thumbing

Here's something different: I'm blogging from the Map Room in Chicago: no, that's not a library: that's a bar.

And a fine bar it is. So good, that I'm not going to waste my time talking to you people.

OK conference. Barack rocks. Chicago rocks.

Sweet home

In planning for an upcoming trip to Chicago I'm realizing that I have been gone so long that I can't make a coherent list of things to do. This came up when a colleague asked me to add to a list of recommended restaurants and attractions.

Like many places that I've lived, one of my best memories is just of wandering. Walking around a new neighborhood; going for a bike ride; stepping into an unknown restaurant or cafe. I just hope I'll have a chance to do that while I'm home.

Bacon, weeds, tennis

Had some friends over recently that have declared it to be Bacon Wrapped Summer, 2005. They brought dates stuffed with cheese. This week I received bacon-wrapped bananas with feta. Last weekend L and I had a spinach salad with candied walnuts, strawberries, and grilled chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Fantastic.

Today L cut down a weedy lilac and finished some weeding that I started this morning in the rear side bed. Including mulch! Earlier I had cleaned up the front side bed and hacked back a bunch of the what the neighbors have taken to calling the poppy bed. Combined with last month's crewcut and a lawn mowing, the whole side of the house looks 100% better today. In fact, it looks downright sharp.

And finally, the tennis season ended today. An early morning victory was followed by an afternoon defeat--although I have to say that I played my best doubles of the season. Next year I may need to decide between softball and tennis due to school obligations. I think the choice will be easy: tennis.

Chop, chop, chop

A big yard waste weekend--the complete hedge trimming extravaganza. 11 bags of yard waste were added to the 3 created when we had the extra tall ladder rented.

This year we decided to go even deeper on the sidewalk side. Lydia wants fat people to be able to walk side-by-side down the sidewalk without falling into the bush. If we had an edger, we could probably gain 6inches on the grass side.

So I spread out the bags on the lawn in the back, which brings us ever closer to roto-tiller day.