Blogday This and Thats

I started this blog 12 years ago today, shortly before we bought our house.  It's kind of funny how I use this site to refer back to when we want to know when something happened.  Usually, if it's worth writing about, then I wrote about it here.  Of course, I've written a whole lot of nonsense, too!  Speaking of nonsense, time to type again and see what happens.

• I'm ready for spring, now.  I shaved for the first time since last October and got a haircut for the first time also since October - but 2019!  It was just time to shave off the winter face coat, and of course it was cool for a few days so my face got a bit cold, but I'm used to it now.  I'll probably grow my little chin beard again like I usually do.  And I remember starting to think about a haircut in March last year, but then everything got locked down.  Once I shaved, I knew I had to finally get that haircut.  It's as short as it's been in a very, very long time now, but it'll grow out.
• We got some rain last night and today, and there's some more in the forecast, so hopefully they will lift the local burn ban and I can have a fire this weekend.  As long as it's not raining.  That might also throw a wrench in proceeding with the gardens this weekend.
• I've been enjoying the concert livestreams since all this started.  No, it's not the same as going to a show, but for live music lovers it's at least something.  I've lost count of how many I've seen now; a few from Code Orange, Xordia, Richie Scarlet, Stephen Pearcy, Pain, Diamante a couple times, Steel Panther, Wednesday 13, and many others I'm forgetting now, both ticketed and free shows.  There's a couple more on my radar soon, Bruce Kulick on the 16th and Poppy on the 24th.  Rock on!
• Aside from the new car, we made another big financial decision recently and refinanced the house.  We've been paying off extra for some time now, but now we knocked off a third of the years left on the mortgage and have a much lower interest rate, which feels pretty damn good.  It was a good time to buy the house back when we did, and now it just keeps going up in value. So again, good for us!
• I get my first shot two weeks from today, the Pfizer vaccine.  I'm very much looking forward to it, actually.  Fully vaccinated, I will have much more confidence going out and about and getting some semblance of 'normal' back.  Live music, dining out, gathering with friends and family, shopping and even just stopping off for a drink somewhere has been missed greatly, but I'm hoping it all gets better as we go this summer.

Well, I thought I might have more but that's all I can think of at the moment.  The cat's have been well, and have been loving the few times we've been able to open the windows so far.  Here's a recent video of them and, if you couldn't tell by the coloring, they sure act like brothers here!

Feeling the Easter Burn Today

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spring Chores and Garden Progress

Today has been the nicest day of the year so far, sunny and warm, all the things we've been lacking lately.  This afternoon I opened up all the windows for the first time this year, and it was so nice to let fresh air into the house.  But also being Saturday, I had a spring to-do list and a need to check things from that list, and one by one I cut that list down.  Mostly a lot of little things to get done outside now that spring is here, but then there's this years big spring project of rebuilding the gardens.  So after checking off a lot of little things, it was time to start on the big ones.

It took about as long to put all the gardens together as it did to get that protective film off.  A couple hours, is all, and I did use a sealant between the pieces before screwing them together.  Despite putting them together on a makeshift platform atop the bins, they seemed to be self-leveling because of the corrugation as I tightened the screws.  I was planning on putting them together on the floor of the garage, sliding my chair along, but the state of my back recently made me try to get a big enough platform off the ground, and it seemed to work pretty good.

After the gardens were put together I started in on the deconstruction of the old gardens.  I had only planned on removing the fence and railings today, but two boards on the west garden just basically fell off.  For some reason the East garden has seemed to age better, but we'll see when it finally all comes off.  I put many of the smaller pieces of wood in the garbage bin, but a pile has started in the garage next to the stored new metal gardens.  Once I get all the wood removed I'll be cutting it all to a size I can transfer to dispose of it properly.

This was all done carefully today as my back has been acting up again, but I don't think I injured myself any further.  It's manageable as long as I take my time and minimize the stress I put on my lower back, and I will definitely be taking a muscle relaxer tonight.  I'm more sore than I care to admit since I've not had as much exercise this past winter as I normally would, but I'm hoping with spring and vaccination this will change and we can more confidently get out and about much more.  

