Always Ready, Always Prepared

Sam’s Club was made for Yooper Stewart. The man loves to be prepared for any situation. He’s doesn’t always know what he’ll need (or how much he’ll need) for possible future scenarios, so having lots of everything works well for him. His garage is a shrine to his desire to be ready.

DSC02668I’m not really sure what these are (I think they’re the glass tops of old power lines, but don’t quote me on that). I don’t know what he’s going to do with them, but he has six, just in case.

DSC02669 Why use one garbage tote when you can use three? Strange bit of info: we don’t actually have trash service at our house. As part of our village taxes, we take our garbage to the compactor station for disposal. I think YS puts the garbage bags in these until he’s ready to make a trip to the station (which I can’t imagine smells nice during the summer).DSC02670

If you’re going to have one grill, you might as well have two. These are different, though. We’re a fully equipped BBQ stop, with gas and charcoal options available.DSC02671

YS and I have been married for eight years. He’s been selling tires ever since we’ve been married. I don’t know where they come from. I don’t know how we always have them (they’re rarely from old vehicles), but these are only eight of the 12+ tires we currently own (that number doesn’t include the summer and winter tires we actually use on our cars).DSC02672Old salad containers make the BEST Lego holders (you can seal them, stack them, and still see inside to quickly find what you need). These have yet to be put to work, but I’m sure their day is coming.

As I took these photos, it occurred to me that my honey may have learned these habits from someone.

Me: Were you ever a boy scout?

YS: For a while, but I didn’t like it. You always did everything as a group, and there weren’t any girls.

So much for that idea.

Six Wrenches, Two Hands – Not a Problem

Yooper Stewart recently spent some time putting together a bike for Aunt Linda. He couldn’t wait to explain to me how the situation justified his purchase of a new wrench set. It was such an interesting conversation that I cut him off and made him start over so I could preserve the memory forever.

Here’s that memory:

Sunbathing, Redneck Style

Without question, one of the most common arguments between Yooper Stewart and me is the eternal debate: keep or trash. I have some rules about keeping things – if you use it, keep it. If, however, I haven’t worn a shirt in a year, ever used a kitchen utensil, or cringe when I look at a pair of shoes, I trash them (don’t freak out – trash usually means donate).

Yooper Stewart sees things differently. He has his favorite shirt from high school – it’ll be in style again in another 10-15 years. If there’s an appliance by the side of the road, he’ll pick it up to scrap for parts someday (which usually translates into never). He has a sentimental attachment to everything he’s ever owned, and he can see the value in everything.

Last year we bought a sectional. That meant getting rid of our couch and loveseat. The couch was easy. The loveseat … surprisingly no one wanted an old, ripped, faux-leather dual-reclining loveseat covered in cat scratches. The resale shop didn’t even want it. That worked well for YS – he wanted the loveseat for his garage.

Here’s the problem with a dual reclining loveseat. It weighs a ton. He enjoyed having a place to sit, but it kept getting in the way. Enter the wheels. With a few bolts and a DeWalt drill, Yooper Stewart mounted the loveseat. It worked great during the winter months. Now that it’s warm?

DSC00671Oh yeah … relaxing in the sun, Yooper Stewart-style.

Yooper Stewart’s Lunar Cycle

Did you know the word lunatic has its origins in the word lunar? I don’t actually know if that’s true, but after tonight I wouldn’t question it. In case you missed it, a few weeks ago Yooper Stewart ran outside with chainsaw yelling about it being the right time in the lunar cycle to cut down the tree in the front yard. He only had time to hack off a couple of branches.

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Lucky me, it’s a lunar cycle, so this month Yooper Stewart had the chance to finish what he started. I was on the phone interviewing a contact when I heard the WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! As soon as I hung up the phone, I ran outside. Lo and behold …

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It wasn’t the tree chopping that concerned me. It’s the tree’s proximity to everything else. He didn’t seem to care.

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He didn’t care. I didn’t have an option. He did, after all, have to beat the lunar cycle.

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Chop, push. Chop, push.Image

Success!

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I hope he doesn’t have any other cycles I don’t know about …

His Green Thumb

When Yooper Stewart was younger, he fell in love with plants. He told me all about it on our first date. I’d tell you more, but it nearly bored me out of a second date. I didn’t really care about how he got started. I did “get” the point though – Yooper likes foliage and he knows a lot about it.

Last year one of our friends cleared out her garden and donated many, many plants to ours. Yooper was thrilled. I was realistic. She has about an acre garden. We have roughly 20 feet of garden space. Perfect fit, eh?

When we first moved the plants, they weren’t all that thrilled. This summer, however, they’re recovering. Here’s a little peek at our garden, in all of its cramped, crowded glory.