September This-And-Thats

Here we are, as the dog days of summer turn into the cool days of fall.  The days are getting shorter, the temperatures - especially at night - are much cooler, yet the mosquitoes are still buzzing about.  Well, before I have to change the title I best start typing, eh?

• While I'm thinking of it, here's some things that happened this last week that have not happened in some time:  Wearing a light jacket.  Turning on the furnace.  And getting our first frost of the season.  Some people like fall, I say at least it's not winter yet - but you know it's coming...
• With that reality I spent time today moving the power washer and other garage things inside to over-winter in the basement.  Cleaned up about half the pots on the stump and reorganized the garage a bit for a place exclusively for garden items and pots.  I also spent more time bent over weeding than I should have.  This year's side of the compost bin is fuller but there's lots more to come.
• I had another critter digging a hole by the side of the house recently.  Neighbor Dave had a critter bomb left over so we set that off, but to no avail.  I refilled the hole a couple times, put rocks on top, even pounded a thick branch down the hole yet the critter persisted.  Next, I bought a small live trap, caught the chipmunk almost immediately, and let him go down by the creek.  Thankfully, no more holes since.

• I wrote everything above this sentence yesterday, ran out of thoughts and took a walk down to the creek, came back and wrote another flood post.  Looking back at my third sentence, I must now get this finished today!
• We got a bit of rain last night, but thankfully not enough rain recently to exacerbate our high water issues.  Hopefully with time the water will drain and smarter lake levels will be maintained in the long term, but next year I suspect short memories will leave us susceptible to this happening again.  But I hope not.  Also, we weren't the only area in southern Wisconsin to have flooding issues, and I know South Carolina is certainly still having flood issues.  Weather 'events' seem to be happening at a much faster rate than years past.  Global warming or not, the climate is changing.  I wonder what this winter will bring?
• The Badgers had a bye yesterday, the Packers play soon (so another break from writing), and the Brewers and Cubs games are this afternoon.  The Brewers and Cubs are tied and today is the last game of the season.  If they both win there will be a tiebreaker game tomorrow, and the loser plays in the wildcard game the next day while the winner gets first seed and home field advantage for the playoffs.  It's going to be an interesting day, then I'll finish this.  I promise.

"...(T)hen I'll finish this.  I promise."  Famous last words.  I wrote the first half of this on Saturday, the second half on Sunday, and now it's Monday.  No sense continuing with the bullet points, I didn't have much to write about anyway.  And screw it, the title will remain unchanged.

So, since I last sat down to write we got more rain overnight and all day today.  There's water in the basement again so I got the rugs up after work today, but just a bit too late.  I haven't looked at the numbers yet and I'm not sure I want to.  We could sure use a dry spell - until winter.

Also, the Packers won yesterday, but even though they shut out the other team (for the first time in like 8 years) the mood seemed somber as they could have played much better.  Also, the Brewers and Cubs both won yesterday and played a tiebreaker game today which the Brewers won so they win the division outright and with the best record in the National League will have home-field advantage as long as they're in it, up to the World Series.  Go Brewers!

Lastly, I include pictures of a lone mushroom/toadstool I saw in the back yard a couple weeks ago that I thought would make a good picture.  I hope you think so too, because I got about 487 mosquito bites taking the pictures!

August This-And-Thats

Well, I've been trying to get to this for about a week now.  The longer I wait the longer the post will be, so time to start typing and see what spills out!

