

Alley Work - Garage Floor Cracks
There’s alley work happening behind my house. They removed the old cement, replaced utilities, laid rock down, and are getting ready to pour concrete. The vibratory roller used put cracks in my garage floor. It shook my house pretty violently. There’s 4-5 cracks in my garage floor that spiderwebbed. The floor was replaced new in 2019. Do I call the Village for something like this? Any idea on how to handle?
Dire Wolf in bloom….
In honor of House of Dragon season 3 airing last night, I felt compelled to post a pic of Dire Wolf in full bloom!
Remarried…Wife is Pregnant
I was divorced in 2019. Have 2 kids with my ex.
I haven’t told my ex that we’re expecting yet.
We have a decent co-parenting relationship; but not by any means perfect. She tends to hover and try to oversee rules in my house, etc. Some will probably say it’s because I lack discipline or my house is the “fun house” - and sure, the kids and I have a great time; but I do keep a level of rules and structure. It’s more about control on her part.
If you remarried and had another child, how did you best communicate with your ex?
Wife is Pregnant…
I (M46) was remarried in November. Found out my wife is pregnant. Tonight, we found out it’s going to be a boy... I have 2 kids ages 12 and 10 from a previous marriage. My wife is 38 and has always wanted kids.
I feel like I was put on the Earth to be a Dad. I absolutely love it. But, goddamn if it doesn’t scare me shitless of having a kid this late in life. This year, age hit me hard. 2 years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. I bought a house, got remarried, elevated career, and to top it all off - my kids are busier than ever with sports. I coach and and attend as many sporting games as I can - even when the kids are with their mom (50/50 custody)…
So my workouts fell off.
Woke up this AM and decided to get back into working out. Started military boot camp style workouts. Good community of guys, which is what I need.
But my damn back hurts and my hips hurt, and I’m tired.
Good news is I have experience and know what to do. It won’t be much of an adjustment once I get through the sleepless nights. I’m suddenly just hyper focused on my health. I just want to be able to play catch with him when he gets older.
This year, I suddenly feel mortal - and at the same time, I feel pressure to live longer. I never thought about life like that before.
What I do in the next 5-10 years health wise will define the rest of my life.
Here’s to getting my ass moving again and cheers to the colonoscopy that I’ll be doing in the next few months. Double cheers for this little baby boy that’s coming in January. 🍻
What was the most shocking moment of the 90’s?
Just saw an article about a man who stole a tank and went on a rampage in 1995 and it got me thinking about wild 90’s moments.
Here’s a list I put together. If this is the A-side of the cassette tape; what’s the B-side?
OJ Simpson arrest
LA Riots (still remember watching the police footage)
Kurt Cobain
Oklahoma City Bombing
Desert Storm
Uni-bomber
Princess Di
Michael Jackson dangling a kid out the window
90’s Bulls - 72 win season / Jordan’s return / Dennis Rodman / Madonna / Carmen Electra
Bill Clinton / Lewinsky
Mike Tyson - biting Evander Holyfield’s ear off
Waco Texas
Columbine
Y2K
Tupac and Biggie deaths
Jeffery Dahmer
Empress Wu
Bought this EW last year as a 1 gallon plant. The root structure was enormous on it. I fed it fish fertilizer last summer and then placed compost on it in the spring. I think this one might explode in the next couple years. Was hoping the leaves would be much larger. Do EW leaves get bigger as they age? Leaves on my Sum & Substance, Francis William, and Komodo Dragon are all much larger. They were all planted last summer around the same time.
Komodo Dragon 🐉
Komodo Dragon is really taking off. Bought as a single eye from an online seller and was subsequently smashed shortly after getting it in the ground due to a neighbor’s roofing project. I wasn’t sure it would emerge; but it came back with 3 eyes and it’s really showing off some growth potential. It gets morning sun and shade the rest of the day, so it’s in a good spot to get really large. I love the upright, big wavy leaves on these guys. One of my favorites.
Hosta Companion Plants
The Leopard plant is my favorite companion plant in my garden. I like the arrow shaped leaves and the coloring.
What’s your favorite companion plant? I’m looking to add some others.
EW x OP streaker
My EW streaker is liking it’s spot. We’ve had a rainy beginning to summer and she’s really taking off. I bought a single eye at an auction last year. This year, it grew three eyes and I’m amazed at the leaf size on it. It’s throwing a bloom and I had planned to cross it with a couple varieties; but none are blooming yet. Not sure what to do other than collect some pollen from some neighbors. This one is going to be massive. Photo of my mitt on the second pic for scale.
Skunked at Busse
I’ve fished Busse Woods for several years now and the weeds and over growth are getting to be too much. I’ve taken my 10year old son a few times now because we can rent kayaks; but he’s getting discouraged because we aren’t catching anything. I think I may need to switch spots altogether. Combing through some of the posts on here; I may take him to fish the Fox River, but I’ve always fished lakes and never done any river fishing. Any tips? I may try and get him out again next weekend.
Birthday Feelings.
Yesterday was my birthday.
I was given up at birth, lived in a home for 6 months before being adopted.
For context, my bios on Ancestry a few years back, but have little interaction.
By all accounts, I’m super happy in life.
My (adopted) Mom died some years back and my Dad decided he didn’t want a relationship - so I’m sort of on my own when it comes to parents. Fine. I’m an adult, am self made - by all standards, I’m successful - proud I’ve made something out of myself.
Here’s where it gets tricky. I hate my birthday. It brings up many feelings in me, that I only think about once a year.
Why was I given a chance, when so many aren’t? Why didn’t my bios want me in the first place? Why did my Dad leave - maybe I don’t deserve parents. Am I doing enough in life so that my bio parents would be proud of me? Why doesn’t my bio mom want a relationship?
It all just swirls around on my birthday and quite honestly, the day gets ruined. Now, I pack it all up and move on from it and wait until the tsunami happens again next May 19.
Does anyone else get these feelings or something similar on your birthday? I swear it’s terrible.
No one seems to understand, and I just sort of want to be left alone - but I have a wife and kids who want to celebrate and then get disappointed when I’m not audibly excited. I’m just quiet. I don’t know I just feel like I let everyone down yesterday because I don’t want to celebrate.
Thank god for May 20 and it being over haha.
Coast to Coast
This one came in nice this year. I like the rippled edge.
Streaked Hosta
Bought this streaked hosta from a breeder last year. It’s Empress Wu x Open Pollinated. The leaves on it are impressively large. Much bigger than my other 2 year old Empress Wu.