Friday (well almost)

tip-o-day

I have jury duty tomorrow...so I am getting a jump on my friday post.

Time for your fall feeding.
…not you… your lawn.

Fall feeding is often ignored because we tend to focus on anything but the lawn at this time of the year. It’s been a long summer of cutting and trimming, fertilizing and weed control…sheesh can’t it be done already!
Well almost.
The last feeding of the season will make a big difference next spring. You will notice your lawn green up sooner, and fill out quicker once the temps start to rise.
This year I am using Winterizer with Weed Control. Often times at the end of the summer weeds try to make a comeback. If left untreated they will seed and return with a vengeance next spring.
Remember that weed control has no effect on crabgrass. Not to worry tho, crabgrass is an annual and by fertilizing now to create a thicker healthier lawn it will help control the crabgrass next year.

If your leaves are already coming down heavily, apply the fertilizer after you rake.
If you do decide to use the weed control formula – put it down while the dew is still on the grass and rain is not expected for 24 hours. This way the weed control will stick to the leaves of the offending plant matter and have time to work systemically.

Are you more stupider?

What the hell is the matter with us?
I was behind a school bus on my way into work this morning.

Do we not know that we need to stop for school buses any more?
Perhaps we too busy blue toothin' it with our pals to notice them?
I never really thought of it as challenging to notice a HUGE yellow bus with prominent red flashing lights. When you see the lights, you stop. Seems pretty simple.

But I stopped behind a bus this morning that was like a laser light show with props.
Now... in addition to the standard yellow and red flashing lights, they have extra lights along the top and along the bumper, this thing also had not one ...but two flip out stop signs with those little flashing lights on them, the ones that flash really fast - so either you can't miss them or they throw you into an epileptic fit. One in the front and one toward the back of the bus on the same side… you could clearly see them both from every angle – so I am just not sure why they needed two of them. Then, of course it had the new standard in school bus design – the 20 foot yellow ‘fence’ that swings out in front of the bus as it stops. These were devised because the bus driver can’t see very small children standing in front of the bus or crawling in and around the front tires... and evidently neither can the 20 parents it takes to put kids on the bus these days.

You know I am a big advocate of safety first, but before we go spending all these tax dollars on making our school busses look like Emergency Rescue vehicles… how bout we put down the coffee, hang up the phone, quit ogling in the mirror which is meant to view the road behind you... and start driving.

This has been a public service announcement.

Speed Flossing

Over this past weekend my italian-home-cooked-meal-making wife and I had the pleasure of hosting an absolutely lovely soiree with some really good people.
Warm and genuine, lighthearted and funny.
It was such a lovely time.

Oh, and the title of this post? Well, I suppose it's an 'inside joke'.
Let's just say - what happens at weese's stays at weese's
(with some requisite teasing of course).

Fantasy... Football

My competitive wife and I are in a couple of Fantasy Football leagues together.
One is with some other rather competitive blog friends (you know who you are).
We aren't the only 'couple' in the league... and when a couples match-up happens - so does the smack talk. My competitive wife loves the smack talk.

Last week my competitive wife and I had our match-up...
the league smack talk started like this:

Re: Ooooo
by: Big O (words_rock) Sep 13 9:17pm
I love the "couples" match-ups. It's always such a joy in our house when my team beats Win Wit's. ;)

I don't know who to root for in the weese/wife match-up. However I think it may be a safer bet to root for MAW after seeing what she did to that tree...

---
Re: Re: Ooooo
by: Agador Spartacus (my wife) Sep 16 9:31am
Hey Commish, whadya say we crank this up a notch? For "couples matchup" weekends, let's combine the rules of strip poker with fantasy football. We've all got Stat Tracker... yes? All we need are WebCams.

---
Re: Re: Re: Ooooo
by: weese's saints (me of course) Sep 16 12:03pm
hmm, what makes me think I am gonna be the one sitting around with nothing on but a coozie on my beer bottle.

---
Re: Re: Re: Re: Ooooo
by: Theleastgrebes (sporksforall) Sep 16 8:44pm
I absolutely encourage naked FFB, especially for those in committed relationships. Blinds or curtains should be drawn.

---
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ooooo
by: The Rudeboys (E) Sep 16 11:33pm
I guess that means no web cams? I want to see Weese's koozie.

