Chitter chatter, what’s the matter?
Our girl Krypto is gone.
14 years, and lots of love
But now we must move on.

The Scooby Doo Ar Ar Arr Arr,
The tapping on the door
The purring like you’re some kind of cat
We won’t hear it anymore.

The spotty body, the black goth toes,
The white fur everywhere,
The slobber all around your bowl                  
The pizza crusts to share.

The camping trips, cross country drives,
Walks around the block.
Putting up with playful boys,
Climbing on the rocks.

Playing ball with sister Lo,
Two forever intertwined,
Tackling, chasing, running all day,
Then snuggling to unwind.

The smartest dog I ever knew,
The most athletic too,
Like a D-back calculating angles,
Planning out just how to pursue.

Street-wise and tough as nails
With personality plus.
Letting us know if we forgot your treat,
But always there for us.

The playroom couch is empty now,
Your kitchen bed is bare.
But your spirit is a part of us
That will be with us everywhere.

RIP Krypto:  2001 -2015

It had been at least five years since I undertook any big projects without any labor help, so I was a little curious, for lack of a better word, how this 44-year-old body would respond.  Proud to say, I still got it!

The client liked the work so much, they even added a small front pathway replacement to the overall project scope.  And everything was wrapped up the Friday before Labor Day weekend, just in time for the client to have a bow-breaking party over the long Holiday weekend.

Happy client, busy summer, big project, able body.  Proud to say, it was a very good summer.  Now it’s back to classes and teaching as the school year has begun.  I still have a few small projects that I plan to squeeze in on a few days off here and there through the fall.  But mostly its school and classwork from here on out.  Definitely good to keep in touch with my roots though.

Time to get back to work.

Last month I posted about my decision to go back to school and pursue a new direction in life as I work towards my Pennsylvania teacher’s certificate.  Since writing that piece I have officially started classes at West Chester University, and I have to say, I’m enjoying every minute of it.  I love the philosophical discussions in class, and love challenging my mind.

I’ve barely scraped the surface as far as classwork goes, but there are a significant amount of reading assignments already, with papers, quizzes, tests, and field observations on the horizon.

I have also continued my research into the fastest way to actually get paid for being in a classroom.  Every state has different requirements and regulations into allowing one to captain the classroom ship, and wouldn’t you know it, Pennsylvania has one of the strictest set of requirements in the country.  Figures.

I won’t get into the pro’s and con’s of needing to be fully certified to teach.  Certainly as a parent with two school-age children, I want to know that the caretakers I entrust my children to every day are fully qualified at what they do.

But from a teaching perspective, and someone who pays the bills, I’d like to be getting paid for my time in the class, not merely observing.

Pennsylvania won’t even allow you to substitute teach until you are 100 percent fully certified.  No real argument here.  Just disappointment in that I’d like to be getting paid.

Fortunately, we live only a short 15-minute drive to New Jersey, and New Jersey does offer a substitute certificate.  An undergraduate degree, background clearances, and of course the pre-requisite fees are all that’s required to obtain a NJ substitute credential.

Satisfying the necessary requirements, I am now a certified substitute teacher in New Jersey.  Cool.  And I’ve already had a handful of substitute assignments in the Garden State.  I even get one of those cool necklace thingies with my ID badge attached. 

Make no mistake, substitute teaching certainly isn’t the goal here.  The substitute teacher’s life is full of uncertainty from day to day – where will I be tomorrow, what time does school start?  Where the heck is Woodbury anyway?  Not being a native Jersey son, I find myself glued to my GPS and maps just about anywhere I go over there.

But I am getting paid (a little), which of course is better than not getting paid at all in PA.  Certainly a step in the right direction.

So to recap, I am now taking two graduate-level college courses, substitute teaching on a day-to-day basis, and still trying to line-up some hardscaping projects for the spring/summer.  Implicit in the hardscaping side of things is the fact that I really don’t want to find myself in a position of chasing down projects fruitlessly, or that will interfere with what is now my top professional priority – school, and eventually trying to secure a full time teaching job.  All while managing family responsibilities, shuttling the kids to karate and acting and soccer and gymnastics and scouts and … well, you get the idea.

Soooooo, what this means is that my already hectic schedule is becoming even more crazy with a new set of responsibilities.  Something’s got to give.  And unfortunately, I’m afraid, this means that this blog needs to get shelved for a bit.  At least as far as the weekly posts go.