• I have a fire almost every good weather evening that I don't have to work the next day.  How do you invite people?  I could text all my friends every weekend, but that seems too tedious and a bother.  It's nice to have good conversation around the fire but I have nothing against sitting out there by myself.  I guess we'll just have to plan things like we used to, so if you're reading this then save the date - September 8th.  But if it's good weather then I'm probably around the fire on weekends and all I know are welcome to stop by whenever they wish.
• Speaking of fires, I'm very happy with the wood I bought.  It's easy to light and burns a pretty long time.  Even though it is split into manageable logs I wind up splitting some further into smaller pieces for getting the fire started and also for the end of the night when it's just too late to put on a full log.
• I did take a lot of pictures at Atwoodfest.  Too many, I'm told.  Me running around to get good pictures seems to have put a slight damper on the day for the people I was with.  I know I've been getting into picture taking quite a bit for the last couple years, but I have to remember to let it happen and not try to be a reporter for the blog.
• Since we lost the tree in back we have lots less bastard squirrels and lots more bastard rabbits.  The rabbits have taken to lounging in our back yard, seemingly mocking us and the cats.  I'd love to get a slingshot or something but my wife won't allow that.  And if I run off the rabbits what will replace them?  Still, have a little respect and run from me, you little bastards!  I did see a hawk on the back fence the other day, so hopefully that will put a little fear in them.
• The squirrels haven't totally moved out, either.  I saw one coming out of the garage a few days ago.  Seems he found my sunflower seeds on my workbench and sat there feasting for a while.  Shells all over the place!  He didn't even seem to mind the dill pickle flavor.
• My first morning in my new position I learned that my old boss just got fired that morning and his boss had been "reassigned."  Surprised me, but didn't shock me.   A month or two earlier the VP was let go.  That department is a mess, and of its own management's doing.  I was there, I watched it happen but they didn't listen to us.  I hope this is the start of making things better over there, but I'm glad as hell it's not my problem anymore.  That should be the end of my shop talk now for a long time.
• We should be getting another quarter cow very soon now.  Later than the last couple years, but we haven't quite run out of meat yet, either, but almost.  I hope we have a little more advance warning this time.  Last year we got the call the day of, and I had a job interview to go to and my wife was limited in lifting just after surgery.  She managed getting it all put away last year, but I should be around this time.
• It's August already and the last food cart night down at Atwood was this last week.  We didn't make it every week, but that's mostly because neither did they.  There was never 4 carts as advertised, and the ones that did show up after the first couple weeks all seemed to be of the Asian flavor - not my taste.  There's lots more food carts out there, so why weren't they here?  So, it was nice in theory, anyway.

That's enough for now, I think.  Football season is almost upon us so cheers for the Badgers and Packers.  The bikes have been unused recently mostly due to heat and humidity, but there's a little laziness in there, too.  All in all, having a nice summer though, and I hope you are, too!

Badgers Time

This is what's on my mind this week.  Our undefeated Wisconsin Badgers have a shot at the national championship playoff, but they have to win on Saturday night for the B1G Conference championship against Ohio State.  There's a lot more to it than that, but that's all for the talking heads on TV.

I'll be watching.  And I believe it will happen.
Go Badgers!

Hotlinks to these pictures may not last long, but the excitement is NOW!  Go, Badgers, Go!

October This-And-Thats

I’ve not posted in some time, just been busy, tired or both.  And looking back, I've been pretty streaky with posting the last few months; twice in June, 8 times in July, once in August, 8 times again in September, and now this is the first for October.  It looks like I'm taking every other month off.  Overall, there really hasn’t been a whole lot going on or I would most likely write about it here. But as for now, I don’t know exactly what I’m going to say here yet, so it's time to start typing again and see what happens!

•  The days are getting shorter and we’ve had to turn on the furnace to keep warm.  I’m hoping for several more nice days before winter, and we may get them but it may not be shorts weather again until spring.  At least not for me.  The leaves are changing colors and falling, some trees before others.  It will still be some weeks before raking is necessary, and I’ll need to wait for the trees to be finished before cleaning the house gutters.  I already have a list started for spring, just some projects I'd like to do (fire pit!) and products that will be needed.
• The gardens are in order after cleaning them up and adding the composted soil to the nutrient-starved east garden.  Kate got the garlic planted a few days ago.  Feel free to visit the garden blog.  Updates come sporadically over there, but I still try to hit all the highlights and usually post a bunch of pictures.
• It’s football season!  The Badgers are well on their way to a *ahem* hopefully undefeated season and one of the four College Football Playoff berths.  The Packers unfortunately lost Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone last weekend, but I still have hope of winning games and making the playoffs - then anything can happen.  I enjoy watching Badger and Packer games but it does seem to take up a big chunk of the weekends so I don't really watch the other games like I used to.
• I’ve begun (or continued) a job search.  What a pain.  Everything is online these days, complete the application, upload your resume, answer these questions – only 38 pages long, you’re almost done!  Then you get to the interviews.  'Star interview' questions?  Never heard of it before my wife mentioned it recently, and that explains some of the questions I've heard before.  I’ll need to brush up on a few work stories, I guess, to make myself look good.  Looking for a job is selling yourself.  My problem is, I’ve never been a salesman.  I better learn quick with more interviews upcoming!
• We haven't had the bikes out much lately, with the cooler and wet weather.  I should start looking for a place to take them in for off-season maintenance.  Mostly they need professional adjustments of the gears and my brakes.  I think I know of a nearby place, just off the bike path of course, so I should contact them this weekend and schedule it.  

