Stumpfire Girls and our Albatross

I am aware of the Cub Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts and even the Campfire Girls. But are there Stumpfire Girls?

I imagine an band of roving damsels searching the urban landscape for trees that have been cut down with a stump left behind to fester in the yard. Calling upon their intense training skills, they drill several large holes into the stump and then sprinkle the stump gently with gasoline.

After a brief period of seasoning, the Stumpfire Girls light the stump ablaze. They gather round and roast hot dogs and marshmallows and sing traditional stumpfire songs. The next morning, the home-owner comes out to see that he was visited in the night by the elusive troupe of marauding "Stumpers" and is grateful for their work. He easily removes the charred stump and sends a donation to the Inland Northwest Chapter of Stumpfire Girls.

At least, that's how I imagine it.

Susan and I have a major conflict in our lives that we will never be able to reconcile. It is hard to believe that our marriage has survived as long as it has but then, they do say that opposites attract. You see, I am a PC person and she is a Mac person. I don't understand Macs and she hates PCs.

She has rarely visited this blog while at work because she has told me she can't see it when she logs on. "It's too dark" she says. I tell her that it's her damn Mac and they Suck! Today, I used the Mac at work to try and log on and...I am right! Mac's Suck!

This site is un-readable on the Mac. It is waaaay to dark and it doesn't even have the same format. I'll e-mail Susan soon and tell her that I is right and Mac's Suck!

Front Yard Blight

I had a chance to examine the area of the front lawn where I did some re-seeding last week. Usually, it's too dark by the time I remember. I do not see any sign that the seeds went to Germany...you know, to Germinate. (My misunderstanding of Horticultural terminology might be a huge part of my problem with the yard)

I guess I'll lay down some more seed and try again.

Ronnie started priming and still has some boards to replace...so the Carriage House project is rolling along. I consulted with a neighbor who knows of which he speaks, and he thinks that re-enforcing the structural integrity of the roof is not that big of a deal. He says i need to add some new cross supports to the joists and that should pretty much take care of it.

I can tell you this. That roof had no problems support 11 inches of snow last winter. I don't know if that is relevant to anything but it's a lovely fact to add to the discussion.

So...discuss!

UnVerdantsy

With all we are doing around the Carriage House, it has upset the daily routine of the indigenous Carpenter Ants. Last night, I upset them further by spraying toxic Ant Poison all over the place. There were ants running for cover and then staggering to an untimely death.

Great Sport!

I am seeing very little progress in my front lawn where I recently re-seeded. I think I may need to re-re-seed. I'm blaming the Ants!

A Look at Hops

I haven't shown off the hops plants lately so here we go.Pictured is my Sterling Hops Plant. You can see it is slowly wrapping around the post and it is quite lush down below. None of the climbing plants are growing at the pace they should be. I just have to console myself with the prospect that this is a growing year. It's similar to the concept of a struggling team just trying to get through this season in hopes that next season they will go for the Pennant, Championship, Brass Ring or All-You-Can-Eat Nachos.

Ronnie got to work on power washing the Carriage House. She said it went surprising well and she hauled away six gallons of paint chips. That is just off two sides. As I stated in an earlier post, the old paint is hanging on by the last, tiniest old paint molecule.

Now the whole building has that wonderful wet sock smell to it. That is of course subtly blended with hints of moth balls and semi-truculent skunk.

I was hoping to enter homemade beer and wine in the fair this year to try and match last years third place finishes. The deadline for entry was yesterday and we missed it. So, I will plan my recipe for next year (I have a good beer recipe in mind) and give the other people who entered a chance at the Blue Ribbon, Championship, Brass Ring or All-You-Can-Eat Elephant Ears.

Yeah, that's the ticket!

Next Phase

Okay, the main reconstruction phase of the Carriage House is complete. Next comes the power washing and subsequent destruction of old untreated wood. Because of limited time and desire, Susan and I are not doing the power washing or the painting ourselves. We have hired a friend who does this sort of thing and knows what she is doing. Ronnie is the handyman I hope to be some day.

Carriage House

A picture being worth a thousand words, here's what we did with our weekend.
Before After

I would love to say that the picture is distorted and that is why the roof looks like it's sagging. The picture is not distorted.

