Beef, Vacation and Weather

This morning I took a road trip north to pick up our next quarter cow, three days short of when we picked up the last one last year and our sixth quarter cow overall.  I mentioned recently that we were about to call them when they had a devastating fire, so I wound up waiting and just called them on Monday.  We expected 4-6 weeks until it would be ready, and that's what they said on Monday, but I got the call that it was ready to pick up on Wednesday as I was recovering from anesthesia while still in the hospital.  Turns out, our order for a split half just worked out well with other orders they currently had so was available much sooner.  We weren't about to complain, and I had the time for a road trip this morning.  It was a little over an hour's drive each way so I was home by noon easily.  A pretty uneventful drive, though I did pass through spots of sun, clouds, and three separate spells of snow flurries along the way.

When I got there this morning I saw firsthand what was left of the building that had burned.  Most had been already removed, but there was an adjacent building that had been boarded off on that end and you could see the blackened remnants on it.  They had a makeshift office and store in one of their production buildings and were selling sausage and other products from a nearby meat plant that had been helping them recover with use of their facilities to continue business for their workers and customers.  The employees were in good spirits and looking forward to getting back to full capacity and the new building they would be getting built.  We were glad to give them our business.

We expected it to cost more this year, not due to their circumstance but everything else that has been going on in the world, and while it does go up a bit each time it's still better than grocery store prices.  This time it was smaller, 108 pounds compared to 131 last year, and $5.98 per pound, up from $5.21 last year.  Still a good deal and we're glad to have it.  But we do have a few steaks and a couple pounds of hamburger to eat yet from last year's cow.

Otherwise, we've been teased with Spring weather now and again though it has definitely not fully arrived yet.  We still have some leftover snow from several inches that fell earlier in the week and temperatures have still been mostly below freezing.  Pictured here is how the back yard looks currently, still a smattering of snow and no thoughts of any fires or outdoor chores quite yet.  Milder temperatures are expected this coming week and I hope this will be a definite turn of the corner towards Spring.

So that's about it for this vacation week, it was nice but for the medical stuff and I will have another week off in 2 months to look forward to.  And I still have the weekend here before I must turn my attention to work matters again.  Stay well, everyone.

And Another Thing!

March.  A bit of Spring, a bit of Winter, and a whole lot of dirty snow piles, bare trees and filthy, dormant grass.  We've had melting and freezing, puddles and ice sheets.  Temperatures have been teasingly warm then plunge below freezing again.  We've only had about half the snow we normally get, but it's not over yet.  Today's high is 60ºF (16ºC) - highest of the year so far - while a week from today only 29ºF (-2ºC) expected.  Today is also rainy with thunderstorms expected tonight and there is snow possible next weekend.  March is a necessary evil, but at least we know we're going in the right direction.

The last few weeks have been extra stressful for me.  Work has been very busy and I have so many extra projects on my plate and keep hitting obstacles in trying to accomplish anything.  Home has been difficult recently but hoping to get that moving in the right direction again just like the weather will be.  I was going to write about work in more detail last weekend, but it would have just sounded like complaining as I really can't give details.  Suffice it to say that I took this whole upcoming week off on rather short notice, and they let me.  I had to have off in the middle of the week for a medical procedure and my wife convinced me to just ask for the whole week off.  A very good idea as I had time to use up and will get all my time back at the end of the month.  And it will be very nice to have the time away from work, hopefully get myself a bit more centered again.

Tomorrow I go in for only my second Covid test ever, the first was when I was admitted to the hospital in November.  That may seem strange to some, but I've been mostly holed up at home since I had Covid in early 2020, when you could only get tested if you went to the hospital (that was bursting with Covid at the time).  The numbers have gone down far enough that our local mask mandate expired at the end of last month, though still required at medical facilities and some government buildings while private businesses can decide for themselves.  Fitting to happen while Spring is arriving, but will still feel a bit strange when I do get out.  It's been so long now, and I've spent the last two years on the over side of cautious.  Anyway, I have to have the Covid test a few days prior to going in for a colonoscopy, ahead of schedule do to my recent diverticulitis.  Good times.  At least it was the impetus for a whole week off.

