The Disappearing Contractor

I have been getting estimates for a roof and a porch project we are planning.  I had a meeting scheduled this evening, in fact.  It was a rather odd meeting.  I was going to leave this comment at their website, but didn't even trust giving them my information for that, but I also didn't want that writing to go to waste so here it is (making me write more):

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Strike number one, Crystal, at 608 286-xxxx, called 8 times without leaving a message.

Strike number two, after I finally called that number back and let her set up an appointment she made sure to say at the end of the call to make sure that my wife and I are both there.  That tells me they are going to want to leave with a signed deal, and be persistent about it.

Strike number three, after discussing my porch project to a befuddled representative, I said never mind, if that's not what you do then let's talk about the other project, a new roof, and we did.  He said he would get up there and get me a quote and went back to his car and left. 

I find this all rather funny, how about you?

You know, I don't even trust this website.  I shall not submit this to you, but perhaps call you out on my own site.

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From first shaking hands he acted like he was not told about the porch part of the equation.  It was not what he normally does, even though his business had 'remodeling' in the name (a local contractor affiliated with the larger company).  After he repeated again that this is not normally what he does I said well, then I wouldn't be inclined to hire you for it, let's talk about the roof then, and we did.  He said he was going to get his ladder to get on the roof and take measurements to get me a quote.  I wandered the back yard for a few moments picking at weeds, never did hear a ladder.  I walked over and looked up the driveway and he was gone.

Kate and I both were very surprised, bemused, and then even amused at the whole encounter.
Your Home Improvement Co is certainly not mine.
That's that, then.

The Gnome Is Home

What a difference a week can make!  I posted a bunch of pictures last week, and this week the growth is obvious.  Since then, Kate has spent much time in the yard and garden.  The gnome has been put back out making it officially spring in our yard.  The tulips below are no longer in snow.

Like last week, visit the Garden Blog for all the yard and garden pictures!

Happy Birthday, Cats!

Whaddaya want? They're cats.  You try to get them to pose for a picture!

Basil and Hamish turn 4 today,  or about today.  April 20 is the estimated date of their birth by the vet that examined them after they were found and taken in by Dane County Friends of Ferals.  They were so tiny when we got them, that was June 9 almost 4 years ago.  We wanted two male brothers and we got them.  And they get along as well as we could ever hope.  But for brothers they could not be more different, body types and personalities, and that does keep it interesting!

Happy Birthday Hamish Pie* and   Basil Boo*!

Spring Has Sprung

With five of my last six posts having 'Spring' in the title, it has finally come true.  We had the windows open for the first time this year yesterday and today I am wearing shorts as it may come close to 80º!









Along with the nicer weather comes work to do.  My wife spent much of the day yesterday working outside.  To see these pictures and more, stop on over at our Garden Blog!

Oh,

Oh, it also happens to be my 7th Blogday today.  I've had this site for seven whole years.  Mediocre at best as it is, I know.  But I think I've got it under control now, anyway.  At least the itching stopped...

Apetor's Spring 2016

Some crazy, cold-loving Norwegian up to his old tricks skating/swimming/skiing while drinking vodka.  I like this guy's videos.  Just consider what he's doing, then realize how good a video he made and edited of himself doing it.  Now how crazy is he?

Spring Tulips In Snow

Tulips in snow.

When we woke up this morning it looked much like my last post.  It snowed most of the early morning with some accumulations but with temperatures at or just above freezing it was melting immediately on roads and walkways.  Then it went from snow to sun to snow to sun, more times than I could count as we were in and out much of the day, until it finally stayed sunny sometime after 3 o'clock this afternoon.

More Tulips in snow.

 It was rather amazing, just watching the weather out the window change.  In a matter of minutes it had gone from sunny to blizzard-like.  And this happened several times throughout the day.  Watching the radar you could see band after band of snow, like tiger bands, with a separation between each where we had partial to full sun.  Many times it was sunny with snow still falling.

Not Tulips.  Daffodil among the coming Irises.

A tiger striped late spring snowstorm.  Odd kind of weather pattern, I'm sure, and interesting but unless I hear otherwise I  will not delve further than what I may happen to hear of the local meteorologists.  Who knows?  It could have been a pretty rare snow weather phenomena.  And it would have made a wonderful time lapse video.  But as long as it is not a harbinger of the apocalypse then I'm good.

We are soooo ready for warmer weather here.  Just a little longer...

Happy Spring - Again

Spring started last Sunday, can't you tell?  If you can't tell by the picture, it is still snowing.  Could've been worse.  An hour drive north is getting about a foot, I hear.  Thankfully, it will be very temporary.

Spring Is Coming

It is not quite fully here yet - there is talk of snow later this week - but it is pretty damn close.  It is still a little too early and the ground is a little too soft for yard work.  But the time is coming fast.  I've spent all winter sick from one thing or another.  I'm looking to spring to be a new beginning, new health and wellness in warmer weather.

I took more pictures but there's only a few things starting to come up so far.  I've not posted much over winter but I feel it is time to act more alive.  I also posted a couple pics of the garden over at our Garden Blog.

There is much to be done this year and it isn't going to do itself.  Last year it was getting the tree removed.  This year I need to start getting quotes for roof, gutters and porch.  Yes, it may be a very expensive 2016.

