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Bob Terry and I had a 2 1/2 hour breakfast Saturday at Cafe by Country Kitchen in Dodgeville. We wanted to use the "surprise" gift envelopes they give out during the holidays that need to be used up by February 28. I got a free beverage while Bob and Terry both got $3 off their meal. I never am the big winner! Both of them, however, usually win big at Lions Club meetings!
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You ask why we were there 2 1/2 hours? Well we talked about everything from politics to high school basketball, UW basketball and volleyball to Hank Aaron passing away and for old movies to TV game shows. We got a lot covered in that time and we ate too!
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The Dodgeville Area Chamber of Commerce is in the process of selling raffle tickets (300 total) for a Grand Prize of $10,000, with other prizes too. This is in lieu of not being able to hold fundraising events in 2020. it's called "Raffle for a Cause - investing in 2021 Chamber Events!"
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I got a reply back from Kramer "Butch" Rock this week. He must've read my column last week. He didn't say anything about me mentioning him, but he did say he was sending money to purchase a chamber raffle ticket. He said he never wins "diddly", but wanted to support a good cause in his "old" hometown!
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Today (Thursday, January 28) is National Kazoo Day. That's an instrument that is similar to a clarinet, but you only hum tunes into it to play the song. I read where it was invented in 1840, but production on it wasn't until 1912 - wow that was about the time I was born (just kidding)! I have often thought it would be a great idea to use kazoos to play when marching in holiday parades. You could play any song in unisent and provide music when normal instruments couldn't be used due to the cold weather!
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I have a couple of kazoos at home that I bought at a former Highland gift shop - Simple Little Things. They look more like a clarinet than the one shown above. I also have some sets of "jacks." Boy both of them take me back to my childhood!
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I got a call from cousin Jeanette, who lives in Atlanta, Saturday. We needed to catch up. Atlanta area being a bigger area, she and husband Jack have already gotten her first COVID immunization. I am on the list for here, but don't know when yet. Jeanette said she was getting ready for the Packers game on Sunday and really hoped they'd win and get to the Super Bowl. They usually have a Super Bowl party in this area, but due to COVID??? All her family are fine. They live in Georgia with son Scott and his family in Atlanta and daughter Melanie and her daughter in Athens. I had a chance to attend both weddings several years back. The oldest granddaughters are freshmen in high school now! Jeanette and Jack plan to come to Wisconsin for a vacation near the end of June - all depending on the COVID of course!
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Speaking of Atlanta, one of my all-time baseball heroes passed away last week - Hank Aaron. I remember when he came into the league with the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 (I'm old). He, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock teamed up to be a dynamic home run trio. "Hammerin" Hank used to hit a ton of doubles because his rocket shots to the outfield weren't hit high enough to clear the fence!
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I could whine about the Packers loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday due to the "only" pass interference penalty being called with just about a minute left not giving Aaron Rodgers a chance to preform his miracle ending, but their "porus" defense at times, a big fumble, a couple of pass drops and Rodgers not seeing two players wide open on probable touchdowns were also huge factors. It just wasn't meant to be!