A Dairy Perspective

We Are Moving

2011-01-24T14:29:00.002-06:00

Well, digitally that is. We are moving our blogging activities to The Goings-On. We decided to start a new one to better reflect ourselves now. It has only taken a month and a half to come up with a name we could agree on. :-) I still have to add some pictures and links for customization. We'll keep this one up for the archives, but all new posting will happen there. See you there.

New Years Flooring

2011-01-02T20:00:00.004-06:00

Boy, its been awhile since I made a post, even long for me. :-) Hopefully I'll be better in 2011... Well one exciting development for us lately is the enduring kitchen remodel made some progress. The flooring step was holding us up and after finally deciding on what to go with and making the big purchase, we had it installed a few days ago. Don't miss the sub flooring.
Before shots.
We went with a high grade linoleum in our kitchen, dining room, and our front entrance. Besides having a long wear life, its supposedly is eco-friendly too, so that was an added perk.

Eclipse

2010-12-21T12:20:00.003-06:00

We were looking forward to catching a glimpse of the lunar eclipse early this morning, but it was snowing. Good thing there are a lot of cool pictures on the Internet today from people who did see it.

Wintery

2010-12-12T13:13:00.003-06:00

Well the snow has fell, leaving us somewhere about 10 inches worth, although it is hard to judge with the drifting. Last night our power was knocked out for a few hours. For about 2 hours before the power cut out, the lights were flickering, so we were ready for the darkness.

The winds are gusting to 45mph right now and its expected to stay windy through Monday, with temps dropping and wind chills down to -20F. This morning Maggie and I checked on our chickens and sheep and shoveled around the house. Maggie wasn't too happy to be outside, so we were quick.

First Snow

2010-12-11T07:35:00.002-06:00

We got our first real snow on Thursday, about 3 inches worth. Its been cold like winter for a couple weeks now, but not white like winter. Today and tonight we have our first snowstorm coming too, forecasting 8"-12" inches. A little late this year, but winter has finally arrived.

A Night Out

2010-12-03T11:06:00.002-06:00

Last night Zach and I marked our nine years together with a night out. We hold our dating anniversary with a little more meaning than our wedding anniversary in June. Although the first date awkwardness was missing, the brisk winter evening reminded us of our first date at the Milwaukee Art Museum along the lakefront. It is hard to believe we’ve been a couple that long already.

(photo from website)

We went to a restaurant we haven’t been to before called, Cena, in downtown Appleton. We have been looking forward to the date for a few weeks, excited to try out a new place and new culinary tastes. Boy, we were not disappointed at all. Zachary had the Filet Mignon with prosciutto, gorgonzola, and red and yukon potatoes. I had a Smoked Pork Chop with wild mushroom risotto and apple chutney. Wowzers... We sampled each other’s dishes, after we would brag to each other how good our own plate was. After licking our plates clean, we were tempted with dessert of Tiramisu and Pumpkin Cheesecake. Even after that, our server offered us a slice of homemade chocolate cake, since it was the owner’s son’s birthday and they were having a cake. We really wanted to indulge some more, but our stomachs had already surpassed capacity for the evening.
For an after-dinner treat, we visited a bookstore. Zach picked up a few novels and I chose a new cookbook for the kitchen.

Bit of Magic

2010-12-01T21:03:00.002-06:00

Zachary and I have taken up a new game lately, Magic. It is a card game that has been around for about 20 years, and we decided to give it a try after seeing it at our local nerd store.
Turns out it is a real fun game. It is a nice change of pace for us, going low tech with our entertainment. Something we can enjoy together without computers, the internet, and the TV to distract us.
Of course the cats have noticed our sitting around the dining room table lately, and insist on being part of the action.
And inch their way onto the battlefield for a chance to bat at a enticing stray game piece.

Sentimental Triple Order

2010-11-15T21:44:00.002-06:00

Zachary and I have a few places, songs, phrases, traditions, and foods that are sentimental to us. Topper's Triple Order is one of those warm fuzzies. Back in our dating days in Waukesha and Whitewater, we ate a lot of Topper's Triple Orders. At the time Toppers was a small take out/delivery chain in southern WI and we patronized the one in Whitewater often. We would always get the Triple Order, which was basically cheesy bread sticks with garlic butter dipping sauce. That was usually followed with a Frosty's PBcup flurry. (like a Blizzard, but a custard and blended with PB sauce too. omg...) I am surprised we didn't weigh 400 pounds. After I was done with college and we got married and settled back in NE WI, we lost our Toppers connection.

Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago driving through downtown Appleton. We spotted a new Toppers open. So recently we stopped in for our special Triple Order to see if it still tasted the same after 6.5 years. It did :-)

One Kool Kat

2010-11-09T19:51:00.004-06:00

Oh, Diogenes. You weird cat.
One interesting thing we are learning about Diogenes, is that he doesn't lie or sit like a normal cat a lot of the time. When lounging about, he prefers to be on his back, looking at you upside down. And apparently sits like this at times. Zachary and I had a good laugh when we found him chillaxing last night. Maybe he got into the Catnip...

Happy Birthday Zachary!

2010-11-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

Lemon Cake

2010-11-04T19:18:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite sweets to make is Lemon Cake. I stumbled across this recipe over a year ago when I was searching for a recipe to use for 6 lemons I had. I have made about 5 times now and its been a moist success each time. Don't let the amount of lemons scare you, the result is a sweet citrusy treat without being tart or bitter. Yum.

More Catness

2010-10-26T14:28:00.003-05:00

I know the October blog posts have been cat heavy in substance, but our whole last month has been cat focused with the new cats. So whats another cat post?

Queequeg caught sleeping the night before. She slept in that pose for 20 minutes. How is that comfortable?

Pulled Pork

2010-10-25T23:32:00.002-05:00

Its that time of the year where we begin to crave the slow foods from our slow cooker. One of our favorite things to make is pulled pork. I discovered this recipe from listening to The Splendid Table, a foodie radio program, a year ago.

It is ridiculously easy to make. (Throw ingredients together in 5 mins, walk away for about 6 hours, and then devour). No wonder the recipe is called Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork. So good.

Out

2010-10-25T23:18:00.002-05:00

Well Diogenes and Trillian have free range of the house now. This last phase of the new cat transition came a bit faster than expected, thanks to a curious Queequeg and an equally curious Diogenes, the three officially coexist now.
Quee isn't amused with her new housemates, but she tolerating them, which is good.

Named

2010-10-09T16:37:00.002-05:00

We named her Trillian, mostly inspired from the character in The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series of books.

He is Diogenes. Inspired from an antagonist in the Pendergast series of books, but hopefully he won't be as evil as his namesake. :-) After some reading on Wikipedia, we deemed it fitting after reading about Diogenes of Sinope, a greek philosopher. One of the few men to publicly mock Alexander the Great, and lived to tell about it. Bold name for a bold cat.

Cat Progress

2010-10-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

Our new cat therapy is progressing nicely. Even the big guy is leaving his crate more often to interact with us. We are thinking within a week of setting up a screen or gate in the doorway of their room to slowly introduce them to our other 2 beloved pets, Queequeg and Maggie. I think Maggie is oblivious to the cat room, but Quee is taking increased interest in what is behind that closed door.

And they remain officially nameless at the moment, we are working on that.

Flying Sunday

2010-09-27T20:11:00.003-05:00

On Sunday Zachary and I went flying with our friend Kate. It was a beautiful fall day and great conditions for flying. We met at Brennand Airport in Neenah.

The first destination of our flight was to Sheboygan, for brunch. There is a great restaurant at the airport, called Final Approach. As you dine, you can watch the comings and goings of aircraft out the windows overlooking the runway.

Quilted patchwork of farm fields.
After brunch and a fuel up, we decided to fly north along Lake Michigan to Ephraim-Gibraltar Airport in Door County for aerial sightseeing. Here is a shot of Whistling Straits golf course, home of the 2010 PGA Championship this year.

Lake Michigan shoreline. The dark spots in the water are cloud shadows.
City of Manitowoc.
S.S. Badger at dock in Manitowoc.
After arriving at the Ephraim-Gibraltar Airport, we used the loaner bikes to ride to Fish Creek for ice cream at Not Licked Yet. The ducks offered us entertainment as we ate by the creek.
The bikes we rode were interesting, they were auto shifting pedal braking bikes. It was a little tricky to get used to and to remember to brake with your pedals instead at first, but a fun ride nonetheless.

Our trusty bird.
Zach and I.
One the way back to Neenah, we flew over Green Bay. That is Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

Contact

2010-09-25T14:27:00.004-05:00

Woo hoo! We got to pet one of the new cats last night, Tigger. Zachary won her over with ear scratches and she was very affectionate. She is still skittish and has a lot of adjusting to do yet, but we are thrilled she is starting to warm up to us.
This morning I continued interacting with Tigger. Tiger, the male, even let me get a few head scratches in. I got a hiss and a purr from him this morning, so that is an improvement from yesterday when it was all hisses. But I don't want to rush him, he is a bit intimidating. I like keeping my fingers intact. :-)

So far he has been spending most of his time laying in the open pet carrier. Tigger has a spot near a chair she likes to lay, but she is starting to wander the room more than he does.

Caturday

2010-09-24T17:44:00.004-05:00

Everyday is Caturday at our house, but especially so yesterday. Zachary and I are taking in his sister's 2 cats. Turns out little Landon is sensitive to the cats and it is best if they found a new home for Tiger and Tigger.

