Why I Oughta...

Yesterday morning, some wonderful people from Husqvarna pulled up to our home in Elmhurst in this massive and awesome truck and trailer.  Inside, was a delivery I've been anticipating for weeks:  our new Husqvarna Automower. I wrote about the #Automowerfirst program here on the blog a few weeks back where I mentioned that I was getting this robot lawn mower to use over the summer.  Disclosure here again:  Husqvarna has given me this Automower for free and if I post about my experience on the blog here and on social media, I am able to keep it.  Now...will I want to?  I'm not sure yet!  But, I'm sure hoping so.   Anyway, back to the installation.  These dudes arrived yesterday and got to work.  First thing they did was to cut my grass short which was awfully nice of them.  Then, they went ahead and began to lay down the boundary wire in the yard.  It is this green heavy gauge wire you see in the photo below.  They laid it all the way around the perimiter of the

I came across this wood rocking horse that was too cute to pass by at a garage sale recently in Elmhurst.  I took a photo of it and texted it to both Nat and her Mom - who is kinda *into* horse stuff.  Either way, I was going to buy this thing. Nat's mom raised her hand and this awfully cute red Wonder Horse has found a new home in Naperville for a whole generation of grandkids to ride on.  The price was too good to not put this into our van. In poking around on the web about what exactly this thing is, I came across this story about The Wonder Horse  and the history of the company who made/make it: Children of the 1950s remember the most popular horse from their childhood: the Wonder Horse. The all-wood painted horse was supported on a wooden frame by metal springs. The child rider could bounce up and down. The Wonder Horse was made by Wonder Products, now located in Bossier City, La. The company made its first horses in 1949. It continued making the same type until 195

For the past threeish years, whenever I missed my train in the city and had to wait around for a bit until the next UP-West Metra train, I usually 'poked' around in the French Market at Olgivie in the lower level.  I've bought and brought home various foodstuffs from the stands there, but recently I came across this place that was new to me:  Aloha Poke Co. Based on the line waiting for their Poke, it must be pretty great stuff.  I sent Nat this photo and she's already put her order in for takeout one night.  Have to time it *just right* to hit this place after the lunch crowd and before the rush hour crowd so there isn't a huge line.

I found myself in California recently and even though I've been there numerous times, I am always in awe when I look at the landscaping and see succulents just about everywhere.  These were in a corporate office park in Southern California.  Hens and Chicks or Chicks and Hens?

Earlier this Spring, I posted about our 'fostered' Ostrich Fern and giant Hosta that are currently being housed at my in-law's side/front/back yard (I don't know what to call it.  It is kinda all of those things:  the front, the side and the back.   Weird, I know, but if I showed you the area, it *might* make sense.)   Here's the post on the ferns .  And here's the post on the hostas . The good news is in that photo above.  I took that over recently when I checked in on them and gave them a little bit of water.  They look to be THRIVING, which has me excited.  We transplanted them late last year in late July/early August and they looked terrible.  The fern, in particular looked awfully wilted and I wasn't thinking it was going to come back.  But, these are hardy plants it seems.  And that means that I'm thinking if we're in a spot to transplant them as early as next Spring, they'll be ready to go.  And after they arrive, it won't take lon

June in my wall calendar world means The Incredibles on the Pixar calendar on the left and the Stock Pavillon at the University of Illinois on the right.  Unfortunately, last year, I posted about the June calendars on the first day of the month.  Gasp!  That's bad for the tally.  I flipped the calendars and took this photo above at my office earlier this week on the 6th, so that's a +5 day increase. For those keeping track like I am: January took 8 days to put up the calendar . I don't think I was tracking January last year. So let's call it a wash. (+0 Days) February took 16 days to put up the calendar. In 2015, I turned it over on the 17th . (-1 Days better) March took 8 days this year. In 2015, I turned them on the 10th . Posted on the 11th. So...that makes it -2 days better. April took just 7 days. I didn't post last April. So..no new net days. May took 12 days. Net + 5 days over last year. Wowsa.  June took 6 days.  Net +5 days over last year.  Anot

I mentioned in the post from earlier this week featuring a vintage angel Christmas ornament that we were out garage sale'ing this weekend and that there were other treasures that came home with us on Saturday.  Above is one said treasure.  This pair of carolers were on the table amongst other Christmas stuff, but they were the only things that jumped out to me.  They, too, have the same eyelashes as the angel and reindeer , but they also have this on the bottom: Made in Japan?  Priced right at under a buck?  Sold! I brought them home and snuck them into one of the tubs that are remaining in our garage that are still full of Christmas stuff.  We've hauled off most of the stuff to our storage unit, but there are still a few that are on a rack awaiting for me to rent ANOTHER storage unit because the other three are jammed full.

Umm...yes please?!?  While out at Menards over the weekend, I came across this variety in the garden center.  If only, we had a place to plant it, right?  Maybe they'll have them again next year and we'll actually have a place to put something like this into the ground.  A guy can hope, right?

Another day, another post about a garage sale find that happens to be a vintage Christmas item.  We picked this Santa Claus up a few weeks back at a garage sale around the corner from our house.  He's the biggest vintage Christmas thing we've ever bought, but was still just a dollar.  He's maybe 12 inches or so tall and he *kinda* stands up on his own.  I forgot to take a photo of his shoes, but he's marked "Made in Japan" and while he's a little bit dirty, he is in great shape for being fifty or sixty years old. The lady we bought him from said, "Oh...I remember that Santa!  He was out every year for Christmas for our family.  He was so great." Which...makes me wonder why, she's parting with it?  I guess, at some point, when you are cleaning out your parents' house, you have to divorce yourself from the sentimentality of items.  If you don't, you'll end up being a hoarder, right?  Can't hold on to everything? At least s

Not a better crew to be rolling with on the shopping cart escalator ramp at Menards than these three. I mean....What more could a guy ask for?  And with Momma gone for the weekend, there's no place we'd rather be than Menards early on a Saturday morning.