Plants and Flowers

Ends and Odds

I was looking at old posts a while ago and came across this video I posted 10 years ago, and I still enjoy it.  I didn't know who it was then, but it's At The Bottom Of Everything, by Bright Eyes.



I actually had this as a draft and scheduled to post on June 8, exactly 10 years after I originally posted it, then must have forgot to hit 'publish.'  Somewhat relevant as I just posted about airplanes, and I came across it today so here it is.

I also had this cartoon that I saved some time ago, I forget from where, because I liked it.  I don't mean to offend anyone who believes in religion, but I don't, obviously.

I did some more work on the long-fabled cat box area project today, still a long way from being done but it'll get there.  I have everything I need now but the good back for it.  After a couple weeks without one, I may have another fire tonight.  Gif below is from last night.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Planes, Planes, Planes

We live on the near east side of Madison, Wisconsin, just a couple miles south of Dane County Regional Airport and Truax Field, home of the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.  The main runway is in line with a few blocks to our west, so we get a really good view of the air traffic.  The amount of traffic can vary at times, actually rather busy as I type this, and consists of very small to medium/large passenger planes.  Depending on the day and weather we either get take-offs or landings.  I like the landings as we get a better view of the planes, while the take-offs can be louder because planes are accelerating but they are also getting higher and can veer off to either side.

We knew about this aspect when we bought the house ten years ago, and it wasn't a concern then and it still isn't now as we really love our house, our location, and our proximity to work and local businesses (and the bike path though we need to take more advantage of it).  I've even grown to really like watching them - in fact, I think I always have liked it.  Sometimes the jets can get real loud, but they are somewhat fascinating as well - and nice to know we are so protected here in the upper Midwest.  And they almost always go in twos, so if you hear one, get ready for another one coming.  They also usually advertise when they will be doing extensive training, but that doesn't seem to stop some idiots in the neighborhood from complaining on the neighborhood farcebook page (I'm told).  Once, we even saw a military transport plane taking off over us - it was so big and so low it felt like I could throw a rock and hit it!

Pursuant to a conversation with blogger friend Blue Witch in the comments a few posts ago, I thought I would try to get some video to share to show what we see daily.  Now, I may hear scores of them go by on a single day, but I'm not usually in a good position to capture it on video.  In fact, the first one I took after that conversation may be the best of them all.  It's the first one in the video compilation below, in the evening with the plane's lights on.  Over the last week or two I've tried to get video and found it's not as easy as I thought.  First, I've not had a fire the last couple weekends so I've not spent that much time out in the yard and ready to record.  I've tried running out when I hear one coming, but to very mixed results, as you will see.  And I always seemed to miss the bigger ones, and the Frontier ones where I can try and make out the animal on the tail.  I've no video of the jets yet though I'll keep that in the back of my mind for future, but they're not just loud - they're freaking fast!

Total, I got over a dozen videos, 11 of which are compiled below, one of which I would take out if I wanted to spend more time on it.  Only the last video is of a take-off, this afternoon and right overhead.  I used Windows video editor for the first time to make one video out of all the clips and spent very little time on it.  Sorry, but it's good enough for this purpose.  It is posted to my YouTube account, but it is not listed for the moment, it's only posted here.



Yes, we have noise in the background here on the near east side; airplanes, street traffic, even and railroad tracks a few blocks away.  I've noticed this more than ever during this recent time of trying to get video of airplanes.  I do remember once several weeks ago, later at night out by the fire, hearing a plane, a train, and the traffic all at once and thinking that would be an interesting thing to capture.  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!  We'll see, maybe that opportunity will arise this summer.

Basil's Vet Trip Today

Basil has not had a good year so far.  He's had crystals in his bladder and urine, blockages, several trips to the veterinarian, and eventual surgery in late March.  Since that surgery and spending a month in a cone things have been going relatively well until recently we noticed him leaving little pink dots on the carpets.  He had a urinary tract infection, which he is more prone to now since the surgery.

Today I took Basil to the vet.  For as many trips out of the house this year as he's had, he still gets seriously stressed.  We prepared by not letting the cats see the carrier and then separating them with Hamish in the front of the house and Basil in the back, like we had to do for several weeks after the surgery.  He did not want to get in the carrier, but we got him in and he only howled a bit as I drove the few blocks to the vet's office.  My wife, meanwhile, had a family event to attend at that same time.  Once Basil and I got to the vet he was quiet and eerily calm, even letting me pet him in the carrier - until they tried to take him out of the carrier.  He didn't overtly attack as they had a good hold of his scruff, but he hissed and screamed bloody murder a lot.  He peed himself in the carrier, pooped on the table, briefly had is teeth looked at though he showed them to us lots, got a rabies vaccine and generally did not have a good time.  But they got enough pee out of the carrier to test and confirm the UTI.  We left with antibiotics, Gabapentin for his hyperesthesia (twitchy butt) and pill pockets.

