Healthy...

We have been eating a Paleo diet for over four months. In that time my wife has lost over 20 pounds and looks great. It is so nice not to have her on the latest fad diet. I can't tell you how many times I have worried about apidexin side effects or some other diet pill. Eating well and exercising has been the only diet she needed. Essentially we gave up grains, sugar, and dairy. There has been no calorie counting involved. Our goals are to work out 3-6 times a week for thirty minutes. At this point I don't see what we are doing as a diet but rather a sustainable lifestyle choice. So many people say they could never give up grains but it isn't that hard if you really think about it. Just eat meats, vegetables, and fruit.

Grrr....

My wife has been trying since November to get her students loans with Sallie Mae placed under their income based repayment program. Each time she applies her application is denied. What is mind boggling is the fact that every time she calls she to confirm receipt of her application and that it is complete she is told that it is. She specifically asks if any further information is needed and is told that it is not. Then a couple of weeks later she receives a letter denying her application and telling her that some other information is needed and that she will have to reapply. It is CRAZY!!!! I am now convinced that they are purposely messing with her to prevent her loan from being processed into the program.

Wish list ...

Our office has several fund raisers during the year to buy equipment we might want or need above and beyond what is supplied by our employer. To raise this money we have several luncheons during the year and we each pay to eat the meals provided. Last year we use our funds to buy a new oven for the break room and a couple of bunn coffee makers. This weeks my boss sent around a list asking us to indicate what we would like to see on a "wish list" for this year's fund raising money to be directed towards. I would love to see our office buy some signs asking people to limit their perfume use but I don't have the nerve to write that down. I work with 25 women and our office just stinks from the assortment of perfumes and lotions everyone uses. My allergies go crazy every single day. I decided to pass on writing anything down on the list because I can't think of anything that would end up being purchased.

Nearing completion...

My big winter project is almost done. My wife requested that I help he in remodeling the kitchen to make it more functional for our needs. Our needs are such that we need to be able to access our kitchen in an efficient way for cooking, canning, and baking. We preserves tons of fresh produce during the summer and fall. Having a kitchen that is modern and non-functional is less important to us than a streamlined kitchen that makes work easier. We removed all of our upper cabinetry in the kitchen and replaced it with sturdy shelves. This makes everything visible and within reach at all times. Our old double oven and drop in cook top were replaced with a single standing oven. This gave us a ton of extra space and the kitchen feel much larger. I have just a couple of things left to do and this project will be done.

Simple living...

Over the past couple of years we have dramatically simplified our lives. We no longer have cable television service and have gotten rid of many of our electrical convenience items. This isn't to say that we are joining the Amish or anything. Although we love simple things around the home like amish dining room furniture, we are by no means ready to separate ourselves from the grid. Simple living to us means doing things for ourselves and relying on our skills as much as possible. Growing and preserving what food we can and doing things the old fashioned way. Many people think that simple living means going through the drive-through but not in our opinion. Simple living means going back to the way things were done before the complication of modern technology got in the way.

Camping in the snow...

This weekend my son's Boy Scout troop went on a camping trip. Because I am fairly active in his troop I went along to help with the kids. My son decided that this would be the weekend that he passed some of his requirements for obtaining his first and second class status. He could not have picked a more miserable weekend to try to achieve these goals. The weather was a verifiable blizzard with weather advisories. He was undaunted by the conditions and managed to not only build and start a fire in very strong wind and snow but also to cook his own breakfast over the fire. I could not be prouder of him but I will admit that I am very glad to be home where it is warm and dry.

Simple gifts...

This year we celebrated Valentine's Day in a very low key manner. My wife took me to the hardware store and asked me to pick out something I wanted or needed. I have to say this was nice because typically I end up receiving clothing or chocolate. For her gift I thought about looking into something like residential maid service durham nc but decided against it. Instead I spent time working on finishing the remodeling of our kitchen. I knew that she would much rather have a functional kitchen over any other gift I might surprise her with. As it turns out this was exactly what she wanted and was thrilled to see the progress I made on the project. There are times when surprises are nice but this was one of those occasions where practicality was perfect.

Seeing the difference...

We have been eating a Paleo diet for almost 4 months. The difference this has made in how both my wife and I feel is incredible. No longer are we plagued with the aches and pains of being 40ish. I have to say that is wasn't until the last couple of weeks that I really began to see the differences in our physiques. Now it seems like things are changing rapidly for both of us in a very positive way. My wife has lost about 22 pounds and has also gained quite a bit of muscle. I lost a bit of weight but have definitely toned my body and added muscle mass. She works out daily by doing either cardio and weight lifting or cardio alone. I usually do a combination of strength training and a bit of cardio. I will admit that going into this diet I was skeptical but I am now completely sold on forgoing grains, dairy, and sugar.

Tax return...

Today we filed our federal tax return. It is a relief to have them done. Typically we wait until the last minute to file because it seems so daunting. This year the plan was to get them done early and get our return early. Most people we know get their tax returns and use them on something like a trip to Disney World hotels. We will not be doing that. Instead we hope to put some money towards paying down our mortgage and save the rest. The only thing we do intend to spend the money on is a set of shelves for our kitchen, some lights for the basement, and a couple of toys for the kids. There was a time when we would have spent every dime but our priorities are very different now. It feels good to know that we will have a cushion in the bank should we need it.

First badge...

My son has been working on a number of merit badges for Boy Scouts over the course of the year. The thing is that he is working on so many that he has yet to complete one. Last night he completed his first merit badge and had it signed off by his counselor. The badge he earned was the "inventing" merit badge. What he invented was a new type of apple picker. His invention is actually pretty ingenious. I would love to see him keep working on it and improve upon the design as he grows older. Even if he doesn't I am just glad to see him see something through till the end. Finishing what you start is a characteristic we have been trying to instill in him.

Kids and Politics...

Our son is trying to decide on a topic for a research paper he has been assigned to write. The topic he proposed this morning was to research the upcoming presidential election. He didn't understand why I suggested that he choose another topic that is more narrowly focused. To his young mind the topics of politics is pretty cut and dry. He is more likely to have his opinion swayed by cheap campaign signs right now than by facts. Understanding politics is hard for an adult to do let alone someone with 12 years on this earth. I also pointed out to him that it is very early in the campaign process and there are not clear candidates to research. As it stands his paper would not be focused narrowly enough to fit the scope of the assignment. I would like to read what he would have to say on the topic but given the time frame he has to write the paper he needs to choose something more clear cut to research.

Blending and more blending...

I don't take much interest in kitchen gadgets but my wife loves them. She doesn't buy them for the sake of buying them and researches everything before making a purchase. For years she has drooled over Vitamix blenders. This Christmas I gave her the go ahead to buy one if she could get in on a payment plan. We don't like using credit and prefer to pay cash. The plan she found allowed us to make cash payments over time for the blender. I had my doubts that this expensive gadget would live up to the hype but I have to say it does. This morning I made my usual protein powder shake in the Vitamix and there was no comparing it to what I had been making in our knockoff Magic bullet. Everything my wife has made in this blender has been amazing. The warranty makes it well worth the price and the fact that it is made in the USA is even better!

Living it up...

 A few weeks ago I reconnected with my best friend from high school. It has been about 10 years since we last spent any time together. At that point in our lives neither of us had children and we were free to live it up whenever we got together. The last time we went out on the town the night involved playing pool and smoking cao cigars until all hours of the night. This time when we got together the evening involved coffee and a discussion of our families. I realized that I didn't miss being out on the town half as much as I missed spending time with my friend. It is actually nice to be at a different stage in life and still be able to have something in common. 

Lab work...

I haven't really been feeling that great for quite a while. I have been passing this off as simply a reaction to all the stress I am under at work. Finally, I relented to pressure from my wife to go to the doctor's. As it turns out the doctor ran a bunch of labs on me and it seems that something is actually amiss in my body. I go back to the doctor's in a couple of days to discuss a course of treatment. Given the vagueness of the information from my doctor's office I have no idea what to expect when I am seen. I really wish the doctor's office would just say what is going on so that I can have questions ready when I am seen.

Different experiences...

Our youngest son has never known a day in his life where his mother left home to go to a job. It is interesting to observe his view of what the roles of men and women are as opposed to that of his older brother. When our oldest son was little his mother worked outside the home. He often went to work with her and was able to see her caring for patients and also doing routine tasks like ordering business supplies. When our youngest son was born my wife decided to find work that she could do from home. Although she still works and earns money our youngest son is oblivious to this. The other day he pointed out to us that men leave the house and go to work. When we asked what women do he replied that something to the effect that a woman's job is to stay home and cook. My wife found this quite humorous and wasn't the least be offended. One day our little guy will realize that his mother has had quite a full plate over the years and that cooking was the least of her responsibilities. 

Protein and more protein...

