-
One Pitcher, A Thousand Memories
Do you remember Kool-Aid summers? One sip of that bright, sugary goodness can take me right back to childhood—long afternoons outside, bare feet in the grass, and a neighborhood full of kids who always seemed to magically show up the second a fresh pitcher was mixed. How about the pitcher when frosty a face would be drawn on it. It just made it feel like a refreshment that couldn’t be beat.
I still remember the crinkle of the packet, the way the colors swirled like magic, and how our tongues stayed red or purple for hours. Cherry, Grape, Tropical Punch… everyone had their flavor.
-
Fireplaces, Firepits, and Fond Memories
I love fireplaces in their many shapes and forms. Whether they’re made of stone, brick, or surrounded by polished wood, they seem to say, “Come, sit for a while.” A fireplace is a natural focal point in any home, a gathering place for warmth, reflection, and connection. There’s a special kind of beauty that comes from gazing into the flickering flames and glowing embers. My mind often drifts and dreams as I watch them dance. Faces appear, stories unfold, and before I know it, I’m miles away in thought. It’s a meditation of sorts, quiet, grounding, and endlessly soothing. -
Sunday, Time to Reflect and Reconnect
Sundays have a rhythm all their own. They mark both an ending and a beginning, a soft pause before the rush of another week. Depending on the season, they can be a doorway to something new or a gentle reminder to wrap up what’s unfinished.
When I was working full-time, I’ll admit, Sunday nights were my least favorite. No matter how productive I tried to be, the day always slipped away too quickly. By bedtime, I’d feel that familiar twinge of dread. Monday was waiting, and I wasn’t ready to meet it.
As a kid, Sundays had a very different flavor. The day began with church. I loved getting dressed up and sitting with my mom and sisters, listening to the sermon and wondering how it applied to me. Afterward, we’d change into comfy clothes, and Dad would settle into his red recliner for the “game of the day.” Football, baseball, golf, he loved them all. Before long, his interest would give way to a nap, and we’d hear the familiar sound of soft snores coming from his chair.
-
Polish, Parenthood, and Puppies
Fingernails were not an item I paid much attention to as a kid. Many of the other little girls would come to school with their nails painted. I was much more interested in being a tomboy and playing cowboys and indians. In about the fourth grade, we had a teacher who kept a chart on each of us and checked different areas every day. One of the areas she emphasized was hygiene, which included checking our fingernails to ensure they were clean and well-shaped. I always received a negative mark in this category. I also chewed my cuticles until they bled. This didn’t add to a nice-looking nail experience.
-
Flower Power… Minus the Power
As a little kid, I loved planting flowers with Mom. She taught me the whole process—dig the hole, sprinkle in a little fertilizer, set the flower in, pack the dirt around it, and then water. We repeated that ritual for years.But somewhere along the way, my love for gardening wilted. It was much easier to just let Mom do it for me! When I moved to Beaver Dam, she handled most of my gardening. She’d practically have to drag me outside to help her—and I’d usually be holding a kid or baby, trying to use that as an excuse. Truth is, if Mom didn’t come over, the planting simply didn’t get done. Still, those years quietly taught me what worked and what didn’t.
-
Enthusiasm Gets Me In Trouble
You go on with life one day at a time. You find that perfect person to spend the rest of your life with, get engaged, married, have children—and for a while, things are well, even peaceful. In the back of your mind, though, you know another chapter is waiting. Grandchildren. Of course, that’s one thing you have no control over. All you can do is dream, hope, and pray that someday this blessing will be yours to enjoy.One evening, Art and I went out to dinner with our daughter, Michelle, and her husband. Now, since this was not the usual weekday outing, I suspected something was up. Sure enough, when the conversation turned to a “special announcement,” my big mouth got ahead of me. I blurted out the surprise—Michelle was pregnant! Art and I were about to become first-time grandparents.
-
Sandy’s Dream
Serendipity – A very broad definition of serendipity is “fate,” “destiny,” or “predestination”. It’s the idea that certain things are meant to happen to you.It was a lifelong dream, that of owning a cottage. I was dreaming of a cottage, or in other words, a shack in the woods on Lake Michigan.
Our family usually went tent camping in the Northern part of Wisconsin. We eventually frequented the area known as Door County. There we started camping at the Jellystone Park. This was a family campground geared to the kids, which was a good fit for us at that time. Then, when the children got older, we started camping at the Penninsula State Park. We owned a furniture store at this time and found it more convenient to rent a cabin on the Labor Day Weekends. There was one area that called to me. This was the South Michigan Drive area. It was rather rugged, right on the water, in the woods, and everything I always thought of as a dream area for a cottage that we could afford.
-
Because I Said So
Rules in our house were usually made between my husband and me. But, perhaps that is because they were girls, at the very end of our discussions, it seemed that I (Mama) ruled. This could be based on style, activities, chores, school, and church events. Now, when it came to discipline, I believe Art ruled. He didn’t have to make these hardcore decisions very often because, for some reason, I tried to shield him from the (really bad stuff). I think I didn’t want him to be upset and/or disappointed in his daughters. (By the way, today I don’t think that was a good idea at all.) -
Monopoly Madness
Board games may seem like a thing of the past, but after discussing them with my fellow Sidetracked Sisters, I realized how important they were to our gatherings and childhood memories. It also became clear that we need to put away our phones, turn off the TV, and—dare I say—reinvent the wheel. In other words, it’s time to bring back game nights with family and friends. -
Tables of Thanks
Thanksgiving is a very nostalgic holiday for me. I cherish the warm and special moments spent with family for as long as I can remember. The first Thanksgiving table was at Mom and Dad’s home on MacArthur Drive. The next large table I remember was in Michael’s and my home on Scott St. More recently, the big table on Rose Circle has been the setting for our holiday memories. Lisa and Craig have created a special Thanksgiving for all of us for the past twenty years. -
Uncle in the Attic? I Had an Aunt in the Garden
One family member that I feel kind of gets overlooked is my Aunt Joan. She is the wife of a very, very, very interesting part of our family, my Uncle Lloyd. He is my father’s brother and we spent a lot of time with this family in Madison, WI. He was quite the guy, let’s say eccentric. His wife, Joan, had to be a saint to put up with him. He was loved unconditionally by most of his family. -
My Dad – Ronald Meister
The most interesting family member in my family is hard to choose. We all have our own idiosyncrasies and quirks. I decided to write about my dad, Ronald Meister. I didn’t get to know my dad as well as I would have liked. He passed away suddenly when I was only twenty-three years old. I had been away from home for several years prior to his death.