Previews

Not sure what, if anything, we will do this weekend. Next week, however, will be busy for Tom. Two or three times a year, before and after the tourist season, he and John oversee a crew of workers for a week at a time as they make ongoing repairs and maintenance of the tracks at the little railroad. [This is called Track Week.] John will stay with us for the week and I will be responsible for our evening meals. That is a pretty good deal, considering I don't have to be out literally working on the railroad, all the live-long day. John is an easy guest to please and things should go fairly well. 

At the moment the extended forecast looks great for Track Week. No rain on the horizon. They really only get a few hours a day for maybe four days, and when it rains, it is time lost that cannot be made up.They finish just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the official beginning of the tourist season in the Dells. As is traditional, the forecast for the holiday weekend and the week following is soggy. But that is far enough away that meteorologists are mostly guessing anyway.

Not sure what else I will be up to while they are working on the tracks. When I  went to the library this morning to do my volunteer stint, I ran into a fan (I will call her that) who asked how the work is going on the next book. She is eager to read it. Or at least she was kind enough to say so. Since I will have the place to myself -- well, me and the cats -- I will probably make some progress on the writing. And one day next week I will probably have my final session of tutoring.

Then Memorial Day weekend. This is a good time to avoid the Dells because of the influx of tourists. The exception is Memorial Day itself, when we usually go into town for the parade and memorial service in the park.

Tom will be busy again in June. The first weekend he goes to Milwaukee as a delegate to the state Democratic Convention. He thought he was done with that, but through some confusion it turns out he is on the list again. He plans to go just for the voting session, and I may accompany him and make a trip to Milwaukee out of it. (I won't attend the convention, thank you very much!) The following week we go to Chicago to attend the ceremony where Tom's daughter Rebecca receives her doctoral hood. She is getting a PhD from the Divinity School (I think maybe in Biblical Languages?) Summa cum laude from  the University of Chicago. We look forward to seeing her twins and also to having breakfast with Michelangelo while we are there. Then at the end of the month, Tom will head back to the Milwaukee area -- this time definitely alone -- to attend a high school reunion where he will be one of the featured speakers. 

I realize you don't need to know all that in advance, since I will probably post reports as things happen. But there it is. 

Oh, yeah. I forgot. Next Tuesday I turn 65.