Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Daisy goes for a Train Ride

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I spent part of last weekend putting the final preparations in place for winter in the backyard. That meant draining the rain barrels and tipping them over and transplanting Chuck’s blueberry plants so the spring garage construction doesn’t kill them. Anything else went on the back burner. There was a big freeze on the way.

Chuck, conveniently, was out of town at a model railroad show. He suggested by text that he might do one final go-round with the mulching mower, to which I responded “In the snow?” We got lucky and didn’t have actual snow – yet – but it was cold, very cold.

I know he didn’t forget me while he was gone. Look what rides on his tracks.

Look! I'm a boxcar!

Look! I’m a boxcar!

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More Winter Prep

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Chuck had a day off in exchange for working mega hours on the weekend. He seemed to feel he needed to accomplish a few things at home. I was at school, so he sent me this email.

  • Got house windows all sealed up.
  • Air Conditioner cover on.
  • Aprilaire Humidifier tweaked for winter.
  • Big snow blower tuned-up, running, ready to go
  • Started cleaning garage.
  • Found kindling and put it out by pile of firewood.
  • Built a wind break out of scrap wood for the wild bunnies living under our deck.

What was that last one?

He sent me a picture.

He sent me a picture.

Next thing I know, he’ll probably be feeding the little furry creatures.

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Throwback Thursday – Packers and their fans

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You know you’re a Green Bay Packers fan if:

  • Your favorite starting quarterback has a streak of incomplete passes – 3 in all.
  • You buy Christmas gifts at the Packer Pro Shop for out-of-state relatives.
  • You imagine the visiting teams saying, “We came, we saw, we lost” on their way out of Lambeau.
  • Your favorite field goal kicker is considered in a slump if he misses. That’s misses one field goal.
  • Your weekly superstitions continue, even though you know the team doesn’t need your help.
  • You have a cheesehead that sports the words “NFL Owner.”
  • Your decorative ceramic seagull wears a Barbie-doll size cheesehead.
  • Instead of rushing into laundry to prepare for game day, you just take out another piece of Packer-wear because you own enough to last through the playoffs — and indeed, the Super Bowl.
Readers, I’m looking at encore posts for a Throwback Thursday theme. Feel free to join me on your own blogs – or just stopping by to check on my Thursday posts. Regular readers might even say, “Hey, I read this the first time!” 

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Looking back at early fall

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It’s all part of the preparations for winter. I had these on my camera for a while, and now they’re outdated. I thought I’d share anyway.

the last farmers' market

the last farmers’ market

At one of the last farmers’ markets, we picked up all of the above goodies. The honey (front, left) is still in the cupboard. The soups and salads from the downtown deli are long gone. I used the bell peppers in…I can’t remember. I did cook them. The small bag of lettuce became my lunches for the week. I shared a little with Buttercup the bunny, of course.

Meanwhile, we used up the tomatoes as they ripened.

Tomatoes!

Tomatoes!

Remember these? I’m down to a few yellow pears now. We’re almost done eating and cooking the last batch of tomatoes.

I’m looking ahead, though. I’ve moved my stakes to a temporary home under the lilac bush, and the supplies for starting seeds are tucked under a table in the basement.

Tomato Stakes in all shapes

Tomato Stakes in all shapes

That’s snow in the background. Not much, but snow.I think we’re almost ready for it. Maybe.

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Barbie Goes to University – or does she?

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She turned up on Facebook. Where else would a Barbie bounce into view? And bounce she did, because “University Barbie” isn’t a studious type. Here she is.

Rah! Rah!

Rah! Rah!

I admit it; sports and cheerleaders are an important part of many universities. This Barbie wears the colors and shakes the pom pons and even wears cheerleader shoes instead of heels. Nope, it’s not all bad.

But why, I ask, why? Couldn’t Mattel call her what she is: Cheerleader Barbie? She could be one in a set of Universities Barbs. There could be sorority Barbie: Greek letters on her sweater, a pledge pin on her, er, chest. Senior Barbie could wear a cap and gown and have as a prop a diploma = and student loan papers. But maybe that’s a different Barbie: Long Term Debt Barbie. She could wear…well, let’s not go that route. Yet.

Science Major Barbie could wear glasses and have pale skin from too much time spent indoors between studying in the library and hovering over microscopes in lengthy lab sessions. English Major would have an old fashioned notebook around all the time in case she gets inspired with ideas for her Great American Novel. Conservatory of Music Barbie would have several changes of clothing, all of it in concert black, of course.

How about Class President Barbie? She could wear classy clothing, all suitable for making speeches and doing interviews on the campus television station. She might compete with Debate Barbie, a pre-law major who is always itching for a cause she can argue. Drama Barbie’s wardrobe would include almost anything, since she’s always playing a role.

Artist Barbie could sport paintbrushes sticking out of her back pocket and paint smudges on her clothes, with her big hair pulled back in a scarf or bandanna. And then there’s…never mind.

I could go on and on, but my point is this: Call a spade a spade. Call Cheerleader Barbie by her true specialty. Make sure she doesn’t say, “Math class is hard.” Then make a University Barbie that looks like a student. Wait…maybe a professor? Yes, Prof Barbara (no “ie” for this one) it is! I’ll start working on the design right away. In the meantime, jump around with Barbie Badger..