---
[next day during the 4:00 game - I was ahead]

4:00 Status Update from MAW
by: Agador Spartacus (my wife again...) Sep 17 4:16pm
I still have my earrings on -- not much else! Pumped up for the 4:00 games. -The Naked Wife

---
[by the end of the day my lead is but a memory]

Re: 4:00 Status Update from MAW
by: Big O (words_rock) Sep 17 10:59pm
I trust by now you've put your clothes back on and relieved weese of hers?

This is about how our day went.

Good luck to Big O and Win Wit today.
We will want pics.

Friday

tip-o-day

Ladies, if you are over 40 - please go and get your annual mammogram.
And don't be whining about the squishing and squeezing... it's a small price to pay for a simple test, that takes just a few minutes of discomfort, that can literally save your life.

I am getting mine at noon today...and really, much worse than any squishing might be -is having to sit here 'till noon with no lotion, powder or perfume.

My blog-pal Sporks' post got me to thinking today...

If I remember correctly it was middle school where I learned a very important life lesson. My fuzzy memory puts me in Home Economics class... yes... Home Economics 101 - where I learned to sew, cook and basically care for the home. There were only girls in those classes back then. Boys took Auto Shop. I ...being the dyke that I am ... had absolutely no desire to take Auto Shop. Dirty hands -ewww. Perhaps if the engines were steam cleaned and shiny I would consider it - since the mechanics of it do appeal to my logical mind. But really folks, I belonged in Home Economics. I should probably consider teaching Home Economics…but that’s a whole ‘nother post.

My Home Economics teacher would often veer off the standard HomeEc syllabus and lend us valuable life-advice. She was a heavy set, jolly woman – and I liked her and the class, so I actually, mostly, listened.

One day she was giving us random tidbits to prepare us to adjust to our inevitable married lives. It was on this day that she explained the simple beauty of purchasing two brands of toothpaste. Toothpaste brands were not worth causing an argument between spouses. She also made sure we knew that it was completely unnecessary to be the demure wife and use her husband’s choice of tooth cleansing products.

Buy two tubes, she said.

This is true and sound advice on so many levels.
Learning is all about interpreting and interpolating.
Hey, if I could learn to sew from making a stuffed hippopotamus pillow – then surely I could garner valuable keys to my future relationships from two simple tubes of paste.
Those tubes are my independence, as well as my willingness to be accepting and not judgmental.
Thanks Mrs. C.
It has made me a better person and a better spouse.
21+ years of buying Crest AND Colgate… and counting.

The Freshman

It’s been two weeks now that Ferris has been away at school.
I think we're adjusting quiet nicely. We have spoken to him a few times already – mostly about stuff he needs. Being a parent …of course we want everything to go well for him, we are hoping he is acclimating to his new schedule, that he likes his classes – and that he is making friends of course. But having been overly doting parents for all these years, we also understand his need for independence and therefore have been judicious in our questions when we have the opportunity to ask.

So any information we do get …we try to read between the lines a bit

A good example from our conversation this past weekend:

Ferris: “How do I wash whites.”
Weese: “well… you can just separate them from your darks in a separate load.”
Ferris: “I mean, how do I use bleach. I need bleach.”
Weese: “no, no, you’ll be fine without bleach, really you don’t want to use it too often –bleach can be…. “
Ferris: “No, I need bleach. I need to get red face paint off my sheets.”

I suppose he is making friends just fine.

Friday

tip-o-day

Fall is here. Time to start prepping for winter - you know gathering nuts... getting ready to hibernate. There are many things to get done in the fall around the house, gardens and lawn. So for the next couple/few weeks tip-o-day will focus on getting ready for the season change.

We like to acquire and stack our firewood at this time of year. That way you get it into a dry location to finish its final seasoning before you start burning. But remember, it’s not a good idea to store firewood in your basement, garage or even up against your house - even moreso at this time of year. Wood harbors all sort of insects... especially insects that either eat or bore into wood. Your house will be as tasty to them as the firewood. And fall is a very active insect time.

Stack your wood in a location away from the house. Keep your wood dry under a tarp or in a wood bin. If your wood is wet (or green) stack it in a cross hatch pattern to allow air to circulate and speed the seasoning process.

Once the temps fall below freezing you can bring small amounts of wood up near the house. We keep a small rack on our covered porch. This will hold a couple days supply, but stays cold enough that the insects don’t thaw out and start poking around.

Also remember, fireplaces actually draw heat out of your house. If are burning for an evening of ambiance this may not matter so much. But if getting toasty is your goal, invest in glass doors to retain and radiate heat. They even make them with small circulating fans to distribute heat out into the room, without allowing indoor air to be drawn back out and up your chimney.

