Happy Halloween 2026

The Badger game this afternoon was brutal, they lost 30-0.  So as the time ticked down in the game I distracted myself by getting out Halloween decorations and candy.  I looked at what I wrote last year, and apparently we got about 25 trick-or-treaters, so I've been giving out handfuls to the 8 12 13 we've had so far before posting this.  When all is said and done I'll update with the total visitors we get here > >  14 and we turned out the light at 8:00.  I also got some small novelty skulls to hand out with the handfuls of candy, just for fun.

Today I got out the 2-part blow-up ghost and the black skeleton on the door.  Other than that, the other decorations had been out for a couple weeks.  The weather has been good enough that we still have mums, but I moved those and the pumpkins to the other side of the stoop so little kids had a straight shot up the steps with the railing the whole way.   There were two of the small gourds, one of which became sacrificial as it has been munched on steadily by squirrels.  In fact, I had thrown it in the empty pot earlier but they've been at it again as you can see it on the ground.  Otherwise, most of these decorations are from the dollar store, so good fun for not much money.

The decoration opposite the skulls is similar but three jack-o-lanterns.  Maybe I'll try to get another of each next year so they will each face both sides.  We didn't get a pumpkin for carving this year and I was okay with that.  I've had another dollar store find in the Halloween bin for awhile, the pumpkin face pieces, kind of like Mr. Potato head pieces, that you stab into it.  Good enough, and cheap but will be tossed after this as I already broke a couple pieces.

And then there's the ghost.  I don't think I like the ghost, so the search continues...

Happy Halloween, everyone!

October This-And-Thats (Part 2)

It's been a busy few weeks around here.  I've been worried about our cat Hamish, excited watching the Brewers, and exhausted due to not enough sleep.  I've also not been writing very much and I have a few things to touch on so here's a second TATs post this month.

Hamish has Irritable Bowel Disease, and has medicine to take for it.  Well, he stopped eating his med in treats or pill wraps, so we tried crushing the pill and mixing it in with food.  That worked for a bit, then he stopped eating that food, like he could taste it or something.  Without getting his medicine he got sick, basically continuous, terrible indigestion and lost weight he couldn't afford to lose.  My wife took him to the vet just over a week ago for help.  His med is now doubled and in cream form that we rub into the tip of his ear.  In his other ear he gets a medicine to make him hungry.  He has shown improvement, but still has a ways to go, I think.  The good news is he should get better and his kidneys are just fine.  It can be hard to watch when he's really feeling ill, purring and dry heaving, so I hope he comes around sooner than later.  If he loses even an ounce more he's going back to the vet.

The Milwaukee Brewers had a dominant run though the Major League Baseball playoffs, culminating in winning the World Series on Wednesday night.  This is the main reason for my exhaustion.  I've been up late every night this week watching the Brewers then last night the Packers.  I'm very thankful that I had vision to take today off.  I managed to sleep in today and there is no game I want to watch tonight so probably in bed early.  Anyway, it's been so much fun watching this team all year, and following them through their first championship has been very gratifying.  I watched all the hoopla, interviews and ceremonies, just taking it all in.  You never know if something like this will ever happen again.

The new furnace was installed a week ago Tuesday, a day after the salesman was here.  It has been working well and is much quieter than our old one, but not before an initial setback.  The installers verified everything was working with the furnace and the new air conditioner, set the furnace on heat for us and went on their way after spending all day.  Then we noticed the fan didn't stop.  The furnace got the house up to temperature and turned off, but the fan ran on.  I had to manually turn off the furnace for it to stop, so we ran it manually to heat the house that night, then again the following morning when I also called the company back.  They had someone out after work for us, one of the original installers and another.  It seems they just forgot to set something correctly in the new furnace.  The original installer accepted blame and apologized, and now all seems well.  But nothing can go smooth for me, it seems.

My wife's car has been fixed but I still have not booked mine into the shop yet.  I'll get that done soon, but oil, shocks and brakes is going to be another hard hit in the wallet.  I'm still trying to get the stains out of the driveway from that and the old air conditioner, but it hasn't rained enough to was away the cat litter I have ground into the stains on the concrete now.

Sunflowers are done, leaves and branches stripped but for a few small late blooms.  The stalks will dry out and I'll remove them, chop off the roots and lay them by the garage for winter.  In spring they will become kindling.  The cone flowers in the stump area are done, but for one.  Sometime this weekend we'll likely spread those seeds and cut them down.  Lily of the Valley along the garage have been strimmed and the hostas are starting to melt.  Still no fires, but maybe tomorrow night?