He was quiet on the way home, and I could see the hope in his eyes when I got the carrier out of the car.  Once inside, he exited the carrier immediately (more poop in the carrier) and ran for a quiet corner and started cleaning himself.  I got out treats right away and he was right there eating them up, which was a good sign, so I gave him the first antibiotic in the pill pocket.  I let Hamish out of the front of the house and the cats greeted each other, but Basil did get hissy.  Since then, Basil has cleaned himself more and they hung out on the porch for some time and I only heard a few hisses since.  I think we'll be okay now.

Some time ago I mentioned that I wanted to write about Basil and how he'd been doing.  At that time I thought we were done with this kind of thing, but he got hissy with Hamish that very night.  Over the last several weeks things have actually been pretty good, the only issue is mornings and evenings when we give them wet food.  When they are about to get fed, Basil gets jumpy, defensive and is easily startled - leading to more hisses and running away.  For a week or two now he just stays out of the kitchen and we bring his bowl outside the kitchen door and put it on the inside front door mat and he seems happy with that.  Hamish, meanwhile, has shown more patience with his brother than I originally would have thought.  It can't be easy having your brother act weird and hiss at you a lot, but I think he could tell his brother was not well.

So, Basil's saga continues, poor thing.  At least we're back on track and hopefully he'll feel much better again soon.

Fire And Ice (Cream)

I don't think I ever saw an ice cream truck when I was a kid, but I knew them from books and TV.  Now I see them every summer - well, we mostly hear them.  I don't normally see them go down our street, but it kept getting louder as I sat by the fire last night.  I should have had my money ready!

Holiday Fire Pit Views

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.  Though today is rainy, the last two days have been wonderful.  I did as I said and sat by the fire last night.  I also took lots of pictures because I just enjoy taking pictures and I'm still loving the fire pit.  Sit a spell, enjoy the view.  Wish you were here!

Panoramic view makes the yard look bigger.

Plant Day 2019

Yesterday was our annual 'Plant Day,' the day we get plants and fill pots.  Normally I do this on my own, but my wife helped this year so we got it done faster than usual.  And more hands was certainly a big help when potting.  We filled the stump with pots, planted several different ones in the big planter out front, and got the usual two hanging pots, one for by the front door and one for the back.  We only planted one perennial, out front by the stairs, coral bells or something, and the hanging plant for out front is a smaller one this year.  I liked the clean look of the smaller white pot and simple yellow flowers.  On the other side of the stairs out front we decided to, sometime this summer, dig up the bulbs that are there and return the area to lawn.  The soil and lack of sun just aren't ideal for flowers and we find it rather unnecessary at this time.

We've had two beautiful days in a row (for a change), but tomorrow will bring scattered showers and storms again so the time was now.  I wanted to get this done when I was on vacation but that never happened, mostly due to the cool, wet weather at the time.  I think we got a good selection and we look forward to watching them grow.  Oh, my wife also got a couple pepper plants and some herbs for the garden.  We may not be the best gardeners, but we haven't given up!  The garden blog is a different story.  I just don't have the time or energy to keep up a separate blog for the garden stuff, so if I post anything about the garden from now on, it will be here.

Soon I'll post a full yard tour because I want to show more than just the potted plants, I just don't want to take the time tonight, honestly.  And I have work to do on those plants yet.  The arborvitae out front really took a hit over winter and are looking pretty shabby, and the burning bush out back did not come back this year.  It was very old and very overgrown, and only has a smattering of leaves this spring.  I'll have to take the chainsaw to it eventually, and it will seem very bare there until we replace it with something.  My wife has suggested a lilac as our other lilac is also a very old bush and this could happen to it any year now and we wouldn't be surprised.  There's only a couple blooms on it this spring, I think.

Not sure what else to say but I wanted to get this posted sooner than later.  Right after I post this I'll be going outside and sitting by the fire pit and watch the day fade into night.  Maybe I'll try posting a fire pit picture from my phone, or maybe not.  I also want to post about the cats soon, just to explain further how they have been getting along and how we've been trying to get things back to normal after Basil's surgery and all that comes with that.  Plus, cat pictures are cute!

A few more interesting pics from yesterday after the break.

Vacation Wrap-Up

It was nice while it lasted.  Tomorrow morning I will be getting up at stupid o'clock and going back to work.  But I still have today.

Since my last post I've gotten a few things done, but not much as my back required me to take it easy for a few days.  And the weather this second half of the week has been much cooler and wetter than I had hoped for.  I never did get out on the bike, which disappoints me, but we've had a rather cool and wet spring overall with just a few very nice days here and there.  Even today they're calling for rain most of the day so I'll be mostly staying in and catching up on videos and articles that I never seem to be current with.

