Piece Offerings

Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:20:00 +0000

It was still warm and even more humid on Tuesday. I had put off buying gas for the car for over a week but the “empty” light came on the night before. So, I gassed up on the way into work. Talk about sticker shock! I paid $4.05 a gallon for mid-grade. It cast me almost $50 buck to fill my tank!

It was supposed to rain so I left the sunroof closed. I just went over to the Time Out for lunch. I had the chicken breast salad again.

It never rained all afternoon. So, once I was home after work, I gathered in the garbage can and changed clothes. I took the opportunity to cut the grass. Then I watered the raised bed herb garden.

I worked until after 7:30 PM. I took a shower when I came in. The heat, humidity and dust from all the filled ruts demanded it! Then I called my friend B___ and my brother Carl to check in.

I ate the last two hot dogs, cut up and cooked in Bush’s baked beans for dinner.

I watched TV and check out a new cooking magazine that came in the mail today. Then I went to bed about 11:30 PM.

New Shed Roof

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:11:00 +0000

Bobcat Hole

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:10:00 +0000

Monday

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:08:00 +0000

In spite of being very tired Sunday night, I didn’t sleep worth a damn. I blame this on two things. After being outside most of the weekend, my allergies (if that’s what they are) went crazy and breathing was difficult. Also, I had left the bedroom window open and it was uncomfortably warm and humid in the house.

It stayed humid all day. They predicted rain later in the evening so I left the sunroof open and windows cracked. Naturally, we had a brief, but intense rain shower about 9:30 AM. I was even more uncomfortable then after getting wet closing them.

I went home at lunchtime. Tomorrow is garbage day and I never was in a grocery store to get more kitty litter. So, I went into Meijer’s. Once home, I ate two hot dogs for lunch. I noticed Rick was about halfway finished roofing the shed. He wasn’t around then or I would have said, “Nice job!”

I got home after work and flipped on the news. I saw the first pictures of the latest tornado damage. This time it was in Moore, Oklahoma. It was still in the early stages of investigating, but there were stories of kids being trapped in schools, a yet-to-be determined number of dead, etc. Looked like a bomb went off!

I went outside to take photos of the new roof and the Bobcat hole. I realized I should have taken a “before” picture of the hole, Carl, but trust me, it was deep. So deep in fact that Jake and Carla had thrown cement blocks in the ruts to try and climb it out and they were below ground level.

I ate the other filet for dinner. Even being warmed up in the microwave didn't wreck the taste or texture of either the meat or the sauce. Fantastic!

I should have worked outside, I suppose, but I was tired. So, I putzed around inside the house (and more importantly, inside the air conditioning) until the Red Wings game came on. There was a lot of old-school roughness, but it was a fantastic game. And, we won!

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:36:00 +0000

Old Beat-up Bowl I Like

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:35:00 +0000

First Iris of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Sod Removed

Mulch Removed

Finished Project

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:33:00 +0000

Steak au Poivre

Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

I woke up at a much more normal 6:00 AM on Sunday. I watched the morning news for a long while and then ran through the Sunday morning chores. I had to go up in the attic, so I did that before it got hot outside. I got down the electric wok that Jake and Carla left me. My cube-buddy Michelle said she always wanted one, so I thought I’d give it to her (I have never used it). I also got down an old, rusted ceramic bowl I got somewhere. I don’t know why I saved it or what I’ll use it for, but I like it. Then I shaved and showered.

I noticed yesterday when I was grilling that the chives were about to bloom, so I went out today and harvested as much as I could without cutting the blossoms. I wanted to harvest them before the stems got woody. I used the scissors to snip them into a useable size and put them in a baggie. I filled a quart bag! I labeled it and stuck that in the freezer for use next winter. Sadly, that’s the only way I ever harvest my fresh herbs. Drying them is a pain and I never seem to use them anyway. So, I use them when they are in season and buy them when they aren’t.

B___ called and we talked for a while. When we were finished, I did the last load of wash for this weekend. I putzed around until the clothes were out of the dryer and I could hang them up.

I finally went outside and fired up the lawn tractor. The clumps of grass that were left in neat rows out back Friday night had dried out, so I wanted to spread them around. So, I essentially recut the whole back yard. I finished up around 4:00 PM. I went in and got the trimmer, but found the battery was dead! Dammit! I stuck it on the charger and went back to digging around the black walnut tree.

