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:

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?

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

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.

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 …

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

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

Chop, push. Chop, push.

Success!

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

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.