Friday afternoon I tested my back and knees by walking to our local bar to have a few drinks, and my wife would show up after work and pick me up.  On the way I got a picture of Starkweather Creek at the end of the block, picture taken from the Milwaukee Street bridge.  The water is a bit high as you can only see the top layer of rocks along the side (at the end of our street, further up from this bridge view), and a check on the lake levels shows all 4 lakes at (what is currently set as) the summer maximum.  I've not heard anything about the lake levels lately, but they need to be lowered to prevent flooding issues like we had last year.  Unfortunately, it seems we may not have learned a thing from it.

Also during the walk I passed more community gardens along the railroad tracks.  There doesn't seem to be much activity yet, I'm sure due to the cool, wet spring so far.  We are behind compared to last year.  I hope we still have some time with moderate weather, rather than go straight from heating to air conditioning.  Open window weather is very nice, and we've only had a few opportunities so far this year.  After the walk we grilled out brats and I must have been in a picture taking mood as I took pictures of flowers and some of the trees over us.  I'll include some after the break, along with another picture of the cats, this time they're getting tall on the back of the computer chair.

Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.  I had also planned on getting plants, but sleeping in late and a dreary day and forecast postponed those plans.  Also, recently it occurred to me that I have an acquaintance of over 30 years that owns a jewelry store, so I got my wife a rather nice anniversary gift and we went out for a nice dinner at a more upscale restaurant in town.  I know being married to me can't be easy, but I do try and I love my wife very much.  Cheers to you, Kate!

Vacation So Far

So far it's been a good vacation, mainly because I've not had to go to work, but also because I've been getting lots of things done.  And that's despite coming down with a pretty nasty cold on Friday.  I didn't do much Saturday or Sunday other than lay around and be sick, but I steeled myself and powered through it on Monday and Tuesday, and finally started feeling like myself again yesterday.

First project was getting the basement steps painted, and it took two days because I did it in halves.  If anyone knows a better way I'm willing to listen for next time, but no, I did not feel every other step made sense as I know I would step on one I shouldn't while it was drying.  They had to be painted last at least several years before we bought the house, and we've been here 10 years now (yesterday).  I knew I wanted to paint them but didn't know how badly it was needed until I saw the side by side.  Drying time was mostly while the cats napped so there were no issues with them wanting downstairs.  I had a baby gate to keep them out and a temporary litter box upstairs if needed.

Aside from the stairs, I power washed and water sealed the back steps, washed and waxed the car, got lumber and hardware for the cat box area and did a plethora of smaller projects and tasks around the house that either needed to be done or I wanted done.  It feels good to mark things off my list, but unfortunately there's still just as much on the list as I've crossed off of it.  Mostly things that are not urgent and will not get done this week but I do want to keep them on my radar.

Yesterday evening my Mom and her husband Dan came up to see us.  It was a beautiful day yesterday, maybe the warmest day of the year so far as it made it up to the low 70's F.  We spent the hours around the fire pit talking and ordered out pizza and ice cream for dinner.  It was very nice to see them - and finally exchange Christmas gifts!  Yes, it had been too long as we didn't make it down there on Easter.  Thankfully, both seem very well and happy and it was a very nice visit.

Today is a different story.  I got a few things done early, then the rain moved in.  It should be gone by midday easily though there is a chance for more later in the afternoon.  In between the rains it's supposed to get even warmer today, into the upper 70's F, and my guess is it will also be very humid.  That leaves me to do a few inside chores today, but also a lot of resting as all the early week projects have left my back needing a break.  I've had some issues with my back recently, but thankfully not near as as bad as this time last year when I thought I'd be getting another surgery.

Tomorrow and the weekend looks like a few more showers expected, but hopefully I can get some more things done.  I don't plan on any projects over the weekend other than my wife and I want to get plants and fill pots on Saturday.  I've always enjoyed my spring 'plant day,' but it does get to be a little much so it will be nice having her help.  There are a couple other things planned, as well, but that's for a different post.

There's some more pictures after the break - with a little bit of captioning. ;)

Latest LIVE Listening Pleasure 34 - Buckethead

In keeping with my resolve since I turned 50 to get out and see more live music from touring acts that I would enjoy, I went out Tuesday night to the Majestic Theater to see Buckethead perform.  Buckethead is a very respected guitar player who has made several lists such as top ten shredders and top 25 weirdest guitarists, among others.  He has performed with many other acts but is probably best known as being a guitar player in Guns and Roses from 2000 to 2004, and his work was also on their 2008 album, Chinese Democracy.  He is also famous for wearing a white mask on his face and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head.

He performed with no opening act and no backing band, but played to a track most of the two hour show utilizing lots of effects most of the time, but did play pretty clean guitar at times as well.  I have some of his releases, but I don't listen to them enough to recognize any of his all-instrumental songs.  And he is a very prolific guitarist, having released 307 albums overall.  I had decided to go to this show due to the lack of other shows coming that I wanted to see.  I do enjoy his style of play and I am glad I went, but I also came down with a miserable cold starting Friday that I probably got from someone in that crowd.



