Category Archives: Fun

So long old friend…hello new!

Fun, Thoughts,

I have been addicted to caffeine for at least 20 years.  Typically, I use Mt Dew as the delivery mechanism and it has long been my best friend (yeah, yeah, aside from my wife).  All through college, I drank Mt Dew for all 3 meals and for all snacks in between.

When my kids were born, I celebrated with a 2 liter of Mt Dew (and Krispy Kreme donuts which was across the road from Bapist Hospital in Nashville).  I had my will drafted such that they were to embalm me with Mt Dew (which I had partly completed already) and bury me in a Mt Dew uniform sitting in the driver’s seat of a Mt Dew truck.  Mt Dew is, clearly, a sickness!

Five or seven years ago, I had some sort of affliction which ER doctors initially thought was a heart attack.  I never got a concrete diagnosis, but they determined it was not a heart attack.  They suggested, however, that it was probably a result of stress and too much caffeine.  Since I considered this incredibly important, I decided this weekend to bite the bullet and get off of caffeine.  I have played at this off and on several times.  As any of you fellow addicts out there know, the headaches from detoxing from caffeine are terrible and insatiable.  I just had to tough it out.  On Tuesday, I was feeling all weird and moody which I think was directly related to caffeine withdrawal. I am pleased to report that today,  I am caffeine free!

But there is a void in my life…what is to take the place of my old, former-friend Mt Dew?  I just discovered that Mt Dew has a lesser known red-headed step-brother named “Caffeine-Free Mt Dew”!  Caffeine-Free Mt Dew and I have been striking up quite a friendship lately…


We watch tv together


We  catch naps together


We go fishing together


I even had a new family picture made with C-F-M-D

It seems that things are looking up on our hilltop!  I have  a new best friend!

Back before color was invented

Family, Fun,

My mom scanned this picture of my Grandpa (back row, left, ca. 1935) and his family. I love old pictures like this where everyone looks so happy to be together. The funny thing is, my Grandpa is full of joy! He’s is all about hilarious…

Every time he sees strawberries, he gets a smile on his face. 70+ years ago, my aunt was made in a strawberry patch.  I didn’t know that color was invented back then let alone “time in the strawberry patch”.  Way to go Grandpa (and Grandma)!  From the story…I think they liked strawberries quite a bit!

 

Much later (I saw this in real life), one of his neighbors had a rooster which annoyed everyone nearby.  The neighbor eventually moved on but Grandpa didn’t want to let it end…he had a recording of the rooster and continued to play it each morning for folks nearby.  The funny thing is, one of them was a taxidermist so returned the favor…he stuffed a groundhog and set him upright in my Grandpa’s garden.  Grandpa shot it over and over before he finally walked over to check on the obviously deaf groundhog that didn’t hear his misses.

I knew several of the original family and they were all wild, to say the least.  I don’ t know why they all looked so sour as I have never known a more smiley bunch.  All I can figure is that this picture was made before they invented color…or maybe it was right before they invented strawberries.

Anyhow, in related news, I have an order in for 50 strawberry plants for this spring…I’m just sayin’

Six

Fun

I was tagged over at No Whining Allowed fro the sixth picture meme.  I sort of dig these as it is a good look at radnomness in people’s lives.  The idea is to post the 6th picture  from the 6th directory.  I took it  a bit further and did it for the last 6 years…


Bee hives in 2004 – There were 10 hives in this general area in our yard in Nashville


Swarm of bees in 2005 – I later climbed the tree to get these bees…check out the freaky dude in the bottom corner!


Working on Abigail’s closet in 2006 – when we bought our place, we had no idea what we were getting in to…we’re still not entirely sure!


Abigail’s birthday party in 2007


Abigail’s birthday party in 2008


Bean dip for Superbowl party in 2009

Now, if you’d like to play, then “tag, you’re it!”.  Holler back if you play…I’d love to check out the randomness in your pictures!

Recycling you can take to the bank

Fun, Tinkering,

We recycle and reuse about everything we can.  It’s amazing how much packaging gets put around the stuff we buy.  Many packages are feats in engineering…I mean, has anyone ever been able to get all the stuff back into the original box from where it came?  I thought not.  The shape and structure of many packages are pretty amazing.People think a lot about how to maximize strength with minimal material and how to fit more stuff in a smaller space in the refrigerator…amazing!

Anyhow, lots of the things in my recycle bin can be reused for other stuff.  I am almost certain I stole this idea from somewhere, though I can’t remember where.  More importantly though, I found a way to draw attention to the lowly nipple fruit.  This bank looks a lot like the nipple fruit – a non-edible fruit apparently in the eggplant family.  I’d sort of like to grow some of these, just to say I have done it, but I don’t know what I would do with the fruit…I suppose it would just get me in trouble.

So, I found 4 old pop bottles we had left over from watching the Super Bowl .  I cut the tops off, right at the top of the label.  I had to monkey around a little bit, but 4 of those tops can be crammed together and super-glued in place to make a nipple-fruit-like bank (though watch out, super glue will haze plastic).   Take any lid off and drop coins in (or pull coins out) and you’re in business.  It won’t take all sizes of coins, but it you want, you can use 3 liter bottles for bigger sizes!  Abigail also suggested putting some rice in it so it could be used as a rattle/rhythm maker!