Little Landon.

So that is where we come in. We met up last night to pick up the cats. We've talked about adding another pet to the household, but always worried about Queequeg's reaction. Pitiful as it sounds, our little world revolves around her. :-) We decided to give these 2 pretty cats a chance and see how they fit with us and Queequeg. We aren't worried about Maggie, she gets along with everyone. We aren't crazy about their names, so we are currently brainstorming for new ones.

This is Tigger, the girl kitty.
This is Tiger, the brother of Tigger. Both are very large compared to Quee and he is even bigger than Tigger.

We have them set up in their own private room for now, to get used to the smells and sounds of our house. I can tell they are stressed from the 4 hour move north and are a bit suspicious of us. We plan to be patient with them and hopefully in a few days they will start to warm up to us.

After we can establish friendly terms with them, then phase 2 will begin, the introduction of Quee. Currently she knows there is something interesting behind a closed door we frequent. She is currently behaving herself nicely and acting normal, but her real test isn't for a while.

Arrgh

2010-09-19T19:33:00.002-05:00

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, Mateys!

Trip to Minnesota

2010-09-12T21:05:00.007-05:00

Zachary and I went on a road trip Friday and Saturday to Minnesota. Our main reason was to visit the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee. We are pretty good about not getting lost in our travels, but we got a bit sidetracked and ended up missing an off ramp and driving about an hour north before we realized it. Talking about Futurama at the critical highway change will do that to you. Zach said at one point to me, "Boy, this area sure looks like northern WI."
Due to our detour, we discovered a great state park on the border called Interstate State Park, in St. Croix Falls. Pretty place for a lackluster name. Zach and I went for a hike on the rocky steep trails.
The view up top, Minnesota is across the river.

Once across the border, we stumbled across Franconia Sculpture Park. It is a large green space for artists to live, create, and display their sculptures for the public to enjoy.
One of our favorite sculptures was call Evening. The outside was a large dark gray box with a door for the viewer to enter.
The inside had an opening on one end with slats to filter the light in, creating a perpetual evening shadows.
If we ever have kids, I hope they have something like this for a play set.
Saturday we made it to the fair. We were worried if it would be as good as Bristo l, but our worries quickly dissolved.
Lots of buildings, entertainment everywhere. We were impressed.
Even a giant chess set to play.
The only Ren fair flare I had was my horns.
But I think I would like to get a dress like this for next year.
Gypsy Turtle.
Plenty of fairies.
Fiery entertainment.
A familiar face, Moonie. He is our favorite act to see at Bristol, and were surprised to see him here. Turns out it was his first and only weekend at the Minnesota fair and we happen to catch him. Zach narrowly missed being called up on stage to be Moonie's helper. The guy in the picture was sitting right next to Zach. Needless to say, Zach was relieved.

Eggplant

2010-09-01T00:06:00.002-05:00

I picked our first eggplant yesterday. I tried growing one last year, but the plant never made it. Isn't the color delightful? This calls for some Eggplant Parmesan.

Bowling

2010-08-27T07:04:00.003-05:00

Last night we went bowling with Kate. Needless to say, none of us bowled very well. I usually break a 100, but I only did that in the first of 3 games. It was very fun though. I tried getting an action shot of Zach, but apparently bowling alleys are tricky to photograph.
So I took a picture of my shoes.

After bowling, we headed to Cranky Pats for great thin crust pizza.

Done!

2010-08-24T06:43:00.002-05:00

Zach and I finished up the last 21 game boards a few days ago. We did a total of 125 this summer.
Neither of us really want to look at another one of these for a while... :-)

Visit

2010-08-17T11:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Zachary and I went to Illinois to visit Zach's sister, Kristanna and her family. She is about to have surgery to get her kidney removed, so we wanted to see her and wish her good luck in person. We also got to spend some time with Tristan. Landon, the youngest, was off at Grandmas.
Zach was a little jealous of Tristan's sand box, but he did let uncle Zach help a little bit. He is a fun little boy.

Milestone

2010-08-17T10:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a special day for our Subaru.
100,000 miles! (Don't worry, Zach took the pictures while I was driving)
May you have an adventure filled 100,000 more miles.

Frog

2010-08-14T18:13:00.002-05:00

I spied this neat frog while at my parents today.
After downloading the pictures off my camera onto my computer, I noticed a mosquito on the back of the frog, feeding. Shouldn't the frog be eating the mosquito? Weird.

Renaissance Faire

2010-08-08T23:34:00.004-05:00

Zachary and I made it to the Bristol Renaissance Faire this year on Saturday. It is a yearly pilgrimage for us.
A very tasty pilgrimage indeed. I didn't get a picture of every dish, but here is a sampling. A few favorites and a few new discoveries. I tried a new drink this year called Black Berry. I am not much of a beer drinker, but this was mighty tasty, a blend of Murphy's Irish Stout and Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss. It is the dark brew next to the Rat Man Dew (blend of Mountain Dew and hard cider, Zach's choice)

Plenty of goods I wish I could take home and put in my house.

An artist creating a portrait of Henry VIII.
Musicians.
We took in a few shows too. A Falconer demonstrating his falcons and hawks.
A very funny acrobatic show, called Barely Balanced.

Adam Crack, the bull whip guy. He'll be competing in the World Championships this winter for his whip cracking skills.

The classic Mud Show. Feats of strength and wit held in a mud pit.
Moonie. The master of improv comedy, juggling, and audience embarrassment.
Our last show of the day was the Barely Balanced act again. Their last show of the day includes new tricks with the addition of fire.

Back to Basics

2010-08-04T23:28:00.002-05:00

I was recently asked if I would be interested in creating samples of artwork in different mediums on different types of papers for a paper company. I was both excited and leery of the project. It excited me that it was motivation/opportunity to get out my stored away art supplies from my college days. It scared me that it has been since I was in college that I created artwork without using a computer. I get creative at times with my graphic design work, but its not the same as getting my hands covered pastels dust.

I broke out a few art books and looked for inspiration. I have a book that is called Essential Monet, filled with Monet paintings. I enjoy his and the other Impressionists work. I found his painting, La Falaise de Ste.-Adresse (1873) and was inspired to emulate it using pastels.

It was a fun exercise, to try to capture the same feel as the master. With the pastels medium, turned out softer than the painting. I also changed up the landforms slightly, but I think I was able to achieve the impressionist feel. And not at one point during the process I tried to use my pastel stick like a computer mouse, so success.

Random Wednesday

2010-08-04T07:06:00.003-05:00

Clematis blooms.

Fun Fact: Did you know in the pioneer days of the old west, the Clematis plant was referred to a pepper vine, as it was used as a pepper substitute to spice food, when true pepper was rare and expensive. It is toxic in large amounts, unlike real pepper, but Native Americans used it as treatment for migraines and skin conditions.

Weeds

2010-08-02T17:43:00.003-05:00

Zach and I chose to skip re-mulching the flower beds around the house as a cost saving measure this year, and put it off till next spring. It probably wouldn't have been a big deal if it wasn't for all the rain we've been getting this summer. Usually this time of the year is dry. We have found ourselves in the mist of a weed-plosion.
I tackled one section over the weekend, but there is many more sections to attack.

Coneflowers in bloom.

Midnight Run: SC2

2010-07-27T12:21:00.002-05:00

On a whim last night, Zachary and I headed to the 24 hour Walmart at midnight to pick up Star Craft 2. Zach has been eagerly waiting for this game for years. We got to the store about 15 minutes to 12 and headed to the electronics department. The store was pretty dead, but a few pacing anxious males where milling about the department. Not surprisingly, I was the only female around. At 12 sharp, they sold us the game and we headed home. We started the installation process and while waiting, watched an episode of Wipeout on the DVR. Meanwhile my alertness was fading and I fell asleep before the game could be played. And I also missed which contestant won Wipeout. :-( Zach’s zeal kept him awake and he got to play it a bit before heading to bed. He says it’s great. I’ll try it this evening when I am more awake.

Holy Hail

2010-07-21T15:28:00.004-05:00

This is a cell phone pic of some hail that fell last night when it stormed. We were lucky to not get hail when the thunderstorm moved through by us. Zachary's boss took this picture, he lives about 20 minutes to the north from us and the storm dropped golf ball sized hail.

I think it's time get the Itteh Bitteh Committeh in action.

Wet Produce

2010-07-20T19:07:00.003-05:00

Latest pickings from the garden lately: cauliflower, broccoli, peas, beans, and lettuce.

The weather has been abnormally wet around here lately. It is the normal sticky July temperatures, but paired with almost daily storms, producing rainfalls that drop several inches rain in a hour. Blue sunny skies return after the storms blow through, but Maggie is not pleased with the daily thunder rumbles. Neither is my wet basement.

I took a few pictures of the tiger lilies and day lilies in bloom before the latest storm chased me indoors this evening.

Rain Garden

2010-07-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we helped put together my parents rain garden. It is a terraced garden that utilizes rain water run off from the house roof that is filled with native perennials.
The planting space is about 41 feet long and 8.5 feet wide.
After laying out the bed, we had to sculpt the dirt to shape the four terraces. It sorta looks like a bumpy water slide.
Then we added mulch.
Here it is mostly planted. Zach is going help finish up tomorrow, adding erosion barriers on the mounds along with more grasses. There is over 300 plants planted, with about 25 different species of wildflowers, sedges, and grasses.

