First-world horror story from Madison WI

We bloviated the other day about kids’ addiction to smart phones and how it’s making them all squirrelly. Would you not know it! Blaska is experiencing delirium tremens because our cable for TV and internet went out at Stately Blaska Manor during Tuesday night’s wind and rain storm 05-21-24. Still out on Day 3.

The outage caused much gnashing of teeth and beating of gums among the indentured servants not observed since the election of Tony Evers. The Lovely Lisa breakfasted at the table with her husband. The two aging love birds actually talked! About the books of the Bible and who decided which books to include. Went outside and gathered up for curbside pickup the many small branches blown down. We lost no big trees, thankfully, although none is as old as that 250-year white oak downed in Madison’s eclectic Bayview neighborhood. (The storm will play havoc with Mayor Satya’s already frayed city budget.) 

Late Wednesday afternoon, the Head Groundskeeper sat out on the driveway admiring his Harley Davidson Softail Slim. Had just returned from the dealership $414 lighter after having the fiendishly inaccessible transmission drain plug hole rebored. (Another expensive lesson for the Do-It-Wrong yourselfer, who cross-threaded the bolt, thereby stripping the threads.) Even the skilled mechanic at Harley Davidson of Madison had to remove the two shock absorbers that lie parallel to the oil pan in order to get at the recalcitrant drain hole. Shade tree mechanic Blaska had no chance!

Writing the motorcycle company out of Milwaukee to put up a skull and crossbones next to the section in the owner’s manual on transmission oil changes. Repent all ye who dare enter here! Writing by snail mail, since our internet is still down.

Being a delightful early evening in late May — and the big flat screen still blank as MTG’s brain — the lovely spouse joined him outside for a repast of bubbly prosecco, olives, cheese and crackers. And more chit chat. Getting to know you, getting to know all about you!

Cable TV and internet remained non compos mentis this very morning, forcing your disconnected bloggeur to tarry longer than usual over our favorite Madison WI morning newspaper. Found himself playing the Jumble word game on the WI State Journal’s diminished comics page. Unscrambled three of the four word combinations but making sense of STGAEK was more difficult than finding that transmission drain plug on a 2016 Harley FLS motorcycle! Uploading this at the Collectivo in downtown Madison WI within sight of the glorious state capitol.

Blaska’s Bottom Line: Did we pluck your heartstrings? We take PayPal.

Could  you call the Spectrum cable people again, Sweet Pea?