By ALICE BRANDAU
The weather on Mother’s Day was absolutely perfect, and families gathered together over the weekend to remember these special people in their lives.
Bob and Barb Heinz had their family over for a cookout on Saturday and were recipients of two tickets to the first Packers football game this fall. It was a Mother’s Day/Father’s Day combo from their kids.
When we came around the corner where County Highway Z and County Highway P connect, we noticed a large group of people and horses saddled up Sunday afternoon. Conrad and Carol Zielke hosted a Mother’s Day celebration for Carol’s family and Doris Beier and her families.
Scott and Daguin Downing and family were guests at David Downing’s home on Saturday. Fred Pasch and his crew recently built a garage at David’s house, so it was also a perfect place to celebrate Dave’s 60th birthday, and that’s just what they did.
Hazel Pasch, Pastor Steve and Sarah Neuman and other ladies from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church on South Ridge attended the annual Mother’s Day banquet at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kendall on Friday night.
Four students will be confirmed at St. Matthew’s during services Sunday, May 20. They are Katelyn Lunde, Haley Tanton, Alex Eckelberg and Brian Gruber.
David Brandau had a nice surprise as he was coming home from the auction in Kendall on Saturday. Two bald eagles were found sitting on the line fence between our properties.
Jeff and Emily Meltesen, who will be married two years this week, were victims of the fire that consumed an apartment building near Mill Bluff on Friday night. They escaped but lost many belongings. Emily is a granddaughter to Aaron and Hazel Pasch.
It was a busy weekend for Frank and Darlene Martalock. On Friday night, they were in the audience at grandson Drew’s graduation from Western Technical College in La Crosse. Drew now has a degree in biomedical electronics.
Matt Collins played hockey in Sparta on Saturday night, and Frank and Darl watched that game.
On Sunday they left for Milwaukee, where they enjoyed the annual dance recital presented by granddaughter Marja, who serves as director at the Elation Dance Center.
My husband Bob and I were guests of Matt and Ann Hynek and boys on Sunday evening for Mother’s Day, plus we received calls and cards from other family. I’m a blessed mom.
It’s surprising to see the equipment used nowadays to take down huge trees. I stopped by Martalocks on Monday morning to watch the guys from Art’s Tree and Lawn service in Tomah remove a huge maple from their yard.
From there, they headed to the South Ridge Cemetery, where they cut down a tall cedar that had been hit by lightning a few weeks ago. The tree was shattered, and debris flew a great distance when lighting hit. A lightning strike has lots of power.
And the black walnut tree was removed and stump ground out at the St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church parsonage.
I recently finished reading “Secretariat’s Meadow,” a book by the granddaughter of the couple who raised the famous racehorse. It brought back some memories of when Bob and I, along with some of our family, visited Claiborne Farms while attending the National Auctioneers Convention in Kentucky. We were some of the tens of thousands who visited Claiborne Farms with the hope of seeing Secretariat.
The author wrote, “He remained as much a ham at the farm as he was at the race track, posing regally for his fans.”
And he certainly did. I have a photo somewhere that proves it.
And that’s it for May 14, 2012.