Happy New Year 2017!!

Well now, isn't this interesting...

Happy New Year 2017! (It appears I missed my 2016 New Years greeting, so retrospectively: Happy New Year 2016! 😂

Let's see...

• Kitchen done, the rest of the house not so much.
• Same truck, about time to step it up.
• Same job.
• No Lottery wins yet.
• January in Minnesota, as expected, is cold again... Still... 

Thinking about getting a puppy again. It's been three years since my 15 yr old buddy Trooper passed. I was so fortunate with that little guy I've been a bit afraid to get back into being a Doggie-Daddy again. Might be time though.

Made it to my annual work meeting in New York City this past fall. I'll see about getting some pics up here again soon. I pulled a few decent photos with my 10 yr old Sony™ DCS-707. Fortunately I thought ahead to bring along a few 128 MB Sony™ Memory Stick (the originals!) and was able to make it through a day on an NYC walk-a-bout. Always an entertaining time, NYC. Thanks!!

The downside of coming home was the first big snowstorm arrived during my leave. I gave it a few days and it melted thus postponing the onset of lingering back issues for the following three to four months from shoveling. There seems to have been an increase in troublesome little snowfalls these past few years. These "little pains in the back result in the need to shovel despite having a sweet 8 HP 24 inch wide cut Ahrens snowblower. It just doesnt seem right firing that beast up for 2 inches of light powder. One can't really call that exersize either, it would seem. You enjoy no reward for the task, and are gifted only with an achy back which *almost* resolves about the time the forcast for the next forecasted "weather event" gets it's play.

And what about all that crap, naming every weather front that rolls through... I dunno... 

So that's where I'm at here on this glorious early January, 2017 with a high of +1ºF. Looking forward to the joys and challenges of the new year!

Come on people! Let's do this! 2017's got nothing on us... Yet...

Happy New Year!,
Steve

Happy New Year: 2015!!

So, it looks like I've fallen behind on my Blog Updates...

I sense another New Years Resolution to come out of this... We'll see!

Updates:

• House still not done inside. Kitchen functional though!
• Haven't done all the travel I though I was going to do last year... Or the year before...
• Still employed!

Thus, it appears I've got some stuff to get after... Where is that list...

My official annual (wait, I missed last year!! YIKES!!) check in complete. I 'resolve' to blog more, no matter how boring it is!

There! Let's see how this rolls...
Steve

Incidentally, I'm on vacation for the next week and a half, #Boom!

Happy New Year 2013!!

It's starting of at -2°F! Nowhere to go but up I'd say!

Cleaning the house in another bi-annual event. I could be dusting with a shovel...

Well! It looks like I've managed to make it most of the year without anything to say! Go figure!

So, Thanksgiving tomorrow, the start of a 4 day weekend tonight, Ahhhhh! I feel like I should bust out to a store and buy 'stuff' tonight because I'm the worst when it comes to this holiday shopping free-for-all. Yeah, definitely not my cuppa, if you get my drift...

Given I've been lacking in my updates here, over the next month I'm hoping to update you all with the wee rid-bits that are my adventures and mundane day-to-day goings on a wee piece at a time.

I hope you'll return soon and my apologies for my extended absence! Thanks for stopping by!
Steve

Happy 2012! May it prosperous and joyous for you!

Greetings one and all,

I hope you are all safely through the holidays. I am.  A pretty lay-low Holiday Season, overall.  I attempted putting Christmas lights out for the first time in quite awhile. As such, found out how old some of the strings were (because of recurrent failures!)  They spent as much time off as on. Ho-Ho-Ho... Bah! I also discovered I had a significant number of "new" lights (purchased some time ago but never used! Ouch!) while putting the stings that did work away.  It would appear I'm gonna go nuts with lights next year... Tentatively...

In sad news, my little buddy Trooper passed away on August 15, 2011.  He was 15 years and one week old.  I miss him terribly. For a dog of his size (115 lbs.) he did very well.  I was so fortunate to have that little guy in my life.  He was my 'something to come home to everyday.'  I know I took him for granted to some degree over time, the routines, yada-yada-yada, but he was always there.  His loss and absence now is gutting.  The little noises heard at night that I'd attributed to ol' Troop snoring or moving around... Yeah, not him.  Too quiet around here.  I think about getting another, but I'm going to wait.  Having been so lucky to have had a dog, nay, a near-people like Trooper for as long as I did; I won't get that lucky again.  Also, I feel kinda bad for not being around and doing more with Troop especially over the later years.  I still think he had a pretty good go of it.  He'll live on as the 115# puppy in my mind, as long as I have one...

