Winter meals

It's a little harder to get to the bird feeders with snow on the ground but when I do fill the feeder, it's nice to see a neighborhood cardinal appreciated it.

The sparrows, though, are the big eaters ... and the occasional squirrel.

Enjoying the sun

I ran an errand yesterday, came home and found both cats lounging (napping) in the sun.

It's been a while since we've had warmer, sunny days.

Free car wash

Andy and I decided to get the car washed while we were out and about over the weekend. It's what you do on a sunny February day. Anyway, we ended up in a line where the oayment machine wasn't working so instead of habing us back up, the employee said he'd comp us the wash. A free car wash? We'll take it.

Super Bowl

Pretty boring Super Bowl game-wise. Seattle vs. New England and the Seahawks led through the whole game. Allison and Pat came over for some snacks, dinner and conversation.

E and D were out enjoying the excitement of the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl. Seattle won 29-13. Kind of an embarrassing game for the Patriots.

Harder than it looked

This box was taped shut but the condition of this corner didn't give me high hopes that all of the pieces were going to be there.

With the temperature around zero on Saturday, Jan. 24, Andy went to church for the annual congregational meeting while I stayed home and got to work on the puzzle (while watching the meeting on Zoom). This was my progress in a little over two hours.

Finally done a week and a half later. The part with the buildings wasn't too hard, but the sky about did me in. Even with the beat-up box, all of the pieces were there!

More Driehaus pictures

I know I'm not going to print the pictures I took Wednesday night at the Driehaus Museum so I'm putting them here. (Flip through the house's history. It's fascinating.)

This was part of the Tiffany lamp exhibit that shows the various bronze finishes customers could request for their lamps.

The library was very dark.

This was the house's art gallery because every Gilded Age mansion needs an art gallery.

Gorgeous dining room.

So much detail in every room.

Proof that not all Tiffany lamps are pretty.

This one I liked.

Now that'a a fireplace.

Another Tiffany design.

After Driehaus fun

After Andy and I toured the Driehaus Museum on Wednesday we went to Pizzeria Due for dinner. We haven't been there in years. This lighted sign (a bit phallic looking, yes?) on the sidewalk out front is a recent addition.

The weather wasn't bad at all but the restaurant was pretty empty. Maybe that's typical for restaurants on Wednesdays in winter?

The pizza was good and we have leftovers for our lunches.

We paid the check and still had 25 minutes left on our parking meter so I suggested we pop into the Bally's casino across the street. It's in the old Medinah Temple.

Fortunately, they left some of the architectural details intact.

I bet $5 on a slot machine and cashed out at $13.40. Andy won $11 playing video poker. We left while we were ahead. Gamblimg is more fun when you win, even if it's a small win.

Tiffany glass exhibit

Wednesday evening is free admission at Chicago's Driehaus Museum so Andy and I went downtown last night to see the museum's exhibits on Tiffany glass and "The Wizard of Oz." (My idea and he indulged me).

From the museum's we site: From the 1890s to the 1920s, Tiffany Studios created a captivating range of decorative lighting fixtures. To achieve founder Louis C. Tiffany's vast artistic vision and bring lighting designs to life, artisans at the Studios used a range of materials including bronze, enamel, pottery, and glass. Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade explores this exciting aspect of Tiffany Studios' history.

Most of the lamps were from Driehaus' collection. The middle one is Wisteria (made between 1902-1910) and the yellow one is "Pond Lily" (1902-1915).

Others were lamps that are always hanging in the house, Tiffany, of course. This 12-light chandelier was made bwtween 1899 and 1918.

So pretty. This Tiffany ad is from a 1904 issue of Town and Country.

This one had a unique pottery base rather than brass.

This dragonfly shade, made between 1902 and 1915, is draped on the lamp so the person sitting next to it can't see the lightbulbs. Kind of ugly, in my opinion.

Lamps in every room.

Another chandelier.

A Tiffany firescreen. If you can afford it, why not?

And "The Wizard of Oz" description: The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page explores the imaginative artistry required to turn the classic children’s story into a beloved movie. Divided into three sections—Writing, Costume, and Production Design—the installation reveals how the designers brought L. Frank Baum’s world to life. This is a replica of Dorothy’s Ruby Red slippers, an early draft of the script and a replica of the Cowardly Lion’s Badge of Courage.

This is an early script when Dorothy says, "I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." The Tiffany lamps were much more interesting than the Wizard of Oz things.

New (used) car

W's car has been giving him problems so he and L went car shopping the yesterday. They went in to look at a car advertised online for around $17,000 but get to the dealership and find they're asking thousands more. L, of course, calls Andy and has her get the salesman on the phone, telling him that's a bit if bait and switch, etc. Andy negotiated a few thousand off the price until the payments were acceptable for W. During the financing, L kept texting Andy - Does W need the extended warranty? No. Does he need gap insurance? No. It's good to have a lawyer dad who's willing to help out (and gets an odd satisfaction when he successfully negotiates with car dealers). I'm not sure if W ended up with the car they went to look at, or a totally different car, but everyone left happy. Let's hope it doesn't give him any problems.

House possessed?

We cheaped out on our latest version of backyard patio lights and they might be possessed. I turned them off yesterday morning when I noticed they were on and when I got back from a doctor's appointment that afternoon, they were on again! (It's not the first time we've found them turned on when we know we didn't turn them on.)

And then when I was taking my coat off, I noticed that Alexa was magically turned on, playing Zac Brown songs from his new album. Maybe the cats are fans too?