Spotty

2010-07-12T18:34:00.003-05:00

It was one of those weekends were the weather changed hourly from sunshine to storms in a matter of minutes and back to sunshine again. Besides getting another wave of game boards complete, we managed to make it to the Iola Old Car Show. As soon as we got the gates of the car show, a storm blew in and down poured, sending us and the other show goers to the nearest dry refuge. Within minutes, the storm passed and we headed out looking for food and cars.
Model T.
Beer battered deep fried cheese curds. Mmmm... Pair this with a chocolate shake and life is good.
Zach was determined to find some wind this weekend. Zach and I went for a sail Friday evening with mild success. Light winds and clear skies. Sunday had promise of stronger winds, with a chance of rain. The wind got him launched on Sunday, but once he was away from the dock, he lost his wind.
And the rain followed him back to shore.

Fireworks at the Lakes

2010-07-04T13:09:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Zach and I spent the evening at my parents' house on the lake to enjoy food and fireworks. Zachary, inspired by our recent sail, assembled my Dad's small sailboat to examine the rigging. If the holiday boat traffic on the lakes wasn't so busy, he would have been out on the water.
Besides some family and neighbors at the house, our friends Kate and Jim joined us too. Kate was determined to catch something, and she did. That would almost make a fish stick. She did later catch a nice sized bluegill and sunfish.
There is an annual tradition of a pontoon parade on the lakes. It is usually about a dozen decorated boats filled with beer-fueled cross dressing men, like above.
I was pleasantly surprised with 2 floats this year. They get an A for effort and creativity in my book. Diver pulling a duck behind.
A BP oil spill themed entry. That is supposed to be an oil slick behind the boat.
The Cloverleaf Lakes Association put on great fireworks show this year. It's funded by donations from the residents and its always a nice show.
As usual, I was playing with my camera during the fireworks. Got some interesting effects with the long exposure.

Garden Update

2010-07-04T12:33:00.002-05:00

So far the square foot/raised bed gardening experiment is working well.
The cabbage and broccoli plants are growing larger than I expected, but with a little leaf trimming and staking, they aren't overwhelming their neighbors, yet. I am enjoying the ease of weeding in the boxes. I spent more time weeding around the boxes on the outside, than weeding amongst the plants themselves.
We have already harvested radishes, a cutting of lettuce and spinach, and a few heads of broccoli.
The potatoes in the large rectangular bed are growing like crazy, looking healthy and blossoming. This is our first year trying potatoes.
The mulberry trees around the farm are also bearing fruit.

Little Getaway

2010-06-30T23:04:00.005-05:00

Zach and I went on an impromptu getaway on Monday. I was off from work on Monday and on a whim we headed up to Door County for a overnight getaway. Door County is one of our favorite places to go. One of the best things about going away is the food. And we ate pretty good for 24 hours. Above is an Asparagus Quesadilla and side salad with a creamy dill dressing. Wow, crazy good.
Along with the ice cream, the salmon, the whitefish, the omelet, the burgers, and the fudge.
The English Inn, where we had the salmon and whitefish.

Monday night we went to Pirate's Cove for mini golf. There are several places for mini golf at Door County, but pirate themed is always the better choice. We did keep score, and Zach won. The short puts always kill me.
Oh, so that is where the treasure is. Get the shovel.

After being thwarted twice at sunset and in the morning by wind and waves, we were able to get in a sailboat ride mid day on Tuesday. The wind and waves calmed down a bit. We sailed out of Sister Bay and sailed along the coast to Fish Creek and back. Zach has a thing for sailboats. (Okay, that might be a understatement) We sailed on a restored 40 foot Cal Sloop. Neither of us have been in a sailboat that large. We had 4 other people on the boat and the captain.

It was the perfect weather for sailing. Captain Andy was pleased with the conditions. And I didn't get seasick! I was a little worried about that. If it was rougher conditions, then it would probably be a different story.
Zach and I usually try to take a self portrait of ourselves every time we are doing something fun. He gets the honors of taking the picture, he has longer arms.
One of our shipmates offered to take a proper picture for us.
We also spied the famous goats on the roof in Sister Bay at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant. We didn't eat there, but we took in the goat-ertainment.

Odd Bug

2010-06-24T13:50:00.002-05:00

Last night after work I noticed a large bug with obnoxiously large antennae on the outside of the car. I took its picture with my cell phone and then it flew away before I could get a non blurry picture. Any ideas what it is?

Deja Vu All Over Again

2010-06-22T19:40:00.003-05:00

Zach and I have been back at making game boards again. This time an order of 20. It appears we will have to build an additional 40 over the summer, but perhaps in 2 waves. The good thing is that the customer is happy with our product, but the bad thing is they want more. It's like the movie Groundhog Day around here lately, but with game board construction.

Wet

2010-06-16T00:43:00.003-05:00

It's been gray and raining everyday for nearly a week now and it's taking it's toll on everyone. Maggie doesn't want to go outside, scared of storms. Queequeg hasn't had a suitable sunspot to lay in for days. And the chickens rather perch on the wishing well than wander in the rain. We are promised some sunshine tomorrow.

More than just Candy

2010-06-13T11:26:00.002-05:00

Zachary and I stopped at one of our favorite places to go in Appleton recently, Wilmar Chocolates. We discovered this place about a year and half ago while frequenting the game store, Chimera Hobby Shop, a few blocks away. We used to swing by the chocolate shop if we were near, but it is getting to the point we make the trip just for the treats. The sweet creations that come out of this place puts Hershey and Mars to shame, even Ghirardelli. This last visit netted us French Mints, Peanut Butter Squares, and Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels with Sea Salt. I think our stash lasted about a day, they are irresistible. Zach isn't a dark chocolate person, but I am and I wanted to try the twist with the sea salt. Wow, chocolate and salt really do go together. It really brings out the full flavor of the dark chocolate. I never thought chocolate could bring me to my knees in sweet bliss.

Strawberries

2010-06-01T00:02:00.002-05:00

This morning while weeding the garden, I found ripe strawberries. We have a small plot of them that we planted last spring. The berries are small, but they are full of flavor and the just right amount of sweetness. They made an excellent breakfast.

Evening Float

2010-05-30T08:33:00.004-05:00

Zach and I have been busy lately, between our jobs and the massive game board project, there hasn't been room for much else. Saturday we took advantage of the great weather and a free evening to get reaquainted with the Embarrass River. Saturday afternoon, I loaded up the kayaks on the car and then I went to pick up Zach at work to head straight to the Cty XX bridge.
Zach preparing his vessel.
We got in the water about 4:45. It was our 1st evening river trip. The other times we had gone it was either in the morning or mid-day. The river was shaded about half of the time, which was nice. Sunny mid-day paddles sometimes leave you feeling like a cooked turkey.

We would paddle for a while and then drift like leaves, soaking in the wildlife and scenery. No fishing poles this time, need to get fishing licenses. We did see plenty of fish activity though. I had something large jump right beside my boat. I am glad I didn't tip over from being startled. I tried to get pictures of the 2 juvenile bald eagles we followed down the river, but they were always out of range.

Our camera is a Stylus Tough. We got it last year after damaging yet another camera. It has been a great camera so far, it has survived many drops, mostly from my clumsiness. It has a waterproof function, but I never had the courage to put it in the water. Electronics and water don't mix, right? I was commenting to Zach how hard it was to get a shot of the water and not just get glare. He said, well just put in the water. After stating my reservations, I took the plunge and took a picture. Sorta murky, but the boat was drifting too fast at the moment. A picture, nonetheless.

I took one more before pulling it out of the water, a strange watery self portrait, from a fish's perspective. The camera still works today, so I guess we'll be playing with that feature more in the future.

After landing on my parents river property, we dragged our boats out of the woods. It was about 3 hour trip all together. I hope we have many more trips like these this summer.

Board to Death

2010-05-24T18:28:00.003-05:00

The board project is complete! Last night Zach and I wrapped up the last of the game boards and he delivered them today. We had 20 days to construct 67 boards. (Huh, sorta sounds like some lame reality show)
Zach standing in front of his creations before painting.
During construction, the shop was often visited by Maggie and the occasional chicken.
Laying out to dry.

Sheared

2010-05-17T20:36:00.002-05:00

We had the shearer come out on Saturday to shear our sheep. The shearer and his family raise over a 100 sheep on their farm. So he is a very experienced shearer. As he was shearing, he was trying to talk me into getting ewes and raising lambs. Tempting as that is, until I can master keeping these Houdini sheep inside their pasture, I will wait on that adventure.

Sammy, the black one, was first.
Ricky and Fred watch as they wait their turn.
Several pounds lighter and ready for summer.

Gardening

2010-05-17T19:26:00.009-05:00

I finished getting the vegetable garden in this past weekend. My experiment with square foot gardening is under way now. The large dirt square is my normal veggie garden space. This year, all our plants reside in the 3 4 foot square boxes and the raised bed beside them. I may put in a row of sunflowers on the edge for the birds enjoyment, but the rest will be seeded down and returned to lawn.

It's not how my Grandma taught me to garden, but she would have probably gotten a kick out of this nonsense.
Maggie resting between plantings.
I also planted a lot of annuals around the yard too.

The first of the Irises started to blossom around the pond.
Alliums too.

While picking asparagus, I was greeted with toads in the patch. I found an olive green one, but he was too camera shy.
Yum!

Tree Blooms

2010-05-13T22:04:00.009-05:00

Just a few snapshots of the latest blooms in the yard in the past week. The fragrance on the breeze while the trees are blooming can't be beat. No candle or air freshener can capture that glorious smell.
Tender new pine cones.

