tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216713232007-08-23T07:07:12.518-07:00ScottBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-35408726791992068522007-08-23T07:03:00.000-07:002007-08-23T07:07:07.854-07:00

I'm making some changes to how I publish my rambles to take advantage of some new features that Google is adding to Blogger. As a result, if you've been subscribed to the blog using an RSS feed or similar, you will no longer be notified of new posts using the old URL. To be automatically notified of new posts by your browser, save a bookmark for this new address: http://rambles.thegerb.net/

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-13732048209791985802007-08-20T23:01:00.000-07:002007-08-21T13:19:10.292-07:00

I got to pet a baby cow yesterday. To be specific, I scratched that little guy under the chin lots and lots while his eye rolled around in his head and he grunted happy little calf grunts. Just like Simon, only larger and more bovine. And boy, it was fun. Stays with you, it does. Maybe I just need to wash my hands. CORRECTION: That would be "eyes". He had two of them. This was not a sad little

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-83507144557824593422007-07-28T12:13:00.000-07:002007-08-21T13:18:21.829-07:00

So, after the good folks at Comcast kindly told us it would cost $78,000 plus change to get cable internet extended to our place out in the boonies, I said thank you very much I'll give that some thought. No kidding. I threw away the letter, but that was the quoted price to extend the backbone cable the three miles needed to provide us and our neighbors with service. They had a nice, accessible

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-38547117248982465612007-07-22T09:00:00.000-07:002007-07-23T13:13:16.384-07:00

Just as I was starting to feel a little off-balance, we've had an absolutely fantastic, uplifting weekend. Taking a few extra steps here and there to meet new people, and others are doing the same. It feels really good. We were at the coffee shop Friday morning checking email, when Linda (the owner) introduced us to Louis, a regular customer who is also a California transplant. He and his

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-74672728966147879962007-07-19T07:29:00.000-07:002007-07-20T08:02:35.256-07:00

New House Rule #1: Miscellaneous piles of crap on the stairs or at the basement door must vanish by bedtime. I stayed at home today to work on the kitchen and put our shelves back together while Paul ran some errands and went out to his school to meet with the band teacher. The two of them have really hit it off so far. I'm betting they're going to work together well. The propane guys came out

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-62712007651781560882007-07-18T07:28:00.000-07:002007-07-20T07:29:16.359-07:00

Back in our own bed. Oh, the glory of being back in our own bed. It's been four months to the day: March 18th was our last night at home in San Jose, and tonight our old friend is back. A bit musty, but at this point I don't care. Our washer is all hooked up, but we won't have gas hooked into the dryer until tomorrow, so the sheets still smell a bit like moist cardboard. (Paul ran a load to test

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-64529135048980343032007-07-17T07:26:00.000-07:002007-07-20T07:28:39.146-07:00

My shopping stamina is failing me. After only three or four hours, I'm feeling the beginnings of headache and fatigue. Paul considers this a hopeful sign, but considering the length of our lists, this is only the beginning. Helpful shopping tip: when spending much too much money at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, add a few items that you don't really like to the cart, so that later you can put them back in

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-6823415506689788842007-07-15T08:41:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.759-07:00

Pulled into the driveway last night at about 8:30 or 9, with our little U-Haul trailer, a few bags of groceries, and a Domino's pizza. Spent the first 15 minutes walking around the house saying things like, "Hey, I thought there was an actual room here", and "Woo-hoo, the front room is much bigger than I remembered", and "I don't much like the refrigerator." Then I locked us out of the house.

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-74631477888780668782007-07-13T21:09:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.759-07:00

Yesterday, someone shared the sentiment with us that Pennsylvania is essentially Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with Alabama in between. A sweeping generalization, yes, but the truths of that statement are certainly alive and well tonight, thumping with a skull-rattling bass, wearing the Confederate flag in various shapes and sizes, vomiting onto the asphalt, and bellowing very rude things to and

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-62969980364718371822007-07-11T14:06:00.001-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.759-07:00

High-speed internet again at last! Thank you, Quality Inn. We left Wisconsin yesterday with Mom and Dad in our own little caravan. Traded the Hertz Buick Enorma for my folks' 1995 Jeep Cherokee (a red-hot bargain deal!), attached a small U-Haul trailer, and headed south to the greater Chicagoland area. And great it is. Expansive. Neverending. The Bay Area is large, but nicely arranged around

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-31302555160233182462007-07-08T14:07:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.759-07:00

Ah, the week is flying by. Such a good chance to kick back and relax with the folks, but we're both starting to get antsy to be done. We're on the brink of being really tired of traveling, and are SO ready to be in the new home and see it again after two months. We're in the home stretch, though. Should be in by late Saturday night if all goes well. We close on Friday, and all the ducks are in a

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-33466301675248914322007-07-03T20:45:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.759-07:00