It certainly isn’t a shutting down of the blog.  I do plan on posting some project updates in the spring and summer once the projects start happening.  And most likely a few other miscellaneous posts here and there.  But for now, I do need to back off a bit, if for no other reason than to maintain some sanity while I get accustomed to the new schedule.

Perhaps the focus of the blog may change a bit too.  Instead of relevant hardscaping and construction information, there may be a focus on my studies, teaching info, the trials of getting certified, etc.  “The trials of a mid-life 40-something career change.”  Or something like that.  We’ll see how it plays out.

In the mean time, though, I need to take a break for a bit.  I most likely will continue with a few biz-related Facebook posts, and I’ll be checking in on others’ blogs and posts on various forums and platforms.  To all of you have been regular readers and commenters on my posts, thank you.  It’s always nice to know that my musings are being read by somebody – anybody – and hopefully of some value to you the reader.  The blog has re-kindled my love of writing, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the process.

So for now, farewell, see you soon, and keep on keepin’ on.

For the past several years, I've spent my February hiring my staff for the year.  With my recent decision to downsize the business and go back to school, this will be my first year in a few not spent weeding through resumes and interviewing prospective laborers.

And I have to say, it's not something that will be missed.  I've gained a fair amount of insight into what the labor force looks like out there, and while I won't go as far as to say I've seen it all, I will say I've seen enough to offer a few tips to anybody looking to join a crew for the year.

And I'd like to offer a few tips for anybody who thinks that a career, or even just a job, in the landscaping industry is for them.

1.  You're not special.  OK, maybe you are, but your prospective employer won't know that until you demonstrate what makes you special.  Expect to work.  Hard.  You will be lifting stones and heavy wheelbarrows and 80-lb bags of mortar and concrete.  You'll be digging.  And sledge-hammering.  And moving materials.  That's what we're paying you to do.  If you want the job, then don't think you're above the work.

2.  A few basics -- fix your alarm clock.  Make sure your car runs.  And has gas.  Make sure you don't have to drop your sister off at work unexpectedly.  Call your boss if something comes up, but don't make a habit of it.  You're not in high school or college anymore.  You're in the real world.  Skills to pay the bills is good, but it takes more than just skills.  It takes maturity and responsibility.

3.  Be respectful.  And own it.  When you show up to your interview, or get ready to go to work, give the impression that you can be trusted and that you respect yourself and the ones around you.  Those teardrop tattoos on your face won't put the homeowner with young children at ease.  If you smoke, don't expect to smoke on the site, in proximity to neighbors and young children.  The neighbors really don't want to hear your R-rated rap lyrics at full blast.  Or hear you continuously dropping f-bombs.  Do what you want at home on your own time, but when you're at the job, you're representing me and the company. 

4.  Remember this -- labor expense is one of, if not THE, biggest expense a company incurs.  For every hard-earned dollar you receive, it's far more out of your employer's pocket once you factor in unemployment insurance, workers compensation, etc.  If I'm shelling out that kind of cash, you'd better be earning it.  Because if/when I need to cut expenses, it's the slackers on the crew who are the first to go.

5.  Play the game.  I'm not one for busy work just for busy work sake, but I'm REALLY not one to pay you for doing nothing.  If you don't have something to do on a site, then find something.  I've always been big on telling my crews there's always something to do on a site.  You finished moving the bricks I asked you to move?  Great.  You better not just be sitting around waiting for me to tell you something else to do.  Find something to do.  Pick up a broom.  Organize the tools.  Empty the trash.  I may re-assign you to another task once I see you're done, but I'd rather ask you to put down the broom than find you sitting around playing on your phone.  If nothing else, pick up a tool so at least you look like you might be busy.  Nothing looks worse to the public than a crew of guys sitting around blatantly doing nothing.

6.  Learn.  Ask questions.  Show an interest or commitment.  One of the first things out of my mouth at any interview is the fact that I'm not looking for guys who know how to do everything, but rather for guys (or girls) who are responsible, trustworthy, dependable.  I can teach the skills, but the responsibility and interest can only come from one place -- you.

7.  Think.  It is quite rare that any project or task goes exactly as you plan.  Yes, the planning process is important to help eliminate surprises, but they will still happen.  And when they do, the workers who can effectively solve the problem will be the ones that get recognized.  Figure out what the best way to conserve materials is.  Think about how the job you're doing could be done better with a more appropriate tool.  Think about the impact any task may have on tools, supplies, the surrounding area of the yard.  If one cut creates a tremendous amount of debris that needs to be cleaned up and uses up material that could have been used more efficiently for other projects, then it probably wasn't a good use of time or materials.  As the boss, I'm thinking two or three steps ahead on just about anything I'm doing.  If you do too, it will certainly leave a favorable impression.

