Sunday Evening Update

The lawn has been mowed, and the fertilizer/crabgrass control has been put down.

After the weekend's activities ... I am officially tired ... BUT ... after a nice hot shower, I am clean.

So, while Janice had run down to Highland Park Market for some goodies for tonight, I decided to log on to the 'net.

When I looked at the news on Google ... what do I see? Royal Canin USA said on Friday it was voluntarily recalling all of its dry pet food products . We use Royal Canin products with "the boys", so I was alarmed, needless to say. I knew we had a partial bag in the utility closet, but when I looked, it had been emptied into the normal air-tight bin we use for their food. Luckily, while Janice had thrown out the empty bag, it wasn't buried too deeply in the garbage can for me to fish out. I called their 800 number on the bag, and thankfully, was informed that our particular dry food (which is a prescription food to help Elwood with his urinary problems) is not one of those affected by the contamination.

I can't imagine the grief that pet owners (in our case, "staff") might feel if what they were feeding their beloved friends were actually what was killing them.

Results Of Our 5S Exercise

As promised yesterday, I am sharing some "before" and "after" pictures from our "5S" of the garage, below. Perhaps these "before" pictures don't look too terribly bad, as many garages go. However, the purpose of the first step of a "5S" is to sort through, get rid of or store infrequently used items and keep only the essentials. So ... here are the "before" pictures:

Picture 1 (above) - Lee's side of garage

Looking left to right in Picture 1 ... the blue bin of automotive cleaning supplies on the floor - identify what should be kept, what not to be kept, and use the bin for something else ... like storing the Christmas decorations decorating the motorcycle? Put away. The yard tools are really handy, since they are sitting behind a bunch of stuff piled at the back of the garage. The "granny carts" in the upper right (one of which is broken - hence the cardboard stuck in it to keep things from falling through it) and the car bike rack hanging from the wall? Get rid of the broken "granny cart" and store the other items in the basement. The pile of bubble wrap? Chuck it. I am going to fertilize this weekend - where is the spreader in this picture? The stuff on the white shelves - what is all that crap?

Picture 2 (above) - Janice's side of garage and entry into the house

The windscreen for Janice's convertible? It's Spring - put it in. Gee ... the lawn chairs perched atop the bike rack are "really handy", stuck behind the two "granny carts". The deck furniture seat cushions? Again, it's Spring - put them on the chairs. The broken microwave is very "handy", sitting on the floor, taking up space. Plus, the narrow space between the bicycles and the broken microwave makes it "easy" to walk into the house. The green trash can for the returnable bottles is also "easily accessable". The lower shelves of the bookshelf are "really easy to get to", since you have to move the bicycles to get to them. Hang the bikes. What's in the bag hanging from the rack that should hold brooms, mops, etc.?
Picture 3 (above) - John Deere's side of garage

Nice to have to back the John Deere onto and over the front wheels of the bicycles to make it fit. Hmmm ... there's a lot of unused space on the wall over the John Deere. And what is all that crap in the bookshelves?

So ...................... here are the "after" pictures, using the cabinet/shelf units from L*****, and our finished 5S'ed garage:Picture 4 (above) - Lee's side of garage

The spreader is now in its own space, so I can put down fertilizer and crabgrass control this weekend! In fact, on the center of the work surface are the bags of fertilizer to visually remind me it has to get done. There's the little hand spreader on the shelf right next to it, in case I need that. If I need tools, there are fasteners on the shelves on the left wall, and the tool box is front and center on the work surface. The automotive cleaning supplies are now in bins hanging from the wall on the left, closer to the cars. If I need to do any power-blowing or string-trimming, those tools are easily available, even if my car is parked in there. Need a step-ladder? Easy to get to. Hand truck? Also easy to get to. Hey ... where did the white shelves go? Easy - to the basement, where they can be re-used for storage down there. Where did all the stuff go that was on those shelves? Easy - it was all stored either in the base cabinets or in the "cubby holes" on the top shelves of the L***** cabinets.

Picture 5 (above) - Janice's side of garage

The bicycles are now hung - no "granny carts". The bicycles are easy to get to now, even though they have never been used since we moved here (or for many years past). They are, however, there as a clue to use them for exercise. Below the bikes, is a radio and below the radio is the long-lost shredder all set up for easy access. This cabinet/shelf combo is the "projects" station, for plant repotting or other tasks. Wow ... look at the brooms and mops hung where they are supposed to be. Also, the lawn chairs that used to be behind the unused "granny carts" are now easy to get to, under the base cabinet. The green returnables trash can is now readily accessible when you walk into the garage.