I was taking another wheelbarrow load of sod out back to dump in the hole when I saw my neighbor and his wife outside. So, I went in and got the rest of the money I owe him for the shed. I told him I wanted to know what I owed his “guy” for spreading all the dirt. He shrugged it off, saying I shouldn’t worry about it. So, I insisted, reminding him that it was not something I could do myself and that the guy was obviously busting his ass for me. He said he would think about it. Grrr…

I went back inside the house and changed into my shorts. It was hot out there! Even the air conditioner was running. So, before I went back out, I shut all the windows.

The ground was much harder to dig in today. We need rain! But, I “endeavored to persevere.” Some neighbors walked by from down the road, (on their way to the Coney Island for supper) and the lady asked me what I was going to do with the filled in ruts. I explained that was a stupid mistake on my part. She thought I was gonna mulch them and plant flowers, LOL! She told me to have a “blessed day” (I get that a lot around here) and they walked on…

I finished up the dig just before 6:30 PM. I went inside and drank a huge glass of water. Then I took the blower and blew off all the maple tree seeds (or “helicopters” as I like to call them) off the small mulch pile Jake left on the garage apron. I loaded the mulch into the wheelbarrow (it took four loads) and dumped them around the tree.

Sidebar: I KNOW I had a roll of that black plastic edging, but I cannot find it! So, without the edging, I raked the mulch around until it looked level. I was finally done with the damn thing! I took some pictures and went in the house for the night. It was 7:15 PM.

Oddly enough, I was extra careful not to overload the wheelbarrow so my back did not hurt. Nevertheless, my right shoulder (the one I had the rotator cuff surgery on) was killing me. I was unable to raise my arm to level. WTF?

I hate getting old…

So, I started my Sunday supper. As you probably already guessed from my purchases yesterday, I am making Steak au Poivre (French for peppered steak) for the first time. I had the steaks sitting out for the last couple of hours, to let them come to room temp. I patted them dry with paper towels.

I mixed two tablespoons of fresh cracked black pepper with one teaspoon Kosher salt and spread it on my cutting board. Then I pressed both sides of the two steaks into it.

I had some olive oil (not extra virgin) heating in my cast iron pan on medium-high. I set the steaks in the pan and didn’t move them for four minutes (so they got a nice crust). Then I turned them over with the tongs and cooked them another four minutes. I transferred the steaks to a plate and covered them with aluminum foil.

I poured off the excess oil and returned the pan to medium-low heat. I added some butter and scrapped the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. I added a ¼ cup of cognac and lit it to burn off the alcohol. Then I added ½ cup of beef broth, four tablespoons of heavy cream and ½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I whisked that to combine and brought it up to a boil. When it thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, I sliced up one of the steaks and drizzled the sauce over top of it.

OMG! That was freakin’ excellent!!!

I watched some of the shows I had taped, but I was beat. I went to bed before 10:00 PM.

Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:26:00 +0000

I woke up at an amazing 8:30 AM on Saturday. I knew I was tired, but…

I fixed a cup of coffee and posted the Blog entry. It was almost 11:00 AM when I finally shaved and showered. Damn! I’m burning daylight, here!

I had just made some soft-boiled eggs for breakfast when Jake called. We chatted for a bit and hung up. Then I ate breakfast.

I headed out for the weekend errands. I went to Westborn and bought two beautiful filet mignons (I’m serious, here. The lady helping me and I went through about 12 of them, deciding on the perfect ones. I love Westborn!)

I also got eight ears of sweet corn, some heavy cream and, as an impulse buy, a tub of spinach dip and water crackers.

Then I went to the Wine Palace and bought a pint of cognac. I told the owner that I wanted something “good” but not “great” since I was using it for cooking. He recommended Courvoisier VS, so I bought that.

Back home, I put everything away and changed into my shorts. I stuck the sweet corn in a stockpot filled with water. I checked my email and had to deal with a few issues, but then headed outside.

I went back to the black walnut tree sod removal. I got another section done before my back started screaming. Note: I brought that on myself. I overloaded the wheelbarrow so I didn’t have to make too many trips! Dumb.

I took a long deserved nap. It was totally weird when I woke up. I had the Food Network on the TV when I went to sleep. When I woke up, the show Pizza Cuz (never heard of it before) was on and they were at the original Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit!

Speaking of food, I was hungry. So, I lit a piece of newspaper under the charcoal starter. When the coals were ready, I roasted the sweet corn. I pulled them off when they were done and grilled another package of hot dogs.

Back inside, I diced up a first-in-season (at least around here) Vidalia onion. I had a hot dog with mustard and onions and two ears of sweet corn for my dinner.

