Dog Days of Summer

We had planned to go to a Jamboree to sample different foods from black-owned restaurants last weekend, part of Black Restaurant Week here in Madison, but it was postponed due to rain until this Sunday.  Because of that, it will be in a different location farther from home and the weather is questionable so I'm not sure if we'll go tomorrow.  

We considered going to Schenk Corners Block Party last night, but instead went out for dinner then to a neighborhood bar for drinks.  Still, a good night out for us.

Mom came up to the house last week.  She had a gathering at her brother's just a bit south, so wanted to make the short extra trip up to see me and Kate.  We set up our screen gazebo tent in the driveway, grilled out dinner and enjoyed a nice visit.  I'm glad she made it up to the house as the big city traffic can get pretty nuts so she tends to stay away, and I don't blame her.  My next visit down to see her will be next month, sometime during my vacation.

Today was to be partly sunny with scattered strong storms, and indeed it has been all overcast and very wet so we will not be going to Eken Park Fest this afternoon after the Packer game, nor the previously mentioned block party tonight.  Instead we will be staying in and I'll be watching the Brewers go for a franchise-record 14 wins in a row.

Starkweather creek, from this morning's walk.

A bit disappointing after having bigger plans, but the rest is needed and even welcomed.  I even napped for the last half of the Packer game today, waking up to another storm approaching and scuttling any plans outside the rest of the afternoon.  I'm not sure what similar events are left yet this year, but that's okay.  It feels like we are entering the dog days of summer.

Sunflower and afternoon rain and wind today, dark enough at times for the garage lights to turn themselves on.

Not a lot new here, otherwise, at least nothing that I want to discuss here.  The sunflowers continue to grow and bloom, and ordinary life continues.  Mostly drama-free, which is good but doesn't provide much writing fodder.  Blissfully mundane, I guess you could say.  

The Brewer game is about to start, so that will be most of my evening.  Hope you are well.

Vacation Projects, Baking, Street Reconstruction #19 and More

I've been busy this past week, resting and recreating takes a lot of time and effort.  I'm on my first real vacation in a year since being new at a job and other than having Covid when I was on vacation last September.  As usual, a staycation to take care of little projects and other things without the interruptions of work.  So far I've gotten a few things done and we've had nice weather, for the most part.  There's a lot to say so I may jump around a bit, and I'll likely add a break due to the length once I add pictures.

Vacation Start

I started this vacation by going to my Mom's on Saturday.  We got a few little things done for her, but it was more about spending the time, I think.  I was just there a few weeks ago, but an overnight visit allows for more time and relaxation while catching up on what's going on in her life.  I got back to town mid-day Sunday and I don't think I did much the rest of the day.

Lots more after the break!

Easter This-And-Thats

I haven't really been in a writing mood recently.  I managed to post about the pavilion, but there are a few other topics I've been meaning to mention so time to sit, type and see what happens.

• Today is Easter, but this doesn't mean much to us.  I had a paid holiday for Good Friday and my wife and I may venture out later today, as we tend to do on Sundays, but will have to check ahead to see what's open.  I was going to go down to my Mom's yesterday as my sister and her kids are there this weekend, but things to do and I've been real sick of driving lately so I stayed home.

• My wife was laid off from her job this past week.  She found out about it 2 months ago, so had to endure all that time knowing, but meanwhile her anniversary came and went so she got all her time off back which will be paid out, and a severance package as well.  Another bad decision by a terrible company that keeps losing contracts, but it was her career.  She does not plan to look for a new job until her dad dies, and we're in a good enough position she can do that.

• 
  Also this past week we had to take Basil to the vet twice.  He'd lost weight, had a UTI and we already know he gets crystals real bad.  He'd also stumbled at times, and started withdrawing from us and eating less.  He got an antibiotic shot, a pain shot, and was already on medicine for hyperthyroidism but that dose got doubled.  It's taken several days but he does appear to be acting normal and feeling much better now, thankfully.  And today both the cats turn 13 years old.

• We recently bought two new computers, a laptop for my wife since she had to turn in the one she was using and a desktop tower for me because of the display driver issue this one has, plus it often shuts itself off.  Never while I'm using it, but while it's in sleep mode, and it seems to be happening more.  Both are made by Lenovo, a new brand to us but great reviews so we just went for it.  I'm going to have to take my wife's in for help getting it out of S-mode - Microsoft's new security that goes overboard in trying to save you from yourself.  I just hooked up the desktop and got that going briefly, and thankfully I don't have it on this one.  I did hook the old computer back up because I have some work to do before making the switch.

• 
  I've taken a few weekends off from baking recently, but I did make a cheesy garlic bread yesterday that I saw in a ToYoube video.  It just looked so good, so I made it and it was, but it made a mess of the oven.  I used a frozen bread dough loaf so it was quicker and easier for me, but this is one of those recipes that was fun to try but I may never make it again.

We still may get out this afternoon, but it is raining now and the day seems destined for rest and relaxation indoors.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend.

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.