Lawn Wars & Obe Wan Carriage House

My last rant gave me the impetus I needed to do something about the crappy yard. I made one small step forward. I tried seeding this bombed out area of the lawn. I shall watch it closely over the next few days to see what happens. As for the rest of it, I'll keep pouring on the water. We are all set to put a new door in the Carriage House this weekend. This all started when we decided we really needed to get the Carriage House painted. The alley side of it is in bad shape. When we hit it with the pressure washer, the paint will just disintegrate off the wood. So, as a prelude to painting, we started looking at some of the things we want to do with the building, and one of those things is to put a nice set of French Doors in the middle and move the windows to where the doors were. If we are going to paint, we should do that work now.

And so, here we go!

The Year of the Yard?

Shortly after we moved in four years ago, Susan and I (mostly Susan) worked out an ambitious, if not unrealistic remodeling schedule. If we were on schedule today, I believe we would be lounging on the shores of Paraguay. We would have drinks with little umbrellas and our tans would be perfect. (That's in the schedule!)

The short version of what I'm trying to say is we are not on schedule and 2008 is NOT the Year of the Yard. Our yard just sucks! I can't put it any plainer than that. At one time, this house had a sprinkler system. Today, that sprinkler system is the main support structure of the largest Mouse Subway in the World. It don't work!

I pour a ton of water on the grass but it looks horrible. Fortunately, I live next door to Ted & Rhonda, who have a working sprinkler system. Their yard looks great. Especially when compared to Death Valley next door.

Since we are on the park, we have lots of people walking, running and biking by. I don't like to think that we have one of the crappier yards on the park, but that is the reality. I can console myself somewhat by the knowledge that we will not always be in this condition. AND, we do not have the worst yard on the park.

The Perfect Weekend

Susan and I have just completed what we believe to one of the most Perfect Weekends we've ever had together or apart.

To begin with, yesterday was Susan's birthday and we always try to do something different when our birthdays come around. So on Friday, we loaded up her little Honda (38mpg) and headed for Seattle for the weekend. Below is an assortment of pictures.

These pictures are of the Moore Hotel and some of their amenities.

It's really too bad that this picture is out of focus. I have to learn to use my tri-pod when I'm shooting pictures on Manual and at night. Nonetheless, I really liked the way this picture looks.

Here is the obligatory picture of Pike Street Market and a picture of "The Crow", where we ate Susan's Birthday Dinner. It was very nice and reminded me a lot of the Downriver Grill here in Spokane.

While in Seattle, we seemed to have a very full agenda of doing nothing in particular and everything in general. We covered the Public Market from stem to stern. We had a nice dinner at a cafe that overlooks the market. We found a couple of seedy bars with cheap drinks.

On Saturday, we made our way down to Pioneer Square. We found this bar where we had the Traditional Susan Birthday Meal of Cheeseburger and Fries. Ideally, we would have had Potato Chips and her special birthday cake. But we had to deal with what we had available to us.

After lunch, Susan gravitated to an Antique store. We are trying to find a lighted statue suitable for placement on the main post of our stairway. After a quick perusal that yielded no such statue, I wandered out onto the plaza and saw this store that deals exclusively in kilts. Utilikilts! http://www.utilikilts.com/

I like the idea. I want a kilt! However, I have a hard time spending $50.00 for a pair a pants. I cannot see me spending $150.00 to $200.00 for something that I'm really gunna get laughed at.

Then again, it takes a guy completely comfortable with his sexuality to wear a kilt. and that guy is me!

We took a brief afternoon nap because we are old and that's what old people do after they have walked a lot.

Next we looked at a far off future dream of mine. A Sailboat.

I foresee a time in the future (2027) when we will NOT be working on the house. It's a time when we will be so sick of thehouse that we will want to get out of town and commune with our abundance of nature as far away from thehouse as possible. Whether we camp at a campground or a lake, it would be great to do it in a sailboat. One you can sleep on. One with its own self contained facilities. One that is not the house. One with a cup holder.