I went to the bathroom around midnight and the security floodlights came on. So, I watched and two young raccoons came into view. They were running around like children playing tag! Cute…

Finally Friday (I know, I keep saying that)

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:37:00 +0000

Sidebar: Did you know it was National Hamburger Month in America? I did not…

Moving along, it was another beautiful day in Redford. But, the wind was from the East-North-East and strong.

Now anybody who lives on the east “coast-line” of Michigan knows that an ENE wind (or “eneey” as we call them) results in a cool breeze off the lakes. But, it did reach 80 degrees here in Redford.

Speaking of the lakes, it had always bothered me that when they talk about the “Great Lakes” that they completely forget about Lake St. Clair. Now, granted, it’s shallow and not that big, but it’s out there, dammit, and has a neat history. They are still finding old Model T’s that went through the ice driving liquor from Canada during Prohibition, for example.

I went home at lunch after stopping at Kroger’s for some supplies. I also stopped at the gas station and filled up my gas can with two gallons of regular gas, Nothing was done on the shed, but I attribute that to the wind. It is a little tough to roof in the wind.

Sidebar: Back in the day, I was the cabinetmaker at Ehler’s construction. I was pulled off my job to help roof a house they were building in the winter. My job, on the tri-level house, was to sweep off the snow that was building up due to the storm that had moved in. It was a little unsettling to be standing that high above the ground, in a snowstorm, sweeping off the roof with a push broom!

So, I forgave them.

Back at home after work, I changed clothes and tried to start the lawn tractor. The battery was dead! I didn’t even bother with the charger. I put some pants on, went over to O’Reilly’s, and bought a new one. They checked and my warranty had expired (that’s where I bought the last one) so I just manned-up and bought a new one.

I put it in the tractor, filled it up with gas and headed out back. With great difficulty, I got most of it cut. The grass was almost 8-inches tall in places and I just cut it last week!

Sidebar: Avoid double fertilizing your lawn at all costs!

When I finished with that, I dragged out the push mower. I cut the front lawn and then went out back and cleaned up everything I couldn’t reach with the tractor. I almost put the push mower in the shed (with the tarpaper and shingles) but I couldn’t get past my “security concerns.” I put the push mower back in the garage and buttoned everything up for the night.

It was 8:37 PM! I warmed up two hot dogs and a can of Bush’s Grilling beans and ate that for dinner. I watched some TV but went to sleep early. I was tired…

Facebook rant

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:09:00 +0000

Now, I ain’t trying to make any enemies here. I’ve driven motorcycles most of my young life. I had a Moto Guzi, a Harley 350 cc TT racer and a Suzuki 250 cc dirt bike. I’ve also driven a 550 Suzuki road bike and one of the first Kawasaki 750’s (scared the shit out of me!)

And I have no problem with “knowledgeable” riders doing whatever the hell they want to do. Go for it!

But, today I was heading home on the Expressway and was passed by a crotch rocket. It was driven by a guy who I would guess had just got his license. His passenger was a chick I would peg at 13 years old (Geezer Alert: everybody looks younger than they are at my age.) She was wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops! And, neither one was wearing a helmet.

Again, I have no problems whit the new helmet law. My brother in-law, Terry actually went to Lansing to protest them (he drives a killer Harley that has yet been unbeaten at the drag strip).

But, trust me, I went up against a stump I didn’t see, off road, and damn near lost my leg (I would have except for a an ex-army doctor just home from Vietnam who claimed he could save it. He did…)

But I’ve had two knee replacements since and a whole lot of pain. Which brings me to my next question: WTF you gonna do if you have to lay that bike down?

I knew a guy (old dude, as he had a gas station my brother Peter worked at) who had to lay his Harley down because of a car/truck accident. He was wearing full leathers and steel toed boots, and yet looked like a bad case of road rash for half a year later.

So, as cool as it is to feel the wind in your hair, for Christ’s sake, if you haven’t been doing this for 30 some years, put a goddam helmet on!

You want to talk about head injuries, just ask my daughter, Amy.

I’m done now…

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:25:00 +0000

Disappearing Dirt Pile

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:24:00 +0000

Sod Removal

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:22:00 +0000

East Side Shed Roof

Space for Ridge Vent

West Side Shed Roof

This and That on Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:20:00 +0000

It was a little cooler starting out on Thursday, but it was yet another beautiful day.

I went to Best Buy at lunch, but they didn’t have what I wanted (of course). So, I went to Ten Yen and had the #7 Chicken Subgum. Now I don’t go there all that much, but the owner remembered not only my order, but the kind of soup I like and that I wanted hot tea! Damn clever, these Chinese!

