Red Wings

On Dec. 20, I took Amy to a Red Wings game. It was the first time I had ever been to a professional hockey game. The game was fantastic, high energy, and the Red Wings won! We were able to watch the game at ice level. My friend Jimmy works for the Wings and we worked it out ahead of time that we could be guests at ice level.

I've never followed the Wings like I follow the Pistons, but that is going to change. Hockey is very entertaining, fast-paced, and to get a penalty you really have to hit them with your stick, punch them in the face, or commit a random act of violence. In basketball, you accidentally bump an overpaid athlete and they call you for it. If you are going to be paid millions for playing a game then you should be willing to take a few hard hits from time to time.

I'm Hungry - You're Lazy

Kona decided she had enough of waiting around to be fed her morning meal. She is a persistent alarm clock capable of jumping on beds and staring directly at you until you cave in or get sufficienly annoyed :)

Grand Photos

Wintry Night at the Dog Park

Yesterday I returned from my trip West to the Grand Canyon. It was exciting to see all of the snow on the ground. Kona had been staying at Howladay Inn and while I was away stole the hearts of the entire staff. She may be large, clumsy, excitable and partial to licking faces, but she will eventually win over most people if given the chance. Kona's first order of business upon seeing me was to barrel toward me with no regard to our physical well-being. As a reward, I took her to the completely empty dog park and let her chase me around. Winter with my dog is a great time.

Pumpkin Stroll

Downtown Midland hosts annually the Midland Pumpkin Stroll. Daniel and I decided to help host the event, which means handing out candy to thousands of tiny ghouls, ghosts, princesses, and ultra sneaky ninjas. Star Wars outfits were popular, there were more than a few Iron Man costumes, and plenty of Batman impostors. We went through $300 worth of candy! Daniel's kids even came out to help us pass out candy.

Now you see it, Now you don't!

The newest addition to the house is a vanishing waterfall. As you can see, it magically flows from the side of my deck and the water vanishes into a stone pond. The noise of the flowing water in my backyard is very relaxing. It's not very large, but the amount of rock it takes to create and decorate a waterfall is ridiculous. I've started stopping on the side of roads when I see a nice rock that might complement the waterfall. This is the "me standing over waterfall" view. There were no birds around to take photos for me.

Really?

Is it really possible that Lego and Kellogg would team up to create a Lego fruit snack? Hopefully this will turn out to be a joke.

http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=8213

Crime Scene

I decided to stain the beadboard in my kitchen. Instead of the natural wood color, I've decided to use a red stain. My trip to pick up the stain began at 8:30 pm on Friday. I spent some time with the Home Depot paint department, and they color matched the stain to the red in my living room. They packed my quart of stain in a thin plastic bag along with a couple cans of spray insulation, paintbrushes, etc. I pulled into my garage, parked the car, exited the vehicle and just as I picked the bag up the bottom fell out and the stain hit the floor forcing the lid open. My concrete was covered with a huge red puddle of stain. For the next hour I was spraying red water down my driveway and scrubbing my floor in red stained clothing. My neighbors haven't talked with me since.




Home Depot did replace my stain free of charge, and even gave me rags and some cleaning solvents to remove the red tint from my garage. I give them an A+ for customer service. Sorry, Lowes, you still lose.

Home Improvement

I replaced two doors on my house this weekend. See:

Suburban Warfare

I've learned that the lawn is just one part of your home that earns bragging rights. My competitive nature drives me to have the best lawn on my street. The photo above is from May 2007 -- when I started to dream of a thick green carpet of grass.


This photo was taken this morning. A little TLC has earned me a spot in the top three. My neighbor even took note of my success and shouted out over the fence that separates our backyard, "lawn's looking good." Sure is, buddy. Sure is.

My New Gadget

My Nike + Sportband arrived while I was in Atlanta. The sportband will replace my nano, and will still track my calories burned, distance, pace and uploads my results to the Nike Web site for all the world to see. It's a talking point, and completely useless watch at night since there is no backlight feature. My friend Jim loves the sportband so much he threatens to steal mine and compete against me in races like this:

Life is good

I made a late night run this past weekend to pick up a hammock. After visiting Wal-Mart and Meijer, I was able to find one at Home Depot. All of my free time is now spent on the hammock -- sometimes I sleep, sometimes I read, and most of the time I stare at my lawn trying to will my grass to grow.