The ladies.

Been pretty busy lately. Zach has been leading the charge with our game board project, making good progress on the large order. Pictures of the chaos coming soon. We also have been putting up wainscoting and trim in our bathroom. Our new door for the bathroom recently arrived. Once the door, trim, and wainscoting is painted, the bathroom will be officially done. One less room under construction in the house. Hurray! Pictures of that will be coming soon too.

Not "board" in the shop

2010-05-01T18:06:00.003-05:00

These things again. Zachary and I have been preparing for the possibility of a very large project in the near future. The business I do freelance graphics for asked me (and Zach) to quote out building Cornhole board game sets for a customer. Many of them. Zachary is a talented carpenter and I am a semi-talented carpenter's helper. So in the past two weeks we have built 2 sets, as a demo for the customer. We have modified our design drastically, to make the game boards much lighter and to streamline costs in materials. We will find out next week if we are a go in production, making as many as 65 game boards by the end of the month. It will basically keep us busy all month, working on them when we aren't at our own jobs. We are looking forward to the project, the extra income will be nice for our remodeling project in the house.

Mostly Tulips

2010-05-01T17:51:00.002-05:00

Tulips, how I love you so. I wish you bloomed all summer long.

Tender hyacinths.

All our own blooms from our yard except for the last one. A tulip from Dubuque, IA at the River Museum from last weekend.

Weekend Away

2010-04-27T10:49:00.015-05:00

This past weekend, Zachary and I went a getaway. Zach surprised me about a week earlier with a few days off in a row from his work and suggested we go somewhere for my birthday. After mulling over a few areas to visit, we decided to go Duqubue, IA to visit the National River Museum and wander around from there. I booked our Friday night at Hotel Julien, a beautifully renovated historic hotel in downtown Dubuque. Even though we had their basic room, it was still pretty nice. We had a wonderful meal at the Hotel's restaurant, Carolines. Zach had the Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon and I had Artichoke & Parmesan Stuffed Mushroom and Green Peppers. Mmmm… that was good. Even the ranch dressing on the dinner salad was amazing.
Saturday we headed over the National River Museum. It was really fascinating to see the wildlife of the Mississippi River up close.
We do have a favorite creature of the river… the Otter.
We discussed the possibilities of making an Otter a house pet, but converting the living room into an Otter pool probably wouldn't be the best idea. Plus I don't think Quee and a wet swirling Otter would make a good match. Maggie would probably be all for a wading pool in the house, though. We were also very fascinated with the large retired dredging ship they have on display, the William M Black. I can't imagine how hot and loud it would have been working in the boiler room, to keep ship running. It was also interesting that steam powered paddle-wheeler was still operational in the 1970s. It was retired because of the massive amount of oil it used to heat the boilers.
After a few hours at the Museum, we drove north to Prairie du Chien, WI and found a hotel there. That night we had dinner at the Great River Roadhouse in De Soto. One of our favorite places to get pizza, but being on the other side of the state, we usually try to swing by when we are near.

Sunday we visited Cabelas, and the Cannery, a unique 2-story gift and antique store in a old canning factory building.
We spotted a trail head on the side of the road between Prairie du Chien and Marquette, IA for a lookout in a National Wildlife Refuge on the Mississippi River. We headed down a metal staircase to what we thought was the trail start. Zach startled a Robin, revealing her nest. Doesn't seem like the safest place for a nest?
After a 10 minutes, we dead ended. We could see the lookout deck, but there was water between us and the lookout. We walked back confused, thinking maybe the area was really flooded. Turns out the trail head was actually on the other side of the parking lot. The metal staircase tricked us.
So we found the actual trail and made it to the lookout. A lot of beaver activity around the trail.
After our muddy, but enjoyable walk in the woods, we headed home. Our cat was really happy to see us. I think she got lonely, since Maggie went to my parents for the weekend.

My Mac Fix

2010-04-21T13:12:00.004-05:00

This past winter when I retired my old mac powerbook, I ended up getting a replacement Windows computer at home. I was a little sad, as I am partial to Macs, but it was the financial reasonable thing to do. I am actually enjoying my Windows computer a lot, Windows 7 is pretty snazzy. I am very happy with it. I did say back then I will always have my Mac time at my workplace. We'll my Mac time just got sexier, as my work computer was just upgraded to a 27" iMac. Pretty, isn't it? (drools...)

Shiny Things

2010-04-15T22:37:00.004-05:00

We recently made two purchases for our enduring kitchen project, one planned, one not so much. We had an old refrigerator, about as old as I am. Not one of those frost-free ones, so every couple months, we had to chip and thaw the ice build-up in the freezer compartment. Recently one Saturday, I just got back from grocery shopping and I was putting items away. I noticed the ice build-up in the freezer was getting pretty bad, so I decided to chip the ice pieces out with a butter knife. I was impatient, not using a pan on hot water to loosen the build-up. Prying on one particular stubborn hunk, my knife suddenly slipped forward, puncturing the freezer wall. Oh, crap. Instantly, coolant/refrigerant liquid sprayed all over my face. My lucky shot happen to hit one of the lines behind the freezer wall. Within a day, the bottom refrigerator part stopped keeping the food cool.
So we took my dorm refrigerator out of storage and kept our essentials in there and put the rest in the chest freezer in the basement in the meantime.
The unplanned purchase. Our plan was to replace our old fridge after the kitchen was complete, since it was still functioning well. But things don't always go as planned. The flooring will have to wait a little more longer. Don't get me wrong, I love this thing. Uses like a quarter of the energy, but has 10 cubic feet more space than our old one. Plus we are really enjoying the filtered water and ice feature too. And the business we bought it through properly recycled our old one and we will get an energy star rebate for getting a new one.
The planned purchase. A Kitchen Sink! It fits wonderfully in the cabinet we built for it. And we got it for a great price online at Overstock.com and survived the shipping unscathed. We have a few steps we need to complete before we hook it up, like securing the cabinet carcass down to the wall and floor, pouring that section of concrete counter top around the sink, and then plumb the water supplies to it. In the meantime, we just like looking at it, daydreaming of the day we are doing dishes there instead of a bathroom sink. :-)

Grouted

2010-04-15T09:50:00.002-05:00

I finally grouted my mosaic tea candle holder I made last month at the Fire with Kate. It was pretty easy actually. I was trying to go for a swirling pattern, but I think with the colors I picked, it got a little lost. It will still function well as a candle or pot holder. I am excited to go back and try some more projects.

Snow Free Again

2010-04-12T19:41:00.003-05:00

The daffodils are in full bloom in the yard right now, unscathed by the snowy surprise last Thursday. I wish I got a picture of the early bloomers weighted down by the snow.
Nutty chickens... this weekend I caught a few of them "burrowing" along side the house. They do enjoy their dust baths. It seemed like they couldn't get deep enough in the sunny loose soil. There are some perennials that are supposed to be coming up there... I guess they are just celebrating spring is back on course again.

April Showers

2010-04-09T08:18:00.003-05:00

We woke up Thursday morning, startled to find outside our bedroom window... Snow.
The forecast called for snow overnight, but no accumulation was expected for our area. It was supposed to melt as soon as it hit the ground.
Well it decided to stick. I have to admit, it was pretty.
It will be in the 60's this weekend, so it will be green again.

Rivalry

2010-04-06T19:37:00.005-05:00

Most of the family made it to Easter dinner at my parents house on Sunday. With Zachary and I childless, we tend to stick with the kids table and continue to refuse to believe we will be 30 in a couple years... The kids are more entertaining than the adults anyway :-P
After a delicious filling meal, the gang retreated outside and picked up where we left off at Thanksgiving, Cornhole Championship II. Jordan had to defend his title. This time, it is outdoors. No more arena league. The gusty winds added another degree of difficulty.
There were often too many men on the field.
Many comments from the peanut gallery.
Intense concentration.
Good form.
Musical interludes.
Celebration and defeat.

Jordan started off strong, defeating everyone. But then Zachary challenged him again and schooled him soundly. He is the one to beat for next time.

3 Gallons

2010-04-06T15:00:00.009-05:00

I hit the 3 gallon milestone today! In blood donation, that is. I have been a regular donor for a few years now with the Community Blood Center, one pint at a time every 2 months. The neat thing about the Community Blood Center is all the blood they collect in the area communities goes back to the people who are in need in the same communities, through the network of hospitals they serve in Wisconsin. Every two months when the mobile unit shows up in town, I give blood on my lunch break during work. I am not squeamish about blood and needles, and I am healthy, so I figure it is an easy way to help others. If myself or a loved one would fall sick or get injured, I would want that blood supply to be there.

I encourage you all to donate if you are healthy and able. It is pretty painless and quick. The blood takers at blood drives are professionals and constantly monitor you in case you are feeling faint during the donation process. Heck, do it for the juice and cookies after the donation. :-)

Warm

2010-04-04T10:48:00.003-05:00

The ambitious little wild pansies started making blooms this week in the rock border around the flower bed. I think the sun warmed rocks give them a leg up on the tulips and daffodils around the yard. I should have some pictures to share of those in the coming weeks.
The weather has been crazy warm lately, with the temperatures in the high 70s F around Friday. Things are sure greening up quickly. The weather is supposed to go back to typical temps back in the 50s this coming week.

Well off to Easter dinner, Happy Easter everyone!

