Going out on a limb

under constructionEither going out on a limb or jinxing the weather....I think we've reached the maximum snow height.  I'm not saying we aren't going to get more snow but I do think we'll have more melting than accumulation.  I just hope I'm correct.

note the fish

compare with backyard under construction 2 years ago....
under construction

Old Chicago St. Patrick's Mini-Tour

 Bunny enjoying the not-so-appetizing-sounding mutton stew pizza.

Chef Tim at the Uptown Old Chicago often makes a pizza to fit the mini-tour kick-off party.  This year he made mutton stew pizza with lamb, carrots and a brown sauce on pizza dough.  It doesn't sound like it would be very good but it was excellent!

 Christy, our ever present server, kept us going forward on the mini-tour.  Let's just say Bunny and I are almost halfway through already.  Neither of us were driving.

Loretta heading for the free food...followed by Bunny and me.

Uptown Old Chicago is the best!  Lots of free food and giveaways.  Loretta and I won t-shirts and even though Christy REALLY tired to help Bunny, Bunny was stumped and didn't win anything.

I gave her the t-shirt I won.

Unbelievable

I can't believe it but I just caught another mouse!  I looked through the blog entries to find when the first one was...December 19th.

And there hasn't been a peep from the cats or odd behavior.  The cats and I were in the sun room.  I heard a noise from the kitchen.  Uno raised her head and looked in the direction of the kitchen but didn't make any moves to go look.  I did and the supposed sanitary -- you don't have to touch the captured thing -- trap had a mouse caught by its tail!. 

I don't know how it got caught and seemed barely captured.  The mouse started squealing so I thought the cats would come check it out.  Nope.  No one stirred...except the mouse and me.

I used a broom to get the supposed trap and mouse out from between the refrigerator and stove.  Then used my tub and lid technique to get the mouse out of the house.  This one is quite a live and well but we'll see how the it does in the cold of the back porch.

Oh, and by the way, the cats are still sleeping in the sun room!

What melts doth fall again from the sky

We got back all that melted and more.  The official number from the airport was 12.3 inches of snow from Sunday, 20th, snow storm.

At times it was coming down so hard, blowing so much, and so foggy, that you couldn't see to the end of the block.

But many "thanks" to a kind neighbor who snow-blowed my front sidewalk.  Don't know who it was but I paid it forward and helped a woman get her car out of the snow and down the road.

Nissan Maxima

For my last week in Denver (last week) I nabbed a new Nissan Maxima.  I was wishing the National Car Rental greeter a Happy Valentines Day just as the Maxima was being brought into the lot.  She smiled and gestured me to the car.

This was a new vehicle with just 4,000 miles and the new model version.  This version of the Maxima has much more bent medal than the older models.  The hood has folds in from the fenders and a fold at the center.  From inside the car it looks like a sexy wave.  And the rear has hips.

The interior is very roomy and comfortable.  One co-worked had a truck and the other a Toyota Yarris so it was up to me to drive to all our outings.  So roomy and comfortable that at least one person fell asleep as the Maxima cruised quietly and smoothly on the highway.

There is plenty of power at all speeds...from the stop light controlled highway entrance to passing at 60 miles per hour. The gauges are simple and large.  The tachometer indicator starts at the bottom of its large display and sweeps way to the top.  The redline is above 6,000 rpms.

This model was equipped with automatic HVAC temperature controls.  It really makes things easy not having to fiddle with the fan and temperature controls.  The seats are comfortable and have multi-way power control.

I think you can tell I really liked the Nissan Maxima.

National Car Rental really did step up to my complaint about having a supervisor in the return lane.  But the Maxima was put in the rental lanes having had the windshield wiped with a very dirty cloth.  It makes it difficult to see especially when the sun hits the smeared glass.  And it is impossible to remove without special rags or cleaning fluid.

Big Melt Down

A dramatic decrease in snow level from when I left Monday morning.  The sidewalks are even clear and you can see the ground in some places.

And this big ice sheet must of slid off the roof and spiked itself in the middle of the front yard!

A social week

view of Rockies from hotel

view of Rockies from hotel

Theoretically this is my last week in Denver.  Monday we went a National Hockey League game at the Pepsi Center in downtown Denver.  It was the Colardo Avalanche versus Calgary Flames.  The Pepsi Center is nicknamed "The Can."  And speaking of cans...the Flames opened a can of whoop-ass on the Avalanche.  Flames won 9 to 1!  Nine is a really high score in hockey.

Last night we went to the gym together.  And tonight we are going to Boulder to watch IBM's Watson take on Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on Jeopardy.  If you haven't been following Jeopardy, an Artificial Intelligence computer built by IBM is taking on two Jeopardy champions.  Ken Jennings has won the most Jeopardy matches of anyone and Brad Rutter has won the most money.