Hi everyone, Welcome back. How are you? Any big plans for this week? Nothing too crazy on this end for now. Hey, wait, today is July 31. I was thinking it was August 1. I suddenly just gained an entire day! That's nice. Hmm, what to do with this extra 24 hours? Well, let's start by going through the headlines. There's a fresh pot of coffee ready to go, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Monday Clutter (which to be clear, is not taking place on August 1.) The Boston Red Sox lost... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? What's with the cold weather this morning? I mean, it makes it easier to sleep, which is great, but it's still July! Let's not be rushing fall on to the scene. Fortunately, it's supposed to warm up. Other than that, it's business as usual around here, so who's ready go through the headlines? We've got a fresh pot of coffee ready to go, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Sunday Clutter. The Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 last night, because Eduardo Nunez... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! Come on in, have a seat. How are you? Everyone is fine here at the moment. BDH and Little Buddha are staring out the window, wondering if there will be any birds in the Clutter Tree today. I think we're all still adjusting a little bit to the "thinner" tree, but at least it's still here. Other than that, the big item on the schedule is that we're going to tonight's Red Sox game. There's a big bridge repair project happening in Boston for the next three weeks which sounds like it's going to make traffic... Read more →

New victims are discovered, but does that increase or reduce the possible number of suspects? No matter where you look, the message this week is clear: Men are awful. It's too bad Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller can't arrest them for that. (Warning: Spoilers ahead) Observations: I'm still in love with how gorgeous the visuals are on this show. Almost every scene looks like a painting. Hopefully Chris Chibnall can transfer this over to Doctor Who next year. Now we have Laura Benson as victim #2. If we assume for the moment that we're only dealing with one rapist, doesn't... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? How's your week going? Things are pretty good here at the moment. BDH and Little Buddha have had a productive run this week, including their new book review and big interview with Van Halen's former manager. In addition, the garden looks great, so really, that's about all we ask for! All of that hard work has left them a little tired, so we've made the coffee extra strong today. Help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Thursday Clutter. The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0 yesterday... Read more →

Welcome to the first edition of a new Clearing out the Clutter feature called, "Five Questions," where we'll be posting interviews with people from a variety of backgrounds with interesting stories to share. We're thrilled to kick things off with Noel Monk, who was formerly the manager of Van Halen from 1978-1985. Monk is also the author of the new book, "Runnin' With The Devil: A Backstage Pass To The Wild Times, Loud Rock, And The Down And Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen." (You can read our review here.) Monk got his start working for legendary promoter... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Sorry we're a little late today. BDH and Little Buddha have been working hard on a project for your enjoyment, and so we've been focused on that so far today. However, it's time to take a little break and check in with the world for a minute. We've got coffee (of course), as well as seltzer water and regular water for you, so help yourself to whatever beverage you prefer, and let's clear out some Tuesday Clutter! The Boston Red Sox lost 4-0 to the Seattle Mariners last night. The Sox mustered just... Read more →

As longtime readers know, I've been somewhat obsessed with trees for years, particularly the Clutter Tree, which is also known as an Elm tree to the rest of the world. I've faced a number of personal challenges with the support of that tree, and this year, the Clutter Tree has dealt with some hardships of its own. Thankfully, we're both still here, plugging away. With that in mind, I was immediately intrigued when I came across the book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, which was written by Peter Wohlleben, a man who spent more... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! Come on in, have a seat. How are you? Did you have a good weekend? No complaints here. It's pretty dark outside right now, and it's supposed to rain for a good part of the day. Hopefully that's what's going to happen, because the garden could use a good soaking. For now, we've got headlines to sort through and coffee to enjoy. Help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Monday Clutter. The Boston Red Sox lost 3-2 to the Anaheim Angels yesterday. Rick Porcello was solid, giving up the three runs... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Things are good on this end. It's just a wee bit on the cool side here at the moment, which is great after the heat wave of the last few days. Also, the garden looks fantastic, which always does the heart good. We've got all sorts of colors popping everywhere, and it's just such a treat to have all of these friends come back again. I wish it could look like this all year, but I'm enjoying it while I can. Other than that, there's not much to report, except that we have... Read more →