Overall it was a good show, though.  Aside from his guitar playing he also does a mean 'robot' and even performed with nunchucks at one point before handing out what looked like dollar-store gifts to the fans in front.  Always handing them out carefully, never tossing or throwing into the crowd.  (That video is here, and a there's a couple more on my YouTube channel.)  Even as he left the stage before and after the encore it was with just a little wave as he was led off by his roadie.  His odd behavior reminded me of autism, but I've not read a word about him being autistic so I gather it's just another part of his act.

I'll be back at the 600-person capacity Majestic in July for a show that I'm really looking forward to - Diamante is coming as opener for the band New Years Day.  (There's a third band playing first that I'll have to look into later.)  I like both, but I'm a much bigger fan of Diamante.  Enough so that I even bought an opera box for the show.  Now I could just use a friend who likes the same kind of music to go to shows with!

Previous LLP Posts...
LLP 1 - Pain
LLP 2 - Nightwish
LLP 3 - Die Antwoord
LLP 4 - Pain part 2
LLP 5 - Andrew Bird LIVE
LLP 6 - Nightwish part 2
LLP 7 - Paramore
LLP 8 - Newsted
LLP 9 - U.D.O. LIVE
LLP 10 - Nightwish Imaginaerum Movie
LLP 11 - Kiss
LLP 12 - Rick Springfield
LLP 13 - Hyrax
LLP 14 - In This Moment
LLP 15 - Faster Pussycat LIVE
LLP 16 - Sebastian Bach
LLP 17 - Cradle Of Thorns
LLP 18 - Amaranthe
LLP 19 - Lindemann
LLP 20 - Halestorm
LLP 21 - Garbage LIVE
LLP 22 - Arcade
LLP 23 - Nightwish LIVE
LLP 24 - Ace Frehley
LLP 25 - Darkc3ll
LLP 26 - Dementia
LLP 27 - Rammstein
LLP 28 - Marilyn Manson LIVE
LLP 29 - The Harp Twins LIVE
LLP 30 - Diamante
LLP 31 - Steel Panther LIVE
LLP 32 - Scum Of The Earth
LLP 33 - Marty Friedman LIVE
LLP 34 - Buckethead LIVE

May This-And-Thats

I've not written anything for two weeks as things have been a little unsettled around here.  I'm tired and don't really feel like writing, but there are a few things to mention so it's time to start typing and see what happens.

• A week ago there was another cat fight between Basil and Hamish.  Brief, but nasty, and my wife got bit on the ass.  The first was a few weeks ago and we thought we had moved on.  They've had issues since the cone came off Basil.  We had them separated all week, trying here and there to get them back together and finally yesterday afternoon they have been able to be around each other.   Hamish misses his brother's company, but I think he was the cathole - if you will.  Basil is still defensive around him, hissing and growling at times.  Meal times still seem to be an issue, as well.  So we are tenuously existing with doors open at the moment but things have gotten tense at times.
• Since my last post we got snowed on again, also last weekend.  They called for 5-7 inches but we only got a couple, it stuck around overnight but melted by midday the next day.  Thankfully no plants seem to have been harmed, and that better be it for several months.
• I think completing a cat box area under the stairs is a grand plan for my vacation, but a bit unrealistic.  I need to paint the stairs first, so that and several other chores are making my vacation list.  Among them are power washing and sealing the back steps, replacing the dryer vent hose, and there will probably be a day of filling pots with plants.  This is better than putting too much pressure on myself for one big project.  It's supposed to be well-needed rest and relaxation, after all.
• I've not gotten the bikes out yet but that will change very soon.  Probably on my vacation as the next week is supposed to be rather dreary.  Again, grand plans until the time comes.  Sigh.  I want to spend at least one or two afternoons getting out and about riding on vacation.  Hopefully the weather will agree.

On the right are the same tulips, on April 25, the morning of April 28 in the snow that's left, and yesterday, May 4.  Well, I can't think of much more to say at the moment.  I'm sure I'll post something sooner than two weeks next time as I do expect a bucket of fun coming up this week - but more on that later.

Easter, Yardwork, Vacation Needed

My wife and I were supposed to go to my Mom and Dan's today for Easter lunch with them and my sister and her kids.  I bowed out last night, after working extra lately I was exhausted.  Yes physically, but much more mentally, either way rest is what I need.  It's my own fault for agreeing when I knew I've been in need of time off from everything to relax, and 4 hours driving is not relaxing.  So, my apologies to Mom and the family, I'll see you next time.

After another very long night's sleep I got a bit of yard work done today instead.  I moved the rock line along the back fence out another 6 or 8 inches and did a bit of garden repair.  The rocks always disappear when the hostas come in so I moved it out so maybe they'll still be visible and allow more room for the hostas and a better sight line in the summer months - and while mowing.  This was one of those jobs I really wasn't looking forward to, but I had it done within the length of the latest Slash CD.  I think I escaped without messing up by back, so I hope it's the last time I move those rocks.