I've been watching while the whole world reacts to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and I like what I'm seeing.  Not just governments and their sanctions, but private businesses shunning Russia in many ways.  I don't like the unnecessary suffering because of this, both Ukrainian and Russian civilians, and I think this may end up being the downfall of Putin.  We can only hope.  It would be nice to see Putin and Trump share a prison cell.  Sounds like a late-night television sitcom, doesn't it?

Enough for now.  I'm seeing some sun peek out so hopefully there is a chance for a good walk sometime today between showers.  Have a good weekend, everyone.

February This-And-Thats

It's been mostly another slow, winter week around here.  We're way below normal snow totals so far, and most days recently have been very cold, but there was one day that got above freezing and I took advantage by taking a good walk during a long work meeting.  Aside from the weather (for a change!) there are a few things I'd like to touch upon, so time to start typing again and see what spills onto the page.

• I've not gone back for another try at the labyrinth, and just as well.  I thought about it briefly yesterday morning but the temperature was about the same as last week.  Not sure I would've gone even if it had been nicer.
• "The Mitten" is still along the bike path, and while it looks like it's been there for some time now all panels are still intact.  I've not crossed the road in some time to see the second half but its probably the same.  And no, I've still not heard the story behind how it came to be there.
• 
  Covid numbers are going down and my cabin fever numbers are going up, so I want to start venturing out again.  Last weekend was the first time I've gone out to lunch since before Christmas, and today I'm going to make a useful but not absolutely necessary trip out to the hardware store.  Maybe I've been too careful about it since it started getting bad again last fall.  I know lots of people are pretty much acting like normal now and have been for quite some time.  I guess I'm just very wary.
• I have an appointment with the surgeon again tomorrow about my ongoing diverticulitus issues.  I've not had a flare-up since the last time I wrote about it, but I did have a scare a little over a week ago that thankfully did not progress.  My diet has pretty much gone back to normal except for minor changes.  And I started eating dairy again without taking lactaid and seem to be handling it as well as I did before all this.  If I'm ever on antibiotics again I will be very, very cautious about it, though.
• We recently decided it was time to order another quarter cow again and from the same place we got it last time, then they had a devastating fire.  It was mostly the offices that were lost, but they're still in the process of reorganizing and completing their existing orders with the help of other meat processing companies in the area and will not be ready to take any more orders until at least next week.  We liked them and want to support them, so will wait until they are ready.

Today is Superbowl Sunday.  My Packers had a very disappointing loss in the first round of the playoffs so I don't really have a dog in this fight.  I like things about both teams so I'm just hoping for a good game to watch.  Aside from my errand, we're not going to be leaving the house at all today.  My wife has a nacho day planned for us with all the fixins to go along with the pomp and circumstance of the big game.  Yes, we really miss socializing and having people over.  Hopefully soon.

The Labyrinth

Late yesterday morning I set off to see and walk the Labyrinth at Olbrich Park, made out of donated Christmas trees after the holidays.  There's a short video about it here.  A peaceful, meditative walk sounded like something I could really use and I hoped to visit before there were too many people since it was a weekend.  There weren't so many people when I got there, but it was anything but peaceful.  I guess no one read the sign at the entrance.  Or, more likely, they just didn't care.

There was an entrance area by the parking lot made of old Christmas trees, then along the right side of the path to the labyrinth they had several different types of trees used as Christmas trees displayed and labelled, more kinds than I thought there were, actually.  Then at the labyrinth I noticed small children making noise and running around as kids do.  Parents stood around in the labyrinth talking, blocking the walkways, or else walking in pairs being anything but contemplative.  And a dog walker taking several minutes to dig her phone out of her backpack while it continued to ring or more likely an alarm.