I have been looking at this one particular boat manufactured by the MacGregor Corporation. http://www.macgregor26.com/ The way gas prices are going, a sailboat makes sense. This boat in particular is perfect for the lakes we have around this area. Plus, it has the ability to power up an engine up to 70 h.p. and motor to your destination at a pretty decent speed when you have the inclination.

Anyway, we went over to Lake Union to check one out. More of an introduction of the boat to Susan, who likes the idea but not the price tag.

We spent Birthday night at a bar an hour away from Seattle. My friend Joe, who lives in Tacoma, has a band that was playing in Graham, WA. We listened to Chicken Joe and the Fabulous Cocks as they weaved their magic spells of classic and popular rock music with which to dance upon. http://www.chickenjoeandthefabulouscocks.com/ We had brief opportunities to visit with Joe between sets. I see him a couple times a year so it's not like we were way out of touch with each other.

After a a rousing weekend, we got ourselves re-loaded into the little Honda and returned to Spokane. It was cloudy, cold and trying to rain when we left Seattle but the sky was clearing and became sunny once we crossed the mountains.

We arrived home around 4:00 and immediately began preparing to go downtown for the Annual Fireworks Concert. We have a friend who plays in the orchestra and we always go down early, enjoy a light picnic snack-fest and a little wine.

But before going, I presented Susan with her main birthday gift. Take a look and see if I don't qualify for Most Romantic Gift Giving Guy of the Year...

...or a divorce!

The concert was a great time and the perfect end to a fabulous weekend. Here are s'mo pix.I do not believe that I have ever written such a long and rambling entry. I apologize. But then again, I write this for me...not you. Apology retracted!

Varnish Day

Susan went to work on the varnishing while I ran wire for a new outlet out on the deck. We decided that as long as the eve is opened up, it's a good opportunity to augment the electrical access out there.

Once I got in there, I realized it was a good thing. I did some sloppy wiring on the last can light. I had cut through the wire when I trimmed it and it was making a connection only because a piece of the insulation was there to keep it in place.

I have since gone back and checked all the can lights. I did not come across any problems but I'm glad I checked. I do not like that outdoor wire. It is very difficult to cut away the insulation, which I'm sure was what caused the problem on the light I described.

I have run my wire out to the end of the arbors on the deck. I'm putting one outlet out there for now and will be able to add more if I so desire. More than likely, I will so desire cuz I loves my lec'trys-tee.

Quality Craftsmanship

My bench is coming along. I'll have it varnished tonight and it will be a done deal. Then, if I can get the hooks installed, the bathroom can be declared COMPLETE.In the picture, it looks like I used a different stain on the bench than I did on the walls. It's a much better match in real life and I suspect the difference is due to the wood I used. I don't care because I'm almost done. That is not the Quality-Driven attitude I like to have, but it is often the attitude I end up with.

Garage Space

With the French doors installed and out of the garage, there is suddenly a whole crap load of space in there. I did a little re-arranging and fit stuff in much better than it was. As long as I'm not driving as much, I figure I ought to garage my car.

I'm doing some final finishing projects in the bathroom. Susan will not consider it complete until I get this shelf built. That project also includes a complimenting set of hooks on which to hang bathrobes and assorted sundry items.

I'll get some pictures of the shelf tonight after I have it stained. Unlike many of my little carpentry projects, this one came out much better than I thought it would.

Another Busy Weekend

I made my appointment to the Steinway Store and played the Pianos. I went with a guy named Kenny who comes into the bar and is a pretty good piano player. He's played in bands all his life and has a very nice touch. Certainly better than I! Pictured above is the 100 year Gershwin Commemoritive Piano. Steinway made about 150 of them and this one is one of two remaining for sale. It could be yours for only $189,000.00.

While bar tending yesterday, we got talking about marinating steaks and one guy sitting at the bar said that Everclear is great for that. So I came home with a steak, took a half cup of Everclear, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire, and a tablespoon of minced garlic and mixed it all together really well. Then I poured over my steak and let it sit for awhile. I don't know how good a job it did because I over cooked my steak. I'm like them really rare and it got into the medium range. Nonetheless, the picture above shows how well the marinade burns.

