Plant Day!

I took the rest of the week off for a little spring vacation, and with the holiday weekend I have six consecutive days off!  I've needed it for some time now.  I haven't really given myself one or two bigger projects this time off, but I do have a list of lots of little things to get accomplished.

Today was forecast to be rainy almost all day so I wasn't thinking I would get plants in at all.  Instead, it was a beautiful sunny day until storming for a short time mid to late afternoon and now is clear and nice again.  We got some hanging baskets last weekend, now I needed to buy more pots and plants to fill them.  Kate wants the tree stump out back filled and that's what I set out to do.  Plus we had our pot out front to fill and space for some perennials by the porch.  That space has some plants that were in pots last year.  It's quite the hodgepodge of perennials in that corner and they will probably have to be separated eventually.  I was a planting machine this afternoon.  I managed to use up all the new and all the usable pots we had, and I still have 4 marigolds to put somewhere.  They'll probably end up in the flower bed in front of the two perennials I planted.  Also, the white bucket on the stump has a seed pod for cucumbers.

I think most of what I got are perennials.  And no petunias this year, for a change.  When my wife got home she was asking me what they were but I have no idea for almost all, but I kept the tags.  I picked out plants that I found pleasing to look at, colorful - or will be, and could handle full sun.  I did not purposely look at what anything was called, I don't know enough about plants for it to mean much to me.  The plants in the pot out front are part sun/part shade and I had a couple of the red ones left over that are in back that I will keep an eye on.  In fact, now the games begin... with the bastard squirrels!

Cheers, Wisconsin, we’re No. 1!

This story has been out for about a week now, but I read this editorial this afternoon in today's edition of our local paper, The Wisconsin State Journal, while in the waiting room for our dentist after work today.  (Yeah, that was fun, too.  I might write about it later, but anyway.)  Our city of Madison is number 4, and our state of Wisconsin has 12 of the top 20 cities.  Twelve of the top 20 drunkest cities in all of America.  Surely nothing to be proud of... but that's not how we roll.  I hate to say it, kinda not really, but this editorial hits the nail square on the head.

BARABOO — The trouble with ridiculing Wisconsinites is we don’t realize we’re being put down. In fact, we take most insults as compliments.

We can be a backward lot. This explains why we call freezing January temperatures “fishing weather.”

It also explains why, when our neighbors to the south derisively dubbed us “cheeseheads,” we didn’t know enough to feel hurt. Instead, we embraced the nickname and started wearing foam cheese wedges on our heads. 

Wisconsinites accepted with that same lack of self-consciousness last week’s news that America’s Dairyland is home to more than half the drunkest cities in America. I wonder if people in Appleton, the city anointed drunkest of them all, are spilling out of the taverns and on to the streets, wearing foam fingers and chanting “We’re No. 1!”

Click the text for the whole article!  Written by Ben Bromley.

May This-And-Thats

It's been some time since I just typed and let things out.  In fact, I haven't really felt like writing anything in a while, I guess.  Other than my Ace Frehley LLP post, I've mostly written just to post pictures to keep up with our garden and spring flora.  Starting to type and not knowing exactly what will come out can be - and has been - fun and interesting.  And, well, life is ever forward so shall we get started?

• I reached out to 8 contractors, heard back from 6, and received quotes from 3.  We know who we want to hire for the roof project, but as of now we are waiting for the quote for the porch project from the same company.  It will affect how we go about financing, if we do just the roof right now or both projects.  The roof project is the highest priority for us, the porch will be pricier.  Neighbor Dave tells me the porch was being built at the same time his deck was, about 1973.  He also said he knows it was not permitted, and after taking a closer look at the construction, there is no doubt in my mind no permits were pulled and no inspection took place.  It's not in danger of falling apart, but no inspector would approve of the building method.
• I used Bayer Season Long Weed Control on my lawn a couple weeks ago.  I've been sold on the product since it finally got rid of many tiny weeds in my front lawn last spring, I think.  It's the kind of thing that you hook up to the hose and spray the lawn.  I did my full front and back lawns, and I even did a strip of my neighbor's lawn beside our driveway.  I've had issues in the past with crabgrass and other weeds coming down her side and getting into my yard.  The only thing is I got a little too close to a couple peony bushes, a small one of ours and a very large one of the neighbors.  The plants got all curly and sick looking in just a day and they remain that way.  Thankfully it only affected a part of my neighbor's plant, but I think our peony is done for this year, though I do think it will come back.
• Before I forget, Kate was in California a couple weeks ago for a work conference.  This has happened before in years past.  It's during the week so with work and chores it goes by quick.  Then, just as the cats and I start getting used to her not being there - she's back.  It freaked Basil out quite a bit last year but he seemed to take it better this year.  I was also glad to have her back, even though we both seemed a bit testy with each other for a few days for some reason.  We also have an anniversary coming up, kind of a milestone one, too.  No, I don't think they're related, but I do have to start looking for some kind of gift!
• Spring is finally here.  I was so anxious for it to be here this year.  I want it to be comfortable without a coat outside and I want to get the outside fully cleaned up and ready for summer.  Aside from some of the usual projects, all that is left is plant shopping and that will most likely happen next weekend.  We had frost warnings the last couple nights and the high temperatures still are not enough to have all the windows open comfortably.  I hope we get some of that all-day open-window time before it inevitably becomes central air time.  For the time being, the heat remains on.
• Another thing about spring, and this year especially, the lilacs burst with blooms and at the same time the lily of the valley is starting to peak.  I brought in some of each yesterday making the the house very floral scented.  We had to put them in different rooms to spread it out a little.  They both smell so nice and are so fleeting in spring we must enjoy it while we can.

Well, when I sat I only had a vague idea of what I might say and look at all the stuff that came out.  Now, I better wrap it up before it gets too much longer.  I'm sure I'll have forgotten something, I always do, but I also don't want to make a post so long no one reads it. 

It will be another summer of projects and activities so I'm sure I won't run out of anything to write about anytime soon.  Thanks for reading.

Ta ta for now.

For Mothers And Others

I went with my wife and her sister taking their mother out to a very expensive elegant brunch at Mariner's Inn this morning for Mother's Day.  I went because my brother-in-law went last year and yes, again this year.  I don't really mind my mother-in-law, but it's not mother-in-law day.  I was happy to be there for my wife even though we've been on each other's nerves a little bit since she got home.  She had spent the work week in California at a conference.  I texted my mother, who lives farther away, this morning.  Seems she's been a bit sick so just planned on laying low today, anyway.  Feel better soon, Mom!



Last night we grilled our first brats of the season.  We do not fear the wurst!  We have had the grill out earlier but for burgers.  The brats were very tasty and I'm sure I'll eat lots again this summer!


There's been more posting over on the Garden Blog today.  Kate has been busy weeding and harvesting the spring onions.  And, just because I like to see the growth that comes with spring, there is another tour of our yard posted after the break on that post.

That's over at the Garden Blog, give it a look!