Yesterday Kate cleaned up the stump area and gardens and planted lots of seeds.  The plants all around the yard are growing and starting to bloom.  But around the gardens the wood is starting to fall apart.  I knew they would have to be replaced eventually, I just hoped for longer than 10 years, I guess.  I staked the bottom right corner of the west garden by the door so it closes again and the wood doesn't fall out.  This will need to be addressed too soon, perhaps this fall and/or next spring.  I'll have to do some research this time before rebuilding.  And, for that matter, the back fence will also need replacing soon.

All in all, I only spent a couple hours working in the yard and have been pretty lazy most of the afternoon.  I need my batteries recharged for the upcoming overtime-mandated work week.  Soon I will be on vacation, I just need to make it a few more weeks.  But I'm tired.

Hanging Pot Rack

A few posts ago I mentioned a hanging pot rack that I was making and said I would post about it later.  Now is later as I completed it yesterday and, thankfully, my wife loves it.

When we got the new stove with the double ovens we lost the storage space under the old single oven so we needed a new place for our frying pans and some pots.  We looked at several online, but my wife wanted a wood one and we had very limited space.  In fact, the only feasible place was against the far wall of the kitchen in front of the window, and we didn't like the hanging ones we saw.  We settled on a wood kit from Amazon that I sanded, stained and finished so it would blend in better with our woodwork.  I also had to get much bigger brackets than the ones that came with it to place the rack out from the window a bit.

It came together rather easily, but when it came time to fasten the wood to the rack I ran into an issue.  The brackets had a hole near the end that I was going to use to bolt the wood rack onto, but the holes lined up with the end rods that hold the wood rack together.  It just barely fit as it was with the brackets right next to the window.  I couldn't move the brackets so I had to think of a different way to fasten them together.  What I came up with was a 1/2" screw to go into the wood but not hit the metal rod.  Now, the screws alone I'm confident would hold for normal use, but just to be sure I took some black zip ties and fastened the wood to the bracket towards the back of the rack.  Maybe not the best solution, but effective and you really can't even tell they're there.

This project was drawn out due to the winter temperatures and staining and finishing, but is finally done.  Now I need to start coming up with a plan for my spring vacation project.  I've talked about creating a cat box area under the basement stairs for a long time and I think this is finally the year.  In the next few weeks I'll have to come up with the plans and get the wood, paint and other needed hardware so I'm ready to go.  This will be a lot of fun for me to do, and I do really need the vacation.

Um, Spring?..

...You're not doing it right!

10th Blogday!

A full 10 years of this now.  Huh.  How about that?

Basil Update, A Truly Spring Day

Wednesday was one week since Basil came home from the vet after surgery.  It seemed sufficient time for the cats to see and smell each other, and any hissing had seemed to end, so we reintroduced them.  Things went very well, there was only a hiss or two, but the brothers were back together.  Of course, we need to watch when we leave the basement open because Basil is still not to go down there even though he really wants to use his regular litter box.  He does not like the litter he has to use so we bought puppy pads to place outside the box and he has been using them, though still reluctantly.  The carpet in the back bedroom will definitely need a good cleaning after this.

In a few days Basil will have his stitches removed, then we'll have to find out from the vet how long until we can take the cone off and also how long until he can use regular clay litter.  The sooner the better on both accounts to get our house back to normal.

Yesterday was the first day it thoroughly felt like spring.  The day started overcast, but the sun came out in the afternoon and the temperature rose.  I managed to do several things outside that have just become possible.  First, I got the garage organized a bit by putting away snow shovels and salt, swapping out the snow blower for the lawn mower, and giving the whole garage a good sweep.  With a clean garage and dust settled, I was finally able to apply the finish to what will be a hanging pot rack in the kitchen.  I'll write a bit more about that once it's complete.

I spent the late afternoon/early evening breaking in the fire pit.  The ground was solid enough that I hung out by the fire for a few hours, just watching the flames and enjoying the weather and relaxation.  It never gets old.  Just after sunset, as I let the fire pit die down, I fired up the grill for our first grilled burgers of the year.  I thoroughly enjoyed this first day spending so much more time outside than I have in a very long time.

More pics after the break!

Basil's Surgery, Promotion, More

Apologies for the lack of blogging lately, we've been busy and somewhat distracted for several reasons I hope to touch upon here.  Basil needed surgery, I'm getting the overtime blues yet moving up at work, and with spring comes chores that need to be done.

My last post had Basil feeling better but, alas, it was temporary.  A week ago Sunday morning we had to take him in to the emergency vet again because his urinary tract was blocked once more.  We had talked about it, and if this happened again we were going to go ahead with the surgery.   Basil stayed at the vet, surgery got bumped on Monday due to another emergency so he wound up having surgery on Tuesday afternoon.  The surgery was to shorten his urethra so when he forms crystals in his urine they don't get caught in the bend or near the tip.  Now he'll pee like a girl cat, essentially.