Shortly after moving into the house, Susan and I wanted to start working on our idea of a balcony on the second floor landing. Our original idea called for moving the outside wall back about three feet and putting in a set of Frend doors. The Historic Commission would not approve that design. Unfortunately, we had already purchased the door when we found a good deal on one. It's been sitting in the garage for about three and a half years. I found some references to the project back in September of 2006.

We finally decided it was time to replace the ratty old French doors we have in the kitchen with the new set. Phil got the door installed yesterday and is finishing up on it today and probably tomorrow. Already it is a remarkable change. Most notably, I still want to force the door open like I had to on the old one and slam it shut hard, like the old one. It will take us a while to overcome that habit.

Piano Appointment

Tonight I have an appointment at the Steinway Store to play a Legendary Piano. A couple of Legendary Pianos, in fact. Since I'm on my bike today, I'm going to have to buzz home after work and race to get there. I should have plenty of time.

Yes, I'm still riding my bike to work. You can read about my commuting adventures on a separate yet stunningly insightful blog I call http://www.porkymccorpulent.blogspot.com/.

I am gearing up for a busy weekend around the house. I have a wiring project to do as well as some yard work. I'm thinking about renting an aerator and plug the lawn. It needs all the help it can get. Perhaps I should start mowing with golf shoes. I have heard that people do that.

Se7enth Meetiversary

Susan and I went to a Spokane Indians Baseball Game last night to celebrate our Se7enth Meetiversary. Yup! Se7en years ago I met her at an Indians Game. Actually, se7en years ago, I re-met her at an Indians Game. We had met many years earlier when we both worked at the same sign shop. So we donned our ballcaps and went to the stadium to take in some baseball. As it turned out, we watched losing baseball as the Division Leading Indians decided not to show up.

We have another construction project going on. This one is a re-engineering project involving our deck and the new eve extension we added last year. We didn't contemplate the rain water run off issue very well and the poor engineering caused the boards up there to absorb water through very small cracks and damage the soffit from the inside.

The boards we removed in the picture above were badly damaged by the runoff soaking into them. We thought we had painted them well enough to seal them but that apparently was not the case. We are going to extend the shingles just a smidgen so as to allow the water to cascade off the roof and onto the deck rather than wrap around the edge of the soffit.

Stay tuned as more exciting remodeling project are right around the corner.

Stinky Accommodations

I was wondering if I would still have a skunk living under the Carriage House after my weekend excavation party. It appears I still do. Pictured below is her entrance and a peek just inside her foyer. It seems nice, doesn't it?!

The Dingo Ate Your Rubbish

Our project for the day was to clean the area next to the Carriage House that has been a depository for Yard Crap for many years prior to our moving in.

I believe that the former owner would rake up all the leaves and then throw them in this little space. Over the years, the leaves have turned into a wonderfully fine mulch, dirt really, that is laced with decaying chestnuts and all manner of odd things mixed in.

I found re bar, a 20 pound lead weight, plastic, old tent supports and roots, roots and more roots.

We went out this morning to survey our work site and decided it was nuts, stupid really, to hand shovel all that debris out of there.

So off we went to the Rental store to rent a piece of equipment I remembered seeing and coveting, loving, really. It's the Toro Dingo and there you can see me proudly pictured with it.



What would have taken us hours of backbreaking shoveling turned into light duty fun with the ultimate power shovel.

The tough part was unloading the truck. Now there was some backbreaking shoveling, work for Migrants, really.

But we accomplished our goal and got the side of the Carriage house all cleaned out.

It was an expensive day though. About $300.00 when all totaled up.

$450.00 if you include our labor.

State of Emergency

The weather has been beautiful the last week or so. Every day is bright and clear and hot and sunny. It's like it was Summer or something. Today the wind started blowing around three or four o'clock and continued for several hours.

I have been doing stuff around the house. I mowed the lawn. I cut some more tree limbs. I watered the lawn. I just came in a little bit ago and turned on the TV to discover a major fire is occurring in the Spokane Valley. The Authorities are asking people to evacuate a large section of the area around the Dishman Hills. I also learned there was a pretty substantial fire at a local building supply business not far from home.

Here are some pictures I took from the Telly.