I'll probably remove the bench beneath the hammock. My intention has been to replace the bench anyway, and my goal for greater relaxation will be the inspiration for my increased amount of work.

All sticks, no stones, and no broken bones

Aside from getting stuck underneath my deck to escape the heat, chasing the rabbits who live near my shed, and her relentless attempts to catch a squirrel, Kona's favorite activity is chewing on sticks. This is her first stick of the season, and life never tasted so good. She spent an hour on the stick before she was distracted by the neighbor kids.

Sign of Spring

With the emergence of my first Crocus I now know another great Michigan summer is just around the corner.

Nike +

My friend Daniel inspired me to join Nike +, a two year old program that tracks your runs. It is very similar to an pedometer, except it sends your runs to a Web site where you can challenge your friends to a race. I'm in a four man race that started in mid-March. The challenge is to see who can run the most miles in 30 days. My name is MrSensible.

Furminated!

I bought the Furminator dog brush. The Web site for the brush claims it will reduce 60 to 80% of shedding for six to eight weeks. I'm a bit skeptical of that claim, as I'm a bit skeptical of everything, but this brush works really well. The big mass of hair above came from Kona's coat after a few minutes of brushing.

Well-deserved Naps

The dogs had enough after a full weekend of ripping corkboard, trim and pipes and replacing it with new bead board and trim. Grady and Kona shared the dog bed and Baxter found his favorite spot underneath the kitchen counter. Baxter hates to sleep alone so he brought a couple of friends along.

Mess Hall

I had to chip away some nasty corkboard that was in my kitchen.

The corkboard was replaced with pine bead board, and the trim around the window was updated. I haven't figured out what to do with the bead board yet. I am leaning toward painting it, but am also thinking of staining the board.

Feeling Better

Kona is finally feeling better. She went on her first walk in four weeks and enjoyed every second outside.

Home Improvement

The newest addition to the home is a coat rack. The piece is from pottery barn and is supposed to be used as a shelf. I've added coat hooks to the bottom.

Sick as a Dog

Kona had a tough week. She had surgery to correct her bloat and to remove a spleen. She also had a dog bone stuck in her intestine that was removed. Oh, and did I mention the pneumonia she has? I'm a horrible puppy parent. The photo above is just a couple days after the procedure.

No Heat!

The motor on my furnace failed, and I was without heat for two days before a new one could be installed. The bright spot of the whole situation was being able to use my fireplace. I should have made hot chocolate, but didn't think about it until now. Why do my great ideas always come late?

Retired Parents = Awesome!

My parents came up this past weekend and helped put up new floor trim. It looks great if you ask me. The trim is the newest improvement since the kitchen, dining room, living area and hallway were painted. The red in the living area is my favorite.

This is the living area. There is a huge fireplace, nice wood floor and new blinds in the back windows. The furniture is new as well and was purchased at Jennifer's Convertibles. The purchased lifetime warranty is a nice perk considering Kona sneaks up on the furniture. This house is actually starting to look like a home.

I'll Be Your Huckleberry!

A work trip to Tucson, Arizona allowed me the time to visit Tombstone -- a town made legendary by Wyatt Earp and the 1993 film. I was able to stand where Morgan Earp was gunned down while playing pool, and also was able to visit Boot Hill cemetary. It's a small place, and most of Tombstone is a tourist attraction filled with camera toting fools like myself.

New route to China discovered!

Kona would never take part in any type of bad behavior. She is never one to stop it either. Had Graham found buried treasure I would have been very happy, but he didn't and let's just say I'm not amused. In the end you have to admire his passion for digging. He has a gift.

The next Shia?

Optimus and Megatron are being crushed by a very happy and giant child. Actually, Rock'em, Sock'em Robots were reborn in a Transformers package and my brother and I couldn't resist gifting my cousin with the new toy. A battle for Cybertron waged that evening with Optimus (not controlled by me) getting the best of Megatron (controlled by me). The battle was lost, but I'll continue on with the war.