Along Came a Spider

No, I am not kidding… I once met a man named Spider; he proved it by showing me his business card. I remember it distinctly because the business card was all black, except for the name “Spider” spelled out in the very middle of the card in silver lettering. Then, when you flipped the card over it read “Let me entertain you.” 

Classy Spider… very classy.

Although I highly doubt Spider was the moniker given to him by his mother, it fit him for sure. Spider had a shaved head, half covered by a monstrous tattoo of a spider web that spread down his neck. He wore all black clothing with chains hanging out of every pocket. He even had a mini-chain stretching from one of his ear piercings to the piercing in his nose. He was quite a sight.

My cousins actually introduced me to Spider. They have a gift for meeting up with the most interesting people. How they met Spider- I am not sure, but I think that there was probably some flirting going on. It was a beneficial relationship because flirting with Spider allowed them to ride the Pharaoh’s Fury as many times as they could handle... for free. (Pharaoh’s Fury is the ride at the Sandwich Fair that swings back and forth making all the riders lose their stomachs repeatedly for two to three minutes at a time.) Because I was their cousin, I got free rides too.

My interaction with Spider lasted only two days during the Sandwich Fair and that was probably fourteen years ago. Now, whenever I walk through the midway at the fair, I wonder where he is now and what he is doing. I can’t help but think that the life of a carnival worker would get tiring very fast. They are always moving, always dealing with the constant lights, the noise and the smell of carnival food. By the end of the Sandwich Fair (Wednesday through Sunday) - I am glad for a year-long break.

Spider… wherever you are… thank you for the free rides all those years ago. I hope you are well.

We're making our own Dirt

Last weekend, Hubs got super ambitious and decided to tackle the woodpile behind our garage.  The woodpile was another "out of sight, out of mind" kind of situation.

Looking for Easter eggs in the woodpile shortly after we moved in to our house.

The pile got its beginnings way back when we bought our house and began our construction projects inside.  Whenever we had 2x4 scraps or unused shims, we tossed them out behind the garage.  Then, when we initially cleared the yard of all its brush and tore down the greenhouse, the pile climbed even higher.  And it just kept growing... It nearly doubled in size when Mom tore down the ramshackle fence while Dad and Hubs worked on the roof last fall.

And here comes the fence...

The woodpile was a true eyesore, not like the beautiful stacked log piles you see Up North nestled beside a gorgeous log cabin.  It was more like an ugly beaver dam; sticks and boards thrown together every which way.  And not only was the pile ugly, but it was dangerous for humans and canines because most of the boards were filled with rusty nails.  Hubs and I were always having to call the dogs away from the woodpile, where they liked to scavenge for chewing sticks.  Praise God they never got a nail in the paw or muzzle.

So anyway, Hubs woke up last Saturday morning and announced that he was going to light up the fire pit and burn some of the wood.  I was elated.  By the time I ventured outside after lunch, a good bit of the pile had already been broken down and a fair portion was burned.

I was happy enough with the burning of the brush, but then Hubs announced that he wanted to use the old fence boards to build my (longed-for) compost bin.  A year ago, I had picked out a cedar compost bin on Plow & Hearth.  The cedar compost bin cost $149.95.  I was waiting for the right time to convince Hubs that we should make the investment.  I never imagined he would build me a custom bin.  Hooray!

Together, we picked out the ideal location--Right behind our garage where the woodpile had already destroyed the grass.  Perfectly ironic.  Having it behind the garage would not only prevent us from ruining anymore grass, but it would be hidden from the patio... and hopefully out of smell range (just in case).

After scouting out the location, we decided on the design.  I knew the compost bin had to be secure from the dogs and other visiting creatures, so it would need to have four complete sides and a lid while still allowing for air circulation and the occasional tossing.  Judson's close call with coffee grounds a couple years ago cemented the need for a tamper proof container.

Other than that, we didn't do too much planning.  We just agreed on our basic needs and came up with a rudimentary design before getting started.  There were no mock ups or drawings involved.  We said, "Let's shoot for this" and then Hubs got started.

For the general lack of planning that happened, I am extremely satisfied with the results.  Hubs built a 4ftx4ft bin with a pallet-like floor.  We put pea gravel underneath the bin and then lined the inside of three walls and the floor with chicken wire... to keep the compost in and the dogs/critters out.  The fourth wall (facing the yard) was made with removable boards held on by brackets.  The removable boards will allow us to easily mix the compost and then to remove the soil when it's ready for the gardens.

The bin's lid has yet to be built, but we have another rudimentary design for it when the time comes.  Meanwhile, we had a celebratory ceremony where Hubs and I each threw a handful of grass clippings into the compost bin.  Then yesterday, Hubs took out my first bowl of food scraps from the kitchen.  I feel very Rachel Ray, having a food scrap bowl on my counter.  E.V.O.O. anyone?


Oh... and the woodpile is now down to just a few more fence boards (some of which will be used for the bin's lid), some thicker logs and smaller kindling.  What isn't used for the lid will eventually find its way to our fire pit.  I envision lovely summer nights of sitting around the fire with my Hubs,  the compost bin in my peripheral vision-- composting away my food scraps into nutrient rich soil for our blossoming garden.