Picture 6 (above) - Entry into the house

No more bicycles blocking the shelves. Items in the bookshelves are now easy to find, and only the essentials are stored there (ok ... except for the coffee cans, which are used for other tasks).

Picture 7 (above) - Outdoor tools moved closer to the outdoors #1

Frequently used outdoor handtools are close to the outside door - if they are needed, they are "right there".
Picture 8 (above) - Outdoor tools moved closer to the outdoors #2

Same thing here ... although I hope not to have to use the snow shovel any time soon.

Pictures 9 & 10 (above) - Both cars are now happy

It is now easy to work around the cars, to get to things in the garage. There is now a place for everything, and everything is in its place.

All in all, it was a very good day and a very productive one.

It Is Finally Spring Here In Connecticut

After this past week's "roller coaster" brought on by:

• Marie Dempsey's passing and the wonderful service, eulogy, and memoriam by her family and their gratitude to us for attending;
• the Nor'Easter that created such havoc not only here, but moreso in New Hampshire where I spent the rest of the week - major flooding/washed out roads/etc.;
• the unbelievable events at Virginia Tech;
• and finally, the extremely productive work week I had in Ossipee

this morning I am happy to report that Spring seems to have finally arrived in Connecticut.

I got home around 7:00 pm last night after enduring a strangely long drive home from Ossipee. I left the plant at 2:30, and should have arrived home at 5:30, but I think many folks were either coming home from high school Spring Break, or out for a leisurely drive. Traffic was brutal. However, the saving grace was the beautiful weather for the drive. When I left the plant, the temperature was 71º and there was not a cloud in the sky.

The temperature here on Birch Mountain was 67º when I pulled in the driveway, and there was still a lot of daylight. I greeted "the boys", and looked out the back sliders at the woods, glad to be home. To my surprise, I noticed movement among the reddish leaves out in the woods - it was a very large fox - the first sighting of a fox we've had! I'm not sure whether a fox's coat indicates whether it is a male or female, but this one had a dullish red body, and a very puffy red tail. He or she was sauntering along the swale that comes straight back from the hill behind us down to "the pond". I tried to be quiet as I opened the slider, but the fox's ears caught me, and it stopped right at the edge of the pond. I walked out and watched the fox and it watched me for a few moments before it trotted off down past the edge of the wetlands and presumably across the street to a destination unknown. Anyway, it was really nice to see that - we would never have had that at 185 Pine Street. LOL

This morning is gorgeous here. Our efforts at feeding the birds this winter have paid off in spades. We have tons of songbirds out, and they are definitely attached to us. Bluejays, chickadees, and some other birds I haven't identified have been greeting me this morning. We have to replenish our bird seed supply today. I have been walking out periodically to chase away the squirrels who seem to like going after the sunflower seeds in the mix and thereby claw through the smaller seeds, dumping them on the ground below.

The weather this weekend is going to be fantastic here. Today's high is supposed to be 78º and tomorrow's 72º - FINALLY!

As for our weekend plans, we are going to "5S" our garage (see below), I am going to put down Scotts Turfbuilder Plus Halts to get the yard going, and sometime today I will get the grill cleaned up for the coming season.

Dad would be very proud of me, I think. This past Monday at the Corporate office, we finished with our "5S" of our copy/supply/mail room. The following (so you non-jingoistic folks can follow along) is what "5S" means:

"5S" is a reference to five Japanese words first used by Hiroyuki Hirano, in his book 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace, that describe standardized cleanup:

• Seiri (整理): tidiness, organization. Refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.
• Seiton (整頓): orderliness. Focuses on the need for an orderly workplace. Tools, equipment, and materials must be systematically arranged for the easiest and most efficient access. There must be a place for everything, and everything must be in its place.
• Seiso (清掃): cleanliness. Indicates the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat. Cleaning in Japanese companies is a daily activity. At the end of each shift, the work area is cleaned up and everything is restored to its place.
• Seiketsu (清潔): standards. Allows for control and consistency. Basic housekeeping standards apply everywhere in the facility. Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are. House keeping duties are part of regular work routines.
• Shitsuke (躾): sustaining discipline. Refers to maintaining standards and keeping the facility in safe and efficient order day after day, year after year.

Mom and Dad would have referred to a "5S" as "SPRING CLEANING". However, in this day and age of adapting Japanese work standards, we have adopted this new term as being "better than a spring cleaning". LOL

As a result of the first "S" (Seiri - sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items), there were two cabinet/shelf units that were deemed non-essential, and L***** decided to get rid of them since they could not be used anywhere else. When this was decided, I quickly raised my hand to offer them a new home. (Dad would be proud - never throw out anything that still has a use ... somewhere, anywhere) The front of our garage, since the move, has been occupied by a variety of things scattered in a definitely non-"5S" manner, so the great weather is conducive to a "5S" of our garage and the utilization of the new storage units.

