Say What?

In keeping with my strange obsession with tracking meaningless stuff, I'm up to 50 bags of leaves this year. That's important to know because once I get to 59 (the most I've ever filled), I'm pretty much home free when it comes to yard work, and I could use a break. I typically mow/vacuum up leaves once, maybe twice a week but I was out there 5 times in the last 7 days! I've never done that. It gets a bit overwhelming if I wait too long so I sorta like this new approach. With the exception of some major trimming of trees in our yard, I've done all of the landscaping work myself over the years, until now. I hired a guy to remove 3 Japanese Yews in front of our home rather than do the work myself. They'd become overgrown  from 26 years of growth in spite of my best efforts to keep them trimmed. I was reading online where they're a real pain to remove because of their root structure and I just didn't want the hassle, not with all of the other yard wo...

The plan was to spend the day in the yard but a steady snowfall through the morning and into the afternoon kept me indoors. I was in need of a lazy day so I was happy to comply. Tammy and I went to see Aussie Pink Floyd at The State Theater in Minneapolis Friday night. They're an Australian band who play Pink Floyd covers. Pink Floyd has been a favorite for as long as I can remember and their lead guitarist, David Gilmour, is one of the coolest guys in rock. I wasn't sure what to expect when we sat in our seats. The guy next to me said he'd seen them before and that we should expect an awesome show. He wasn't fooling. He also said the band has been performing together for about 30 years and that they were actually hired by David Gilmour to play at his 50th birthday celebration. What a fun night! Here are some snippets of video I took of a few of the songs they played. There was so much more. As we were leaving the theater we were greeted by some buskers drummi...

It's dusk as I sit down to write this, and it's usually around this time that I can look out at our hummingbird feeders and see at least one little flyer feeding at them before darting for the safety of the dense foliage between the neighboring homes. But not tonight. It appears they've all made the trip south. The last sighting I had of one was last Saturday morning. Safe travels, my little friends! My niece Erin and her daughter Anja went to see an astronomy/stargazing class last week put on by Mike Lynch, a meteorologist for WCCO radio. It's something I've been meaning to do for the longest time but hadn't, until last Thursday night. (Thanks, Erin, for the prompt.) Our family lived two doors down from Mike and his family  in 1965 when I was 8 years old. I'd long since lost touch with Mike, Don, and Steve so it was nice to arrive a little early before Mike's presentation to talk with him. Through Mike, I was able to reconnect with Don. Don and I ...

I was sitting with the pups and my laptop this morning in our sunporch when something in my periphery caught my attention. I hadn't seen a hummingbird at our feeders in more than two days so I assumed they'd all begun their 2-week trip south to more hospitable weather. I was wrong. It's October 1st and we've still got at least one hearty soul staying put. I quickly changed out the nectar in their feeders for one last time. I think. Tammy and I spent all of Thursday watching the testimony of Dr. Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She claims he sexually assaulted her 36 years ago and that her claim needs to be heard before he's granted a lifetime appointment to our nation's highest court. It was riveting television but it was also exhausting. I was left with a helpless feeling that Kavanaugh's confirmation is pretty much a sure thing. Democrats simply don't have the votes to stop it, and it's doubtful that th...

It's the 25th of September and we still have hummingbirds at our feeders. I think they're juvenile offspring from the adults that returned in early May. I've read where the adults fly south in early September while the juveniles will stay around a little longer. I usually use a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water in our feeders but as of a few weeks ago (based on a recommendation I read online), I've been adding just a touch more sugar as a high octane mixture to fuel their flight south. Each day they remain seems like a bonus day especially considering how much cooler our nights have become in the past week since a cold front and an associated line of severe weather came through leaving in its wake a lot of storm damage a half-hour south of us. The squall line  spawned several tornados in addition to straight-line winds ahead of it and wreaked havoc on Northfield and nearby communities. Keith and Tracee lost several trees while many other trees on their property...

I'm sitting on the deck overlooking our backyard, enjoying the cooler temps and lack of bugs while Mandolin Orange provides background music. Charlie is keeping me company . I'm not sure it gets any nicer for deck sitting than this. To be inside right now wouldn't seem right, and no, I don't do this enough. Autumn is here and it won't be over until I've filled 60 compost bags (in addition to what gets taken away in both of our yard waste receptacles). Our leaves are still green for now but not for long. I thought I was maybe done with longish rides for the year after the Dawn to Dusk ride a little more than a week ago, but I was wrong. I decided to ride the Jesse James 💯 in Northfield last Saturday. What a fun ride! My plan was to accompany some friends on the ride at a more leisurely pace than I typically ride at but our little-peloton-that-could sorta fell apart after 20-some miles. I latched on to a fairly fast group as they passed us and hoped my legs w...

I've had a fascination with endurance sports for at least the last 30 years. I used to love to watch ABC's  Race Across America  coverage back in the '80s, making sure my VCR was set well in advance to record it. I'd sit in front of my TV and marvel at the determination of the competitors. Sure, it was as much an act of sleep deprivation on wheels as it was a race but it captured my imagination, and I admired those who put themselves in the arena to compete. The annual Ironman Triathlon coverage in Hawaii was another favorite of mine to watch. I, on the other hand, would have to be content in my personal life to make do with an occasional marathon and longish efforts on my bike. Over the past few years, I've moved away from the long rides I once loved, leaving me to wonder if I'd ever find the zest for them again. Walking 18 holes of golf was fun but hardly a replacement for the endurance athlete within me and neither were the hours spent on my fat-bike. I see...