R.I.P Trooper. I miss you.

Tears dabbed away...

Updates: Kitchen near completed, fully functional.  I'm just telling everyone it's done but not inviting anyone over.  Too much other crap in "transition" around here.  I'm not making a Resolution or anything, because that would point to certain failure, but I'm going to try to wrap "ongoing renovation projects" before fantasizing about other amenities I'd like to venture into around here.  Film at 11.  Don't hold your breath, Id feel bad when you were turning blue!

One item that DID get done was one hanging for quite awhile.  Swapped out some sagging floor joists for some new fangled micro-lam beams.  Needless to say, over-engineering is definitely the way to go.  Saggy master bedroom closet floor is now Terra Firma! Maybe I should do the rest of the bedroom flo...

No. It'll be fine.  Move along, nothing to see here...


That'll do for now.  Drop a line if so inclined! Ha ha, poetry...

Thanks for peeking in!
Steve

Again, Another Long Time...

Seems to be in my genetic makeup to be lazy... about updating my blog!

On review, not much new.  Kitchen is about the same. I'm about the same. Work's about the same.

Trooper is getting older, noticeably.  That's making me kinda sad. His parts-is-parts are just a wearing out.  His head is still in the game, despite being pretty hard of hearing and his eyes not as keen as they once were. But I still love the little guy...

I guess another item of note, my semi-persistent IP Address for my Webcam pages has gone "semi" on me.  I need to update the webpage with the links.  For the quick-n-dirty, here's the shortcuts, if you please...

Cam 01: http://174.53.181.225:1024/img/main.cgi?next_file=main.htm (Front)
Cam 02: http://174.53.181.225:1025/img/main.cgi?next_file=main.htm (Back)
Cam 03: http://174.53.181.225:1026/img/main.cgi?next_file=main.htm (Kitchen/Dining Room)
              (off and on, Cam's crapping out)
Cam 05: http://174.53.181.225:1028/img/main.cgi?next_file=main.htm (Kitchen)
               (Most likely to see the Troopster!

I'm hoping to rearrange things a bit better with regards to the cams, but we'll see where that fits in to all the other "items" I've been neglecting!

Okey-Dokey, good for now!  I hope to update you soon!

Be well and "Use The Force..." Ha ha, I love that phrase..
Steve

A Winter Doldrum's Check-In...

Well, Tuesday, February 8, 2011.  My day off..

Word of the Day: Cold.

Temp outside: 0° F (-18° C)  Need I say anything else? Maybe Nasty!

The sentiment amongst Minnesotans' this week is a stong "Get It OVERWITH!"

Coincidentally, the battery in my truck is dead. Stone. Cold. Dead.

So that's about it.  Stay warm, buy low, sell high!
Asta!

Winter Has Arrived...

It's here!

After an overall dry and uneventful Fall, the snow has come to my fair portion of the world...

In a BIG WAY!

After a couple of 65 F degree [18 C] days, it's instant winter. I'm seeing about 10-12" [25-30 cm] of fresh, wet, sticky snow on my deck and yard. Interestingly, 50 miles north, rain with a dusting of the white stuff! This is going to be a long, long winter... ;-(

All the better to start planning 'Out-of-State Vacations!' WoOt!

Off to shovel...
Steve

ps: Check out the pics!

Then:

Now:

That D*mn Kitchen Is Finally Getting Done!

Greetings fellow surfers,

Now, I now it's been an extremely long time since I've updated this blog, but I HAVE been making progress! Yipeee!

I'm extremely happy to report that my kitchen, which has so burdened me for the past 9, maybe 10 years (depending on who's counting), is nearing completion. It is functional, has been for a number of months now, and all cabinets save one, the desk area, are in place. Countertops as well! Obviously, with me at the helm, it may never be totally finished (nothing I start every seems to get totally done) but it is easier to look at than the earlier pictures and more 'usable!' Hell, I may even invite people over now!

(I'll try to muster a good before and after comparison for next time...)

That said, and in reference to my earlier statemnet that I'm not a "finisher," there are other items about the castle which require attention. But that's another entry...