Part of a "5S" exercise, in the US-adapted version, is the taking of a "before" and an "after" picture to show the accomplished progress toward the final "S" (Shitsuke - sustaining discipline). This is done to reinforce, on a continual basis, how to maintain the housekeeping standard.

I will post both "before" and "after" pictures, once our little "5S" on the garage is complete.

Well, it's now 8:45, and it is time to begin the weekend! We love you all, and will talk to you over the weekend!

I Am ...

... happy to report that our last remaining bit of snow has now melted.

However ... as I look at the weather forecast, things do not bode well for this weekend. I've heard we are supposed to have a "classic Nor'Easter without the snow" over the next couple of days. OK then.

We are happy here, that the polyp they removed from Joe's intestinal tract was benign. We can now scratch (no pun intended) that one off the list. Joyce keeps us up to date on that, with Janice's daily calls. Please keep both of them in your prayers.

We are saddened here, however, that Marie Dempsey has passed away. Joe and Marie's husband Larry served in the Seabees in WWII. The Dempsey family and the Cronin family have been very close over the years, since. I know of at least one trip where Joe and Joyce went to Ireland "to visit the roots" with Larry and Marie. Oddly, the weekend Joe & Joyce were up for Easter, and when I asked for Janice's hand in marriage from Joe, that was when Larry passed away. We got the call that night.

"Big Mark", their elder son, arranged for all their scattered family to come home for Easter this year. Marie has not been well for the past few months, and he wanted everyone home. There is a daughter in Puerto Rico, one in California (who is the hairdresser for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show) and many others scattered about. I seem to remember they had 8 kids or so. However, as it turns out, all the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were able to make it home. The most touching thing is that, after all had headed back their separate ways, Marie thanked "Big Mark" and told him "I am ready to go now." She passed away in the early Wednesday morning hours.

Larry was always the jokester. It was his "trademark" at each Reunion to do a "stand-up" routine. I met him first at the Seabee Reunion in Biloxi Missippippi. He was a very big man, close to 6' 6". "Big Mark" is around that height, too. I will never forget the night the "girls" snuck off to the Karaoke bar at the hotel. They were having a good time, then Joe, Larry, me, and Joe Caffrey (another story sometime) barged in on them. Larry waltzed up to the microphone, and proceeded to tell several jokes before someone had to tell him the microphone was for singing. Essentially, they gave Larry "the hook". It was funny, and it remains a Dempsey family story.

Marie, since Larry's passing, had battled back from cancer, but age reaps us all. She passed away after living a good long life. I always think of how a person has lived their life as being more important than how long they have lived. Marie's life was good, and long.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Marie, taken during the 2003 Seabee Reunion in Portland, Maine. We were out for dinner on DiMillo's Seafood Restaurant.

May she rest in peace.


I love you all.

Happy Easter, Everyone

While our Easter weekend here began with some snow, and this morning is still cold and crisp, it seems much more like Spring. We have chickadees and an occasional blue jay visiting our bird feeder and it is a pretty morning.

I stepped outside for a few minutes, and I thought back to all those Easter Sunrise services down at the Cross at Red Hill. This would have been a perfect day for that ... the Sun came up amid a smattering of clouds here, and everything was completely still, except for the chickadees :-) I thought back to all those times that Mom and Dad sang there, and the traditional tune of "Christ Arose":

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

I can't count the number of times I played that, at Pleasant Hill. That, and "Rock of Ages".

Nothing has started to bloom yet here on Birch Mountain, but I think things will start perking up soon. The Sun is streaming through the as-yet-leafless trees, but things are poised for a perk-up.

We're going to a Lutheran Church service this morning, then we have a nice brunch planned. Our friend Michael is coming over around 1:00 pm. We picked up some good brunch food yesterday in our travels, and we will have a nice little feast.

I thought I would share a photo of our eggs (it wouldn't be Easter without Easter eggs, would it?)
Happy Easter!

Well ...

I seem to be the only person ever posting anything on the blog anymore. Has everyone lost interest or is everyone too busy to jot a few lines every now and then?

I've been up in our Ossipee, New Hampshire plant this week, spearheading their efforts to get the manufacturing floor relabeled prior to their taking Inventory over the weekend of 4/1-4/2.

Even though we don't make refrigerators there, the best way to think about the volume of this is to think about the number of parts in a refrigerator. Then, think about making 300 different models of refrigerators. Over the past two days, I worked with plant personnel and we generated over 3,500 individual part bin labels that they have hired temps to take out to the floor, find the inventory location, and relabel each of the 3,500 part bins for those items.