Oh, one more thing... don't forget to use a hearth rug to catch stray sparks. That way, if you are say…lying naked in front of the fire with perhaps tall fluted glasses of champagne and a spark should jump out toward you – you can safely roll to one side or simply flick the spark onto the hearth rug with confidence. This can save not only your floors, but an entire glass of Veuve Clicquot.
Safety first.

In Focus

for the office voyeur in you:

If you sit in a cubicle, as I do, having a rearview mirror is essential for your Chi.
This model works well. Its one of those 'see everything behind you' mirrors made for old men driving oversized cars.


E gets bonus points for knowing this is a 'Peace' lamp. This sits next to my monitor so I can gaze at it and yet appear to be working.


This crazy lady has a clothespin mouth, as demonstrated by the pushy pin in there now. She has had all sorts of stuff in that mouth.


This is my cup. It holds only water. I use company provided cups when enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning so as to keep mine unstained and perfectly white inside.


Of course I have pictures of The Fam.


Tho, I really need to get around to updating the dog pictures. The dog in the frame is my little minpin...Joosey. She is no longer with us. So it became sorta weird to have a picture of a dog we no longer had...and not to have a picture of the infamous FREE dog.


I love this little guy. He is bendable and posable. I like to pose him in a different position each day. He often does yoga.


He also guards my stash.

work is blurry today...

She loves me...

When we first bought our house we were typical first time homeowners. We were in our twenties and had bought a house we could afford … planning to 'fix it up'.

I learned quickly in those early years to never leave my imaginative wife home alone.
A couple of my first solo outings ended in major home renovations. Renovations started by my creative wife… finished by a team of professionals.
It’s only recently that I have taken the sledge hammer out of deep storage.

After years of these spontaneous home renovations, my dirt loving wife turned her energy to the yard and gardens. She has over the years planted expansive perennial gardens and several specimen trees all around our property. She had done a splendid job with what was a blank green canvas.

Last week, on a cool late summer evening, my loving wife and I sat on the porch enjoying a beverage, and admiring our side yard and gardens. There she has an exquisite collection of peonies, lilies and, across the driveway, what I like to refer to as the evil Wisteria. It’s evil because it is engulfing all that is close to it – it grows at an alarming rate. So much so in fact, that it tries to pull me off the tractor as I drive by. My caring wife loves this gigantic shrub, and so I tease her about it often.
That same evening, I commented that the tree across the driveway was casting too much shade to grow adequate grass and that I was beginning to feel a bit closed-in by our maturing plantings. We have trees now that we planted close to 20 years ago. It’s amazing what can happen to a plot of land in that amount of time. Things have really filled out.

The next day, after our sweet evening together on the porch, I was busy puttering around with various projects around the back yard. Mind you …I never left the property.

My attentive wife … she listens to everything I say.

9.11

I will, again this year, share my 9.11 exerperience in honor of this day.


My used-to-be-executive wife was working in Manhattan at the time.
Here, at my office, someone in an adjoining cube had just shouted out that a plane had hit the trade center. My first thought was of a little cessna type thing and perhaps the pilot had a heart attack or something. I tried to log onto a news site - but the internet was slow.
Before I could get any real information I recieved this email from my wife.

Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 9:22 AM

"a few minutes ago, a commercial airplane crashed into the world trade center. the plane was flying directly above park avenue...it passed directly above my head as i was walking from grand central. i couldn't believe how low it was flying, and then i saw the billowing smoke from downtown.

absolutely horrible. ambulances, firetrucks, and helicopters are everywhere, racing down town."

My attempts to call her cell were futile. So I replied to her email:

I heard the pentagon has been hit... can you get out. I can't call you!!!

I sat staring at my monitor... waiting for her reply.
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 9:56 AM:

"yes, the pentagon was hit too.
i heard the plane that i saw was highjacked from boston.
they've shut down lower manhattan.
they're also shutting down the subways, airports, and bridges.
i can't call you.
call [our sister in law] and find out when my parents' flight gets in."

I heard from her once more that morning before she began the long trip home.
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 10:04 AM:

"i am going to try to come home now."

She spent the next several hours, I found out later, running for trains, being evacuated, waiting in the streets... looking for a way out.
We had no further communication until she finally got home around 4 that afternoon.
I was waiting on the porch, I had just hung up our flag.

Friday

tip-o-day

Fall is for grass. Grass loves fall.
If you have any grass to grow in bare spots or places overrun with weeds - this is the time to do it. ANYONE can grow grass in the fall.

Here are some things steps that will ensure your success.

