Lake Mendota

new pain in the living room = crap in the kitchen

This was our kitchen while the living room was being painted.
I particularly like the vertical couch, I think it will be all the rage in the near future.
Not very comfy - but ever so stylish.....


I think the end result was worth it. I like our new walls.
It might not be the frikkin' taj mahal, but it's a big improvement for us, and we like it.

The couch did have to go back to being horizontal, I guess the fad was short lived.

in chalk... on a rock....

I caught another firefly.
Here'swhere I'm keeping the others I've caught so far....

Carcassone at the union

While our little place was being painted we played Carcassone at the union on a beautiful sunny day.



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Now playing: Gorillaz - New Genious
via FoxyTunes

you know you're old....

...when you think this is the perfect end to a perfect birthday.




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Now playing: Bare Naked Ladies - Brian Willson (live)
via FoxyTunes

our new table top game

This is a new table top game we picked up. It's called Carcassonne. Like most good games, it's deceptively simple. Have puzzle, have game, our family has loved it.



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Now playing: Regina Spektor - Just Like the Movie
via FoxyTunes

ever get the feeling....

..that the world is trying to tell you something?

I've been a little.... pensive??? ....lately.
Maybe it's the age I'm hitting, maybe it's watching one too many movies about love
and mortality
and all that shit.

I love being in love.
And I love seeing people in love.
But there's that little twist that lovers try ever so hard not to acknowledge.
but it's worked it's way into a cliche
Love and loss...
the rose and the thorn...
blah blah blah.

We try not to think about the inevitable truth that eventually the one we love will leave us
- and we will be alone.
Or
that we will leave the one we love behind
- and abandon them to their fear.

One way or the other
despite what all the pretty cards say
we won't always be together
and the one time it counts
i won't be able to save you

i would rather turn away from that thought in denial
than dwell upon it in truth
but it's always there somewhere
tugging a little in my mind

and this thought is always there somewhere



There is so much that I want
to do with you
to experience with you
to share with you

and so little that i'd want to do without

just some memories from a very good weekend.

It was a few weeks ago now. But it was a good weekend, and worth a little look back.

The weekend of my brother's wedding in Duluth.

The weekend he took the plunge

-metaphorically



- and literally



We walked a long way that weekend.
Maybe a little too far that one day....



but we made it back.

And I think Sarah learned a few things along the way.
...even if it did kinda sneak up behind her.




We looked for sea glass under the sun - in water so cold my feet went numb.
No matter how many times i'm told.... i'll never believe that sea glass is just stone smoothed garbage.

I know it's magical, and that day proved it.



oh dear wife of mine....
that is not sea glass.
that is the mythical Lake Superior "Nose Rock"



and no....
dear daughter of mine -
that is not sea glass either



It was a good weekend. And I'm glad we took the scenic route home.

our little patio

We don't really have a backyard. But we've got a little patio. A very little patio. It's on the west side of our place, on a thin little strip between our two story building and a big wooded hill that becomes a city park.

It's quite, there are no roads nearby, it doesn't face neighbors, and the trees dampen most of the city noises. And it's shaded. Very shaded. Somewhere between noon and two o'clock a thin bar of sunlight works it's way across the picnic table and then disappears. And that's about all the sunlight it gets.

It a beautiful place to sit in the late afternoon and read or write a little.

But nothing grows back there. Nothing. We plant grass every year, and by the end of the summer it dies. Last year we planted grass that was both hardy, and loves shade. When we bought it the guy even warned us that it's more like a weed. It will grow anywhere.

And by the end of the summer it was all dead.

So this summer we made an effort to find plants that do well in shade. We spent a weekend digging it all up, putting in new dirt, and planting things.

Some of the things were hostas.... not my favorite, but they'll survive.

We aren't about to be hired out as landscapers, or exterior decorators.

But this summer it has been my little slice of shaded heaven.

A Madison Mystery

We've been seeing these things all over the east side. They look like little miniature landscape models.

We've been trying to figure out what the heck they are. Finally last night we broke down and took some pictures of them.


They are made out of molded canvas on a wire frame, each one is shaped differently, but they all look like little mountains to me.

Does anyone know what they are?

Here's a link to a google map showing the locations we've seen them in so far.