Winter Solstice 2024

The winter solstice arrived early this morning, hours before I got up.  For several years now I've been having a fire on this day, in cold temperatures and in a bit of snow, but we have both this year.

So, no winter solstice fire pit this year but at least the days will start getting longer.  Very soon here I will be making the drive to Mom's and will be spending the night.  My wife will be staying back and taking care of her dad, as usual.  This week will be especially hard for her with the holidays, as well.  My sister and her family were supposed to arrive there yesterday but they came down sick, and it sounds like my brother and his family will be there for a few hours this evening.   This is our Christmas gathering this year.  Happy solstice, everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.  A much needed 4 days off from work here.

I wasn't feeling the best yesterday, but I traveled down to my Mom's house.  I wasn't sure if I was getting sick or not so I wore a mask the whole time and cut my visit short, leaving shortly after my sister and nephew got there early afternoon.  

My wife made a traditional Thanksgiving spread with a large turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls.  Kate then took some to her dad, but they wound up going to their family gathering.  She's been his caretaker for many years now, and he just gets more difficult as he gets older.  Anyway, there's plenty of leftovers for us to eat, plus she'll make up some freezer meals for her dad.

There's a dusting of snow on the ground and it will be cold, but there are some outside chores I could do.  And we'll see if I have a fire pit tonight or tomorrow, but otherwise the time will be spent inside.  There's a lot of football on the next few days, but otherwise I have some inside chores to do, maybe some baking, and lots of relaxing.  Cheers!

Car Is Fixed & Mom Worries

There hasn't been much visible work done on the streets since last post.  It appears they have prepared some of the terraces for adding dirt, grass and trees, but no update until ours is done.  They've also not started on the foot bridge that is part of this project, and I hope they came to their senses and save that money but probably not.

I got the car back on Tuesday last week.  All they found was a wheel bearing that needed replacing on the right front.  Thankfully it wasn't more serious, that bearing made a hell of a scraping sound.  So about 100 bucks to tow it to the shop then about 900 dollars to fix.  Could've been worse and I consider myself lucky.

Also Tuesday after work I returned the rental car, so I had the rental for 8 days.  It was all rather confusing when I rented it, but it appears the rental car cost me about 50 dollars a day.  All in all, not as bad as I feared, yet the total cost of my car breaking down approached $1500.00.

Also on Tuesday evening, after returning the rental and fetching my car from the shop, I got a call from my sister.  Seems my Mom was having a health emergency.  I talked to her but she didn't want me to come down because they were hoping to get her into a Madison hospital the next day, which they did.  So I met her at one of the hospitals here in town the next morning.  Later that Wednesday she had a procedure done, and the next day she was discharged in the early afternoon.  I took her home and spent the night, but wound up leaving around midday on Friday and my sister and her kids got there later in the afternoon and spent the weekend with her.

Mom will be okay and has a chance to recover completely, but will need to exercise, take her medicine, listen to her doctors and go to therapy.  So it will be work, but I know she can do it.

Pretty good view from Mom's hospital room of downtown, lakes and the capitol building, but distant and always a better view in person.  The closest car here on the 4th floor of the parking garage is mine, fresh from the shop, and coincidentally across from her room (valet parking).

Vacation Starts With Covid

This is the third or fourth time I had Covid, I forget.  Saturday, my first day of vacation, I took a trip down to see my Mom and watch the Badger game that afternoon.  I felt a bit stuffy, is all, so I took allergy meds with me.  Once there, I took one of the pills and became groggy and started to have a headache.  I was in and out of sleep for the game and felt like I was coming down with something as we sat around and watched videos all night.  

I slept hard that night and felt terrible when I woke up.  It was the headache that made me fear it was Covid.  I quickly gathered my things, got a mask from Mom, and we finished up the last few chores before I headed for home.  I took the test right away and it was positive.  I let my Mom know, and I really hope she doesn't get this.

I haven't moved or done much since I got home Sunday morning.  My list of things to get done on vacation will have to wait at least one more day.  Back to bed.

Fireworks Finale and Failure

There were fireworks at my Mom's last night at a nearby park with a hill and cornfield in between.  And it rained, softly at first but pretty good by the end here.

And, an inch or two away from ending this orange nightmare.  Not right to say that, but...