There was a time when I thought I would never say that I had eaten too much meat or protein. After a month of Paleo/Primal eating I can honestly say that there are times when I can't face another meal of meat. I don't really mind eating this way for the most part but I do miss certain things. Eating eggs for breakfast every single morning gets a bit old. I am looking forward to making some smoothies as soon as we get a new order of protein powder. We are eating tons of great grass-fed meat but seven days a week of it makes me want a big bowl of pasta....

Technology classes.

Our oldest son is in the gifted program at his cyber school. As part of being in this program he is eligible to take several different courses that are only offered to students in the gifted program. Right now he is taking two different types of computer programming courses. He is completely enthralled with what he is learning and I am convinced that computer programming will be in his future. Obviously he isn't quite ready to start working for someplace like Houston web design but he is getting pretty good at various skills. This weekend he created an animated Christmas program to share with his classmates. It is really neat to see him be able to pursue things that interest him like this right from the comfort of our home.

Homemade Christmas gifts...

This year I am aiming to give the important people in my life useful gifts rather than the latest trendy item. My older son and I have designed two different styles of birdhouses that we will be making for everyone near and dear to us. All of the people in our family love nature and the outdoors. Not all of them own birdhouses but they definitely will enjoy them. We are making unique designs and my children will help paint and assemble them. I think this is a great way for us to bond over a project and to impress upon my children the fact that not all presents need to come from a store to be appreciated. Thus far we have 14 houses cut out and ready for assembly this weekend.

Vacation time...

One thing I am thankful for this holiday weekend is time away from work. I am looking forward to an exceptionally long holiday weekend and intend to make full use of my vacation time. Now that our fall projects are complete I find myself with time on my hands. This is the time of year when I turn my attention to my hobbies like learning how to play guitar and woodworking. I am generally not content to sit around all winter twiddling my thumbs and like to have a few irons in the fire. This weekend I intend to bust out the guitar we bought our older son last year and start figuring out how to play it. It seems a shame to let the guitar just continue to collect dust since my son is focused on other things right now. Maybe if he seems me playing with it he will take an interest once again and we can learn together.

Turkey Day!!

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday of all. I am a lover of good food and this holiday is perfect for someone like me. I love the holiday so much that I try to arrange my attendance at as many gatherings as possible. We don't often make really large and heavy meals in our house which makes Thanksgiving a true feast. This weekend I will be attending three different dinners. This is in addition to the big luncheon we hold in my office for the holiday. Obviously this will wreak havoc on my Paleo diet but I don't care. For one week I eat with abandon and then play nice the rest of the year. I am fortunate in that I can eat almost anything and not gain weight. How I feel after eating all this stuff is another story entirely.

Dream...

As a child I was constantly told what my parent's expected me to do with my life. I think I had it shoved down my throat in a sense. When it came down to choosing a career I only knew that I was expected to make something of myself and earn a big paycheck. When it came down to it I didn't really do what my parents expected and took the long and winding road. I can't even say for sure that today I am following my dreams. What I tell my own children is to work hard and don't let anyone choose their path in life for them. If they dream of looking for Business Analyst Jobs I will support them. If they want to go into a trade that is fine with me as well. What I don't want to do is make them think that they need to make a certain amount of money each year to be worthy or happy.

Already?

My family stopped by for a visit this weekend. We don't see them very much so it was nice to catch up with each other. I cannot believe that it is just a few weeks until Thanksgiving will be here. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the Fourth of July. Before I know it I will be spending the evening shoveling snow off the sidewalks and roof. My hope is that this winter will be milder than that winter. It seems like last year we were constantly dumped on by snowstorms. I really need a bit of time between storms to catch my breath. I can't imagine how elderly people manage to handle constant winter storms when they have no one to do their snow removal. We still need to get outdoors and mark some maple trees before all the leaves are completely gone. The plan is to try and make some maple syrup in the spring.

Reinventing ourselves...

There comes a time in life when everyone needs a change. At present I am in the midst of making several changes to my approach to living life. This isn't to say that I am ready to start wearing a rubber necklace but I think they look cool on other people. What I am trying really hard to do is make clear and well thought out decisions about my life and health choices. I think before I put certain foods in my mouth and take advantage of every opportunity to be active that is available to me. I don't want to be the guy who spends every minute on the couch staring at the television and wondering where his life went.

New goals...

We had a long talk earlier this week and realized that the time has come for us to change up our lifestyle a bit. Having been married for 20 years and now in our 40's we have seen each other in all states of health. As it stands neither my wife nor I feel great. My wife wants to loose weight and I simply want to regain my strength and level of fitness. As a result of our conversation we decided to implement a Paleo lifestyle in our diet and level of exercise. We are holding off for a while before fully immersing our children in this diet. There will be slow and subtle changes to what food are brought into the house. We already eat an organic and local diet so the children are used to eating good foods. There will be less baking done in our house and eventually sugar will not be available to them. For now we are simply lessening the availability of starches and encouraging more vegetables and fruits.

Sweep her off her feet...

Last night my wife and I had a long talk and realized we haven't been spending much time together. Our lives are just so busy lately that it seems like we fall into bed at the end of the evening and fall straight to sleep from exhaustion. I would love to book a weekend to get away together sometime in the near future. I am also racking my brain to come up with some romantic anniversary gifts for our upcoming anniversary. We tend to be pretty practical people and buy things we need as gifts. I really want to put that aside for once and sweep my bride off her feet with a romantic weekend and gift. After 20 years together it is hard to come up with creative ideas but I know something will come to me eventually.

Windy day...

Today has to be one of the windiest days I can remember in the last several months. The temperature has dropped significantly and the wind is blowing like mad. My oldest son who is quite oblivious to the weather even commented on the state of affairs outdoors. It really feels like winter is just around the corner. There is a huge tree that butts up against our property line and is quite near our house. Whenever the wind blows like this I can help but worry as to whether that old tree will withstand the storm. I would love to see the neighbors trim it back a bit but I doubt that will ever happen. Until it does I will keep one eye peeled towards the backyard.

Quite a list.

My brother-in-law and his new wife stopped by this weekend. We haven't spent much time around them together and really don't know her very well. I was however struck by several comments she made while here about things she wants him to buy her. The list seemed to grow longer every hour they were here. She spoke of shopping for shoes, clothes, and things to decorate their home. The conversation then went on to include her desire for him to buy her a puppy and farm animals. The part about the farm animals concerned me since they don't live on a farm. I wouldn't be surprised if she wants an ATV and rzr parts to go along with it. My brother-in-law said nothing as she went on about all the things she wants which I found odd. Given the fact that his bride does not work and they don't have children I would have a bit of a problem myself were I on the receiving end of this list.

Learning cider making...

Last weekend we bottled up our first batch of hard cider. It seemed like it was a fairly straight forward process at first. A few days after bottling the cider my wife was reading about cider making and stumbled upon a discussion of pasteurizing cider in the bottle to stop fermentation. As it turns out the method we used to make the cider left the door open for the cider to start fermenting again in the bottle thereby creating possible bottle bombs. We decided to give pasteurizing our cider a try to prevent this. Essentially you water bath boil the bottle in water that has been heated to 190 degrees. Leaving the bottles in the water for ten minutes in theory should heat the inside liquid to 160 degrees and kill any remaining yeast. We had two bottles explode during the process. Not something I want to repeat any time soon.

Building fences...

I spent the better portion of this weekend building a fence for my father-in-law. He decided this summer to put in an orchard on his property. Since planting several trees he has been plagued by deer damage. He asked me to come help with the construction of a fence around the orchard. I really wish I had remember to take something along with me like some persol sunglasses because this weekend ended up being insanely hot! It took us 4 hours just to get the posts in the ground for the fence. I ended up getting sunburned which is really odd for this time of year in this part of the country. I am hoping that we will be able to complete the fence project this weekend before the deer completely demolish his orchard. It would be really nice to see his trees prosper and to know that I had a hand in creating the orchard.

Learning curve

I have been involved in home brewing for several years. There is a tremendous learning curve when it comes to brewing. I really wish when I first started that I had started with something easy like hard cider. I did the exact opposite and started our trying to make wine. My wine was a dismal failure. I then moved on to brewing beer which is really enjoyable. The thing is that we are not huge beer drinkers. In fact we are not big drinkers of anything. This fall we decided to embark on brewing hard cider. Cider is probably the easiest thing ever to brew. Tonight we will rack our first batch and start a second batch right afterward. I would say that if you have never tried brewing that you should start with cider. Having a successful first batch will keep you enthused about the hobby much more than dismal failure... trust me on that one.

Identity theft...

There was a time when I believed that identity theft was something that happened to other people and I would never need to worry about it. Then earlier this year I was hit with online fraud on my bank account. Luckily the bank caught it immediately and locked down our account before things got out of hand. This week we were hit again via our PayPal account and the entire thing leaves me really concerned. I am now researching every possible way of securing our information from online security keys to using rfid blocking wallets. I never knew there were so many ways to have your privacy invaded and the thought of someone reading my credit card information through my wallet never occurred to me. I feel like I need to do as much as possible but am only beginning to learn what threats exist out there.