But anyway, at this point we'll see what we can get done tomorrow, but it may not be as much as today.

New Garden Plan

It's been a beautiful day and I was out of work to do so I logged off early and decided to get a few things done outside.  The last week and a half have been mostly overcast, rain and cold and when we did happen to see the sun it was just plain cold.  While we've had some good days so far this spring we still get overnight temperatures below freezing and the next two days will be chilly with highs around 40ºF, about 4ºC.  We have yet to have a day with the windows open, but possibly this weekend, and I sure look forward to it!

I started by moving some dirt around to fill the gap in some areas under the new back fence.  I wanted it straight across the back yard so there were lower areas in the middle.  I think it looks a lot better not seeing sunlight come underneath the fence.  The hostas will start growing soon and cover it all up, then in fall I can look again and maybe add more before the next season.

I also cleared out the right side of the compost bin and shoveled some of the more recent additions from the left to the right.  Last fall we knew we were going to redo the gardens so didn't add the compost to them.  Well, in the east garden I had removed a lot of dirt to fill in some flowerbeds last fall, and that's where I put the compost dirt.  It was just time to get the compost bin sorted so the left side can do its thing while we add to the right, then do the opposite next year.  My goal was to move as little dirt as possible when rebuilding the gardens, but everything will likely need to be moved and replanted.

After that, I turned my attention to the new gardens we bought, galvanized metal raised bed gardens.  I had been thinking of building them out of treated lumber again, until I saw these in the Ama-zone.  They appealed to me because they may last longer than the wood. I didn't think my wife would like them, but she was very good with it.  I had a two pack on my list, but suddenly that was unavailable.  I found them individually for a bit more and, as quantities were low, we bought 4 of them that night at about 80 bucks each.

The gardens we have now I built 5 feet wide by 8 feet tall, outside measurements, with a 2 foot path in the middle.  The plan was always to put a 2 foot path in the middle crosswise, too, so there would be four smaller gardens measuring 5 feet wide and 3 feet tall.  These metal gardens are exactly that, 5' x 3'.  As for fencing, we kicked that can down the road and will deal with it as needed.

So, anyway, when I turned my attention to the gardens the first step was to get the blue protective film off them, which for 4 gardens was a lengthy task.  I spent two hours just on this, but was enjoying myself while listening to music in the garage.  When I was done I mocked one up on the floor with the rest of the pieces in the middle.  We lose a bit of space with the rounded corners but that isn't a worry.  

We'll have to see what the weather wants to do, but soon it will be time to roll up our sleeves and start in earnest.  First, all the old wood will need to be removed, cut, and hauled to the dump.  Followed by dirt moving and plant replanting.  This weekend is supposed to be our nicest weather yet this spring, so I'll likely be out assembling the new gardens in the garage, and probably starting the deconstruction of the old gardens.  I'm considering using a silicone sealant between the pieces of the new metal gardens when I screw them together, what do you think?

Car Constellation Mystery

My wife bought a new-to-us car yesterday, a minivan.  We were due to replace her car and she needed a vehicle to help get her dad around.  A specific make and model, actually, to accommodate a wheelchair lift in the back.  She's been looking for quite some time but it seemed as soon as one became available it sold.  She got lucky this weekend and found one online on Friday afternoon, called the dealer, and arranged for a test drive first thing Saturday morning.  It's a Dodge, so we are no longer an exclusively Toyota household, but that's okay as long as it fits the bill.  Next step is getting the lift installed, and I think once they get it delivered to the shop it will take maybe a week to install.  Just in time for the good weather!

We got the grill out and had burgers last night and it was delicious!  I had really missed grilled food all winter.  Later, I was out by the fire and we had a pretty nice and clear night sky so I managed to get a few shots of the easy to find constellations.  Not a bad view for the trees around us and living right in the city, I thought.  Of course, I had known the ISS was going to fly by but I totally forgot when I was out there so missed that opportunity.  These pics were taken about an hour after.  I'll also put a mystery picture after the break.  I will entertain guesses as to what it is, but at this time I will neither confirm nor deny!

