Easter This-And-Thats

I haven't really been in a writing mood recently.  I managed to post about the pavilion, but there are a few other topics I've been meaning to mention so time to sit, type and see what happens.

• Today is Easter, but this doesn't mean much to us.  I had a paid holiday for Good Friday and my wife and I may venture out later today, as we tend to do on Sundays, but will have to check ahead to see what's open.  I was going to go down to my Mom's yesterday as my sister and her kids are there this weekend, but things to do and I've been real sick of driving lately so I stayed home.

• My wife was laid off from her job this past week.  She found out about it 2 months ago, so had to endure all that time knowing, but meanwhile her anniversary came and went so she got all her time off back which will be paid out, and a severance package as well.  Another bad decision by a terrible company that keeps losing contracts, but it was her career.  She does not plan to look for a new job until her dad dies, and we're in a good enough position she can do that.

• 
  Also this past week we had to take Basil to the vet twice.  He'd lost weight, had a UTI and we already know he gets crystals real bad.  He'd also stumbled at times, and started withdrawing from us and eating less.  He got an antibiotic shot, a pain shot, and was already on medicine for hyperthyroidism but that dose got doubled.  It's taken several days but he does appear to be acting normal and feeling much better now, thankfully.  And today both the cats turn 13 years old.

• We recently bought two new computers, a laptop for my wife since she had to turn in the one she was using and a desktop tower for me because of the display driver issue this one has, plus it often shuts itself off.  Never while I'm using it, but while it's in sleep mode, and it seems to be happening more.  Both are made by Lenovo, a new brand to us but great reviews so we just went for it.  I'm going to have to take my wife's in for help getting it out of S-mode - Microsoft's new security that goes overboard in trying to save you from yourself.  I just hooked up the desktop and got that going briefly, and thankfully I don't have it on this one.  I did hook the old computer back up because I have some work to do before making the switch.

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  I've taken a few weekends off from baking recently, but I did make a cheesy garlic bread yesterday that I saw in a ToYoube video.  It just looked so good, so I made it and it was, but it made a mess of the oven.  I used a frozen bread dough loaf so it was quicker and easier for me, but this is one of those recipes that was fun to try but I may never make it again.

We still may get out this afternoon, but it is raining now and the day seems destined for rest and relaxation indoors.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend.

Thai Pavilion at Olbrich

I had the occasion for work to be at Olbrich Gardens recently.  Our group was among a couple dozen people waiting for the doors to open promptly at 10:00 a.m.  The morning was overcast and windy, but warming so a light jacket was good for walking the garden's paths.  

It's early yet so only the early spring flowers were blooming, and still no leaves on the trees, but soon.  When it came in sight, shining through the trees, I steered our group over the bridge to see it.  Somehow, and taking random paths to find ourselves there, we were the first to cross the bridge over Starkweather Creek and approach the Thai Pavilion so, with no people in the way for the moment, I made time to take some pictures.

The pavilion is an impressive sight in person, very detailed and shiny.  The stone has a glare, but reads:  "This extraordinary Thai Sala, the only one of its kind in North America, was gifted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and City of Madison by the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association in 2001."

When I consider it more deeply I see the glaring affluence much more than the practicality, but it's one of only four outside of Thailand so another shiny object for Madison and the university to boast about.  Still, it is pretty spectacular and would look even better in the summer sunlight.  You can learn more about it here.

I was here last year but the pavilion was covered, closed and enclosed for renovations all season.  I thought I posted some pictures from that visit but I can't find that I did.  But you can see the the Bolz Conservatory at Olbrich in this post from 2018.

I'll put a few more pictures after the break, including a picture of the map for the curious.  I'm not sure I ever followed the map there, just wandered through, normally.

First Fire and Bat Shit

I had my first fire pit of the season on Friday night.  I was out there early, well before dark, as I didn't want to be out there very late.

It was a nice evening, cool but not cold, and the winds were light.  I got all the little stick litter burned up that had accumulated in the fire pit since last fall.  

The lilac that I had to remove for the fence installation last spring got cut into smaller pieces to burn, but is a bit wet yet.  

And I forgot about a pile of sticks from neighbor Jane's small trees that were hanging over our driveway by the garage.  I'll have to get those next time.

The moon was a day away from being full, and nice to see the last two solar lights, which I left out all winter, continue to be working well.

I was happily surprised to see bat shit under the bat house on the back of the garage.  And happier to realize that it was indeed guano and not bird shit as they've tried to build a nest on top of the bat house in years past.  I did not see any bats in it that night or the next day when I took these pictures, but I will be checking.  

After several years with just a rare visitor or two, I'm very pleased the bat house is getting used.

Street Reconstruction Part 18, Burn Day & Blogday

Yesterday morning, shortly before I had to leave for work, we had to scramble to get my car out of the garage and her van into the driveway.  We knew there was no parking on much of the street starting this morning, but they had gotten to work earlier than we expected.  It was time to plant the trees on our street and the next street over.

I grabbed a quick picture after our little fire drill, and after the holes were drilled on the terraces for planting the new trees.  The workman walking by the hole where my wife was parked was a coincidence.  I had no time to try for a better picture as I had to then leave for work.