We only have about 4,066 to go, if we label each item in each inventory location. I think we will probably limit the efforts to only raw materials, and not deal with work in process (finished product in some stage of being assembled).

In Some Non-Work Thoughts ...

It was encouraging to see some grass in front of the house when I pulled in last night. Then, when I opened the mailbox, it was also encouraging to see an add for Scotts Turfbuilder for a local nursery, the new issue of Sports Illustrated featuring the Major League Baseball Spring Preview (they have the Cards making the playoffs, but not making the Series). These few tiny things made me feel as if winter just might be over, even if we still have 5 or 6 inches of snow on the majority of the yard.

I'm tired of the snow, and I am ready to get outside. I guess the second order of business today might be chopping through the 3-foot-high plow mound our "snowplowing neighbor" leaves at the end of the driveway, that covers the end of the walkway between the drive and the stairs at the end of the deck.The first order of business is to fill this,which because of the squirrel family we have, who leave a lot of this on the ground,
seem to prove that grey squirrels are the most sloppy and/or discriminate eaters ever. I find it interesting, however, that bird seed seems to melt snow extremely well.

I am also going to have to clear that path for another important reason:

We are going to have to replace our water heater. Ugh. A couple of weeks ago, while I was outside (doing what else ... chopping ice/snow from our front walkway), Janice was doing some laundry and other chores, and she had to go downstairs to the unfinished part of the basement. There, coming from a point toward the front of the water heater, was a small puddle of water.

I called "Jim T's Plumbing and Heating" who had a large label stuck prominently on the front of the water heater, and arranged an appointment for him to inspect it. "Jim T's" diagnosis: "Looks like we have a leaker." My immediate thought: "Well, no s---, Sherlock!"

I chatted with him a bit, and he took down the serial number to check if it was still under warranty with the manufacturer. Apparently, he has installed the vast majority of water heaters here on this "end of the hill".

He called back later, and of course ... the warranty expired over a year ago.

I've looked around on both the web, and at both Home Depot and Lowe's. "Jim T" seems to be offering a pretty fair price. I am waiting on him to call back to let me know if there are any "On-Demand" water heaters that might work for us. I'm thinking "no", but it would be nice if there were.

Since It Is Such A Nice Morning ...

Looking ahead to Spring and Summer, however ... (which I would prefer to do) ... I see two good projects coming up.

Project 1 - Continuing Reroute of Drainage Into Lower Back Yard

This is to prevent this 20 foot by 20 foot area from becoming another mosquito haven without the use of napalm and/or a coat of burning diesel fuel: I was happy to get this shot this morning, to prove my original thoughts on where the "low-water mark" would be for drainage. This is exactly where I thought it was, after we moved in. Unfortunately for the tree in the picture at the back of the point where the pond starts to drain to the left ... there may have to be a rather large tree root chopped through. Oh well ... the resulting dead tree would fall onto the neighbor's yard, anyway. :-)

This project scope also includes a re-routing of drainage to alleviate water accumulating in the corner of the yard closest to us, in that picture. That corner gets drainage that needs to be re-routed to dry up that area of lawn.

Project 2 - Create Seating and Fire Pit Area (And A Lot More Fun)

In the picture below, I see a nice little spot in the back corner of our property for some seating and a safe and ecologically friendly (eg: burning trimmed branches) firepit.

I am going to build a pressure-treated bridge across the 6 to 8-foot width of the gulley to the back edge of our property. I want the bridge to cross to an area slightly left of the little evergreen, beyond the little brush pile and over the rock-lined gulley. where I will clear the low vegetation, put down some rough stone, a bench, and the firepit.If you go back to this area, here is the bit of nature that is your reward. Looking to the left of where I want to put this in, towards the neighbors' back yard drainage, this is what the gulley looks like.Then, looking to the right, here is the view:
Below is the actual area I intend to clear for the seating area and firepit. In the foreground there are a lot of little sprigs and seedlings. Where you see these sprigs and seedlings ... this is the area that I have designated.
I think it will be a pretty nice little sitting area for the spring, summer and fall, especially after a rain. Believe it or not, once the foliage starts coming out, this is merely a green wooded oasis with a lot of privacy.

Of course, the area I have picked will probably be the only location on our property that is a natural morel patch. LOL

"After" pictures will be available once I can chisel through our globally-warmed glacial ice. With any luck, I can call Al Gore and get some recommendations on how to do this in a more ecologically friendly way than his Tennessee home that requires over $3,000 per month for energy. :-)

Tales Of Red-Drift Algae and Snow

I found this, under "Drafts" on the "blog", but I don't really know why I didn't post it. Must have been a mistake on my part. As Roscoe would say ... it's probably due to the influence of the mullahs.