This is a a map of the Evacuation Area. I know someone who lives right on the edge of that area. I work with her. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what her evening was like.

The area is not really rural but there are a lot of trees mixed in with some houses. This one looks like a pretty good camp fire is going in the woods.

On the news, they said that this last picture is a house on fire and probably burning to the ground. It's hard to imagine in this day and age that a fire could get so out of control that fire fighters are unable to stop it from totally destroying a house. But then again, something big like this happens and the fire fighters are scattered everywhere and stuff is gonna burn.

I feel bad for those people. That has got to be

devastating.

The Steinway Store

Susan and I went to see three famous pianos last night. Not piano players...just the pianos. One belonged to the Vlad-ster, another to the Van-ster and the third was a Gershwin Commemorative Piano. These "famous" pianos are touring the country via Steinway stores.

There were three local piano players who put on a bit of a concert. For the last piece, the three teamed up to play Rhapsody in Blue.

It was fabulous!

The new Steinway store is pretty nice. They built a little concert hall off the side of the showroom. We got there late so we sat in the overflow area surrounded by pianos. I'm actually thinking of making an appointment to play the pianos. I would like to see how they feel as opposed to our Steinway.

The Vlad-ster is Vladimir Horowitz and the Van-Ster is Van Cliburn. Gershwin is Gershwin.

Three Day Weekend Hangover

I'm really beat today. It didn't seem like we worked that hard over the July Fourth Three Day Weekend but my body feels very languid today.

While it may not seem to me that we worked very hard, we did accomplish a great deal. As is becoming our tradition, we went canoeing on July 4th and saw our Independence Day Moose.

Later in the day, we rode our bike's downtown to watch the fireworks and cavort with the peoples. There were many hundreds of peoples down there all mashed together in the park.

Saturday and Sunday were our work days. Susan cleaned her car while I worked on the window trim in the bathroom. We then cleaned up the yard and hauled all the debris we assembled to the dump. My second load cost 35 cents because after 3:00, the first 100 pounds of yard waste is free.

We finished off the weekend by going up to Arbor Crest Winery and enjoying the weekly $5 concert.

Here is a Collage of Photage to augment what I have Writage.


I cannot explain what is going on with that collage. It has made negatives out of some of the pictures and left the others alone but really washed out. I'm not sure what to do so I'm just going to leave it.

More LumberJackin'

I got home last night from a hot bicycle ride from work and commenced to cutting up all the tree limbs I cut down on Sunday. Hopefully, I will be able to transport everything to the dump during the upcoming Fourth of July Three Day weekend. That of course requires the dump to be open. I'll call and check on that. It also requires the faithful service of Rob and the Farm Truck, which I will use to make the afore mentioned transport.

I am riding my bike to work for the whole month of July. If it goes well, I will continue it through the summer. I am chronicling my adventures in a new blog. Actually, it's an old blog that I started a while back to keep a fitness record. It doesn't have many entires. You can check it out at http://www.porkymccorpulent.blogspot.com/.

As a teaser, I believe you will enjoy the entry for July First.

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm okay

I cut down three trees yesterday and two rose clumps. I cannot call them bushes as they were two unwieldy and out of control to qualify as bushes. These trees were small and in the way. I'm trying to create as much light as possible in the yard so the arborvitae can get some growth.

My hops is coming along quite pitifully. I have resigned myself to the fact that this will be a building year for the clinging plants. My grape vines are going slowly as well. Only the clamatis is growing strong. It is up to the bottom of the deck and heading up the post for the rail.

Along with all my Lumberjacking, I rode my bike downtown to catch some Hoopfest action and then went out to the river for a swim. Yesterdays temperture was well into the 90's.

I declare Summer to be here. There! Now it's official.

A Revolutionary Day

The price of gas has spurred me to think and act green. I am coming to hate that word. Everyone wants to be green and make you think they are green. Who can be greener. When it comes right down to it, the green I am interested in saving is money.

Anyway, I rode my bike to work today. This is normally not practical because work is 14 miles away and I am a pussy. But, if I ride the bike downtown and catch the bus, it is a much more attractive proposition...in a pussy kind of way.