When I got home, several new trees had been planted.  There's been lots of trees cut down since we moved in, now each had finally been replaced.  And in almost the exact same spots, too.  Not surprising, actually, when you think of the underground utilities going to each house.  My wife said they were easily done by noon, which didn't surprise me with such an early start.

The second picture shows the new tree in front of neighbor Jane's, and not many more.  A similar shot on the other side of the street facing the opposite direction would have shown several more, but neighbors might wonder what I'm doing over there taking pictures, and they all look pretty much the same right now anyway.

Another thought about the street:  If it had to be parking on one side only then I'm very glad its the other side.  Especially on garbage day when the bins are all out.  No parking within 4 feet of a driveway or within 2 feet of the next car, per city rules.  We've not had a big issue yet, Kate and I, but I know others have had to adjust, especially when someone else has guests over.  And I know one neighbor has to park at least one and sometimes two cars all the way up at the top of the street on the next block.  Older and adult kids living with parents clog up much of the parking, at least on this end of the street.

Separate from the street reconstruction, we had another *biennial (*corrected) rite of spring happen.  While I was at work today the city did a controlled burn along the creek.  I'll add those pictures after the break, if anyone would like to take a look.  The banks of the creek won't be this clear for another two years.

And, finally, today is my 16th Blogday.  Still chugging along, after all...

Slowly Spring

Slowly but surely spring is springing around here.  While no trees have leaves yet, there are buds, some plants are coming up and the grass is turning green again.  We also have one daffodil plant flowering and another just about to open.  Still seems pretty chilly most days, though about normal, I guess.  Recent days have started below freezing and may get close to 50ºF in the afternoon.  So yes, it is spring here, it just seems to be coming on very slowly.

We put cages around the new bushes we got to go along the fence last year.  Even with a mild winter, the rabbits have eaten them down terribly.  Maybe the outside ones will come back if protected, but I'm not seeing any sign of life from the middle one yet.  The critters just have no fear back there so can and will eat everything they fancy, anything we try.  I even had to cage a small area of lawn I'm trying to reseed but it kept getting dug up when I did.  I'd like some ornamental grasses, too, but those would stand no chance at all.  

I've also not had a fire yet this spring even though there were a few opportunities.  But nights are cold, and I've just begun to do some outside spring chores.  Pretty much just those cages, seeding, and cutting up the lilac wood for burning, from what I had to remove for the new fence last year.  The garage got swept out, and I considered putting the snowblower away for the season, but didn't.  No, not quite yet.

Green olive focaccia bread

Spring Plants And Flatbread Fun

When I got home Friday afternoon I found myself surprised that I saw plants starting to come up.  It's been a relatively mild winter and we've had mostly above average temperatures recently.  But it is still March and I guess I still expect freezing temperatures and at least one more snowstorm.  We do have days forecast with low temps below freezing and high temps above, but I've put away some winter clothes already.

That same day, Friday, I found the first crocus to sprout in our yard, in the bed along the dark side of the house.  After taking this photo I went to the back yard where we get scores every spring and I couldn't yet find one.  It's still March, though.

March Madness.

I've been watching a lot of basketball recently.  My Wisconsin Badgers have been on a run in the B1G tournament and will play in the championship game tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully a great win and a good seed in the NCAA tournament, to be announce tomorrow evening.  Go Badgers!  

On a side note, Cuba City won the division 4 girls state high school championship this afternoon, coached by my cousin.  Congratulations, Cubans!

Before the games today I did a lot of housework and made some of my flatbread, which has become a staple in this household.  Now, flatbread and pita are two very similar recipes but different cooking methods.  My flatbread is dry fried in a hot pan on the stove, and pita is baked at high temperature on a baking stone.  The last few of my flatbreads today did wonderful pita impressions, though, so I grabbed my camera.

After the break are photos of that last flatbread-posing-as-pita, and that batch.

Spring Porch And Dishwasher Ending

The porch warms quite nicely on sunny days during spring and fall.  The cats love the warmth and access again while we welcome the warmth into the house as the porch will need to close again around sunset.  Temperatures this week will be nice, even up to the º70F range on Friday.  Still, don't trust March.

The porch, mostly neglected over winter, will need a cleanup.

One thing I haven't kept up on here is our new dishwasher; yes, there was a problem.  Within a week we noticed water under the sink.  Upon further inspection, it was leaking about a half cup of water every time we ran it, and from what I could see - and I'm too old and broken to be getting under sinks like that - it was coming from the connection between the hose from the dishwasher and the air gap that rises above the sink.  We got the company's installer back out to look at it and he concluded it was an issue with a defective hose and they would be in touch.  After a week, I called to get an update.  It was handled as a warranty issue so the new hose part was coming from LG, and LG would have someone out to fix it.  A week later, that day came and their guys agreed with my assertation that the connection was the issue, and they fixed it easily.  I was initially impressed with this company, the availability of product and ease of installation.  Still, it got corrected somewhat timely and at no cost to us, so I guess we're happy for now.