Up next (after the lid gets built), an up-cycled rain barrel.  Stay tuned, Casa Case is going green!

Check it off the List

A few weeks ago my parents came to town and while they were here, they helped us repair our master bedroom closet window.  Hallelujah.

That particular window needed to be replaced badly; it was sporting a huge crack across the panes.  As a temporary patch, we covered the window with plastic and a thick curtain.  Even so, it was a major energy suck (in the winter I could feel the money rushing out of our pockets whenever we opened the closet door and cold air rushed into the bedroom).

So what took us so long?  Well, let's see...

• It was out-of-sight, out-of-mind (probably the main culprit).  
• We weren't exactly sure how to go about measuring for a new window.
• The project would require emptying the completely packed closet.
• We needed nice (at least not rainy or snowy) weather.
• Procrastination (okay, so this may be the real main culprit). 

Check out the progress:

Removing the trim from around the old window (note the Ham radio decals left by the former owner)

In all honesty, this was a pretty cool, old window...

I mean, look at this old handle--Awesome

Here's Hubs installing our new window (which we bought at Menards)

Ladder climbin'

Trim figurin'

 Supervisor Judson

Here's Hubs and his portable air compressor... What a cutie (Hubs, not the compressor)

Having the new window installed has made a noticeable (read- massive) difference in the master bedroom's temperature.  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for coming down and making sure we got the job done... and done correctly.  You are a blessing to us!

Gifting is a Gift to Me

I love to give gifts.  I get a lot of joy out of watching somebody open a gift I bought them or made myself.  I am guessing that gift giving is probably one of my top love languages, but I really can’t be sure because I’ve never actually read Dr. Chapman's book.  (A Christian married person who has never read The Five Love Languages?  Well I never.)

I was thinking about gift giving today because I just gave a Contigo coffee mug to the fella who dog sat while Hubs and I were in Iowa this past weekend.  As I handed over the Contigo, all tied up with blue curling ribbon, I thought about how Contigo mugs are one of my favorite gifts to give.  You should all know by now that I am obsessed with these coffee mugs.  How could I not be?  I made piping hot (Green Mountain) coffee last night and put it in my green Contigo.  I didn’t get around to drinking all of it last night, so this morning when I woke up-- I took a sip.  Can you believe it? It was still warm!  Now that is quality.

As I saw our dog-sitter's eyes light up in pure delight, I started reflecting on other gifts I’ve given more than once.  There are definitely some items that have captured my fancy.  For example, I love to gift Nalgene toddler-size water bottles to new mommies or young kids.  I actually just gave out two last Saturday to my cousin's little guys (ages 3 and 5).  It worked out perfectly because the 5 year old had a soccer game on Saturday and he needed to take a water bottle.  Both Nalgene bottles made an appearance on the playing field and the boys seemed to really love them.

Here are some other items I love to give out:

• Jewelry crafted by third world artisans-- I am wearing a bracelet right now that I picked up at Ten Thousand Villages.
• Green Mountain coffee-- Have you tried their seasonal coconut blend (HOLY COW, it's good).
• Seed packets-- I love giving wildflowers in particular.
• Journals for writing and doodling.  Enough said.
• Pajamas-- I really love doing this for weddings or wedding showers.  I divide the pajama set by giving the shirt to the bride and the bottoms to the groom.  This reminds me of The Pajama Game starring the fabulous Doris Day.
• Wooden growth charts for wee ones. 
• Magnets-- Etsy is one of my favorite places to find magnets.  People are so creative.
• Canned goods-- I love to give my jam, ketchup, salsa, or pickles.  I love to can and I love to see people enjoying something I slaved over (especially that darn ketchup).  
• A bunch of homemade greeting cards-- I tie mine up with a bow or put them in a cool decorative box for safe keeping.

I guess I should note that I have no idea how much people actually like receiving the aforementioned gifts, but I've never had anyone throw them back in my face... or cry as a result.  

Bottom line, I would love to receive any of these items.  Not that this blog post is a request for gifts mind you.  Unless you want to give a gift because you love it as much as I do.  In which case, I am almost out of my coconut blend Green Mountain coffee...

I really think that as long as you give a gift out of love and with some thought, people will love it.  Or they'll tell you they love the gift and then they'll regift it to their Great Aunt Edna.   Or they'll donate it to Goodwill.  

Either way, it's fun to give.

Turning up the Heat

The title of this blog post works for several reasons:

1. The weather is getting warmer (actually it has gotten colder the last couple of days, but still... it's spring).

2. We finally replaced the cracked window in our master bedroom closet.  Finally.

3. Hubs promised to finish our master bedroom by May and my calendar tells me it is already the middle of April.

4. I'm really pushing in my workouts, so that I will be ready to compete in the SheRox Sprint Triathlon on June 10th.  Example: I swam a little over half a mile during my lunch break and yesterday I did P90X for an hour (if you ever want to hurt for 4 days- do P90X).

5. Hubs and I just returned from a weekend jaunt to Iowa... where we snuggled up in a cozy cabin while a storm brewed outside...we had a couples photo session to capture our new selves...and we snacked on dark chocolate.  Nuff said.