Truth be told, these tips go a lot farther than just looking for a job in the landscaping industry.  It's a good blueprint for getting (and keeping) a job period.

So last week I highlighted how our perception of snow days changes over the course of the winter.  I really wasn't planning on turning this into a continuous series, nor am I planning on turning this blog into a weather blog.

Of course I really wasn't planning on spending half my week shoveling snow either, so that shows where plans will take you.  We're all about the flexibility over here.

The hits just keep on coming, and given the weather from the past week, I think we deserve to pick up where we left off.

February 9:  As last week's post was going online, rumors were circulating of the storm to end all storms.  20, 25, 30 inches depending on who you asked.  The Megaladon of all snowstorms.  A possibility of sharknados was imminent.  I think everybody's getting a little snow-punchy, as all these rumors were completely unsubstantiated.  But there was more snow.  1-3" was forecast.  We ended up with about 4".  Meh, who cares.  Kids go to school, we go to work the next day like nothing happened.

February 12-13:  As the previous storm moved out, we begin to look at another storm heading our way.  At first the little icon in the newspaper just shows ice cubes falling from a cloud, but as the storm gets closer we hear big rumors once again.  Whatever.  It's a Nor'easter, which really needs to be said with a strong New England accent to give it the full impact -- Nawh-EAST-ah.  The Nor'easters tend to be the big ones.  This one could have been huge, except for the fact that it turned to rain for a good portion of the day.  10" of snow, followed by sleet, ice, and rain.  Kids are stuck inside, and shoveling wet heavy slush in the rain really is no fun.  And then we learn yet another new weather term -- the wrap-around storm.  Sounds kind of kinky actually, but this means the back end of the storm gives us another 3" on top of the frozen slushy 10", on top of the leftover 4", on top of the leftover ... you get the idea.  Completely running out of places to put this stuff.  Oh yeah, and another 5-day weekend for the kids.

February 14:  First of all Happy Valentines Day.  Bad news and good news as far as the weather goes.  More snow to come this weekend -- just an inch or two though, and then ...  Dare I say it, 40, 50 degrees on the horizon!!  We'll take what we get.  I'm about done with this stuff.  Bring on the crocus sightings!

Here in the Delaware Valley, winters can be a bit unpredictable.  Several years ago we had two of the harshest winters I can remember, with a bevy of 20-inch-plus snowfalls and record-setting yearly accumulations.  For the past two years, we had barely any snow, with unusually mild temperatures.  Last year in fact we had a freak snowstorm in late March, and the 2" of wet slush surpassed the snowfall totals from the rest of the season.

Not this year.  This year has reverted back to the Hoth-like winters of '10 and '11.  We're still in early February and we've already surpassed 40" of snowfall for the year.  And you're kidding yourself if you think we're out of the woods yet.  February is usually our big snowfall month.

With a decent sampling of snowstorms to observe, I find it interesting how our perception of the white stuff changes over the course of the winter:

December 8:  The turkey leftovers are still in the fridge and the excitement of the Holiday season is building rapidly.  The forecast calls for 1" to 3", just enough to add even more excitement to the season.  The Eagles have a home game scheduled with playoff implications, and everybody is out and about doing Holiday shopping when the storm hits much harder than anticipated.  More than 8" falls in just over four hours -- Everybody is caught off guard, but everybody is loving it.  The Eagles win, and everybody enjoys the Holiday snow day.  Fun day, no doubt.

Jan 3:  The kids have been back in school just one day after Christmas break before they are awarded another snow day.  This time it's 9" and a bonus round of snowmen and sledding.  Everybody's a bit more prepared for this one, and nobody is really complaining about an extended vacation from work and school.  The sledding hills are packed, and I'm sure Hot Cocoa sales are through the roof too.

January 6 - January 26:  We all learn a new term -- "Polar Vortex".  It's basically a regular vortex, only polar.  In layman's terms this means it's cold.  REALLY cold.  All I can think of is the scene from Finding Nemo when Marlin wants to exit the East Australian Current and he defines his exit strategy as the "swirling vortex of terror".  That about sums it up -- terror.  We go through a five-day stretch where temperatures don't break 20.  Nobody enjoys this.

January 21:  Temperatures have been at ridiculously low extremes, so much that snow from nearly three weeks ago is pretty much still around when the next storm hits -- this time it's 14" of the lightest fluffiest powder you've ever seen.  Not great for snowmen or snowballs, but still fun for the kids.  At this point the adults are starting to have a slightly different view of the season, but there's not much we can do.