Paypal fraud...

For the second time this year someone has stolen our information and used it fraudulently online. The first time the bank caught it immediately and this time we had to find it out for ourselves. Someone hacked our PayPal account and used it to pay their bills. It is a frustrating experience to say the least and fairly scary because we thought we had our online information secure. PayPal assures us that the situation will be sorted out in about 10 days which leaves us in limbo unil then. Once the funds are returned to us I will feel better. Honestly, I have little faith in any system at this point - online or otherwise.

Motivation...

We are presently struggling to find a way to instill a good work ethic in our oldest son. He simply does not have the drive and motivation to work hard at things in general. We have tried all sorts of methods to motivate him but nothing short of bribing him has worked thus far. I have considered extending the offer of possibly purchasing him on of those gaming desktop computers if he were to put forth more effort at things. This is not something I want to do because I feel he has to find it in himself to want to succeed at his goals and objectives we set forth for him. It is just frustrating to deal with a child who is so very smart but doesn't see the value in working hard.

New schedule...

I switched my schedule at work last week. I now start work a half hour earlier that I have for the last 3 years. It is amazing what a difference that half hour makes in my attitude towards my job. I am able to get more work done in the morning because people don't start calling the office for about an hour and a half after I get there. Getting done earlier in the afternoon is another bonus. I take my afternoon break and then in just 15 minutes I am done with work for the day. I would love to skip break and just leave work early but we aren't allowed to do that. Either way I wish I had changed schedules well before now!

Simple living...

We strive to live life as simple as we can. The truth is that this is easier said than done. It is true that we don't have fancy electronic gadget nor a need for extensive cable packages. We grow most of our own food or buy it locally and rarely buy things we don't need. One thing we have not been able to get past is our reliance on the internet for shopping. Living in a rural area doesn't give you many options for shopping. Shopping online is convenient and often cheaper than driving to the nearest big city to shop. All we have to do is look online for things like buckle coupons and instantly they are available to us. Having things delivered to our door is so much easier than trekking to a big city and it is nice to have such a wide array of shopping options. I really want to direct my dollars to local business but it just isn't always as easy as it sounds. Our local businesses consist of one major big box store and a handful of farm supply places.

Visiting family...

These week I traveled several hours away to visit my grandmother who I have not seen in several months. She has deteriorated mentally in a very significant way since we last saw her. This was a bit of a shock to me because she has always been as sharp as a tack. On this particular visit she had no recollection of who I was. I will admit that this was a tough pill to swallow and I almost regret having visited her. It would be nicer to remember as she was when all of her mental faculties were intact. People tell me that I would have regretted not visiting her if something were to happen to her in the coming months but it is hard to say right now if that is true. I am just sad at the realization that we will never sit and talk as we once did because she simply cannot fathom who I am...at least prior to this visit my last memory would have been of those conversations rather than her looking at me with a blank expression and wondering who the strange man in her house was.

Temperature drop...

The end of summer is coming quickly to our area. In the evening it is no longer comfortable to be outside in shorts and a tee shirt. I haven't checked the temperature at night but I am sure it is a good 10-20 degrees colder than it has been. I need to take a minute and search around online for a good remote thermometer for my greenhouse. Finding the time to search for or even follow a link directing me click here for outdoor thermometers has just not been in my schedule. I am going to have to find a remote thermometer because it will allow me to know when I need to ventilate or close up our greenhouse. Thus far we have gotten lucky because the temperature have remained stable. With these wild temperature fluctuations the plants in the greenhouse are most likely to die from the shock or excessive cold and heat.

Gardening...

This has been a busy summer for our family that is finally drawing to a close. Our garden has consumed a great deal of our free time. Gardening doesn't end when you walk in the door because there is always produce that needs to be preserved. Thus far this year our garden has produced over 500 pounds of food. That might not sound like much but it is a great deal given the size of our garden. Preserving all that food means a great deal of canning and dehydrating. As is stands we have put up around 600 jars of food and have a hundred or so more to do before we are done. Once the tomatoes and beans are finished the only thing left to process will be apples. We intend to can 80 quarts of apple sauce and at least 10 gallons of apple juice. Once apple season comes to a close we will then sit back and rest for the winter before we start it all again next year.

All set!

The new school year is upon us and for once we feel completely ready for it. In previous years the school our children attend was very late in sending us books and supplies. One year we didn't receive their computers until after the school year had started. The school now has a new system for issuing supplies and has a supply of refurbished laptop computers on hand to issue students in emergency situations. We love our school so much that delays were just a minor inconvenience in the big scheme of things. Our children love the freedom their school offers and we find it a perfect match for our family. It is nice to have everything we need to get off to a great start this school year. Now all we need to do is fit as much fun as possible into the next two weeks!

No, she doesn't sit...

At work I frequently chat with my colleagues about the things my wife is working on at home. I never realized what it must sound like from someone else's point of view. One of my co-workers was listening to a conversation I was having with another co-worker and interrupted our conversation to ask if my wife ever simply does nothing. I didn't really consider this until asked but it has since occurred to me that my wife is always in motion. She is always doing something productive in some way shape or form. People on the outside might think that as a stay-at-home mother that she is simply reading a book all day or playing with the kids. The truth is that she is either home schooling the children or working on a project constantly. This isn't because I have expectations of her to do this but is rather a statement of who she is and how she goes about living life.

Worth the drive

Tomorrow we heading out on another trek in search of fresh produce. This has been a terrible gardening season in our area. The availability of fresh produce in bulk has been scarce. We heard that peaches might be available by the bushel in a town about 80 miles east of us. I think it will be worth the trip as long as we don't break down and need emergency road service or something. Our only vehicle is getting older and I am a bit leery of taking too many long trips in it. If we can get a couple bushels of peaches for half the price of our local market it would be worth the drive. Getting home safely is my top priority but stocking the pantry would be a nice result of the trip.

A big job...

Several months ago I was asked to help with a project for my older son's Boy Scout troop. It seemed like a fairly easy job to do when I was first asked. I have since come to realize the magnitude of the job. I am in charge of sorting and transporting for refund the vast array of pop bottles collected by our troop. This might not sound like much until you realize just how many places our troop places bottle collection containers. Our state does not accept pop bottles for return so we transport them to a nearby state. The troop places containers at all public events such as our county fair. This equates to thousands of bottles that need transporting and turned in. I like helping the troop but I really wish that I had not taken on this particular job.

Surprised...

This week my youngest son turned five years old. He was absolutely thrilled with the idea of being five. Last year he was not keen at all on becoming a four year old. In fact he insisted we put a three candle on his cake instead of a number four candle. This year was entirely different. He was absolutely thrilled with the birthday cards he received and sat and stared at them for quite a while. Last year he would take birthday and holiday cards and cast them aside without a glance. It is just amazing what a difference a year can make in the attitude of a child. I can't believe my little boy is five already and that he will start kindergarten in just a few weeks. It seems like just weeks ago that we brought his tiny little self home from the hospital.

Working when I am not...

I took yesterday off because I thought I was supposed to be helping the Boy Scouts with a project. At the last minute they changed the plans on me and I found myself with a day off. We loaded the kids up and went for a long drive. Along the way we found a good deal on a huge bag of sweet corn. For $18 we brought home 65 ears of corn. Today I knew exactly what was in store for me and didn't quit moving all day. My wife and I husked, blanched, cut, and froze all of the corn. We then moved on to canning beans and potatoes that we had harvested in the garden. Our entire day has been spent on some form of food preservation. Tomorrow I will spend the afternoon working with the Boy Scouts on the project that was supposed to take place on Friday. I will have spent every minute of my time off working harder than I do at work.

No interest...

Most twelve year old boys I know have a dear love of video games. They know everything about all the game systems on the market and can tell you the advantages of an xbox headset or another type of headset. Most kids and teens know when the newest games hit the market and what features they offer. My oldest son is the exception to this norm. He has virtually no interest in video games and rarely plays them. Instead he prefers to read and actually researches when certain books in a series will be released. His big request for this weekend is that we go to the library to look for a particular book he wants to read. I will gladly indulge that request any day of the week.

No projects?

Last summer I was so busy with building projects that I hardly had time to think. I really expected that my wife would have a similar list of requests for this summer. It has been weird to not have to build or construct anything. There is a little part of me that wishes that she would put in some sort of request just so I have something to think about besides work. Having to figure out how to construct something is a challenge I believe I have come to enjoy. There has to be a project in her mind that she is just biding her time in requesting. Part of me thinks she feels sorry for asking for so much last year and is now making up for all those requests by not asking for anything.

Goals for the future...

We are finally at a place where we can start thinking about what to do with extra money. Having whittled our bills down to the barest minimum and lowered our debts has left us with a bit of money to invest. I don't really know much about investing or things like CD type annuity rates which makes it all a bit daunting. Right now I am leaning towards simply paying off our mortgage ahead of time. Our mortgage is the only large debt we have left and it seems like an obvious choice for directing our extra money. I just wish I knew more about finances before making a firm decision as to where to put any extra funds we have. Everywhere you turn there are different guidelines and no clear answers that are right for all people.