Spring Chickens

2010-03-25T18:59:00.002-05:00

These light filled evenings and warm temperatures have led to the start of yard work. Things are turning green!
The flower bed and pond in the front of the house needs some attention.
Good thing I have deployed my 8 chicken helpers, ready to scratch and peck.
We have started to let them out to free range around the property a couple hours nearly every day when we are at home, usually in the evenings. We have some problem neighbor dogs that I don't trust around our chickens, so the chickens are on limited, supervised runs for the time being. They don't like it, but tough, I like them safe.

They love moving dead debris from the new plant shoots.

I hope their techniques weren't too aggressive for my daffodils and tulips.

The Fire

2010-03-21T00:04:00.003-05:00

My friend Kate and I recently spent an afternoon at The Fire. It is a pottery, mosaic, and glass fusing art studio in downtown Appleton. I wish I had discovered this place earlier because this place is pretty great. When we got there, it was packed with people working on projects and we had to wait for a work space, but which was good, as we took the whole time just trying to decide what to make. We decided to make mosaic pieces.
I made a tea candle holder. I figured it can double regular candle stand too.
Kate made an airplane themed welcome sign. After we were done gluing our glass tiles down, the studio sent us home with baggies of grout mix to grout our pieces after the glue sets. After I grout mine, I'll put up a picture of the final product. I think our next visit we'll try a pottery project. Queequeg needs a food dish. :-)

Half Hen/Half Rooster

2010-03-15T14:57:00.002-05:00

One morning last week while I was driving to work, I heard a fascinating story on NPR about Half-Hen/Half-Rooster chickens. You can read the story here. These oddities of nature are called
Gynandromorphs. And it doesn't stop there, this occurrence also happens in other species like butterflies, finches, and crabs. They are literally two faced, one side has the markings and characteristics of a male and the other side has the markings and characteristics of a female. The study of gynandromorphs in chickens is opening up the realm of how sex is determined in early stages of life. The story on the NPR website also has a few pictures of other examples of gynandromorphs in nature.
Interesting, huh?

Sunset Stroll

2010-03-08T19:51:00.002-06:00

The days are growing longer and warmer, giving Zachary and I more opportunity to take Maggie on walks through the woods. There is still plenty of snowy tracks and trails to explore.
She loves exploring the woods.
So many tracks to sniff.
Happy dog.
Happy dog seeing a squirrel.

plotting

2010-02-27T15:44:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about our vegetable garden for this year. We have a large plot near the house and we always seem to find ourselves way over our heads in produce and up keep, which leads to a lot of waste and frustration. We usually lay it out in a traditional format, several long rows about 2.5 feet apart for the garden tiller to pass through. I always feel I have to fill up the whole plot. (I tend to bite off more than I can chew sometimes) I have heard about the square foot gardening method for a few years now, through blogs, websites, and books. This year we are inspired to try it out. The basic philosophy of square foot gardening is growing more produce in a smaller space, with less weeding and upkeep, and ease of harvesting. We are planning on building 3 4 foot square boxes, with 1 foot square planting zones. Depending on the size of the plant, determines the number you plant in each square. I do have summer squash, cucumbers and tomatoes planned in the boxes, but with the proper trellising, they should grow vertical, not out horizontally. According to my figuring, this should grow as much as we want in about a fourth of the space. The idea is having less plants, but with more attention in the small space, will create a higher yield. It is bucking the tradition, but we are ready to try something different. My layout above is not the final one, still in the tweaking stage.

As far as the rest of the garden plot, we might try planting some perennial fruit bushes and flowers. I do want to try growing potatoes this year. Heck, maybe the lawn will reclaim a part of the plot. It will be interesting experiment. We are excited to try it out. If I am less overwhelmed and grumpy towards the end of this growing season, it will be a success. Stay tuned. :-)

Wishful Chickens

2010-02-25T22:59:00.002-06:00

The chickens are looking forward to spring too, I think they are growing tired of their dry feed rations and occasional kitchen scraps. The feast of greens and tasty bugs will return in a month or two, or three.

Transition

2010-02-23T17:35:00.005-06:00

The bare patches are appearing, releasing that old familiar smell signaling that spring will come again. That earthy aroma always shocks me out of my winter stupor and for me, gets me thinking about the lush green possibilities ahead. During this time, I grow increasingly intolerant to the snow and cold and long for daylight and open windows. I start scouring the seed catalogs, dreaming of a well kept garden. This year, I promise :-) Research new and beloved places for Zachary and I to explore this summer. I know it will snow several more times and the temperatures will dip again, but I am ready when you are Spring.

ps. Winter, I haven't stopped loving you, I still cherish you and all you bring. It's just when I get that whiff of Spring, I lose my focus and long for the warmer days that you can't provide. I will return to you this Fall, ready and eager for the white stillness and the serene beauty you create. The walks through the woods we share, the frosty artistry you make for me... I know you will understand. It's not you, it's me.

Sweet to Cranky

2010-02-11T18:38:00.005-06:00

Last Friday we drove down to Illinois and visited Kristanna, Zachary's sister, at the hospital. She was on bed rest at the hospital for a few weeks before she delivered little Landon Calvin last week. He was born early, weighing about 4 pounds. He will have to stay there for a few weeks, to grow stronger. He is a healthy little boy and we are glad both him and Kristanna made it okay.

After meeting Landon, we visited with Kristanna for a couple hours. It was good to see her again. Zachary had her laughing which is good, but with staples in from a c-section, made it more a ha ha ouch. We'd like to visit again once the family is all settled in at home together.

Afterwards we stopped at one of our favorite places to eat in Illinois, Walker Brothers. Breakfast for any meal is a great idea in our minds. Zachary had his stand by, Buttermilk Pancakes. I was feeling a little more adventurous and had the Mediterranean Omelet. It had feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, onions, oregano and Kalamata olives. It was a tasty combination. We also brought home one of their famous frozen apple pancakes for later. (It was very good. I ate it Sunday.)

The downside of the meal was table near us. There was 3 older women dining together. One was a very loud sourpuss that dominated the conversion at their table and everyone near them. I think every 3rd word from her was either horrible, terrible, or awful. The other women seemed reasonable, but she had an sour opinion on every topic they discussed, from widowers, to children, to clothing, and she spoke it loudly with vigor. I wonder if she has smiled in last 10 years? I am glad not all older people get that way. We both vowed to not become an old crank one day.
Smile lady, it's flowers.

moving on

2010-02-11T17:04:00.005-06:00

I am a Mac user. At times, a Mac snob. I have been using them regularly since my college days when I realized Macs are wonderful. My last year in college, I bought myself a Mac Powerbook G4. Nearly seven years later, I still use that same computer daily, for surfing the Internet, playing games, and doing graphic design. Well I did use it daily.

She and I probably spent thousands of hours together, laughing at lolcats, writing papers, and overcoming design challenges. She has been good to me. Her hard drive always retrieved the file I requested and she always booted without fail. I was usually hard on her. I would make her process and manipulate gigantic image files, multi-task on the Internet, and let her sit in precarious places. She did take a tumble off the coffee table about 2 years ago, bending in the power supply port and taking a dent. Shortly after the power cord stopped powering the computer, so I ordered a new AC power cord, but she rallied on. Her battery stopped taking a charge a year before that, so she always needed to be plugged in.

These last few months, she has really shown her age. Playing WoW on her would bring her to her knees and seize. Image files were too much to handle, a simple file save would take several minutes. After a few hours use, she was almost too hot to touch. The power cord connection was so sensitive, if you bumped the computer a certain way, she would instantly shut off. There was the constant battle of the hard drive being full and moving files to an external hard drive.

Seeing the end in sight, I knew I had to line up a replacement. I would love another Mac, but as someone recently said, the "Mac Tax" is high. As in I knew I could get a lot more computer for my money if I went with a PC than a Mac. I needed a replacement now, that will serve me well for a few years, and cost me less money. It was much more sensible for me, and for us, as we are trying to live more frugal. So I ordered a PC, but it is not here yet. Yes, the Mac fan inside me is pouting, but she gets to play on a Mac at my job at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. So we aren't really walking away from the Mac. There just won't be one at home for a while. Maybe one day again.

Sensing my plans, my Mac had a meltdown. Literally. About a week ago, I was at work and Zachary was at home with the day off. He was at his computer and he also had mine up and checking something on the Internet with it. As it has been lately, she suddenly shut off without warning. He futzed with the power connection a bit and it wasn't responding. He just left it alone and continued on his computer. Then he smelled a burning smell, a distinct electrical burning scent. And then to his surprise, sparks and flame appeared out the side of the power brick on my power cord. He quickly unplugged it and it stopped. This power brick and cord sits on a carpeted floor. If he wasn't home at the time this happened, our house could have easily burned down.

So... my Mac is officially decommissioned. I borrowed a power cord from a computer at work and booted her up one last time, to move files to my external hard drive. I didn't want to order a 3rd power cable and try to keep using her, as she seemed to run hot herself, and one fiery incident is one enough. I will miss my little lap warmer, we had a good run and outlasted my expectations. I would love to make something out of her. Too bad it wasn't a Mac Cube. Ever see the Mac Cube aquarium?

Now that is pretty neat.

The Good the Bad and the Unbearable

2010-02-10T22:03:00.005-06:00

Recently Jenny and I (yes Zachary is actually making a post) watched 3 movies in a relatively short period of time. What makes this event worthy of posting is the categories these movies fall into. I love movies, always have and always will, and these 3 movies fit neatly into the 3 categories in which i place all films. We shall begin as all good things do in the middle.

