Canoe Slide, Fall Fire, More

Here I go again, letting weeks pass with nary a word typed.  Yes, we've been a bit busy, and there are things happening that I'm not sure how to write about yet or even if I'm ready to write about yet.  But I do have some things to say today and the rest may wait for a while.

I was out for a walk the other day and I saw some new signs down by the Starkweather Creek canoe slide.  A warning about possible PFAS in the water - in 3 languages - and a small sign with instructions on how to use the canoe slide.  I still haven't seen the slide used, and I'm sure I won't until spring rolls around.  You can see the creek is iced over already.  We've not had a lot of snow since late October and early November, but we have had the cold temperatures with highs ranging from a bit above to a bit below the freezing mark, more below recently.  I'll put closeups of the signs after the break.

The last two Friday evenings it has been dry with temperatures right around freezing - good fire pit weather!  I had to start the fires about 4 in the afternoon as the sun goes down before half past these days.  And I noticed that rather than sitting I tend to stand around the fire when it's cold.  Closer to the rising heat, I guess.  Each fire may be the last for quite some time so I've been taking advantage.  One snowstorm and it will be months before it happens again.



We have a funeral to attend very soon.  My mom's husband passed away this week from cancer.  Quicker than expected, but probably for the best.  We're well, thank you, and my mom is holding up very good, but things will be very different for her.  Oh well, maybe more on this later.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2019

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.  We enjoyed a very nice, homemade Thanksgiving meal with my wife's family at our house on Thursday.  My wife is a wonderful cook and she awed again for this feast.  It was good to see everyone, and especially the growing nephew.  The cats behaved, well, hid, which is good enough.  Basil gets scared and Hamish gets pissed when we have people over.  Not sure why, they were around people as kittens.

Weather-wise has been gray, gray and more gray, but I'll take the time away from work!  The rest of the weekend will be pretty easy, with football games this afternoon and tomorrow.  Otherwise, I've been doing what a holiday is for - resting.  I'll need it as overtime starts again on Monday.  It will last until the next holiday week and then for at least a time after that (sigh).  But better stop that before I get started on it...

I don't have a whole lot to say, but I do usually post for the holiday and I've not done that yet so wanted to check in.  Again, I hope you are enjoying the time off and are thankful for that which you should be thankful.  Cheers!

No Post November?

Hello everyone, and yes, I'm still alive.  My apologies for not posting anything in weeks.  It's been a pretty rough fall so far around here.  My last post was Halloween and it had snowed a couple times.  In the weeks since, we had a few more snows and even a week of bitter cold that is normally not seen until January.  Thankfully, I think it was the Wednesday after Halloween, I came home after a long day of work and cleaned the gutters and raked/mulched the leaves as it was supposed to snow that night again.  And it's a good thing I did as we've had standing snow and ice ever since up until a couple days ago.  If I hadn't gotten it done then I would have been doing it yesterday - and I did see others cleaning their gutters yesterday.  This past week it has finally gotten a bit more seasonable and the snow is almost all melted again, but the trees are bare, grass is dull and the days are pretty gray.

Last year my last fire pit was on the winter solstice, December 21.  Friday afternoon the conditions were well enough I had my first fire in a month and it very well may be the last of the year.  I already miss the quiet time sitting outside, staring into the fire.  But it's cold now and no longer ideal, yet if I get another chance I probably will.  Also, our grill is also out of gas but with the weather I've been in no hurry to fill it.

I've had a lot of thoughts lately about someone very close to the family that has been dealing with a terminal diagnosis.  I can't imagine the hardships they've been dealing with lately, but hopefully hospice care can help things become more manageable.  We will be making the short trip for a visit sometime soon in the coming weeks.  Until then, I hope they know we love them and are thinking of them.  Aside from grandparents I've not had anyone close to me die, so I guess I've been lucky so far, but that luck is running out.

Well, I don't mean to end on a downer but there's nothing else really happening around here.  We have the holiday season almost upon us, soooo, we got that going for us.  Yay.

Vacation So Far

So far it's been a good vacation, mainly because I've not had to go to work, but also because I've been getting lots of things done.  And that's despite coming down with a pretty nasty cold on Friday.  I didn't do much Saturday or Sunday other than lay around and be sick, but I steeled myself and powered through it on Monday and Tuesday, and finally started feeling like myself again yesterday.