Halloween decorations have been out front for a couple weeks now.  I still haven't found something to replace the mummy in the front windows, but I found something I bought on clearance after Halloween last year that might be good.  I'll likely post pictures tomorrow night or the next day.  I seem to remember not many trick or treaters last year, so not sure what to expect this year, but we have two big bags of candy so hopefully more handed out than eaten.

And, finally, Blue Witch is back!  She had issues with her site recently and thought she lost everything - 24 years worth of posts and comments.  Thankfully, she found someone that went above and beyond to help her and her site is now back online.  After this, though, I think she's going to look into a different platform to use.  Good luck, BW!

That's enough for now, I think that's all I had on my mind.  I did hear back from Matt today about finishing our roofing project, but we'll just have to wait and see, I guess.  Have a great Halloween weekend, everyone.

October This-And-Thats

I know this is a busy few days of posting for me, so scroll down and see if you missed anything after this post.  There was a night out posted on Saturday and a new Latest Listening Pleasure posted yesterday.  This post will be on Monday and a New Roof II post is imminent, probably later this week.  I guess I felt like writing and just had a few things I wanted to get out.

Anyway, I've had a few other random thoughts and pictures that I've wanted to share and document here, so once again it's time to start typing and see where we end up:

Heat - We had the heat on for the first time this season Friday night.  Just for a few hours as the upcoming weekend temperatures were to be warm and wonderful.  It's been a balancing act with not having the heat on.  The house gets cooler at nights but rebounds with the sun during the day and by opening the porch, which collects heat in the sun to share with the house. 

Cats - With last week getting as cool as it was, the cats warming pad was brought out.  They certainly know exactly what it is and absolutely love laying on it.  Thankfully, it has a timer so we don't cook them, but they lay on it even when it's not on.  Gosh help us if they ever learn how to turn it on themselves.

Nuts - It has been a banner year for the neighbor's walnut trees.  One of the heaviest years I've seen for nuts falling into the yard.  I usually go out with the grabber to pick them up and toss them into the corner behind the lilac, and I don't remember ever having to use the rake before but I have twice now so far this year.  Pull them into piles then scoop them into a bucket and dump in the corner.  They will break down and the critters will be in there all fall and winter for the nuts, so the bulk will go down but I may still have to get rid of some material in the spring.  By that I mean shovel that stuff into buckets to take to the dump, at least to get down to the bottom of the fence again.

Sunflower Seeds - The seeds I harvested recently are completely different than the seeds that were planted.  This just confirms the hybrid theory.  Mammoth Grey Stripe seeds are bigger, white and with a few black/grey stripes.  These, as you can see, are smaller and pretty black though you can see some of the stripes in places.  Next year I think I'll go 50/50, seeds from that first sunflower (that are getting older yet) and these black seeds from the multi-bud hybrid that I got this year.  I will have to pay attention to the one-bud sunflowers next year to harvest the Mammoth or at least Mammoth-dominant seeds.

Sunflower Buds - The sunflower plants are way past their prime, yet they continue to pump the last of their energy into lots of buds.  These late buds are very dark green and may not even fully open, but the plants will continue to try until the weather ends their efforts and the cleanup commences.

Halloween - The Halloween decorations have come out.  We've had some pumpkins and mums on the front stoop for a couple weeks now.  The day we put the mums out we saw on doorbell camera what appeared to be a homeless person steal one.  My wife replaced it the next day and we've had no other issues except for nibbling from squirrels.  I was reminded of something I bought for the front corner windows on sale after last Halloween, so there will be something new there this year.  I've still been searching for window coverings similar to that old mummy, but I never imagined it would be so hard to replace.

Sports - The small-market Brewers had the best record in baseball again this year, won their divisional round and are now facing the big-money Dodgers again in the National League Championship Series for the right to go to the World Series.  It's been a fun summer to watch the Brewers again, though my wife has seen me less.  Yesterday the underdog Packers pounded the Bears 31-7.  The Bears won the last two matchups last year and were obnoxious about it, so that felt good.  The Packers have now beaten the Bears 110 times in this oldest rivalry in the NFL.  The Badgers football team had a bye week, but have been winning since the season-opening loss to Notre Dame at Lambeau Field.  Bucks preseason basketball has started, though it's a rebuilding year after trading Giannis.  And Badger Hockey is starting and basketball will be soon, men's and women's for both.  Even the Badger volleyball team has been hot this year.  It's all fun but I'm really, really hoping the Brewers win their first World Series this year.  Go Brewers!