Sunflowers Are Planted

After seeing family yesterday I got home early in the afternoon, plenty of time to tackle some more spring chores.  I got the back steps power-washed so ready to seal when we get a nice day after a couple dry days in a row, and I also planted sunflower seeds.  I planted more strategically than last year and all are caged so hopefully we get more than one successful sunflower plant this year.  Not long after planting we had a storm come through before the sun came out again.  Mother Nature watered my seeds for me, so I hope that's a good sign.

The corner of the house and porch seemed to be the best place, and where the lone sunflower grew last year, so I fenced off the area and planted several seeds among the day lilies.

I planted a couple at the corner of the garage nearest the fire pit last year, and they started off well before being destroyed by a critter.  I planted a couple there again yesterday but caged the area.

Then I looked around for another good spot.  We have the bare area along the fence in the tree stump area, but hard to cage them in there and we're thinking of putting some kind of bushes or shrubs there.  So I decided to try the back corner behind the lilac.  If you look close at the left, you may see new lilac growth coming from where I had to cut down the old growth due to the new fence.  I'll let it grow as long as it's not directly under the fence.

Now, we wait and see. 

First Mow & Mother's Day

Today was a beautiful and sunny 69ºF and the lawn has had it's time to awaken and grow tall so after work today I mowed for the first time this year.  Unfortunately a bit too breezy and a chance of a passing shower later so no fire again tonight.

Madison is again promoting Low Mow May for the pollinators, but I still believe it's mostly the weeds in the lawns that are used for pollinating and not the grass, so really no matter for my lawn.  Although, I have been seeing a new weed in various areas of the lawn this year, and a ton of it everywhere else this year, too, actually.  I'm not sure what it is yet, but I've been fighting it as best I can in our yard.  It seems to crowd out the grass where it grows so it appears it will be an issue for some time with having to patch/reseed in areas eventually.

This weekend is Mother's Day for us, so I will again be going down to see her Sunday morning.  I'd not mentioned this here yet, but she has been recovering from a procedure so my sister stayed with her for a few weeks and I've been going down there on weekends since then.  But the good news is she's recovering well and will surely be fully independent again soon.  I've been taking her baguette and a sample of parmesan cheese pennies once and will again be baking in the morning to take her more baguette and cheddar cheese pennies for Mother's Day.  And my sister and her kids will be there so will be good to see them.

Other than that, I have lots on my list to get done this weekend but we'll just have to see.  I'd like to get the back steps power washed on Sunday afternoon and start on a fenced area where I will plant sunflowers soon, plus all the usual weekend chores will still need to be done.

So a busy weekend here, but welcomed after a long winter and a spring that has dragged on before really springing just recently.  Have a happy Mother's Day or otherwise have a great weekend!

Leap Day & Mom

Happy Leap Day, everyone.  Not really a holiday, just novel in that it only comes about every 4 years, usually.  (Century years must be divisible by 400 to have this extra day.)

Today would have been a normal workday for me but I took it off as my Mom returned from Alabama yesterday afternoon.  After work I gathered my stuff, plus some snacks since she had no food in the house after being gone a couple months, and headed to the airport to pick her up.  Everything went smooth and quick and soon we were on our way to Dodgeville.  We got dinner and stayed up to watch ToYoube videos and talk.  The next morning I did a couple small things that needed to be done, but everything was pretty much in order since she hadn't been around.  She ordered groceries for delivery and we had a lazy morning before I left mid-day after they had been delivered.

It's been 10 years since my wife and I visited her down there.  She shares the rental with a sister now and many other family and friends have done the same visit.  And going back to the same place every year she's made friends with other snowbirds from various other places.  All in all, she enjoys her time down there and I'm glad she gets to do it.

Every time I go down to Dodgeville for a night I seem to forget one thing, this time it was the two baguettes I was going to take to her.  Bugger.  For some reason I still don't have bread flour again yet but I will soon so hopefully I'll have even better ones for her next time.

And, of course, the cats didn't seem to miss me one bit.

Merry Christmas 2023

Merry Christmas, everyone.  I hope you had a great weekend and are having a good day today doing what you wish with those you want to be with.  Or anything close to that is still pretty dang good.

We spent some time on Saturday with my wife's family and some time yesterday with mine.  Gifts were exchanged and holiday greetings and catching up were shared.  It's so much less about the giving and getting stuff than it is about the time spent, or should be.  It was nice to see everyone, including the nieces and nephews that we don't get to see too often.  And a shame we couldn't see the others, which seems to happen too often.

