Civil Shrifting in the Cream City

Francis Bacon wrote:

A principal fruit of friendship is the ease and discharge of the fulness and swellings of the heart, which passions of all kinds do cause and induce. We know diseases of stoppings and suffocations are the most dangerous in the body; and it is not much otherwise in the mind; you may take sarza to open the liver, steel to open the spleen, flower of sulphur for the lungs, castareum for the brain; but no receipt openeth the heart but a true friend, to whom you may impart griefs, joys, fears, hopes, suspicions, counsels, and whatsoever lieth upon the heart to oppress it, in a kind of civil shrift or confession.  

His words came to mind last weekend as I prepared to visit friends in Milwaukee. I wasn't going to have a lot of time there but I was determined to make the most of what I was allotted and that would include not only me imparting griefs, joys, etc. but also my friends doing the same. While I'd hoped to be able to see everyone I knew in the Cream City, a couple had to bow out due to a funeral out of town. Still, two thirds ain't bad.

It was a lovely, sunny Saturday afternoon when I got into Bay View. Traffic hadn't been bad and I made it to the home of a couple friends in good time. I found that they were waiting for me on their porch. One I've known since high school and her husband since they've been married. It had been a while since we'd seen one another so the hugs were generous and most welcome. They were experiencing their own trials and tribulations so we could commiserate.

After presenting them with their gifts - food from Madison, I was presented with a loaf of sourdough bread in embryo. It was rising. Leaving the dough to its own devices, we headed out to Seven Bridges Trail. It was a perfect afternoon for a walk.

While there were still some leaves hanging on until the bitter (cold) end, I suspect we had missed peak color by a couple weeks. That is, I had missed it. My friends had been here to witness Nature in its resplendent glory.

As we walked along, I got caught up on the vexations which plague them and I, in turn, told them of my divorce and my progress in creating a new life for myself. Many griefs, joys, fears, and hopes were exchanged. And then my friend told me that my wife had visited them back in August, a month or so after our divorce began. It did not go particularly well and I felt badly for them; I felt responsible despite not being so, not even knowing of the social call. Oh well. Hopefully there will not be a repeat.

The trail was gorgeous. My friends said that it had been sparsely populated on their last visit but this day it had people everywhere. It lies on the shores of Lake Michigan and had a rather nice beach which I bet is well used during the summer months. 

As we walked along the shoreline, my friend noted that we weren't too far from where the body of Sade Robinson had been found. The 19 year-old had been murdered by a sick fucker named Maxwell Anderson who also dismembered her body.

Despite the horrific tale, it was a relaxing walk and we got caught up on one another's lives. Ever since my divorce began I've been wanting to draw my friends close, to be deeply present and deeply in their presence, and to savor their company like a fine wine. This was a very nice start to the weekend.

The walk also had the effect of giving us all a thirst and so it was off to the newly-reopened St. Francis Brewery.

The brewery closed back in 2019 but had been resurrected this spring - how fitting. I adored their Lust, a Weissbier, back in 2015 and wondered if it was still available. 

I began with a Krug of their Festbier which was very tasty with a toothsome maltiness and just enough hops for balance. While supping and snacking our conversation on the trail continued on barstools. I gave them an idea of the location of my new abode and the details surrounding my hasty exit from the marital residence. In turn, I heard more about their situation and how difficult waiting for resolution was on them.

My second brew was their Hefeweizen, Held Up Hefe. It too was very tasty but had a lighter mouthfeel than Lust. New owners, new recipe, I suspect.

Evening had arrived and we set out to find dinner. We settled on the Vanguard Bar which had vegetarian options aplenty for my friends as well as carnivorous ones for me. On the way there, a couple other friends of mine texted saying that they had returned from the funeral early and were available to get together. Wunderbar! I replied that we were going to eat and that I'd let them know when we were done.

Stepping into the bar we found the place to be packed. We had a 20-minute or so wait for a table. The TV screens had Pink Floyd live from Saint Tropez in 1970 playing but it was Whitney Houston that emanated from the speakers.

I had a bratwurst with onion, sport peppers, and spicy kraut. My friends ordered fries, fried tofu with a ginger-garlic glaze, and a salad of some kind. Everything was delicious but the fried tofu was perhaps the star of the meal with its glazed umami overload.

And the beer was cheap. $6 for a pint of Spotted Cow. Other beers were equally affordable.

With dinner done, I text my friends that we were on our way to the Blackbird Bar which is the tavern of choice of basically everyone I know in Milwaukee. As with the Vanguard, the place was packed. The crowd here was younger, though, and I spied a couple women whose breasts threatened to spill out of their tops. The game was afoot!

