Friday

tip-o-day

In my basement workshop I have several boxes, drawers, pegboards and shelves to hold tools and supplies. I generally organize these items by use. For example, one of my tool boxes is for electrical/wiring sorts of work, and I have a separate tool box for small hand tools.

So when I have a job around the house or yard which will require items from different disciplines, I use one of these:


Now, a tool caddy alone is not breaking news, but what's a little different about my method is that rather than using the caddy to store tools or cleaning supplies - I like to use mine on a per project basis. That way I can load the specific tools I will need from several categories. Perhaps I am going to run a new phone jack - so I know that in addition to the phone jack itself I'll need a sheetrock saw, a stud finder, probably some string and a weight, maybe a band aid or a tourniquet, also mine is big enough to hold a drill or small saw... You get the idea.

I like these caddies better than the buckets because they are shallow, making it easier to see inside, and to scoop nails or screws out of the bottom.

While I am at my job site I can also toss bits of wood or bent nails and spent screws in one of the sections to be disposed of during clean up.

When I am done (this part is key) I take it back down to the workshop and unload all the items back into their spots so that its empty and ready to go.
That way, once the bleeding stops, I can refill it with a whole different set of tools and be on my way.

The Law

Have you heard all the rumblings about dropping the drinking age here in Connecticut?
Seems all the universities here are getting behind it.
Can you believe this!!???

And they couldn't get their act together to do this a couple of years ago.
The savings in lawyer fees alone ...

And if any of you out there are MADD ... lemme just tell you this. If the law says you can take my son* to another country and strap a gun on him and make him shoot people...then the law better sell him a tall cold one too.

I am all for it.
I think we will have much more responsible drinkers coming out of university than we do now.

*or my daughter... tho now she is too old for either of these issues to be relevant. :)

Cultcha

As we settle further and further into the deliciousness of being alone (with Ferris off at college much of the time) we find ourselves discovering and re-discovering all sorts of fun stuff that perhaps we may have inadvertently shelved during the child rearing years.
Some of it I can even blog about ...

Last Thursday...yes, on a school night, we ventured into Manhattan to see a free concert. My musical wife discovered that her mistress would be performing at Lincoln Center's Damrosch park, where each August they do an entire series of concerts called Out of Doors.



It was a fabulous evening. If you are in the neighborhood - I highly recommend it.

As we wandered around Lincoln Center we noticed that tickets for the Metropolitan Opera season were going to be on sale this week.

The opera... how civilized.

So this December we'll be getting all gussied up to see La Damnation de Faust.

so many channels, so little...

They are starting to advertise for the 'fall TV lineup' --

seriously...people... are you not seeing this trend

Friday

tip-o-day

One of the first times I saw Martha Stewart on television she was sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool tiling it with old cut up credit cards. This was supposed to be a clever way to re-use them.

Well I don't have a swimming pool, but they are plastic - and I really don't like to toss out plastic before it's had a couple of go arounds.

So we have a drawer full of old plastic cards.

I found they are very useful when refinishing furniture. I use them instead of a putty knife when stripping off the old finish. They have just the right stiffness and flexibility. And clean up is a breeze - just toss them with no guilt, at least you've gotten a second use out of them.

Decadence

We have grown very fond of pizza on the grill this summer.
Last night we dined on fabulously grilled pizza at The Daughter The Therapists and her Handsome Beau's house.

For dessert they invented this:

Yes, its a smore-pie. And it was to die for...

Olympic quote of the night

"It really helps when you're both in the same location to train."

- a commentator making small talk during the synchronized diving competition

...ya think?

Go World

"The most important thing is not to win but to take part!".
--De Coubertin

Have you been watching the Olympics?
We have. We started Friday night with the opening ceremonies. We love the opening ceremonies. It is essential to have a globe nearby…. and cocktails… and in this case – take out Chinese. Hey… its close.
These ceremonies were absolutely spectacular, and watching the athletes arrive in the National Stadium had us all kinds of vaklempt.

Unfortunately, I have heard several times over the weekend folks saying they are boycotting the Olympics. People –do you really think that by not turning on your TV you will make a difference in the screwed up politics of China… um yeah… that sounds just like an American.

But really – what are you boycotting… the athletes.

Thousands of young people (well some…not so young) from around the world train sometimes their whole lives just to participate in these games. These hard working incredibly fit people don’t pick their venue. They just show up where they are told to go. How sad for them that after all their hard work you won’t turn the TV on because you don’t approve of the host countries policies.
Their moment of glory and you are watching Big Brother, or Dancing with the Stars.