It's certainly not a white Christmas here this year with temperatures yesterday and today in the 50's with 100% humidity.  Outside has been overcast and very foggy for a few days now, but that's still lots better than if it was snow and frost.  We've had less than two inches of snow here this month when 12 inches is normal for December, and will get no more though we return to highs around the freezing mark over the next week.  But January is next, and January is, well, January.  Until it becomes February, normally another very cold and snowy month.

Warm bread helps.

Cuts Like A...

I managed to bake two types of bread on Sunday morning, classic baguettes (left) and simple French bread (right).  Thankfully I was able to keep everything straight as, of course, the timing of the steps for each are different.  I think both turned out well but for the French bread getting maybe a bit overdone.  And while the demi baguette size is handy it is more of a pain to make.  I've tried making them from smaller cuts of dough and regular size cut in half, as here.  I think I may just stick to making the full size 15-inch baguettes going forward.

The last thing I really need to figure out is the cuts.

I started with various sharp knives that we have, settling on the serrated bread knife.  It does give some good cuts most of the time, though I don't really get an 'ear' on the cuts during baking.  It's also a pretty big knife for a small job and I wanted something better.

Eventually I bought a UFO lame - which is one of the most dangerous things I think I've ever had in my kitchen.  Two round pieces of wood that screw together with a razor blade between them.  One slip when tightening and your finger would go right into the blade, or if a corner of the blade is left peeking out, or if it loosens and the blade moves outside the wood - all of these can spell bloody disaster.  I tried it anyway but it seemed to grab the dough much more than the knife, resulting in ugly and ineffective cuts.

Recently I picked up a baker's lame, which has a curved razor blade that is supposed to help in creating that 'ear' on the cuts, those raised ridges on either side.  Similar to the UFO lame, I found it grabbed the dough more than the serrated knife and also resulted in ugly, ineffective cuts.

My wife says I'm too hard on myself, the cuts don't affect how the bread tastes, after all.  But I know it can be done so I will keep trying.  I do know that it should be sharp, quick cuts, so maybe I hesitate because I'm expecting it to grab.  I think next time when it's still early in the process I will practice my slices on raw dough.

In other news, we went from high temperatures in the 80's to highs in the 50's within a week, with a frost warning last night and tonight.  Autumn is definitely upon us.  Yard work beckons but this weekend will be cold and wet, and there still should be plenty of time yet.  I did mow again today, so now I think I've mowed the whole yard 5 times and only the back yard twice this year.  I'm losing track, not that it matters.  I just find it notable for how few times it's had to be done this year.

I'm planning on going down to my Mom's on Saturday in time for the Badger game that afternoon, then coming back Sunday to relax and fix the refrigerator.  I'll talk more about the refrigerator later as I'm planning on posting about it.

My work situation has not improved, but I just deleted the rant I wrote to spare you.  Suffice it to say I am not a happy camper, but you knew that.  So on that note, I guess that's enough writing for now.  I hope everyone is doing well!

Mom's Blind

I've noted how my Mom moved back closer last fall, and it makes it so much easier for me to see her more often.  She likes her new place and has been making it her own, and I've tried to make myself available to help when I can.  Her new place faces west, so in the late afternoon and evening the sun makes it difficult to enjoy her front patio, or even have to close the drapes when she's inside.  Her neighbor has an outdoor blind so she asked me about it, we researched, and a few weeks ago we ordered her one.  It wasn't cheap, but seems pretty nice and looks like she will find it handy.  Saturday morning we got it installed, and more easily than I expected.

This color blind allows 5% of sunlight through, so you can see through it, but a blackout blind I felt would seem too much like a wall.  We saw other colors that were only 3%, so I hope the 5% won't be too much light.  Strangely, we've not seen any p.m sun the last couple days so I don't think she's seen exactly how it will be yet.  This blind is as wide as this company made them, 94 inches, and I estimated 84 inches long since it goes out at a slight angle and it seems to be about right.

We didn't expect the guide wires but hooks that she would have to clip on the corners when down so it doesn't blow around in the wind, but I think this is even better because she won't have to worry about that at all now.  It has a motor and remote control, so she can easily raise or lower it to any level she wants rather than all the way down as shown here.  For the stakes to hold the bottom of the guide wires I used the cutoffs from the handrail from when I built her ramp.

