On This Date in 1999 (January 27)

Those two obituaries put me in a reflective mood. That tends to happen when I read the Warren paper and come upon a familiar name. This letter may turn into more of a reminiscence than a report on what happening in Middleton.

Midweek already! Where are the brakes on this 1999 vehicle? I’m on the freeway when I’d rather be taking the scenic back roads. JoAnna is feeling the same way. Her schedule has become very full over the past three weeks while she has been coordinating Shirley Abrahamson’s campaign. She’s in Milwaukee attending a fundraiser this evening. The event was scheduled from 5 until 7, so maybe she’ll be home before 10. Andy just returned home from basketball practice and is into a hockey game on his Playstation, which is now back in his possession after a week in storage. Since his intransigence a week ago yesterday, he’s been very good about getting up in the morning, especially on band days. His “I can live without Playstation” statement during a fit of pique last week turned out to be nothing more than false bravado.

Eddie’s at his art table, drawing dinosaurs, which is one of the units his class is studying this week. While Andy was at practice, I drilled Eddie on his vocabulary words for this week, and then he read to me for 15 minutes.

I received a belated Christmas card and note from Tina (Werlin) Branstad, who now lives in Chicago. I enclosed a note in the card I sent to her and her husband. She sent a picture of her “family”, which includes a huge black Standard poodle. Tina looks great, as well-coifed and well-dressed as ever. She extended an invitation to JoAnna and me to visit them sometime. We actually need an excuse for a trip to Chicago, but I’m not sure if it’s going to happen anytime soon. Tina mentioned that both her parents died in 1997, so she really doesn’t have any reason to visit Warren anymore, outside of our high-school reunions, I suppose.

We received another interesting piece of mail today. A wedding invitation. Sandra Kay Richardson and Charles John Stark. When I saw the return address, I thought it was an invitation to another of his occasional concerts that he plays in the Madison area. The wedding is at Bethel Lutheran Church, located just a block from the capital square. You attended services there with us a few times in the late 1980s. I would guess that the ceremony will be in the chapel, since the sanctuary of this church is so large. I can’t imagine that Sandra (whom I don’t know) and Charles would have invited that many people. Unless Andy’s basketball tournament interferes, both JoAnna and I should be able to attend.