It begins! Again. I sold my Nikon D7200, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 Art, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro Art, Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 contemporary, and a few other lenses to start the garage gym because I don't like being around people or waiting for a rack to open up, and it saves a lot of time. I also hoped to swap out for a full-frame, mirrorless system some day, and here we are! A Sigma Art 105mm f/2.8 macro and a Sony 24-105mm f/4 round out my kit. Also, no, that bag doesn't fit the lens. It was a freebie. I use a Pelican-knock-off from Harbor Freight to tote it all around.

You're on the website of the proud owner of two outstanding fantasy keeper-league franchises. It's A Kwanderful Life made it to the semifinals in its most recent year, helped along in no small part by late pick and rookie sensation Steven Kwan. The Cedar Rapids Derechos took the fantasy football league by storm last year, sneaking quietly into the playoffs as a low seed, only to win the championship on the strong finish by Rashaad Penny. This team features a  healthy (?) Christian McCaffrey and Cooper Kupp and hopes to return to the playoffs this year. For the record, the picture to the left is the first one I took with the new Sony camera. Half-dead wildflowers tell me September wasn't the best time to take the shot, but it'll work!

I have to thank my wife for allowing this to happen. We decided we could make one car work, which opened up a garage stall. What better to do with it than install a home gym? With a strong foundation of horse stall mats from Tractor Supply, this gym features a rack with over 1000lbs of Olympic bumpers and metal plates, leg curl/extension, seated calf raise, split squat stand, cable crossover machine, PowerBlocks, various grip training devices, and an assortment of Olympic bars. I have programmed with 5/3/1 Forever by Jim Wendler, two Tactical Barbell books: 3rd Edition and Conditioning, the Reddit PPL, and am currently on a PPLUL split.

I don't leave the house much, unless you count running into the yard. The yard is a photo project in the making. We're currently planning on turning most of the back yard into a wildflower garden with clover walking paths in the Spring of 2023. It'll be a no-mow lawn, built for the bunnies, the birds, the bats (yes, bats), the butterflies, and anything else that wants to call it home. We installed a fire pit this Fall (2022) but haven't had much of an opportunity to use it. The front yard? Groomed and green (with a couple dwarf apple trees coming in Spring 2023). My yard is going to be a mullet, and it's going to be majestic.