Thursday night is guy-food night.

And you're looking at one of the finest examples of guy food on the planet: beef bratwurst boiled in beer.

Oatmeal stout, to be precise. I've used ordinary beer before this, but tonight I wanted it to be special.

The brats are from a local farmer, delivered to our doorstep by the Blue Marble Dairy. Just thought I'd put a plug in for the local guys.

Brats in beer normally call for a tab of butter and an onion rolling around in the pot, too, but they were plenty tasty with just the beer. I fried up the onions separately so My Darling B could eat them as a garnish on her brats because she's a heathen and won't eat them with the customary saurkraut garnish.

From the boiling pot they go to the griddle for a few minutes to brown, and then to the table where they were eagerly gobbled up by your friendly neighborhood O-Folk.

People will collect anything. I shouldn't be surprised when I discover the next unusual thing that they consider collectable, but people are nothing if not surprising.

At an estate auction today I came across this table covered with old electric space heaters. I'll admit to a certain fascination with gazing into so many parabolic copper reflectors, but my fascination doesn't extend beyond snapping a few quick photos of them.

Then the bidding started. When the auctioneer moved on to the space heaters I expected a dead hush to fall over the crowd. If he got more than a buck apiece for these, I thought to myself, then nothing makes sense anymore.

And I was right. Nothing makes sense anymore.

On the first round of bidding, several went for fifteen bucks each. On subsequent bidding they went for less, but they always got more than a buck, and all the bidders had the overjoyed look of a collector who can't believe his good fortune.

I resolve not to be surprised at the next collectable I find.

To prove his manliness, Tim makes a trip to the composter in his bare feet across the ice-covered deck

It's a short trip, less than ten feet, but by the time he went out & back he couldn't feel his toes.

That's what you get when you answer a double-dog dare.

Lunar Eclipse

8:04 p.m.
8:23 p.m.

8:35 p.m.

8:51 p.m.

I snapped these by holding the camera up to one eyepiece of my binoculars while sighting through the other eyepiece.

Sure, that looks safe ...

I spotted this guy on Carroll Street yesterday morning, giving a whole new meaning to "double parked."

Ice-glazed trees around Grace Episcopal Church

It's the Mad City Model Railroad Show 2008!

The Shriner's were having a circus next door at the coliseum,
but I can tell you this was a lot more fun.

Trains circled layouts of all sizes and shapes,
some large ...

... some not so large.

There was plenty for the kids to get their hands on, too.
These fellahs learn how to work the "time saver" from an Old Hand.

The Mad City Model Railroad Show 2008

The detail of many of the models, some lovingly built up from scratch, some patiently "bashed" from kits or plastic models, is truly boggling.

The Mad City Model Railroad Show 2008

For the collectors in the crowd, there was quite a lot on sale, too.

The Mad City Model Railroad Show 2008

One last look around to check out the scenery ...

The morning after ...

You may have heard we got a bit of snow.
The Monona snow plow drivers did an outstanding job
of keeping the streets clear ...

... although some people may have had trouble
getting out of their driveways.

Yesterday morning:

By three o'clock, cars were having a lot of trouble climbing the hill up Carroll Street. This bus tried to turn onto Carroll from Washington and didn't make it. The more he spun his tires, the further he slid off the road until the rear of the bus fetched up against the curb.

It took a bit longer than usual to get the car in the garage tonight ...

Tim and I clear a foot or so of freshly-drifted snow from the driveway.

He looks familiar ... a Blair witch reject?

He's keeping a watch on the passers-by along Blair Street. Get it? A familiar? A witch? On Blair Street? It's like a pun, only they're usually funnier. I've never been good at them, as if you couldn't tell.

Anyway, I didn't take the photo for the pun, he just caught my eye and out came the camera. His mangy appearance makes him all the more photogenic, particularly when complimented by the lei and the tiara. He seems to be wearing a bib, too.

You can see him in the window of the Hotel Ruby Marie.

Found these seven cast-iron cats when we made an impulsive stop at Pick More Daisies yesterday to browse through the "vintage" items on sale.

My Darling B wanted me to freshen them up with a coat of paint before I hung them by the door.

It's time for the Souper Bowl!

This is our third year visiting the Souper Bowl,
a fund-raiser benefiting Habitat for Humanity

For a $15 donation you may have the pick of any hand-thrown bowl on offer.
There are always plenty to choose from.

Entertainment is on hand ...

It's tough to make a decision.
Everyone starts at the far end, spies a bowl they like, then moves along
and almost immediately spots a bowl they like even more.
My Darling B swapped out bowls over and over again.

Some bowls being throw for next year's Souper Bowl.

Some of my favorites from the silent auction table.
A pair of frogs peek over the edge of this one.

A pair of fish circle the bottom of this beauty.

I even got my face painted!
Although the artist was a bit hesitant when I asked for
a skull & crossbones.

His & Hers.

Sodium Bounce-Back

A low overcast reflects the city's streetlights in this before-bedtime snapshot.

A visit to Ground Zero

A coffee house on Willy street

With an hour to while away after work before a dinner date, My Darling B and I stopped by Ground Zero for a hot cuppa.


Maps and globes are a unifying theme.

I don't know how the Brownies fit in, but they make an eye-catching end cap.

Bonkers goes bonkers!



The old boy goes crazy showing Tim who's king of the hill.

Jenifer Street Market says they have the largest selection
of microbrews in the Universe ...
The Universe!

The selection is dizzyingly impressive.

Some of them even come with a prize.