First project was getting the basement steps painted, and it took two days because I did it in halves.  If anyone knows a better way I'm willing to listen for next time, but no, I did not feel every other step made sense as I know I would step on one I shouldn't while it was drying.  They had to be painted last at least several years before we bought the house, and we've been here 10 years now (yesterday).  I knew I wanted to paint them but didn't know how badly it was needed until I saw the side by side.  Drying time was mostly while the cats napped so there were no issues with them wanting downstairs.  I had a baby gate to keep them out and a temporary litter box upstairs if needed.

Aside from the stairs, I power washed and water sealed the back steps, washed and waxed the car, got lumber and hardware for the cat box area and did a plethora of smaller projects and tasks around the house that either needed to be done or I wanted done.  It feels good to mark things off my list, but unfortunately there's still just as much on the list as I've crossed off of it.  Mostly things that are not urgent and will not get done this week but I do want to keep them on my radar.

Yesterday evening my Mom and her husband Dan came up to see us.  It was a beautiful day yesterday, maybe the warmest day of the year so far as it made it up to the low 70's F.  We spent the hours around the fire pit talking and ordered out pizza and ice cream for dinner.  It was very nice to see them - and finally exchange Christmas gifts!  Yes, it had been too long as we didn't make it down there on Easter.  Thankfully, both seem very well and happy and it was a very nice visit.

Today is a different story.  I got a few things done early, then the rain moved in.  It should be gone by midday easily though there is a chance for more later in the afternoon.  In between the rains it's supposed to get even warmer today, into the upper 70's F, and my guess is it will also be very humid.  That leaves me to do a few inside chores today, but also a lot of resting as all the early week projects have left my back needing a break.  I've had some issues with my back recently, but thankfully not near as as bad as this time last year when I thought I'd be getting another surgery.

Tomorrow and the weekend looks like a few more showers expected, but hopefully I can get some more things done.  I don't plan on any projects over the weekend other than my wife and I want to get plants and fill pots on Saturday.  I've always enjoyed my spring 'plant day,' but it does get to be a little much so it will be nice having her help.  There are a couple other things planned, as well, but that's for a different post.

There's some more pictures after the break - with a little bit of captioning. ;)

Brothers With Badgers

Recently my wife was given company tickets to a Wisconsin Men's Basketball game.  She's not a sports fan so asked me if I wanted to take a friend.  Given the proximity to my brother's birthday I invited him to go to the game on Saturday.  Now, I've been to the Kohl Center several times for hockey games and concerts, but not recently and I've never been for a basketball game.  My brother got to town and we decided to head there right away and I'm glad we did as I underestimated the traffic caused by the game.  We got there early, but not too early and got to walk around a bit before settling into our seats to watch the players warm up before the game.

It was a good game and the Badgers won their third game in a row.  The most notable part of the game was that Ethan Happ had his second triple-double of the season (13 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) and only the third triple-double in the long history of Wisconsin basketball.  Happ, a senior, is the star of the team and will be playing professionally next year.  He's a great college player but the only things that bother me about his game is his inefficiency at the free throw line - he was 1 of 5 this game - and I think he relies too much on the hook shot.  That shot has made his college career a great one but it will be interesting to see how that translates to the NBA game in the coming years.

 It was just above zero degrees that afternoon and when we left the game it was snowing quite a bit.  Also, unbeknownst to me until we were going to the game, we would be bringing back my nephew and his friend from the game.  Luckily we got there early and my brother called the other parents and they were able to park in the same ramp we were in, or finding the kids after the game may have been quite a bit more difficult.  But I did enjoy briefly seeing the nephew, growing so fast the next time he may be taller than me!  After the game I was already out of my comfort zone hanging out with 17,000 other people and then having to drive in slick conditions in heavy traffic while trying to make conversation on the way back was a bit stressful, but we made it okay.  And then they made it back home safely, thankfully.

I do care for my brother but we are definitely two different people on two very different paths.  Much of that is my wife and I chose to not have kids and they've gone the family path, and like most families these days, it sounds like they are always running from one kid's event to the other's, day after week after year.  There's nothing wrong with how either of us chooses to live, it's just very different.  Still, this was one of the few times ever I got to spend a little one on one time with my brother and I'm grateful he accepted my invitation.