Now here’s the funny part…it is really hard to type with a nipple fruit bank stuck to your hand.  I got it stuck to my hand as I was trying to pry it off of the work bench…er…dining room table where it was stuck before I got it on my hand.  I think there must be a better way of hooking all of this together…


Anyhow, this thing looks pretty cool and is recycling you can really take to the bank!

In other news, I wrote a little program to change the header image of the blog every 15 minutes.  I took each of the pictures you’ll see somewhere in WV.  You may have to refresh your browser to see the update.  Is it cool or distracting?

Blowhard

Family, Fun,

We had a storm blow through last night around 6pm which took out our power. When I was a kid, I lived in the woods so our power went out all the time (along with our well water) and often for days. I figured it would be a temporary glitch here as it usually is, but after an hour, the kids were pretty freaked out. Our house was still basically warm and we still had water but as of this morning, we still don’t have power. Apparently there are 15,000 or so residents in the county (and many in surrounding counties) without power.

Isaac still had to do his homework! Poor kid. The cool thing about it was that he was writing about Benjamin Franklin. He got a quick education in one aspect of life a couple hundred years ago!


This morning, the radio reported 70 mph winds which would not surprise me at all. One of my beehives was blown apart and into the field behind our house. Lots of limbs were down and there was junk everywhere…sort of like the first hard rain in the spring when all of the stuff people throw over the creek bed washes down to the river. Anyhow, I took some pics of our fun last night…

Us eating

Us Singing

Us dancing

There is only one thing that lights out is good for….

Sleeping! What did you think I was going to say? Anyhow, we held out until 9:30 or so and then went to bed!

Momma told me to go fly a kite

Family, Fun, Thoughts, ,

Flying a kite

Like Mommas everywhere, mine was always happy for a nice day to come along in the middle of winter.  My brother and I undoubtedly drove my parents crazy in our modest home where we grew up.  Whenever the sun was up and it was above 10 degrees (or 5 degrees on days when my brother and I were in rare form), we were outside.  Same thing in the summer – if the sun was up, we were outside.  We didn’t have air conditioning so we might as well be. Anyhow, the point is, we were outdoor children.

Flying a kite
Mom used the few indoor moments for instruction, of course.  Trying to instill in us an interest in engineering, aerodynamics and materials, I remember once when my Mom helped us make kites and told us to go outside and fly them.  She seemed to be in a huge hurry for us to get them built and outside…yeah, I didn’t buy all that stuff about aerodynamics either.  Indoor moments were really just accidents where they didn’t work it right to get us outside!

Flying a kite
So, we had an absolutely beautiful weekend here in WV and we decided to do an experiment with our kids.  We gathered up a few kites that we had collected at various times and headed for a flat field (there are only a few here!) since the wind was blowing on Saturday.  We unwound and untangled the strings and got everything put together and took off with the kites.

Flying a kite
Abigail’s flew pretty well and she ran around the field until she was completely covered in mud.  Isaac had no luck flying his kite though.  It was a Star Wars Episode 5 storm trooper kits which was all kinds of awesome but it flew like an AT-AT walker.  He ran all over with it and got him self covered in mud as was proper.  He really tried, dragging that kite though muck and mire as it crashed along behind him.  Every now and then, the wind would catch it for a moment and toss it up in the air, only to drive it headlong back down to the mud a second later.

Flying a kite
It just would not fly for anything.  The poor kid, Isaac was terribly frustrated and I was no gem by this point either.  He did help us to scientifically confirm our hypothesis – flying kites is still every bit as miserable as it was when I was a kid.  I don’t know if anyone (me as a kid, or my kids) learned a thing about aerodynamics or materials, but I think there is a chance that both kids added to their vocabulary this weekend…

Refried Ambrosia (and other dips)

Family, Food, Fun, ,

Layered bean dip

There is a family football tradition each year hosted by Emily’s brother and sister-in-law, L1D1 where we all come to their house, eat their food, and enjoy the Super Bowl on their multiple big screen tvs.  This year, however, L1D1 are expecting L2D2 (you really have to follow the link for an explanation),

Layered bean dip

so we all brought something different to share the burden.  Our task was to bring 7 layer dip, though I don’t think we put in 7 layers.  Anyhow, here are the layers we used:

7 layer dip

1 can refried beans with some taco seasoning to taste
1 pint sour cream
1 pint salsa
1/4 head of lettuce, shredded (just enough to satisfy your inner-rabbit)
1 or 2 tomatoes (to taste) cut into chunks
1 bag Mexican cheese (you know, the cheese blend)

Layer all that stuff in a pie pan in the order listed and refrigerate a bit to let it set up. Serve with chips and enjoy the awesomeness!