Take for example Soraya Haddad of Algeria. Have you ever heard of her? Do you know she Bronzed in Judo yesterday? She picked up the sport when she was just 11, because her brothers did it. She says that her parents have been the most influential people in her career.

What about Dina Gorina from Baku, Azerbaijan? She is competing in Rhythmic Gymnastics. She may not even make it to the top 20 with the highly competitive American, Chinese and Romania teams. But this is her shining moment. She will tell her children this magical story of traveling to China to participate in the most amazing competition with athletes from all over the world. And her children will be proud. As are her parents. As is her country.

But you… no…you are watching repeats of CSI.
That’ll show those Chinese.

paralyzed by frogs

This whole going organic thing is gonna kill me.

O sure I was all a twitter when our first cute little weeds popped up, and the bunnies living in our back yard filled my heart with joy.

But the lawn as degraded to a bright green carpet of crabgrass sprinkled with Suess-like weeds and frankly, we are a bit overrun with wildlife.

It's actually amazing just how much wildlife you notice when you are cutting the grass with those silent reel mowers. You see and hear so much more. I notice bugs and worms scampering out of my way as I walk by. Sometime I may see a small garden snake slither by. With my nifty non-engined mower its easy enough to pause for a moment and let nature pass.

However... unless we quit our day jobs we can't realistically cut our entire lawn with the reel mower. So we're still using a pretty hefty 15hp tractor to do the big parts of the lawn.

But now... now I know about all the wildlife teaming in our yard and garden so I drive my big orange tractor around in a state of near panic. I sit up as high as I can in the tractor seat straining to see over the front of the long hood -- looking for life. Our neighbors have to be wondering why anyone would cut the grass soooo s l o w l y.

Yesterday afternoon I was out in the side yard cutting the grass at a snails pace when I saw a little frog jumping out of my way. He froze as I drove nearer to him.
Not a problem, I simply took my turn a little early and headed back in the other direction, leaving him to rest in a patch of long crabgrass and weeds. As I swung back around it suddenly occurred to me that he may have moved. Oh my! Now I don't know where he is! How far could he have jumped since I made my turn!!!

I slammed on the brakes. Looking... scanning... searching... I finally saw him - still frozen just where he was before. And so I took another pass, only to stop and look for him on my return.

This was going to take a long time.

But I couldn't find him. I even got off and walked around a little bit - calling out to him "toad?, toad?, dude you gotta take cover"

I just gave up and put the tractor away.

So if you come by this week - you may notice a strange mowing pattern.
I like to think of it as a lawn mohawk.

stepford lesbians

We went to the library the other night.

I haven't been to the library ...hmm... geez.. since Ferris was pretty small, so over a dozen years I would imagine.

My eager wife and I were very excited. We decided to walk. It's a perfect walk, just over a mile and pretty hilly.
We were going to the libary to get books -- for free. And we weren't even going to use any gas. The whole thing was incredibly Stepford. And we were thrilled.

Our town library is brand-spankin' new (we've got the tax bill to prove it). I don't remember how many millions it cost, but it was several of 'em.

Welp, let me tell you - this new library is ... opulent. Two floors, lots of open space, fine furnishings, plush carpets and marble bathrooms.

Now - does a library really need to be opulent. I think not.

What a libary needs is books - and this library is sorrily short of those.

I stood looking at the rows of books and thought Borders at the mall puts this place to shame.

This is a picture from their website. Those 5 or 6 rows of shelves to the left there is the fiction section. The WHOLE section. I know some people who have more books than that.Notice those columns... they are everywhere. I bet you could buy a hundred books for the price of one of those.

I think they could have easily cut the building budget by a million or so and spent it on the books instead. If they had as many books as Borders they might get a better turn out than the 7 or 10 folks we saw there that night.

They did install a entire fleet of computers. This... in a town where most homes have as many computers as they do occupants. They all sat darkly except for one or two.

I was dissapointed. Several of the books I looked up in their online catalog were not available.

We did end up checking out one book each, tho I imagine if we go regularly we'll get through their entire collection this winter.

Unfortunately, to read many of the books that are on my list - I will have to go to Borders and buy them. And we'll have to drive to get there. :(

2

I get a phone call from my adorable wife at work recently*, I was in a meeting at the time.
She rarely calls me at work so I stepped out to answer.

weese: "Hey, I am in a meeting can I call you back in a minute."

MAW: "no..." abruptly with a hint of playfulness
"I just talked to my sister"

weese: "oook"
still standing in the hallway while my meeting continues without me.

MAW: "What could be better than hearing a heartbeat?"

weese: "Um... ah... well..."

