Thursday, December 29, 2005

Thanks for small favors

We've been on vacation all week, not doing anything but laying low and going to the movies. Cat is out shopping at the mall, and I've got a kitten on my lap. All is well as one could hope for, particularly since we got lucky on what could have been irritating mistakes. I didn't get a parking ticket when I left the car out last night, and a credit showed up just in time to cover a 3 dollar shortage in the checking account. Life is good sometimes.

Monday, December 26, 2005


I saw Santa! Honest, he left these presents here for me! Abby guarded the homestead while we enjoyed christmas eve by my folks. It was pretty mellow, no one lost it this year, and I got to see my brother Jim. It had been since the funeral in september, and everyone there was a little overcharged. This time was better, and it made me happy to see him doing well.
Now I have the whole week off, and no plans to do anything beside what strikes my fancy at the moment. Posted by Picasa

Friday, December 23, 2005


Chicken Vindaloo, Yum! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 18, 2005


Finally got the lights up, HA!
Merry Christmas to you and yours. I'm going to celebrate a bit early with my sweetie's side, Christmas cheer may be involved.

Before we left for the store, we left this note for those who had slept in this day. It must have worked, since there was no one sitting there awaiting our return. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 11, 2005

It's a ball-slappin' happy day!

That's what my sweetie called it, and clamped her hand over her mouth, partly to stifle some of the laugh welling up, and to pantomime the amazement she felt. "Did that just come out of my mouth?" She asked, and I agreed that those were the most unusual words she'd ever strung together. It is looking like a good day, Cathy is out shopping, and when she gets back I'll pound out some christmas cookies.

Saturday, December 10, 2005


It was time to stock up at Penzey's
We were out of vanilla and ginger, and one of our favorite cookie recipes calls for a tablespoon of nutmeg! They are mound shaped cakelike cookies with a buttery brown sugar glaze, each one tastes like a small freshly cooked doughnut. I'd better fire up the oven and crank out some goodies, because there's only two weeks before the holidays, and I don't really get in the spirit until I've completely destroyed the kitchen. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 27, 2005


Sunday afternoon, nothing going on, time for a Bitburger. I've never been a big beer drinker, but a couple years back I had a Bit at the John Ernst Cafe. That had been the oldest restaurant in Milwaukee, and it so happened that we had dined there with my folks shortly before it closed. All of the menfolk had the house beer on tap, and we found it to be very tasty. Posted by Picasa

Behaving for a change, Abby is satisfied after "helping" me make a big pot of turkey soup. She sure was excited about that, and produced meows the like of which I'd never heard before. Posted by Picasa

none of my business I suppose, what is going on up the street, but one wonders... Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, November 23, 2005


Evil Kitty! Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 20, 2005


Sourdough Bread, and no cat in sight... Posted by Picasa

I can't walk in these glasses

That's what Cathy said to me this morning, it seems that her favorite eyewear for reading is incompatable with locomotion. As it was, that didn't stop her from making me a wonderful sunday breakfast. Bacon, and french toast fried with shortening in a big cast iron pan. Topped with our semi homade apple-maple-cranberry syrup, it was a real treat!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Not invoking ancient gods today, the way our luck has been, they just might show up! While Cathy was driving to work, her horn started to blow, and wouldn't stop! She drove home and paged me while the screaming car sat in the garage, but it had stopped by the time I got home. It was very cold this morning, so it may have been a fluke. Since I was home I took the other car in for its final repairs. The window trim has been replaced, and the factory stereo re-installed. Nothing in there worth stealing now...

Sunday, November 13, 2005

More Crime
I woke up early this morning, which is not unusual, and saw the police in the alley directly behind the house. Someone had split open our neighbor's garage door, certainly with intent to steal something. There were 3 other break-ins around the neighborhood as well. Adding this to the abuse we suffered the other day is making me disenchanted with this area.

Saturday, November 12, 2005


Mmmm, bread...
Normally a carnivore, with the exception of some catnip or one of Mommy's houseplants, Abby thought this loaf of freshly baked bread smelled divine. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 10, 2005


Soneone evidently needed a car stereo more than I did, so they helped themself! It's sad, but it's part of life in the big city. There's no way that I'll put another unit in there, the original piece of crud will have to do. Posted by Picasa

an expert job I was told... Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 08, 2005


All three furry dorks, they were on the kitchen table, but I thought the rug looked better. From left to right, they are Abby, Herbie, and Peaches. That's right, Peaches and Herb. We got both of them from the vet, who usually has a line on kittens needing a home. Abby just hung around our back door until my soft hearted wife let her in. I didn't really want another cat in the house, but now she is my little lap peanut. Posted by Picasa