While writing this I thought of the last TATs post, in September.  I mentioned that if I wrote about posting cat pictures that would make it more likely to happen.  It hasn't, obviously.  I will try to remember this time, but for now here's Basil and Hamish from several weeks ago, hanging out on the ottoman looking all cute and innocent.  We know better!

Vacation Week Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March This-And-Thats

Most all I've posted recently has been about the weather or my shoulder.  We've had warm spring days, cold winter days, snow, rain, thunderstorms and hail - all very recently though not necessarily all on the same day.  Thank goodness spring is coming, but officially it is already here.  We have plants coming up and I'd like to get out and take a few pictures but today is rainy and dreary, maybe tomorrow.  In the meantime, I have a few things on my mind so time to type them out!

• Just to get it out of the way, I had a cortisone shot in my left shoulder on Wednesday.  It's too early to know how well it works out, but I hope it gets better yet as the next day it was measurably worse.  It is starting to feel a bit better now but certainly not as it should.
• I mentioned spring so it may be time for my annual wish of getting bicycles to get about our side of town during our non-winter seasons.  I think I may actually follow through with it this year.  My wife would be content to walk, but I want to bike.  I feel there's a higher chance of me biking somewhere with her than walking.  I think that's because biking will take much less time than walking.
• I finally bought myself a cordless drill/screwdriver.  I've had the same corded drill since I was a teenager, and it still works wonderfully but it is a bother to keep chucking drill bits and screwdriver bits alternately when working on projects.  I bought it during the holiday sales late last year and, unfortunately, I haven't had an excuse to use it yet.  But it seems real cool!
• Last night the Badgers fell to the Florida Gators in the round of sixteen in the NCAA tournament.  It was an another exciting ride, watching them come together and get the wins when it counted.  Last night they lost by one point, at the buzzer, in overtime.  A quick and almost surgical finish to the game.  Most Badger fans were probably stunned, like me.  A few seconds after the late finish I picked up my jaw, turned off the channel and got on to other things.  I still can't make myself look up the highlights or stories yet today.
• Over the holidays we received a gift called the Amazon Echo Dot (thanks Mom and Dan!).  I set it up at home, but it was just a novelty.  We never really used it for anything, until recently.  I bought two outlets that connect to wifi and plugged in our living room lamps.  Now we turn on and off the lights by asking Alexa to do it, or I have an app that will turn them on or off from anywhere, individually or together.  Certainly nothing necessary, just a bit of fun and it makes the Dot more useful.  I've tried to think of other things we could automate in our home, but nothing else really makes a lot of sense, usefully or monetarily. 

That's all I can think of for now.  In the middle of writing this today my wife and I went out and about to a couple neighborhood places for food and drink.  Not very busy out today with the weather.   This is the kind of thing we could do on bikes during good weather.  It will happen this year - and soon!

January This-And-Thats

I haven't done this in a while so it seems like it's time to start typing again and see what comes out.  Come along, it might be fun.

• I'm finally feeling better after a rough start to the new year.  I was hit from behind in traffic on the Thursday before.  I stayed home the next day due to soreness, but did not go to the doctor and am quite well now.  NYE we had a few friends over for food, drinks and games.  It was a lot of fun but I felt that I was coming down with something all weekend.  On Monday evening it hit me like a ton of bricks and stayed with me all the way through Friday.  Just a nasty, snotty man-cold - the worst kind!  As I write this I am feeling perfectly healthy for maybe the first time this year.
• I drop my car off at the shop for repairs tomorrow morning.  At the same time I will get my rental car for the week.  That means I'll have to do some make-up time at work.  I don't like doing make-up time.  I will miss having my car, too.  I've never had to have this amount of repairs done to a vehicle and can only hope that when I get it back it's like brand new.  Or at least as good as it was before the accident.
• Our weather started out by snowing the first few weekends in December.  Since then we've had a few spells of bitterly cold weather.  Single digits, either above or below zero like our highs and lows have been, is really cold.  That said, I think I would rather have the cold than the snow.  Snow has to be moved and makes travel more difficult than the cold.  Unfortunately, I have no say in the matter.  Though the days are now getting longer we have months of both snow and cold yet to maneuver.