MAW: "Hearing two!"

Congratulations my dearest Ev and ML!!
We are excited beyond words.


To see the babies or to follow along in the action, please feel free to visit Double Beans .

* This post was delayed to allow time for Ev and ML to make proper announcements to family and friends, and for little 'A' and 'B' to reach the 2nd trimester milestone - which they have ...with flying colors.

I have a vagina, not a brain disorder

(warning... this is an unusually sexist post. please do not generalize my sexism. the sexism blatantly alluded to in this post is a direct result of a specific incident and is not a true reflection on my actual feelings toward anyone of any gender)


When I called regarding my broken tractor I was mindful not to sound cocky and certainly not to sound like a 'know it all' - so I carefully explained in great detail the symptoms of my tractors demise to the penis'ed mechanic.

After a polite silence he asked me if I would like them to come pick it up.
Um... yes please.

After some poking around initial diagnostics - apparently with complete disregard for the details I provided - they put in a new fuse and charged it up and sent it right back home to me.

Where the exact same set of problems happened.

This time I asserted myself on the phone.
A part has been ordered... on my description alone.

It's a tractor people, not a moon rocket.

making room

I just got back from having a tooth extraction.
The way I look at it - now I have more room for brains.
Then again, the copious amounts of Novocaine have not yet worn off - lets see what I think after all I am left with is my cold compress and pain meds.

Evidently, I have some freaky root system that even takes a little turn at the bottom. You know its never good when they start calling out to their colleagues "You gotta come see THIS!"

Once again, we thank the powers that be for nitrous oxide.

at least the coffee maker still works...

This is what my caffeinated wife said this morning as we were reviewing our action plan for the recent spate of mishaps.

On Saturday the tractor quit. I lifted the hood, looked in the engine, wiggled things - then called to have someone come pick it up. They offered to come get it right away, tho they could not look at it until the end of the week.
I was in a state of calm acceptance.

We came home from work yesterday afternoon to find Ferris forlorn in the living room staring at the 42" blank screen in front of him. The TV had gone lifeless. I pressed some buttons, waved the remote control around, rubbed it a little and did some internet research. I think we need some parts - hopefully we can get them in time to see murky Beijing in the glory of full High Definition.
I will order these parts in a state of calm acceptance.

Last night I went up to get ready for bed to find my handy wife pouring all sorts of concoctions down the shower drain. The room smelled like a salad bar. She plunged and poured and boiled water and plunged some more. The clog was not budging.
This morning I called the drain fellow.
He will come this afternoon, and I will wait for him in a calm state of acceptance.

How does that ad go:
Tractor needs repair - $200.00
Shower drain needs snaking - $95.00
TV needs new lamp - $280.00
calm state of acceptance - priceless

weeds

I think quitting smoking was easier, and I haven't even made it through the whole mowing season yet...

I was very proud of our organic lawn when the first weeds started to sprout. They were so cute and different, even beautiful. I thought - hey... this is easy.
But now... now the crabgrass. Its wide, bright green leaves - so unmistakable. And so prolific.

My calming wife reminds me that we have crabgrass every year. But I keep thinking -- if I do nothing... what about next year -- it will take over the entire lawn!
This is where I begin to panic...

So here I am, driving around on the tractor in mindless circles, panicking.
And I think I begin to hallucinate...

on one shoulder I have a little tiny Scotts salesperson and Al Gore sitting on the other. Each one whispering in my ear.

Scotts dude is so calming and reassuring:
"Weese, relax - you know we can handle this with some summertime spot treatments and a preventative next spring."

Al says: "Better yet, instead of cutting the lawn at all, let it go back to meadow and forest."

Scotts Dude: "A simple fall weed and feed will really knock back those dandy-lions, and that thistle doesn't stand a chance."

Al: "Read my research on lawn chemicals as cancer causing agents, and how they affect wildlife."

Scotts dude: "You don't need to read, weese. Just feed it... c'mon - you know you want to. Look at John's yard next door."
my head spins...

Al: "Did you know US lawns take up as much space as the entire state of New York. And that 1/3 of all the water on the East Coast is used to water lawns!"

Scotts Dude: "We have a new chemical that helps reduce the need for watering."
He is grinning now.

Al: "So we feed and water a lawn to make it grow, only to cut it back every week - does that sound silly to you?"

Scotts Dude: "Consistent maintenance, including sharp blades and regular mowing is essential to a healthy lawn."

Al: "And by 'healthy' you mean....?"

Al breaks out into song and is joined on my shoulder by Rachel Carson.

