Say What?

The sun finally made an appearance a few days ago for what seemed like the first time in weeks. It was so welcome even if it did usher in some much cooler temps. It was worth the tradeoff for me. I took advantage of the brightness to capture a few photos of the laundry room work we just completed. We're happy with it. The ceiling didn't quite go as planned because of the color. The harvest yellow we'd chosen seemed too close to natural once it was all in place. Tammy had been hinting all along that she'd like to see more of a whitewashed color and that's what we opted for in the end. It was the right choice all along. See the photo to the left. Karen found a distressed wood bench seat with a mirror at Hom Furniture that we liked and had to have to complete our laundry room's look. Photos of the completed project  here and here . The Glowing Tree in Bloomington has gone dark. I began this Facebook page for it 4 years ago when I noticed that it had none ...

There's a new app to tell you which of your friends are racist: it's called Facebook—or so the joke goes. I've been avoiding Facebook lately, partly because I've been too busy with home improvement projects but also because of how vitriolic and heavy it's become of late with all of the discussion centering around what many feel (including me) is the heavy-handed approach by some in law enforcement toward minorities and the pass they're being given by grand juries for those actions. I sometimes feel a strong need to push back on some of what I'm reading but more often than not I don't. I quietly sigh and move on. Our home improvement projects are nearly done. All that's left for me to do is to hang a couple of doors in the laundry room. I've got them drying in the garage and intend to install them tomorrow. We're very happy with how both the laundry room and Tammy's sewing room (Rachel's former bedroom) turned out. We hadn't...

I walked in to work this morning with no jacket on. All of our snow is gone and the temp is in the mid-40s. This reprieve from what began as a cold harsh winter is welcome but it's not a friend to the trails and my fat-bike. I've been too busy working on an indoor project to have any time at all for riding so it really doesn't matter to me. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many hours I've been spending on our laundry room renovation . What started out as a simple paint the walls and redo the curtains project has morphed into quite a bit more. Karen suggested we consider painting the oak cabinets and trim throughout the room and adding a slatted wood ceiling. Both very nice ideas. Plus, anything to slowly chip away at the honey-oak look of our home's interior is a good thing. I spent all of Friday night in our garage staining the boards for the slatted wood ceiling that Joe is going to do for us. Tammy isn't totally sold on the color we're going wi...

35 years ago today I was discharged from the Navy after my four-year enlistment. Usually, this day comes and goes each year with little notice from me but today I remembered. Four years can seem like a long time to someone who's in their early 20s so it was a big deal to me then. From my journal, 12-10-1979: The sensation of being out caught up with me this afternoon as I was driving the freeway to Chula Vista. I took full advantage and let out a scream of joy, happiness, and freedom. How fitting, Supertramp's Take the Long Way Home was playing.  I had seriously thought about staying in San Diego when I got out but opted to head for home to maybe show my family that I'd grown up and wasn't the troubled kid I was when I'd left. It was a good decision. I'm about to reminisce in a rambling sort of way... I'd spent years leading up to my enlistment just barely getting by in high school. I learned years later when I requested my records that I'd finis...

I was telling Tammy that I can't recall a better Thanksgiving weekend that we've enjoyed together than this past one. It was so nice. Rachel came into town on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave for her dad's until late in the day on Friday which gave us more time than we usually get with her. She got busy right away in the kitchen baking an apple pie for the next day's feast. She's become quite the chef over the last couple of years. Rachel was up early Thursday to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while working on a jigsaw puzzle that she and Tammy had started the night before. It wasn't quite the same as last Thanksgiving when she was in NYC and at the parade. In the last several years we've celebrated Thanksgiving with either Jackie or Keith's family. It's rare that Tammy actually prepares a full dinner like that and I know she's a little intimidated by it but she shouldn't be. She did great! Everything was perfect! We...

I woke up to an outside temperature of 50º F (10º C) this morning. How nice! It wiped out what remained of our snow which is both good and bad. I like the snow for riding the trails but that's about all. Not to worry, there's more snow in the forecast along with some cold temps so my fat-bike will be happy. The Glowing Tree in Bloomington Facebook page I started a couple years ago (only because nobody else had and it needed its own page) is once again seeing its share of activity as we come into the holiday season. I saw a news article from yesterday about the tree and the potential for this to be its final year bathed in lights. Here's the link. It won't seem the same at all anymore driving along that stretch of Cedar Ave at night just south of the Mall of America if the tree does go dark. I / We will never again attempt to choose wall colors for our home without first consulting Karen who has been there for us throughout so many projects in the last couple of y...

I came into work last Tuesday night and Leslee asked me why I hadn't posted a photo of myself from my Navy days to my Facebook page for Veteran's Day the way I usually do. I told her that "I just wasn't feeling it this year". My military service doesn't make me as proud as it once did. It was only a few years ago that you'd usually find a US flag flying out in front of our home for such holidays but I no longer do that either. I've changed. I remember how the pastor where I used to attend church would honor all of the veterans in attendance one Sunday morning each year by having us stand and be acknowledged. It was always a proud moment for me. So what happened? What changed? I've never seen my time in the Navy as something I did out of patriotism for our country. Patriotism had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to join and while I can't speak for those I served with, you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that many (if any) of th...