After the surgery, they let him come home midday Wednesday, but he has to wear a cone, take medicine and use a special cat litter until he's healed.  We also needed to keep the cats separated, which has not been easy.  He'll have to wear the cone for two weeks following surgery, then he'll have the stitches removed and have to wear it for at least several days still after that.  My wife has been able to get him the medicine in food and pill pockets.  And our home has been divided into three segments; the back bedroom and porch where Basil has been sequestered, the living room and kitchen (and basement) where Hamish has been kept, and the neutral zone - the area in between that has our bedroom, the hall of doors, and the bathroom.  At nights we've had to include the neutral zone in Basil's territory so he can sleep with us - he wouldn't have it any other way, as we found out the very first night.  We've also been moving that barrier so the cats can see and smell each other but not physically interact.  There's been some hissing and batting under doors, but overall it does seem to be getting better so hopefully we can have them together soon.  But Basil does need time to heal without worrying about Hamish coming after him for smelling different.

Weather-wise it is definitely spring.  Most of the snow has melted and plants are starting to come up.  I got outside yesterday to get the yard raked but it's still a bit early for cleaning up the garage and getting ready for summer, though I could get the bikes down and give them a once-over at any time.  Soon it should be consistently pleasant outside, but for now we still have temperatures bouncing up and down, above and below freezing.  There has been regional flooding of some rivers and some communities but we have not had any issues with our lake system like last summer, and hopefully we won't at all.  I should get down to the creek and get a picture, but maybe in a future post.

Work has been keeping me busy with mandatory overtime, but every few weeks they have to give us a break from it, so just regular hours the next couple weeks, thankfully.  Also, I've accepted a promotion that will be effective tomorrow.  I've only been back in this department since July, but they've seemed to be grooming me for this ever since.  Although I'm not in a supervisory position (and do not want to be anyone's supervisor), it is a leadership position and I've already had to tackle many challenges thrown my way.  I've also had to undergo several background checks to varying degrees - including a high level government background check.  This had me being grilled interviewed by a federal agent because I had neglected to mention something rather inconsequential that happened almost 30 years ago!  The government takes things like this very seriously.  Hopefully soon all will be settled.  I have nothing to hide, after all, and this will certainly prove it once again.

Basil Cat Dirty Talk

It's been a very stressful week here as we had to take Basil to the emergency vet because he couldn't pee.  They got him sorted and he came home two days later with a cone, bandaged arm and medicine to take.  I'm not going to go into detail, just know that he is feeling much better now and is cone-free and settled back in. 


















Enough stress has subsided that I can see the humor in some of our conversations!

Sixty!

This afternoon

No, not another milestone birthday.  It will be a while until I turn sixty, though my half-birthday was a few days ago.  Our temperatures reached 60ºF (16ºC) today for the first time since, well, seemingly forever.  Let the melting continue!

A month ago, February 18

Today started out mild at 49ºF when I left for work a couple hours before sunrise.  We had fog in the early daylight, sunny midday/early afternoon, followed by short periods of heavy rain, and now it is overcast and cooler than it was this morning.  If it snows tonight it would be like all the seasons in one day.


This week has slowly warmed up, culminating in today's high temperature before it will get back to more normal temps for this time of year, upper 30's to low 40's.  Then in a week we may see it start to warm up again.  Yesterday I even noticed daffodils breaking through the mulch.  This gives us hope - Spring is coming!

We can see the fire pit again, but it still may be some time before there's a fire.

More Snowblower, Winter Daze

Since there's nothing else to write about yet, here's a little more about the new snowblower.  On paper, the new snowblower is 208cc, same as the old one, despite the size difference you can see in the picture.  The new one seems better so far as I still have not used the electric start because it starts easily with just one pull, which never happened with the old snowblower.  Also, it just seems more solid, a better built product, and more powerful despite the same size motor as the old one.  My only complaint is that it's currently on sale for forty bucks less than I paid, but I needed it right then and couldn't wait for a sale.  I've only had to use it a few times so far, but there's still snow in the forecast.  We got an inch or a little more last night, too little to get out the snowblower.  It was the light and fluffy stuff, and my wife took care of it easily this morning with a shovel.

You can see where the auger separated from the axle on the old snowblower, and how worn down the rubber was.  In fact, metal was hitting the ground and peeling it back, seen at the bottom, so it was just time to be replaced.  I still have the old one in the garage.  I looked into leaving it out for pick-up with the trash and it will cost 15 dollars for a sticker so the city will pick it up.  I think I may set it out for a few days and see if someone will take it before I buy the sticker, which I can easily get a few blocks away at the public library.