I managed to get halfway through, well, not quite due to people gathered in the middle, then stepped over the tree branches lining the paths to leave.  There was simply no way to use the labyrinth as it was meant at this time.  On the way back to the car I really noticed how cold it was.  I had never checked the temperature before I left, but it was only 6ºF when I got home.  If I realized that I might not have gone in the first place.  Maybe I'll try again after work some warmer day this week, but this visit was not the experience I hoped it would be.

Coldest Week?

I was outside this evening after taking out the recyclables, pondering a recent pile of poop on the snow that had already turned white and the tracks of the likely culprit.  No rabbit or other small animal, but larger and dog-like, judging by the gait.  My wife thinks it was a fox, and while the dog population in the area is much larger you rarely see one off-leash.  The tracks disappeared among the rabbit tracks back in the corner of the yard by the lilac.

Then my nose started to hurt.  It was maybe 2 minutes of being outside, but only 7ºF (-14ºC).

They said on the news this morning that this week is typically our coldest week each year.  Not sure how they determine it since weeks change a bit year to year, but okay.  I like my interesting facts to be more definitive, I guess.  Either way, it's cold.  There is no high temperature in the 10 day forecast that gets up to the freezing point.  As I write this it is already down to 3ºF.

Not a reason to like where I live, but we take it as it goes.

Here's a cool picture of Madison that I saw on this website.  Appears to be late in the day during a warmer time of year, looking northeast over downtown.  One of the best city regulations is a limit on building height on the isthmus and around the capitol building.  That's our house, top right.  ;)

Happy birthday this week to my lovely wife, who hates having it during the coldest week of the year.

The Mitten

Every Monday morning at work we have a short meeting of the department, since yesterday was a holiday we had the meeting today.  For this short meeting I like to call in to listen and take a quick walk around the block, weather permitting, as both usually take about 10 minutes.  This morning during this short walk I noticed some signs, a story placed along our section of the bike path.  It seemed to begin here, but I did see signs across the road on the bike path, too, so not a completed story on this walk.

Today is a bit above freezing, and the next several days will be much colder, so after work I set out for the rest of the walk to get to the end of the story.  At this time I also noticed the very first sign, a title card, that I had missed before at the end of the street by the canoe slide.  A neighbor from up the street soon caught up to me and I let her know what I was doing and she was very helpful righting signs in the melting snow so I could take a picture of them.  You can enlarge the pictures here, but the print is small so provided below the pictures, 16 in all.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present:  The Mitten

Once there was a boy named Nicki who wanted his new mittens made from wool as white as the snow.

Continued after the break!

Christmas, Fire and More

It's close enough to the holiday to say Merry Christmas, everyone!  Not a white Christmas here this year as today was relatively warm, dark, foggy and damp all day and I expect more of the same tomorrow.  It's a quiet evening in tonight and my wife and I will exchange some small presents.  We were planning on visiting my Mom tomorrow along with my brother and sister and their families, but with the Omicron variant being so prevalent and the hospitals bursting at the seams plus some family members' questionable decisions (I'd love to write more - maybe later) we will be staying home for Christmas Day.  There may be a Zoom call with all of us like last year, we'll see.  Here at home, my wife will cook a ham and bring her Dad over for a time and the Packers will play, but that's about it for us.

I did not get to have a firepit on the solstice like I have the last two years, it was cold and just way too windy to consider a fire, and that day the city picked up the stick pile before I could burn it.  Yesterday, however, the temperatures were above freezing and the winds were mild.  I started the fire about quarter to four in the afternoon and was out there until about six.  Long enough, and with sunset before 4:30 it was getting pretty chilly by then.  Last year my last fire was December 28, so we'll see what the weather does, if there's any more.  The fire picture was taken right about sunset, and I had to remind myself to take a picture.  I'm sure I have thousands of pictures of the firepit by now so I don't always anymore, but every one is unique.