It was 81 degrees F. when I got home after work. I gave in, turned the furnace on to “Cool”, and opened all the windows. I changed clothes and went outside to work.

The roof boards were up on the shed, so I took some photos for you. Then I went out front. I used my shovel (I couldn’t find the spade) and outlined a foot wide strip of grass from the red circle to the tree. I cut out an “easy to lift” piece and threw it in the wheelbarrow. When the wheelbarrow started to get full, I took it out back and dumped it in the Bobcat hole. I was trying to get some things done withouttrashing my back.

On the way back from the first load, my neighbor called me over. He asked me when I was going to cut the back lawn, because his guy was having trouble finding the ruts to fill! Duh!?! I did notice that the grass was long, but didn’t even see that more ruts had been done.

He laughed and said, “Didn’t you see that that the front half of the dirt pile was gone?” I admitted I hadn’t. I told him I planned to cut it Friday night. He said they would probably put on the ridge vent, tar paper and shingles tomorrow and trim the shed over the weekend. Then we just have to wait for the door. I thanked him for the update and got back to work.

I dug out almost half of the circle before I could feel it in my back. So, I quit at that point. I went in and saw it was almost 8:00 PM.

I cut off the other chicken breast. I cut it into strips and put them on a bed of lettuce. I topped that with store-bought Ranch dressing (sorry Jake) and ate it for my dinner. I was watching something on Roku when everything stopped and it lost connection to the internet. I tried several times and then I tried the computer. It couldn’t find any server, either. I went to call Brighthouse and the telephone was dead. Oh, oh…

So, I used my cell phone. The tech tried sending a signal, but couldn’t see my router. She then had me unplug it and remove the backup battery. I put everything back together and waited a while, chatting with the tech in the meantime. Bingo! I was back in business.

I finished my show and then went to bed.

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:28:00 +0000

Legal at Last!

Shed Update

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:28:00 +0000

Front

Metal Jake Wondered About

Rear

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:26:00 +0000

Sod to be Removed

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Revitalized Japanese Maple

Hot Hump Day

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:21:00 +0000

Oh, it was beautiful Wednesday morning when I work up! 72 degrees F. (at 5:30 AM!) I drove into work with the windows down and loving it.

My morning walk was fantastic. I didn’t want to go back inside! But, come to think of it, I never wanted to go back inside, even when it was snowing or raining…

At lunchtime, I went to Westborn and bought some Granny Smith apples for work snacks, a beautiful Vidalia onion and four ears of Florida sweet corn in the husk. Then I went to the Township offices and bought my building permit for the shed.

Back home, I stuck the sweetcorn in a stockpot and filled it with water (did you really think I wouldn’t grill on a day like this?) I warmed up some Puerto Rican chicken and rice that Vicky gave me for my lunch. It was excellent! I was a little disappointed to see than nothing had happened vis-a-vis the shed build.

Sidebar: I like using the word vis-a-vis.

My afternoon walk cemented the idea I had earlier that, if you have a crappy weekend day (like last Sunday) you should be able to just go into work that day and then take off a day like today! Now if I can just sell that to upper management!

Once home after 5:00 PM, I attached my new permit to the front picture window with masking tape. I was supposed to display it somewhere visible from the street.

I noticed that the shed had a little more work done on it, so I went out (after starting the Wednesday night wash) and took some pictures. I also went out front and figured out the circle around the black walnut I need to dig out. For some reason, this grass had risen and, in my lessened ability to push a lawn mower, it’s tough to mow now. So, I plan to dig it out and throw the sod into the “black hole” Jake created when he got the Bobcat stuck.

I also took a picture of the emerging lilac blooms and, later, the Japanese maple. Why the maple? Because last year, the early heat had damaged about half of the leaves (if you remember... I do.) But, this year, it’s leafing out, better than ever!

Then, I fired up the charcoal can and started the coals. When they were white, I dumped them and put down the grate. I scrubbed it but decided not to oil it yet, as I am doing the corn first. I plopped the corn on and washed out the stockpot.

Then I tended the sweetcorn, turning it over as required. When they were ready, I moved them off to the side and then (finally) oiled the grate. I threw on the Dearborn (I couldn’t find Kogel’s) Natural Casing franks and then watched them like a hawk.

I got a platter and hauled everything back inside. I fixed two hot dogs with buns (yellow mustard and onions) and two ears of corn (butter and salt).

I hung up the laundry and then watched the Red Wings game. We lost. ‘nuff said…

Tuesday’s Trip

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:22:00 +0000

It was 48 degrees when I left for work on Tuesday. As I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed the wheelbarrow was gone! I mentioned this at work and folks there said it’s people looking for scrap metal to sell. But, I like to think I have trolls living under the driveway who creep out and night and drag my cast-offs into the culvert.