• We had a whole house humidifier installed last Tuesday.  It installs downstairs on the air ducts by the furnace.  We had been using a 4 gallon humidifier located generally in the center of the house but it just wasn't cutting it.  You're constantly filling it up and the filters are expensive and don't last long when it gets really cold and dry.  I think it will be a pretty good investment in the long run.  I'm still playing  with the settings a bit and it seems to be working well, but when the weather gets this cold and dry it has to run often.

• It is still a pretty good thing to be a sports fan in Wisconsin.  The football Badgers won a great game in the Cotton Bowl last week.  The basketball Badgers enter league play on a roll and have another really good team this year.  This afternoon's road game against Purdue will be a tough one, though.  And the Packers enter today's playoff game on a 6 game winning streak.  It's win or go home time, Packers.  I hope they can keep it rolling.

Even though I felt the need to sit and type I guess I don't have a whole lot more to say right now.  The holidays are over and we are in the part of winter where we tend to hibernate - we don't go out as much and spend little time outside.  Today, I'll be spending the later afternoon watching Packers play the Giants and flipping back and forth to the Badger basketball game.  It's not often the games conflict, but they do today.

Attempt At Posting

I know I've not posted here all year.  I guess I haven't found anything to be post-worthy recently.  A health update is all I can think of so far.  Well, let me try a This-And-Thats format and see what happens.

• I've still been sick, and that makes it a whole month now.  Hmm.  I don't even want to type about that.  You don't want details about me feeling poor.  I am feeling a bit better today, or trying to.
• Packers play a wildcard playoff game today at Washington.  I'll be rooting for them to win but putting them out of their misery would be more humane.
• We had a lot of rain during the week but it didn't melt most of the snow cover.  No chance of it melting for the foreseeable future as January has arrived in full with single digit temperatures, at least during the day.

Okay, maybe this wasn't a good idea.  That's all I got so it will have to do until I'm in a better disposition and/or actually have something to say.

Happy New Year 2016

We were planning on having a couple people over tonight to ring in the new year but I had to cancel this morning because my wife is not feeling well.  I'm okay with that, I stayed up until the early hours last night watching Wisconsin win the Holiday Bowl over USC.  I'm glad I stayed up, it was a good game that came down right to the end, but I have been pretty tired all day today.  Thankfully it was very slow at work and no one really cared how much got done.  I may still get a second wind tonight and stay awake until midnight, there are still football bowl games on television.  But maybe not and I'm okay with that.

I wrote this last year and can't think of a better way to say it:
Happy New Year to you all.  The ones I read, the ones I love, all my friends and all of you who take the time to read me.  Whether you comment or not, I can see you're there.  Thank you.

F4VRE

Brett Favre is getting his number retired at halftime of the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field tonight.  (Hurry up and retire it before he changes his mind again!)  Congratulations and thank you, Brett!  Photo courtesy of ESPN.

Oh, happy Thanksgiving, too.

Good Show, Badgers

(Click to view larger)  via ESPN

Early Cat Birthday and GO BADGERS!

Hamish, top, and Basil.

Their official birthday is not until April 20, as far as we know, so Basil and Hamish got their gift early this year.  We are still waiting on the weather to stay above freezing overnight consistently before I get started with the power washer chores outside, so since I had the time this past weekend I cut a base and assembled the new cat tree early.  I also adapted an old TV turntable for one of the new lamps.  It feels good to get outside and make stuff out of wood again!