We've been back for almost a full week now from Fort Myers Beach, where our visit coincided with a nice bloom of "red drift algae". Interesting stuff, albeit a fair bit stinky. Thankfully, we weren't there in June or July or August, when I imagine if this occured, it would be down-right god-awful, "smell-wise". According to one of the area papers, "Like all other algaes, red-drift algae thrives on nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which are found in stormwater runoff from urban and agricultural areas. Last year, the Gulf received a massive nutrient load from hurricane runoff and from the 696 billion gallons of water the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee River."Anyway, the "natives" are restless down there and are trying to get the town management to free up over $350,000 for clean-up efforts, citing vacation cancellations, early check-outs, and the invasion of Japanese reporters covering the introduction of Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka to the Boston Red Sox training camp.
Apparently "Dice-K" (as he is nicknamed) can throw a pitch called a "Gyro-ball", which supposedly completely confounds opposing batters by looking like a popular Greek sandwich of lamb, lettuce, and a light cucumber dressing wrapped in a pita bread as it approaches the plate. Rumors have it, South Korea is training a pitcher to throw a pitch called a "Souvlaki-ball", and that China (not to be outdone) is bringing up a pitcher who purportedly throws a pitch called simply "Kalamaki". Why the Asian pitchers have such an obsession with naming their pitches after Greek foods is really beyond me.

It Is Still COLD Here

Wow ... it almost feels like winter!

We still have about the same amount of snow as shown in the picture (except for the floor of the deck, which has melted off). Oddly enough, the snow on the chair seats has melted, but the snow on the table top hasn't. I haven't quite figured that out yet. The "mesh" spacing is relatively the same on the chair seats as the table top. I presume it's probably due to the mass of the table top, versus an individual chair seat. Oh well.

It has been cold here ... wind chills, especially.

Yes, Jane ... this year was a "bust" on the Super Bowl Squares pool for me (dammit). Yes, I plopped down my 20 "units" for my 10 squares, but lost. However ... I had joined a six-person Super Bowl "Pick-Em" at the beginning of the playoffs that I had completely forgotten about. I had people bringing me money that I had no idea I had been owed. LOL Life is good, and I am still money ahead. Schweet.

I think I would do better, betting on sports (I would have to pick them), than you would, plopping coins into a slot machine (which of course, you would have your pick of here in CT).

Care to bet?

And For Those Who Wish To Follow Along ...

... here are this year's "Super Bowl Squares" and my squares picks from work. I have several opportunities this year, and hope for a repeat of at least part of last year's success. Time will tell ... well, at least every 15 minutes of game time ... :-)As you all may or may not know, the way this works is:

• All participants pick a square.
• There are four rows on the top for the AFC team.
• There are four rows on the side for the NFC team.
• Once all squares are picked for the 10 X 10 matrix, random numbers from 0 through 9 are picked and assigned to the rows corresponding to the 1st Quarter, 2nd Quarter, etc.
• If the scores for the AFC and NFC teams end in the numbers that match the intersection of your square for that quarter, you win.

Hey ... at least it's better overall odds than a slot machine. LOL

Snowy Saturday Morning

We finally got a bit more than a dusting of snow here. For a while, I was wondering why the Northeast has always had such a "Winter Wonderland" mystique . It's mornings like this, I guess. I've taken a few pictures of how we look this morning. And, well, it is pretty gosh-darned pretty. In the winter, the sun comes up over the woods visible from the back corner of the deck, through the woods. There is a lot of snow on the branches of the trees behind us. It's really pretty.
Last night's snow was a curious mixture of snow blended with just enough freezing rain to keep the accumulation down, which was too bad. Janice and I went out for dinner to have some Italian food last night, and it was snowing hard at 37°, which was pretty strange. The ground was apparently cold enough for the snow to stick, but there was enough rain in it that there were many "pock marks" in what we ended up getting - you can see it here (table for four, anyone?).
Editorial

I have a bit of conflict over this year's Super Bowl. In honor of Dad and being an Illinois native, I feel like I should be supporting "da Bears". However, since I work with so many Peyton Manning-bashing "Great stats, can't win the big game" morons, I feel more compelled to support the Colts. For the past three or four years, I've heard "The Patriots are the greatest team ever", "Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever", blah, blah, blah, blah, and blah.