Weather - After a week that culminated in us turning on the heat for a bit on Friday evening, it has been a beautiful, summer-like weekend.  We went out for dinner on Saturday night (out in public two nights out in a row!) and Sunday was beautiful though I spent it indoors but with windows open all day.  A double batch of flatbread made, the Packers game, a nap, then the Brewers game last night.  Today may be our last summer-like day with temperatures up to the mid-80s ºF, with the high 30 degrees lower by the end of the week.  I have nagging thoughts of fall cleanup that needs to be done, but it's still a little early for most things.  At least no gutter cleaning this year.

That seems to be what I can think of for now.  The seasons go faster every year, except for winter.  Winter drags on every year, whether it's a harsh one or not.  I hear a lot of talk about El Nino this year, but no matter.  Cold or mild, snowy or not, we just have to deal with it.

Have a good week, everyone.  Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Vacation Recap and NRII Part 11

Well, before it gets too far away from me I should recap my vacation last week.  I didn't have many exact plans for the time off this vacation, and that was on purpose.  It started with a simple birthday, going out for a few drinks after work then coming home and ordering out pizza.  Good times, but nothing unusual.

The next day I made a batch of baguette in the morning, for the second weekend in a row.  The prior weekend I must have just gone through the motions as they didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.  Neither did this batch, but it was okay.  The afternoon was spent watching the Badgers play football and relaxing.

Sunday morning I made a trip down to Mom's.  When I was a kid I would always ask for Mom's butterfinger dessert for my birthday, and she would make it for me.  We went out to lunch, then afterwards I made that same butterfinger dessert for her from her old recipe.  Her birthday is not long after mine, so it felt good to make it for her, for a change.  And it was yummy.  Very rich, but yummy.  We then spent the afternoon and evening watching the Packers game and relaxing.  The next day I got to work on her list of things that needed to be done, had lunch, and I left for home early afternoon.  It was a nice visit, and overdue as I hadn't been down to see her since my vacation in May.  I hate to admit it, but we haven't even talked on the phone as much.  I used to give her a call when I would be out by the fire, but I've not done that so much this summer.

The next couple days were spent being lazy relaxing, with a few chores here and there and lunches out.  And on Thursday I had a wonderful massage.  Only 60 minutes as that seems to be about right, but I added on a scalp massage at the end, and it was so relaxing.  I feel like I drifted in and out during the scalp massage, but kept trying to stay awake to enjoy it fully.  I think I'll be adding this on to all future massages.

By Friday the weather was very cool and damp, and I don't think I left the house the whole day.  Didn't accomplish anything with my time, just took it easy and told myself that was okay.  More of the same on Saturday, though we did have a late lunch out and watched the Badgers play again that evening.

            *            *            *            *

Sunday, 9/20,  got a little busy at an inopportune time.  I spent the morning making another round of baguette that turned out the best of those last three weekends.  But about 11:30 I ran out to get gas in the car and pick up lunch, getting home in time to put the bread in the oven.  At 12 o'clock noon the bread was in the oven, lunch was getting cold, and the Packers were seconds away from kickoff when the doorbell rang.  It was someone from the roofing company here to trim the excessively overhanging shingles on the porch.  They wanted me to show them but I said it was the whole porch and I was busy.  After thinking for a second I went back to tell them to come some other time, but they were already up there so I let it proceed.  Thankfully they didn't bother me again.

I haven't been up to check their work yet so I will have to do that soon, but that brought the roof back to front of mind.  Yesterday, 9/22, three weeks after meeting with Matt and him telling me to watch my email, I emailed him.  I wanted to call, but I want the paper trail.  I told him rather than cutting into the siding to do that seam up right, I just wanted a wider board to cover the old caulk line.  Truthfully, I don't trust them.  I also inquired about my supplemental insurance claim.  When they were removing the old roof they were supposed to take pictures of the whole process - standard operating procedure, I was told.  This was important because I needed proof that the roof had the ice barrier at least 3 feet above the bottom edge under the shingles.  This was worth at least another $2000 from the insurance company, per their salesman.  When Matt was here I saw him go through the pictures and there were none of this.  Without pictures as proof, I'm out that money from the insurance company.