Mmmm... new hand-crafted furniture... We visited a few Amish furniture makers today, looking mainly at dressers (aka chests of drawers), as I don't have one. Considering that we'll probably need to rent a small trailer for the last leg of our trip from WI to VT, it seemed like a good opportunity. Found a pair that we really liked and decided to take them with us. We'll also be bringing one of my

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-21535719208867840772007-06-30T20:31:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.760-07:00

Tonight we are staying in a suite at the Super 8. Who knew that Super 8 Motels had suites? What a world. It was the only room left in the Inn, and a bargain at that, considering that Williamsburg is celebrating their sesquicentennial this weekend. It's pretty much your average Super 8/Motel 6/Econo Lodge kind of room, only bigger. Much bigger. We have to leave bread crumbs when we go down the

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-28306170391397473502007-06-28T08:29:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.760-07:00

Well, Simon has lost his innocence. No, our dog didn't get laid -- that's not really in the cards, as he's missing some key equipment. Though the breeder did "collect a specimen" from him before he was fixed, I doubt that carries the same thrill. After three years of working himself into a frenzy over the multitude of squirrels that tease him from just outside his reach, he finally caught up

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-166613213136860482007-06-27T20:27:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.760-07:00

Ah, it's been so good to spend some time again in Arkansas with Paul's folks. (And I'm not just saying that because I know you're reading this, Sara.) I am so comfortable here, so at home, that it feels very much like coming to my parents' house. Of course, I don't know my way around the town, and I barely know any of the neighbors, but I love sitting next door and hearing the stories over coffee

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-6439868116420728482007-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.760-07:00

This time with Judi Lynn and her family has been very easy, and so enjoyable. She and Paul go back about 25 years, so I really enjoyed the chance to spend a little time with her and to meet her kids and her new husband, Curtis. We got to hear the final concert for the week-long clarinet camp she organizes teaches in the summers - must have been about 30 students, middle school and high school.

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-63919975769916516802007-06-22T23:40:00.000-07:002007-07-05T10:28:04.852-07:00

Yes, I'm running a bit behind here. What with sporadic internet access, frequent travel, and being on vacation, I've been slacking a bit. Playing catch-up today and the next couple of days and will be posting things I've written along the way. Keep watching...

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-53765917127361243692007-06-22T12:53:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.760-07:00

A nifty little haiku from Michele Madrigal: bugs on the windshield stomach crying for salad burst tire; call 3 A

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-27198821749733627892007-06-21T22:42:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

Paul forgot my birthday today. Feel free to give him hell. Granted, it's been a topsy-turvy week or two and we will be celebrating next week with his folks, but still... I half-expected this but was hoping for a little something special today. I do love him so. After knowing Paul for six years now (today is also our anniversary), the Man of a Thousand Stories is beginning to develop a

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-91787592588841949072007-06-20T23:15:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

Today we left New Mexico and headed into Texas, through Amarillo and Wichita Falls to Allen, a suburb of Dallas. Paul's dear friend Judi Lynn lives there, and we'll be staying with her family for a couple of days before heading up to Arkansas to see Paul's parents. The Texas panhandle is still very green this early in the summer, and the drive was easy and quite scenic. Flat, wide-open, and

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-83785941121331334312007-06-19T19:39:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

Pretty straightforward day today. Scraped ourselves out of bed after a fantastic day with Drake, Ryan and Dean (and lots of pizza and frosty adult beverages), then headed up to Flagstaff and took highway 40 into New Mexico. It was pretty much a no-frills drive. It was so good to spend some time with the guys. A well-timed reminder that years can go by between seeing friends and yet you can still

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-86680315095192955342007-06-18T10:47:00.001-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

It's still sinking in.

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-49113443335259994772007-06-17T22:37:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

Woo-hoo! 92 degrees at 8:30 am! Five quick hours into Phoenix on highway 10. Straight shot with only a rest stop or two. Driving into Phoenix was so surreal for me. Ten years ago I know the city like the back of my hand. Now, all day long each street sign and freeway interchange started clicking memories into place, like a jigsaw puzzle of familiarity. I know I'm a very map-oriented person --

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-55234900111456439672007-06-16T22:10:00.000-07:002007-08-16T09:05:44.761-07:00

And, we're off! Saturday June 16th, 7am, the Buick Enclave is fully loaded (and fully loaded - thank you, Hertz), and we are hittin' the road. Simon has his own little next carved out behind the driver's seat, and we are stocked up with iced tea, fig newtons, and many back-epidodes of This American Life. I think we are set. The plan for Day 1: East from San Jose through Yosemite, then south at

Scotttag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21671323.post-674039319737037262007-05-21T14:02:00.000-07:002007-08-07T20:46:43.627-07:00

We got it! The reality is still sinking in, but the house in Underhill is going to be ours. It was SO hard to be patient all week waiting for the seller to review multiple offers and decide, but today was the deadline so we knew that one way or the other, we'd be put out of our misery soon. Thankful for the time difference, I got word by 9 am that we were well on our way to becoming homeowners

Scott