While the new cat tree is larger than the old one, it still has the same type of base, with carpet folded over the edges, so it is not as stable as I would like, especially when they get a running start at it, so I added a base to give it weight and stability.  Nothing too difficult to do and it may save a window (or a cat) someday.  I should have used a darker stain on the wood, that is something I can go back and redo later if I want.  The new cat tree has one less level than the old one, but the levels are larger and overall it is about 6 inches taller.  The top area is also larger than the old one so when they share the space now they will not have to lay on top of each other as much as before.

Still tight on top for 2, but better than before!

Also, we used to have a turntable under our old (large, boxy) television so we could turn it to face wherever we needed it to in the living room.  Now we have a new, flat screen TV that is mounted on the wall so this was sitting downstairs collecting dust.  I made a cardboard template of the base of the swing arm lamp to get an approximate size and trimmed down the turntable so it would fit in the corner and still turn with no problems.  Now we can swing the lamp out much more easily to get at the window behind it.  Not real exciting, and I did not take pictures.

The old cat tree has been moved to the back porch for the summer.  When we have the patio door open I can just see the cats running the length of the house from one cat tree to the other!  This fall, once it is cold enough to keep the patio door shut for the season the old one will be trashed.  They have had it for two years and it is getting pretty worn.  Happy birthday, Basil and Hamish!

Also, tonight the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Duke Blue Devils for the NCAA College Men's Basketball Championship!  The Badgers beat the unbeaten Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night, avenging last year's Final Four loss to them by one point.  This team is good enough to get it done.  No matter what happens, it has been a wonderful season to follow the Badgers.  I see no reason they will not follow through with their stated goal - and bring home a National Championship! 

GO BADGERS!

This and Thats for March

I feel as though I have been slacking, not writing as often as I should.  Nothing has been going on that I have needed to write about, and backing off from posting as frivolously as I had in the past was part of my plan when I took some time off from blogging recently.  So I guess I should just get over it.  I know I'm not going away, just posting less than I have.

Now, having said that again, to start off this This and Thats post is a blurb from a draft I wrote back in December, after I made my decision to back off a bit.

• "In my first year and two thirds, 2009 and 2010, I posted at an amazing rate of about 20 posts a month.  I took to it quickly and buying our first house at the same time gave me some material to work with.  In 2011 I slowed a bit to about 8 or so posts a month on average.  I think I realized how much time I spent on posting crap.  2012 and 2013 - coincidentally have 99 posts each.  I found my rhythm.  This year was on the same pace, perhaps a few more even, until something... changed.  Changed in that my computer, 10-15% of my normal 24 hour day, took a dump on me.  Changed how I looked at how I spent my time.  Changed because I wanted it to.  Hell, I needed it to." - Scoakat's Blog draft from December, 2014.
• My most recent post was on a day we reached over 70º F, we haven't been even close to that since.  Mother Nature has given us more snow on a few occasions, and I have had to get back out some winter gear for the temperatures.  This week we are to settle in with highs mostly in the 60's.  Hopefully it can finally be - and stay - spring.
• I bought a power washer a few weeks ago.  I liked the gas powered ones a lot but I didn't feel I could justify the higher cost and maintenance for the few uses a year it would get so i got an electric.  I have assembled it but I have not tested it yet, the temperatures have not been warm enough to start anything.  It looks like next weekend I can finally test it out and get started on our foundation - cleaning, sealing and repainting before the flowers come up.
• We bought two very nice new floor lamps for the living room recently so the living room is almost how we want it to be.  We still need a couple nice end tables to replace the very cheap temporary things I bought a few years ago.  And we need to get rid of my La-Z-Boy recliner, it is just too big for the room (and not the best for my back).  We need to replace it with a different kind of living room chair, one that fits and matches the space we are creating.
• We also bought a very nice light fixture for the bedroom (pictured above).  Before, there was just a plain, white ceiling fan without a light.  Since we've had the house I would often hit the switch wanting a light to go on, even recently still, so it was time to get rid of the little used fan and replace it with a nice light fixture.  We could have gotten a cheap but adequate replacement like we did in the other bedroom, our office, when we moved in, but we wanted something nicer.  My wife pointed out one or two of this style and eventually I really warmed up to it.  It was for sure expensive, but it looks great in there I think it is worth it.
• My next two big projects are to look up tree removal services to utilize in the very near future, and to start looking for a new car.  I want both done by summer, and hopefully done by the end of May, my next extended time off from work.  I also have a new shelf to assemble downstairs.  I write that now to remind myself to do it, it's been down there waiting for 2 weeks.
• The new Nightwish album will be released in the US on Tuesday.  Amazon says I should receive it that day so it should be here when I get home from work.  I can't remember anticipating a new release like this in a long time.  Of course, I've had it free from the internet already for about a week, but I do not want to listen to it yet.  I want the CD so I can hold it and read it and follow along with the lyrics, like people used to do for a much anticipated release.  These days most things are leaked early and shared, long before the artist intended.
• I've noted here before how it is a pretty good time to be a sports fan in Wisconsin, and it still is.  The Wisconsin Men's Basketball Badgers have reached the Final Four for the second year in a row.  They play Kentucky next Saturday in a Final Four rematch from last year when we lost to them by one point.  The Badgers are better this year than they were last year, I think they can get by Kentucky and go for the national championship!  I'd love to see that happen but it will be tough, only one team in the tourney ends with a 'W' and only the best are left.  (Congrats to Michigan State, too.  May we meet in the championship game!)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out what my wife and I are up to.  I have high hopes, as we do every spring, but our to-do list this year is very specific and there is much on it - and it is to be done very soon.

