Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think I’m going to blog any more this year. I need a break.
Especially after my busy-ass weekend. Saturday, I spent six hours taking down and packing up the holiday decorations. There was all the stuff inside, of course – two trees, a village, and way too many knickknacks to count – but I tackled all the outdoor lights, too. Figured I’d take advantage of the mild 50° weather and knock everything out in one fell swoop before it turns super cold again. They’re predicting a cold snap that will last at least two weeks beginning tomorrow.
Check out this fantastic sunset that lit up the sky shortly after I finished my Saturday chores.
I can’t wait to master my new drone so I can level up my sunset game!
The impending deep freeze also dictated my Sunday plans. Our wood pile was just about empty, so I busted out the splitting maul and got to work turning a pile of logs into a bigger pile of firewood. Fuel for our angry-faced wood stove, which is going to get a workout in the coming weeks.
I wasn’t looking forward to splitting all those logs, because it’s hard work that inevitably leads to blisters and sore muscles, but I was on a roll and surprised myself with the sheer number of logs I managed to split. I’ve come a long way from that klutz who could barely even lift the splitting maul, let along figure out how to swing it properly to split a log into four pieces. Hell, I was still calling it an axe back then. What an amateur.
Not the most relaxing way to spend a weekend, but at least we’ll be warm and cozy.
We have nothing crazy planned for tonight. Tara is working, but when she gets home, we’ll bust out some adult beverages, put on records, and play Skip-Bo. I haven’t stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve since moving to Wisconsin, but maybe this will be the year. I make no promises.
I feel like I should do some kind of year in review thingy.
If I had to sum up 2024 in one word, I’d go with busy. Mostly because of all the yard work we did. I might also choose itchy given all the mosquitoes and poison ivy. As with any year, there were highs and lows. Let’s step into my digital time machine and look back on a few, shall we?
January
We got stuck in the snow on the way back from Delavan because I wanted a picture of a barn. Tara was not amused.
February
An uneventful winter’s evening was interrupted by tornado sirens and an approaching twister. I did not act as bravely as I’d hoped. Tara was not amused.
March
We dodged leprechauns and grabbed lunch in a medieval Appleton dungeon; I landed a job with the State of Wisconsin and bid farewell to TobacCo. My boss was not amused.
April
We visited The House on the Rock, aka Disneyland for adults; spent a day exploring Sheboygan; and had the best French Onion soup of our lives while initiating my parents into the world of supper clubs.
May
I missed out on the Aurora Borealis, waged war against marauding squirrels, and moved a ton of dirt. I was not amused x3.
June
We entertained Tara’s sister for 48 hours, I bought a Traeger smoker, built a fire pit, and figured out how to best those pesky squirrels. They were not amused.
July
Saw a favorite band at Summerfest, discovered the wonders of tractor pulls at the Jefferson County Fair, and picked dozens of peaches from our backyard tree.
August
Enjoyed our first-ever Wisconsin State Fair cream puffs, explored Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, and escorted Tara to the emergency room after midnight, where she joked that I beat her. I was not amused (but luckily, the triage nurse was).
September
We kayaked the Bark River, met up with a blogging friend who lives in an Airstream full-time, and I explored Bayfield and Superior while Tara drove to Rapid City for a wedding.
October
I rediscovered a favorite cookie, we entertained Tara’s cousin from Nevada, and I finally crossed the Northern Lights off my bucket list. Watching the dancing, pulsating celestial light show was the highlight of my year.
November
Discovered a legit Philly cheesesteak in Cambridge, had a new furnace and A/C unit installed, and found salvation in The Cure after The Election From Hell. 75,019,257 Americans were not amused.
December
I successfully made scrambled eggs when Tara was in Mexico, almost burned the house down when Tara was in Mexico, and celebrated 15 years of blogging when Tara was in Mexico.
Blog-wise, I posted 97 times in 2024 – exactly the same number as last year. I’m nothing if not consistent! My most popular post (this year and all-time, by a wide margin) — an oldie but goodie about puns, published in 2020 – has 2,629 views, nearly double the runner-up. There’s a reason this one consistently hogs the top spot: it’s SEO gold, baby! If you Google Which bear is the most condescending? – or anything even close – my humble lil’ blog post ranks at the very top of the search results. I feel like I won the lottery!
For posts published in 2024, the meetup with Airstream Shelly is #1. Either people really like reading about bloggers breaking the fourth wall or they have a keen interest in reuben egg rolls.
In any case, I like the trends.
As always, thank you for following along, and here’s hoping for a little more amusement in 2025!
Mark My Words 
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