I've not heard anything back yet, but I'll get that money even if I have to withhold it when the bill comes due.  And that won't be the only discount or credit that I'll demand.

Fall Equinox 2026

Tonight at 7:05 is the Autumn Equinox here, 11 minutes after sunset.  Fall has already made itself known around these parts.  Last week was cool and damp, this week is even more cool though it is supposed to warm up a little toward the end of the week.  Plant life is showing the ravages of summer and my mind drifts to all the cleanup to be done though it is not time for any of it yet.  This summer seems to have gone faster than usual and some things seem to have just gotten away from me this year, but I'm not going to spend my time worrying about weeds and such until spring comes and with it hopefully a fresh start and more effective weed killer.

I bought two pumpkins today, small ones.  Halloween decorations and candy have been in the stores for a month and now Christmas stuff is coming out everywhere.  Still September, right?  I swear it gets earlier every year.

Anyway, I normally like to have a fire pit on this type of occasion, but I'm going to have to pass tonight and hope the spirits forgive me.  Fire pit count is still at 2 for the year, and I'm not proud of that.  But instead tonight I'll be staying inside and watching the Brewer game while trying to get started writing a recap of last week's vacation and a roof update.  Happy Autumn, everyone.

Patriot Day, Sunflowers & More

Today is the country's 25th anniversary of 9/11, and my 59th anniversary of 9/11.  Patriot Day is a national holiday of observance, but not a federal public holiday.  I like to get this date off, but I'm not so lucky this year; I'll be at work.  (This post has been scheduled.)

The original sunflower blooms are long gone but the secondary blooms are popping up all over the place.  I've not even tried to count them, but the quality of bloom will be less and some may not get to be much more than they are now.  The tallest sunflower, in the corner of house and porch, reached 10' 7" this year.  I like trying to grow them tall, and I will save the seeds from the head I have bagged, but more and more I'm thinking I might try a different variety next year.

There is also one sunflower plant that the secondary blooms have a bit of different color to them, with the yellow.  They appear to be a different hybrid, but could be some kind of soil deficiency or who-knows-what.  I could look it up, but you know, I'm just not going to worry about that.

I have some plans coming up and some rest and relaxation scheduled.  No big project on my list, just maybe little ones and the PITA ones that I never seem to get around to doing.  I don't want to be too busy right now, anyway.

Starting today I have to relax and just enjoy my time.  I may pop in and out, here, or I may just recap at a later time.  No matter what, I hope it's an enjoyable week for all.  Cheers!

NRII Part 10 & Weekend Musings

8/31 Monday    I expected supervisor Matt around 3:30.  At 3:45 I texted him to see if he was still coming, he replied that he had me on his calendar tomorrow.  Looking back I believe he was correct and I was jumping the gun.  I had not written it down.

9/1 Tuesday    Had a good meeting with Matt.  He saw my issues and said they would be corrected.

Prior to meeting Matt I got out the ladder and did some more checking.  The rain deflector over the walk-in garage door was short and had no angle.  And, an even bigger issue, the bottom row of shingles hung over the roof edge 1 to 2.5 inches, covering much of the gutters.  Ideally this should be 3/8 to 1/2 inch, tops.

Now I wait again.  It will be some time before they can get a crew out, but I'm okay with that as long as it all gets fixed before winter.

I cleaned up the back yard yesterday morning, before the heat and humidity moved in.  Temperatures actually aren't so bad this holiday weekend.  This past week was very hot and humid, with rain here and there.  Our drought status has improved to 'abnormally dry.'

I'm not sure if I will keep seeds from these sunflowers or not.  I've had thoughts of trying a different kind of sunflower than the mammoth, something that is supposed to have multiple blooms as the hybrid mammoths I have do continue to flower but the quality of the later blooms isn't that good.  We'll see what I decide, probably in spring.

Kate and I took a walk this afternoon.  Recently there had been some sort of burn in places along the creek.  Unannounced and the wrong time of year, so I'm not sure if was on purpose or arson.  Anyway, we found some ducks today.

Today I've made baguettes and taco sauce, already enjoyed the Brewer game and later the Wisconsin Badgers open their football season at Lambeau Field against Notre Dame, and I'll be right here watching.  Tomorrow is Labor Day, so a three day weekend and short work week, and I finally have a vacation coming.  Cheers, everyone.

