thanks for reading all the way through my wordy post today. Don't forget to enter my giveaway, linked through the button at the top of my sidebar. I'll be adding more prizes during the week. Of course, Tag will be here tomorrow. Who knows what he's going to talk about? He never tells me until the last minute, so we'll have to see together on Tuesday. As for me, I'll be back on Wednesday to let you know what I'm working on.