Of course, now that I've been to a basketball game I don't feel the need to do it again anytime soon.  There's the people, the traffic, and the time it all takes.  A two hour game is like a six hour commitment,  much of it sitting in traffic.  I can watch the games on TV and see what's happening much easier and without all that added stress.  So, I can scratch this off my list for now and if I do get another opportunity I will know better what to expect and be able to plan accordingly.



Of course I took pictures - after the break!

Snow, Freeze, Repeat

I just woke up a bit ago and it looks like a nice, clear day outside but it is -17ºF/-27ºC.  We've had our milder weather, now we've been alternating between snow and deep freeze.  We got about another 7" of snow on Tuesday/Wednesday, followed by this, then it will warm up (15ºF/-9ºC) on Monday to dump some more snow and then it looks like the rest of the week we will not get north of 0ºF/-18ºC for several days.  Remember not too long ago when I said that it felt like winter had actually started?  Oh, and Lake Mendota has frozen over now for a record third time this season.

Yes, the numbers are impressive but it's happened before and it will happen again.  Life just goes on.  I took this picture this morning, you can barely see where the fire pit is.  Today should get a bit above zero eventually and I am expecting a rather good day out and about.  My brother is coming up to town and we're going to a Badger Men's Basketball game at the Kohl Center.  Should be a lot of fun - despite the weather!

Happy New Year 2019

Similar to the last few years, we will be ringing in the new year at home with just a couple friends, Terry and Becky, as long as the roads don't get too slippery.  My wife is going to cook a late dinner of beef tenderloin with those fancy little potatoes.  We'll play some games, have some special drinks and pop the champagne at midnight.  If we do manage to make it all the way to midnight that will be pretty much it, and I'll have to get a nap in just to help me make it that late.

Back on Christmas weekend we were going to drive to Mom and Dan's in Dubuque but Kate came down with the bug I had the week before.  Now we'll have to see about getting the presents to the nieces and nephews soon.  I may have to ship them to my sister and her kids, but it's a good excuse to finally drive down and see my brother's family and the house they built.  On Christmas Day Kate was feeling a bit better, well enough to not cancel her family coming over for some great food, presents and holiday cheer, so we did get one family gathering in for the holiday.

Happy New Year to you all.  The ones I read, the ones I love, all my friends and all of you who take the time to read me.  Whether you comment or not, I can see you're there.  Thank you.

2018 Flood IX - A Different View

On Thanksgiving Day we went south to Stoughton to my sister-in-law's house to celebrate with her family.  They happen to live near the Yahara River, south of the four lakes connected by the river, so we walked over and took a look during our time there.  Now, I've posted about Lake Mendota from our times out on the boat.  Also Lake Monona from bike rides and trips to Olbrich Park.  And mostly Starkweather Creek as it passes through my neighborhood toward Lake Monona.  The next two lakes down the chain are Waubesa and Kegonsa, then the Yahara flows for some time before emptying into the Rock River.  Stoughton is in the bottom right of the map, we live above Lake Monona and east of  Lake Mendota.

Lake Waubesa, Yahara Outlet

On the drive down we only got glimpses of the lower two lakes as we drove by so getting pictures wasn't easy, but I did get one looking out onto Lake Waubesa where the Yahara exits the lake and while not over the banks it did look very full.  That's what we found in Stoughton as well, the river looked very full - and fast, it seemed to be running much faster than we've seen before.  Looking at the lake levels map, it was as expected as they continue to release water down the chain trying to get the levels lower.  Lake Mendota is looking the best so far, but the rest have several feet of water to go down yet.  When you think about it, it really does take a lot of time to let all that water flow.

By spring I don't think we'll have any issues, but that could change at Mother Nature's whim.  I also noticed in the news that just recently all the slow-no wake rules on all 4 of the lakes have now been lifted.  Of course, not many are out boating anymore at this time of year anyway.  Mostly the ice fisherman are waiting for the ice to form by now, which brings another thought:  What will the ice conditions be if the water keeps lowering under it?

More pics after the break.

