It was a perfect day; warm but not too warm, sunny but not too sunny, and it felt good to have the festival back after 2020 off and a small parking lot version that we skipped last year. A very good day, but this year I'll let the pictures do the talking (maybe with a few captions).
Well, things happen and you get too busy or just too tired to write anything, then a day goes by, then a week. Before I get any more backed up with thoughts let me try to get them in writing.
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And my wife added basil and parsley to the garden, where she's already planted a tomato, pepper and a couple other plants and rows of seeds. Only two garlic survived the winter, and we're pretty sure that's due to the the constant freezing and thawing last fall and early winter, so the rest just rot in the ground. Meanwhile, we got a fence around the strawberry plants a bit late to keep many from getting eaten, and the raspberries are starting out well.
I do have one question to pose. Our sliding glass door is very old and cleaning it with regular glass cleaner just doesn't get it very clear. Does anyone have any hints on how to get old glass clear again?
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This picture is similar to one I posted from the first day of spring. The ice cream shop is a popular place just to the right of the bike path here, while the community gardens are getting cleaned up and planting started with hay bales and fresh soil provided for the gardeners.
After the break are a few other pictures I decided to share because once the flora grows in earnest the views will be harder to see.
The first thing I noticed when I looked out the window this morning was how green the grass was. It was still wet out from yesterday's and last night's rain, and it seems to have done wonders. Temperatures rose steadily overnight and it's expected to get to the upper 70's ºF (about 22ºC) this afternoon for our nicest day of the year so far and since the first day of spring, a whole 5 weeks ago now. The trees continue budding and plants have continued to come up despite the cool temperatures and rainy/snowy weather.
The plan for the day is normal chores and Saturday relaxing this morning, mostly over by now, then I'm going out to lunch with a friend to a Greek restaurant I've not been to before but I think will be good. Early this afternoon my wife will be getting home from taking care of her Dad, so then we'll go for a walk, probably down to the Atwood area for maybe a drink and a snack. There will likely be lots of people out and about today so we'll see how crowded the bike path and businesses are, but I expect everywhere to be busy as many people like us will be eager to get outside and enjoy the weather today.
This evening I'll be grilling out for the first time of the season; natural casing hot dogs that I got from the butcher when I picked up our last quarter cow. And maybe, possibly, could there be a fire tonight? The weather will be good for it but it may depend on how tired I am by then. Today should be a good day to lift my spirits, and sorely needed. Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Edit: It's going to get way too windy this afternoon for a fire, but I think I'll manage with the grill. Windy like last post so I'll have to check out that wind map again.)
Happy Spring equinox, everyone. It was a beautiful day today, sunny here with temperatures getting up to the mid-60's. I slept in and we had a lazy morning but then early afternoon we took a walk down to the Atwood area for a lunch and conversation at Wilson's and a short stop at the Harmony. The bike path was very busy, as expected for how beautiful this Sunday was. There were lots of walkers like us and bicyclists trying to make their way, too. It is a bike path, after all, though on days like this and for summer events the walkers seem to outnumber the bicyclists by a lot. I got this picture looking back on the way down when few were around us for a minute, and it was much busier on the way back.
The green in the far right middle is fake grass, but still a nice outdoor area behind the ice cream shop that we will visit when it gets warmer. Otherwise, there's not any green that is noticeable yet, unless you look very close and in the right place. We do have a few things around the yard starting to grow, and you can now just start to see buds on the trees.
We had some new snow on the ground yesterday morning, but not much and it didn't last long before melting. The next few days will be cooler with a 'wintry mix' at times, but only a couple nights below freezing in the forecast and no highs below, thankfully. You can finally really feel that spring is in the air, so hopefully soon I can write less about the weather and more about going out and doing things when the opportunities arise. I plan to walk more now that the weather is getting better, and just try to get out to do more things. There will come a time when the heat of summer will force us inside, hopefully not too often, but working from home now for so long I know I need to make more of an effort just to get out of the house a whole lot more often than I have. Winter is not an excuse anymore and with the pandemic seemingly under control getting out and about should be easier to do this year.
Happy Spring, everyone. I have high hopes.
I can't remember exactly where or when I first learned of The Warning, but it was about 2 or 3 months ago and probably while in some Youtube rabbit hole. They are the Villarreal sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. Yes, sisters - Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra - and surprisingly young when you see some of their earlier videos as kids, but even then you could see the talent.
