this old house

Last November (the same day we got Guinness, actually), Ian and I began our house hunt. That first day, we toured five homes on Milwaukee’s East Side, where we were determined to live. In all, we looked at around 30 houses that seemed to cover every part of the house-condition spectrum: a cozy but obviously crooked bungalow; a creepy old boarding house; some cute but character-less flipped ones; a former commercial building; and a few foreclosures that had once been beautiful, but are now crumbling inside, the ceilings dropping off in gobs and the walls covered in mold thanks to burst pipes and general neglect.

As we hadn’t spent much time in houses there -- which are typically 100-plus years old -- it took awhile to realize that, rather than spend on a house that had been rehabbed in a style we didn’t love, we’d rather buy low and make exactly the changes we want.

meet guinness

What: Female African pygmy hedgehog
Full name: Guinness Harriet Martin Cliffe, after Harriet the Spy, because of the way she tilts her head and looks at us out of one eye
Aliases: GP (for Guin-nea Pig), Huffy Hufferton, Tubby Tubberton, Bubby, Bubbers and Bubberton
Coloring: Pinto (same as the horse; she has a few pure-white patches on her sides) with a white furry tummy
Namesake: Most of her quills (which don't come out like a porcupine's) look like the stout; dark brown on the bottom and white on top
Length: 7-1/2 in. (when we got her, she was about 5 in.)
Weight: 1 lb., 1 oz. (when we got her, she was about 7 oz.)
Birthday: September 21, 2011 (thank you, Earth Wind & Fire)
Gotcha day: November 14, 2011, just outside State Fair Park (from a breeder whose husband wanted to go to the train show)
Home: A two-level cage with a ramp that Ian made; her food is at the top and she is really good at using the ramp, unless it is blocked, at which point, she flops down to the first floor
Modus: Being afraid of everything
Life goal: Being brave
Feels like: When she's calm, her quills lie flat on her back and feel like rice; when she's upset, her quills stand straight up and are quite sharp -- and her tummy is very soft, if she lets you touch it
Eats: Dry and wet kitten food, mealworms, green beans, corn, carrots and shortbread cookies
Likes: Digging, climbing, burrowing, snuggling, playing outside (under strict supervision), sleeping in her special blanket, huffing at frightening sights and sounds, exploring the world with a toilet paper tube on her head, playing catch with Ian (she is the ball), cigarette butts, meeting new people
Dislikes: Apples, being tickled, getting her picture taken (especially for holidays), sitting still, her ball, leashes, meeting new people

I've obviously been sitting on this post since November, for absolutely no good reason at all. But even though it's very, very old by Web standards, it still deserves to be read.

Want to know anything else about our little hog?

clear waters

Down a quiet Northwoods road... 

Not far from the Wisconsin River...

...An artesian well flows, where thirsty passersby fill as many milk jugs and Gatorade bottles as they can manage. My family has driven past it every time we visit my grandparents. But I never remember stopping -- until Sunday.

Ian and I drove up and had a very pleasant visit. As we headed home, there it was. The spring. I'd stashed a few water bottles in the car for the drive, and now they were empty, so Ian suggested we stop to see what all the fuss was about. He hopped out and filled them up. Even through the plastic, I could feel how cool the water was, and when I took a gulp, I tasted nothing. In my humble opinion, that's simple, sweet perfection. 

We're not sure when we'll visit Granny and Granddad next, but we're already stockpiling bottles.

Have you found a place like this?

merry christmas from the badger state

This birthday being his 30th, Ian and I decided to make a weekend of it. We drove to Madison on Friday the 3rd, right before the day-long snow started, and checked into the Best Western on Capitol Square (our room overlooked it -- see the photo below). The weekend was lovely and included fantastic food, some craft beer, and a bit of sightseeing. I hadn't been inside the Capitol for about 20 years, so we popped in to look around and found that it was already decorated for Christmas. While we were there, a choir was taking advantage of the fantastic acoustics. Not that we minded. If you're ever in town during December, stop by. It's beautiful.

zoom zoom

In honor of my shiny, new job (associate editor of home and garden books at Readers Digest Milwaukee -- woot!), we got a new car. And we thought our experience buying the Civic made us feel grown up... It has nothin' on the Mazda3. The Mazda3 is new -- brand spankin' new. As in, its 16" alloy wheels have only traversed over 88 miles of God's green earth. It is, in fact, so awesome that the camera decided to focus on the car instead of us. But as you can see, we're pretty happy. Full disclosure: I'm crushing a little bit, but I don't feel one ounce of guilt because Ian is, too.

So...what should we name it?

PS: In case you're wondering, we picked up the Silver Bullet (hmm...just trying that out) from the wonderful folks -- especially Jim -- at Concours Motors in the lovely city of Milwaukee.

happy halloween!