The only snag was because of that slight angle out, the blind would catch on the crossbeam and get stuck but I was able to change the screw hole where it attaches at the top and now it works perfectly.

It's always nice to go down and see Mom, even stay overnight and just hang out.  At only an hour away a day trip is always possible, but for avoiding the rush hour traffic times and just relaxing more I'm preferring the overnight visits.  Time to start a new to-do list, Mom!

March In Pictures

The day before yesterday I noticed one of the first telltale signs of Spring - crocus coming up all over the back yard.

Bake & Kate

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments on my baguette, including my wife who has been very encouraging.  We had some more last night and yes, it is pretty good if I say so myself.  But there's always room for improvement.  I've made baguette once now so will know better how to do things the second time around.  And I've ordered an 8 inch cast iron pan for the purpose of adding boiling water when I cook baguette again or other breads that call for it.  Just the latest baking purchase, aside from more expensive flour, different yeast and other ingredients, I've gotten new liquid measuring cups, dough scrapers, a bun pan and now the cast iron pan.  I'll have to bake more just to get back what I've spent so far!  Not sure if I'll bake anything this weekend, but we are out of buns so that is planned to be next.

I have no plans for this to turn into a baking blog, but I write about what I enjoy so you can expect more.  At least until I get tired of it, but I don't see that happening soon.  Everything in moderation.

My lovely wife Kate is 29 again today, though she hates having a birthday in January.  I can see why, we got 1.7 inches of snow early today for our first snow in 27 days.  Just her luck, I guess.  We went out and celebrated with friends last weekend, and she opened her present a couple days ago, so just a quiet night in tonight with her birthday wine.  Happy birthday, Kate. 🧡

I guess I thought I had more to say, but we have no real limits around here.  Cheers!

January This-And-Thats

Okay, it's high time I finally break the 2023 seal here on the blog.  Busy, didn't feel like it, not much to say, pick what you want, all are true to some extent.  Winter hit us hard and early this season, so there is that, too.  What matters is I'm here, now, writing.  So let's see if I have anything to say, shall we?

• Covid sucked, and right before Christmas.  It was a really miserable time, but my wife reminded me of how bad it could be and actually was for me the first time around back in 2020.  I seemed to have forgotten, or blocked it out.  So while very bad this time, yes, that was very much worse and serious.  I could breathe this time whereas last time just breathing was laborious for quite some time.  Yes, don't wish that upon anyone.  (This one, however...  ;))
• 
  I had last tested positive the Wednesday before Christmas, and had already decided it was just too close in time to see my Mom on Saturday.  Instead, I went down to see her after work on the following Tuesday to watch the late-starting Badger bowl game.  We enjoyed some barbecue takeout and enjoyed watching the game and other videos while talking until almost 2 in the morning.  I got a little tipsy but had a great time, and I think she did, too.  Better than Christmas any day.
• New Years Eve, as I mentioned last post, was spent getting all cleaned and dressed up for a fancy dinner out with friends.  It was a good time, then a quiet night in after that.  My wife's birthday is coming up fast, so we'll be doing something for her soon.
• Since this last bout of Covid I've gotten out of the habit of jumping on the treadmill after work every day.  I was doing 15 minutes or more at 3 mph at the time, now I've been on it just a couple times in the last week for about 10 minutes each time, I think for two reasons.  One, my knees haven't been the best lately, been pretty sore, especially since I was on my feet much more than normal one day recently and I do need to upgrade my leg pillow for sleeping.  And two, I have to start over with the balance issues I've had with walking on the treadmill.  Even though it got better the more I used it, it's never gone away.  I think I've said before, like slipping on a rug on ice!
• 
  I have a bunch of albums that I haven't even looked at in a long time, let alone played.  I keep saving leads on where I could sell them but I never follow up on it.  Is it laziness or not wanting to let go?
• I've been interested in making homemade bread for a while now, and I've finally started.  First with simple, no-knead recipes and working on getting to make what I want confidently.  I thought I took pictures of the earlier ones, but I only have pictures of my last two breads here.  They both tasted good, but my technique still needs improvement.  We have a stand mixer to help with the recipes that are needing kneading (I couldn't resist!).  I've also ordered a bun pan so I will make buns for when we make my 'famous' homemade smashburgers, but this weekend I will attempt to make baguette.  

