Watching me decorate for the holidays is nothing like watching Chevy Chase do it on the big screen. I'm a fan of minimalism and I usually procrastinate. But with the sunshine and the unseasonably warm temps, you bet I was out there yesterday putting up the lights!
Why wait and try to do it in the freezing cold like I normally do, right?
Weekends like this one we just had are amazing in November. A couple weeks ago we had an even better weekend and someone actually told me they don't like warm weather during the normally colder months. Because, it seems, it just makes the colder days seem that much colder. I can see that, but I don't agree. I figure every day that is sunny and unseasonably warm is a day that isn't dark, dank and cold.
We've been taking full advantage of the good weather when we get it. In part to do the stuff I usually do in the chilly rain or, egads, even in the snow -- like put away the patio furniture, rake leaves and scoop them out of the gutters, winterize the lawn mower, cut back the dead foliage in the garden.
This weekend, we went to the zoo, put up the aforementioned modest holiday lights display, cleaned out the kids' sand table, did some preliminary tree pruning, raked the last of the leaves. I'm happy to report that the grill is still on the patio -- making, perhaps, its latest appearance there ever!
I'm hoping -- knock wood -- that the good weather holds and that we have a drier and warmer than usual December and January. That way, I can keep firing up the grill for dinner every now and again.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