Today was my trial run to see how long it all takes. I have pledged to do it every work day for the month of July. I'm not giving up my car. I'm just not riding it to work. The challenges will come when something comes up that requires me to have my car. Will I be able to work around it or will I be forced to capitulate and drive to work.

For now, here is self portrait of me riding to work.

I have some additions to make to my earlier entry. I arrived home at 5:50PM. That is 50 minutes later than my normal arrival if I drive. I probably would have been home about ten minutes sooner had there not been a major slowdown at the Freeway Exit. It took 15 minutes just to get from the exit to the Bus Plaza.

One must take into account the money savings against the time spent. I also must factor in the exercise aspect of this bike/bus riding...which for me is very strong motivation to do it.

Here are some numbers for your cyphering enjoyment.

I figure my car consumes two gallons to go to and from work. It's a little less but let's keep this in round figures. At today's price, that is a savings of $8.00. It cost me $2.00 to ride the bus.

In the month of July, there are 22 work days...22 days where I have the opportunity to ride the bike/bus. A monthly bus pass costs $33.00. If I ride all 22 days, it costs me $1.50 per day.

If I drive all of those 22 days, it will cost me $176.00 for gas for the month. Generally, I spend about $240.00 per month on gas. That's based on $60.00 per week, which is about what I have been spending. So I am looking at saving about $130.00. I will of course, be keeping track of my actual savings. It's going to be all offset by the amount of bike gadgets I buy.

Then there's the whole carbon footprint thing, which I am not going to get into here...because I don't care about that.

...and the Livin' is Easy!

Last night was our Eighth Annual Solstice Party. It was a wonderful time and everyone was cleared out by 11:00 when the rain came crashing down. It poured very hard for about half an hour. Susan and I were on the front porch with our regular solstice Hangers-on, Mark and Laura.

I am sad to say that I had such a wonderful time that I did not take hardly any pictures. I really need to hire a staff photographer next year.

Since the Solstice was the official debut of the new bathroom (even though it is not quite complete) I thought I would show a couple of before and after shots.

This is a shot that shows the new sink and vanity that took the place of a mostly useless linen cabinet. I was able to save that whole set up and it is now being useful in the garage.

Here is a view looking straight into the old and new bathroom. There should have been a sink where the orange bucket is. I guess I removed it before thinking of taking the picture.

I wish we could have kept the old subway tile that the original bathroom had. Our budget just wouldn't accommodate that kind of expenditure.

Okay, I now have lots of updating to do from the past week.

As you may have expected, the Suzuki is a total loss. My wonderful son, of who I am so proud, drove it into a tree during a drunken rampage. While he is suffering major consequences for his actions, I am coming out pretty good on the whole deal. I was offered about $800.00 more than I would have sold the car for so I am pretty pleased with that part of the outcome.

I am not pleased with my big toe. It has developed a case of gout. It is very tender and walking for the past week has been quite arduous. I have had good days and bad days but the tenderness is always there.

It is great to be me!

Fabulous Weekend

This is the poster for not allowing your child to borrow your stuff. I'm not going to go into the details, but my son is cooling his jets in a local county facility.

Design Flaw

The bathroom is now even more mostly done than it was before...but not quite. I have installed a door on the bathroom which was long overdue. I used a door we had but it required turning the hinges around. I still have to drill a hole for the lock set to connect to.

I have installed our new Medicine Cabinet. It arrived while we were in Iowa. It looks great. It has allowed me to enjoy a little luxury I haven't had since we moved into this house. I am finally getting back into a morning routine where I have everything I need to make me pretty all in one place. It seemd like I had stuff spread throughout the house before.

I have discovered a design flaw in my bathroom plans. I have been aware of it for some time but have been reluctant to acknowledge it. The heater is in the wrong position. It is placed directly across from the shower. When you step out of the shower, the heater blows air on you. It's warm air, but it doesn't feel that way when you are dripping wet.

I am also not thrilled with the programmable thermostat I have installed. When it reaches the programmed temperature, it cycles off and on repeatedly. I can't imagine that is good for the heater or my electric bill...and it's damn annoying as well.