Saturday, October 15, 2005


High again, naturally!
It was a nice day to get some stuff done that I'd been putting off. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, October 12, 2005


Herbie is a tiny bun...
Actually, he's a big dork, but a pretty boy kitty, who tolerates me and loves his mommy. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 02, 2005



Busy weekend! My Honey and I installed a microwave over the stove yesterday, which was a good 5 hours spent in heck. Half of that time was spent moving the fan switch out of the way and putting an outlet up inside the cabinet. The twenty year old Cyclotron Deluxe Radar Range and alien signalling device has been hauled out to the alley, so one of the junk men who cruise through every weekend will find a treasure. The new oven works great, bacon cooked in it was crisp, not stone hard on one end and limp as the flag of Porkovia on the other. Now today, since Cathy is going out of town to visit relatives, my reward for yesterday's work is to ditch that gig, and go to Penzey's with Andy and Cindy (the rock and roll neighbor show) and pick up a jar of basil. Then I can sniff samples of exotic herbs and spices 'till my sinuses bleed.

Monday, September 05, 2005



We did the Red Cedar trail this weekend! Starting early on Sunday, we drove to Eau Claire to check out the Chippewa River trail. It was very nice in town, but the trail markings were confusing to an out of towner, so we got lost a bunch of times and became frustrated. We'll go again, but with a better map, probably starting outside of the city itself. We then drove to Menomonee, checked into the hotel, and went in search of food. The local tourist rag didn't have many suggestions, the one place that appealed to us was 20 miles away in Durand at the Riverside Grill. We sat outside on the deck and had a tasty homecooked meal. I sassed the waitress some, and asked if the pies on the menu were as good as the rest of the meal. She was non-commital, but we ordered some anyway, which seemed fair since I'd put her on the spot about such a small thing. So while the broasted chicken with mashed potatoes and stuffing was homeade and great, the pie was store bought, and less than fabulous. The next morning we carbed up at the continental, and geared up for the trail. The weather was cool enough to be refreshing, with a bit of damp that promised to linger into the afternoon. We had an excellent ride, the trail was not crowded, and the road surface was in great condition. This is one of the more scenic trails in the state, as it follows the red cedar river, and we crossed it in a number of places by means of converted railway bridges. We both felt fairly strong, and covered the 28 or so miles in about 4 hours, which is average of about 10mph if you take out the breaks. It was during one of those breaks where we had a chat with a couple of nice local folks, they had moved back to the area, and were getting back into the bicycling thing. Actually, they were having ice cream cones, which looked much tastier than the power bar I was chewing (and chewing.) Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and we had a great ride. There were no Eagles flying about, as we've see before, but nothing is ever perfect. Sometimes you just have to settle for wonderful.

Saturday, September 03, 2005



My Honey made a cake, isn't it pretty?

Saturday, August 27, 2005



The last batch is in the canner, for a total of 49 jars, and 7 jars of salsa. The dark blotches in the jars are basil leaves, a little funny looking but very tasty! five hours of work for 3 people and about 35 bucks worth of produce, lids, etc. We won't reap a great financial savings, but the flavor of the product is much better than anything in the supermarket.

This is what we started with, we're about half done. That's 3 loads of 7 jars each, and one batch of salsa. Boy, is it hot in the kitchen! Thank goodness for cold beer.

Thursday, August 25, 2005



We picked 2 bushels of tomatoes at a farm near Cedarburg tonight after work. The farm was closing in a little over and hour, so we didn't think there would be time to get enough, but there were so many big ripe beautiful ones that it was not a problem. On Saturday, after I get off of work, We'll fire up the big kettles, stuff those red pearls into jars and embalm them with fresh basil.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005


Went for a quick ride last night, so I could get a few miles on the new bike. The cold weather comes wo quickly in wisconsin, there's less than 2 months before it becomes uncomfortable. So I got in 14 miles in about an hour, not an olympic record, but not bad for someone rapidly approaching middle age.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Helllooooo can you h

Helllooooo, can you hear me?
Just wanted to see if this durned thang works.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Dip!