I hope the new year is treating everyone well.  Overall, it's just a continuation of the same thing, isn't it?  But that's not a good attitude, they tell me.  Have I become more cynical with age?  I guess it's almost impossible not to.  Oh well, have a great week, everyone.

Merry Christmas 2022

Merry Christmas, everyone.  A quiet day around here with plans for watching football and basketball on tv.  I finally tested negative for Covid yesterday, last tested positive on Wednesday, so I'll be going down to see Mom later this week to watch the late Badgers bowl game and have some bitchin' barbecue ribs from a local barbecue restaurant that seems to be a very popular place in her town.  I'd heard of the food for some time, so I'm looking forward to it.

Otherwise, it's just been really frigid around here lately, but we should warm up enough to get above freezing by mid-week.  

I hope everyone is having a good holiday, stay safe and warm!

Winter Solstice 2022

Happy solstice, everyone.  It's cold here, with a large snowstorm at our doorstep.  Snow will start here in a couple hours and go all day tomorrow with wind expected to create blizzard conditions on Friday.  Been a few years since we had a bona fide blizzard, so a good time to stay in.  The state department of transportation is asking people not to travel unless absolutely necessary, but it's the holidays so people will do what they will and disasters will happen, of course.

My sister was supposed to come up to Mom's, but that won't happen now.  And we're still testing positive for Covid even though we feel pretty much back to normal, so not sure if we'll make it.  If not, we'll have to try for the next weekend, but surely before she flees south for the winter.  She has my cordless drill and I want it back before spring!

This is as high as the sun gets here now.  I got this pic about noon today before it completely disappeared in the overcast sky.

Mom's Ramp

Our weather, starting yesterday and going through the weekend to Monday, is going to be very nice with temperatures in the 70's ºF, and that's real good for us in October.  Because of that, it's an ideal weekend to get all the yard work done that we can before winter.  I'll still have leaves to deal with and then cleaning the gutters, but pots, plants, gardens, the water hose and compost all were tended to today before the snow and freeze comes to stay and temperatures make outside work more a bit more miserable.  I planned ahead this week and took Friday off work to take advantage of the weather and to see my wonderful and only sister.  I'd been planning to go down to my Mom's new place again this weekend but my sister was going to be there Thursday, overnight until about midday Friday, so a good excuse to go down to Mom's a day early to see her and still have two days to do everything stated above and a whole lot more here at our place.  My delivery had to be ready to go.

It took a couple hours of work in the garage every day starting early last weekend and after work every day this week (at my pace, I enjoy the process), but the ramp for my Mom's step down into the garage finally got finished on Thursday evening and loaded into the car for the next morning's road trip.  I think it turned out well, or as well as it could with this wooden design of mine.  The rails are good for helping balance, but I stressed they are not monkey bars.  I told her if for any reason she  decides she doesn't like it then I'll get her the one I found on Amazin made out of aluminum, but I think she knows I like these kinds of projects and it's more personal if I made it.  But this is really just me and my worrying, I know it will work very well for normal use and she seemed very pleased with it.

It was very nice to see my sister and meet her new boyfriend.  I say new because this was the first time I met him but they've been seeing each other for over a year now and things seem to be getting pretty serious.  He's a very nice fellow and I liked him a lot, so I hope it works out for her - and them.  I especially appreciated how nice and helpful he is with our mother, and I don't say that lightly.  Anyway, between us all we got Mom's list of chores knocked out pretty easily and we were able to go out to lunch before a few last touches, then we all went on our way and left Mom to maybe have a nap or enjoy regular tv again finally after the move, or whatever the hell she wants to do.  As I left I noticed her neighbor, who seemed to be cleaning out his very full garage, was closely watching our activity.  I'll have to ask Mom if there was a conversation after we left.  Or maybe I'm just being protective and nosy.  But I may still ask!

It's also a much easier drive now for me now, though a bit longer for my sister who is coming from Illinois.  The worst part of my drive is the Beltline right here in Madison, especially on weekdays, since we live on the opposite side of town than where I have to leave town.  I might have to figure out some different way to get out of town without going on that crowded, dangerous highway, but it will be back roads and take longer, for sure.  In my older age and now working from home for quite some time, I just hate too much driving and traffic, and now, especially, driving in traffic.  (Cue the old Mr. Magoo intro,..) "Traffic" in this contexts means busy, crowded, bumper to bumper sometimes, across 2 to 4 lanes of hell.  All depending on your tolerance, of course.