I am completely sick of the New England Patriots and have been for the past five or six years. I was elated (no, overjoyed, actually) when Brady was picked off at the end of the AFC Championship Game for the Colts to seal the deal. I am tired of all the talk about how they have this great system, how they are so well coached, how they are about "team" not individual stats, how great their defense is, and how great their quarterback is. Try working with people who bring stuff up like that every other sentence, and you'll know the situation.

Finally ... Manning comes up with a decent half against them, and rubs their noses in it.

I loved it, and it has provided me with two weeks of "Oh ... I guess that wasn't a 'big game'?".

So, for me, the coup de gras will be if Manning comes up with a win in Super Bowl XLI, so I can FINALLY stop hearing "he can't win the big one".

All in all however ... I would still much rather see my Redskins in there.

Now that I've finished that anti-Patriots tirade ...

For your viewing enjoyment and laughter, I leave you with one of the few (if any) pictures ever taken of me dancing the "Beer Barrel Polka". This was taken at Edelweiss, a restaurant in Fort Worth ... just after we'd all finished a rendition of the "Chicken Dance" (hence the headgear).

Sunday Morning

Well, it's another dreary morning here in Manchester, but it is so good to be home.

It has been a bit of a whirlwind since Christmas and the "Dallas Debacle". After I got home on New Year's Day (after originally planning on being home 6 days earlier), it was off to Ossipee, New Hampshire on Tuesday January 2nd, to support our "Go-Live" efforts there of bringing the plant up on Oracle. I got home on Friday January 5th, then Janice got home from Dallas the evening of Saturday, January 6th, and then I had to head back up to Ossipee on Monday morning January 8th and got home Friday the 12th.

I'm working in the office at Corporate tomorrow, then heading back up to Ossipee from Tuesday the 16th through hopefully Thursday the 18th (just in time for celebrating what would be Mom's 84th birthday ... hard to believe, and I wonder how she'd be now).

Anyway, it's good to be home here ... I just don't know whether I'm coming or going.

As always, I'm following the NFL playoffs closely - it's that magical time of the year. I don't think I mentioned this before, but being the commissioner of the Lyd@ll Football League (LFL), I am proud to announce I have become the first 4-time Champion of the LFL. I did it in true underdog fashion. Going into the last 3 games, I had to win all three to take the championship. I was playing the last three against the league leader, who had the strongest team. I put together that three-game streak and won it all. The trophy (which is a bit of a joke) is nice, but the $125 prize money is even nicer.

We still have our Christmas decorations up ... I actually turned them on last night. Our neighbors must think we're hicks. Oh well. Considering we didn't get them put up until the week before Christmas, I think we're allowed some leeway.

You all should be here. I made some home-made whole wheat bread in our breadmaker yesterday, then Janice and I made a big ole pot of beef stew last night. In this damp chilly weather, it was just what the doctor ordered. I can't wait to have some more of it for lunch.

Last But Not Least

I would like to announce that Friday, January 19th, is my official "Quit Day". I've gone on a new medication called "Chantix" and started the meds this past Friday evening. From all I've read and heard, this new medication is having pretty good results. It's a 12-week program.

I'm tired of smoking, and after having researched Joyce's condition, I don't want to get to that point.

Wish me luck!

Well, I'm On A Roll ...

I may have screwed all of us up, because frankly, I'm even a bit confused regarding Google's blogger.com upgrade. Purportedly, the new "non-beta" version of Blogger that we've all been using so comfortably for so long was just not good enough for them.

Based on whatever changes they've made in this new production version of Blogger, they may be using "Oracle Web Log Internet Service Pack 21.92, Family Patch 465765.03" or something, in terms of implementation.

Otherwise, I would suggest (See when GOOG dips on NASDAQ - currently 487.19/share ... then BUY) as an investment advice. They are around $487-488 per share now.

Supposedly, my upgrade to a more secure blog involves some re-signup steps on your part.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but am happy with a bit more security on the blog.

Aye, matey ... thar's a fierce wind a'blowin' ...

We're under a "High Wind Warning" right now, issued by the National Weather Service. We're supposed to get heavy rain and thunderstorms, with gusting over 60 mph and the possibility of large hail. I'm hoping not to awaken to one of our big trees coming through the house, but as tall as they are, but I'm also trusting their taproots are almost as deep as they are tall (hard to say with this rocky landscape ... gulp). The Weather Service says "It is also possible that a few of the thunderstorms will require the issuance of Severe Thunderstorm or even a Tornado Warning, mainly over the Connecticut River Valley and Worcester Hills". Great ... we are situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River Valley and the Worcester Hills start about 30 miles northeast from here. The local TV weather is showing a tornado warning in eastern New York and now northwestern Connecticut (which indicates either a tornado has been spotted by either a ground observer or by radar ... the NY tornado was probably spotted by Hillary Clinton, who always suffers great anxiety about a Kansan house falling on top of her).