About a half hour after sunset it occurred to me to also get a picture of the tree that was cut down as a follow up to the last post.  There was no more activity over there since and the trunk still stands, and stands tall.  It's twice as high as their garage and about as tall as their house, it was a very big tree to begin with.  You can kind of see the fences that would require the use of a crane parked in front of their garage to get the branches out.  But the biggest surprise is how this picture turned out.  Again, this was about a half hour after sunset, the first pictures I took were pretty dark so I tried using the 'night sight' feature on my phone camera.  Quite the difference, I thought, this fully looks like daytime!  But it was not quite completely dark out yet so turned out quite a bit brighter than actual.

Another takeaway is though I lament the loss of the tree, the dozen or more in this same picture, both near and in the distance, shows that we are not in any danger of being treeless in the area anytime soon.

Have a great holiday and stay safe, everyone.  Go Packers!

Another Big Tree Lost

Another large tree in the neighborhood is being taken down, this one two doors down in the back yard, center of the pictures.  I really do hate to see big trees go, but if it was getting dangerous then I can't blame them.  I didn't want to lose our big tree several years ago, but it was dangerous.  Workers spent two days getting it down to the trunk, and the trunk remains yet.  Then they took two days off for high winds, which probably was a relief to the owners if they had been worried about branches falling.  But no activity again today, so not sure if the trunk will remain for now.  And it just might as it is very expensive to have a tree removed.  This one had to easily cost several thousand dollars just to get it down to the trunk.

The tree just to the right of the one being taken down in the pictures, with multiple trunks, seems to be leaning over the neighbor behind them so I wonder if that will be taken down, too.  I guess we'll see if they resume work next week.  At least it's cold enough all the windows were closed, so the noise wasn't much of a bother.  More than once, though, I looked out the window and thought I saw snow but it was just wood chips from one of the two climber's chainsaws on my neighbor Dave's roof.

With those high winds of the last couple days came a brief change in weather.  We set a record high temperature on Wednesday at 68ºF (about 20ºC).  Winds were 20+ miles per hour sustained and up to 60 mph gusts, I believe.  Between neighbor Dave and I there is a pretty good stick pile out front now.  If it was warmer I would burn it all, but alas, we plunged back to about or below freezing for highs again since.  I still hold out hope for at least one more fire this year.  I may push the issue on Tuesday, for the winter solstice.

Otherwise, plans have been made for the upcoming holiday and all presents have been taken care of, just a little more wrapping to do.  My sister's kids got a big graduation gift as a send-off last year, so they might be surprised but will only get a small, token cash gift in a card to open.  We plan to do the same for my brother's kids when they graduate, but then they are adults and the gift gravy train will then leave that station, too.

I never made a conscious decision to grow a beard this year, but it happened.  Somewhere along the line I just stopped shaving.  It's a much larger percent gray than brown now, and I'm not happy with it so I think it will go very soon, before we get too deep into winter.  Same for the hair, my last haircut was in spring and the gray part is getting more and more, so I may get that cut shorter, too.  I do clean up well every few years, it seems.

Enough for now.  I want to write more later about health and lactose and other things, but all in due time.  Have a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving Thoughts 2021

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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving and a great long weekend to all!

Best Place To Drink?

Just a couple recent articles that I found interesting enough to share.  

Madison has often been near or at the top of many 'best places to live' lists in the last couple decades, and finds itself number one once again.  This time Livability dot com conducted a survey of small and mid-size American cities and Madison came out on top after apparently coming in third last year.  Not a whole lot to hang your hat on, but a nice feather for it.  See the article and link here.

Also, another recent survey by 24/7 Wall St. on drinking shows that Wisconsin has the top 11 'drunkest' counties, and a whopping 41 of the top 50.  This is out of 3,143 counties in the U.S.  By their definition, I am a heavy drinker.  No surprise.  My county of  Dane is number 25 on that list.  Again, out of over three thousand U.S. counties! See that article and link here.