Facing SSW, Orion is partially behind the tree.

Then facing NNW is Cassiopeia with the North Star in the upper right.  And Cassiopeia always points over to..

...the Big Dipper, here in the NNE sky.  And the top two stars of the Big Dipper
 always form a line that points back to the North Star, out of the shot to the left.

76 Days

It had been 76 days since I had a fire, until tonight.  My last fire was on December 27, and I posted about it here the next day.  Today is a full day with traveling to get the beef (see post from earlier today), doing an inventory and putting away the beef, taking a nice nap, spending a couple hours around the fire and now relaxing for a bit before a concert livestream starts in a half hour.  This is a pretty good day.

And garden rebuilding decisions have been made.  More soon.

Beef! Quarter Cow #5

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

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

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

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

Pictures from the trip are after the break.

Back Yard Visit

We took another walk this afternoon, the most beautiful day yet this year with temperatures right now at 62ºF (about 17ºC).  Coincidentally, the same as it was exactly one year ago today per my post last year of two days later.  That was a Sunday and we got the grill out for dinner then.  We've not gotten the cow yet, so not much for us to grill to be able to do that tonight.  Also different than last year is we don't have the rabbit population we did then, so not near as much rabbit poop left behind in the back yard - except for where I stood for this picture yesterday, of course!

I made several trips in my big snow boots out to the compost bin so far this year, and one side trip over to the woodpile to re-fasten the velcro on the right side.  I retraced my steps back through the deep snow to my path to the compost bin, so only one set of tracks and you can still see them here, barely hanging on.  Pretty dramatic difference from where the sun hits and where it doesn't.

The forecast calls for it to get cooler, day by day, until next week when there is (so far) a chance for snow again on Monday, but we'll see.  Do you have spring fever yet?

P.S.  Happy Birthday to my sister, Kelly!

Neighborhood Yard Art/Signs

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

Thawing Out

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

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

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

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

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

I've Been Probed!

After work this afternoon I sat back down at my desk for some relaxing on the internet.  Not every day, but every so often I look at my website statistics.  Today was one of those days and holy cow!  Per Google Analytics, I had 268 users for 274 pageviews yesterday?!  When I go into the details of the graph you see here, the 44 up top is searches of all my labels, then several for views of each month for certain years and some Latest Listening Pleasure posts, then the big bottom one is views for what seems to be all of my LLP posts!  

Curious, I looked at the Blogger stats and it showed 288 pageviews yesterday.  That's only a few dozen less than I normally get a month!  Oh, and notice almost all are from the UK?  What's going on over there, guys?  Could it possibly be Wargasm UK fans?  Or - probably more likely - just some 'bot checking me out?  What would you make of this?

LLP Bonus - Wargasm UK

Less than two weeks ago I came across the young duo Wargasm UK on Youtube.  I'm constantly looking out for new shows, concerts and livestreams, so it was probably in my recommendations.  They had a short set on video, filmed during lockdown for the Download Festival channel.  I found the video to be heavy and fun and new and, well, I found it interesting enough to dive head first down that rabbit hole immediately after enjoying the show.

They are Sam Matlock and Milkie Way, from London, and while they call themselves Wargasm I see them referred to as Wargasm UK in several places.  I'm pretty sure that's because there's already been a band named Wargasm for a few decades now, but they're kids so I'm sure they didn't know.  If you're into genres they call themselves Nu-Metal, but call it what you will, I only know that I like what I like and that's as it should be.  While I've not been able to get their music out of my head recently, they need to do a bit more over longer to justify me writing a full LLP post, I think.  Wargasm UK has no albums and only 7 singles released since they started a couple years ago.  That's all I found of them, aside from remixes, and I bought them all digitally the only place I could find them - Amazon.  I thought it was well worth it to encourage their behavior and I hope I hear much more of them, and sooner than later.  (I also hope it's even better!)

I'm not sure I have a favorite song they do, but this one is real good.  And while they have some good live videos out there, here's the official video for their song Spit.  Enjoy!