Being gone is good...

Having four days off from work was a real joy. I rarely take time off which makes it really weird when I return to work. A couple of months ago I was given a new supervisor at work and it has been a surprisingly good experience. I had heard rough things about various supervisors in our office and don't welcome change. I like to stick with what I know. When I used to take time off no one picked up my work load no matter how much time I took off. This time when I returned I found out that my supervisor had worked on my case load which was totally unexpected. It was nice to return to work and not be behind because I used vacation time. Many people in my office don't take vacation time for this very reason.

Wedding present...

In a little over a month my brother-in-law is getting married for the first time at the age of 43 years old. You would think that someone of his age would have everything they might need for a home. The reality is that he has a home but has never bothered to furnish it in any way. I have considered giving him some Muskoka chairs or a folding table so that there would be something to use when we are there. It drives me nuts to have nowhere to sit or put anything down on. I have to believe that his new bride will insist on some sort of appropriate furniture at some point. She is not a person who cooks or has a desire to learn which makes the likelihood of a dining table and chairs rather small. It is clear that she does like to sit down which make the prospect of a couch very good which would make our visits so much more pleasant.

Master gardener...

When my wife suggested we start a garden last year I thought she was a little crazy. Since that time I have been converted to the notion of gardening and absolutely love it. We have two gardens that are about 25x25 feet and several small areas around the yard. It is a bit of work to keep up with everything but it is well worth it. I know there are people who have much larger gardens than we do but this is just enough for us for now. The gardening bug has bit me in such a way that I have agreed to become a Master Gardener in the spring along with my wife. I never imagined that is something I would look forward to but I most definitely am!

Where did it all go?

Each year when I put our camping stuff away for the season I am very careful to pack it all away in one location of our house. For some reason it never seems to stay there and I feel like I am on a treasure hunt to find everything at the start of the new camping season. Right now I am looking for our trickle charger for our marine battery. I have found everything under the son including a cord cover and a long missing television remote control but have yet to locate the trickle charger. I really need to just designate an area of the garage to storing our camping gear rather than carrying it all to the attic. It somehow gets shuffled around in the attic when we are looking for other things during the winter months. I suppose this is just poor planning on my part but the attic always seemed like the logical choice.

Going camping and fishing!!!!

This day is one that I have been waiting for since summer began. This is the weekend of our first camping trip of the year. Typically we take several short weekend trips over the summer but this year we are switching things up a bit. Rather than wear ourselves out by setting up camp for two short nights we are heading out for a longer trip. This has allowed us to plan some activities that we wouldn't normally be able to fit in during a shorter trip. I am particularly looking forward to taking the kids fishing. My wife has a new fishing pole she is looking forward to trying and hopefully we catch some decent size fish for a change. The biggest task of the day is getting everything packed up and set up once we get to our site. After that is all done we can settle in and relax which is what I have really been looking forward to.

Bachelor party...

In just over a month my brother-in-law is getting married for the first time. He is 43 years old which makes this a momentous occasion in his life. We honestly never thought he would get married. Because he doesn't have a huge circle of friends in the immediate area it has fallen on me to plan a bachelor party for him. I have no idea what to do because the normal things like hitting bars and smoking cigars are out of the question. He is an avid fan of the outdoors but I have not idea how to plan a bachelor party with that sort of theme. I would love to have him say exactly what he would like me to plan but I know that he is not going to do that. I am just going to have to do the best I can and hope that the effort is good enough.

A lady friend...

We had a great holiday weekend! My brother-in-law came into town for a visit which is always great. He loves our children and they absolutely adore him. We were really thrilled to find out that for the first time ever he is involved a relationship. The woman he is seeing sounds absolutely perfect for him. They share a ton of interests and she sounds like someone with her head on her shoulders. I only hope for his sake that the relationship moves forward and that they build a great future together. It has been something we have wanted for him for a long time and I couldn't be happier for him. He is 35 years old and it is high time he have someone to care about in his life.

Birthday gifts...

In my family no one ever waits to give birthday gifts. We typically buy the gift and give it to the person right away. My birthday is no exception and I have already received my birthday gift for this year. I ride my bike to work several times a week. This is something I just started doing this summer. After my car accident last year I promised myself that once I was free of crutches, ankle braces, and saunders back supports that I would regain my once strong body. Riding my bike has been a good experience for the most part. The only problem I have is that my back tends to hurt afterwards. For my birthday my wife purchased me a special bike seat that is supposed to relieve pressure on your back. It is the weirdest looking thing I have ever seen. It is really neat that she listens to my complaints and looks for solutions for them. I can't wait to try to seat out and see if my back pain is lessened at all by using it.

A day to myself.

Tomorrow is an annual event in my life. Aside from the fact that it is my birthday it is also a day I devote to myself. Each year on my birthday I take the day off from work and spend it doing whatever I like. I don't ask for presents or big parties but prefer to simply have time to myself. Some years I go golfing and some years I just spend time laying in bed. This year I have decided that I will take myself out metal detecting. I have a very nice metal detector and just never seem to find the time to use it. My wife loves the fact that I don't expect a bunch of hoopla for my birthday and never questions my use of vacation time solely on myself. It makes for a good day for all of us.

First camping trip...

We just booked the dates for our first camping trip of the season. Normally by this time of the year we have already been camping. This spring has been so wet that any plans for camping we might have had were washed away. Now that it seems to be drying up a bit we can begin to plan a trip. There is much to be done in advance of our trip such as tracking down our aaa rechargeable batteries, camp stove, and camp chairs. It is funny how things become misplaced at the end of the camping season each year despite our best efforts to keep them organized. I know it will all be worth the hassle when we are sitting around that first camp fire roasting marshmallows. Going camping is actually a great deal of work but it is so worth it to listen to my children talk about how fun it is to camp.

Repurposing free stuff.

This has been a busy week around our house. Over the course of the week I have completed a number of projects that I didn't intend to work on. Across the street from our house 4 large trees were taken down by the city and ground up into mulch. We were able to collect several wheelbarrows full of this free mulch before it was hauled away. We needed mulch for a project that we hoped to complete in the future when our budget allowed us to buy mulch. Free mulch allowed us to complete the project way ahead of schedule. The city has been tearing out the cobble stone road in front of our house. This has equated to all the free bricks that we can carry. In my mind there has been a outdoor fireplace that I have been wanting to build. Again it has been an issue of budgeting for the bricks. We are now well on our way to having the bricks we need for this project. My neighbor has been rebuilding her porch and has a stack of perfectly good wood that she is going to be having hauled away. I offered to take the wood off her hands and now have the wood we needed to build another raised garden bed. All good stuff and all free!

A month of trials.

My poor mother has had a very rough month. Earlier in the month she lost her favorite niece suddenly to pneumonia. She has had a very hard time with this loss. I don't think I have seen her looking so tired and looking like all the eye cream for dark circles in the world couldn't help. A couple of weeks later she got pneumonia and was very sick herself. The week following she had surgery and then another surgery the week after that. My mother is an amazing person and I just feel so bad for her and there isn't much I can do aside from helping her and being there for her. Hopefully, she will feel better soon and I can see a bit of spark back in her eyes.

Digging for gold.

After spending the world working in the yard I decided that I deserved some time for myself. I got out my metal detector and went looking for treasure. In the time that I have been metal detecting I have yet to find the type of things you read about. I have not found caches of gold or silver coins. I have however found some silver coins and a great deal of junk. Today I found an old pocket knife and a Canadian half penny. Even when I don't find valuable stuff I still have fun. I know that one day I will find something that will make it all worth while.

Day in the sun...

As evening settles in I am beginning to feel the effects of my day in the sun. I can already tell that my skin is just not used to this type of heat and that I am pretty sunburned. It felt good to be outside in the sunshine but I am quite sure I am going to regret not using sunscreen. I am going to just ignore the burning sensation I am having all about my body and be thankful for the sunshine. We have been having such a run of wet weather that I will take the sun when I can get it even if it means a sunburn here and there. It won't be long before we are stuck inside with mountains of snow again waiting for the mailman to bring us Christmas Cards. Winter seems so unbelievably long here that summer often seems so fleeting. A day in the sun is so much better than a day in the snow in my book.

Jerky!

We have embarked on a new type of food preservation in our house. Dehydrating is something my wife has always wanted to try but never found the time. A few weeks ago she bought a dehydrator and immediately started testing out things to dehydrate. Tonight I joined in the fun and made my first batch of jerky. It is just about ready to go into the dehydrator and thus far smells pretty good. We are cooking the jerky before putting it in the dehydrator because this is recommended by the USDA. Until we are more comfortable with the process we aren't willing to give our children meat that might not be completely safe to eat. Heating the meat to 160 degrees is supposed to make it safer to dehydrate than meat that is raw. It should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Dress down day...