□ Use the right seed.

o Grass seed has an expiration date - so don't try to plant stuff you found on a shelf in the back of the garage.
o Select seed specific for you lawn and lighting conditions. The packaging will tell you if the seed is for Sun, Shade, Sun and Shade or Deep Shade – pay attention to that.
o If you are patching – try to buy seed that will blend with the rest of your lawn. If you don’t know what kind of grass you have, take a sample with you to your local nursery.
If you don’t care… buy the Scotts seed that best suits your needs. (this is actually what I do – it eventually blends with the other grasses … its my little foray into grass equality)

□ Prep the area.

o If you have weeds where you will be planting, first remove them or spray them with a systemic product like RoundUp (be sure NOT to use the season long variety of RoundUp - this prevents germination).
o Wait 7 days after the RoundUp application before planting.

□ Rake up the area to be planted.

o Once the area is weed free, rake to loosen the soil to accept the seed.

□ Rake in the seed.

o After spreading the seed (I spread it generously), rake the seed into the soil. Seed needs to be covered to germinate.

□ Protect the area.

o Put something over the seed to keep it from washing away in the rain and also to help retain moisture. You can use hay (be sure to buy hay for seeding new laws, otherwise it will be filled with seeds that will simply plant a wheat field for you instead). But personally, I find hay to be a nuisance and actually prefer to use clippings from my own lawn. This way there is no clean up and clippings actually have alot of moisture in them. Be sure not to spread them too heavily, or they will smother the new seed.

□ Fertilize

o Not required, but using a Starter fertilizer will give your new grass a stronger, faster start.

□ Then water, water, water.

o New seed must remain moist. Water every day. Twice a day if you can. Don’t water so much that there is puddling – just be sure the soil is moist down through the top layer. Set up a sprinkler to make it easier… you can even put the sprinkler on a timer and then not worry at all.

You should have germination in 7-10 days.

Since I will be doing all of these step over the weekend… perhaps I will snap some pics of each step along the way.

geek week

I am a little preoccupied this week.
I have decided to resurrect our antient Gateway desktop.
I am not sure why exactly - I just feel I must.
So that's what I am doing with my lunch hours...instead of blogging.

Format c:

New spaces

I didn’t expect this. I know myself pretty well. I am generally calm, level headed almost unemotional in some situations. Oh sure, I have my faults and I can be a bit …well … anxious about things -- but I know my neurosis, I am comfortable with it, it fits me like old shoes. I go into most situations knowing how I will feel, and well aware that I may react emotionally at times.
This was not one of them.
I expected my sentimental wife to react the way she did. She was perfect; she was herself…in all her softness. But me... the rock, the strong one, the analytical one – ran amok.

My internal static was his discomfort. It was like ET and Elliott. As soon as he started to bristle and worry – I uncontrollably followed.

The new space felt too small, we had to track down some misplaced items, there were some repairs and cleaning to be done. It all seemed insurmountable to him. But his organized mom and I got it done. It began to feel homey and larger and better organized. This helped, but still… when we left that afternoon my emotions continued to bounce all over the place. There were loose ends to tie up the next day, it wasn’t all settled yet.

I write this all in retrospect. It’s done now. And I am admittedly feeling better. This is because he did something very important for me that second day when I went returned to tie up those loose ends. He told me not to come back. No more visits. He was all set and didn’t need anything else.
See ya.
And this… this is what made it ok for me. I needed for him to be strong, for him to be the man that he is. Not my baby boy. Because I would not have been able to leave my baby boy there… in that dorm… with all that drinking and fornicating and all…

Now, we are working on centering ourselves. Enjoying the little freedoms that come with our new space. That, and we are cleaning his room.

Friday

tip-o-day

The main entry to our house is through our kitchen door. We are casual that way.

There -- we have a long, deep covered porch. This is also the north side of the house and so there is not a ray of sunshine. We have a small table by the door which I made out of recovered barn wood. Since we sit out there frequently in the evenings, we keep an array of odd candles and some punks to help deter mosquitoes.

To add summery-ness, I like to keep some plants on this table as well -but have struggled over the years to find something that would survive the deep shade.
I have a fern there this year - which is loving the darkness. But I still yearned for summer color.

So I am trying something new. I planted two clay pots with sun lovin' marigolds. I keep one by the door ... in the dark, and the other at the end of the walk in the sunshine. Every week or so - I switch them.

I may try 3 next year...clay pots are cheap enough, and marigold seeds are free. That way each plant should get loads of sun-time.