Vacation News

I have not written in a while because we have been on vacation. We took a trip to Iowa because, well...when you think of vacation, you think of Des Moines.

I have only two pictures to share of our trip.

This is a picture of the highway as we passed into Madison County.This is the bridge.

It doesn't seem like enough on which to base a book and feature length movie.

Dog Paddling in the Glorious Wake of Modest Achievement

I am astonished, ASTONISHED, I tell you, at the amount of time I waste looking for stuff that I should have put away properly in the first place. I even have the temerity to think that I have put it away properly.

But when the time comes for me to retrieve the supposedly properly put away item, it's not there. I would love to blame small children, but I'm the only one here who comes close to qualifying under that category. I would love to blame Gremlins, but again, I think the finger points back to me on that account as well.

My issue tonight is a letter. Susan received a letter today from an on-line catalog company who misses her business. This happens to be an on-line catalog company who I have been considering purchasing a Medicine Cabinet from. This letter offers Susan a 20% discount on any item she might chose to buy. Simply buy the item and enter the code. She gave me the letter earlier and I said I was going to run it up to the computer and go on-line later this evening and purchase said Medicine Cabinet.

So here I am, up at the computer.....and I can find no letter. I think back. It wasn't more than two hours ago that she handed me the letter. I cannot remember bringing the damn thing up here. Nor I can remember placing it anywhere between the kitchen and the computer room. I have gotten a good amount of exercise this evening going up and down the stairs, looking for the letter, which is now only a figment of my failing memory.

I have not yet queried Susan about its possible whereabouts because she is not feeling well and is currently enjoying a quiet brandy and a bath. Frankly, I feel I should be able to solve this on my own...unless of course, she found it in some location where I absent mindedly placed it and then she proceeded in her neat-nik ways to hide it from me.

The problem is that I do this all the time! I am positive that I have already written about doing this all the time. We could be done with this house by now if I hadn't forgotten where I put it.

Finishing Touches

We finally purchased towel racks and a toilet paper dispenser for the bathroom. I got everything installed last night except for the towel rack, which gave me a couple of little problems. Some industrial strength glue and a slam-wrench will take care of that problem.

Bloomsday was this past Sunday and both Susan and I participated...and even finished. She did the 10K run in about one hour and 22 minutes. I did it in one hour and 44 minutes. I went out and ran a mile last night after work and I feel worse today than I did on Monday. I ran a big hill which I think made the difference.

I should run again tonight but I might give myself the night off.

Right now we are getting the house ready for this Sunday. It's Mothers Day and we are hosting the whole Famn Damily. There will only be about 12 of us, but that's enough to set Susan onto the Stress Train.

Getting Closer

We have been waiting for a part for the faucet on the new sink and so have not been able to put it into the bathroom. The part arrived on Saturday and I spent Sunday putting it together. It took all day to get everything hooked up. I'm talking about the faucet here, I haven't got to the drain yet. When I pressurized the system, there were leaks from both hot and cold water lines. Nothing torrential, but I had to shut it down after I tested it. I'll be working on it over the next few days, I suspect.

Anyway, we are another step closer.

My other big accomplishment was the shower window. It now has the etched glass effect. The discerning eye will notice that I incorporated the pattern from the wall paper into the window design.

Finished Shower

I finally can say that I have some decent progress to report. Above I have a progressive representation of the shower from beginning to end. Don't make the mistake that I am finished. I am not. We still have to get the sink installed and the major hangup there is waiting for a part for our faucet.

I am also happy to report that my Hops crop is hopping along. That little tendril is about four inches long than shown in this picture. It's still to chilly to put in the ground, but on warm days when I can bring it out into the sun, that thing really grows. I talked my neighbor Ted into buying a couple of plants as well. Now I have six that I can access.

A Post for the Tax Man

We got our taxes filed a long time ago and already have our refund so today being the 15th (the Deadline) is not relevant to me. I just wanted to acknowledge the day and then move on.

Moving on, Winter has sort of returned again for the fifth time this Spring. There was a dusting of snow on the roof tops and lawns this morning. It's almost gone now.

I put some lights back up in the bathroom last night and I may start capping the wainscoting one of these evenings. I'll have to get very motivated to start that project during the week. It's probably best to wait for the weekend.