Scotts dude: "WTF - they're singing. Fine, fine keep your weeds and your crabgrass, save hundreds of dollars a year as well as the environment, not to mention your family pets... whatever."

Whew.

Marie

We have lived in our house for just over 20 years now, and for all of this time Marie has been our neighbor. I’ve mentioned Marie a couple of times on my blog over the years because she never ceases to amaze me. Marie is 83 (I mistakenly aged her at 78 in a blog post a couple of years ago), and grew up on our street, in fact in our house. It was truly a farm house back when she was a child and she tells stories of walking the cows up the hill to their other pastures on a dirt road which is today paved with a double yellow line.

She moved, from what is now our house, when she and her new husband Charlie built a new house for themselves next door. She has lived there ever since. Charlie passed away several years ago, and she has managed on her own since. Marie has never learned to drive, so she walks down to the store when she needs to pick something up. She still cuts ½ of her 1 acre yard with a push mower… the kind that’s not self-propelled. And she shovels her driveway so early on a winter morning that I don’t even have a chance to offer to help out with my girnormous snowthrower.

What made me think of her today though is her flowers. Boy, does Marie love her flowers. She plants them ALL over her yard and waters them everyday. When you drive down our street you can’t help but marvel over her front yard every time.
Which I did just this afternoon. So I thought I would share.



I snapped this from inside our house ... you can see Marie out there probably snagging a stray weed or two.

Twenty Three

hmm, 23... 23... why does that number ring a bell today. hmm...

Friday

tip-o-day

Learn from your mistakes.


Clearly I don't.
I am off to the dentist now.

Twitter me this...

Sassy was inquiring about Twitter the other day ...got me to thinking.

I have not used Twitter, tho conceptually I get it - and I am certain I don't want it.

Just what we need is something else to make our communications even shorter and MORE meaningless. The last thing I want to do is read the random thoughts of someone I don't know.

My life is not a snippet.

If you want to share something with me, my off-the-grid wife and I would love to invite you over to sit on the porch and languish linger over a cool drink while you regale us with your story. We'll have a conversation. We'll see eachother. We may even touch.

On my summer vacation I...

Our intentions were not to have any plans. To wake each day and see what the day would bring. This went along smoothly for the first couple days. Whimsy and free we flitted around at our leisure and our pleasure.

Until ...o about Tuesday - when we thought we would just eye up a little project we have been toying with.

See we have had this custom, built-in cabinet in our living room for about 15 years now. It has served us well, but it was designed to hold electronics equipment and CDs -- which we no longer use.
You can see it here in this picture from several years ago.


While we were sizing up the project it seemed to make sense to just see how the thing might be installed. This could be easily accomplished by simply removing a little bit of the sheet rock from the back of the unit in the other room.
So ... we decided to just have a peak. We thought we'll look... get a cocktail, and think it over.

We noticed right away how easily the sheet rock seemed to be breaking up, so I grabbed an old towel, just to collect some of the dust we were creating.

It occurred to us that if we just had a hammer and maybe a pry bar that this sheet rock would really just come right down, so I went to get those.
My tidy wife suggested next that I grab a bucket to put some of the debris in.
But really... we just wanted to see how to get the cabinet out. So this wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

We uncovered some screws holding up some of the framing, so I grabbed my drill just to pop out some these.

The bucket filled up pretty fast, so we brought in one of those 30 gallon garbage cans. That seemed to do the trick - since really we were just gonna take off a little bit more.

Suprisingly, we were able to remove large pieces of the wall quite easily. And since I already had the drill out why not just see how the thing was secured to the wall.

To do this we simply needed to remove the trim from the front side of the unit. A couple more tools and this was easily accomplished.
And since we already had the large garbage can there... why not really....

We quickly found how it was secured to the wall but the unit itself was heavier than we could lift -- so we thought perhaps we could just shimey it a bit then lay it down. So I went and got some moving blankets and we eventually were able to drag it out of the house.

Since we coulnd't really move it around much I just went ahead and grabbed my circular saw so we could cut it up into more managable pieces.

The vacuum came out and we tidied up the place. It was then we realized that it was Wednesday and we had just intended to see how the unit had been installed.

oops.




Off to home depot for some studs and sheet rock.

Framed it up...


And tossed up some sheetrock.
whew.



All that was left was mudding and paint - and it was only Thursday.

Now, I don't want you to go getting the idea that our whole week off was all about projects and home improvements.

There was much rejoicing, and drinking and yes... nakedness. Tho sometimes these overlapped --just a bit.