Happy Thanksgiving 2018

Like most years, it's best known to me as a 4 day weekend with one day spent with relatives.  This year we're staying close to home and visiting my wife's side of the family.  Other than that I don't know if we'll be leaving the house much as this Black Friday weekend will make it a madhouse on the roads and at the shops.  Feast of the cash registers, as some might say.  I do need to start shopping for gifts, but that will probably be entirely online.


I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and thank you for stopping by!

Another Birthday Vacation

I had yet another birthday recently, they seem to come faster and faster.  My wife made snacks and we had some people over last Saturday evening to celebrate.  Thanks to all who came over!  I took the week off for my birthday again this year but, once again, I had no big projects planned but a reasonable list of chores I wanted to get done.  And sleep, sleep is very good.  As I type the chore list is mostly complete but we'll just have to see how the rest goes.

Otherwise, I've been out on the bike a couple times and got some more pictures of the swollen creek.  I've not made it all the way to a lake yet, but I do plan on biking to probably Olbrich Park later today or tomorrow.  I know I have pictures of the shoreline from winter to compare to, well, we'll just see what I find.  Lake Monona has been up to 3 feet over it's predetermined maximum, as reflected in the creek.  I'll put another Flood post together in a day or two.

In other happenings, the Packers and Badgers have started playing so there goes much of my time on weekends for the next few months.  My mom broke her foot - sorry ma, I'm not traveling during my vacation but I'm sure Dan is taking very good care of you.  I hope you get well soon.  And I'm still enjoying the fire pit almost every chance I get.  Even just sitting by the fire for an hour or two in the evening is so simple yet lowers the stress of every day life - but you'd better have mosquito repellent!

Just a dragonfly I spotted recently.

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Today we made a day trip about 100 miles or more west southwest into an area of the state that borders up with Iowa on the Mississippi River, with Illinois just south, the tri-state area of Dubuque, Iowa.
This picture faces west, Iowa is across the mighty river.

We were on our way to see my Mom and Dan, and my sister's family.  It was a nice day with a nice Thanksgiving feast, card games, football and good company.  The kids are getting bigger (James may be taller than me next time I see him!), and my sister and niece are also doing well.  Mom and Dan are looking forward to another winter in Alabama and sound like they are keeping happy and busy.
We had a very good time with all.  This picture is the view from the bridge, upriver.



Whenever we make this trip I always want to take pictures, especially when we cross the Mississippi River area into Dubuque.  This trip I made my wife get her camera ready so she could take pictures for me.  Yes, my wife Kate took all these pictures - at highway speed, mind you.  I briefly said kinda what I was looking for and to just take a lot of them.  Several turned out very good, the best are here.
This one is coming off the bridge back to Wisconsin.



There's other scenes along the trip I wouldn't mind getting, too.  Like the big M on the mound in Platteville, seen for miles around.  And other random things, like the big cutouts through the rocky hills for the roads, some had icicles from the spring water that seeps out, and other scenic roadscapes.
This is a brilliant sunset picture over the Mississippi River for 60 miles an hour over a bridge.



I must say - though I've said it before - I've started to really like taking pictures, and this blog this year has shown that.  I don't plan on investing in any special equipment or anything, I just enjoy getting a good picture, and now I'm seeing, or looking for, those opportunities more often.

Vacation Week Recap

Another long, wordy post.  If you've already had enough of me lately then you may move on.  Otherwise, enjoy the wit and charm that is me - now even older and wiser*!

Along with that other occasion this week I was also on vacation, or call it a stay-cation - my favorite kind!  I usually like to have a big project to accomplish, among my other to-do list items, but this time I only had a small to-do list and no real big project to complete.  Not that that's a bad thing, I sure got more rest, but I also probably consumed more alcohol than necessary.  A look back at the highlights of my vacation here.  Did I waste my time?  You tell me.

