Headed downtown on Fifth Avenue bus. Just a snippet through the glass.
Cedarburg Wisconsin is a lovely town full of perfect brick stores. This massive landmark is the mill built in 1855. And the Pagoda(1926) was once a service station, now converted into a jewelry store. We stared across the street a long time trying to understand how the pagoda got built right next to the mill-“Wadham’s Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee” was one of the first business to have a distinctive and recognizable brand with these filling stations and there aren’t many examples left! You have to go to Cedarburg and see these two together to fully appreciate the scene. I checked and there is a similar photo on wikipedia but the blue sky with the white cloud sky in mine appeals to me!
I’ve fought off invisible germs for weeks now. I cancelled tonight’s plans. All day at school I’d cough, wash my hands. A tear leaked down my cheek. I drove straight to Ruggeri’s Food Shoppe on Northumberland and Shady. Bought the mother remedy. Came home, heated up the soup and applesauce, drank the juice, opened a waxy sleeve of saltines. Placed it all on the hammered aluminum tray. Comforted my cold misery with the salty broth and parsley bits floating. It could be Seagram’s Vernor’s or this time Canada Dry. Missing my mother. Missing my mothering with all the family grown and gone. Came home with a brown grocery bag containing the ingredients for healing at least my spirits if not the sniffles. In bed for an hour already. It is 6:35 PM.
When you travel the route from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and maybe onto New York, this conductor calls out the history of Horseshoe Curve before the train approaches this landmark. You look out the window, see the front end of the train across the way, just as he said. Amazing!
Two days with students done already. This is the cupboard I found in the new school’s art room. What pictures can the students paint?
No shortage of supplies. 