When you say Wisconsin, you've said it all!

When you say Wisconsin, you’ve said it all!

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What’s Next on the Blog?

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The garden has officially succumbed to the freezing temps overnight.

The election will be over (and I’m worried, yes, I’m worried) on Tuesday.

So what’s next? How will Compost Happens find a way to continue without politics or gardening on the topic list?

Don’t worry, friends, family, and fans. There is still almost half of the NFL season to go. You’ll read the reactions of the O.K. Chorale as the Packers do their best to protect their best – Aaron Rodgers, that is.

The garden by be a simple pile of dirt and scattered straw, but I’ll continue composting all winter long. The second (and smaller) compost bin is closer enough to the house that we dump scraps in it all year round. I still have a tray full of green-turning-red tomatoes. There isn’t enough for soup, but I have enough ripe cherry-type to add to salads and stews and other dishes that we’ll still have fresh tomato taste for a little while longer.

As for the election results – I’m sure there will be reactions, good or bad, from the family here at the Chorale or from our favorite time traveler, Grandma Daisy.

What to write? Blog fodder? No shortage here, folks. As my favorite quarterback said a few weeks back, R-E-L-A-X. I’m not going away any time soon.

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Coping without an oven

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The igniter (a.k.a. pilot light) in my oven gave up the ghost two weeks ago. Chuck did his part as the Engineer in the Family and did an Internet search to help locate the problem. He figured out what was wrong, decided what part it needed, and realized this was something he could not do himself. I give him credit for that. After that, he looked for the name of the appliance repair guy we’ve called in the past.

I handed him a can snuggy – not just any snuggy, mind you, but a souvenir snuggy from the appliance repair dude’ s last visit.

So anyway, we survived almost two full weeks without an oven. How? Well, I cooked supper in the crock pot three times – four times if you count the apple crisp recipe I made in the smaller crock while I cooked lamb stew in the big one. Lamb stew, tomato soup, and finally, chili kept the family tummies satisfied.

We grilled outside a couple of times, too. It’s just the end of autumn, and we can still light up the charcoal despite the chilly wind.

Then there’s the stove top and the microwave oven – stove still worked, as did the broiler. Those parts have their own ignition switches.

So anyway, we managed. Now that we have a working oven again, I baked cookies! Oatmeal raisin cookies never tasted so good. When those are gone, I’ll honor the season by making pumpkin cookies. In the meantime, we’ll enjoy meatloaf followed by baked mac and cheese and all the other dishes I craved during the oven outage.

Good thing it’s fixed. I’m planning a Minnesota Hotdish in a few weeks – recipe courtesy of Mr. Food’s Kitchen. Look out, Vikings! But first, Da Bears. We had pizza last time. Chi-town style hot dogs, maybe? Or bear claw pastry for breakfast? We’ll find something delicious and suitable for toasting Aaron Rodgers’ continued good health.

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A Student by Any Other Name

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Dear students; I understand you feel you are the center of the universe. I can tell you feel like everything you do is so unique and stellar that there could be no confusion whatsoever. But when you submit your work offline and multiple other students do, too, please PLEASE write your name on your work.

Why, you ask. Why? Take one look at my desktop, and I don’t mean my drop box.

To-do pile, soon to be "Ta-da!"

To-do pile, soon to be “Ta-da!”

It’s like the guy’s desk in the book Revolutionary Road. He had an inbox, an outbox, and a pile he couldn’t face. Well, I don’t have room to spare for that third pile, so I must face a stack like this and deal with it. Read it, grade it, record the grades, and mail it all home to its owners.

Write your name on it, people. Claim your work. Really.

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Dear World; election day?

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Dear candidates: remember what you learned in grammar school? A double negative isn’t effective in American English. Well, politicians, when I hear negative from both sides of a race, I tend to discount both reports.

Special interest groups ans PACs, this means you, too. The negative ads ain’t got no purpose or meaning to them, ya know what I mean?

Dear clerks and poll folks; we appreciate you. I don’t think you hear that enough. I know that many, many voters are stopping by at the city clerk’s office to vote early. You are crazy busy, and that’s a good sign. This is what democracy looks like.

Dear bake sale donors; I might arrive later in the day this time. Please save some goodies for me! I hear cookies calling my name.

Dear voters: A woman voting for Scott Walker is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. Or maybe it’s a frog voting for Doc Hopper. Remember Kermit the frog feeling devastated at the thought of all those little frogs on crutches? Never mind.

Dear 24/7 news outlets (you know who you are); doing a special all about Ebola Panic increases the panic. Got that? Stick to the facts, people, just the facts.

Dear farmers; do you really support the governor enough to put up several huge signs? It’s rather misleading. Drivers going down the rural highways may think the gov has a lot of supporters, when it’s really just one farmer with one vote.

Dear lawmakers; the concealed carry law actually made it harder for police officers to wear their weapons in a school, even if they are liaison officers there. Local school districts had to renegotiate with law enforcement to allow their police school liaisons to do their job.

Dear candidates; stay classy. I mean, get up and take the high road. This negativity hurts everyone. Let’s get Wisconsin out of the mud and make it a great state again.

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