Happy 4th of July - 250th

Happy holiday everyone, or happy Saturday if more appropriate.  Kate's working today so I had a lazy start to the morning before tackling a project outside.  It was muggy, buggy, and the threat of rain was everywhere though it held off until we got a shower this afternoon.

Over the years the lower part of the garage walk-in door frame has rotted, leaving gaps.  I made a temporary fix a year or two ago, but it was bad enough now to need something more permanent.  I'd considered just getting a new pre-hung door, but came up with a plan that should last for longer and save that few hundred bucks.

Previously I had chipped out all the rotten wood that I could, but then leaned a wood panel over it for the last week or so, waiting for the heat to break.  My first thought was to fill it in with chunks of wood using screws and construction adhesive, but my eventual plan of boxing it all in was much easier.  

I started with a thin strip to fill in the trim and make a 90 degree angle, then covered the inside frame and outside with two more pieces of plywood, using the construction adhesive to seal all around.  A few years ago I replaced the rotten wood in the threshold, so that got another layer slathered on as well.  Hopefully tomorrow I can get some paint on it and it will be hardly noticeable.

After that, lunch and a nap.  The Brewers play late tonight so if I want to stay up the nap was needed.  I think we'll be staying in tonight so I was hoping for a fire, but the mugginess, mossies and threat of a scattered shower or storm will likely keep me in.  So no big holiday plans here, I'm just enjoying a three day weekend while also feeling for my wife who has to work every day of it.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  Cheers!

Summer Solstice 2026

Spring Vacation Part II, Ring Cameras & Hail Update

Tuesday and Wednesday, days 7 and 8, I had dental appointments in the mornings.  See day 1 notes last post for all the dental details.  After the root canal on Tuesday I went home, and as I was driving down the street the neighbor's cat wandered out right in front of me, oblivious, as was her owner just on the sidewalk.  I stopped right behind the cat, waited a moment, then gave the horn a quick beep.  The cat scattered out of the roadway and I pulled into the driveway.  Next thing I know, this neighbor was coming down my driveway, flipping me off and swearing up a storm.  I started yelling back that her cat was in the damn road, but my mouth was still numb so didn't say a whole lot more other than to get the hell off my property.  This is the same neighbor that slashed my tire right after we first moved in, in 2009.  She's trash that's come into money and acts like she's the baddest bitch on the block.  We've never been friendly and we never will be.

We have dashcams in both cars now, more security for us.

I told the story to my wife and showed her the dashcam video.  My wife said that's it, we need a doorbell camera.  I spent that day and Wednesday researching and we bought a Ring doorbell and I got a Ring spotlight camera with solar panel for the back.  The doorbell camera I installed last weekend, and the later-arriving solar panel and spotlight camera were installed on the house this morning.  I must say, having the extra security feels pretty good.  Otherwise, I didn't do a whole lot on these dental days.

Thursday was day 9.  I know I took too long to write about all this; I haven't the foggiest idea what I did on Thursday.  There were many little jobs and projects that I did along the way, so I imagine a few of those and probably lunch out.

Friday, day 10, I had to go into work.  Ahead of time I had requested a certain client for a community outing, and we spent all day out and about, only going back in time for him to catch his bus.  I did not want to lose my vacation vibe yet, especially with a three day weekend after.

Kate had to work the weekend due to the holiday, so we missed my niece's high school graduation on Saturday, day 11.  Also on Saturday I planted 24 more sunflower seeds.  I'll plant 12 to fill in around the yard here and the other 12 I'm going to make some cages for and take them to work, we'll see how they fare there.  I originally planned on all 24 going to work but that seemed a bit ambitious and would take more of my own resources.  Twelve is much better than the two (of 3) I grew at work last year.  We'll have to find out if the critters out there will behave.  This new batch of seeds just popped out of the soil on Wednesday so should be ready to plant very soon.

Sunday and Monday, days 12 and 13, were mostly rest and relaxation as far as I can remember.  

A great view of the back.  The actual view extends about 25% further up and down, this pic is the size of my phone screen.

No fire pits on this vacation.  I had a couple opportunities but mostly it was too windy or I was too tired.  Last night would have been perfect too, but I was beat, and tonight is too windy again.  So far this year I've only had the one fire on the Spring equinox.  Let's hope I have another before the Summer solstice and before the mosquitoes emerge.

