Easing into Fall

Fall is here in suddenly dropping temperatures (over 20 degrees in one fell swoop in the space of a day) but the trees haven’t yet caught up. We’re a good two-three weeks behind changing colors that we normally would experience at this time. This is a beautiful park in Waupaca featuring playgrounds, skate park, hiking and biking trails, picnic areas surrounded by the Waupaca River and even a sled hill for winter. It’s all free of course but lacks the fall colors I was looking for on this day.

The Indian summer allowed us to get more done in the yard although not all that we had hoped as yet. Maybe as the changing leaves, the snow will also be delayed this year. Marc hauled in about six loads of mulch which he rototilled in, but we still need around four more loads to really complete the area as we want. I repainted all the white posts so they are pristine and waiting for the wire fencing. We’re still also hoping to get that gravel completed around the house and the spa moved and cleaned out.

I dug three nice holes for some planned birch and aspen trees and we had a road worker move our big rocks into place over his lunch hour for beer money, but I was too late in the season to snag good trees to purchase so I am letting it pass until next spring. I dug up some plants and repotted them to move inside the house but I’m not sure they’ll survive long since the opportunities for direct sunlight are limited given my four cats and where they play.

Sunday we’re due at the patriarch of Blenker’s, the founder father (Marc works for the son) for a preview of their new home and a Packer party. Marc and I don’t really enjoy football nor do we specifically follow it but it’s hard to live 90 miles from the home team and their absolutely hard core rabid fans and not be involved somewhat. Packer fever doesn’t even begin to describe what goes on in the fall in Wisconsin! 

Sunday they take on the 49ers on their home turf. My son follows the 49ers as I was lucky enough in my work career back in the days of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, to obtain the entire team’s autographs all at one time (after their Super Bowl wins) which my son now has possession of. It’s such an incongruous story that it has to be true, right? I worked for Bank of Alex Brown in Sacramento and they had a branch in Rocklin which is where the 49er summer camp was held. When I heard that they would all be at the bank signing signature cards for their safety deposit boxes (where they kept their super bowl rings), I asked the bank secretary in charge if she would be kind enough to pass around a piece of paper they could all sign for my son. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

Original signatures of all the 49ers in their glory days; hum, wonder what that could be worth? At the time I had no idea of the improbability of something like that being done; I’m only glad I thought to do it for my son, who now treasures it since he is such an ardent fan.