I also took a spill last week in the driveway.  Ice has built up between the back door and the garage with the rain a week ago and snow melting and hasn't drained normally with the snow and ice and frozen ground on the side.  I'm okay, thankfully, I mostly hurt my pride and got a wet ass, but I still have an ugly, tender knot on the outside front of my right knee.  I didn't have to buy sidewalk salt last winter (and maybe the winter before) because what I had had been plenty, but I used up the last of it this morning and bought another two forty-pound bags today.  With any luck I won't have to buy anymore this or next year, but the way things have gone this year it has been needed often.

I wish I had more to say, but not a lot has been happening with mandatory overtime at work and being stuck indoors at home.  Everyone here is grumpy and tired of it.  It's March now, so we need a sign of spring to help us get through the last of winter.  Hopefully that will come sooner than later, but there's no sign of it yet in the foreseeable forecast.

New Snowblower - Now Stop Snowing!

Assembling the new snowblower, old one is on the left.

I can't seem to get away from mentioning winter weather lately, but that's what's been happening around here.  Last week Monday night into Tuesday we had another snow event and got almost 10 inches of snow.  Tuesday morning when I was clearing the driveway my snowblower started jumping around making a loud thunking noise.  I stopped the engine immediately and one look underneath told me there would be no easy fix.  The auger underneath that pulls the snow in rusted through in the middle so it was no longer attached.  Out came the shovels and out went my aching back.  I needed to get this resolved as soon as possible as we still have plenty of winter left.

Works like a champ!

I briefly considered trying to get this one repaired.  I bought it originally when we first got the house, so it made it almost 10 winters.  If I remember right, it may have been a clearance item then - I know it wasn't terribly expensive.  Several years ago a friend was trying to fix something on it and we found out the company no longer made gas machines, only electric.  There were no spare parts for it to be found.  So that's that, then.

The next day I looked online, pondered several, and ordered a new one, only to have them email me the next day and refund my money because they no longer had it to sell.  A day later I went to the big box hardware store and there wasn't a single snowblower to be found, so I went online again.  This time I found and ordered one from a different seller.  The only catch was it could take up to 10 days to get here.  Luckily it shipped pretty quick, but yesterday we got another 5 inches that my wife had to shovel by herself last night,  and then it kept snowing another couple inches overnight.  Thankfully the new snowblower was to be delivered today.

I got off work early this afternoon and rushed home to find the new snowblower had been dropped off by the back steps, and fairly recently, it appeared.  I changed clothes and set to work getting it put together and immediately trying it out by clearing the walks and driveway.  I purposely got one with an electric start, but I didn't need it as it started immediately on the first pull.  Very nice.  I was able to get everything cleared in short order - with a little break to talk to neighbor Dave and tell him the story.

I had always been thinking that when this one goes I was going to get a two-stage snowblower.  They're generally more powerful as they have two augers, one to pull the snow in and one to throw the snow out.  A single-stage only has the one auger to scoop the snow and funnel it up the chute and out.  A few things factored into my decision.  One was price, as 500 bucks would get you a higher end single-stage but only a lower end two-stage snowblower.  Secondly, a single-stage gets right down to the pavement and has a partly rubber auger while the two-stage must be adjusted just above the pavement as it has a metal auger.  It's not often I have to clear more than 10 inches at a time and I like it getting down to the pavement so I chose a higher end single-stage snowblower and I'm comfortable with that decision.

But now, really, it just has to stop.  The roads are getting narrower and we're running out of places to put the snow!

Latest LIVE Listening Pleasure 33 - Marty Friedman*

*This post was flagged today, 3/27/2023, for violating Blogger's Malware and Viruses policy.  I'm not sure why, but I removed all links to sites other than my own and my youtube and will be requesting review to keep this post on my site.  If you see this, I was successful.

It snowed most of the day on Sunday, but had slowed by the evening with only an inch or two having fallen.  No. this is not another weather update post, I actually have something else to write about for a change.  The fact that we are presently getting another 8-plus inches and having to stay home for another snow day is totally beside the point except that it gives me the time to write this post sooner rather than later.

Now, back to Sunday, Sunday evening actually, when Marty Friedman came to town to play for a few hundred people at the High Noon Saloon here in Madison.  A friend and I arrived a bit late hoping to miss the first band, a local act, only to find they pushed the start time back some because Marty and his opening band had not yet arrived - probably due to the snow.  As if on cue, as that set ended crew started bringing in gear as the bus and trailer had arrived.

The opening band, Immortal Guardian, was pretty good, but something was bugging me about them.  They play with a prerecorded tape and, as far as I could tell, the only reason was because the guitarist liked to play keyboards with his right hand as he finger-tapped on his guitar with the left.  Yes, it can look impressive, but he is the only guitar player in the band and there was obviously chords being strummed.  Check out my video of them here and make up your own mind.

Marty Friedman became well known as a guitarist in the band Megadeth from 1990 until 2000.  He then left America and has been living in Japan for over 15 years, still putting out solo albums and touring all over.  This month he is touring to support his latest release, One Bad M.F. Live.  He said during the show that this was his first time in Madison, but in 10 years of Megadeth he may have been here with them, or maybe he just meant as a solo artist.  I saw Megadeth on the Peace Sells tour in the late eighties here in Madison, but that was before he joined them.