I'll drink to that - - Cheers, Madison!

Family Fire Pit and Labor Day

 The last couple months I've only had one fire, due mostly to the heat or sometimes rain.  Saturday was overcast and cool, a good day for a fire, and for all the in-laws.

Yes, we had my wife's side of the family over to celebrate her sister's birthday.  About a dozen of us, overall, so not too crowded.  We grilled burgers and I ran out of gas halfway through, so my wife had to finish them off inside.  But other than that things went about as well as expected and I think everyone had a good time, especially my 5 year old nephew.  He was so excited, and his dad said he's been talking about it for days.  I had a lot of fun playing with him, mostly the bean bag toss game as well as a 5 year old can, and did more than I should have as I've been paying for it ever since.  Not the smartest of me, but I don't often get to play with kids and we had fun.

I was feeling guilty for not going on a walk before company on Saturday, but I needn't have worried as I ended up with over 14 thousand steps.  I'm sure it was all the setup of the garage and yard, then the reverse after everyone had left.  Not to mention playing with a 5 year old a bit too much.  I've not walked now since Thursday, and I won't again until maybe tomorrow.  And that's okay with me, right now.

Last night I was tempted to go to my first larger show since the pandemic.  Tickets were still available, proof of vaccination (or negative test within the last 72 hours) was required, and masks highly encouraged.  It would have been different, but fun, I'm sure, but I was also still sore and out of 4 bands there was one I really would have liked to see and the others take or leave.  A ticket was only 25 bucks, but add in the fees, parking, and a beer would double that, and almost double that again if I got a tee shirt.  Tetrarch was to be the second band to play, so maybe a 40 minute set, maximum, I would guess.  I like them but not enough to go through with all that, but I'm sure there will be a show soon that I won't be able to pass up.

Happy Labor Day, everyone.  I'm celebrating by being extremely lazy today.  Aside from the shot on Wednesday I'm hoping for a very quiet week, then there will be more fun to come next weekend.

Back Doubt

I've been struggling with doubt recently.  Doubt as to whether I deserve or require the upcoming shot in my back.  Over time the pain has gotten better since the last shot, and my pain varies throughout the day and depending on my activities.  One morning I can be hoping the date comes quickly, and that evening I can be filled with self doubt about even needing a shot.  This is different than in the past.  This is the least pain I've had before a shot, compared to the several other shots I've had, which has been different for me, and sometimes troubling in this way.  But I've also had the good pain pills all this time, as I have in the past, as well.

This weekend I've been doing a little experiment, I've done everything as I would have normally but without the pain medication.  Now, I've tried to not take them much anyway, but usually end up taking at least one and, more often than not, two a day.  An opioid called Percocet, Vicodin, or just Oxycodone.  It's been super hot lately, yesterday was over 90ºF but feeling like 100ºF with high humidity, but slightly better today so I was determined to walk to go out for lunch.  It's a little less than a mile to the Harmony Bar and Grill, one way.  A good walk, almost all bike path, and only takes about 15-18 minutes, depending, but the walk back was quite a bit more painful and slow than the walk there.

I mentioned in the comments for the last post how if you view it as 3 levels - surgery, shot, and live with it - that I would be toward the bottom of the shot level, and I still think that's true.  But my little experiment this weekend has given me the confidence that I am not doing this frivolously, it just happens to be the lowest level I've been at before undergoing this procedure.  For some reason I just feel a little guilty that I'm not in more pain, or as much as I have been in before.

This is good for me to realize and I'm glad I did this.  Now I'm going to take that damn pill.

Wildflowers

Attention Email Readers!  The blog emails when I post are still going out, at least as of the last post, but the end of July is nigh and the emails will no longer be sent.  Go to the link at the bottom of your email and save as a favorite or shortcut on your phone now!  Thank you.

*Edit: Now Feedburner says the emails will be discontinued in August.