We found a few seats at the end of the bar and continued chatting. After a short while, my other friends showed up. We'd not seen one another since May and so their hugs were most welcome. It was simply wonderful to be with all these friends whom I don't get to see often. Even more special than normal. I felt so comfortable and wanted. A couple of them had met before but that was back in 1991 during our college years at a Halloween party that lives on in infamy. They reacquainted themselves with ease.

All too soon our ages showed and we headed out for the comfort of a couch. I was staying at my friends' place and took up position on the love seat while they the couch. We listened to music, supped beers, and chatted away about everything. A wonderful time. They introduced me to the music of Ngozi Family, a Zambian band from the 1970s.

The next morning one of my friends was out the door early to teach her yoga class. For my part, I was to meet up with some other friends to hang out in a sauna before enjoying the cool waters of Lake Michigan at Hot Spell Sauna.

Before then, I hung out with my friends' cats. 

My other friend woke up and we hung out for a short while before I was picked up. I hadn't seen this friend or her husband in a while so I found myself full of joy at being in the company of the remaining folks I know in Milwaukee. My friend has been enjoying the sauna for a while and I couldn't turn down her invitation to join her even if it was only just above the freezing mark outside.

The morning was sunny and clear, if cold, as we pulled into McKinley Marina which the sauna called home. My friend's husband had never been there and I took comfort in not being the only person for whom this was the first time.

A couple portable saunas were set up on the lakeshore next to the boat launch. The idea was that you would spend some time in the heat and then zip down the ramp and into into the lake.

We went into the sauna and I think we all started sweating immediately in the 200+ degree heat. But it felt good. The occasional dose of water on the coals got my nose burning even more as the steam entered my nostrils.

Sitting in the steamy heat, the three of us chatted about life - divorce and kids, for example - for a spell and then it was time to get into the water. We wandered around the fence and made our way down the boat ramp. The second my feet hit the water a shiver went up my legs and I could feel, as George Costanza said, shrinkage. It was freezing!

We waded in deeper. It didn't take long for my legs to go numb. No fancy neoprene accoutrements here; just a swimming trunks and Crocs. I was able to make it in about navel high before retreating. Once out of the water, I felt very good despite the sub 40 degree temps and a moderate wind as I didn't feel the wind's chill; rather it was a revivifying briskness. 

This hot and cold pattern was repeated throughout our 75 minute session. It was absolutely exhilarating!

Afterwards I was invited back to my friend's place for breakfast and more banter. I got to see her kids who had grown quite a bit since I'd last seen them. In addition, I was treated to some highly tasty Anodyne coffee from Sprocket Cafe. And I met their über-friendly hound, Izzy. Look at dem ears! 

All too soon it was time to go and I got dropped off at my other friends' place where I found them relaxing on the couch with the Packers game on the TV. I headed home after the game had finished and we had chatted away even more.

I made it home with a lovely loaf of sourdough in tow.

But also a couple paintings done by my friend that he generously gave to me to decorate the walls of my new place.

What a glorious weekend! I got to see, hug, and chat with every one of my friends in Milwaukee (they are all denizens of Bay View, curiously enough). It was great to be in their company when talking instead of having conversations mediated by a phone. Their hugs were wonderful and just being with them was so invigorating, so needed. In addition to discharging the swellings of the heart, simply being in their presence put me at ease and made my cares seem far away. I am very lucky to have them in my life.

Coming soon, 19 November 2025

Seen before Keeper which I found to be OK. It had some very neat bits but too many horror movie tropes. I appreciated the conceit and how the movie came across as a slasher but was anything but. Plus Tatiana Maslany is easy on the eyes.

As before, a short Nuremburg trailer was shown twice before the trailers started in earnest.

Next we got a red band trailer.

A trailer for Hokum was next but I cannot find a trailer online.

Cardamomomom

On the recommendation of an Indian co-worker, I talked a friend into taking dinner with me at Thalaivas in Middleton. OK, in truth it did not take much convincing to get her to try out this new restaurant - new to both of us.

We arrived just after they opened for dinner and we had the place to ourselves for a short time.

I liked the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Aside from the TV blaring Indian music videos, they were the lone decorative element that spoke of the Asian subcontinent. For reasons unknown to me, a sperm whale adorned the bar.

While I may not understand why it was there, I appreciated the presence of the rather incongruous aquatic mammal.

