Fat Tuesday

Fun

Abigail came home from school yesterday and Emily asked her what she learned. “We learned about Mardi Gras mom”. Interesting..very interesting. My only real knowledge of Mardi Gras comes from the “oops moments” on the internet and from watching late night tv. Surely they don’t teach that in kindergarten.

So, I did a little research and here’s what I found…Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and is the culmination of the celebration between the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany (which begins January 6, when the three kings are supposed to have visited Jesus), and Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday occurs 47 days before Easter and the day before Ash Wednesday.

So Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent and got its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of believers as a sign of repentance in preparation for Easter.  Funny story here…we lived in Bowling Green, KY about 14 years ago. Bowling Green is just north of Nashville, the epicenter of Southern Baptist-dom. There were few folks in the area who were not Southern Baptist. Anyhow, we were in Wal Mart on Ash Wednesday and the person in front of us had ashes on his forehead. After checking him out, the cashier asked if we knew what that was all about. We tried to explain but we knew we were doomed after we told her it was a practice common in Catholicism. “What’s that?”, she said. “Some sort of new cult?”


So anyhow, Abigail talked about how folks usually give something up for lent. She asked what Emily was going to give up, to which Emily replied, “Chocolate”. “Ohh, that’s a good one Mom”. Emily asked her if she was going to give up anything. “I want to give up something extremely important to me…your sparkly eye shadow.” Emily replied, “But you hardly ever get to wear my sparkly eye shadow.” “But I love it so much…it will be very hard to give up!”  She decided to have one last hurrah before she abandons sparkly eye make-up for lent – what a trooper!

I think Isaac plans to give up farting on the cat. That seems more up his alley.  We don’t typically go too overboard for Mardi Gras, but I do have beads here…just sayin’

It’s not easy going pink

House


I had great plans for the weekend…mostly revolving around my laying out in the hammock under a shade tree, sipping an ice cold lemonade…WAKE UP WARREN!  You live in a 70 year old money pit!  Plus it’s winter and snowy…you’d freeze your…toes off in a hammock!  So, back to reality – I don’t think I have a free weekend between now and 2017.  


Like all projects on this house, they never are as easy as they should be.  Let me tell you about my latest project.

First, remember back a few weeks.  I had just finished insulating my crawlspace under one half of the house.  We’ve had a pretty cold winter and our house has virtually no insulation.  Under the house, there was no question about the insulation…there just wasn’t any.  But our attic was another story.  When we first moved in, the flooring covered all but the edges of the attic floor.  I spotted old rockwool insulation so assumed that it ran in the space between the edges as well.  We noticed, however, that the master bath and the extra bedroom were always cold.  You guessed it, someone, sometime had cheated.  They insulated the edges where folks could check on the insulation…but nothing in the middle, you know, the other 85% of the attic under the flooring.  


So, first off, we started by pulling out all of the junk that we hauled from our attic in Nashville where it was stored and never used.  Most of that, we finally pitched this time around.  I pulled up the tongue and groove flooring in the 10’x20′ attic and started installing r-38 insulation.  Why is all insulation pink, by the way?  Does anyone really know?  Anyhow, while I had everything torn up, we decided to move a light in the extra bedroom into the center of the room rather than it’s previous location, 2 feet off center.  Do youknow how distracting that was?


Anyhow, I had to go buy a junction box…and then back to the store to buy another since the project got slightly more complicated than I had planned.  I had all the power in place and we had planned to just put the old light back up.  With the economy as it is though, we decided to do our part and help stimulate the retail sector.  We went back out to buy a ceiling fan as a replacement.  If I am counting correctly, that is trip #3…today.  I got home and prepared to hang the new fan and discovered that I had to buy different  screws (trip #4) as the ones I had were not long enough to do the trick.  I got everything installed and flip…nothing good.  The fan made a heck of a noise.  I know it was wired and installed right, but I wasn’t going to wait for flames to prove any point…back to the store..still counting?  Trip 5.  The bad fan came with bulbs by the way – more on that later.  So, I got everything re-wired and insulated.  I patched the hole from the old light and got everything cleaned up.  I was so excited to turn on the new lights.  Remember the first fan…the one that came with light bulbs.  Well, the second one, the better looking, higher end, more expensive one, didn’t come with bulbs.  It requires the small base bulbs which, of course, we don’t keep around.  One more trip out to the store – yup, #6.  It’s not easy going pink…