Guess who made which!

over the river and through the woods

After spending a couple of days in Wisconsin's Northwoods, Ian and I are refreshed and renewed -- and have a couple new favorite beers. We started hatching a plan a few months back when we got this book about Wisconsin craft breweries for our anniversary. Wouldn't it be nice, we thought, to sip and sample our way up to Rhinelander (where my grandparents live)? Well, we finally found a weekend that worked, Granny and Granddad gave it the okay, and we were off. 

First stop: Fox River Brewing Co., Oshkosh

This little brewery is attached to a huge restaurant. My family used to take our boat across Lake Winnebago and tether it to the piers on the river outside the brewery, so it was fun to be back. I love the paper-covered tables.

Second stop: Central Waters Brewing Co., Amherst

This gem is truly a diamond in the rough. Our Google map led us to an industrial park, and we were a bit surprised to find that this tasting room is located inside a pole building and surrounded by the brewing equipment. We met two great guys, Dave and John. I hope they're there when we go back.

Third stop: Cozy Kitchen, Stevens Point

According to the friendly associate at La Quinta's front desk, the only place to eat breakfast in Stevens Point is Golden Corral. Fail. We finally discovered this can't-miss spot in the heart of the downtown. The food was delicious and this place oozed down-home charm. The crowning glory was the mismatched mugs: Mine said "World's Greatest Friend" and Ian's commemorated the 1996 county fair.

Fourth stop: Granny and Granddad's, Rhinelander

After driving through an hour and a half of gorgeous landscapes, we arrived at my grandparents' home on the banks of the Wisconsin River. I hadn't been there for about four years and had forgotten how picturesque their property is, complete with Katie the Gordon setter, sheep, spring-fed ponds, and trails cut through the wooded areas. 

Last stop: Red Eye Brewing Company, Wausau

Wausau is about an hour from Rhinelander, so we said goodbye to my grandfolks and drove down to meet our friends April and Scott (and their cute little guy, Tucker) for one last beer. Sadly, the camera was being finicky, so our group looks more like an orangish blob. Despite that, it was a great time. We even got ourselves invited to their house the next morning, where Scott and Ian planned a country-roads route home. Yee haw.

Well, I've gotta wrap this up. I'm off to spy on the chickadees that have (finally!) discovered our top-secret bird feeder. But that story's for another day.

weekend at bernie's

Every year for my dad's birthday, the six of us go to a baseball game. Normally, we drive to Chicago to watch his favorite team, the Sox, but this year we bought Brewers tickets instead. The team isn't stellar this season (though we do have a few All-Stars), so we considered ourselves lucky to witness a win over the Pirates (whose record is even worse). It was a pretty interesting game, if I do say so myself. The clincher? Corey Hart hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. I love this tradition.

Thanks to Dad for sharing his photos!

so american

Every year, we Americans set aside the last Monday in May to remember people in the military who have died while serving our nation. I am so blessed to personally know just one of those soldiers. Though I do spend some time each Memorial Day thinking about him and all the other soldiers who have lost their lives, I also like to do something to commemorate the country they were fighting to protect. (Read: While I'm not always a big fan of the things our government does in the name of United States citizens, I am very, very grateful to live here.) So every Memorial Day, I try to let a little extra pride show...and this year, it was by participating in one of America's homegrown pastimes: minigolf. Girls against boys. Hoo ha.

Mom and Dad drove down to visit all their Waukesha-dwelling children for lunch. Afterward, Andrew and I talked everyone into a game of minigolf at Prairieville Park.

Everybody fared quite well despite the hole designs doing everything possible to keep balls out.

Despite Hole 14's best efforts to repel my ball, I shot a hole in one! But I also racked up seven sixes, making me the worst-scoring person on Team Estrogen.

The Trooper Award goes to Ian, who, apparently, is not a big fan of minigolf. Guess we'll be going to the next Rufus Wainwright concert.

centering

I first visited Pilgrim Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin, at the tender age of five or six when my mom and I were campers in the aptly named "Mom & Me" program. For the rest of my childhood, I returned to this UCC-sponsored camp almost every year and still keep in touch with people I met there. On Friday, my mom and I stayed there for a women's retreat, and this time Granny joined us, along with Aunt Lonnie, our keynote speaker. Despite a tornado warning and one of the longest power outages in Pilgrim's history, I'm so glad we got to be there together. I hope we can make it a tradition.

If you haven't guessed, I feel a deep spiritual connection with nature. I was grateful to have time to wander around outside (after the storms passed). The grounds are gorgeous.

And if the cook is reading this, could you please, please send your artichoke-sesame tea sandwich recipe?