You know how sometimes when you are walking through a room and you notice just a little something you want to touch up real quick ... and its only gonna take a second... so you just figure its better to do it now rather than wait... even if possibly you have been drinking... and might not exactly be appropriatly dressed for it...

ahhhhh....

I'm back.
Well... we didn't really go anywhere.

Have you taken time off from work recently?
If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

I am slowly adjusting to this new routine. Sitting... typing... reading.

I have some email to sift through. More blogging tomorrow.

Dude, where's the party?

Remember when you were in high school and you waited to see whose parents would be stupid enough to go away for a long weekend.
Party on, dude.

Welp, Ferris is away this week. It's his annual mission trip with his church's youth group - tho now he travels with them as an adult advisor. I am always so proud of him for not only doing this trip each year, but getting so much out of it as well.


My giddy wife and I are taking the entire week off from work to enjoy the big empty house.

So... party is at our house. I should warn you tho, if you're planning to stop by, you may want to call first ;)

Friday

tip-o-day

I have said before that cleaning is my Zen. This does not mean our house is immaculate - it simply means that I enjoy the act of cleaning as much as the result.

Cleaning has alot to do with Chi. And so... if you find yourself in a funk someday, maybe a little foggy or not quite connected, perhaps you have some issues to work through -- tidy up your space. Set things in order, dust, vacuum and mop. Clear some clutter, get into the corners, rid yourself of the dust and disorder.

This will do several things for you. It will get you moving, your blood flowing and your brain organizing, and as a bonus your space will be neat and organized.
In this newly cleaned space you will feel better, clearer and more present, your heart will lighten.
You will feel like you have done something nice for yourself, and you may be surprised to find you are calmer and more relaxed.
Try it.

When you're done... be sure to put your feet up in that sparkly room and have a refreshing cocktail.

where's weese?

dunno, I'll go look for her.

Cats

Welp. Looks like we have a cat.

Our little feral kitty, locked up in confinement for 8 weeks, is now FREE.
We opened the doors Friday and waited. She popped out of her kitty door and walked around the back of the garage like she owned the place. (I know this because I was sitting in a lawn chair waiting.)

We have seen her exploring around the barn/garage, up around the house and out into the yard a little bit all weekend. And then she comes right back to nap on her shelf in the garage.

The world is her oyster (or rodent... as it were).




But wait, there's more.
Meet Jasper.


Jasper is The Daughter The Therapist and Her Handsome Beau's newest addition to their family. Last year they rescued Sophie, and this past weekend scooped up another little feral.

Independence Day

Tomorrow is Independence Day.


We will open the door for the FREE cat.
And wait to see if she ever comes back.

A sign of the times.

I have been watching this particular low profile window air conditioner online for some time now - waiting for it to go on sale. We already have one and love it, it's a great little unit, and light enough for me to install alone with ease.

It finally went on sale last week.

Alas, we decided to buy a cord of wood instead.

NY Pride

Being proud takes stamina people.

We start the day at 8a.m. - getting organized and having breakfast 'juice' before heading to the train.


On the train we noticed some young people getting ready for the parade.


A little brunch at a favorite place.


Waiting in the hot sun for entirely too long.




No sooner did the parade start...


When the rains came.


We took shelter in a local bar.


We were so wet it was as if we jumped into a pool. Even things in my pockets were soaked. Luckily, I had rain gear for my phone.


Then off to a great little Italian place - where things started to get blurry.




And so we kept drinking...




Then into the subways to head back to the train.

We had some extra time to appreciate Grand Central Station.


Finally... heading home on the 9:07.


whew.

Friday

not quite a tip-o-day

Ever since we have started to cut the grass with our trusty reel mower, I can't tell you how many people have said they couldn't do it simply because it would be too much effort.
(if you are one of those who mentioned this... take solace, you're not alone)
Yet, we'll pay hundreds of dollars to a gym to run for an hour and get nowhere, or sit on a bicycle and watch television then go lift heavy things up and down and up and down only to put them back where we found them.

And people say I have gone mad.

Are you out of shape, need some firming up?
Think about it.

55

Did you know that driving 55mph saves gas?
No, really...it does.

If you drive alot, it can save you quite a bit actually.

Apparently, I am the only one who knows this... or cares.



--

Conversation with Ferris:
weese: "I have read that driving 55 will save gas."
Ferris: "That's correct - 55 is the optimal speed for gas savings... on any road."

Neil Sedaka... he knows

Breaking up is hard to do.
Especially when it's been so long.
I can't say it's any one thing. Maybe a series of small things, maybe I've changed, maybe it's things I have heard. I dunno.

