We welcomed our first official guests to Casa P. (or is “Ye Olde Homestead” better?) on Saturday. Stephanie is a blogging friend from way back, though like Tara, she long ago hung up her proverbial quill. We met up with them once before, in Portland. Had a great time but figured we’d never see them … Continue reading Gimme All the DEETs!
Category: Daily Life
Flattery, not King Charles III, got me on their podcast.
Yesterday, Tara suggested we go kayaking after work. It was one of those perfect spring days: not too hot, not too cold, and not too humid. There were mosquitoes, but there are always mosquitoes this time of year. So, we loaded up the kayaks Thursday evening and headed to Lake Koshkonong. It's been almost a … Continue reading Flattery, not King Charles III, got me on their podcast.
My own personal Dicktionary.
Shortly after separating from my first wife and selling our home, I had to return to the house one day to pick up a package that had been sent there instead of to my groovy new bachelor's pad. CDs, if you're curious. I know. I'm old. The new owner, a kind Asian man, chatted with … Continue reading My own personal Dicktionary.
Green with envy (and ferns).
Tuesday afternoon, my new John Deere arrived. I was as giddy as an eight-year-old on Christmas morning when the Lowe's guys unloaded it from the truck and rolled it into the garage for me. I was ready to hop on board and start cutting the grass right away, but it needed gas and I figured … Continue reading Green with envy (and ferns).
Death by snake > death by bus.
Hey, remember Nancy, our tree-hating neighbor from the old apartment complex? We ran into her at the farmers market on Saturday morning. She legit had no idea who we were. We finally kinda, sorta jogged her memory. I think? She went so far as to acknowledge that yes, there had been a vacancy in Apt. … Continue reading Death by snake > death by bus.
Schlemiel! Schlimazel!
The first time we visited Milwaukee last summer, we made it a point to stop by the Bronze Fonz statue. Happy Days was a favorite sitcom growing up, as I'm sure it was for a lot of folks. Milwaukee was also the setting for the Happy Days spinoff, Laverne & Shirley–another childhood fave. We've actually … Continue reading Schlemiel! Schlimazel!
24 inconvenient hours and nary a baño.
When last I touched base, Todd the Vinyl Planking Guy had just broken a screen door window, tried to blame it on a bird, and ended up a few boxes short of flooring. Boy, Thursday was a weird day. But Friday was better. Todd showed up at 9:30, immediately apologizing for being late. He was … Continue reading 24 inconvenient hours and nary a baño.
Maybe a bird flew into it.
Words you never want to hear a contractor who is working on your home say: "Oh, that was dumb." At long last, our flooring guys arrived this morning to tear out the carpeting in the living room and hallway and install the vinyl planking. I naïvely thought it wouldn't be too disruptive to work from … Continue reading Maybe a bird flew into it.
Wishing for a well & how to speak wuh-Scahnsin.
Growing up a city boy, buying a rural(ish) property in a small town has been a learning experience. Take the well, for instance. When I learned our house had a well, I was super excited. I envisioned tossing coins down there and making wishes, hauling buckets of water up by hand, the whole works. At … Continue reading Wishing for a well & how to speak wuh-Scahnsin.
Thinking too much is a slippery slope.
I brought a banana to work yesterday and, when I finished it, the peel was lying on my desk. For some reason I found myself staring at it, wondering whether that old TV trope about slipping on a banana peel had any accuracy. I thought about throwing it on the floor next to the break … Continue reading Thinking too much is a slippery slope.
Mark My Words 