Craving a movie (and tasty tasty pizza) we ventured out to the local video store. That's right you heard me we are not Netflix users, we go to The Video Galaxy . The Video Galaxy is a house of evil and temptation they lure you in with overpriced rentals and unreasonable late fees. Then when you open the door there plan unfolds, clear to see, yet none are strong enough to do anything about it. For this non-franchised video store is attached to a non-franchised pizza parlor..., but not only attached there is interior access between them. They vent the smell of heavenly pseudo Italian deliciousness straight into the video store. Do not tell me it is a coincidence, they are owned by the same evil genius. Determined to leave with only a rental, we proceeded to wait while the pizza we swore not to order baked. While waiting we decided upon Pandorum.

Pandorum is a bad movie folks, and I loved it. Yes I love bad movies: corny, predictable, poorly acted and low budget, I love them all. My only regret is forcing such obviously terrible movies on my poor wife who regrettably does not share my horrible affliction. Ill say no more about Pandorum accept if you like bad movies its for you.

Movie number 2 was a afternoon at the theater which is sad because movie number 2 was The Book of Eli. I cant get enough of post apocalyptic wastelands, or so i thought. I have no clue what causes a bad movie to become unbearable. Is the acting just too bad? Is it not bad enough? Whatever the cause this movie is terrible.

Third times the charm? Yes indeed! For the sake of continuity we will be ignoring the fact that movie 3 was seen before movie 2. GO SEE Moon RIGHT NOW! I will skip hyperbole in favor of saying that Moon is everything I love in a serious movie. What are those things? I guess you will just have to find out for yourself.

Knitting Underway

2010-02-01T20:08:00.003-06:00

I have started my first knitting project, a simple scarf. I sat down, surrounded by 5 how-to books, and attempted to get something started. I was so rusty since the last time I practiced, that I think I struggled for a half hour just trying to cast on my stitches on the needles...
I am using a 100% Merino yarn and it should make a soft scarf. With it being such a squishy soft yarn, it should also hide many of my mistakes. :-)

bit of cooking

2010-01-28T18:53:00.003-06:00

Had the urge to do a little cooking this week. Both of us enjoy cooking and baking, but with our long work hours lately, food is usually something random and quick. Tuesday night I went outside my comfort zone and tackled steak. Originally I was going to do the prep work and when Zachary got home from work, he was going to grill. Well I got the prep work done and before I knew it, the coals in the grill were hot and ready, and Zachary wasn't due home for another 20 minutes, so I had to take the helm of the grill. Eek! I am not the grill master of the house. I followed an Alton Brown recipe (I know, him again) and made Molasses Coffee Marinated Pork Chops. Instead of pork chops, we used steak. The marinade seems odd, but the flavor was incredible. You could taste all the flavors of the ingredients, and the result was a slightly sweet tangy creation that complemented the grilled steak well.The reduction sauce that is made from the marinade makes a wonderful dipping sauce for the steak and the fries. I actually got the steaks cooked right too, as Zachary likes his medium rare and myself well done.

Wednesday night I attempted baking. I wanted to treat Zachary to a chocolate cake he adores. He has made this before with great success and I wanted a stab at it. This one is called Beatty's Chocolate Cake.
The cake turned out perfect. Sooo moist. Sure beats the boxed variety. I had some problems with the chocolate butter cream frosting. Not sure what happened. It tastes great and it is smooth, but it didn't seem to get as creamy and light as when Zachary made it. My theories are either I rushed the butter and it wasn't soft enough when mixing, or the house was too cool. The frosting wanted to be thick. I tried adding a little hot water while mixing, it seemed to help a bit, but I was too scared to add more and wreck the mix. Any ideas? I don't make frosting very much, so I probably didn't see the warning signs.
Like my uneven frosting job? :-P

I had a piece for breakfast this morning. Nothing like a shot of sweetness to start your day.

nothing much lately

2010-01-20T17:58:00.002-06:00

I always have good intentions with this blog. I am always planning to make posts more often, but either I forget about it for a few days or I think I have nothing too interesting to share. Maybe I'll work on that this year, be more "post-full".
Both Zachary and I have been working a lot this month. Zachary has been putting in extra hours at his job and helping out at other locations. I have been buried with projects at my job and with my freelance gig. In between working, we've continued with our hobby of WoW in our free time. Through the game, we've been able to reconnect with Zachary's old friend Ben, and his wife Amanda. They have been super helpful to us with the game. They even invited us to join their guild. It is fun to know some real people in the game too.
Been itching to get outside and do some sort of outdoor activity together, whether it be a hike or ski, but these last few weeks, our schedules haven't lined up during the daylight. Hopefully soon.
I guess when the crowning achievement of the week is getting the laundry and dishes done, things are pretty vanilla around here. Well, that is okay too sometimes. Vanilla is my favorite flavor of ice cream. :-)

love has no boundries

2010-01-09T13:54:00.002-06:00

After Zachary left for work this morning, I sat down at my computer and started working on my calendar project. I moonlight as a freelance graphic artist for my sister-in-law's promotional products business. I was about a hour into it until I was, interrupted. Time for a photo shoot I guess...
Quee, let me work.
Productive time has officially ended. At this point, she realizes my computer makes a wonderful butt warmer.
Oooo, dangling camera strap.
When she was done toying with me, she perched up on top of the other computer next to me and supervised. Break time is over, back to work.

Weekend

2010-01-04T18:02:00.003-06:00

Saturday we went to our friends, Kate and Jim's, for food and fun. I was looking forward to visiting all week, knowing that Kate would be making her wonderful stuffed mushrooms. They are large portabella caps stuffed with a sausage mix, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We also had ravioli, garlic bread, and ice cream cake.

After dinner entertainment led to Monopoly. I usually never win at this game and it started bad as usual for me in the beginning. Stuck in jail, not landing on property to buy, etc... But after a while I found myself flush with money, since I wasn't buying much property and I hit free parking a time or two. I had nothing to spend it on. Zachary was definitely the property leader in the group, making an property alliance with Jim. Made a couple trades with Zachary, some swaps and free rent agreements with Kate and suddenly I was back in the game. After Jim folded, Kate hit some of Zachary's properties and then she was out. It was just me and the Z. I offered to call it a draw, but it was agreed I had the upper hand. :-) We are surprised Mickey and Stanley, the cats, didn't run off with the board pieces. They did eye them longingly though.

Speaking of cats... our furry friend on Sunday delayed our errand running on Sunday with mandatory ear scratches. Zachary was lounging on the bed and Queequeg parked on his stomach. As much we wanted to go out in the bitter cold, we let Quee get her fill of scratches.

80!

2010-01-01T11:27:00.005-06:00

Okay, I admit it, we are officially WoWers. Late last summer we decided to try the free trial to the World of Warcraft. Zachary is a seasoned gamer and I am not, but we are still able to have fun together. For a gaming rookie like me, I am surprised how much I enjoy the game. (Although being a healer in a dungeon can get quite taxing!)

After months of slowly leveling our Paladin and Druid, we hit level 80 yesterday. I know, ringing in the New Year with Warcraft may sound lame, but we aren't drinkers and party animals. :-)

Don't we make a cute couple?

A Year in Review

2009-12-31T09:01:00.002-06:00

It is that time of the year us humans reflect on our lives over the past year, what we accomplished, what we failed, and what we learned. For Zachary and I, it has been a year of change.

If someone told me a year ago that we wouldn't be dairy farming today, I would have found that hard to believe. We had a dream that we could be one of those small dairy farms that could survive in today's dairy industry, where factory farms and volume are favored. Perhaps if we were farming longer before the milk market crashed, we would have had a better base to stand on? Maybe if we were better farmers? Maybe if we were better savers? The downturn caught us at a very vulnerable time. By February, we knew we were in trouble. The sudden sharp decline in milk price took the whole industry by surprise at the end of December. The price was at 30 year lows. Suddenly we had a business on our hands hemorrhaging red, bleeding us dry. We were so stressed out. (A funny side note, Zachary and I both found our first gray hairs during that time. Well earned ones.) We were worried not only the financial implications for ourselves, but also for my parents, for which we were slowly purchasing the livestock, feed, and leasing the equipment and buildings. Our fledgling dairy adventure was first theirs, one they invested their lives into for over 40 years, and before that, my Grandparents. And here we are crashing and burning the legacy. One option was to bargain with the banks and the government for operating loans to cover our growing shortfalls. Most farmers do that, borrow to cover the hard times, and hopefully pay it off during the good times. Hopefully pay it off. The thought of borrowing thousands of dollars to cover possibly a year or more of operating made our stomachs turn. How would we ever pay that back? With our little operation? We have heard many horror stories of farms collapsing under massive debt. We talked with my parents, discussed our options and chose option 2. Sell out. They assured us we were making the right choice. Having them be so supportive made the process less painful. By the end of February, we were calling cattle jockeys and auctioneers for the dairy herd. The last of the milking herd left in the first week in March and we had our cattle sale in mid-March. The price the cattle sold for was very low. With the milk market bad, the prices for dairy cows was also bad. We felt then, and we still believe now, it was right to take our losses then instead of a much larger one down the road. It was few strange weeks after the dairy herd left. Zachary and I didn't know what to do with ourselves during "chore time" night and morning. 5am and 5pm always meant it was time to milk cows.