Saturday:
The Badgers won their home game against Florida Atlantic, their second win of the season against a team dealing with the hurricane back home at the time.  They were unsure if the game would be played for a while but Wisconsin was more than accommodating for their extended stay in Madison.
Throughout the game and after was all party preparation.  I wrote about the party briefly here, I'm still happy for all that celebrated with me - and my Mom created something special that still amazes me.  Picture clippings of me from infancy to recent, and shaped in a big 5-0.  This is the kind of thing only a stalker or someone who really loves you would put the time in to put together.  I've only seen these kind of picture tributes at retirements and funerals.  I told my wife we need to keep it for my funeral (in 6 years!), she can add in the later years afterward!  Seriously though, I was very touched and impressed.
Overall, the party was a blast and I think all had a great time.  The only downside for me was the back spasms I got well after midnight while standing in our kitchen after putting everything outside away.  That was unfortunate and would affect my next several days.

Sunday:
Thankfully, the Packers started the season with a late afternoon game.  That gave me time to sleep in and then try to re-hydrate myself after Saturday night's party.  Even though I started the day with a few back spasms I was able to get everything in order in the garage and porch for the time being, but moving the big stuff would have to wait.  I hit up some hair of the dog, put on my new favorite Packers shirt and enjoyed the game before calling it an early night.

Monday:
Much the same as Sunday, but no football games, just highlights and interviews to watch.  My back was still questionable so I did some online surfing and shopping.  I started my vacation week off very slowly but fully enjoyed the day of rest.

Tuesday:
My back was feeling strong enough that I got all the tables and chairs from the party squared away, just have some we borrowed to return yet.  This meant I was able to park in the garage again, until I decided to get my bike down.  It would stay down the rest of the week.
I was itching to get out on the bike so I chose a couple places nearby that I hadn't been to yet.  First I headed north over the bike bridge, the one I've shown here before, but then I continued a little farther north to go see the next bike bridge, over highway 30.  After two and a half weeks not on the bike I managed to make it up both bridges, but stopped at the top of the second knowing I would just have to come back up it and I still had to go up the other on the way back.  Not the smartest plan for not having ridden in some time.  I got back over the bridges to flat land and headed out northeast to a bike path nearby that I hadn't been on.  Not a long path, but picturesque in a spot or two over the marshlands.

Wednesday:
My vacation was running out and I had yet to do the one 'big' project I had planned, resealing between the driveway and foundation.  I got that done on this morning, mostly before the heat of the sun got to me, but crawling around the driveway and getting down and up what seemed like 50 times took it's toll on my knees and back.  No bike rides this day.  I spent time at Brothers Three for lunch and drinks.  When I got home my new hard drive had arrived so I spent the rest of the day backing up files and relaxing.

Thursday:
With the seal by the foundation completed I was able to finish the sawbuck.  The strip of wood I used as a brace is the strip of wood I used to pound down the old seal by the foundation.  With that project completed I could reuse that wood as a brace on the sawbuck, I just had to cut a few inches off either end.  I spent the next couple hours on a bike ride to the Tenney Lock, and finished up the afternoon with another few drinks at Brothers Three, waiting for notification of my new computer monitor being delivered.  I didn't want it sitting out fearing it may get stolen.  Conveniently, I get delivery notifications from Amazon on my phone so I could then come home straight away.  And then, it arrived just after I got home a short time later.

Friday:
This is it.  The last 'real' vacation day before the weekend.  I spent my early morning hours sleeping in and taking my time getting anything done.  Eventually I settled in and set up my new, 32 inch computer monitor.   It is BIG.  I went from a 24 inch to a 32 inch.  A luxury, as the old monitor still works wonderfully, but I watch a lot of videos and concerts on the computer so bigger seems better.
Otherwise I made a trip to the store for gatherings this weekend.  I dropped the ball, though, I had all week and forgot to shop for a birthday present.  I'll have to figure out something by Sunday.

Saturday:
A slow morning around the house, but the Badgers played early afternoon and then we went to a friend's house for a rib cookout.  This is the friend we went in on the cow with, the ribs weren't packaged to be split up easily so he kept them and invited all who went in on the cow over for a cookout.  Then it turned out it wasn't racks of ribs but one rib roast, almost 15 pounds! It was still delicious and we had much fun, and the Badgers won handily.

Sunday, today:
We will be heading to the new Olbrich Beer Garden on Lake Mendota** for a small gathering to celebrate another birthday.  After that I expect quiet time at home until the Packer game tonight.  Then I need to get as much sleep as I can before the dreadful alarm goes off early in the morning sending me back to work.  Oh well, I had fun while it lasted!