Jan 21 - January 31:  Temperatures continue to struggle getting above freezing, so all that snow is sticking around, getting dirtier and icier.  Young kids in dry clothes can't seem to stay off the dirty salty snowpiles, adding to the parents' frustration.  A series of 1" and 2" storms seem to replenish any snow that was lost due to solar melt-off.  What would have been a fun distraction in December is now a barely noticed inconvenience.  Firewood piles are diminishing.  The kids even seem to be getting tired of Hot Cocoa.  Ice scrapers are getting a regular work-out.  Everybody's car is coated in a white brushing of salt residue.  I'm hearing a fair amount of complaining from adults, hoping for a warmer drier weather pattern.  The newspaper count-down to spring training taunts us.

January 29:  An email announcement is sent out by the schools that they have used all the built-in snowdays for the year.  That means for any new day off, there will be an extra day tacked on at the end of the year.  When this information is shared with the kids, their impression of snowdays also changes somewhat.

February 2:  Groundhog Day.  That silly rat predicts 6 more weeks of winter.  Never liked rodents anyway.

February 3:  After a brief tease of 50-degree temperatures over the weekend, we are treated to 5" of heavy, wet snow, and another day off from school.  Great snowman snow.  Horrible to shovel.  The kids want to do something more exciting than sit around and watch movies, and its apparent that they are getting a bit bored with just being out in the snow for being out in the snow sake.  A few organized activities get the kids back on track, but at the expense of parental productivity.  Love having the kids home, but I've got a boatload of schoolwork that I was counting on knocking out while they're at school.  I think just about everybody is hoping for some degree of return to normalcy.

February 5:  The good news is that we seem to have escaped the polar vortex.  The bad news is that it means the next storm is a slushy, icy mix.  Horrible.  No fun to drive in, no fun to play in, no fun to live with.  The forecast calls for 1" to 3" of snow before switching over to sleet and freezing rain.  It ends up being no snow at all, -- just ice and freezing rain.  PECO reports more than 600,000 customers without electricity in the 6-county region of PA suburbs.  Or more than a third of the customers in the region.  The roads are awful -- a slick sheet of ice covers everything, tree limbs down, major slip-and-fall hazards.  Nobody enjoys this one in the least.  It's almost enough to wish that vortex would come back.

So what's to come?  Well that's anybody's guess.  The forecast for this coming weekend certainly looks ominous.  At this point there's only one thing for certain -- just about everybody is looking forward to spring.

And on that note I'll leave everybody with one parting note:  5 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.  The end can't be too far away, can it?

The biggest non-official US Holiday is upon us once again – I’m talking about Super Bowl Sunday of course.  And even though my hometown Eagles didn’t make the big game (again) this year, it’s still time for me to break out the apron and chef up something special for the big game.

This year I’ve decided it’s time for some Gumbo.  I usually reserve this recipe for Mardi Gras, or at least a year when the Super Bowl is held in New Orleans, or the off chance that the New Orleans Saints make the big game.

But I’ve been jonesing for some good gumbo as of late, so there’s no time like the present.  Crank up a good New Orleans music playlist – Dr. John, The Meters, Professor Longhair to name a few, and let’s get cooking.

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
A liberal amount (depending on taste) of whole garlic cloves
4 quarts chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Tobasco to taste
Approximately 1.5 lbs chicken thighs
Approximately 1.5 lbs Andouille sausage, chopped
Approximately 1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled
Approximately 1.5 lbs clams, whole in shell

Prep and chop all veggies and have on standby in a large bowl.  Now take your biggest heaviest pot and begin by making the roux.  Heat the oil in the pot on medium-high heat, and add the flour, stirring continuously.  Use a wood spoon to mix – plastic spoons will melt (not that I’ve ever experienced that, ahem …).  Be prepared to spend a good 10 to 15 minutes stirring the roux.  Walk away for just a minute or two, and you’ll have a burnt flour mess on your hands.

A good New Orleans style roux will have a peanut butter color to it when its ready.  A few more minutes of stirring will result in a more Cajun style roux, approximating the color of milk chocolate.  I like the darker roux personally, but if you’re new to the game or are afraid of burning the roux, the lighter roux will work fine.  Roux-making is an acquired skill, and perhaps the trickiest part of this recipe.

Once your roux is ready, add the chopped veggies to the pot, stirring as you add to flash cook the veggies and stop the roux from continuing to cook or burn.  Stir for just a minute or two more, until all the veggies are coated with the roux.  Reduce heat to medium-low.