It's over tho.
I am moving on.
I have already planned to meet someone else.
But... as with any breakup - there are some loose ends I need to tie up.

I am going to do it on the phone.
I will call today to tell him I am going to start seeing a woman, and would he be so kind as to send my things... to her.

This will be first for me. My whole life I've chosen men. But it's time to change and I am looking forward to meeting her and having her examine --- my teeth.

enchanting evening

Each June New Haven puts on the Arts and Ideas festival with all sorts of music, dance and theatre. Saturday night they traditionally present Opera on the Green.

It's a very well attended event with people turning out with full table settings - linens, candles or candelabras, wine and food and all the accoutrement.
Lovely.

The entire experience was delightful; we had perfect weather, a bottle of red, some snacks and fabulous entertainment.

This year East Village Opera Company performed - they were amazing.


Classic opera melded with classic rock. Think Mozart jamming with Pete Townsend.
They have two fantastic vocalists and when they performed the Flower Duet **, my rather smitten wife turned to me and said

"I think I'm in love."








with this woman... incredible voice and a sensual performer; oh... and she's hot.

Luckily ... my adorable wife went home with me.

Though we stopped to buy a CD ...and to meet the band.
















** renowned in the opera world for its sexual tension and lesbian subtext

Look!

Look at my weeds!

How organic.
I am so proud.

Define irony

For the back story I will quickly recap:

1) Ferris got a ticket for having a beer.
2) His wise and sage parents advised the lad to pay his fine and move on.
3) The Department of Motor Vehicles didn’t want to miss out on the fun so they suspended his license making his infraction a conviction.
4) Said wise and sage parents lawyer-ed up.
5) My law abiding wife took Ferris to his first court appearance, clear across the state (no snickering about state size from you Texans) where he was told to do some community service to wipe his slate clean.
6) Ferris performs community service for old, poor people and receives a glowing letter of recommendation from the supervisor.
7) My patient wife drives Ferris back to court clear across the state where he presents his community service paper work.
8) His case is now marked Nolle – yay.
9) To actually receive his license back however, some paperwork needs to be filed BY MAIL to the Department of Motor Vehicles, with of course another fee. They will in turn send back a paper that reinstates Ferris’ license. We are hoping that will happen this week.
That afternoon, after a long drive, a day in court and running paperwork around my tired wife went out to get the mail.

And what do you suppose she found there.

Ferris’ first letter to report for jury duty.

Friday

tip-o-day

This tip is actually courtesy of a fellow blogger.
I tried it, it works, and I like it.

A great, completely organic way to get rid of weeds or unwanted grasses is simply hot water. I boiled up a kettle full and dumped it on all the weeds growing up in the patio. Worked like a charm.

Note tho, this is an indiscriminate kill so be careful where you pour. I accidentally poured it on some of my gentle wife's moss. You don't mess with her moss.

roots

You know what’s great about living in the same house for over 20 years?

As I was enjoying my breakfast of tofu, flax seed and mixed berries on the patio early Sunday morning, I wallowed in the cool breeze and watched the morning dew lift, reveling in the stillness of our neighborhood on this weekend morning before 8 o’clock.

I reflected back to our first summer here where I can remember like it was yesterday -- rolling out of bed …oh, somewhere around midday maybe, stumbling outside, nauseous and shaky to find broken eggs all over the driveway.
Nothing like cleaning up from a 3 a.m. egg toss on a hot summer day with a hangover.

Ah the good ole days.

working for a living

Don’t just have your eyes open. Be alert -- process what you’re seeing.

Earlier this week I passed a woman on a bike on my morning commute, though it's not unusual to see a woman on a bike.
It was a street bike not a … I think they call them cruising bikes or comfort bikes now. She was not wearing sports apparel. She had an attractive messenger type bag over her shoulder. She wobbled a bit as she pedaled her way out of the town center, toward the office complex were I work. Clearly this was a new experience for her.

This morning I saw a man in a white shirt and tie on a scooter. He rode with traffic on my street down to the light, but then rode in the shoulder on the main road to down toward the highway. I hope in his heart he felt proud and not belittled.

These are not rich people who tend to jump in making these short term grandiose changes because its chic.
These are not poor people who I have heard are now abandoning their cars when they run out of gas.
These are folks like me. We are working for a living, and the money we make goes to our living expenses.

Things are changing, people.

Look for it, you will see it.

Participate.

You don’t need to get a scooter or ride your bike to work. But – you would be wise to think twice about your discretionary spending. Do you really need a new blouse, new shoes? Examine the word ‘need’ with new fervor now.
Even if you can (or think you can) afford these new things – is it wise to buy now?
That’s how you should be thinking.