Inspired by the comments in the last post, I took my camera phone with me on a couple walks today along our section of Starkweather Creek and the bike path.  It can be hard to see even in real life, but there is a creek in there!  I'm tall, and many of the flowers are waist high to me but some get much taller than me.  I don't know all the names of them, I've just been admiring the view whenever I can.  Yes, I'm sure seeds were spread by people at times, but I still call them wildflowers.

More flowers plus other sights after the break!

Another Tree Gone

A couple weeks ago another large tree limb fell out front, from the maple tree on the terrace of the house directly across the street, right in their driveway apron.  When the yellow dot showed up on the trunk shortly after we suspected it might be taken down, and today it was.

But first, I had the MRI last week and the other morning found out that a shot in the spine is recommended.  Exactly what I suspected when this first started, but you have to go through the whole, lengthy process.  Probably what my doctor suspected, as well, since he never did refer me to the neurosurgeon.  A week or two ago I was getting pretty worried it would be surgery, but the pain has lessened a bit since.  Next is scheduling the shot, but first I have to wait for pre-approval from my insurance.  I've forgotten how many back shots I've had overall, but actually this may be only third or fourth, to go along with the two prior surgeries.  Anyway, more waiting.  Back to the tree!

Last year three more trees on the block were taken down.  This picture, looking down our block, is from 2019.  The second tree down on the left side was removed in 2020, as were the second tree down on the right and another on that side about 6 houses further down.  The year after removal the city will come and get the stump, and sometimes will plant a new tree the year after that.  I hate to lose old, big trees but so goes the circle of life, I guess.  And now we won't worry so much about a branch falling on our cars when parked in the street.

I worked off and on today while I keeping tabs on the activity outside.  The cats certainly did not like the constant loud noise from out front so spent much of the day in the bedroom.  On top of the bed, thankfully, and not hiding under it.  In fact, there was much activity on the street today with this tree being removed by the city, a private company removing a tree up the block in someone's yard, and on the next block were a new front walk and a new driveway being put in at separate residences.  So there were a lot of workmen, big trucks and loud noises for much of the day.

But this is the picture story of this one tree's end across the street.  Pictures were taken from the front storm door window and the (dirty) front window, and I've not even reviewed them myself just yet, so we'll see what's interesting enough to post.  After the break!

Feeling the Easter Burn Today

First off, happy Easter!  To those that celebrate it, anyway.  I no longer get the day after Easter off, so it's just Sunday here.

I got a lot done yesterday, and I felt it.  While I got a pretty good night's sleep, in part due to the muscle relaxer, I was still sore when I got up.  Not just my back, but many other underused muscles from head to toe.  So no, we are not starting in on replacing any gardens today.  And this week's weather looks like we'll be wet off and on, so maybe next weekend as the forecast looks almost as good as this weekend has turned out.  Still have a few small things to do, but nothing is critically urgent.

One thing I had to do was make a quick trip to the store today, and along the way I noticed the banks of our section of Starkweather creek had been burned off.  My wife and I went on a short walk to go take a look, but also so I could try to work out some of the kinks in my muscles.  It was a relatively slow walk, and I'm not sure it helped but it surely didn't hurt.  Too much, anyway.  But enough of me whining!

We had been notified earlier this spring that they were planning a controlled burn, but we didn't know when, and were surprised to see it as we've been under a local burn ban for a few days now due to how dry we are.  That means I had no fires this weekend, though the weather would have been perfect for one, both Friday and Saturday evenings.  Anyway, for all I know, they could have done this almost a week ago or even more as I hadn't left the house in quite some time before today.  And with windows closed and working from home I wouldn't have smelled it or heard anything.

The water level is also the lowest I've seen it in years, see pics in this old post or that whole 2018 flood series here.  Probably about where it should be, actually, though it has normally been deeper since then.  And yes, work has been underway to dredge much of the Yahara river segments between this chain of lakes to help prevent floods like we had in 2018.  I've already seen canoes being carried or rolled up and down the street this year, to and from the creek and the canoe slide.  Plenty of headroom for them under the bridges this year.