Steelers fans Superbowl cake

So, I really dig that and ate way too much (just ask the family).  Anyhow, Emily’s Mom brought the cake shaped like a football stadium which Abigail and L1D1 decorated with icing.  There was lots of other food as well including L1D1’s renowned football-shaped-calzones.

Football calzones

We had a good feed and I enjoyed the dips…all of them…especially the ones walking around!  One of my favorite dips got pretty bored 7 minutes into the game and turned to reading his book.  That’s typical Isaac.  Emily’s grandparents were pretty funny to watch…they were a house divided…one cheered for Steelers and the other for the Cardinals.  I kept bringing the Steelers fan cookies and cake.  I think we need to honor the right decision!  I really wanted to segregate the Cardinals fans in the broom closet but I didn’t think PETA would appreciate that too much.

House divided

Reading at the Superbowl

Anyhow, I genuinely like hanging with out with these dips and had a great time overeating and watching the Steelers eek out a Superbowl win!

Gravity is a nasty bugger

Fun, Thoughts,

X-ray of my foot

We got a fierce hankering for some steaks cooked on the grill over the weekend.  As usual, when I am most in need of a beef infusion, I found that we were out of propane.  I hopped in my man-van and headed to the store.  Despite the strange look from the lady at the propane exchange (you know, the look – “it’s February, are you seriously grilling…in the snow?” ), I ordered up a propane tank to go.  “If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time” she said and happily took my $20.66.  I hefted the propane tank into the man-van and headed for home.  To properly prepare myself for the task ahead of me, I buckled up and tuned the xm radio to the Willie Nelson station to stir my inner cowboy.  Willie and I were  “On the Road Again”, and I could already taste the smoke and the hair burned off of my arms, mixing to create that oh-so familiar outdoor grill aroma.

Somewhere along the way home, the propane tank must have fallen on its side and rolled against the sliding side door.  Willie and I were having such “Good times” that I didn’t hear the move.  I jumped out, slung the door open and the tank fell, handle down, directly onto my left foot.  I instantly saw stars and began to cuss a blue streak.  I really needed a swim in a “Whiskey River” to cut the pain.  I was certain the tank had split my shoe and exposed the inside parts of my foot.  Oh my word did it hurt.  Anyhow, I finally was able to stand up and hobble to the door so Emily could see my “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the rain”.

Now, a mere foot amputation is not enough to keep me from my steak, so I sucked it up and cooked a couple of perfect steaks (which the kids doused in ketchup) and went on with my evening.  The next morning, however, was a different story.  It was severe pain, even compared “To all the girls I loved before”.  Yesterday, I decided I needed to get it x-rayed (yup, the pic at the top is my foot) to make sure it wasn’t broken.  If I didn’t, I knew the pain and doubt would be “Always on my mind”.

It turns out that a machine such as me cannot be damaged by a mere propane tank falling on my foot.  I guess some of the tendons of muscles or something are bruised but I am apparently all in one piece.  I will just have to hobble through a few more days until it all heals.

Oh yeah, all of the things  in quotes are titles to Willie Nelson songs…despite his love of “herbal remedies” for pain, he is still a pretty cool singer…but Gravity…she’s a nasty bugger!

I’m counting on you Phil

Fun, Thoughts,


Most people have pretty much the same list of favorite holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, 4th of July, etc.  I know of very few people who put Groundhog Day anywhere on their list.  Well, Groundhog Day is my second favorite holiday after Christmas.  I am absolutely serious about this.  I grew up a mere 60 miles from Punxsutawney, PA, home of Punxsutawney Phil, the one true Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Predictor Extroidinaire.  Many towns and burroughs claim to have weather telling critters but they are all frauds.  It’s blasphemy…BLASPHEMY!  Anyhow, some might say that my affinity for Phil is related to my hometown favoritism or my pride as a former Pennsylvanian.  I tell you the truth when I say that it means so much more to me than something as trivial as geography.

To get to the heart of it, let me give you a little background on groundhog day.  First, the modern Groundhog Day tradition is centered around a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.  For the past 123 years (his longevity made possible by his yearly consumption of the elixir of life), on February 2, Phil  emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob, located in Punxsutawney, PA, to predict the coming of spring.  According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the United States will have six more weeks of winter.  If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive early. 

The tradition really precedes Phil, however.  The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog.   The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas, which takes place on or around the same date.  This is ancient stuff and not to be taken lightly!

So, why is Groundhog Day so important to me?  Around this time of year, I absolutely begin to crave summer.  I get a mild case of the blues each winter as the days get shorter and the nights get colder (along with my wife’s feet!)  I always view Groudhog Day as the turning point.  Regardless of what Phil predicts, my hope for spring renews on Groundhog Day.  Spring is near and I have survived another winter.  I begin to come out of my hibernation and try to figure out how to shed this hibernation weight.  I start to wonder how my bees are faring through the winter and I anticipate their buildup and the budding of the maples.  I run through garden configurations and summer projects and I can almost smell the daffodils as they peek through the fading snow.  Spring hope starts for me on Groundhog Day.  I am counting on you Phil!

Late breaking news:  Phil has predicted 6 more weeks of winter.  Rats!