The menus were like hardcover books. Opening mine, I discovered that the pages were all glossy. 

Such fanciness! Any change to the menu means an expensive re-do of the menus.

On offer were some Chinese selections in addition to Indian which seemed mainly to be southern Indian. An odd combination. I was impressed that the kids menu was free of hot dogs and chicken tenders and instead consisted of a trio of dosas.

We started with soups. My companion ordered the Sweet Corn Veg variety

while I went with the Kozhi Milagu Saaru. 

Her soup was light, slightly sweet, and delicious while mine was richer, slightly smoky, and delicious.

For the main course she went with Parotta with Lamb Curry, parotta being a layered flat bread.

I went with Tandoori Chicken. 

Both were tasty, very tasty indeed.

For dessert we had rice kheer.

It's basically just rice pudding but the cardamom adds an extra dimension of lusciousness.

My companion and I agreed that Thalaivas was delicious and will likely be back the next time there are errands to run on the west side.

A.M., 20 November 2025

Song of the day, 19 November 2025

I've been enjoying the psychotropical grooves of Cabeza De Chivo lately. I hope to see them in '26.

Coming soon, 17 November 2025

Seen before a screening of Die My Love which I enjoyed. And I enjoyed it despite seeing a lot of my relationship with my wife onscreen. A lot of bad memories were rekindled as I watched a fictional marriage unravel, especially the scenes where Jennifer Lawrence's Grace is confrontational and openly contemptuous of her husband, Jackson, as played by Robert Pattinson. That happened a lot in our marriage.

Despite certain elements of the movie hitting close to home, I was somehow able to watch at a distance. These scenes were familiar and got me thinking but I never found myself feeling the stress of those situations deep down.

I am looking forward to this one.

 

Another one I am looking forward to.

A new flick from Jim Jarmusch!

Song of the day, 18 November 2025

Coming soon, 14 November 2025

Seen at a screening of Bugonia.

They played the Nuremburg teaser twice(!) before the trailers started in earnest.

 

Song of the day, 16 November 2025

Discovered late last night...

Seen in the wild: a spork

A friend and I broke our fasts at Willalby's Cafe yesterday and I had the pleasure of eating with a spork.

I cannot recall the last time I ate with a metal spork.

Imaginary Cats '25

Chocolate? Rye?

Coming soon, 13 November

Seen before Frankstein at Flix. I greatly appreciate that Flix shows half the number of trailers that AMC and Marcus do. However, I do not appreciate staff walking in front of me to deliver food while I am watching a movie.

A perfect pair

After a stop at Player's for dinner, a friend and I went to The Bur Oak to see Justin Adams & Mauro Durante last night. I had never heard of either of them when the invitation was extended to me and, upon investigating, I found myself thoroughly intrigued.

Adams is English and has worked with a variety of people including Robert Plant and Brian Eno on the one hand and African musicians such as Tinariwen and Juldeh Camara on the other. His style was described as a mix of American and desert blues by the articles and press releases I consulted. Durante is Italian and the sites I found noted that he is a master of the pizzica style of violin playing of his native land which, as we learned, was the heel of the boot of Italy. Pizzica is an Italian folk dance from that peninsula.

What an odd yet highly alluring combination.

Adams wielded his electric guitar while Durante alternated amongst violin, frame drum, and tamborello. The performances ranged from what I think of as desert blues a la Tinariwen with American blues inflections to interpretations of traditional Italian folk. Other songs had a rock'n'roll boogie to them. With Durante laying down a beat and Adams picking out a rhythmic melody, the songs would become trance-like and I found myself getting lost inside the grooves.

One of the great things about their performances was how they managed to make a simple, lo-fi setup be so enticing by alternating tempos and some tasteful soloing on guitar and violin. Never did I feel that a larger band was needed for the songs to find their potential. They were raw and the rhythms potent as they seeped into me.

Both Adams and Durante were in good cheer and neither seemed to mind playing for a small crowd. The intimacy factor was high. A fantastic show. 

Afterwards my friend and I stopped in for a nightcap at Jan's, formerly Woody Anne's. There was a smattering of people having a relaxing hump day night. Spotted Cow was only $5, a bargain, and the big picture of Lake Mead was aglow with alternating colors.

A Polish bazaar filled with pączki, pierogi, nalewka, and good company

My morning at the Polish Heritage Club's Christmas Bazaar began with a prune pączek to go along with my coffee. They gave me the boost I'd need to spend a few hours cooking and serving food which gave me flashbacks to the days when I cooked for a living.