The remaining young stock stayed on the farm. Today we have 8 steers and heifers. My parents own a few dozen more and my brother Mike is now purchasing calves and keeping them on the farm. It's a little community beef farm. Mike is the main caretaker for all the cattle. It is nice to see the farm buildings still put to good use. The other main strangeness on the farm is the lack of crop making. We all were used to having our spring, summer, and fall revolve around planting, maintaining, and harvesting crops. My parents chose to rent the farm's cropland to area farmers this year, as we didn't need all the land for our smaller group of livestock.

After the we sold the dairy herd, Zachary was out of a job. With the collapse of our business, we have a lot of bills. He found a job at a local factory, but soon after starting, he realized the stress on his back wasn't worth it. Over most the summer he keep busy with side projects, really taking advantage of his building skills. The end of August he found a position at a local auto parts store and been working ever since. He really enjoys his job.

Our kitchen remodel is never ending. Another "if we only knew what would happen" situations. We started the main part of it last fall 2008. But 2009 proved to be a dry year for remodeling funding, as we are and have been focused on bills and essentials. We are slowly putting it back together as we can. Some people think we are nuts living with a semi-functional kitchen for a long time, but believe me it is not by choice. But we are enjoying working together on it and making it our kitchen, reflecting our style. We are patient people, we'll get there.

We learned some hard lessons this year, but we had some great adventures too. We are learning to simplify our lives, cutting out the excess. We are glad we don't have the stress of struggling with our business. Zachary and I are enjoying our new "civilian life". We have our health and each other and really that is all that matters to us.

Happy New Year to you all!

Soggy

2009-12-26T16:57:00.000-06:00

A icy view out our kitchen window on Christmas Eve. The weather in the last couple days seem to change by the hour, starting with snow, then freezing rain, then rain, then sleet, and then snow, and then repeat. Luckily we didn't have to travel anywhere. Zachary and I had a nice relaxing Christmas to ourselves at home. It was very enjoyable to veg out for two days and just be with one another with no schedules, plans, or commitments.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Lemony

2009-12-20T14:43:00.004-06:00

Last night for dinner I made Tuna Croquettes. This is another Alton Brown recipe that we love to put together. There is something about his show, Good Eats, that makes you want to try foods outside your normal routine. Neither of us ate much tuna before, but after discovering this one, we realize it can be tasty too. The nice thing about this recipe it is doesn't taste "tuna-y" and it is easy to make.
This last batch I made, after starting to assemble the mix, I realized I was short a few ingredients. It sounded so good, I decided to forge ahead. The onions I dropped as I had none. My lemon I had was bad, so that was out too. I didn't want the croquettes to be flat in the flavor, so I added a few chopped leaves from the lemon balm plant. And, don't cringe, but I also sprinkled in a dash of lemonade mix, to boost the lemon flavor. (Sorry Mr. Brown!)
To my relief, they still turned out delicious.

Movie

2009-12-19T12:50:00.005-06:00

We saw the movie Avatar yesterday. It was pretty good. While the general story line wasn't anything too original, the portrayal, scenery, and the characters were really unique. The CG is also excellent. The movie is a little over 2.5 hours long, which I usually don't like long movies, but this film didn't feel that long.

whiter

2009-12-12T15:13:00.002-06:00

Well the storm blew through and we ended up with about a foot of snow on the ground. Heck of a first snow for us. Wednesday morning greeted us with blowing, drifting, and un-plowed roads. We passed a stuck semi and a pickup in the middle of the road on our way to work. Luckily our car was feeling sure-footed that day.
So the past few days we have been digging out. My shoveling muscles are sore.

chores

2009-12-08T11:57:00.006-06:00

Zachary and I are both off from work today and this morning we were busy with getting the chickens and sheep ready for the snowy winter ahead. Nothing like trying to get things done outside, as the first flakes of an incoming snowstorm is blowing in...

Our young hens were fascinated by the white stuff, and the commotion we were causing in and around their coop. We walled their coop with hay bales on the outside to cut down on drafts.

The sheep quarters we inspected as well. They have plenty of clean fluffy bedding to stay warm in. Zachary made a strange discovery in the sheep building. He found a dead red fox. It was one of the ones that we have been seeing around the farm. It was 3 legged, as one of it's paws were missing. The fox has been lurking around the chickens lately. We don't know why it died in the sheep building. Maybe it was sick? Or maybe the sheep attacked it? Very strange. I guess it is one less fox to bother our chickens. I would put up a picture of it, but I am sure not everyone would like to look at a dead animal.

Zachary and I get our weather from NOAA. We have a joke amongst ourselves about the little pictures they use to describe the weather forecast. Our favorite and most scary picture is Thursday's. We called it the "huddled mass". When that picture pops up, you don't need to bother to look at the description.

And to update our snow storm moving in, it now a blizzard, with 8-14 inches expected and gusts up to 45mph. It should be an interesting drive into work tomorrow morning...

Ready or not

2009-12-07T11:05:00.002-06:00

The forecast for our area is bringing us about 8 inches of snow Tuesday/Wednesday. It will be our first blast of winter for the season. We'll see how this forecast delivers. We are looking forward to the transition to whiteness.

Pretty Eggs

2009-11-30T19:52:00.005-06:00

In between baking cookie sheets of our favorite cookie tonight, I was washing eggs. We had almost three dozen in the fridge and I was prepping them for Zachary to give to one of his co-workers tomorrow. He takes about 2 dozen off our hands each week. Thank goodness he loves fresh eggs! It helps us keep ahead of the eggs. As a nice return, he and his wife give us homemade pita bread. It makes a delicious food circle. :-)
I thought the eggs looked neat all laid out, drying on the towel. It really shows the variety in the shades of brown, speckling, and size.

The cookies turned out nicely. I made half with chips in them, and the other half chip-less, with a touch of kosher salt sprinkled on top. (Thanks for the salt tip Julie!) I don't know if Zachary and I are weirdos in the chocolate chip cookie eaters realm, but we don't like very many chips in cookies. That is why we do half with them in sparsely, and the other half without. Anyone else out there like us??

Holiday Games

2009-11-28T16:08:00.003-06:00

We had a nice thanksgiving with the Sorenson side of the family on Thursday. All of us gathered at my parents house for food and fun. Besides our food contribution to the meal, we brought up 2 sets of Cornhole game boards we recently constructed. My parents wanted 2 sets of game boards for the winter in Florida to play with their friends on the beach. Cornhole is a bean bag toss game.
We made an USA vs. Canada set and a Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan Wolverines. The family played with the boards during Thanksgiving, and a competitive tournament developed. Our nephew Jordan was the champion for the afternoon, with Zachary as runner-up. I bet there will be a rematches to come. Zachary and I were discussing making a set for ourselves, perhaps Alliance vs. Horde, Axis vs. Allies, or something else nerdy I would imagine...
As I write this, the game boards are on their way to Florida for the winter with my parents. Lucky boards!

Dino Egg?

2009-11-21T07:44:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week, we found a jumbo surprise in the egg box one morning. With our chickens relatively young layers still, their laying size isn't always consistent, but they usually are on the small size when they are odd. The egg next to jumbo is an average egg for us, about the large size in the grocery stores. Which ever hen laid it, deserves a medal for bravery and courage. Poor chicken...
It doesn't fit in the egg carton very well. After we are done marveling at it, we will crack it open and see if it is a double yolk or something else, like a dinosaur... :-)

i had it coming i guess

2009-11-13T19:33:00.003-06:00

Me: "Queequeg, wake up and look at me, I want to take your picture."

(poke)

Me: "Queequeg, look at the camera."

(poke)
(poke)

Me: "Good Quee." Takes picture.

(approaches to pet her)

Me: "Ouch! You bit me!"

Fall Critters

2009-11-08T16:23:00.004-06:00

Our four youngest hens, the 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks and the 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, have started to lay eggs. Right now you can really tell the difference from the other 5 veterans, as the new eggs are quite a bit smaller and a pale tan. They grow up so quickly...
With the new laying activity, we added a second roost in the coop, to give more space and privacy to the hens. Before a few of them would roost in the nesting boxes at night and dirty them.
Chickens can be quite nosey, at least our flock is. As I was removing the old bedding in their coop and adding fresh straw, they promptly surrounded me and proceeded to scatter their new bedding all around their yard before I could get the new stuff in their coop. It was a neat pile until they showed up. Before they came to "help" me, they were helping Zachary in his wood shop, crawling all over his wood and playing in the sawdust. Some days, chicken tenders sound so good.

Zach from The Green Gardner recently asked us how we winter our chickens. Well we haven't yet. This winter will be our first winter with chickens. We haven't finalized any plans yet, but we are figuring on keeping them where they are. Their coop is currently not insulated, but we will be adding some insulation. From the reading we have done, the main thing is to make sure they have free flowing water at all times, and have their shelter at least warm enough so their feet and combs don't freeze. If it works out well, we plan to keep them free range through the winter months. We don't give them much feed at all, as they feed themselves free range, but as the snow comes, their diet will be mostly from chicken feed supplied by us. We may add a wind break around the coop and yard to cut down on drafts. We do have a plan B in case things aren't working out. We would create an area for them in the dairy barn, where calves are currently housed.
It been a while since the sheep made it to the blog, and with will all this talk about fiber lately, they need make an appearance.
The gang. Tippy the goat, Ricky, Sammy, and Fred. Tippy is a honorary sheep. :-) All very woolly already, just in time for winter.
Fred, ready for the snow.
Sammy. He is a Merino/Corriedale/Southdown cross. Sooo soft. He will be a year old this winter.

