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Paraphrasing Garrison Kellor.

It was a quiet week in Camp Jeff, next to the calm shores of Lake Maria. That is until our Grand-daughter, and grand she is, arrived on Saturday to spend the night with us. She is better exercise than a trip to the gym. For one thing, the gym never gives me a kiss and a hug.

We capitalized on her visit to watch two films we had wanted to watch but had not taken the time. The Minion Movie was an attempt to sate our grandkid, Violet's desire for all things Minion. Cute film. Not a total waste of time. Zootopia was much more of a family movie in that it had enough animation action to hold the littles and enough story to entertain the adults.

Violet will soon be two years old. Except for the bouts with "teething," this little princess is and has been a joy to us. She seems to be so amused with life, and its challenges. I wish I could talk her out of unrolling toilet paper all over the bathroom floor. But hey, we can always look past the little stuff when she gives us that wicked little giggle.

I made my semi-annual trip to my Personal Physician. We discussed some issues I'm having and worked out strategies to resolve the problem or further the investigation. I want to share two issues that might inform or motivate others.

After many years of golf, lawn mowing, sailing, and other outdoor activity I've developed a facial growth that may be cancerous. The fix is simple and enormously successful in most cases, but the takeaway is if you're going to be outside, even on cloudy days, protect your skin with sunscreen.

We also reviewed my medications, a couple of which I've been on for years. My blood tests indicate that I'm tolerating these medications very well. But, this not one of those if it's working, don't mess with it situations. I'm going to quit taking an anti-inflammatory and substituting it with a topical. Also, I will be taking a milder over the counter antacid instead of the generic form of "the Purple Pill". I would never do this without consulting my doctor. But I think my liver will thank me.

The daylight leaves us earlier and returns later. The leaves are finally changing color and falling on the lawn. The school buses bustle past our house every morning and afternoon, and everybody is talking about the Badgers and Packers. The new TV programs are debuting. Now, if we can get past this horrible election cycle, we might have a nice Fall.

From the calm shore of Lake Maria, next to the waving sheafs of weeds on The Plain of Poop, this is The Poppa at Camp Jeff bidding you a fine week. Slater on that sunscreen and rake a leaf ya hardy cheeseheads.

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