I'm generally pretty good at putting things off until the weekend.

One Wall to Go!

After a weekend of sun and heat, I gathered up the newspaper this morning to see a deluge of rain. It was still warm and the freshness of it all was wonderful. I stood out there on the front porch and drank it in.

Susan made great progress in the bathroom with the wall papering and only has one wall to go. It's the long one but it doesn't have any obstacles, angles or corner to negotiate. Unfortunately, she has no time in the next few days to finish it up so it will have to wait a bit longer.

I can probably start capping off the wainscoating and then we can put the sink in. I am waiting on a crucial part that should be here this week.

In the meantime, I spent my Sunday in the yard. I trimmed the arborvitae down to about 12 feet and removed a lot of the damaged and spindly branches. The winter really did a number on the shrubbery. They don't look too good right now but I think they will recover. Next I need to hit them with some good fertilizer.

I have a couple of hops plants that I am starting. Right now they are in buckets in the basement. I have a Cascade variety and a Sterling variety. I brought them out into the sun yesterday and I believe they really enjoyedit.

I don't plan to brew beer with them although I won't ignore fresh hops if they provide it. I mainly wanted some growing vine plants to cover the arbor on the deck. I'm going to plant a couple of varieties of grapes as well as a clamatis. It should look great in a few years.

Finally Feeling Pretty

For the first time in a week, I feel human again. All I had was a cold but it held on and kept me uncomfortable since last Saturday.

It goes without saying that nothing has been done on the house this week. I ended up staying home a couple of days and I tried to putter around and accomplish a few tasks. The problem was that I couldn't sustain any activity before wanting to nap. I felt too good to stay home but not good enough to go to work...or DO any work.

I'm not making any promises for this weekend.

Ambitious Plans of the Weekend Fool

None of my big plans for the weekend have bore any fruit. Let's start with the skunk.

I put a humane trap out in the yard last night. I threw a bunch of hot dogs around it and then in it. When I got up this morning, it was empty. I left it out there and it wasn't long before I looked out and saw one of our cats in it. At least I know it works when the animal cooperates. Maybe I put too many hot dogs in the yard and she got full before she found the trap.


I worked yesterday at my job at the bar and then went to a football game. Spokane has an Arena II Football team. They played the Stockton Lightning and they killed them. The final score was 70 to 12. I still don't really understand all the nuances of the game and it doesn't feel like a replacement for football to me. I can wait until Fall.

Susan got started on the bathroom yesterday but didn't get very far. The work she did today involved removing one of the pieces she placed yesterday. She's a real perfectionist when it comes to this kind of stuff. If she doesn't get it right, she'll be looking it at for the rest of her life, or until she fixes it. It's still too early to get a good feeling of how it will look but I think it's going to look great.

I was unable to do much of anything today. I started feeling a little scratchy throat yesterday and I didn't feel all that great at the Football. I woke up this morning about the same. Not terrible, but I knew I had better take it easy and try and beat this cold early. The way I'm feeling now, I will probably work only half a day tomorrow. I'll go in and figure out the hot spots and put out those fires and then come home and stoke my fire.

I discovered the wonder and magic of the Netty Pot today. It's a thing to give your sinuses a bath. It feels kind of weird at first. It's sort of reminiscent of the feeling you get when you snort in a bunch of water in a swimming pool but it really works and I could really breath after I used it. In fact, it's been a while since I used it and I think I could use another, Thank you!

Weekend Projects

It's going to be a dramatic weekend of change for the bathroom. If all goes well, we will be done with this project on Sunday.

I say that knowing that I have not yet purchased towell racks or a medicine cabinet. I also have an issue with our faucet on the sink. I think I'm missing a part.

But the main stuff will be done. Susan will start wall papering tomorrow and then I'll place the cap on the wainscoating and that will be that.

I also have plans to catch me a skunk. We saw her out in the yard last night. She's not as big as I was thinking she was. I think she will fit in the trap.

Once I have her, it's a simple matter of trucking her out to the country side and setting her free, without getting nailed by skunk juice.

Details and picture to follow.