* Well, older, anyway.
**Scratch that.  Just got word it is moved to the Harmony.  I think Olbrich would be more than just fine but the sun isn't shining.  Oh well. (Edit, 5:20 pm, we moved it from the Harmony to Dexter's Pub, we had a grand time with friends and the sun never did really come out.)

Birthday Party

I have a lovely wife who went through a lot of trouble to put on a wonderful birthday party for me last weekend and great friends who showed up to help us celebrate.  There was beer brats, cake, a nacho bar and some really good wings.  Also tiki torches, a Jack Daniels Whiskey bar and a fire pit in back.  The food was awesome but the company was even better.  Thank you to all who were there with us to celebrate my milestone birthday!

A few more pictures after the break.  Forgive the quality of some, I had other priorities that night.

Atwoodfest 2017!

I took these pictures yesterday, we had a lot of fun but there was a lot of people - even though there are several local festivals happening this weekend.  There were tons of vendors for food and ware, and music is always in the background.  It's always a good time.  The weather was beautiful, sunny and very warm but not overly hot.  We just got back from a nephew's first birthday party otherwise we'd probably be there again today.  Just as well, we're probably better off resting for the rest of the day.  After this post I think I need to let my cameras cool off for a few weeks.

Recent Health Issues

We've been dealing with some health issues in our family recently, and for once it's not me.  First up, our cat Basil, and next is my wife Kate.

A few weeks ago Basil took a pee on the carpet beside my desk chair.  My wife got it cleaned up quickly and we kept an eye on him.  A week later he peed again behind my desk chair.  Okay, time to make an appointment with a veterinarian, we suspected he had a urinary tract infection and would need an antibiotic.  My wife found a nearby clinic and made an appointment.  On the day and on the way to that appointment he got so scared he peed into the towel in the cat carrier, useless for lab tests.  They sent her home with a small, expensive packet of water resistant litter and a kit to get a pee sample.  We had to get a little box for that litter, separate the cats and get Basil to pee in the new box with a small amount of strange litter in it.  Simple task, right?

Twice we kept Basil in the basement all day and twice he was out when we got home.  Both times with his brother Hamish's help, we're sure, one to unlatch the weak-latching door and the other to push the door, two cases of soda and a litter box out just far enough to squeeze through.  We were never going to get a sample like this.  Or if we did force it to work they'd be traumatized more than they'd already been.  In the meantime, every few days he would pee on the carpet again and we would scrub it up if we could find it.  Thankfully it was nice enough out that we could open the window some and air it out, too.

Finally, we arranged to take him in to the vet clinic and leave him until either he peed or they could extract a sample to verify the UTI.  It didn't take more than a couple hours, and even then he peed in fright not knowing those humans, but they were able to confirm the infection and issued antibiotics.  He's been on them for several days now and thankfully he seems to feel better.  He was pretty upset and hissy with Kate for a day or so after dropping him off, he blamed her and he let her know it.  I'll wait a few more days to be sure and then rent a carpet cleaner this weekend.

As for my wife, well, she's had ongoing issues for years and had surgery to correct this last week.  She said she doesn't mind what I say here, but I have my reservations.  I've had my own surgeries - 3 since I started this blog - and told my stories here but I don't feel her story is for me to tell.  Just know that she is doing very well.  Her post-surgery pain is less than she had before and she is raring to go - having taken zero of her prescribed painkillers.  She will be off work for some time yet so I think her biggest problems will be dealing with boredom and holding herself to her temporary limitations.  She is pictured in the bottom right of the pictures above, the back of her shoulder anyway.

Happy Blogday To Me!

I almost forgot, this is my Blogday!  I've been doing this for eight f**king years!   Wow.

Edit 4/11, added new 8 pic.

That's a long time to keep something up that is as personal as it is public.  I've had friends and family that care, friends and family that don't, friends and family that sign up to get emails when I post but then I rarely or never hear anything back from them.  I know blogger ain't farcebook, tweeter, linkden or Instagrat.  I don't care.  I don't want more accounts or social media so I know I don't make it easy to be my friend that way.  I just like having my own little corner of the internet here that I can say and post (almost) whatever I wish.  Just - and sometimes mostly - for me.  An online journal, or a diary, of sorts.  I appreciate those that come along for the ride and I also appreciate the new friends I've made along the way.