If you're interested, pictures of the whole build process are after the break.  Commentary added in the  captions for context and explanations.  For much of the build the garage door is shut because of the cold, though it was always daylight when I worked on it.  I have a small heater in the garage that helped some, but I'm glad it wasn't colder or later in the year.  Also thank you to my lovely wife who helped me with all this whenever I needed her without complaint.

Last Tiger Lily, Ramp Project

I did this last year, too, but I'd been watching the last tiger lily to see if it would open, and happily it did.  There are plenty of fall-blooming flowers but tiger lilies aren't really one of them.  Still, this last, little lily was able to complete its lifespan before the inevitable.  

Today is cool, windy and it rained a little this afternoon, thus all the leaves that have freshly fallen.  Cool and wet enough after work that I took my half-hour after-work walk on the treadmill for the first time.  I started at 1.6 mph, quickly going up to 1.8 and by the time I was done, 2 mph.  Still a little awkward, but I think that will get better the more I do it.

I talked to neighbor Jane, and she says she was told they probably won't remove the stump until this time next year, so she found it odd they marked the utilities already.  But it is municipal work, meaning they keep their crews busy.  Whether it's leaf pickup, yard waste pickup, tree trimming, plowing snow or whatever else they have to do, if there's not one task to keep them busy enough then they move on to the next, and weather decides a lot.  It doesn't really matter to me how long it takes, I'm just watching the process.

My Mom moved closer recently, back to the town we lived in for my formative years.  A smaller place, one level, and less than half the drive I had before to see her in Iowa.  It sounds like she's been reconnecting with many old friends, relatives and acquaintances, so she's had lots of company already and moving day was just last week.  I was down there to see the place and help her with a few things last weekend, and there is still more to do.

I mentioned her new place is one level, and is pretty much zero entry but for a step down into the garage.  She's 75 so doesn't move around quite as she used to and asked me if I could build her a ramp.  I agreed, of course, so took a few measurements and I've been planning the build.  This week I'll have to get a few pieces of wood and some hardware, otherwise I have most of the wood and tools ready to go.  A miserable afternoon and my counterpart has been out so far this week so work has me a bit frazzled and so I haven't gotten everything I need yet, but surely before Friday so I can get started building that day or Saturday.  Best case scenario, I get it fully built on Saturday and delivered Sunday morning, but we'll see how it goes.  It's only 6 1/2 inches, but a ramp - with handrails - will make it so much easier and safer for her.  She'd asked me to do projects for her when I was much younger and I'd normally avoid it if I didn't know how to do it.  Now, I'm older, wiser, have a bitchin' set of tools and the internet.  I'm looking forward to building this for her and, of course, I'm sure I'll share it here.

DNA Testing

For Christmas I got one of those DNA testing kits for me and my wife.  It had always sounded interesting to me and seeing it on sale and needing gift ideas I finally got them, the two-three and me one for health and ancestry.  We submitted them several weeks ago and we both got our results recently.

While the results are an interesting read I can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed.  There's a lot of fluff to go through to find results and numbers you want to see, but that's more of a website navigation issue, I think.  And no, I do not want to do a ton of surveys or pay $29 a year for more underwhelming reports and features, thank you.

I thought I'd find the health portion more interesting but thankfully I tested negative for all variants they look for, no predispositions and not a carrier.  The wellness and traits section where they give you a percentage of likeliness I do find interesting, and while many do reflect my actual traits some do not.  It correctly gives me a bigger chance of not being able to match a musical pitch or be bitten by mosquitoes, but also says I'm less likely to be afraid of heights or likely to have fair skin.  Almost all with varying percentages.  99% chance I don't have red hair, 1% I do; 58% chance I do not have cheek dimples, 42% I do.  Yes, interesting information upon first read but nothing that you can really do anything with our about.

The ancestry report was more interesting, but about what I would have expected.  Growing up, I was always told that I was 75% German and 25% Irish (a simplified guess, I'm sure, but easy to understand), and the results weren't that far off and had a few other odd finds, like I have more Neanderthal DNA than 64% of their other customers at less than 2%, whatever that really means.