My fellow kitchen staff and I traded banter for a while but before long it was time to get work and start cooking. I started heating the kraut. 

Pots of water were put to the flame for boiling pierogi while hotel pans were laid out for kielbasa. Once things were humming, one of my fellow cooks busted out her homemade nalewka which is basically flavored grain spirits. I'd only encountered the fruit variety previously but can now boast to have had a spiced one.

We were presented a couple varieties of currant.

The nalewka I've had in the past was fairly sweet and such was the case here. I preferred the black currant as it had a more sprightly, berry-like taste. No doubt aging will alter the flavor. The drink's creator touted the medicinal properties of her creations - vitamins, anti-oxidants, and so on, and thusly I felt as if I was engaging in a healthy ritual as opposed to having a little pick-me-up at 9 A.M.

Things got busy - very busy but we found time for a pierogi tasting.

Both brands were potato and cheese. On the left we have Alexandra's and on the right are Tata's. I found them both to be highly tasty with Tata's having a thinner and lighter dough. I found their filling saltier as well more heavily seasoned. Not too salty nor too heavily seasoned; just done with a slightly heavier hand.

Since we were so busy, I didn't have much time to wander and chat with folks. However, I did take the opportunity to check things out before we started cooking and spied some nice Polish pottery. I could use some plates. However, I resisted temptation. 

When we were done serving and had shifted into cleaning mode, another of my fellow kitchen staff busted out her nalewka. This was spiced with cinnamon. I liked this stuff as well. A fine way to cap off another Christmas Bazaar.

Catching up with folks, I told the nalewka makers of my divorce and, since both had gone through it, they offered advice and lent their ears. One's husband had gone through a particularly nasty divorce and she shared their experiences of getting through it, challenging his wife's claims, and navigating the legal system. Lots of good advice, though I hope I won't have the same challenges.

Having written this, I am reconsidering my decision to not buy those plates. 

I am being watched

Coming soon, 7 November 2025

Seen at Marcus Palace before Nuremburg.

Messy cat

A friend gave Piper some new toys and she leaves them sitting around carelessly.

Coming soon, 6 November 2025

Seen at AMC Fitchburg before a screening of One Battle After Another.

First was a teaser trailer for Nuremburg.

I think a commercial played next and then the trailers started in earnest.

I had no idea 28 Years Later had a sequel, much less one coming out less than a year after its release. 

Also seen were commercials for Cadillac and Rolex. I guess they were expecting an audience of aristocrats.

Smoke? Rye?

I will be doing a thorough investigation of this beer.

They did The Musical Box mash

It was only appropriate that The Musical Box had a show on Halloween. No mere Genesis cover band, singer Denis Gagné puts on the makeup and dons the costumes of Peter Gabriel during his time in the group. Actually every member of The Musical Box dresses up like their analogue in the band they so admire.

The show on All Hallows' Eve down at the Arcada in St. Charles, Illinois was billed as a Genesis Live show, i.e. - a show from the Foxtrot tour in early 1973. While I was looking forward to the whole concert, I was extra excited to hear the songs from Nursery Cryme that weren't "The Musical Box".

Having said this, I think that the version of "The Musical Box" they played last night was the best I've heard them do. It was superb. They played with a burning intensity that hit me like a gut punch, especially during the speedy instrumental sections which were positively exhilarating. Despite no old man mask, the final section was as uncanny bordering on frightful as ever.

"Fountain of Salmacis" was great with its intricate, bouncy bass lines. "Return of the Giant Hogweed" was nearly as intense as "The Musical Box" and the ending sent shivers down my spine.

At some point, we got the "unaccompanied bass pedal solo" comment. I cannot recall if it was made just before "The Musical Box" or not.

"Supper's Ready" was awesome as usual. Strobe lights are simple but oh so effective. They never fail to instill a feeling of the strange and uncanny in me. The black lights were also simple but quite effective in creating a mood, a vibe.

Somewhere around the encores, Gagné said that Halloween was the only day of the year that he didn't feel silly wearing costumes. We then had a costume contest. One fellow looked great in the flower mask but the award for best costume went to a woman in the balcony wearing a red dress and a killer fox mask.

As for those encores, we were treated to three and all were unexpected delights. First came "Twilight Alehouse", a song from the band's early days that was played on the early dates of the Foxtrot tour. (Would we hear "Happy the Man"?) "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" was next and the ending jam was fantastic. Finally we got "Seven Stones". (!) What a joy to hear another song from Nursery Cryme. Great harmony vocals.