Blogging is always a bit of work in progress.  The other day I tweaked my template and lost my lists in the right column.  This is the second time I lost my lists, I can't remember if I was messing with my template last time.  I will build them again, but it may be later tonight, tomorrow or even next week.  Whenever I feel I have the time and gumption to get it done.

I don't want this to take away from my post earlier this evening - we got bikes!  Scroll down or click here to read all about that!  And Happy Blogday to me!

Birthdays, Vacations, and Moms

Yeah.  Birthday.  Here we go again - wait, what?  Terry is having a bash out at a place with a bar and big TVs for the first Packer game to celebrate her birthday - on my birthday - and I'm included for nothing?

No brainer, right?  Well for me it wasn't so simple, and went from possibly scary and/or embarrassing to a perfect, fun birthday for me.  See, I was first presented with the idea on one of our outings on the boat, it was one of those things where everybody looks at you and says, 'right?' and so you just say 'okay, right,' without being able to think about it much.  First of all, it was to be on the day of the first regular season Packer game.  Second, it was on my actual birth day.  And third, it was at the beginning of my long needed vacation.  I had plans, kinda (hint: this is why OCD is a label on this post).  Certainly not great plans, but still, I do what I do on Packer Sundays (-and noon, Sunday Packer games are prime viewing but becoming less and less common.)  So I went with it at the time.  Later when I was thinking about it more and having a rather fruitless - for me - discussion about it with my wife, it was settled - I was going to someone else's birthday party on my birthday.  Not an accurate way to state it, but the funniest!

It turned out to be a great private room at a local place with our own bar, bartender and buffet.  Not to mention the one huge projection and two big screen TVs to show the Packer game.  We didn't have near enough friends show up to fill the room but plenty of friends were there to have fun with and we were able to spread out as necessary.  Of course, Terry included me in everything even though she planned and paid.  I was very happy for the friends that showed up, all our mutual friends and through Terry and even a few of my own friends were nice enough to show up - and bearing gifts!  Thank you all, and many thanks to Terry, this was a pretty good day!  And the Packers won!

Of course, I guess I was having such a good time still after the game that we stopped off at a local tavern for a few, and then I guess I had even more at home.  The problem with day drinking is night doesn't tell me when to stop, I guess.  I paid for it Monday, like I haven't in years.  I did get the few things done that day that were required, but otherwise I was bottle-flu-boy all day.  Eh, you live, you learn, then you forget and learn again.

Vacation.  As I said, I am on vacation this week.  Thank goodness because I never would have made it to work on Monday (see above).  I like to have one big, main project on my staycation vacations, in addition to a list of smaller things to complete.  This year my main project has been a reset, of sorts, of my workbench area in the garage.  I was going to post about that here and now, but that is worth it's own post, maybe tomorrow, but if I state that it usually takes a few days it seems.

It was supposed to be started on Monday, well, that never happened.  So much of Tuesday and the first part of today went into the garage.  And the thing about tearing up the workbench area to redo it is that once everything was deconstructed I had no idea where the tool was that I needed when I needed it.  I found my way eventually.  Anyway, more to come on that.  Now...

I love my Mom, and I know she loves me, and us.  And the internet.  Thank you for stopping by, Mom, and at 49 years old now but at the risk of sounding like a selfish teenager that gets embarrassed by their parents:  Gawd, Ma, this isn't facebook!  I know you love us, thank you for stopping saying it in every single comment recently, but now you're commenting on almost every effing post.  Back off!  When I need a president for my fan club I'll let you know.  Gawd!

Seriously, I love you but I feel your presence has been great recently.  You texted me, sent a card, and commented for my birthday before I could write about it.  My name is not even on this site, on purpose, let alone my details.  And if the only comments I get now are from my mom I need to seriously rethink doing things here.  Please call me, it would seem we need to get together soon.

Sigh.  Am I a bad son?  Happy Birthday to me.  Gawd!

Happy Birthday, Cats!

Whaddaya want? They're cats.  You try to get them to pose for a picture!