Add the chicken broth, spices, chicken, sausage, shrimp and clams.  Let the pot simmer for a few hours, occasionally skimming off any excess fat or grease as the meats cook. 

You’re pretty much done at this point.  Once the gumbo is ready, serve and enjoy.  The gumbo can be served over a nice piece of sourdough bread (or bread bowl), or over rice if you prefer.  And of course, with a nice IPA.

And if you bring this to a Super Bowl party, you’ll be the hit of the party.  Trust me!

Enjoy the big game, no matter who you’re rooting for, or what your level of interest is.  If nothing else you'll have an awesome meal to enjoy!

Winter is always a little slow here at Clark Kent Creations -- when you make your living off weather-sensitive outdoor work, there is by nature a seasonal lull come winter.  But this past week has been exceptionally slow for just about everybody on the East Coast.

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- and while many people honor his legacy by volunteering with community service projects, it's still a day off as far as schools and banks and mail are concerned.  So as parents eagerly readied their kids to return to school on Tuesday, the weather forecasters began making some noise about a storm -- 1 to 3 expected inches quickly turned into 3 to 5, 5 to 9, and eventually 8 to 12 expected inches.

And although the snow hadn't started falling by Tuesday morning, the forecasts were too much for the schools to ignore.  Kids home -- office work shelved for at least a day.  Sure enough, by 10 am the snow was falling pretty heavily -- certainly enough to justify the schools' decision.

The snow fell all day, still coming down at a pretty good clip by the time I went to bed at 11.  At about 7pm the schools called it for Wednesday as well.  The end result -- here in Swarthmore we officially had 14 inches.  14 inches of light fluffy powder.  And two days off of school on the heels of a 3-day weekend -- officially a 5-day weekend, as my kids pointed out to me numerous times.

As the storm cleared the cold temperatures moved in as did the crystal blue skies.  I've written on this blog before about the benefits of living so close to the Swarthmore College Arboretum -- and with a family day off, it was time to see what the Arb had to offer for today.

Sleds in hand, we traversed the main trailhead towards the "Meadow" -- the large open area at the bottom of the valley.  The snow was still fresh enough that it clung to the trees and bushes, and with the cold temperatures at hand, the snow stayed in place on even the most well-travelled of trails. 

We passed a few cross country skiers and dog walkers on the way down, and while other sledders were present on the hills, there was enough space that everybody had their own area to perfect their craft.  Even a few of the local college kids claimed an area for some local snowboarding.

Looking at the 10-day forecast, the temperatures aren't scheduled to pass the freezing mark any time soon, so it looks like this winter wonderland will be around for at least a week or two.  In the mean time though, it probably couldn't hurt for the kids to return to school for at least a few days -- I do have some work that needs to get done around here.

I’ve written on this blog a few times over the past few years regarding a custom wood fence we built for a client, and a number of smaller complimentary projects we’ve constructed using the same design.  Last fall I highlighted a recent series of projects we built for the same client, and included a post about some “outside the box” design ideas they’ve incorporated into their garden.

Shortly after publishing that last piece, they contacted me once again to discuss some storage units they wanted constructed that could double as spillover seating during the outdoor entertainment season.  (You don’t get to incorporate quirky design items in your garden unless you are a collector of stuff – and that stuff needs somewhere to be staged easily).

The requirements were simple – benches that matched the existing fencing, easy access for storage, and the ability to store long pieces of materials.  They also wanted the ability to move them around as necessary, and use them either independently or together as one unit.

Here’s what I came up with.

Each bench measures 8’ long, with a hinged lid that can be easily lifted for quick access.  The back side is open, the other three sides are finished with the same design as the fences we’ve done in the past.

Additionally, I constructed one end of each bench unit with a removable panel that can be taken off when the client wants to position the two benches directly next to each other, with one continuous 16’ l storage space. 

The end panels are attached using a simple hook design, that allows for them to be easily fastened to the benches when the client wants to position them independently.

And since they’re benches, we didn’t want obtrusive handles for the hinged lids that might interfere with seating.  So we went with simple rope handles that can sit flush with the lids when being used as seating.  The client plans on using seat cushions atop the lids, which will fit quite easily over the rope handles.

Quick.  Simple.  Effective.  Attractive.  Check, check, check and check.  These are the kind of fun creative projects we love to do.  Looking for some outside-the-box ideas for your yard?  Give us a call – we just might have the perfect idea for you!