I found they first got some popularity from an early cover of Metallica's song Enter Sandman back in 2014, and they actually collaborated on that song for Metallica's Blacklist album that came out last year. They've been writing their own music now for a while and have a couple releases out there, and a new song coming out next Friday called Money. And they do seem to have lots of fans already, with several Youtube channels posting all sorts of videos with and about them, even livestreams of their shows.
There's a 5 minute documentary video they released a few days ago and shows their charm and growth, musical and otherwise, including talking with the parents. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't look like they allow embedding so you can see it here, I recommend it.
Instead, here's the latest video and single by The Warning, Disciple.
What seemed to catch me first was the voice. I like a strong, female rock voice (think Lzzy Hale or Liv Sin). Then to see her play guitar and sing live was impressive, while the younger sisters were no slouches, either. Plus, I must admit, I was intrigued by the novelty of what were young kids playing good songs well. They've grown up a bit now and play tight and loud and have some very good songs out. I think the best is their most recent EP, Mayday, but that's to be expected as its the first I heard. I have one earlier album from 2018, Queen of the Murder Scene, that is also very good and a little more diverse.
And if you know me, you know I love the live stuff. Here's a great livestreamed show I watched almost a month ago. Live, from Saltillo, Mexico; The Warning.
If they continue their current trajectory I think we'll all be hearing more of them in the future. They're just about there, and I think one 'hit' song just might break it wide open for them. Maybe I shouldn't have predicted that, I just know what I like and find interesting to listen to and lately this has been at the top of my list. It's always fun when I find my next latest-greatest!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I recorded my fire the other night and edited it down to a 6 minute video. A tedious process, but now done so I'm not going to waste it. Much of the video is from the first part of the night, then I skipped past most of when I was on a video call with my Mom and niece, with an outro of a fire in the dark. Air traffic was heavier than usual, not surprising with the holiday, and taking off generally south above me. The sky was very overcast, the temperature surprisingly moderate at about 50ºF when I began at just after 4:00 in the afternoon. There were lots of sticks that had fallen on the neighbors yards out front that I grabbed and burned up this night. The extended forecast was much colder so I couldn't pass up the opportunity.
There is a squirrel distraction about 4:45 and plane lights passing through the trees about a minute later. Otherwise it's just me relaxing, feeding the fire and being lost in my thoughts. Sit a spell, relax.
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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.
We have two different kinds of tiger lilies in the flower bed along the porch. One kind that was here when we moved in, a little larger and later-blooming, pretty much on each end, and another kind along the middle that is earlier-blooming. They've all been done blooming for some time now except for one stalk near the far corner. After all the rest were done this one still showed a few flower pods yet to open, so I've been watching it to see if they all actually would bloom and, somewhat surprisingly, they have.
When there were 3 or 4 pods left on the stalk I started taking pictures of them, anticipating each to be the last. I didn't believe the small ones would grow in the cooler weather. Even now there appears to be a very small flower bud there but I just can't see it being able to grow enough to bloom, so this, I believe, is the last tiger lily of the season for us.
And the flowers we have left in the stump area are still doing very well. We've had several cool days recently, this weekend being the exception and maybe our last summer-like temperatures. The days are fast getting shorter and leaves are starting to change and fall, though it will still be some time before raking and gutter cleaning is due, thankfully. Stores are all decked out for Halloween, and we have a few houses in the neighborhood that have pretty impressive displays. Maybe later in the month I might try to get some pictures to share here. I do like Halloween, it may be my favorite holiday.
Today, my wife is out and about tending to her dad and his matters, which has taken up more and more of her time recently, so I have been doing chores around the house and checking things off my list. Soon here I think I'll take the bicycle down to the Harmony Bar and Grill for lunch. I've been doing lots more walking than biking this summer, and this may be the last time I get the bike out. Hopefully I keep up with walking even as the weather turns, but I admit it has been more difficult to make myself do since my back has been better. I used to walk to make it feel better, so now I should walk to help it continue to feel better, I think.
The Badgers play later this afternoon, and shortly after they start the Brewers play game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs, and before that's over I hope to be out by the fire. I've not done that in a few weeks due to the weather and also allergies started kicking my butt again, so I'm hoping the wind and weather will be on my side. Whatever your plans, have a great weekend, everyone!