The Township called me to let me know my shed permit had been approved. So, I'll go and pick it up (and part with $71.00 US) tomorrow.

I took an extended lunch so I left at 11:30 AM. I took a mini-road trip (that had been highly recommended by Jake) to Troy to see my son Jeremy’s data center. I have been in plenty of data centers, but never saw one that looked as perfect as this one. Amazingly neat, redundant systems and fantastic security, the attention to detail (even down to the anti-static floor) was really outstanding.

He took me to lunch at the Redcoat Tavern (on Woodward, just south of the Birmingham line, so I guess it’s in Royal Oak). I had an excellent burger but it was seriously way too much food. A half pound, design-it-yourself burger? Even the onion rings were huge and fantastic.Thanks for lunch!

I was back at work by 2:30 PM. I told everybody, including my boss, about the data center. Even she was impressed!

It was 72 degrees here in Redford when I got home after work (we are finally warming up). So, I decided it was time to do some outdoor work. I mixed up some of my magic garden soil in the new wheelbarrow and dumped a load in the raised bed garden. I worked it in with the Garden Weasel and then planted sweet peas and green beans.

I watered all the seeded ruts in the back. I finally saw my neighbor and we talked over the fence. He said he had been working in Battle Creek, building a gazebo, but he might be able to get back to working on the shed tomorrow. He said his buddy didn’t have an almond roll-up door in stock either, so he ordered one. That means he has two weeks to get the shed done before the door shows up.

Then I dragged the hose out front and watered all those seeded ruts as well. I got back inside the house around 7:30 PM.

I was still stuffed from lunch (I’m not kidding) so I decided to skip a real dinner. I looked around the fridge to see what I had that I could just eat so I could take my pills. I came up with an idea based on leftovers that I may regret (I know my co-workers will) tomorrow.

I took the last two flour tortillas and the last of the refried beans. I warmed up the beans in the microwave and charred the tortillas over the open flame on my stove burner. Then I diced up my last sweet onion.

I put the beans and some of the onions on the tortillas, and then hit each with a lot of hot sauce. I topped that with a little sour cream and rolled them up. They were messy, but delicious! It tasted like a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme that was missing something.

I watched TV for what little remained of the evening and went to bed around 10:00 PM.

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:31:00 +0000

My Frog Pen Holder

I forgot!

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

(again)

I think I mentioned that Vicky's mother, Evy, was on vacation in her homeland of Puerto Rico. Well, she came back with presents and one was for me! Vicky brought it in Monday. It's a pen holder with a frog, sitting on a hammock, playing the drum.

Now, I didn't get the name of the kind of frog it is, but they are famous in Puerto Rico (similar to the "Spring Peepers" in the Michigan countryside). They are small and brown, and make a sort of singing sound that is like a high pitched child's voice saying "cook-ie!" I know this because Vicky has a recording of them on her smartphone.

Oddly, enough, Vicky said people have tried to relocate them in Hawaii. They lived and even thrived, but didn't sing. We decided it was the lack of rum, there...

Wintertime Blues

noreply@blogger.com (captaink) — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:21:00 +0000

It was 31 degrees F. in Redford Monday morning. I didn’t see any frost on the way to work, but I did have my coat and the seat warmer on!

Michelle, my friend from Facilities stopped by and dropped off a container of soup. She said it didn’t have a name, she just made it up to use leftover chuck roast. Besides the beef, there were black beans, lentils and leeks in it. She warned me that she forgot to make a sachet and just threw in whole black peppercorns so I should look out for them.

I had to go to CVS and pick up a prescription at lunchtime. I needed some gas, so that was next. It had warmed up some and was sunny, which inspired me. So, I stopped at the car wash and rinsed the dust and dirt off the car.

Home, I warmed up her soup and ate it for lunch. It was delicious, with the lentils adding an earthy flavor (I rarely use lentils). But, I completely forgot about the peppercorns and crunched one with my teeth. Talk about a palate cleanser!

Back home after work, I was tired and sore. I had planned on some outdoor work tonight but settled on dragging the wheel-less wheelbarrow (so, I guess its just a barrow, now) out to the road, followed by the garbage can.

I warmed up the last of the chicken Marsala and the summer squash for dinner. I watched an excellent show I taped on PBS called “Elderly Instruments,” a funky music shop visited by world-famous musicians that’s in Flint (of all places)!

As I said, I was not only sore, but tired and I went to bed before 10:00 AM.