I always look forward to paydays. This isn't just because I get a paycheck although that is a primary reason. Paydays are casual days in our office. We are able on this day to forgo our office dress code. Our dress code is very strict on most days and it is so nice to not have to wear a shirt and tie. I would love to have a dress code where I wore something like dickies scrubs because they look so comfortable. On casual days we are not limited as to what we wear as long as we keep modesty in mind. Some people have pushed the limit of this rule and have been sent home. As a guy there is not much I can do that would test the envelop. I don't have any intention to test the limits and am just happy to wear jeans or shorts to work a couple of times a month.

No projects left...

Typically when spring rolls around I have a laundry list of projects that need to be completed. Today I completed the only tasks that I had on my "to do" list. My wife and I planted the majority of our backyard garden which was a huge project. After that we built a trellis system for our cucumbers and melons. I thought when we were done that there would be something else that needed completed but was shocked to find out that there were no other requests on my plate. How will I spend the remainder of spring and the summer without a bunch of stuff to keep me busy? I may just have to find a hobby or revisit some old hobbies. Maybe I will finally find that treasure I have been looking for with my metal detector.

Active office...

There are many things about my job that I find stressful but there are also many great things about it. One thing I enjoy is the fact that we find things to celebrate. We have big meals for virtually any and every holiday imaginable which is great. The other thing I enjoy is the fact that we are all active people. Most of the women in my office belong to the same walking club. Many of them also run or work out at home with wii zumba. Working with people who are physically fit is nice because we seem to complain less. I have worked in offices with people who aren't in good shape or active and the mood is very different. It always felt like someone was sick or out having surgery. This made the work load so much heavier on the rest of us. My present office is a different story. Someone being out sick is a rare thing and the morale is so much better.

Two in a row.

Yesterday was the first day that I rode my bike to work. The morning ride was a bit chilly but the ride home was awesome. I enjoyed the ride so much that I decided to ride my bike again today. It is a great way to clear your head after a long day at the office. Given the stress that my job places me under I can really use this time for myself before getting home. I feel lucky to live in a town that encourages biking and has put in a well maintained bike trail that leads me straight from my house to my office. I have yet to ride in the rain but I am sure it won't be that bad as long as I prepare for it. My goal is to ride my bike as least part each work week as long as the weather holds out.

A good blender...

In our 20 year marriage we have had a half dozen blenders. It is funny how something you use infrequently can go bad as quickly as our blenders have. My wife recently started drinking protein smoothies with creatine powder for breakfast. After a couple of weeks our blender had increasing difficulty in blending the mixture to a smooth consistency. It seems like we are on the verge of needing yet another blender. She would love to have a Vitamix blender but with a price tag of around $400.00 it is a tough thing to buy. I know there has to be a decent blender out there that costs less than $100.00 and will last more than a couple of years. If you know of such a blender let me know.

Hard cider...

I have a new home brewing project in the works for this fall. This project is to make both regular and hard cider. We have been sampling different types of hard cider from our local market and have found we quite like it. Since we have an abundance of apples available to us it as well as great home brewing equipment it only makes sense to brew our own hard cider. I have already constructed a cider press and have plans for how I would build an apple scratter. A scratter is a device that chops up the apples prior to pressing them. We are waiting until we find a sale on new garbage disposals. These apparently work perfectly for chopping up massive quantities of apples into pulp for pressing. I will keep you posted on this exciting project as it comes together.

It will be fine...

We have a small garden in our back yard. The dimensions of the garden are about 16 feet square. For some reason our neighbor is totally worried that our little garden is going to attract bears. I have no idea why he is convinced of this but he is. On an almost weekly basis he tell me about bears living in the woods near our house. I wish he would do something besides obsess about bears. The guy seems to have nothing else to do. I try to avoid him as much as possible but sometimes it is hard. When I get out of the car I immediately begin to appear to be reading something as I walk to the door. I don't care it is is a pamphlet containing colonoxy reviews I will look like I am intrigued by it. I figure if I don't make eye contact I will not be opening the door to another weird conversation with him. The guy seems to sit on his porch all day with nothing to do except to wait for me to come up the walkway.

Riding the road....

This morning I finally followed through on a promise I made. I got myself up and out of bed one hour earlier than I normally do. I then took my bicycle out of the garage and peddled my way to work. It ended up being much easier than I anticipated. The trip only took me about 20 minutes which was far less than I thought it would. We only have one vehicle now and my wife needed to be somewhere else at the same time I needed to be at work. This was just the motivation I needed to get out the door and on my bike. When we decided to get rid of our second vehicle the plan was that I would bicycle to work. Until today I had not done that. I can now say that I have indeed bicycled to work and it really wasn't that bad. I might even do it again soon.

Feeling good again.

For the last week everyone in my house has been ill. The children have had colds and my wife has been battling recurring allergic reactions. I believe the most she has ingested this week is a few allergy tablets and a couple of calcium supplements. I always know when the children are not feeling good when no one wants to eat pizza. In our house there is one place and one place alone to get pizza from. Pizza from this restaurant is coveted by our family and not a bit goes to waste. This week I packaged up almost the entire pizza and put it in the fridge. Today was the first day anyone showed an interest in eating. The first thing the kids asked for was some pizza. I now believe we are feeling better at last.

Complainers

I work in an office with about 25 women and a couple of men. This makes for an interesting dynamic. It seems like the women in my office know everything that is going to happen before it happens and automatically form a collective opinion on that topic. Last week we heard that we were getting new scanners for our cubicles. Apparently the word on the street was that the scanners would be huge and that they would take up precious desk space. For the last week all I have heard is complaints about these unseen scanners. Today we received them and much to the surprise of the office they are much smaller than our previous scanners. It is actually pretty funny to think about all the complaining that had taken place based strictly on office gossip. What a waste of time!

What next?

We are growing so many different plants this year it is unreal. It seems like every time I walk in the door there is something new under a light or in a pot. I am wouldn't be surprised if my wife were to read african mango reviews that she would find a way to grow them at home. I love her willingness to learn and try to do things herself but it does get a bit laughable. I would think that the mushroom crop failure would have put a dent in her resolve but it hasn't. As I type we are waiting on a shipment of dwarf Meyer lemon trees that we will be growing indoors. I only hope we actually see a lemon or two from them.

Well, that was interesting.

Living in my house is always and adventure. I never know what we might be doing or trying to do next. This weeks adventure included vaccinating our dog ourselves using vaccine from the local Tractor Supply. Our dog is in serious need a grooming appointment and we have to have her vaccinated to take her. Our vet is booked way into the future and this makes getting her groomed difficult. We have given her kennel cough vaccine in the past using a nasal spray. This set of vaccinations required us to give her an injection. After much decision about who would hold the dog and who would give the shot I ended up being the holder and my wife the shooter. In the end the dog didn't feel anything and it all turned out fine. We saved about $40.00 and a couple hours of our time not spent sitting at the vets office.

TIme to upgrade?

As I sit here typing my computer keeps freezing up. It is driving me crazy. Our computer is only 4 years old but this old by the standards of society today. I would love to replace the computer and should spend time reading laptop reviews but I really want to hold off as long as possible. I am in this mode of trying to milk every last dime out of my investments and I consider my computer an investment. It is interesting to see the world in this different light. It started a couple of years ago and has taken me a while to fully embrace but I now do. Owning the newest and the best is not what I need any more. All I want is for my computer to run just a little bit smoother.

Unhealthy hobby.

I generally believe that hobbies are a good thing. My wife is very much into gardening and growing things. This for the most part is a good thing. This week however that hobby proved to be not such a good thing. This winter she decided to try growing oyster mushroom inside using a few kits. Everything was going quite splendidly until the mushroom blocks started to fruit. The last few days she has been very ill with what seemed like and allergic reaction. As it turns out she has been allergic to mold for years. We never considered mushrooms being a mold and spores that they would exude into the air in our home in excessive amounts. After figuring out what was causing her reaction we removed the mushrooms from the house and cleaned the house from top to bottom. Within a couple of hours her reaction started to subside and we are no longer in the mushroom growing business.

Office fees.

This morning my wife took our two son's to the doctor's for physicals for school. Between the two children there were 5 forms that needed filled out. In all actuality there we really only a couple of places on each form that anyone had to put anything beyond a check mark on. We were quite surprised to find out that the office now charges $5.00 a page to fill out any type of form. It doesn't matter if you need forms for SSDI benefits or a note for school they now charge for this service. I do realize it is a service but it doesn't leave me any less troubled by these charges. Our children are healthy and may only go to the doctor's once or twice a year. It is not as if we are in there constantly needing forms filled out. I can't imagine how someone with several children could afford the cost of co-pays and to have physical forms filled out with the rates being charged by our doctor's office.

Big apple plans.