The rest of the day will be spent mostly resting, sometimes with my feet up and catching up on the internet, other times sitting in the easy chair and reading the newspaper, among other things.  This evening I'll be grilling out some of the natural casing wieners we got when we picked up the cow last month, and they should be quite tasty.  Have a good week, everyone.

Beef! Quarter Cow #5

We got the call last night that our split half of beef was ready to pick up, so today we made the trip north to go get it.  It was a little over an hour's drive each way this beautiful day, passing several water park/resorts, ski hills and crossing the Wisconsin River.  In fact, much of the drive followed the Wisconsin River Valley, but while we saw lots of wetlands we really only saw the actual river when we crossed it.  We also saw several signs and flags supporting Trump, so we felt like we were in a different land a bit.  I was doing the driving so my lovely wife took some pictures along the way back, I'll add some after the break for those interested.

We'd done our research on various places to get a quarter cow, and this one seemed very reasonable and reputable so when the time came we had no reservations.  Wisconsin River Meats is the place, in the middle of nowhere outside of Mauston, WI.  And while we were there we stocked up on various sausages, jerky and bacon as well.  And while less than half the people we saw wore a mask, both customers and employees, everyone was very nice and helpful.  We, of course, wore ours.

The first four times we got a quarter cow we went in on a whole cow with a friend and his family, so basically we and him split half the cow.  This place offered a split half, cuts from the front and back halves, so we have all the usual steaks and roasts, plus 50 one-pound packages of ground beef.  Overall, it turned out to be 131 pounds of meat and cost about $5.21 per pound across the board.  That's about $0.22 a pound more than the last one we got in October of 2019, which seems pretty reasonable considering all that's happened since then.

So, we're feeling pretty good about ourselves now with a freezer full of meat that will last us at least a year.  In fact, while I have a ticket for another livestream concert later tonight, I just might have a fire this evening!

Pictures from the trip are after the break.

Neighborhood Yard Art/Signs

There's always usually some reason for people to put signs in their yards in our neighborhood.  Whether it's the latest cause or election to things that are just artistic or fun.  I've just been noticing again and thought to capture them on our walk today.  This isn't even all of them, I spotted several more, especially for Black Lives Matter, and some were the same so not repeated here.  This near east side of Madison can be very expressive, not only in the signs in the yards but the yards and houses themselves.  I love that about this area.

Thawing Out

By no means do I think we're finished getting snow this season, but we've enjoyed several days now of about 40ºF allowing for much of our snow to start melting.  Currently we've had more than 43 inches of snow, but March is usually good for a few good, wet snowstorms before allowing spring to fully take over.  Our snowpack must be less than 10 inches by now as I've been able to see the firepit for a few days, but I can still see it's full of snow, too.  It's a nice change shortly after getting below 0ºF for 12 days straight.  The forecast calls for even higher temperatures in the mid 40's all this week so the snow piles should melt further, though it gets looking very dirty as it reveals all the dirt in it as it melts.

We got out for a walk today for the first time this year, I'm ashamed to say.  It wasn't too chilly, but the wind could get to you a bit.   Starkweather Creek is thawed and flowing, and not showing signs of getting too high.  I didn't take my grabber and bag to pick up trash, but there was lots to see on our short walk so I will be picking it up next time.  There's some things about people I just will never understand.

I got a picture from the top of the street, similar to one of my favorite pictures from last year that I still have as my desktop background.  A stark difference with the bare trees, overcast skies and dirty, melting snow, but I like the difference.  I wish I would have gotten a picture like this when everything was covered in pretty, white snow.  March may still provide that opportunity.