Be well and chat'cha soon!

Steve

Facebook Killed the Blog-Star!

Yup.

Facebook is like watching a car wreck in Slo-Mo. Can't just turn your head away, gotta see it, gotta BE it! It seems it's the current place to "interact" with all your closies, but in reality, it's more just stalkin' your oldies. I've thought about pulling out of it (FB) but what would I be then? Facebook Drop-Out? Would I cease to exist (at least in the digital social-networking realm.)

Deep thoughts... Naa!

Phoebe

Phoebe... This is for you!
*snicker*

Just a quick note to document the occasion...

I FINALLY hooked up the range! Woo-hoo!! Hot food, here I come!

Well, maybe. Gotta find the pots and pans and dishes... Hmmm... Again, why did I want to hook that thing up? Sounds like a lot more work than going to Wendy's!!

Steve

Dang! Where does the time go!!



Here it is February 27th! 2009!! As you can tell, I'm EXTREMELY inattentive to the web site (Not that there's anyone really reading this anyway...)





I've discovered Facebook... Crack for "Non-Bloggers!" It's an excessively easy way for those with something they NEED to say (important or not, don't get me wrong, me included!!) said! If you haven't yet... You will (As in 'You will be assimilated' - The Borg [Star Trek - Next Generation ;-)]) You'll have to do it. Because no one will actually speak to you in the future - like next week! Everyone assumes you're on Facebook and read their "stuff" and all you get is a smile or a nod now when you see 'em in person! Technology to the masses...
Beyond that... My kitchen! Woot! Check this:
So, I've lost interest AGAIN... Two steps forward... Stall. That's my plan and I'm stickin' to it! It is getting somewhere! I'm eating at home without having to go to Wendy's Hamburgers all the time! Yeah, that's a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the food is so close that I've managed to add about 3" to my waistline. What, on a good day previously, was like a 4-pack has become a nasty 1-pack (See: Pony Keg :-( ). Gotta temper ease of access with some exersize. Should have just left it with no kitchen... For my health!!

Next issue... The economy sux. We all know that... At least a gallon of gas is less than a Mocha again! Man, that was trippin' me! ;-D

That's my update for now. Catch the Cams or see me on Second Life, my favorite "Things To Do To Avoid Doing The Kitchen!"

Later y'all!
Steve

More time off...

September 9th... Seems like just yesterday! Where does the time go...

Well, I'm on vacation this week, STILL trying to avoid working on the kitchen, but, alas, I think I've run out of other things to do. Therefore, I'm gonna try... Famous last words you say? Naa, I say them ALL the time! My co-workers will vouch for me...

So, what have I done, let me review... I've been to Philadelphia for a study meeting. It was warmer than here at the time, so that was nice. Came back to be greeted by a cold front and the chill, Brrrrr... It's that season, after all. I wrapped my lease on the diesel F-250 just in time to see the price of gas go DOWN! It never fails, I always seem to catch the swings when they do me the worst. Knock on wood - I'm still saving money by being out of the diesel... I grabbed a F-150, V-8. Metallic Grey, not bad. Interior is grey as well. Never realized how much the Troopster is shedding. The last truck had lighter interior (beige) so the hair blended better.

And the kitchen...

Well, here's what it looked like in August with

the cabinets in the garage... So roomy back then. I ws strarting to think I was gonna have one of those "Entertaining Kitchens" like all the remodelling shows on Channel 2 or Home and Garden TV are doing now days...

And what it looks like last evening!

Progress?! Huh? Yeah-Baby!! It's getting there...

One doesn't want to... Stress the artistic... Err... Process. Yeah that's it, Artistic Process... Suuuuure...

I am happy with the look, but Home Depot or Lowes would be the way to go... Next time... {8D)

So, that's plenty... For now. With a little effort I'll hope to have a "relatively" finshed kitchen on my next post.

Happy Holidays!

Steve

It's not a "Regulary Updated Blog," obviously...

So, it's been a bit.

What's new?: Not much. I updated the CamPage links so that they actually work! Now that's new and different, for this site, at least... Try 'em out, let me know what you think.

Cabinets are still in the garage. I'm having trouble "motivating" with the final touches and painting in the kitchen. Yeah, shoulda' paid someone...

Oh, I'm on vacation this week so, if anyone actually reads these tidbits, let me know!

Thanks for checking in,
Steve