Scythe

CP came over and we played a rousing game of Scythe. Now that we understand the rules, it has turned into a real competition.

 

Dinner Lights

The drywall repairs came out and we are enjoying our new layout. There are spotlights about the kitchenette table now.

 

Heat Wave

After a week of single-digit highs, we had a week in the 40s. All the snow went away, and the ice is starting to rot. S got overheated on our walk and had to take a swim.

We came across a herd of turkeys. They were totally curious about S and crossed the street to check him out.

The Polar Bear club is still going, despite the heat.

 

Paintbrush in Hand

JP is never so happy as when she has a paintbrush in hand.

I think the new space is growing on her.

 

Neighborhood Association

Our neighborhood association meeting was mobbed; standing room only. It was held at the Book Club restaurant. The mayor was there to talk about the water main break and other city-related issues. It's funny how our neighborhood of 30,000 residents are all on the same page when it comes to politics and community.

 

Benched

S has come to love his perch on the lake bench.

 

Desk Scars

The desk left behind a mess. Large holes, construction adhesive, paint buildup, ...

Nothing a bucket of mud can't fix.

 

Early Morning Consequences

S has really jumped into the morning routine of hitting the ice and sitting for a spell on the skate-changing bench on the lake.

Even with clouds, the mornings are worth watching.

The only downside of early morning dog walks is that I only last until about 8 PM. Then I start snoring while watching TV.

 

Kitchen Desk Move

We have had enough of our kitchen floor. It's time for it to go.

As long as we're tearing it out, how about let's move the built-in desk?

JP's not sure about it.

We are trying out the desk at the other end of the room and have shimmed it up with cook books to counter height.

 

Morning Routines

S & I enjoy brisk morning walks around the neighborhood and onto the lake. We sit on the rickety bench by the hockey rink and take in the morning and crisp sub-zero air.

We watch the sun ascend from the horizon.

While JP & CK soak in the warmth of a cozy bed. 

Nana's House

We drove down to Nana's for a few days to help her get started on getting her house ready for sale. We've been going here three or four times a year for the past 34 years (!). 

We spent a lot of holiday nights at this table with family. 

 

8 Tracks

We discovered a trove of 8-tracks in Nana's basement! Van Halen I, Boston I, and Aerosmith Toys in the Attic!!! 

For those of you that may not be familiar with the significance of these albums, check them out:

Band: Van Halen, Song: Eruption, Date: 1978, Click here to see some guy playing it fairly well.. 

Click here to watch a lesson on how to play it. How hard can it be??

Band: Boston, Song: Foreplay/Long Time, Year: 1976, Click here to hear the original version.

The best part was the 8-track player that still worked. Someone at Goodwill is going to come across the find of their life!

 

Fresh Tracks

 I am always amazed at the number of tracks in the snow on the lake. Within one day of a fresh snow, 80% of the lake has been stepped on or skied over. 

Puzzling

Tis the season to puzzle. We love JP's puzzle board. It folds flat and has a cover so that the cat can't knock pieces off the table during the night.

 

Headwind Skiing

Today is the last day that we will be in the double digits for a while, so we hit the lake for a quick run across. Going out was into a 15 mph headwind. I had to put my hood up, which is a rarity! It was slow going into the wind, but the snow was fresh and we were still able to glide a little bit.

The run back gave us a 15 mph tailwind. What a difference!

 

Outburst Flood

The water from the water main break ran for at least four hours. Most of it ran into the alley behind the building and down the storm sewer and into the lake at the end of our street. There it carved/melted channels in the ice. From the shore all the way out to the dock was a big puddle of flood water.

Despite the ice being 18" thick before this, the entire area is now ringed by some very substantial Thin Ice signs. 

 

Valentine's Day Water Main Break

While we were in IL disaster struck the building on the corner that is home to our coffee shop, used bookstore, and fancy restaurant. Sometime during the night a water main in the middle of the street burst and broke thru and washed out the foundation wall. As the basement filled up, the building lost its heat and pipes on the second floor froze and burst so that there is also water damage from above. At its worst, there was a foot of water on the main floor pouring out thru all the cracks and crannies.

The building is currently uninhabitable. Hopefully it will be salvageable! We love our little mom & pop shops! The water backed up the drains and also flooded the basement of the building next door that has our convenient pizza shop and our favorite florist (best florist in the city). The loss was a double whammy for the restaurant and florist, as this happened on Valentine's Day.

The city busses were diverted down our street. Funny how it seemed like one was going by every three minutes, but when you're waiting for one, they take forever.

 

Beat the Storm

We got an early start on the drive home in order to beat a snowstorm. We got home at 1:00, and it started snowing at 1:05. Not bad!

S was grateful to be home and resuming his long-walk routine. Doing it in the snow made it even better.

 

Basement Cleanup

We hit Nana's house for a few days to help her get a leg up on the process of moving. We went thru the basement and cleared out a few things.

We found a scrap dealer that was excited to haul off a few hundred pounds of metal.

In all, we made four fully-loaded trips to Goodwill in Freeport and filled 20+ garbage bags. The basement looks great!

 

Patent #3

The patent we filed in 2021 was published last month! It's for an optical navigation system for a robotic mower. This is my third patent. All are about lawnmowers, electronics, and software; none of which were on my radar when I was in college.