*          *     Hail     *         *

Also happening during this time, our auto claim for hail damage got settled.  The insurance company totaled my wife's van as the repairs would cost more than it was worth.  The settlement was for blue book value if we signed the van over to them, or the lesser trade-in value if we wanted to keep it.  Well, even used cars are much more expensive these days, so my wife opted to keep the van rather than hurriedly shop for cars and invest thousands more dollars, possibly tens of thousands.  We'll have to get the windshield replaced, but the dents will stay.  Final payment should be in our account by early next week.

The house claim has also mostly been settled.  Now I will have to fix the basement window, find someone to replace the roof and gutters, and we have to decide if we will have the window flashing replaced.  I am not planning on replacing the siding as those dents are not as noticeable and when we do replace some siding we'll do the whole house and maybe something a little different.  There also may be a few window screens to replace, and I think that's about it.  Once all is done and receipt copies uploaded, this will be done, too.  Repairs are happening rapidly all over this side of town, but I've been more patient.  All will be done long before winter.

And within the last two weeks we had our insurance premiums due for house and cars.  They did go up, but I'm not sure if the claims had anything to do with that or not.  What do you think?

Spring Vacation Part I

I took my spring vacation recently, 12 of 13 days in a row off from work.  I was unable to get last Friday off due to seniority and poor scheduling practices (in my opinion).  I had several possible projects planned for this vacation, but only got to some.  Others will still get done, hopefully before my fall vacation.

As I noted here, day 1 of my vacation, two weeks ago today, I had made a dental appointment with my dentist due to a crowned tooth starting to give me discomfort.  That resulted in a referral appointment the following Tuesday for a possible root canal.  Of course, I needed one, and they expected that so it was done that day.  Once home, and no longer numb, I called my dentist again to schedule having this old crown replaced.  They had an opening the next morning, so I took it.  I now have a temporary crown on the root-canalled tooth, due for replacing with the permanent crown a week from today.  This was probably better to do on my time off so using up less time off from work for three appointments, and I'm actually happy it went so quickly.  One more appointment to go, and for that I will only miss an hour of work at the end of the day.  Anyway, dental appointments were the main event for a couple of days the next week.

Day 1, after the dentist and before leaving for Mom's.  In the bucket is cat grass starting, then lettuce seeds my wife is starting in tubes, and 30 sunflower seedlings ready to plant.

Also on day 1, after the appointment, I took a trip down to see Mom.  We got a few spring things done for her and her household, but mostly relaxed and caught up.  She seems to keep busy with appointments, graduations and her social life.  And she seems happy, which is as much as I could ask for.  I returned to Madison about midday the following day, day 2.  

Later on day 2 my wife and I planted 30 sunflower seedlings around the yard in groups of two and mostly three, you can read and see more about that here.  It didn't take long for them to get noticed.  Just days later about half had been destroyed by critters despite being caged.  Whether it was a baby rabbit, ground squirrel or something else digging in to get them, they sure did a number on my seedlings this spring.  More on this later.

Friday, day 3, I had a 90 minute massage booked.  This is the third time I've gotten a professional massage on my vacation in the last couple years.  It was very nice, but I think 60 minutes is better.  All that time on my stomach getting massaged caused my sinuses to fill up and made breathing difficult.  An unwelcome distraction.  Of course, 5 minutes after getting up I was clear as a bell.  I don't remember what else happened on that day, but I likely went out to lunch and relaxed with a Brewers game that evening.

Saturday, day 4, was Plant Day around here.  My wife and I went out and got some plants for the flowerbeds and gardens.  You can read and see more about that here, if you wish.  I believe it was this weekend, with Sunday, day 5, that I paid more attention to the lawn, too.  Last year I had the lawn aerated, basically a last ditch effort to get better grass in front - it didn't help.  I pretty much gave up on the front lawn now.  Oh, I've made broad chemical efforts to maintain some decency, but I will no longer worry about fighting back the neighborhood's weeds too much.  The back yard, however, is more protected and will continue to get more care.  The latest problem is one of the groundcover wildflowers wanting to spread from the stump area.  I will need to spend some time on it again soon.  And yes, spray weeds individually.

Then on Monday, day 6, my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a nice dinner out and some ice cream at home.  It was only a Monday and she had to work that day, so that was about all we were up for.  I do believe it was also this day I spent the morning making a double batch of yummy flatbread.

The weather was pretty wonderful for this vacation.  I did get plenty of rest, relaxation, and went out for food and drink often, but that's pretty normal for us.  I do have more to say about the week that followed, but at a later time.  Cheers for now.

25th Anniversary

They've not all been easy, but we're still together and looking forward to new adventures in the future.  