Last year we realized that we have access to an unlimited supply of apples. We took advantage of this supply to some degree but have even grader schemes for this year. Over the winter my wife and I realized that we really like hard cider. We made some cider from our apples last year but most of it was used for applesauce. My children love applesauce and my wife uses lots of it in baking. My oldest son likes cider and apple juice but we didn't can nearly enough of it. This weekend I constructed a cider press that I hope will enable us to seriously increase our cider production. My neighbor's asked me if I was building a set of gallows as I worked on the press in my backyard. I was tempted to let them think that I was since the design was similar but I didn't. I now have to build something to crush the apples and then we should be set for next fall.

Retiring

A frequent topic of conversation in our house is the subject of retirement. My wife and I are always trying to plan for the time when we are able to retire. We live in a world where we know that our social security benefits are not likely to completely support us which makes planning for retirement vital. Now that our parent's are of the age where they are either retired or nearing retirement age we realize how important proper preparation is. We have about 25 years or so before we can retire but that really isn't a long time in the big scheme of things when it comes to investing for retirement. I really wish we had started putting money aside when we were first married 20 years ago and then we could be looking at retiring in our 50's instead of our 60's.

Biking to work.

In a couple of weeks we will be returning our lease vehicle that we have had for the last year. The lease was for only one year and while driving the car was fun it is not something I would want to keep. The car is a Nissan Cube and attracts a ton of attention. The thing about it is that I have never felt particularly safe in it. It handles terribly in the snow and always feels like people are on your back bumper. We have decided to just keep a single vehicle for the time being and see how we fair with that. I am planning on biking to work since it is only a couple of miles. Given that gas prices are going to keep going higher this seems like a financially sound plan right now. We will be saving on not only gas but also the cost of insurance and paying for a second vehicle. I am very lucky to have a great bike trail that runs from near my home to my office which make the trip very safe.

A full circle.

I am extremely happy to see the month of February done an over. As things stand February brought back a lot of memories of my car accident last year. It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting on the couch with my leg in a full cast and propped up on medical step stool. The accident was a major event in my life that I would like to believe is behind me but there will always be memories of the pain and frustration from that event. Getting through February and moving on to March is a good feeling. I feel like March symbolizes spring and the start of new life and so many good things I will be able to enjoy this year. Last spring and summer were difficult and it will be great to be able to do everything I want to do with no restrictions.

A new season.

Today was a day of preparation. We spent the morning running around getting supplies of things that we like to keep on hand like flour, baking products, and chicken food. The prediction is that the price of these things is going to rise as gas prices rise and we would like to offset that as much as we can. By buying a supply now we believe that we can ease the pain of inflation that is sure to hit in the coming months. The other thing we spent the day doing is getting ready for gardening season. My mother-in-law wanted help buying a small rototiller and I went with her to pick one up. This will be immensely helpful with our collective gardening plans this summer. It feels good to be looking forward and being ready for whatever comes next.

Thoughts on aging...

It is bitterly cold days like today that make me feel old. I used to laugh at the term "I feel it in my bones". The truth is that as I have gotten older I really do feel things in my bones. This is especially true since breaking my leg last year. I sometimes wonder if this is how I feel at 40 year of age what life will be like in another 10 years? I am trying my best to keep in shape and stay strong but I still feel my age on days. I hope to age gracefully and not get to the point where I am a tired old man. I would like to think that my biceps will still be muscular and I won't need to remove tattoos from them because they are sagging. All I can think about is the stories my mother-in-law tells about people in her nursing home with tattoos that are unrecognizable. These are people who have lost muscle tone and there is nothing supporting their tattoos and the area is just a bunch of inked and sagging flesh. I don't want to be that person.

Saving shredded paper.

The office where I work shreds a ton of documents on a routine basis. Most of this shredded paper ends up being incinerated. Some of it is picked up by our local animal shelter for bedding. We recently found out that shredded paper was a good medium for growing oyster mushrooms. I brought my wife home a bag which was way more than she needed. Not wanting to throw it out she started researching the uses of shredded paper and found out that it can be used as mulch in the garden. Since the place where we have our spot at the community garden is very weed infested we are now saving all the paper we can get our hands on. I can't wait to see the looks on the faces of our fellow gardeners when we pile paper around our plants.

We are not keeping bees!

There are many projects that my wife talks about taking on that seem logical to me and others that are just plain illogical. Lately she has been talking a great deal about bee keeping. I just can't get behind the idea because in my heart I know the responsibility of taking care of them would fall on me. The only upside I could see to keeping bees would be the honey. The reality is that we would never get any honey because I would be spending most of my time running away from the bees. I suppose the upside to that is that I would burn belly fat fast from all the running. I just plain don't like bees. I understand that they are in danger right now and need all the help they can get but I just can't see myself keeping them. We are going to try Mason bee houses because they don't sting but I am not open to honey bees at this point.

One on one time.

This morning I took my youngest son with me to the hardware store. He loves going to the hardware store. You would think that it would bore him to death but the child thrives on it. My oldest son takes no interest in going to the hardware store. You would think he would like a store like that because all he wants to do is build stuff. I would think that it would be like a toy store for him but he acts completely bored and frustrated by our visits. The little guy on the other hand begs me to take him and gets mad when we have to leave. I like taking him because it is our special one on one time.

Leaving home...

This morning our neighbor stopped me while shoveling the drive to ask if we wanted her son's lizard. Her son is leaving for the military in a month and she doesn't want to take care of the lizard and doesn't have the time for it. In talking with her I could tell that she is torn up about his departure. She said that it just doesn't seem like he should be old enough to be in the military. I am sure it seemed like only yesterday that he was learning to drive and pestering her for back acne treatments. I wasn't really sure what to say about her son leaving. It is such a hard topic to address with people because there are so many things to consider. All I can say is that he will be in our thoughts and prayers and that if she needs anything to let us know.

I concur...

A great many of the gardening projects proposed by my wife don't always make sense to me. Some of the things she wants to try growing are stuff that I have never seen her buy to eat in our 20 years of marriage. For example, she wants to grow sugar beets in order to make our own sugar. Who needs that kind of work when you can just buy a bag of sugar. Today she proposed that we plant some bushes along the property line between our house and the neighbors. I have to say that I agree with this idea because as it is the two yards look like one giant yard. We have had people trooping across the neighbor's yard from the church next to them to stare at our garden. This shouldn't bother me but it does. I am thinking that planting something along the property line would at least give a bit of definition to things and maybe give these people a moment of pause.

Don't touch it!

Whenever we go to visit my mother we have to lecture our children in advance about touching the remote control for her television. For whatever reason my mother cannot understand how to change the setting on her television if they are accidentally changed. All she has is basic cable and it is the same as it has been for the last ten years. It isn't as though she just swapped cable for one of those digital television antennas or anything. The last time we were there one of the children wanted to watch a DVD as opposed to the regular cable television. This started an entire saga about having to change the setting on the remote in order to get the DVD player connected to the television. It wasn't a matter of changing cables or hooking anything up but rather simply pressing a few buttons. After a bunch of lecturing and drama we decided to just forewarn the children not to touch the television or the remote while we are there.

Modifications and more....

Two of our three chickens are now laying eggs. The problem has been that one of them has been laying her eggs from the roost. This means that daily we have had a broken egg. When you only have a couple of chickens having 50% of your daily eggs broken is not a good thing. We seem to constantly be trying to figure out what these chickens want or need from us. This results in modifications a plenty. After trying different nest boxes in different locations we seem to finally have some success! Getting the egg in the nest box meant mounting the nest box to the roost. Silly, but I believe this particular chicken could not be trouble to get up and travel downstairs to use the facilities. I suppose we have all felt that way about getting up in the middle of the night huh? I hate waking from a sound sleep to go to the restroom.

Weekend work...

For the last several weekends I have been working on various projects inside our home. I spent some time putting up a new bathroom vanity as well as new lighting. I also finished putting molding around the baseboards throughout the house. The ceilings are all now freshly painted as well as the trim. I have several more projects that I need to work on inside the house but that is going to wait. This weekend I am going to have to brave the cold and spend some time working on our van. The transmission is leaking a bit of fluid and acting up. I have been hoping the weather would warm up to make things a little bit easier to do but that isn't going to happen apparently. I have to get this job done whether or not the weather cooperates. We turn our second car back into the leasing company next month and the van has to be running well. We are going to try to live with just one vehicle since our second car is usually just sitting in the drive. I am hoping that this is a minor problem and not the beginning of something major.

Running errands...

Today my schedule was just jam packed with things that needed to be accomplished. First, there was an 8 hour work day to complete. Right after work I had to take our car to the garage to get an estimate for body work. The car is a lease car that someone hit and left a small ding in the bumper. We have to repair it before we return it to the dealer or be charged a ton of money. After this task was done I had to take my son to a Boy Scout meeting. Somewhere in there I sat down for dinner with my family and managed to fit in a trip to the bank and the grocery store. I am exhausted and ready to just sit out the remainder of the night. Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday and I am only working a half day because I have yet more errands to run!

You just never know...

