Every Blooming THing-- Early April

No work outside today, April 4, because of rain and cool temps, but I have been working outside a lot.  I've been raking pine straw (makes great mulch in the pine islands on the east and west sides).  Also, gathering lots and lots of branches taken down by winter storms and especially that February storm that had the branches of the pine trees touching ground.  I lost a lot of large branches that way.

My neighbor Joe had a guy come over cutting a tree down and he was nice enough to come over and finish cutting up the part of the Bradford pear tree by the deck that had been blown down a couple years back.  I had that guy come over and cut down a lot of the same tree that had continued standing as it was overgrown and also cut down the volunteer apple tree(s) by the southwest corner of the house that also had overgrown.

He then cut down a lot of the lower branches of the pine trees in both pine islands.

Since then, I have been busy at Frances' Back 40 in the southeast corner of the yard cutting various bushes back which had overgrown.

I've also been working in the flower beds and am happy to report lots of bulbs coming up and the daffodills by the heat exchange ARE BLOOMING!!!

Maybe Spring Is Finally Here.  --RoadDog

The "Beak" Dies: Big-Time Packer Fan

Mugs are at half mast around the Spring grove area for John "Beak" Cochara, who died suddenly on New Year's Eve.  He was quite the character in these parts.

He was probably the most famous for getting duct taped to the stop sign at the corner of Il.-173 and Wilmot Road back in 1995.  He had been in K.C.'s Cabin at that corner for the Bear-Packer game which ended badly for Da Bears.  Beak was a huge Green Bay fan and started riding the Bear fans (he was badly outnumbered) and was warned to shut up or he'd be duct taped to the stop sign outside.

We are right on the Illinois-Wisconsin border, so there is somewhat of a rivalry between the two teams.

He didn't and they did.  The Chicago Tribune picked up the story and eventually ESPN and other national sources.  When the cops came and cut him down, they asked if he wanted to press charges, to which he replied, "Hell no.  I'm going back inside."

We drove by K.C.'s Cabin the next time the Bears and Packers played, and we could easily have been at Lambeau as there were flags, signs and pennants flying all over...for Green Bay.  Those Packer fans had come down and taken over a Bear bar!!

So Long, Beak.  --RoadDog

The Beatles Are Coming!! The Beatles Are Coming!!-- Part 1: WLS Top 40 Survey January 17, 1964

From the Oldies Loon website. //// Yesterday, Bob Stroud started off his show on WDRV with "California Sun" by the Rivieras and "Hey Little Cobra" by the Ripchords and said that these two songs were in the WLS Silver Dollar Survey for the week of January 17, 1964. This was also the week that the Beatles first cracked the chart with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" which debuted at #40. By the next week it had jumped to #8 and the following week was #1. //// Beatlemania and the British Invasion had arrived on U.S. shores. Things wouldn't be the same after that. And that means music and myself. //// The next several days I will be taking a look at the charts for the next couple of months back in 1964. Those four lads from Liverpool had quite the impact. //// Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. --RoadDog

Duh, Not Once, But Twice

Yesterday, buddy Trov came over and did a major bit of trimming on my trees which were much in need of it. Gone are the two nasty buckthorns and those menacing thorns of theirs. I mean, if I couldn't handle a little old thistle, what chance would I have against a two-inch long thorn?

He trims trees and cuts them down for a living when he is not volunteering time with the fire department in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, so really knows his stuff.

I have a "volunteer" tree growing on the west side of the house and asked Trov what kind it was. He said apple, judging from a couple apples hanging from it. Oh. Duh. I hadn't seen the apples (my excuse is I'm too busy avoiding the stinging critters who are in the yard in huge numbers. A few weeks back, I was stung four times in rapid succession when I blundered into a nest.).

Later, on the east side of the house, there was another question about another "volunteer" tree. This time, it was a crabapple judging from the crabapples hanging from it. Second Duh!!

I Can See Clearly Now. --RoadDog