We also have enough fun things scheduled out that I'm sure I'll have more to share here in the coming months.  Weather permitting, of course, it would be nice to be able to fully come out of winter hibernation!

Badgers Mend Packer Pain

This is for my fellow Green Bay Packers fans, for my heart aches with yours.  This was written today about our Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball team:

"...All of which adds up to this: On Tuesday night, Wisconsin beat a ranked Big Ten team, one without a road loss yet this season, by 32 points. In the process, they committed exactly one turnover. Which came on a shot-clock violation. Thanks to a scorer's table correction. Without their starting point guard..."

Not too shabby having a team like this to root for now.  I'm not saying it takes away the hurt from the Packers overtime loss to end their season, but it is certainly a good distraction.  Go Badgers!

Happy New Year 2015

I know I said there was going to be an end of the year rant coming, I guess I just don't have a rant in me right now.  However, it has been some time since I've written much of anything so how about another 'This and Thats' post!

• After a very cold November, December has thankfully been much more seasonable.  All the snow we had was melted by the middle of the month, so we did not have a white christmas - not that I mind at all.  We will be ringing in the new year much cooler starting, well, now.  It was -1º F when I left for work this morning.  Thats about -18º C for my friends outside America.  
• This short "break" I have taken from blogging has been good for me.  In fact, I'm tempted to extend it but I need to write/rant/unload sometimes and, after all, I do enjoy it.  In this time away I have cut down on podcasts and websites that I had almost obsessively kept up on before, so I managed some more time in the living room in the evenings with my wife, and I'm working on reading my first book in several months (I'm The Man by Scott Ian from the band Anthrax). I'm sure I would have cut down my computer time even more but I have been reading a lot of sports sites.  The Packers are entering the playoffs, the Badgers football team plays in the Outback Bowl tomorrow and basketball season is under way with the Badgers a top 5 team in the country.  It's usually a good thing to be a fan of sports teams from Wisconsin.  We may not win championships every year, but we seem to have a realistic shot every year after year.
• Let's see, weather - check, address the break - check, sports bragging - check, um.  See, I had a couple interruptions from typing so now I have to gather my thoughts again.  A sign of getting older?  Maybe, so is wanting to stay home on new year's eve, some say.  Okay, back on track now, let's talk about that!
• Tonight.  New Year's Eve 2015.  My wife has allowed me to stay home tonight.  It was much less dramatic than the last few years.  Without looking back to what I've written, we seem to have had a pre-party here and then gone out to the same local tavern for the last several years.  While I have had a lot of fun doing that, despite sometimes being a 'whiny little bitch' about it - as my wife said I wrote last year - I am finally staying home this year.  I hope to ring in the new year in my sleep.  I think this is the 5th consecutive year that the Badgers have played in a new year's day game and I will finally be able to feel good, energetic, and be able to really enjoy a few drinks during the game instead of just having a couple 'hair of the dog' drinks to try and enjoy our college football's last hurrah for the season.  I have actual errands to get done before the game, too.  Back on topic, though, less friends will be out this year anyway, no one says we all have to do the same thing every year.  I do feel a bit bad because I will not get to kiss my wonderful wife at midnight, though...
• The water heater has been leaking a bit.  It started several weeks ago, actually, and has gotten progressively a bit worse.  When we bought the house the inspection said that it was toward the end of its useful life.  That was over 5 years ago.  Plus, stupid me had no idea there was maintenance for me to drain it clear twice a year.  So anyway, the plumbers are showing up here in a few days to install a new water heater.  While they're here I have a couple other odd little jobs for them, too.   Hell, if you have a plumber at the house you better address all issues that day - to save money, of course.  We don't really have other issues other than I want to be able to remove the bathtub drain plug for snaking hair - I've tried but it is old and I can't remove it as it should be able to be removed so want a pro to make it so.  Also, we want to get a water filter for under our sink so we don't have to filter our cooking, ice and drinking water through a pitcher filter anymore.  Certainly not an absolute necessity in our city, just really our strong preference.  I will have to work that day but my lovely wife has off to host the plumbers and oversee their work.  I wish I could be here but I do trust this local company to get things done right, they have helped us out before.