I love you, Kate.  Cheers to you, always and forever.

Sexy And Seventeen - Blogday!

This blog is seventeen years old today, a rare beautiful and sunny day at almost 70ºF (21ºC) outside.  Super windy, but I'll take it.

And congratulations to Delcatto on his recent 20th Blogday!

We likely got a bit of snow here overnight, wiped out by rain very early this morning.  I'm so ready for spring, and some time off work.  My next vacation is in May but I may look at taking a day or two soon.

Easter And Tortillas

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter.  It was a three day weekend for me starting with Friday off.  My wife has a part time job now and had to work Friday and Sunday, so I had plenty of time to myself.  My next vacation is in May and I can hardly wait.  Anyway, I went out for lunch yesterday then came home and watched the Brewers in the afternoon.  So, a good day, but didn't really feel like a holiday.

I normally make myself a list of things to get done over the weekends.  It had been a while since I posted, so I had 'write' on my list, but other than more about the weather I had nothing to write about all weekend.  Then yesterday I made tortillas again, the fourth attempt.  Now, every recipe gives you a choice of fat; vegetable oil, butter, shortening or lard.  First attempt was with vegetable oil, rolled and fried.  Then I got a cast iron tortilla press.  The second attempt was a different recipe and I tried butter as the fat, and used the heated press to try and press and cook at the same time.  My results were very poor.  On the third attempt I went back to the first recipe and used oil again.  I also used the cool press to form them but fried them in a pan.  Not bad, but I still didn't like the greasy look and they had to get bigger.

For this fourth attempt I used that same recipe, doubled, and with shortening.  I also increased the dough balls from 50 grams to 80 grams, and added just a touch of baking powder.  Again, I used the press to form them then fried in a pan.  So far I got my best results yet, though I may increase the weight to 90 or 100 grams next time.  

I'm not sure why, but I didn't try one at the time.  They looked and felt really good so I just trusted that, I suppose.  Well, tonight we're going to have tacos for dinner so we'll know for sure if I'm on the right track.  I'll wait to post this until after dinner, then leave a few more thoughts after this pic of my assembly line.

Well, not too shabby for just the fourth attempt.  Pretty good, even.  Leftovers from attempts two and three have been tossed out now as these are easily better.  The next try will be larger tortillas and I may omit the baking powder to see the difference.  All in all, a good batch.  Practice makes perfect, right?

Valentines Day Weekend

Yesterday was Valentines Day, so a card, some candy and a nice lunch out.  We again went out to lunch today, followed by a walk around the neighborhood.  Most of the snow has melted, but that leaves the grime from winter and the drab, brown flora everywhere.  It will be nice when things start to green up again but that will take some time yet.  Our stretch of beautiful weather for this time of year continues, and should until Friday when we go back to more seasonable temperatures.  

Still not a lot happening that's been worth writing about other than the weather, but let's see what I can think of - a mini This-and-Thats:

I finally created an account on the King Arthur website and tried to put in an order, but I got an error every time I tried to submit this weekend so I went back to order from Amazon.  Not sure why the error, but I may try again sometime in the future.  Oh well, it's disappointing even though I'd have to pay for shipping there.  Most available KA flours I will continue to buy locally, but my thought was some of their seasonings and other ingredients might be fresher directly from them.  Maybe I'll find out for sure sometime in the future.

I bought a new dash camera for my car, one that also has a camera pointing back into the inside of the car.  I'd like to get one that has a rear-facing camera, but I don't want to have to run that wire back there somehow.  The interior view will show some out the windows and I thought might be a good idea as I have to transport clients often.  The dash camera that I had, forward view only, I moved to my wife's van but ran into an issue.  There are two plug-ins for it in front, one that is always on and one that is only on when the car is.  I can't use the one that is always on or it may run down the battery and the other is inoperable for some reason.  My wife said there is another one in the back that is within reach that I will have to try, but another day.  The rest of the weekend is now for rest.

It is now light out when I go to work and stays light later in the afternoon/evening.  I entertained the thought of a fire last night but the ground is very wet so I decided against it.  We have a little more than a month until the spring equinox, March 20, which is a Friday so maybe I can have an fire pit then, if not sooner.  

We don't have snowdrops around here that I'm aware of, but we do get crocus early spring in the back yard.  Still too early, I guess.  At least it feels like we can make it to there, now.