Latest Listening Pleasure 23 - Nightwish LIVE

On July 4, 2015 we had the day off for the holiday.  I was surfing the internet and noticed that Nightwish would be playing in Milwaukee in February, 2016, and the tickets were already on sale.  So, of course, I snatched up a pair immediately.

This last weekend they finally played at The Rave in Milwaukee and my wife and I were there to witness it.  Now, as you have read, I had been pretty sick but I was not going to miss this for anything.  We drove to Milwaukee Saturday afternoon and checked into the hotel, just a block away from the venue.  Then I napped.  I had so hoped I would be feeling better, and I was a tiny bit compared to the week prior, but I was still pretty miserable.  My wife got on the website and found out the time the band was to start so we waited and skipped the first two bands, showing up about 10 minutes before Nightwish hit the stage.

I've seen so many live videos of the band on Youtube that nothing really surprised me about the show.  They did have nice backdrops, themed for the newest album Endless Forms Most Beautiful,  but it was not the full show with the video screens and pyro that they used in Europe.  Still, I was not too disappointed with that.  I was happy being in the same room and watching and listening to them play with my own eyes and ears.  I knew I wanted to get some video, a personal take-away from the concert, and because of the way I felt I tried to get that done early.  Normally I would have looked up the set list so I knew what was coming and I could record the songs I wanted, but the way I was feeling I did not plan ahead and just grabbed some random songs from early in the show.  Here is a link to the setlist they played that night.

This video, She Is My Sin, is an early song of theirs.  Not my favorite song but the video turned out well.


Another song I got on video is Kiss While Your Lips Are Still Red, an older ballad that they brought back for this tour.  A very good song, indeed.


Nightwish is also one of those bands that does not do encores.  When the last song is played they are done, and I appreciate that.  When they started in on the last song, The Greatest Show On Earth, we started to work our way out and back to the hotel.  The song is a good one, but I have seen and heard it many times before and it is a version that can run over 10 minutes.  The original song has 5 chapters and runs 24 minutes long.  It was worth it to me to leave a few minutes early and avoid the mass exodus at the end.

One of my favorite bands, this is actually their fourth appearance as one of my Latest Listening Pleasure posts.  I wasn't too sure if I would ever get the chance to see them live, that's the drawback to mostly listening to bands from overseas.  But I'm very glad I have seen them now, no matter how poor I was feeling at the time.

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

Surprise! Sick Again

This has not been my year.  I am sick again, but this time my doctor doesn't know what it is.  He does think it is a virus, possibly a flu virus (yes - I got my shot) but I don't have all the symptoms of flu.  My only symptoms are headache and nausea - and, oh, the nausea!  I've not been able to eat much since last Thursday.  Plus, all my inactivity has my back acting up again and my, er, act backing up again.  It has been almost a full week now so whatever the virus is it should be close to finished, according to my doctor.

I do look forward to a great early March post.  But until then know that I am not dead, I only wish I were.

Winter & Little Lulu

I have not posted much lately, but it is the time of winter that not a whole lot is going on.  November and December you still have good days (very much so this season!) so are still making things happen.  Then the daylight bottoms out and deep winter sets in.  Even days that you make plans something is more likely to happen to keep you in during winter.  Snowstorms, daylight, temperatures and sickness are all much bigger factors than other times of year.  Any one or combination can keep you holed up at home instead of being out dining, shopping or socializing.  Even walking around the yard is missed by now.

We had plans this afternoon but not feeling well and snowfall has kept us in again.  Yes, it is the time of year I start seriously longing for spring.

- - - - - Little Lulu Comic - - - - -

Blue Witch's comment on the thread for the last post spurred me into writing today.  Before that, I had not ever considered trying to see what the comic would be worth.  My wife tells me she thought about it but, with the tops of the cover and first page missing, she didn't mention it.  Like I said in that comment thread, that is probably due to being returned for credit by the seller.  I know they do that for newspapers still, I'm not sure about magazines or comics, but probably.  Regardless, even if it was fully complete I don't think it would have occurred to me to seek it's worth.  (Now if it was Superman or similar.... then I might have thought about the $$!)

Yesterday I went downstairs ready to dust and vacuum some more, even started briefly, but decided it was going to be more work than results.  My cleaning a couple weeks ago is sufficient for now.  When I do big basement cleaning again I will approach it better from the start and have it done much more efficiently.

I did read through most of the Little Lulu comics in the magazine I found, not quite finishing because, well, it was boring.  Most of the subject matter is pretty simple, and would easily be understood by kids today.  But, of course, this is a simpler form of entertainment for young kids and would not be able to compete in this era.  After reading I printed off my last post.  I used the email version because it was easier and had less clutter.  The paper was enough larger than the comic that I folded the two pages in half and placed them in the center of the comic book, just sticking out the top a little bit.  Using a mirror, I checked the other areas atop that air return and the only other thing I found was a clothespin (that I left where I found).

Then I put Little Lulu went back where I found her.  Back to where she lay since - I would guess - the late 1950's or maybe 1960's.   We will know it is there - and now you will, too - but we will not disturb it.  Maybe someday after we're gone - or moved - someone will find it and ponder it's journey as I did.  Or maybe someday someone will be doing work or cleaning and toss it in the bin without looking at it.

I will only know how it made me think and reflect on the early life of this comic, this house and the family that grew up here.  Putting it back may give someone else that opportunity.


Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day.