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!

Just Okay Friday

Well, I wound up disappointing my wife in one of those ways that I should have seen coming but I'm a man therefore stupid blind to all hints and unable to understand the simplest gestures until all is lost and apologies are even a last ditch, lame sounding, even-I-don't-believe-me pathetic gesture.

My lovely wife wanted to spend our rare afternoon off together making a short round of our favorite bar/restaurants and have an appropriate drink and appetizer/food item at each place.  I don't eat much during the day so did not have much of an appetite when we started out, and well, my lack of appetite at the time made my wife not order anything and it just did not turn out like she wanted.  I went about it too casually and should have looked at our time this afternoon more like a date.  By not doing so, I let her down.

Mr. Donut may have saved an ugly fight, tonight.  After exiting our last stop and realizing how bad I messed up we were stopped in the parking lot just before getting into our car by the owner of a well respected local bakery who insisted on giving us his last box of donuts out of the back of his luxury SUV.  His name is Marv and he seemed a very nice man who was in a grand mood.  Today was Good Friday so maybe he was out seeing clients and making deliveries and some friends along the way.  I don't know why, but the donuts were delicious!  The (taped shut) box had 15 in it and you could tell by the freshness that they had been baked that morning.  After we (me) ate more than a  few and before sugar shock kicked in my wife smartly wrapped and froze half or more of them for another day.



I was Homer Simpson today in more ways than one.  Mmm, donuts...  Not good.

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!

Sprung Spring

Just a quick note to acknowledge the dramatic change in our weather.  In a week our high temperatures raised over 40 degrees, from highs in the teens or lower at the end of the previous week (Grandma's funeral) to over 50º F by the middle of last week.  Right now it is 71º F.  Very nice.  I have to re-learn how to dress myself.  Winter coat in the morning, light jacket midday and none in the evening?  Who carries two coats around all day?  Sigh.  I'll adapt, I always do!

Pictured here is the yard on Saturday.  The only snow left was in the shade along the back fence.  Today there is no snow left in the yard and after work we got a little bit of raking and picking up sticks done.  There is always much to do in spring, waiting for the proper time can be difficult, though.  I finally got my pressure washer, it will first be used to clean the foundation (and I may as well get the siding while I'm at it) so we can repaint it before the plants come up.

Daylight Saving Time

How is this still a thing?  

A bit late for the topic, but I must agree.  There are no discernible benefits to our bi-annual time shift, so why do we continue what is generally viewed as a useless tradition?  Dubya (President George W. Bush) altered the dates for no apparent reason in 2005.  That's enough for me now, I blame him!

In reality I think we would all adjust rather easily.  The video is entertaining - watch it!


via B&P

RIP Grandma L

My paternal grandmother passed away on Monday morning.  She was 95 years old and had lived independently up until only a couple months ago.  I had last seen her on September 9 of last year, my mother and I had met at grandma's place for a visit.  I liked visiting with her but I usually always had someone with me, just to help fill the silences.  It can be hard to keep a conversation going for a few hours, for me anyway.  Grandma loved talking about the farm where she grew up and I was able to get part of one of those stories on video that day.  Two days later she called me to wish me a happy birthday - a message that I still have on my phone.  I think part of me really thought that it may be the last time I see her, and it was.

We drove down, about an hour and change away, on Wednesday afternoon and checked into a hotel before going to the wake.  I had just been here less than two years ago for my maternal grandmother's funeral.   Like then, there were several relatives I had not seen in a long time - aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins that have grown up and, in many cases, had moved away.  It was very nice to see them all again.

A few years ago I was visiting with her and she asked me to be one of her pall bearers.  Of course, I told her, and I was.  My brother and sister always used to tease me about being her favorite.  I was her first grandchild, but I cannot say that I was the favorite.  Maybe they were just rotten kids.  I think I'll just go with that.  Thursday morning was the last visitation and funeral service.  It was nice as far as church things go, grandma didn't need to know I'm agnostic/atheist.  The ceremony by the grave site was shortened as it was very cold that morning, barely above zero, so no one lingered long.  Afterward was a lunch in a small hall attached to the church.  It was a last opportunity to visit with everyone before we all went our separate ways again.