Gagné also announced that the band's next project would be doing late 70's Genesis songs with perhaps a brief foray into the 80s which I took to mean something from Duke. He made it sound like they'd be doing a variety of songs as opposed to trying to recreate a show from a particular tour. I mean, how could you do anything from Duke when you are out there doing a show from the ...and then there were three... tour? Anything is possible, I suppose.

The music, the costumes onstage and off, and the fact that it was Halloween made for a very special night. There was just something in air, something joyous and convivial, and the show felt like a true celebration.

********

When I got into town, I needed dinner. Rather than the fancy schmancy joints near the theater, I walked over to  El Rayo Burritos Guacamole Restaurant, a hole-in-the-wally Mexican joint east of downtown. I've meant to try it out my last several visits but never did, for one reason or another.

I got the fajitas with every flavor of meat they offered. 

Very tasty stuff! Well seasoned and with a lot of vegetables, including what I think was a grilled serrano. Their salsas were very good as well. I will definitely be making a return visit.

Lastly, I went to the Binny's in Geneva and found this joint across the street that has a fine name.

Hill Farms construction, a couple days ago

Yes, I had heaven

Last week I went to see Yes here in Madison at the Orpheum Theater. The band's stop here was part of their album series in which they play all of an album from their back catalogue. This time around it was Fragile's turn.

While many gripe that this isn't really Yes as neither Chris Squire nor Jon Anderson are present, I personally am enjoying this line-up. Jay Schellen has brought a new energy to the drums as Alan White was slowing down in his last days, presumably due to illness. And Billy Sherwood is reverent on the bass but not an imitator, although his sartorial taste is very Squire-esque. These guys have breathed new life into Yes.

The first set was odd. It featured three songs from Tormato and was very mellow in the middle with "Onward", "Madrigal", and "Soon" having been played in succession. I adore Tormato so it was neat to hear the trio from '78 but the mellower tunes slowed things down and the set only recovered on its last song, "Tempus Fugit".

They did play one song from their latest album, Mirror to the Sky, "Circles of Time". I think the title track is a near classic - Downes cedes too much of his role to an orchestra to reach classic status - and I love "Luminosity", but "Circles of Time" is the weak link. Not bad but it never quite gets there for me. Lastly, I'll note that, in a show filled with beautiful moments, "Wonderous Stories" was a few minutes of sheer bliss.

After the intermission the band came out and did Fragile in its entirety. I shall repeat what I said above: I am not enamored of these shows where a band plays an entire album from their glory days. Yes has so much great material that it's a shame that they limit themselves in this way rather than plunder a lengthy back catalogue and, in this case, give short shrift to some worthy new material. Still, it was fun. "Roundabout" got people moving including a couple women who abandoned their seats for the aisle and proceeded to cut a rug. "We Have Heaven" was just gorgeous and Schellen added some work on the toms to give the song a little muscle as it weaved its way to a conclusion. "South Side of the Sky" just rocked.

Finally, despite Steve Howe being seventy whatever, the man was an endless well of energy and joy. His playing was marvelous and he doesn't seem to have slowed down much. He went from electric guitar to pedal steel effortlessly and he propelled many a song onwards. (Ahem.) Long may he continue.

Not finally, I also want to say Geoff Downes continues to impress. Sometimes he's more of a utility player but, when he steps up front, it's glorious. Jon Davison has gotten better. He seems less restrained in his delivery these days, more confident. There's a lot of Jon Anderson to him but he has carved out his own niche in Yes and the band is better for it.

I hope they come around again and, seriously guys, play "Mirror to the Sky". Just as good an opener as "Siberian Khatru".

Lockean anthimeria

I have started listening to Charles Anderson's ILS 206 lectures from, oh, the late-80s. ILS is Integrated Liberal Studies and the course is called "Western Culture: Political, Economic, and Social Thought". I took one of Anderson's classes back in 1995 or thereabouts - PoliSci 45something - and it was fascinating. That course picked up where ILS 206 leaves off, although there was a little overlap, and examines modern iterations of Liberalism. Liberalism as in prioritizing freedom and giving government a minimal role.

I listened to ILS 205 earlier this year and read the required readings listed in the syllabus. Reading Plato's Republic was fascinating, even if not particularly fun. I got to read the bit which, I presume, influenced Wells' The Invisible Man about how, if a man were invisible, he'd act with impunity like a god. Plus the Cave Allegory, the biggie. Aristotle (and Aquinas too) was confusing, though I found the concept of the polis interesting. The whole "man is a political animal" idea was explained which I found fascinating. It is natural for people to form communities for the common good. Furthermore, it is by being a member of such a community that a person becomes good and cultivates virtue. (Or was this Socrates?) Regardless of any confusion, it was a most interesting few months of reading and listening about the origins of Western thought and its early incarnations.