He has a good backing band and put on an enjoyable, instrumental show.  There was one microphone that was only brought out only for him to speak in between songs and the bassist (Kyoshi) and other guitarist (Jordan Ziff) did minimal singing on two songs.  The 600-person capacity High Noon Saloon was probably half or more full, just about my perfect size and density.  I'd like to see all bands in the same atmosphere, but I don't get to call those shots.  My friend got a good spot leaning on the end of the bar near the stage and that's where we camped for the show.  I took a lot of pictures that hardly any turned out unfortunately, and I got a lot of good video that I've been re-watching the last couple days.  You can see all my videos on my YouTube channel here, also listed in the right column.

Marty Friedman - Ashes / Forbidden / Tornado


I took more videos than usual this show - 6, plus one of the opening band - for a few reasons.  First of all, I like to watch them.  Simple as that.  Also, there was no one behind me but bartenders and the camera was dimly lit and in front of my face - I watched the show over the camera but still able to control the camera (except for the shaking - I was still rocking out, after all!).  But mostly, I'm just not terribly familiar with all of his music and an accurate, recent setlist was not found online for me to know when to look out for the parts I wanted to get on video.  Still, even with 6 songs recorded I spent much more time with the phone in my pocket enjoying the show.

Here's one that I'm sure was added to the set due to the popularity of Queen recently:
Marty Friedman (w/Jordan Ziff) - Bohemian Rhapsody


That's my latest live music fix, now to look for the next.  I've not seen any upcoming shows that are to my taste yet, but I'll always keep looking!

Previous LLP Posts...
LLP 1 - Pain
LLP 2 - Nightwish
LLP 3 - Die Antwoord
LLP 4 - Pain part 2
LLP 5 - Andrew Bird LIVE
LLP 6 - Nightwish part 2
LLP 7 - Paramore
LLP 8 - Newsted
LLP 9 - U.D.O. LIVE
LLP 10 - Nightwish Imaginaerum Movie
LLP 11 - Kiss
LLP 12 - Rick Springfield
LLP 13 - Hyrax
LLP 14 - In This Moment
LLP 15 - Faster Pussycat LIVE
LLP 16 - Sebastian Bach
LLP 17 - Cradle Of Thorns
LLP 18 - Amaranthe
LLP 19 - Lindemann
LLP 20 - Halestorm
LLP 21 - Garbage LIVE
LLP 22 - Arcade
LLP 23 - Nightwish LIVE
LLP 24 - Ace Frehley
LLP 25 - Darkc3ll
LLP 26 - Dementia
LLP 27 - Rammstein
LLP 28 - Marilyn Manson LIVE
LLP 29 - The Harp Twins LIVE
LLP 30 - Diamante
LLP 31 - Steel Panther LIVE
LLP 32 - Scum Of The Earth
LLP 33 - Marty Friedman LIVE

Ice Ice Baby

As noted in the last post, this past weekend was warmer with highs around 40ºF/5ºC.  What it doesn't show is just how foggy it got that Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  Even the houses across the street were very hazy due to the melting of a lot of snow releasing water into the air.  The last couple days were regular winter days with highs still below zero.  That brings us to today, and why I'm writing this instead of working.

Freezing rain.  Ice.

We've had misting overnight that's left a layer of ice on already slippery surfaces, which will be followed by another winter storm.  Madison happens to be on the freezing line with snow north and west and rain south and east with freezing rain and ice in the middle before the snow moves our way later today.

I hemmed and hawed this morning as to whether I was going to go into work or not.  I'm ahead on hours for the week so I was in no rush.  After watching the weatherman for some time I decided to go in to work, even if just for a few hours before we got the next wave of weather.  As I stepped carefully down the back steps out to the garage I noticed the ice already covering everything.  I'm sure the main roads were still fine, but would be very messy very soon.  I stood in the driveway, indecisive for a few minutes before giving in and going back inside.  I hate to use up my banked time for weather but I just don't like to take those chances driving in winter weather like I did when I was younger.

And to top it all off, tomorrow's high temperature is 6ºF/-14ºC.  After that looks like another mixed bag of temperatures and precipitation for the next week.

Year after year, similar winter story lines.  I've heard it described as when a mother forgets the pain of childbirth and wants another baby.  The summers are so nice we forget what the winters bring.  It happens every year, and here we are again...

Ridiculous Cold

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  Screenshot taken not long ago, about 8:15 pm.  Look at this temperature swing within a few days, lows -30ºF to 37ºF, and highs -11ºF to 42ºF.  That's a difference of 67 and 53 degrees, respectively, within 4-5 days.







Copied here for the convenience of my Celsius/Centigrade friends.  I can't do math right now, my brain is cold and tired.

This is not normal for here, this is serious cold.