• I didn't post about Christmas, but we did have a very enjoyable early one with my Mom and Dan and my sister Kelly and her kids James and Lindsey.  My brother couldn't make it with his family unfortunately or it could have been probably the best holiday with my sibs and nieces and nephews in forever.  In otherwords, I was disappointed it didn't work out that we all were there at the same time, oh well, what works out best for us does not always work best for others.  On Christmas Eve we had a nice evening with the my wife's family at her sister's house, the one with our 3 nephews.  All seemed to have a good time and some good gifts were given.  It is all for the kids to us these days, and I do enjoy these kids, the youngest is a sport.  It is kind of fun trying to get them the perfect gift for $$ dollars, and only $$ and not $$$ dollars.  They're kids, after all.
• I also found out that a good high school friend's wife passed from cancer very recently.  My contact info for him is out of date.  We kept in touch after high school, I was in his wedding, and we remain friends for many years but I have not talked to him in several.  I'm not sure what I would say right now, anyway, but I'd like to let him know that I'm thinking of him and his family.  RIP Becky.

I've been writing this post now over several hours now.  More typing than I thought I would do tonight and I have had other things going on.  My wife just left to go out with a couple friends for the next few hours and I expect to be in bed by 10, okay 10:30 at the latest.  Hmm, this posting should be delayed a bit maybe.  I do really, really, really want a good nights sleep tonight and I want to be up fairly early for errands and chores before the 11:00 am Badger game so I can have the rest of the holiday for relaxation - basically enjoy it while I can because mandatory overtime at work is almost inevitable after this week.

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

Aaron Rodgers' Doppelganger

I had to post this for the Packer fans that visit. Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers meets Tom Wrigglesworth, a comedian from Sheffield that has a bit of a resemblance...


via

This And Thats

It has been a week since I posted anything but not a lot has been happening.  It must be time for a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

• Work has been keeping me busier than I'd like.  I shouldn't complain, it is only 5 hours of mandatory overtime a week, but I still do.  Especially in the summertime it is nice to be off work at my regular time.  I do have a week off pretty soon, hopefully that will relax me, maybe change my attitude.
• We have been pretty dry lately, but not dry enough to turn the whole lawn brown again.  We've also been warm this summer, but not warm enough to use the air conditioning too often.  Overall a very nice summer.  I'd like more rain but we seem to be getting by for the moment.
• Ace Frehley's new album Space Invader comes out real soon.  I'll see how it sounds to me, but as long as it doesn't bomb it just may be my next LLP post.
• Due to reasons nonforthcoming, money has been a little tight recently.  Not too bad, but there is a lot that we need and want by this fall.  Kate is going to take some online classes so we need to get a laptop for her, and I've been wanting a power washer for several outdoor tasks around here.  We know what's number one on the list, after that is the 'wish' list that greatly declines in urgency as it gets longer.  I think we've prioritized well and should be able to get everything necessary by the time it's needed.  See also the overtime above.
• I missed my sister's kids birthday.  Sorry J&L, happy belated!  I'd like to think I'm getting better by creating a list with phone numbers, addresses and birthdays, but I still should get better with cards, especially with the kids.  I've never been a card person, but I really don't get to see the nieces and nephews much.
• Nothing new on the computer front, the old one is still humming along nicely.  It's easy to get complacent but we have to have a back up plan.  There was no warning last time it crashed and I don't expect one next time.
• The Packers play their first preseason game tonight!  Yeah, it's early and we won't see a lot of the starters, but some of the kids we do see may make the team.  I can feel the season coming!