I'm fresh out of grandparents now.  A sign of getting older, I guess.  RIP Grandma L, I will miss you.

Andrew Bird - Echolocations

Just because I like Andrew Bird and I find this refreshing and relaxing.  Enjoy.

Flat Tire and Trouble Walking

Friday is the work day we all can't wait to arrive but when it has we can't wait for it to be over.

When I went to break this afternoon I checked my phone - I had two texts and a phone message waiting.  I never see that type of activity so I knew something was up.  It was my wife, she was okay but she got a flat tire just down the road after leaving work and was waiting for Triple-A to come and change her tire so she could get home.  I gave her a call while she was waiting for them and after some discussion we decided to go ahead and get new tires, the cheapest available and only on the front.  I called the shop right away and arranged for service on Monday.

See, we recently paid off my vehicle so we have no car payment at all now.  We have been discussing getting rid of her 1997 low riding ashtray sedan for a newer vehicle.  We have had it since 2000, so for 15 years now and it has definitely seen better days.  With my broken body it is barely usable for me, I can barely get in and out of the tiny and low car anymore.  The plan is to acquire a new vehicle for me so my wife can drive the car I drive now.

My 2003 RAV4, stock

The problem is that I love my car.  When we get a new one, I will drive the new car and have garage parking to protect the investment and so my wife can smoke in the older car, a 2003 model, and keep parking that vehicle on the street or driveway in all seasons - as I do with same vehicle now.  We always kept her older car in the garage because first; I'm a gentleman and her car is clean and sheltered all seasons, and second; it, frankly, increased the chances of it surviving the last several winters.  Being the non-smoker, I will suck it up and drive the new car (when purchased) and enjoy the garage access for the first time in my adult life.  I'm sure I'll still be using both cars, they will be more interchangeable for short trips and I will make her keep it cleaner than the old car she drives now.  Now for me, let's start talking about heated seats, USB ports, colors and all other options!  Okay, maybe too early for that, but we may have to start looking into it soon.

Meanwhile, on to a story my wife - Miss Trouble Walking herself - told me about her younger days after we got home from dinner and drinks tonight:

She and her bff Terry dropped out of a night school gym class after getting caught not walking during an independent walking exercise class, 45 minutes, for school credit, on their own, outside.  She said they would walk to the car, parked a block away out of sight, then drive around and smoke, listen to music, you know - do what kids would do.  Then they would try to come back like nothing happened - and they got caught.

Like, just take a fucking walk around a block or two, girls!  Wow.  Youth - we've all been there.

We had a good laugh, and there is more detail to the story but she can post it herself if she wishes.  She has always had an open invitation to post but has yet declined.

I hope every one of you has a great weekend!  LLAP

Think Spring!

No, this is not here.  Wherever it is, I admire their artistic optimism!      via Bits & Pieces

Valentine's Day Dinner

On Valentine's Day I went to dinner with three lovely young women, my wife Kate, her friend Terry and Terry's sister Becky.  In reality, I wasn't lucky enough to have three dates for the holiday, but I was lucky enough to tag along for a different dining experience at the Bourbon Street Grille - on the south side of Madison and located on the Yahara River - on what just happened to be the heart-y holiday evening.

Have you ever heard of a pasta board?


Me neither.  And while it was good, it was still eating spaghetti and meatballs off the table.

Actually, it is a specially treated board that covers the table and I'm sure they wash it very thoroughly.  The recipe for the sauce was supposedly bought from a local legendary Italian place that is no longer, and it was very good.  The meatballs were large and fine-tasting.  The pasta was just pasta and the salad and bread were just okay.

The whole thing about this by-reservation-only dinner is the novelty of eating off the table.  You use the pasta spoon to pull a pile in front of you and still have your sides and drinks beside it on the table.  I'm not really trying to knock it, but now that I've had the dinner for myself, it is still just eating pasta off the table.  We actually did have a good time while doing so and because Terry got a great groupon deal it was not expensive, thank you for dinner, Terry!  Overall, though, I don't really see myself needing to ever to do that again.

Sorry for the blurry pics, I hate the camera on my phone but that is for another post.