Yes and No

Fun, Thoughts,

I was thinking about stuff I like and stuff I don’t like…I thought I’d let you in on some stuff I dig and some stuff I don’t…


The beach – I like the heat.  I like the water.  I like the wind, the food, the sun, even the sand up in every part I got.  I like body sufing and staying up too late…Yes


A suit – I rarely wear a suit…in fact, only to weddings and funerals.  As a spectator in either, they feel surprisingly similar (oops, did I let that slip out?)  Occasionally something else will get me into a suit but it has to be something special…generally No


Gardening – I can’t think of much I’d rather do on a summer day.  I like having dirt in my hands, free chemical-free food all around, and my bees buzzing…Yes


Managing our money – I am capable of managing a check book.  I am detail oriented and analytical but, for some reason, I absolutely hate messing with money.  I think Emily hates it too but I can out arm-wrestle her…No


Working on the house – I take pride in working on the house for some strange reason…this project just feels like money in the bank…Yes


Housework – I don’t mind most housework but I do a lot of it wrong.  I actually do sweep and handle dishes and toilets, but I am absolutely not allowed to touch laundry/ironing… No

I am not sure why any of you would care about any of these things…but humor me – it’s  Friday!

Do you have things that are pretty much a clear yes or no?

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’

It’s about nothing

Thoughts

Sometimes I wonder what I am doing…in general.  I mean, time is flying and I spend 17 or so hours a day either working or sleeping.  What is that all about?   It seems like I should be doing something more with my life.  And why on earth do I bother to spend time writing stuff for this blog?  Sometimes I think about life and wonder if it’s all about nothing.

But if I really think about it, it’s the “nothing times ” that are what life really is all about.

Yeah, I get this way every now and then.  Emily says I “cycle” every month and get all weird.  Maybe now is my time.  I am also trying to get off of caffeine again which never is fun.  Without my morning Mt Dew, my brain just does goofy things.  So, just so you don’t think I am taking things too seriously, consider this Seinfeld episode…they make a lot of money and it’s all about nothing!

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!

Pool mice

Family


I grew up in the water.  In my hometown, there is a large earthen dam which was built in 1940 to help with flood control on the Allegheny River.  The outflow from the dam forms a really cool creek/small river that has been called the beach since forever.  It really is sort of beachy since it has imported sand, a lifeguard chair, and a concession stand.


Anyhow, since the age of 4 or so, my Mom took my brother and me to the beach every single weekday.  A few days ago, I mentioned that we were outside all summer long.  Part of that was facilitated by our daily trips to the beach where we soaked up tons of vitamin d as we played, unprotected, in the sun.


Part of the beach experience was swimming lessons.  We took swimming lessons 2 or 3 days a week all summer, every summer.  My brother and I became proficient swimmers in the murky, sometimes fast moving, freezing cold water of the outflow of Tionesta Creek.  I worked as a lifeguard at a pool all through college but that was about my only experience with a pool.  We were river rats…we lived in the river and drank enough of it to be part fish.


We have no such opportunity for my kids and it just doesn’t seem right that my kids are not yet great swimmers.  The kids’ aunt and uncle paid for swimming lessons at the local rec-center and we’ve enjoyed watching the kids learn to swim.  Isaac has actually gotten pretty good, due especially to his frequent swim trips with his summer camp friends.  He is actually the most proficient swimmer in the class which leads me to the funny part.  The last 2 classes, the instructor has tried to get the kids to jump in the deep end.  Most of the smaller kids have “manned up” and done it but poor Isaac hasn’t yet found his nerve.  I took this video of him preparing to jump in this weekend.  It’s worth the download time to watch!  I love that little boy!

So, my kids are not yet river rats…they are more like pool mice…but they are well on their way and I am proud!