98.8% Northwestern European.  Not surprising, I know I'm not Native American.  Of that:

44.2% British and Irish.  County Dublin and Greater London appear to be at the top, but it does list 18 other regions.

40.2% French & German.  Not sure why they lump these together.  A closer look shows all to be regions of Germany and Netherlands.  No berets for me.

8.9% Scandinavian.  I hadn't expected that, but it seems I have some roots in Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

5.2% Broadly Northwestern European.  Apparently all the above but unidentifiable.

0.3% Finnish.  This made me smile, but only because I'm a fan of Nightwish.

Then outside of Northwestern European it tells me I am 1.0% Ashkenazi Jewish and 0.2% of trace ancestry.  Go figure.

There's also a section where I can connect with family members and lists several of my actual relatives who must also have done the same test.  So it knows who I am and who I am related to now.  And the other day I received an invitation to share ancestry from someone I don't know.  You are given their name and after a quick google search I found she lives with her family in a town south of here.  Likely a second cousin, but I have not responded and not sure I will.

I don't think I want to dive into this that much and make connections and start a family tree or anything like that.  But I'm glad I finally did it and while interesting it does not change anything or is really of any help for anything.  Maybe I'll change my mind in the future, but for now I'll just let this simmer for a while.

Happy Thanksgiving Thoughts 2021

With what I've been going through with my health recently and work frustrations bubbling up again I've been pretty down and maybe even ornery lately.  As I sat out by the fire last night I thought it would be good to think of things I am actually thankful for, so I gave it some serious thought and started a list.  Let's see if I can expand on that this morning and maybe get to 10 good and meaningful things for which I am truly grateful.

1. My wife.  It's hasn't always been easy but I just can't imagine my life without her.  I don't know anyone stronger who could deal with me and everything else she's had to deal with the last several years and more.  I've been guilty of being self-centered, taking things for granted and not listening as I should, and improving myself will only help her, so I am determined to become a better person.
2. My health.  I've taken this for granted, too, for far too long and it seems to be catching up to me.  I need to eat better, drink less, exercise more and lose some weight.  Very much easier said than done, but increasing health issues is a good motivator.
3. Family.  My mother and sister, specifically.  I don't like my father and my brother has been pretty distant.  When my mother's husband passed and then the pandemic hit I started to get closer to my Mom and my sister is always there with a smile and encouraging words if I need her.  I love them both greatly.
4. Friends.  I don't have many left these days, more acquaintances than friends.  I want to continue to work on those relationships and in some cases not let the distance between us cause that friendship to wane.  It seems harder to make friends the older I get, but much of that may be me so I should work on that more.
5. Blogger friends.  Delcatto and Blue Witch have been friendly towards me for a long time now and I'm grateful they keep coming back.  I like to read their blogs about them and their lives, and have learned much along the way.  Knowing they are there has helped me try to write better and more interesting things here.  I've not reached out to other bloggers much in a long time now, but Nic has been a relatively recent breath of fresh air and as a bonus he creates music pretty consistently so I always look forward to his next song.
6. Our house.  When this blog started in 2009 we started looking, and originally didn't think we could afford a house right in Madison.  But the market was in our favor and we found a nice house with a nice yard close to whatever we could need or want, right here in the near east side of Madison.  Yes, it is very small, seemingly too small for us at times, but overall I think we found a good one and have improved it in many ways over the years.
7. Madison.  Related to the last one, we live in a good area and city with a majority of like-minded people as us.  That changes rather quickly and surprisingly when you get outside the county.  When we traveled to pick up our last quarter cow it was shocking the amount of pro-Trump flags and signs in the rural areas.  I don't remember such divisiveness before he came along and thankfully don't have to worry about that too much here in Madison.
8. Music.  Music continues to be a joy and an escape for me even as I get older.  I don't go to live shows as much as I used to and am pretty unwilling to travel longer distances for it anymore, but I still enjoy discovering new music and I'm always looking for my next 'latest-greatest,' even if at a lower volume these days. 

Well, 10 was an arbitrary number anyway and I don't want to add something lesser just to get to 10.  I may remember something good that I missed later, but I think I have 8 very good things to be thankful for here and it was good for me to consider and reflect upon these.  Now it's time for me to do some cleanup for Kate's family coming over to celebrate the holiday.  It's currently snowing big white flakes outside, and my wife has been busy cooking up the cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and other goodies while the turkey is already in the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving and a great long weekend to all!