In my house you never know what you might find when you walk in the door. My wife is the type of woman who likes to keep busy and is always finding projects to work on. One day you might find her creating a nightstand from an old luggage set and on another she could be starting seeds for the garden. Today I walked in the door and found the house smelling strongly of pine. In the kitchen I found my wife boiling a pot of sawdust and a pot of shredded paper. She is apparently embarking on growing her own oyster mushrooms and these are the necessary components of the project. I would have been happier finding her stirring a pot of soup. Like I said I am no longer surprised at what I find when I walk in the door of my house.

Creativity running rampant.

As I type this post my children are in the midst of creativity. My oldest son is working on a plan to capture a leprechaun. He has a very well thought out scheme to lure a leprechaun into our backyard and capture it. He hasn't thought much beyond that point but I am sure he will get there. My youngest son is presently walking around the house with the metal detector he invented. His metal detector consists of magnetic wand that extends telescopically. This he has coupled to a small metal bowl. The magnetic end keeps the bowl attracted to the telescopic pole and to him it functions like a metal detector. He has been pushing it around the house for an hour. You have to love kids that don't need much to keep them occupied and know how to use their minds to do so.

Is there a reason?

My wife went to the doctor's today. This is a rare event in our world because she detests going to the doctor's. She discussed a number of things with her doctor which surprised me because she usually pretty tight lipped about issues pertaining to her. He doctor is now going to do some testing to see if there is a reason why my wife is not loosing weight despite extreme amounts of exercise and a reduced calorie diet. I honestly hope she gains some insight into what might be going on. She has considered crash diets that work in order to actually see the scale move downward. I don't want there to be something wrong with her but I also don't want to see her continue to be discouraged with her lack of progress. It would be nice if there were something she could do to kick start the scale moving downward.

Fine by me.

There was an article today discussing the fact that Netflix is phasing out their DVD's via mail program. The article mentioned that people are upset about this and many are complaining. I read over the the article and found myself happy about the switch. If Netflix offers more movies in the instant viewing section I will be a happy subscriber. We really didn't take full advantage of the DVD by mail aspect of their system and have at times been frustrated by the limited movies available to watch instantly. I would honestly be getting a better bang for my buck if there were more instant movies available.

What is for dinner?

My wife is on a fairly strict schedule of exercise and is eating very carefully. She has been working at this for several months. There was a time when she would have turned to the best diet pills to loose weight but that is not the case today. She is now dedicated to loosing weight in a way that will send a good message to our children. The only problem I have with her plan is that she never seems motivated to cook dinner. It is almost as if cooking dinner has completely confounded her. She is able to come up with healthy meals for everything except dinner. I think she is used to cooking heavy meals and simply doesn't know what comprised a low calorie and low carbohydrate meal.

So close...

It doesn't seem like it but we have had our chickens for a little over 4 months. The type of chickens we chose have been bred specifically for egg production. They are supposed to start laying eggs anytime after 16 weeks of age. Our entire family is waiting with such anticipation for the first egg to come from our chickens. One of the signs that a chicken is getting ready to lay an eggs is a change in their comb. One of our chickens has a much larger comb than the other two and it is now very red. That tells me that she is getting oh so close to laying that first egg. I know I am going to get a call at work when the first egg is found. It will make all the work of building the coop and raising the chickens seem worthwhile.

Goal setting.

This year I have made a promise to myself to get back into shape. I always think that is an odd term to use but it seems to be the best one for my situation. Last year around this time I broke my leg. It took me a while to get over the injury. I haven't been as active as I was before the accident. One thing I know I need to focus on is doing ab workouts because my pants are larger than they were last year at this time. The other thing I need to do is some strength training. My leg will likely never be as strong as it once was but I really need to rebuild some lost strength. I am now getting comfortable with walking on the treadmill and am almost back to a running speed. I really need to strengthen my ankle in order to be able to take the pounding stress that running would place on it.

The big night.

Last night we put the finishing touches on my son's entry in his Boy Scout troop's Pinewood Derby. We worked very hard on this year's entry and I have to say I feel pretty confident about our chances. I am sure every child entering the race has this same positive feeling and wants to win. Tomorrow night we will gather at our local mall for the big competition. Two local troops will be at the event which should offer a great deal of competition. I only hope that my son wins at least one race. He really needs all the self-confidence he can get. It would make him so proud to see his work pay off even if it is just a single race. I have promised that we will all go out afterward to celebrate no matter what the result of the race is.

Middle of nowhere.

When we decided to move a couple of years ago there were a great many decisions that we needed to make. My in-laws own a bunch of rural property and were willing to let us build a house on it. We really liked the idea of having a home in the country but were unsure about many things. For example, my in-laws can't get high speed internet in their area. I suppose they could get satellite internet but the cost is pretty high. They also can't get cell phone service at their house. It wouldn't matter if they had a home cell booster because there just isn't reliable service in their area. These were small considerations but definitely contributed to us electing not build on their property. As much as we would like to have a home in the country the cost of building the home, digging the foundation, and installing a well just made it all too expensive. Even with free property we couldn't justify spending double on a home when the market was hitting rock bottom prices on existing homes. There may come a time when we are able to move to the middle of nowhere but for now I am happy with urban life and our affordable mortgage.

Building the "Arrow"...

I just finished up cutting out my son's car for his upcoming Pinewood Derby. The design is entirely one that my son came up with. He tried a number of different designs before deciding upon an arrow design. The car is cut in the shape of an arrow. I have no idea how it will end up performing but I don't believe that is the point of the exercise. I know there are people out there who want to win these events so badly that they totally exclude their children from the process. The child gets the satisfaction of saying "my car won" but had no part in the process of making the car. I believe it is more important for my son to understand what it takes to make the car than it is for him to win. It would be great it we won but that is secondary to playing by the rules and working as a team.

So much writing!

Our children received an abundance of gifts this Christmas. They are given so many toys each year that it is almost ridiculous. We don't tend to buy them much because we know that they will be given so much by other people in their lives. One thing we feel is very important for them to do each year after Christmas is writing a note thanking everyone for the gifts they receive. They are expected to write personalized note cards to each person who gave them a gift. We feel that they need to realize that the gifts they are given are something people do out of kindness and not something they are required to do. Writing a note is a good way to reinforce this in their mind's and teach them good manners.

Reading at last!

Our youngest son is about four and a half years old. He has had little interest in being read to until the last couple of months. We have been trying to teach him to read but it has been clear that he is just not ready. Today my wife was reading a story to him that he had not heard before. To her surprise he was able to fill in several words when she would pause and point to them. We knew that he could identify a handful of words but not to the degree that he showed today. There were a few sentences that he was able to read independently. It was such a nice surprise to see his joy at being able to read. It was as if the little light bulb in his head went on that told him that reading is good and something he can and should do. All day long he has been begging to be read to and we have been gladly complying!

Flooding.

For the last few days we have had much warmer temperatures that in previous weeks. The temperature has been in the high 40's for the last three days. The combination of the warm weather and the mountains of snow have created a real mess in our area. Everything is either in the process of flooding or is already under a great deal of water. I can only imagine how much work the commercial pumps in our area are doing right now to divert the water. On New Year's day while traveling to my in-laws we saw road crews out working to grade the side of the road to change the flow of the water. You know the situation is bad when you see people working on a holiday. The temperature is supposed to drop dramatically tonight which should slow things down a bit.

The job is done!

Our chickens joined our home in September. Building a coop for them has been an ongoing project since that time. Luckily, they weren't big enough to need a full sized coop for the first few months. I am pleased to report that as of today each and every aspect of the coop and adjoining run is now complete. We also installed a nest box. The chickens don't quite know what to think of the entire thing as of yet. We put them in the run and they seemed completely confused with being a more open space. After about 20 minutes two of them went back inside the coop and stayed there. One of them is a bit more adventurous and she stayed outside in the run for another hour or so. I believe it is going to take them some time to realize that they can investigate the entire coop and run. I am just glad to be done with the project!

Life is different.

My brother-in-law spent most of the day at our house yesterday. This was an unusual visit for him because he typically is really busy when he comes home. I think he has more time on his hands because his friends are now busy with their own families. In the last year several of his close friend's have gotten either married or had children. He now has to adjust to the changes in his circle of friend's. Instead of a guy's night out they not sit at someone's house and play board games and talk about who bought who a godson baptism gift. Spur of the moment road trips have been replaced by backyard cook outs. We have been married so long it is hard to remember these changes taking place in my own circle but I know that they did. It is just hard to see my brother-in-law now feeling like the odd man out in his own group simply because he isn't married or having children. I know things will work out and eventually they will establish a new normal within his group. Until then we will welcome his long visits because they have been so rare up to this point.

Sitting back and relaxing.