Another difference in this picture is that a couple weeks ago the city removed 3 large trees on the street.  You can see the sawdust on the right side of the street, and just a bit further down on the left.  The third is further down on the right, out of sight here.  I hate to lose big trees on the street, they're one of my favorite things about living in an older neighborhood.  They might have been Ash trees, not sure, but the city has been eliminating those due to the Emerald Ash Borer, a beetle that kills Ash trees that has been spreading across the country.  And the red house on the left used to be yellow.

It was nice getting out of the house and getting some exercise.  Hopefully we keep it up and get out for more walks, and soon my attention will need to turn to rebuilding the raised garden beds.  I've been looking at materials, and I'll likely end up using treated lumber again and hope to get 10 years out of it.  It will be a lot of work and, while I'm sure I'll enjoy the process, I'll be very happy once it's done.

More Snow, Goodbye January

We got several inches of snow last night and this morning, and there is still a little more coming yet today.  The mounds along the walks and especially the streets are getting bigger, and it would be nice if we had a stretch of nice weather to knock them down some.  If I was a kid, though, this would be a lot of fun, especially if there was a sled hill nearby.  But at my age, well, let's just say it's not as much fun.  At least we don't have to go anywhere today.

The street has not been plowed yet but I'm sure it will get done before evening, and not all neighbors have their walks cleared yet.  I sometimes do the neighbors walks just as a courtesy, not to them as much as the walkers we can get through the neighborhood.  Neighbor Jane now pays someone to come out and do hers, so somehow that makes me less likely to go that way now.  Neighbor Dave was out shoveling last night, so his wasn't as deep.  I did a couple passes on his walk and he'll be out later to do his other areas and clean it up.

As for the back yard, there is a zero percent chance of a firepit anytime soon.

Still, as we leave January behind we are getting ever so slowly closer to spring.  Cheers, everyone.

Is The Newspaper Still Worth The Cost?

For most of my life I've read the newspaper, and mostly that paper has been the Wisconsin State Journal.  When I was young my parents were subscribed.  In my young adulthood I usually picked up the paper on my way to work every day.  I went through fits and starts subscribing for myself, but usually ended up cancelling due to issues, mostly that the paper would not consistently arrive early enough for me.  This is also why I changed from subscribing 7 days a week to just getting the Sunday and Wednesday subscription option since we bought the house in 2009.  Eventually I learned not to count on the paper to read before work, so I'm no longer concerned too much what time it arrives on Sunday or Wednesday.

This Sunday/Wednesday subscription to the Wisconsin State Journal consists of either 8 or 9 newspapers a month, 9 a month for 8 of 12 months in 2021, 104 newspapers a year.  Keep in mind, these different days of papers are not created equal.  The Sunday paper offers much more than a daily paper, though the Sunday and Wednesday papers are both loaded with ads, which is why you can only subscribe to the Sunday paper if you get Wednesday's, as well.

Last month they sent me a notice that my subscription price would be changing next month.  They cite the online access and other perks that justify the cost, but really all I want is the newspaper.  Thinking about this, I wanted to know what the newsstand price was for both, the Sunday and daily papers.  You think you can find that online somewhere?  Fat chance.  I finally found an email for their customer service, and they replied that it is $2.50 for the daily paper and $5.00 for Sunday.  (I remember paying only $0.35 for a daily paper on the way to work, years ago).  I forgot to ask if these prices would also be changing soon, so I replied to ask and have yet to hear back.

So, at my subscription price of $37.50 a month, that is $450.00 a year and $4.33 a paper on average.  The newsstand price would be $390.00, which is $60.00 to have it delivered for a year.  And sixty bucks for 104 deliveries is probably worth it, I think.  But is the overall cost for the paper itself worth it?  I guess I've thought so for several years now.

Now, as I mentioned, they recently sent me notice that my subscription price is changing.  It is going up to $43.00 a month starting in February.  So let me look at those numbers again.  $43.00 a month is now $516.00 a year and $4.96 a paper on average.  That's $66.00 a year and $0.63 a paper more than I'm paying now.

Sure, I can afford it, but do I still think it's worth it?  Do you?