Yes, we need to save the planet.. so why not save some money while you are at it?

The FREE cat

The FREE cat is still under lockdown in the barn. The cat expert people say we need to keep her in there for at least six weeks. She is doing fine - eating, peeing, pooping... all is well. She seems a little bored to me, but we have seen no signs of rodents out there since we got her.

Meanwhile this is what we found in the basement last night...


Those are teeth marks. This is the cord for the dehumidifier. Which was plugged in.

Not sure this whole 'feral cat' thing is working the way we planned.

Friday

tip-o-day

Did you know that almost all faucets are covered under lifetime warranties?
The manufacturer will send out new parts at no cost - all you need to do is drop them an email.

I did-- just this week on our damned near new kitchen faucet.
The sprayer has begun to leak.

A new one is winging its way to us now.

That warranty won't do you much good though if you don't even know the make or model.


Remember to hang on to all owners manuals. Have a couple of folders all set up in your file cabinet so you can just toss them in without too much fuss. The easier it is to file the more likely you are to do it. I keep a basket on top of our filing cabinet to simply toss things into that I will file when I have a free minute (my organized wife will tell you how full that basket gets... but at least I know where to look if I don't find something in it's folder yet).

When something goes wrong you'll be ready.

Harken

In our ongoing effort to be more environmentally conscience we have resurrected the reel mower.

We bought it a couple years ago. My easy-going wife liked it well enough, but I wasn't too happy with its performance. After a short time I gave in and bought a used gas mower.

Now, that I am of the mind that the 'american lawn is the bane of the environment', we are using it again.
(Oddly I am still at complete peace with the degrading condition of our lawn. Tho, its quite possibly my clever wife is sneaking prozac into my morning coffee).

Last week I was out cutting the front lawn with it. It does a decent job, leaving the lawn looking more natural than manicured.
Since the mower is silent I can hear everything going on around me. Instead of hearing cars zip by all too fast I heard the clip-clop of hoofs.
I looked up and sure enough a horse and buggy were travelling down our busy, double yellow-line street. They were from the farm down the street that still sells fresh eggs, corn, even raw milk (what does one do with raw milk... Guy?)
Cars were lined up behind them. I am sure they were annoyed.

We were able to chat for a moment as they trotted by our house. I commented that it was such a lovely evening for a ride - they commented back how nice and quiet my mower was.

It was a moment.
A moment out of time... in busy suburban Connecticut.

yeah. We're keepin' the mower.

Mind the sign

For various reasons over the past 20 some odd years I have had the occasion to drive a particular back road almost every day. Currently, this road takes me from my home in one town to my work in a neighboring town. So I am on it every week day. It's also the road we take when visiting my in-laws. So I am on it many weekend days as well.

Needless to say I am very familiar with this road. I have come to know some of the people living along the road - tho they most likely would not know me. I have seen their children grow up, I know when they get new cars, I know the ederly woman in the white tudor house needs more help these days, as I see her with visitors almost every day - where there used to be few.

This morning I noticed the deaf child sign.

Tho the sign is not new.

It's been there all of these years. I suppose it had just become part of the scenery.
I remember when Ferris was just learning to read and we drove by that very sign on the way over to his grandparents house. He read it to me and we discussed its merrit, and even it's lack thereof.

This morning I wondered -- where is this kid now?
Certainly he must be grown. But his sign remains. I wonder... does he even know its still there? Does he pass it every day like I do. Perhaps on his way to visit his parents.
Maybe a new family with a deaf child saw the sign and decided to move to the area, appreciating its convenience.

And so I will continue to drive this road... with renewed intent to heed the sign, because you just never really know.

weekend guest

We had a visitor this weekend.

This is Sophie.

Our daughter and her beau spent a weekend seaside so Sophie stayed with us.

The FREE dog seemed pleased to have some company.


I, on the other hand, learned an important lesson.

You see, oh-- so many years ago I got in the habit of calling my adorable wife 'mommy' when referring to her when we were with the kids.
I might say,
"Go ask mommy."
or perhaps
"Tell mommy you're hungry."
See.

Welp... with Sophie - our daughter is mommy. My adorable,yet aging-gracefully wife would then be something like grammy. All weekend I kept correcting myself when talking to the cat. Such as, "Mommy... I mean Grammy is going to come clean your litter box." or "Mommy...argh... I mean Grammy is getting your cat food." Evidently, its a hard habit to break.

Now - this is all very minor in the grand scheme of things. I mean sheesh... its only a cat.

But... what about when its not just a cat.