Tomorrow I have big plans. I have every intention to sit on the couch and not move for as many hours as I can possibly get away with. It feels like we have done nothing but be on the run for the last week. I love spending time with family and enjoy their company but it does get tiring to be entertaining or driving. My children have more toys than they know what to do with which is wonderful. My hope is that they will find at least 8-10 hours of entertainment from these gifts and maybe more. I would like nothing better than to sit down in the morning and not move from the couch except to eat and go to the bathroom. I know there are people in the world who live each and every evening and weekend this way but I am not one of them. Normally I like to be busy and doing something but I am just ready to take one day and sit. I should have asked Santa for this but I forgot. I am now thinking that I may just get my wish because the children might not notice me sitting given the number of toys they now have to play with.

Office party.

Yesterday was our annual office Christmas party. This is always an interesting event because we only have one hour out of the day for it to take place. We end of cramming 25 people in our break room which is also a sort of work area. We end up sharing a big meal together while exchanging gifts. I never understand why we have the type of food that we have at this party. For some reason they elect to have a sit down style dinner in a space without enough room for everyone to sit down at a table. People end up sitting or standing with food in their hands or on their laps. It is pretty hard to eat a ham dinner, on a paper plate, while standing up. I got lucky and happened to be able to set my plate on the color laserjet 3500 that is housed in the room. I really think they should have finger food or sandwiches despite the fact that the meal is always very good. Many people end up taking the meal back to their desks just to have a place to sit down. This defeats the point of having a party because we all work in cubicles.

I was right.

We have had a snow blower for about 3 years. In that time my wife has never used it once. She actually does the majority of the snow removal around our house and says she enjoys shoveling. The storm that has battered our area for the last two weeks has seemed to have changed her opinion of shoveling. She finally broke down and used the snow blower this week and said that it was actually much easier than she thought it would be. I have told her time and time again that it makes life easier but she wouldn't hear it. She insisted that in the time it took to get it started she could have the driveway shoveled. All it took was 2 feet of snow to change her tune.

Will this be the year?

Every year at Christmas we have a big dinner with my in-laws. My brother-in-law generally brings his girlfriend. They have been together for about 5 years and neither of them are very young. This makes each holiday interesting because secretly we all are expecting them to announce their engagement at some point. My wife wouldn't mind seeing one of her brother's get married but she isn't particularly interested in having to buy bridesmaid dresses or participate in a wedding. Given the dynamics of her family it goes without saying that my wife would be expected to be part of the wedding party. What we secretly wish for is a simple announcement that they have eloped. This would make so much simpler. Our family could simply get together for a celebration of their union without all the fuss and expense associated with a big wedding.

Little punks...

We don't have many children living in our neighborhood. This isn't something that bothers us particularly. The children that do live in our area are unfortunately a couple of little punks. They have no idea what it means to respect other people's property or things. Last weekend one of them gave my wife the finger. We are talking about a boy who is likely in 4th grade. I try to overlook them because I know that their home life is less than savory. I have however decided that enough is enough when it comes to them and any snowmen they find in our backyard. For the last two years they have knocked down every snowman that my children have ever built. I know it is them doing it because they are the only kids that have ever come in our backyard. Today I drove steel rods down through the center of the snowman. I will take great pride in walking those two little hooligans try to kick over or punch down this particular snow man.

Who are they?

There was a time when I considered myself pretty smart about various celebrities. This weekend on a whim I decided to visit a website I used to frequent that discusses various Hollywood celebrities. I have to admit that I didn't have a clue who just about 90% of the people on the website were. It didn't take me long to realize that I am completely out of touch with that aspect of the world. Most of the people featured looked young enough to still be worried about finding a new acne treatment and being old enough to drive. What exactly is Justin Bieber known for? I can't remember hearing, reading, or watching anything that he had anything to do with. Despite my lack of awareness of exactly what he is famous for it is apparently a newsworthy fact that he harassed his body guard by flying a remote control helicopter over his head in a restaurant.

Snowy days...

In the last 24 hours we have gotten about 18 inches of snow. I have to say that it doesn't bother me much this year. Last year I hated every flake that fell to the ground. This was because for most of the winter I was incapacitated by a broken leg. I was forced to walk my wife struggle to keep our drive and sidewalks cleared. Tonight with happiness I donned my outside gear and spent time knee deep in snow. I suppose it took having a broken leg to make me appreciate the feeling of having two able feet on the ground. I cannot tell you how tough it is to hobble around in the snow with a cast to your knee and on crutches. I will gladly shovel all the snow that comes our way this year simply because I can do it.

Christmas countdown.

We began our annual countdown to Christmas this week. That is always and exciting time in our house. The children love the idea of taking turns to switch the numbers on our countdown chart each night. The excitement they have about the holiday is contagious. This year we are trying to focus more on making holiday memories for our children rather than make the holiday about getting more things. Of course we will still give them some presents and exchange as a couple. My wife keeps saying the only thing she wants is the best eye wrinkle cream and a new pair of slippers. I don't honestly see a wrinkle on her face but she seems to think she is getting some. I have asked her for a new remote control for my garage door opener. Somehow I lost the old one and it is a pain without it. Aside from a few small gifts we are going to make Christmas more about spending time as a family and less about being part of the consumer culture.

A good dog.

We have never had a well behaved dog until now. We have had a couple of dogs that we tried to rescue from the pound but they did not turn out to be good pets for our family. Each dog I believe had been very abused and no amount of training could get them to be a true "family" dog. Each dog was very partial to a particular member of our family and hostile to the rest. We took a long break from having a dog and waited to buy a puppy from an independent and reputable breeder. The dog we have now is a gentle and sweet girl. She is a miniature Schnauzer. There isn't a day that she doesn't bring a smile to our faces with her silly looks and antics. I have to laugh at her when it comes to the great outdoors because she is so incredibly particular. She absolutely hates the rain but loves the snow. She doesn't mind diving in an icy cold stream but don't let it rain on her pretty head. Being drenched by the snow isn't a problem and she hasn't met a snowball she didn't like. I know there are good dogs to be found at the pound but it just hasn't been our experience. I am glad to finally have a dog that our entire family can enjoy and not need to fear.

Sick and stubborn.

Our youngest son has had a cold for the last week. He rarely catches a cold but when he does it is generally a pretty bad experience. His cold started with a fever in the middle of the night. He kept waking up crying because he couldn't breath through his nose. Since then his nose has ran so much that his upper lip is red and raw. I want desperately to find some cream for face issues like his but I know he won't let me use any on him. He is very sensitive to having creams or medicine put on his body. We have tried sneaking some chap stick on his lips while he is sleeping and he always seems to wake up and start crying. I believe the child is the lightest sleeper I have ever known. I am hoping that his symptoms start to subside soon because we could all use a good night's sleep. Thankfully whatever it is that he has doesn't seem to be spreading to the rest of our family. This is usually the case at this time of year.

Roku...

A couple of weeks ago my wife bought our family a Roku system for our television. We had been using the Wii to stream Netflix to our television since we don't subscribe to a cable or satellite package. We were immediately impressed with the Roku and didn't spend much time investigating anything other than Netflix. This weekend my wife started looking at the settings and realized that there are all kinds of free programs use can stream from the internet to the Roku. Our television choices are now expanded tenfold. I cannot imagine going back to paying an arm and a leg for cable or satellite television. The only thing I wish there were more of is programs for children.

Choosing carefully...

Having children is something that is a never ending journey of amazement. My youngest son can turn virtually anything into an adventure. The child observes the world in way that I find amazing. He notices small details in things that adults would overlook. The child makes everything a process of analysis out of almost every daily task. It doesn't matter if he is choosing what clothes to wear or what cookie to take from a plate, he makes a conscious decision to weigh his choices. I wish I had that type of willpower when it came to cookies because I wouldn't find myself in need of weight loss pills that work. His taste is so discriminating that he decides which cookie to take based on the color, size, and shape. He will go one step further and consider how many chocolate chips there appear to be in each cookie. If his young mind had any awareness of calories I am quite sure he would add that into his analysis.

What to do, what to do...

This weekend we will only have one child in our house. Our older son is going on a camping trip with his scout troop. My wife celebrates a milestone birthday and turns 40 on Saturday. She has insisted that I not do anything to mark her birthday and I am trying hard to honor that. I do want to do something special for her but I am at a loss as to what. The woman doesn't wear jewelry and doesn't like excess things. She really only asks for stuff that she believes will benefit our family as a whole. I am stumped as to something I can get her or do for her that fits this bill. Any and all suggestions would be helpful. I have considered breakfast in bed but my wife wakes at the crack of dawn...

Horrible allergies...

Throughout the entire 20 years I have known my wife she has suffered with allergies. Most of the time she keeps them at bay. About every 4-6 months they flare up into severe attacks. This weeks she has had 3 of those such attacks on almost consecutive days. I have never seen such desperation in her face. I really believe that she would have taken anything from phentirmene 37.5mg to acid reflux medicine if someone told her it would make the reaction subside. Ultimately she was able to find a medicine that has thus far stopped the reactions for the last 24 hours. I have told her that when the next one comes I am taking her to the hospital irregardless of what she has to say about the matter.