Basil and Hamish turn 4 today,  or about today.  April 20 is the estimated date of their birth by the vet that examined them after they were found and taken in by Dane County Friends of Ferals.  They were so tiny when we got them, that was June 9 almost 4 years ago.  We wanted two male brothers and we got them.  And they get along as well as we could ever hope.  But for brothers they could not be more different, body types and personalities, and that does keep it interesting!

Happy Birthday Hamish Pie* and   Basil Boo*!

Xmas 2015

We enjoyed a holiday evening with my wife's family yesterday.  It was a good holiday gathering, no huge dramas to speak of.  Family photos were taken that I hope turn out real nice.  Brother-in-law is becoming a professional photographer so he had all the equipment - the huge backdrop and the umbrella lights of a pro photo shoot, and he made it work pretty well for the small space it had to happen in.

The food was also pretty good.  Way too much, but par for the course.  They all want to please, and everyone did seem pleased and had their fill of the feast.  Mother-in-law forgot to get the jello dish out for dinner again - which is becoming a family tradition.  I feel like the same thing happened at the last holiday gathering.  I also felt a little bad for my host sister-in-law as she spent all her time cleaning up dishes alone afterwards while we all talked around the table.  I considered helping, but helpers may just have been in her way, anyway.

We are not traveling anywhere else this weekend.  I plan on resting, mostly.  Although I am mostly over the bronchitis I got about 2 weeks ago I still have the headache.  It is better at times and worse at other times, but it has been there for a full fortnight now and I'm, well, sick of it.

The weather is as unseasonably warm as I ever remember for Christmas.   It looks more like late fall right now than winter.  The grass has never been greener at this time of year.  Still, I can't help but think we'll be paying for this milder weather down the road, in one way or another.

Whatever you are doing for the holiday I hope it is what you want to be doing.  Have a great weekend!

December This-And-Thats

I never really feel like doing one of these posts other than feeling that I should do one of these posts.  That's not really a bad thing because I'm never disappointed with the result.  There's a reason I say that it's time to start typing and see what comes out, that's just what I do on these This-And-Thats posts!

• I've been sick and it sucks.  I woke up last Wednesday with that feeling that I may be coming down with something, and by 10 that morning there was no doubt.  I went to work on Thursday and somehow made it all day, but had to call in sick on Friday.  Today, I'm feeling a bit better than the last couple days, but if today was Monday I would have called in again.  I think I should be able to go tomorrow but I don't know how my voice will hold up.  Enough of my whining, on to the next.
• The weather this December has been very, very mild.  We had one or two snows, but much more rain with temperatures above freezing but for some stretches overnight.  As I write this it is about 60º outside!  I'll take it, but it may be hard on the plants.  Speaking of--
• The mild weather allowed a December post over at the Garden Blog.  It's just a picture of the garden as it is now.  Probably confused by the weather.
• It is past time to start looking for gifts for the nieces and nephews.  I try very hard to get things they will really like.  This year I may scale it back a little, though.  We will not be traveling after the fiasco at my Dad's last month.  I've never liked traveling for holiday gatherings much and now I think I'm old enough to not have to do it anymore.  Catholic guilt (from my upbringing - not my beliefs now) has made me do it enough.  Now, I've had enough.
• The new refrigerator has been absolutely wonderful!  I no longer have to make ice every other day by hand, and Kate has noticed how very much longer fruits and vegetables stay good.  That old fridge may have been older than we originally thought.  Now, with the new fridge upstairs and the new chest freezer downstairs we have enough food storage as we should ever need.
• I wrote a while back about our frustrations with our bank.  Since then there has been another issue, and now my wife has been without a debit card for maybe a month because of it.  Seems they still had her address as where we lived about 15 years ago, too.  So, after I've been with this bank for, let's see, about 28 years or so we are in the process of transitioning to a new bank.  Of course the old bank doesn't make it as easy as simply being able to transfer the money, but we shall have the movement of our funds wrapped up soon enough.

That's enough for now.  Coming soon I want to write about commenting.  I'd like it if more readers commented, but many of you subscribe by email so may not know how.  Basically you have to go to the actual post on the website and click on comments.  And no, you do not need to register, comment as a guest then you can type in your name and comment.  That's the quick version, but I want to spell it out for website and mobile for everyone yet.  My traffic to comment ratio sucks, people.