ILS 205 ended with the Scientific Revolution and 206 picks up on it namely in the form of social contract theory. I read some selections from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes and just finished John Locke's Second Treatise of Government. The Declaration of Independence reads a lot like its early parts and later Locke inveighs against taxation without representation.

Aside from the familiarity of some of his propositions, I have to say that he doesn't justify the use of the State of Nature well nor the idea of the social contract. That people come together and enter into a social contract in order to establish a government essentially comes down to "Well, Rome and Venice were founded by free, equal men coming together and a bunch of folks in the Americas practice something like that too."

He quotes Josephus Acosta, whom I just looked up, a Spanish missionary:

"'There are great and apparent conjectures,' says he, 'that these men [speaking of those of Peru] for a long time had neither kings nor commonwealths, but lived in troops, as they do this day in Florida - the Cheriquanas, those of Brazil, and many other nations, which have no certain kings, but, as occasion is offered in peace or war, they choose their captains as they please'".

I'm not sure the governments of Rome and Venice were constituted by a group of men who were completely free and on equal footing. (Something about 2 brothers suckling at the teat of a wolf comes to mind.) And these American "troops". Are their situations really analogous to anything in Europe? OK, sure. Small towns in Switzerland, perhaps, but we haven't gotten to Rousseau yet. How much can the lessons of tribes in the Americas be applied to the cities of the Enlightenment? Color me skeptical.

Towards the end in a section on the dissolution of government, Locke, who credits legislatures with having the most power, comments on situations in which it is legitimate to disobey a king. He quotes William Barclay, who had a hard-on for monarchies, at length. In Latin. Locke then presents the quotation in English.

Notice his use of the converse of a gerund, a noun turned into a verb, whatever that's called. So, for all the old duffers who recoil at Facebook users asking to be "friended" or liberals decrying a conservative who was "platformed", know that it's an established practice and even a man of letters such as John Locke did it.

Rousseau is next and I presume I'll hear all about deliberation and social contracts in the cantons of Switzerland.

Woodman's continues to be Ideal

Woodman's continues to stock Ideal Bakery's delicious breads and sweet treats. I am pleased that they rotate the varieties of sweets and found pound cakes on offer last weekend. I got the German one.

It is very tasty, as expected, and I really enjoy the dried fruits. A prelude to stollen season.

Domesticity

My new apartment inches towards feeling like a fully armed and operational domus. When that chill descended upon us a few days ago, I made apple beer cheese soup. Of course I made a mess on the kitchen floor which received its first vacuuming just a couple days previously.

 

 

I used rye flour for thickening and Phase Three's Rye Lager because rye rulez. (Speaking of rye, I made another loaf of rye bread and used more of the precious and less wheat. It turned out well. My next goal is to find out how to make the bread lighter, to have a more spongy texture.)

 

I left it chunky rather than smoothing it in a blender. It turned out fairly well. I should have busted out the kielbasa in my freezer, diced a bit, and sprinkled it on top. Next time. 

 

 

I bought a TV since my DVDs were on their shelves impatiently waiting to be played. Many thanks to my friend who donated the stand.

 

 

Mind you, I haven't actually watched any yet. However, I did put on a CD after everything was hooked up. I hope my neighbors downstairs didn't mind a little Hound Dog Taylor played at a moderate volume. It sounded alright to me.

 

Perhaps I will resurrect the tradition from 20+ years ago of watching Zatoichi on Saturday mornings. Regardless, I need to start patronizing Four Star once again.

For her part, Piper is being Piper, cuddling on my lap as I relax on my new couch.

 

 

My bed frame arrived and I assembled it last night. Along with a night stand that I found at a thrift store the room is coming together. Slowly. At some point I shall bring the stand over to a friend's garage where I will lovingly sand it before applying a new shade of paint.

I was given a fleece blanket so I am washing my bedding before giving it a trial run. Piper will no doubt approve. Oh, I finally got my grandmother's pitcher and wash basin out and on display once more. 

 

It snowed! Well, flurried. We didn't get much schnee but it made things look pretty for a while.

 

This Santa is a bit menacing, as if he was taking part in a holiday cage match. "Let me tell ya something brother! The North Pole madness is coming for ya!"