This is Lynn's receipe for the Southwestern Corn Dip

1 can (15 oz) yellow corn kernels
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced black olives
1 can ( 4 Oz.) chopped green chiles
Approximately 2 tablespoons from - 1 can (4 oz.) hot jalapeno peppers chopped
2 jarred roasted red peppers
1 Cup shredded monterey jack or colby-jack cheese
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 C. Mayo
Tortilla chips

Bake 350 for 30 minutes

Drain corn, olives, green chiles and jalapeno peppers. Use as much jalapeno peppers as you prefer ( I have used approx. 2 tablespoons). Finely dice roasted peppers and add to bowl. Add both cheeses and mayo. Stir well. Spray 2-quart baking dish lightly with vegetable spray. Place dip into dish and smooth top. Bake until top is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Sunday, May 22, 2005


good way to start a weekend Posted by Hello

Friday, May 06, 2005

It finally warmed up again, enough for a zip up to wales and back...

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Peapod

The weather took a chilly turn last week, so we went to Big Fanny instead of riding outdoors :P
Things are brighter today, but still cold.
While catching up on housework and naps, we saved some time by doing our weekly shopping at Peapod.com. The quality and service are perfect, and the prices were not so much higher as to keep us from using them, at least once in a while.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Quickie

Merton to Sussex and back, about 10 miles in an hour. The weather could not have been nicer, especially for the time of year. It's been a year since Cat and I started riding regularly, happy anniversary to my honey!

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Having more fun, that I am


 Posted by Hello

why not, it's all going to fall out anyway...

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Radio Paradise




The best in internet radio!

Monday, April 11, 2005

almost forgot

We had some more great weather yesterday, when we rode from Waukesha to Dousman. It was at least 70 out, but when we turned back there was a nasty headwind. The total milage was about 25, and Cathy did a great job. The average speed was about 11 MPH.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Great day


Quick, through the portal! Posted by Hello
It was a most wonderful day to have off of work. We loaded up the bikes and headed to Madison about 8 in the morning. The first stop was breakfast, and Cathy had found the best possible place by typing "Madison breakfast" into Google. It's a retro styled place called the Blue Plate Diner.
Cathy enjoyed a pesto mushroom omelet, and I had the huevos rancheros. Black beans and eggs seem scary, but they turned out to be the perfect fuel for our endeavours. Our waitress had just the right amount of sass to match her surroundings, nothing forced or phony, and the waiter cleaning the adjoining booth rolled his eyes at her like the perfect foil.
After breakfast, we backtracked a short way to Cottage Grove and loaded up our bikes for a three-hour-tour, yes, a three-hour-tour. It was cool enough for us to keep our sweaters on but still nice for the time of year, a stiff wind in our face was making it more work than we liked on our first time out. Our leg out took about 2 hours, and we went a good bit further than we had planned. We made it all the way to Lake Mills, 15 miles from our start, that's already further than we rode the whole first week last year! A sub sandwich was shared, and with some cokes we gathered up our strength for the return journey. The way back was mercifully better, as our nice day became unseasonably wonderful, the wind was at our backs to push us the long way to the car. Cathy deserves a lot of credit for working out so hard all winter, last year she rode for 3 miles her first time out and today she did 30. I think it's going to be a great summer!

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Soon!

It's supposed to be in the 60's on monday, and we have the day off! Very sweet if I might say. That leaves the weekend to get the bikes ready and do the usuall chores. On Monday we're going to go towards Madison and ride a piece of the Glacial Drumlin trail we've never been on. The temperature should be almost 10 degrees warmer if we go that far west, 65 degrees instead of maybe 55-60 by the lake of Michigan. Yowsah! first time in the saddle all year, it's going to be interesting...

Saturday, March 26, 2005


it's done, Happy Easter! Posted by Hello

it's ready for the oven! Posted by Hello

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Can't wait!

It's been a restful weekend, and after being busy at work in addition to getting over a mild virus, a couple of mellow days are welcome.  The sun streaming in on the morning paper helps, as does the fat kitty curled up in the corner.
Feeling a bit rested is fueling our touch of spring fever, Cathy just said that she "can't wait to put on her shorts and ride her bike." I don't know about wearing shorts anytime soon, but we might have our butts in the saddle in as soon as six weeks. If we keep going to the gym the start of the season shouldn't be too traumatic.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Mental health day!

I called in sick today with one of those stealth colds that seems to hang around for weeks, coming and going, annoying as hell. Perhaps yesterday would have been better for me, but I can't do that to the other kids at work. Besides, someone else called in Monday, and that's part of the reason I'm so burnt today. Today will consist of listening to tunes, drinking green tea, and maybe some light laundry later on. There's also some leftover pork which I'll make into fried rice for a nice easy but tasty dinner for my honey.
[Listening to: (-=- MPEGRadio.Com -=- Classical Selections) - 4 seasons spring - (0:-1)]

Sunday, February 13, 2005