Last Wednesday I had my second back shot in the last two months, so by now I should know fully how much it helped and what I'm left with. The first back shot was maybe 50% effective, which still left considerable room for improvement. This second back shot was at least 50% effective again, maybe more, and what I'm left with is some tingling in my left leg/foot and sometimes pain in my left seat and groin. Not painful enough to keep taking opioids, but enough to notice, so this is just what I'm left to deal with until I can't anymore, hopefully several years in the future. In another week I check in with the neurosurgeons office again so we'll see what they say, but I don't expect any new course of action. I will live, thank you for your thoughts, everyone.
On Saturday we had some friends over to celebrate my and Terry's birthdays with food, fun and fire.
We only invited a handful of people - it seems I've lost some friends since the pandemic, so be it. Polite declines would be fine with me but ghosting pretty much says everything you need to know, so the invitations just won't be made anymore. Oh well, I guess they weren't very good friends to begin with, then. I've had only a small group of friends for a long time now and it seems to get smaller as I get older, and less 'good friends' as much as 'good acquaintances' now. I seem to have even lost one of my oldest friends since high school (over 35 years ago) just because we view Covid differently. I even reached out since, said we can just agree to disagree on this topic, but no response since that last conversation when I hung up on him because he wouldn't stop arguing about it. C'est la vie.
This week I'm on vacation, and I didn't plan on any project to keep me busy but my to-do list will be enough. After Saturday night with friends by the fire I was pretty lazy on Sunday, drank too much and stayed up way too late. But on Monday I went down to Dubuque to visit my Mom. We had a nice visit, got a couple things done for her, and mostly just hung out and talked. I spent the night and came back early on Tuesday since I had a dentist appointment and a few errands I needed to run. I also got a good walk in that day.
Today I spent several hours in the basement, mostly just cleaning, dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. I had high hopes of going through a lot of stuff to sort, donate and trash, but my wife needs to be around for much of that so by the time I finished cleaning I was happy to be done. Also had lots of heavy things to test my back with putting away downstairs. A couple hundred pounds of water softener salt, 80 pounds of cat litter, and tables and chairs that were brought up for having company the last couple weekends. The back held up well, thankfully, so next was yardwork. I did some cleaning up in the gardens and trimmed some bushes, among other things. I might get out there for a fire tonight, but we'll see how tired I feel as dusk nears.
Tomorrow is power washer day. I'll get the power washer out and wash the house, garage, steps, driveway, and whatever else needs a power washing. Likely not as long a day as today, but I'm on vacation, after all. I might get to cleaning windows, but currently I have that penciled in for Friday along with cleaning the garage, which won't be too much in there as the garage is about as organized as can be so just a little cleaning. Then the weekend has its normal chores, plus we've ordered a new sofa and ottoman (both on backorder) so will do some measuring and moving the living room rug in anticipation of the new furniture. I think we'll be moving the old couch out to the porch, which will actually help us use the porch more often, too.
So it sounds busy, but the chores get easier as the week goes so I will have plenty of time for doing other things or doing nothing, as I see fit. Weather-wise has been pretty good but getting more seasonable. This weekend will be very hot again, maybe for the last time as next week I will have to consider getting out my long pants for the first time since spring. It's been nice, living in shorts and bare feet all summer, but all good things must come to an end. Like this, if this was a good thing. Autumn officially starts one week from today, folks.
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.
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.
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.
Shortly after finding and really liking their music I wrote an LLP Bonus post about them. At the time, they only had 7 songs out and I felt they needed to do more to merit a full LLP post. That was in February, and now, after several months of their music being at the top of my mental playlist, I just can't deny how much I've been enjoying their music ever since - and they have two new songs out since then, so they have been active. Ladies and gentlemen, number 38, Wargasm UK!
There's not a whole lot more I can say about them than what I did before. But live shows have started up again, so they're getting their chops by playing out more, at least one festival from what I've seen with more dates scheduled soon. And this make me happy because more live shows means more live concert videos to watch. Always my preference.
Wargasm UK, Live at Download Festival Pilot 2021 - Backyard Bastards
Watching this live video reminds me how content I am these days to watch from afar, but they sure bring the energy and the crowd gives it right back. I may be too old to be right down front anymore, but I still enjoy it lots. Keep it coming, Sam and Milkie!
Previous LLP Posts:
LLP 1 - Pain