With all the accursed rain we've had (6" over the past two weeks), anything is possible.

Right now, the temp is 68 degrees at 6:34 PM outside. I've opened the family room slider, and the boys are very intently listening to the wind, the wind chimes, and sniffing at the stiffening winds. Pretty funny ... every time the wind really picks up, their ears perk up, like they're saying "What the heck is THAT?"

The only real precaution I've taken, relative to following the NWS's advice regarding the securing of loose objects outdoors is to take down the "Pink Palace" candle holder off the little end table on the deck. I've moved stuff off the top ledge of the deck, but that piece I brought inside. We bought that at the "official Pink Palace" (the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu) and I would hate to see anything happen to it. Jeez ... God forbid we would have to go back there to buy a replacement or anything. ;-) Maybe some of my neighbors won't heed the NWS advice regarding securing holiday decorations, and they'll end up here. LOL

All in all, however, I think I would rather see this than sub-zero temperatures. I'm not quite ready for that yet. There are still a few things I'd like to get done outside, and I'm sure this is going to redistribute the leaves once again.

I've been watching local news for a while, and it now seems like things are moving through pretty fast. So, hopefully, no worries here.

What's That Sound ... ?

... why, I believe it might be "silence".

All of our guests are either now home (Susie, Joe and Joyce) or en route (Liz, Rhys and Dan). We miss them already and I believe the cats do too.

We had a great time, and everything over the past 8 or 9 days went extremely well.

Friday night before last, Susie and Dan came in. We had to pick Dan up late from the airport, because he had been "T-boned" in Columbia, MO by some guy in a pickup truck. He was unhurt, but his car was pretty messed up. We didn't really have dinner, just some snacks.

Saturday before last, we got a few things done around here and had a good time with Susie and Dan. We went out for dinner at a new restaurant for us, "Carraba's" (a pretty good Italian chain), and went to see "Borat" ... hysterical movie.

Sunday before last, Susie and Dan left in the morning for Torrington where they hooked up with David (Susie's "squeeze" in Dallas) and his kids and parents. They went down to New York City for an overnight, and we got in some last-minute cleaning.

Last Monday, Joe and Joyce got in, and Susie and Dan came back from New York. We had some chili - very basic - and Joe and Joyce got settled in.

Tuesday was not exactly a "banner day" for me. On the way to the office in the morning, I looked down at the radio in my car to make a station change, and "curbed" both passenger wheels and tires. I blew out the back tire completely, and put a large gouge in the sidewall of the front tire. Both alloy wheels were completely screwed up. I ended up working from home, since Audi didn't have the wheels in stock and had to be ordered from their parts depot in New Jersey for Wednesday delivery.

Tuesday night was our "official celebration" of Joyce and Joe's 60th wedding anniversary, and we had a great time listening to Jason Castonguay's performance of a number of hits from Joe and Joyce's era. He is an incredible kid of 27, and is a heck of a performer, blind or not. Joe and Joyce were both extremely surprised and were thrilled with our treat for them. Here he is, while Joyce talks to his personal assistant Ron Hughes.
We had very nice filets, mushrooms, baked potatoes, a nice chopped salad, and a small wedding cake for our dessert. It was a wonderful evening.

Wednesday, I again worked from home and waited for Audi to call with the arrival of the new wheels. Since all my tires were showing a good deal of wear, we decided to get a full set, rather than replacing the bad two. Lovely. At any rate, we had them mounted by 5:30 PM or so.

Wednesday night was filled with pre-Thanksgiving Day prep work. Pie baking (3 pumpkin, 3 pecan), appetizer pre-prep, cranberry sauce cooking, and turkey brining was the order of the night. It was nice to have the larger kitchen so everyone had room to work. It is a heck of a lot more efficient than what we had at the apartment ... no more "one-butt kitchen"! Yay! I grilled some pork tenderloins and we cooked up some acorn squash - yum.

Thursday ... Thanksgiving Day's weather really sucked. It started raining hard around 9:00 AM, and didn't stop until it dumped another 2.6 inches on us. However, I got both 12+ pound turkeys on the grill at 10:00 AM, to be timed with an expected eating time of 4:00 PM.

Liz and Rhys got in on time at 9:35 AM or so, but we decided to pop for a cab ride for them from the airport. It was a bit of a challenge to route the cab driver around all the street closings for the 70th running of the Manchester Road Race, since one of our main roads is part of the course. They got here fine, however, and it saved us a lot of valuable time.