Luckily, Sophie is coming to stay with us again later this season. I can practice more then.

Friday

tip-o-day

If you are a flower, shrub or even a tree and you live with us - don't get too rooted. Our yard is my artistic wife's outdoor canvas. She moves plants around like rearranging furniture.
She recently moved a 15 foot tree while I was out running errands one day. I came home to find her out in the back yard with the job completed. (she did admit to possibly misjudging its size and mobility once she got it out of the ground).

Anyway... if you have a tree or shrub that can use some extra watering, such as during a transplant, get one of those 5 gallons buckets (you can get pickle buckets or compound buckets for free) and using a nail put a couple/few holes in the bottom. Fill the bucket with water and set it next to the truck of your tree to deliver slow steady water to the roots over a period of time.

This method works great during drought. We have had a couple of doozy droughts in the 20 years we've been in our house. You may notice in your own yard were the large, major roots of a tree have come to the surface making a lump in yard. This happens when trees are in stress and in search of moisture. One year it was so bad we had set out about 10 buckets around the yard to save mature trees showing signs of wilting. After an hour or so you could see the tree getting perkier. You can also use these water buckets when you plant something beyond the reach of your hose.

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Friday

tip-o-day

If you have a zipper that's sticking or not zipping smoothly, rub the teeth with (dry) bar soap.
Zip it a couple times to work in the soap and it should be smooth zippin'.

the acquittal

Ferris is no longer a convicted criminal.
We are so proud.

And all we had to do was:
- call a lawyer (after paying the ticket)
- have the lawyer file an appeal
- wait over a month for a court date (during which time the license suspension started)
- write a large retainer check
- drive to some far away court, to find out he didn't need to appear

Then the judge makes a ruling and the whole bad thing disappears.

Now all he has to do to get his license back is:
- 10 hours of community service
- write another check to cover the fees


Listen - if you're going to have kids think carefully about your career choices.
- work at a university (FREE tuition)
- be a lawyer
- be a cop
- be a mechanic
- run a restaurant (tho this really only applies to having boys)
- work at GameStop

picky picky picky...

Tidy Cat to the rescue.

so far so good.

Doesn't it just figure we got a 'fastidious' feral cat.

FREE pets

Do you have a dog?

Would you leave your dog alone with a bag of chips for 8 hours?
(I was supposed to bring these things downstairs yesterday to be stored on the extra shelves...oops)

Sometimes I just love that FREE dog. (and yes...they are still there, and we are at work again)

The FREE cat on the other hand has fallen into disfavor.

Perhaps she doesn't like the litter, perhaps she is just mad - but she has decided the barn floor is a better than the litter box.

This does not fly in weese's house. There will be no peeing on the floor*, even in the barn.
I sent a note to the feral cat adoption folks asking for suggestions - but my preference is to simply open the door.

*And while we are gloating over the FREE dog, it should also be noted that she has never once...ever ... peed in the house.

Friday

tip-o-day

Time for spring cleaning.

But remember by working with the natural progression of the season you'll save time and effort.

Don't wash the windows and screens until the pollen is off the trees. Here in the Northeast we should be done in a week or so. There is nothing worse that cleaning all your windows and sashes only to have them slathered in yellow dust the next day.
You should also keep your windows closed on dry days in the height of pollen season . This will keep all that yellow dust out of the house and certainly ease any allergies.

Wait to sweep off outdoor porches and patios till the trees drop their spring seedlings. We wait until late May - even tho the temptation to get cleaned up for the season is mounting. We sweep off the back porch and patio under our large maple, then use a shovel and wheelbarrow to haul away all the seed pods. Followed by a quick rinse with the hose and we are ready for outdoor entertaining.

In the spring we often add an extra little rug by the door to help keep those little helicopter seed pods from being tracked all over the house. Also at this time of year, we leave the broom right near the entry. Its not only handy but serves as a reminder to take a quick swipe in front of the door and walk.

Happy Spring.

the scent of a womanFREE cat

The FREE dog suspects something.

She has yet to actually see the FREE cat - but she is circling the garage and whining.
We have this image of her digging out under the foundation.

The headline would read: FREE dog frees FREE cat

We have yet to see the cat ourselves. But we know where she is hiding.
Because of course we checked every nook and cranny.
We found her in a corner tucked behind the snowthrower. You can see just a little bit of her ...with a flashlight ...if you twist your body to the right and crane your neck against the wall ...and get up on one tippy toe.
Yeah - we're a little over the top.

She is eating like a horse, and using her litter box.
We are so proud.

empty nesters

They don't call...they don't write...