That's what's going on in my world, what's going on in yours?  I hope it's more exciting.

Weak Week

What a week so far...  At least it has been very nice weather-wise, we've had highs in the sixties.  Plant sprouts are taller and, if my eyes aren't deceiving me, the lawn has turned slightly more green.  Next week will start off cooler, below average again with highs in the 40's.

Sam Dekker and Ben Brust after the loss.

The week started by waking up Sunday and avoiding all the articles on the Badger's one point loss the night before in the Final Four.  Oh, I got around to watching and reading most things eventually, but it was a hard pill to swallow.  68 teams go in but only one lucky team finishes with a win.

We'll get 'em next year, boys!

Instead I used my time on Sunday to get started on yard work.  I got the front and back yards fully raked, and I dug up and replaced the drain extension on the side of the house.  There is still some work to do there, though, so maybe I'll post a picture when it is completed.  Other than that there is not much to be done outside yet.  Kate has cleaned up the garden and planted a few things earlier this week.  I'm still hoping she will take over the posting at the garden blog.  I can take pictures easily but she would be better at describing what is happening back there.  My posts tend to be short and dependent on the pictures I take.

Yesterday morning I coughed really hard and threw my back out again.  I did go to work but left after a half day and took today off to try to recover.  I have to go in tomorrow, I just have too much to do.  Also, I have some time off later next week and I'm going to need to have some loose ends at work tied up and a good back to get done what I have in mind.  Back problems never arise at a good time, there is no good time.  I just do what everyone does - deal with it as best you can and carry on.

Badgers - Final Four

source

Tomorrow night, 7:49 pm CT, 24 hours from now!

Final Four! and Superstitions

The Wisconsin Badgers are in the Final Four!

Congratulations to the Wisconsin Badgers and Bo Ryan for earning a trip to the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four next weekend in Arlington, Texas!

It's pretty good being a sports fan in Wisconsin.  I enjoy it.  Most of the major Wisconsin Badger sports programs have enjoyed consistent success for some time now, about two decades actually, to bring respect to the university and teams.  The Green Bay Packers have been pretty good for a while now.  The Brewers have a wonderful stadium and game day experience, and on the field they are always trying.  They have issues but it could be worse, at lease they made the playoffs a few years ago.  And as for the beloved Milwaukee Bucks, well, bless their heart. ;-)

I've become aware that when I post something about  a game, like 'Go Badgers', in a post it never usually turns out well.  That's gotta be my OCD.  I rationally realize that nothing I write here, nothing I wear during the game, nothing I habitually have to do every game because I'm afraid to break a streak, none of that matters to the outcome at all.  Get over myself.

I'm far from alone.  You don't have to be OCD like me to have sports traditions, or more aptly, superstitions.  I'm not as attached to mine as I used to be, obviously since I'm writing this now the night my team punched their ticket to the Final Four.  But I do have them still, but they have changed, lessened, actually, the last few years.  For all Badger Men's Basketball and Badger and Packer football games I still always have to wear my gear.  Team t-shirt, hat, sweatshirt/pants, jersey, or all of them plus more you don't want to hear about.  And I do have little rituals still, but not like I used to.  There used to be candles, statues, flags, straws and even a gnome!  Wait, I still use the Packer Gnome.

Okay, I still have my game day superstitions and rituals, but at least I know that none of them can really affect the outcome of a game on TV.  They only make me feel like I helped maybe by doing something.  Or worse, hurt the team because I forgot something, say, put the flag out.  I hate it when that happens.

Go Badgers, really, grab that national championship!