Liz's friend Lindsay (originally from Phoenix and Tucson, now living in Worcester, MA) got in around 12:30 PM or so.

David, his kids Michael and Rachel, Michael's girlfriend Meghan, David's parents Frank and Pat arrived around 1:00 PM.

I am happy to announce that the turkeys were actually done ahead of the completion of the rest of the fixings - oyster dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, brussels sprouts, green beans almondine, cranberry sauce, rolls, and all the rest. We were only about 25-30 minutes late of our planned 4:00 PM "sit-down" ... not too bad, considering all the food.

Everyone had tons to eat, they loved it all, and everything went very smoothly. Since it was their "official anniversary", we even got Joyce and Joe to cut a rug:
Friday, we decided to go experience the lighting of the decorated trees in Constitution Plaza in Hartford and grab dinner out. We had a terrific dinner at a restaurant ("Spris" - pronounced "sprees") neither Janice nor I had ever frequented, and it was right on the Plaza. There were thousands of people out that night for the lighting, but we had the best seats in the town. It was really cool to see them flip the switch.

Saturday, we decided to get out again, and to take a drive down to the Connecticut shoreline. We went to "Bill's Seafood" in Westbrook, CT. They have a Dixieland jazz band there on Saturday nights, and it was a real hit with us. We even did a little dancing. :-)
Sunday, we did a Farmer's Breakfast, followed by football, and then I did my Fettucini Carbonara for dinner, with a nice chopped salad.

Today, I dropped Dan at the airport in the morning, Janice dropped Joyce and Joe at the airport later in the morning, then I came home for lunch to see the kids before Janice took them to the airport. Liz and Rhys both had a terrific time, and it was great to see them.
Tonight, it will be leftover Fettucini Carbonara, I think ... and a quiet night.

All in all, the whole time was a smashing success, and we had terrific times and good visits with everyone.

Only one problem ... I think I have now gained a few pounds. :-)

Saturday Morning Update

Well ... the Survivor Pool was not kind to me this past week (or to five of the final six in the pool). I stayed away from the Jacksonville/Houston game for obvious historical reasons, and instead thought Atlanta would win at home against Detroit. Wrong.

The winner was one of the sons of someone in our Finance Department. He's a student at Boston College, so he doesn't need the money, but won it anyway. Ba**ard.

It's been very rainy here this past week ... we have over 3" in the rain guage, and interestingly enough, we also have a reemergence of what I call "Mosquito Alley" in the back corner of the back yard. With the warm weather we've had over the past week, I kind of expect a new batch of mosquitos out of this ... just in time for Thanksgiving. Yikes.

The good thing to report is that Susie and Danny are here now. The Thanksgiving festivities have officially begun.

You know ... Janice and I are so blessed to have wonderful families, both Brookhart (and of course Waggoner) and Cronin. We still talk about our time together with you all, and I'm sure we'll have great times over Thanksgiving. One day, I'd love for us all to be together for a Thanksgiving because I give thanks for you all ..

As I mentioned in a prior post, we have something special planned for Joyce and Joe's 60th Wedding Anniversary. I will give you a hint ... it's something musical (and really rather amazing) ... this will be really special for them. We had the piano tuned this past week, and all is ready. It should be an extremely special time and this is our anniversary gift to them.

I can't wait to see the kids. They arrive on Thanksgiving morning, due to Liz's work schedule. They are doing well (well, at least Liz is, I know) Rhys is a little more difficult to track down.

Well ...

... it's been a whirlwind 24 hours.

After my post, yesterday, I got out while there were relatively few leaves down after Saturday's "mow n' blow", and put down the last application of late fall "Winterizer" fertilizer. I had put down a light coat two or three weeks before you all got here, and I don't think it's going to hurt anything to put down a little bit more.

Then, I came in and put down two coats of B-I-N primer/sealer on the steps going downstairs in preparation for our carpet installation. That made it look better and smell better (like this ... can't smell anything, can you ... LOL):
Then ...... Janice and I completely organized the "dormitory" downstairs and put everything together in preparation for the Turkey Day Onslaught (as I am now calling it).

Remember how it looked, when you all were here? There were boxes everywhere ... beds weren't set up ... stuff was piled every which way ... we finished up about 11:30 last night.

Well now, it looks like this (note that the drapes are hung):
But wait! There's more!

Our Home Depot carpet was installed today, on the steps going down to the basement ... so here's a couple of final shots, as a good "after" picture(s) to the series:
It's a little darker than the carpet in the basement, but the shades of grey work well with what's down there already. Looks good to me, and is a hell of a lot quieter and much easier on the feet.