Wonderland

Is there anything in the world that a man/guy/boy/kid likes more than fireworks? Some people travel to Mecca….where do go on our annual pilgrimage? Wisconsin of course!…for fireworks.

Not just boring old fireworks you can get at the grocery store but the “REALLY GOOD STUFF” that is apparently only found in the land of cheese…who’d a thunk? So, that’s what we did….went on a road trip to Wisconsin.

We wandered the isles ohhing and aaawing…really? The experience was just as good as seeing them actually go off. Who thinks of these names anyway? You have your Ninja assortment, your Goliaths, Dragon shells, Above the Law and the ever popular Rip Snorter.

Someone tell me what a Scuba Diver Megabanger might be….scuba=water, water + fire = what? Smoke? I dunno, I guess it’s just not my thing. It could have something to do with my unnatural fear of all things fire…and watery.

Guess the Megabanger is not for me.

The Den of Terror

So, we hired and excavator to come out and dig the hole for our family room addition…then it preceded to rain, and rain….and then it rained.

We called a few people to come out and give us a bid on the concrete work and while one of the guys was surveying the hole, he slipped on the grass and fell in. Into the 12’ deep, sandy swimming pool. *sigh* He’s okay and is actually the one who will be doing the concrete work for us.

A couple years ago we had the roof redone and one of the guys fell off the roof and broke a couple of his ribs.

What is up with our house and contractors? I’m starting to think we need to put warning tape around the property….”BEWARE CONTRACTORS…ENTER AT YOUR OUR RISK”….or we could call it the Den of Terror and start charging admission.

So Many Cats!

Do you have cats? We do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the critters, almost all kinds of critters but these cats are driving me nuts! We have four cats. I’ll list our cats in pecking order: Bilbo (you’ll see our nerdy Lord of the Rings obsession come out now), Gandalf the Grey (so nerdy that spell check tried to change his name to Randolph the Grey), Jellybean (you know, that Hobbit standing waaay in the back, the one with big feet), and Suzy...also called Babygirl…’cause she’s the only girl and ‘cause she’s little…I guess.

These cats love each other...then they hate each other, then they groom each other and then they try to kill each other. They are a dysfunctional feline family….to the extreme, to the point of needing counseling. Why do we have so many cats? Because of this book….that’s why.

Both of our boys LOVED this book when they were little. It’s my fault; I loved it too…back when we only had one cat. It wasn’t until we read this book and found out that “our one and only cat (KeeKee) was a sad and lonely cat”….Well, we had to change that and we did….right quick, by adding four more cats. Only thing is…KeeKee wasn’t lonely. He didn’t want brothers or sisters. He didn’t want to share lap time with anyone else. He didn’t want to share his food or water and he REALLY didn’t want to share a cat box. Can’t say I blame him. And you know what else? He didn’t, not once, want to slide down the banister to his awaiting fun-loving kitty family. What was KeeKee? He was pissed! And KeeKee stayed pissed all the way up until he left us. Not as in packed his furry mouse and hit the trail left but as in off to that sunny porch window in the sky left.

Anyway, my lesson learned?….sad and lonely ‘aint always a bad thing.

Rainy day Zoup?

Since it’s still raining and I don’t want to do things that I really should be doing (vacuuming and dusting would be two of those things) I’m going to do some cooking…and on a day like this I love me some soup! Not just any old soup, I’m pulling out the big guns for this! Zuppa Toscana...oh, great Olive-y Gardens of the world how I love the Zuppa.

We started making this copycat version a couple of years ago…actually my son who is a pretty good chef (if I say so myself) was having a craving for …you guessed it, kale. Kale? Really? Anyway, he wanted a kale recipe and there it was, right on the Google search…Zuppa Toscana.

Granted this can be a little time consuming but well worth it. You can use one large soup pan for the whole thing.

Zuppa Toscana Soup
1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, sliced in 1/4” pieces
2 quarts Chicken broth
2-3 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, sliced with peel on (about 1/8” thick)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 med. Onion, chopped
2 cups chopped kale, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside. In the same pan over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, then add onion and garlic and cook until clear. Add broth, sliced potatoes, sausage and bacon and simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream and season with salt and pepper.

Let’s Go Swimming!!

I left the house yesterday in the wee hours of the morning to return to a giant hole in the ground.

I love construction! I love seeing something I’ve pondered over, fretted and fought over, and like the UN have peaceable come to a decision over, start to grow from the dirt (okay, it’s not really dirt, it’s sand..the sandiest sand ever).

Today that hole is being transformed into a giant swimming pool because of course, it’s raining. Not just raining, but pouring. Remember that rain I asked for three months ago?…that rain.

If you really want it to rain where you are?…dig a great big ‘ol hole in your yard, stand back. The heavens will open up and dump on you…and your excavator.

A Little Project 2010

So we’ve started a little project. A little project we’ve been talking about doing for ohh, two years. A little project that The Hub thinks he can do all by himself.

I’m lucky. Very lucky to be married to the handiest guy in the entire world. He’s the King of Projects, the Prince of Plans the Lord of Lumber but this seemed like too much, even for him.

We got a few bids for the project and they came back for more than either one of us were willing to put into this house…we’ll give this house our sprained backs, aching shoulders and throbbing headaches...but hard, cold cash? No way. We’re Minnesotans for cry’ in in the mud! Well HE is. So now The King has decided that he is going to build it himself…except for the excavation work ….and the foundation…oh, and the block work.

This little project is already starting to be not so little.