I've been ill since I first recognized last Thursday afternoon.  It's not been a good several days this week but I feel I must be on the better side of it by now, though I'm still getting symptoms if I'm late taking the cold meds.  Never the less, I must get back to work.  But I know what I'm scheduled for tomorrow and I couldn't ask for much better for a first day back from this.

Focaccia March Note

Boy, this focaccia bread is super good.  It came out of the oven about noon today and is already gone.

I might make a couple batches of cheese pennies this afternoon, or I may not.  I feel kind of lazy.

Well, February came and went pretty quick.  Since the last post we fell into a deep freeze then came out of it with spring-like temperatures for a few days.  No more snow, but a bit of rain and all the snow on the ground is melted now.  Anything can happen in March, any year, but there's not much in the immediate forecast right now.

And yes, I'm aware of everything political that's happened and is happening now.  If you read regularly then you'll know how I feel, but it's all so obscene I'm just disassociating a bit right now.

My thoughts are slowly turning to spring chores, but I did notice yesterday that there was twine wrapped up in the snowblower.  I'll have to take a sharp blade to it and clear it soon in case the snowblower is needed again.  The twine is from getting too close to the hay mats they used to cover the grass seed out front after the street reconstruction.  My wife already mentioned getting wildflower seeds for the stump area and I'm starting to figure out what kind of sunflower to try this year.  And the more I look at the cable going to the pole across the street the more I want to cut it off the house.  If we ever needed that coaxial cable again it would need to be replaced anyway due to the kinks from being held up so long (for the street reconstruction).  Yes, lots of outside chores coming up, but it's mostly an enjoyable process.

Until then, we'll probably just be riding out the last of this winter season.  What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

Most Snow So Far

Wednesday it snowed all day, and we wound up clearing the snow from that storm twice, my wife with the shovel and me with the snowblower, after I got home from work that day and again early the next morning.  

Thursday was sunny though still below freezing, but we got some good melting on the streets, and especially on the busy, brined-in-advance, major roads while the original 5 or so inches of light, fluffy snow on the ground slightly compacted.  

Friday evening the snow started again, but it was late enough and still coming down hard enough to just wait to go out until morning.

Saturday it continued snowing more than not all day.  We cleared snow early that morning, then again early afternoon, but this time we both shoveled without using the snowblower as it wasn't as deep as earlier.  Still, with my back, that 1-2 inches was almost enough for me to use the snowblower anyway.  Later that afternoon we had to clear the end of the driveway a couple times due to the snow plows coming by.   

Sunday, today:  I salted a bit last night, but I still had to clean up from a good dusting of snow overnight.  This picture was taken after I shoveled this morning, but even though it only got up to around 20ºF the sun came out and again we got good melting on the streets and walks.  What I mean by that is shoveled and plowed areas melted off nicely.  This is important now because though we won't be getting more snow we're going to be very frigid these next few days so all the wet snow will freeze hard in place, wherever it is.

I'm not sure of the exact number, but all in all it would seem to be about 8-10 inches of snow since Wednesday, to me.  Right now we have more snow on the ground now than we've had all season long.  I'm going to have to look again for a website that I can get good, detailed, recent and local weather data.  Any suggestions?

New Dishwasher

A week ago our dishwasher died, the pump stopped working.  This one lasted almost exactly 7 years, and the one prior lasted only 5 years, but we run it almost every day and sometimes twice a day when I'm baking.  I got online and researched dishwashers and determined the one I wanted, and matching the range and refrigerator was a factor.  Not the most expensive one available, but certainly not the cheapest.  The first place I went did not have the one I wanted in stock and said it would be 1-3 weeks, but really he didn't know.  Not exactly a vote of confidence, so I said I'd have to get back to him and left.  Before I even left that parking lot I was on my phone looking for the next place to shop.  I found a place, they had it in stock and it could be delivered and installed on Saturday.  All in all, it cost about the same as the last dishwasher, about a grand.  But this process couldn't have gone smoother and this retailer will be my first stop next time I need a large appliance.

I took yesterday and today off from work, so got some more baking done.  I made another round of the new baguette recipe, a batch of flatbread, and pan pizza dough over the weekend.  And yesterday I tried the recipe again for hamburger/hot dog buns.  The first time I tried the buns came out flat.  This time the hot dog buns turned out better but the hamburger buns were still flat.  I've come to the conclusion that the recipe calls for less dough than needed for the buns I want, so I'll have to adjust next time, if there is a next time.  I'm not crazy about this recipe so I may look for another recipe for buns.

The pan pizza dough is awesome.  It doesn't make much, but plenty for dinner for two people.  My wife likes it, too, and it's easy to make so looks like this is another recipe that will get made more often around here.

Other than that, I won 200 bucks on the Super Bowl.  Came close to winning more, but I can't complain.  Overall, I feel I came out about even for the season with this win.  Much better than last year, but it's all in fun, anyway.  And we got a couple dustings of snow recently, but tomorrow looks like it will snow all day and we're expected to get 3-6 inches, total.  That would be our biggest snowstorm of the season so far.  We need it as it's been mostly dry all winter, but I hope mother nature doesn't try to catch up too much this late in the season.