Spin In

2009-11-07T14:25:00.002-06:00

I recently attended the Wisconsin Spin In in West Bend. I went with my Mom, Dad, and my good friend Kate. Sadly, Zachary had to work that day. As a newbie to all things fiber, I wanted to see all the neat things you can do with fiber. Get a little inspiration. Besides eyeing all the beautiful yarns, rovings, spinning, felting, etc, we took in the shearing demo. I don't know if we will ever try to shear our own sheep, but this guy made it look easy. But then again, he has like over 20 years of experience and can get a sheep sheared under 2 minutes. He was shearing Icelandics. That raw fleece was gorgeous. Our sheep, Fred, is half Icelandic and Shetland.
The attendants asked a lot of questions and I took a lot of notes. Besides the actual shearing, I learned how to care for your sheep to obtain the optimal fleece before it is shearing time. I noted a few tips that should make our next shearing higher quality. I do wish I didn't have Ricky and Fred's wool carded and blended together this summer, as their wool are really different from each other, besides being the same color. Ricky is a Border Leicester. Oh well, it will still be good to learn the art with.
Isn't this wall of sock yarn delightful?? This hand painted yarn is from Happy Hands Yarn. She has a talent for making wonderful colorways. Kate picked up some sock yarn, as she has quickly graduated from scarfs and hats and onto socks. I was very tempted to get a bunch of sock yarn and start sock knitting, but I decided against it and actually make a few simpler projects first before I jump into that realm. It might be better to start with a scarf or two, and then a hat and then maybe those delightful socks...

Bare

2009-11-02T17:11:00.002-06:00

Yeah, we are still around, unlike most of the leaves around here. Hopefully November will be more fruitful for blogging. I love seeing my favorite blogs have new updates, so I better return the favor, right? We'll catch up soon. :-) I do have a blog post coming up about this past weekend at the Wisconsin Spin In, as soon as those pictures get downloaded. Stay tuned.

Color!

2009-10-19T17:52:00.002-05:00

When we picked up paint on Friday for our remodeling project, we weren't sure when we would start painting. After cracking open one of the cans Friday afternoon out of curiosity, we didn't stop painting until Sunday evening. It was a tiresome weekend, but we are thrilled to make some colorful progress on our project.
Here is Zachary on the kitchen beams, doing the ceiling trim. He is the brave one.
Queequeg was amused by us the whole time, wondering why her humans were doing such silly things.
This is the dining room. The color is called Golden Fleece.
This a view from the kitchen, looking towards the dining area and bathroom door.
Kitchen. This color is called True Penny.
Bathroom. Smokey Topaz is the color. This room was easy, we just had to paint the top half. The bottom will have wainscoting.
With this painting project, we had our primer tinted, just a shade or two lighter than our final color. We just had to go over the walls twice, once with primer and once with the final. We never did that before. We'll be doing that for all future projects, it worked out great.

Feats of Strength

2009-10-11T16:51:00.002-05:00

The leaves are rapidly changing color and falling around the farm. We've had our first freeze.
In the past week, Zachary and I completed chicken coop #3. I don't know how we managed it, but we were able to load the beast just the two of us into the pick up. This one was delivered to Cedarburg, about 100 miles away. I guess Craigslist unites people from all distances. Due to a last minute schedule change at his work, Zachary wasn't able deliver it with me. I asked my parents come along and help with the delivery instead. Thankfully they could and I didn't have to make the trip alone. Some lucky urban chickens in Cedarburg just got a new home. :-)
Next up... a pigeon coop. This one is going to a local family, one that already purchased a chicken coop from us about a month ago.
And then maybe, we can get back to that kitchen project of ours...

oddness

2009-10-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

It is that time of the year when we start digging up carrots for meals and preserving. As usual there are always a few odd ones. I found this one this morning. (Never mind my own odd thumb joint behind the carrot.) Sort of reminds me of a bird's foot.
After enjoying my find, it promptly went into the crock pot with a pork roast for dinner tonight. I got to use our own fresh sage and rosemary as well. Slow cooked meals always sound so good when the weather grows cold. It makes the house smell wonderful, with the smell slowly building all day long as a delicious crescendo. Yum!

Wool for Newbies

2009-09-28T18:19:00.003-05:00

Here is the washed and carded wool we got back from the carding mill about a month ago. Not bad from 3 sheep. The lady blended our Border Leicester wool and Shetland/Icelandic sheep wool together and kept our black Merino/Corriedale/Southdown sheep wool separate. The black wool is incredibly soft. I have been starting to do some reading, in books and the Internet, to learn about our options for our wool. There are so many techniques and projects I want to try. Felting, spinning, dying, knitting, weaving... Stay tuned for all the future struggles (and hopefully a few successes) in the months ahead. I am positive I am already over my head... :-)

Water Wheel

2009-09-27T16:56:00.002-05:00

All summer Zachary has been plugging away on a water wheel project for my parents. Today we assembled it, after getting the roof done this morning. My parents aren't sure where they are going to permanently install it, but we set it up in their driveway to make sure everything fit well before winter comes.
Zachary and his water feature.
Later on, we stopped by Mystic Springs Ranch. It is an alpaca ranch near my parents' house. This weekend they were hosting an open house to visit the farm and see the animals. Their store was also open and they had fleeces, rovings, yarn, and finished handmade goods made from the alpaca fiber. It was very nice. I got a free sample of yarn. I am looking forward to learning more about the fiber arts. We have 4 rolls of cleaned and carded wool to play with this winter. :-)
(I reckon I should post a picture of those soon)

gathering

2009-09-20T15:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday a few of us cousins from my Grandpa Sorenson's (my dad side) side of the family got together for lunch, catching up, and photo sharing in Winneconne at the Fin 'n Feather. It was nice to see everyone and get re-acquainted. It has been a number of years since the last get together.
Good food, good times.
Afterwards we paid a trip to M. Schettl Sales since we were near. It is quite a collection of "stuff" for sale there. There is normal items like building materials, furniture, and housewares. But there is always some interesting items sprinkled in between too.
Hmm... where can I put that in our house? That would look fantastic next to the couch! :-)

Daytrip

2009-09-20T14:32:00.006-05:00

A few days ago Zachary and I both had a day neither of us had to work. We drove up to Door County, to take in the sights and explore some parks. We traveled up the Lake Michigan side, staying on roads that hugged the shoreline. An US Coast Guard base caught our attention in Sturgeon Bay. A long concrete pier lead you near a red lighthouse
The water was so clear, you could see brown trout and other fish swimming along the pier.

While snaking along the coast line, we passed a lot of bicyclers. A lot of them. After a while we realized it was the Door County Century event. You can ride up to 100 miles on the peninsula. That is impressive. My butt is pretty sore after 10 miles.
The first park we took in was Whitefish Dunes State Park. The beach was filled with swimmers and sunbathers, soaking in the last few days of summer.
Zachary and I hit the trails.
Next we meandered to Newport State Park on the peninsula. Newport was quite a bit quieter than Whitefish. Door County is a tourist driven destination, but these state parks allow for the peninsula's natural beauty to shine and be preserved.
Wildflowers on the shoreline.
The sandy shoreline gives way to a rocky face as the coast bends.

Finding a suitable rock that looked free of sunbathing snakes, we had a picnic. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bananas.
Mr. Seagull noticed our picnic on the rock. Keeping about 7 feet away, he waited patiently for us to leave to inspect the rock for tasty leftovers.
I think I took about a dozen shots of this Monarch, trying to get a clear shot of it with his wings wide open. Between the breeze and the bees, it didn't happen. But I like the way this one turned out anyway.

A day well spent.

Some Bounty

2009-09-17T19:33:00.002-05:00

The peppers and tomatoes are ripening now. Our tomato yield is lower this year. The last few weeks have been dry and the plants got stressed. We have Red Amish Paste and Yellow Cream Sausage tomatoes. Depending on how many tomatoes I end up getting, I'll either make sauce or freeze them. I am reminded again how much flavor tomatoes can have when they are freshly picked. Yum!

Hammering and Smiling

2009-09-12T13:05:00.003-05:00

Rocky says hello and would like to know if you have any horse treats to share.
The past couple weeks, Zachary and I have been building chicken coops. Over a month ago, to generate a little extra income, we put up an ad on Craigslist for custom built chicken coops. With in a week, we had 4 orders for coops. Since then, a lot of our free-time has been consumed by these projects. We've built a brown one and a white one, and now we are starting on a green one. Zachary is a talented builder and likes to design and build. My hammering skills are improving with these projects, the bruises are healing on my thumb...

Zachary got his braces off this week! He had them on for about 2.5 years. Maybe now he'll look a little older, maybe pass for 20. :-) He started a new job recently and at first his co-workers thought that he was about a year or two out of high school. They were really confused when they saw his wedding ring and he told them he has been married for 5 years.

Signs of Fall

2009-09-12T12:52:00.002-05:00

Fall is arriving in our neck of the woods, with a few trees showing the first blushes of autumn. The days have stayed warm, but the nights are cool.
The pumpkin patch is starting to show it's bounty. Golden orange orbs rising above the slowly wilting vines.

The gourd patch is also full. We haven't much luck with gourds in the past few years, but it looks like we'll have some this year. I think my Mom and I will have some fun craft projects in the future.
Striking red berries for the birds to feast on in the woods.