Groundhog Day

Yesterday was Groundhog Day.  Primarily a North American tradition that stems from the European tradition of Candlemas, though it seems there are similar weather-predicting folklore around the world.

Locally, Jimmy the Groundhog in nearby Sun Prairie did not see his shadow so predicted an early spring.  More famously, Punxsutawney Phil was frightened by his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter.  

I never realized there were so many groundhogs making predictions until I did a search for this post.  Groundhog-day dot com seems to have a comprehensive list, but only shows 4 (of 89), including Jimmy, that have been predicting for over 50 years with many more being added especially in the last couple decades.

So what does this mean?  Pretty much nothing except that people love a goofy tradition.

Well, after this last cold spell most around here would welcome an early spring.  I know I'm over winter, especially recently having a bad cold (which is why I am home from work today).

So far I seem to be asking a question at the end of my posts this year.  Here's another one:  Do you have a local groundhog or similar tradition?  If so, what was the prediction?

Cold Spell

By early yesterday afternoon schools and businesses were starting to announce closings for today, Friday.  Including my work, so I get a free day off today.

When I got up this morning temperatures were around -18ºF (-28ºC) with wind chills nearing -40ºF (-40ºC).  The high today is only -8ºF (-13ºC).  Let that sink in.

We are stuck in a bit of a cold spell, for sure.  Even the extended forecast only shows highs in the single digits to low teens.  Kate's birthday was earlier in the week, so surely the start of deep winter for us.

Today's picture was taken from inside, for obvious reasons.  While it appears to be a beautiful day outside we will not be leaving the house.  I forgot to turn off my alarm so I was up early to see the ugly numbers above, that's enough.

I just got up from a nap a bit ago since I stayed up late last night, and have no real plans for the day.  Later we'll make home made pizza for dinner, and if I get bored soon enough I may even make another batch of pizza dough for the freezer.  In fact, I'll be in for most of the weekend so I should figure out something interesting to bake.  Any ideas?

Happy New Year 2026

Happy 2026, everyone.  I slept in this morning, New Year's Eve day, and it was nice.  I was awake for a bit early, but stayed in bed and looked at my phone until I finally slept a couple more good hours.  Chasing a good, full night's sleep has been a constant for me in 2025.

Kate and I went out and had a nice lunch today, then came home to get into comfy clothes and bump up the thermostat.  It is a very gray day today (again), with snow flurries as well. The plan for us is to make beef tenderloin steaks with potatoes or pasta for dinner, with the newer Spinal Tap movie and a sweet treat to follow.  She is feeling a bit under the weather so will likely go to bed at a normal time or earlier while I will try to stay up and ring in the new year.  I may watch Dick Clark's Rockin' NYE on television or find some other interesting show for the countdown.  Anyway, just a quiet night in for us and likely the same for tomorrow.

How did you ring in the New Year? 

Merry Christmas 2025

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and an enjoyable holiday season! 

Winter Solstice Fire Pit 2025

The winter solstice was yesterday morning, and since I put in the fire pit in 2018 I've liked celebrating the occasion with a fire, when possible.  Temperatures never got above freezing yesterday, they stayed just a bit below, so it was definitely chilly but very manageable.

I shoveled some snow out of the fire pit and considered melting more with the garden torch but there were sticks in the pit already so I felt I had a good enough base to build the fire.  I didn't want to be out there long and it would get colder after the sun went down so I got started around 3:30 in the afternoon, about an hour before sunset.  I built the small fire up right away, then basically just let it burn down until I could go inside.  I think it's pretty safe to say this will be the last fire pit of the year, but, of course, now that I said that...

I made a couple discoveries while I was out there.  First, I realized that I left the gnome outside under the lilac.  I didn't take him into the garage for winter like I usually do when doing the fall cleanup, but I still may sometime.  We've had him for quite some time now and he's starting to look a bit faded and rough.  I always have my eye out for garden gnomes but haven't found one to replace him yet.  I have a smaller one that's been living on the porch all year that I may put out come spring.

The next discovery was bat guano under the bat house.  I don't know exactly how long it's been there, but it's a bit too cold for the bats to be out and about this month so I'm guessing since October, or maybe early November.  Hopefully they found a warmer place to hibernate, but not my attic!

Saturday started a run of 10 out of 16 days off for me.  We do have some holiday obligations, but I welcome the time off.  Next post will be holiday wishes, so I may get that written up and scheduled soon so I don't forget.  Happy solstice, everyone.