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It tried to snow several times yesterday and in some parts of town, it succeeded. But not around Corbin Park. It has been quite chilly which prompted me to turn on the furnace this morning, thus ending the Boiler Game for 2019.
I am presently between computers and am currently using the laptop from church. It has an annoying feature where the curser will suddenly jump from it's place and reappear in the middle of a previous paragraph. Since I'm not a touch typist, it is most confounding to look up from the keys and see I've typed a whole bunch into the middle of a previous paragraph. It has done it twice while I typed the last sentence.
But it is better than the Google Chrome book I've been using, which won't even let me access this blog.
We are coming to the end of the road with Oscar. Our 19 year old cat has slowed down dramatically in the last few weeks and now he is hardly eating.
Last night, I came home and found him hanging by his claw from the couch. He got stuck on a cushion and then fell off the couch and remained hooked. No telling how long he was stuck there. He was a little wobbly when I got him free but he seems to have bounced back.
For the last week, whenever I come down in the morning, or Susan comes home in the afternoon, we pensively look around and hope to find him still alive.
It's rainy and cold so we are not doing much today. It feels like a good day to sit and watch football.
It was 37 degrees when I left the house this morning. Today was the first day I wore a jacket, more of an insulated work shirt. And it was big time driving into the sun this morning until we hit the Sullivan Road over pass. I drove into a thick shroud of fog that blocked out the sun. Yet, if I looked straight up, I could see a hint of blue sky.
I think I'm losing my car heater. It was blowing warm on Wednesday, hot yesterday and today not so much. I am not prepared for a repair bill so this isn't good.
On top of all of this, the forecast calls for the chance of snow this weekend. If it does snow, it will be the earliest instance of snow fall in Spokane recorded history.
I'm hoping I can make it through the weekend without turning on the boiler. I will run the space heaters and even light a fire in the fireplace.
Another sure sign that autumn has arrived is the annual Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church. It's going on this weekend and we are going tonight. I'm looking forward to Orzo and Lemon Beans.
It's the last full day of Summer and I celebrated by packing up the air conditioners and placing them in the closet.
We also continued to work in the TV Room, starting on removing the paint from the other window...the front window. Susan made great progress while I worked on replacing two plexiglass window panes with real glass.
I went to the Home Depot and bought two 10" x 12" window panes. It turns out I need the panes to be 10.25" x 10.875" I could actually shave a sixteenth off the .875 dimension.
Anyway, I could not use the panes I bought and will return them tomorrow. I'm also in search of window trim that is somewhat similar to the existing painted window trim so I don't have to spend the painstaking hours to remove the layers of paint on the trim we have.
The Autumnal Equinox is just a few days away but there are signs of Fall all over the place. Things like driving into the sun on my way to work, no sun this morning because of the thick blanket of chilly fog, trying to decide if I should wear a jacket, and the wall heater in the bathroom coming on automatically.
So that got me thinking about the Boiler Game. I have been hoping that I could make it to the middle of October before firing the boiler up. That is always the goal anyway. We have plenty of space heaters that can warm specific living areas...most prominently the kitchen.
But I must ask myself if that is cheating. The point of the Boiler Game is to see how long we can go before the furnace must be turned on. But that is a whole house issue. Being able to heat areas where we happen to be...most prominently the kitchen...does not abrogate the intention of the Boiler Game. That is my professional opinion as Commissioner of the Boiler Game. I just hope that it is the proper use of "abrogate".
Let's take a moment to review past Boiler Games.
- 2018 October 3rd
- 2017 September 23rd
- 2016 October 6th
- 2015 September 21st
- 2014 No Record
- 2013 October 8th
- 2012 October 5th
I found a note where I stated that the record is October 21st but I cannot find out what year that was.
Then I started reading posts from October of 2013. We were working on the Living Room and coming to the end of the project. I started looking at posts trying to find out the color of stain I used on the woodwork. It's the same color I will be wanting to use in the TV Room.
Then I remembered that I have already created a special page for such information. So that problem is solved.
We did okay with our wine entries at the fair. We got a Blue Ribbon with our Petit Verdot and a Blue Ribbon with a Special Commendation for our label.
Here are the judging sheets
No Grand Champions for us this year but we did do better than Ellen...which is all that really matters.
Today is the 12th running of Spokefest and we were all set to go. In fact, we went. We just didn't stay.
As we pulled out of the driveway, a very light rain started to fall. We parked the car at the Arena and rode our bikes down to Kendall Yards where they are staging the ride.
In the course of waiting for the ride to start, we decided it was going to be a miserable ride and we are not that fanatical about bike riding.
So we rode back to the Arena, packed up the bikes and drove home.
As I sit here now, imagining that we would be about half way through the ride at this time, the rain is pouring down. We are both glad that we wienied out of the ride. I would have been hating it if I was out there right now.
We have also continued our legacy participation in this event. We have entered every one of them and ridden in all but two now.
It is our Labor Day tradition to go to the Spokane Symphony Concert in Comstock Park. We'll be heading up there later but first, we have some stuff to do around the house on the last day of my vacation extravaganza.
First, I have to collect up all the accouterments we will need for the concert. I go up early and stake out a piece of real estate. This year I have a flag pole to designate our spot This will be helpful to others who will join us.
So, that is my first job.
Okay, that is done. I have the flag and base, some chairs and a tarp to designate our property.
Next, I'm doing more window work.
1:28 PM: I've been doing a little work on window trim and cleaning out the TV Room. I'm getting all the remodeling equipment stowed away so we can do a thorough clean of the house. It has finally gotten to a point that Susan can no longer stand it.
As I said, we will be heading for Comstock Park later and then after, maybe I'll be able to return one more time and conclude todays' post.
8:30PM: Wow! WE are home already. The concert was great as always and we got out of the area really fast.
Well, that's the end of summer!
We are back from church and ready to rock. It is noon straight up and we have an agenda for the day.
The day will conclude with a visit to Riverfront Park so we can take part in the annual Pig Out in the Park. We will listen to Sammy Eubanks at 8PM and return to the homestead after.
But first, it's back to the windows.
Later: We made pretty good progress. There is a therapeutic aspect to this work that is quite relaxing.
Here are some pictures of the rest of the day.
I was working on the window frame, trying to get all that gunky paint off the frame and trim.
Susan was working on the window.
Here is the problems she is dealing with. The little nooks and crannys on the trim are very time consuming. We are just going to keep working on it, little by little, until we are satisfied.
We went down to Pig Out about 6:00. We ate some good food and some not so good food. The Mac n'Cheese booth was disappointing. Kind of bland. It took no time for us to spend $25.00 a piece on food and beer.
Sammy was playing at the Clocktower Stage and he was great. Sammy is always a good show.
We left about ten and returned to the front porch for a malty beverage night cap.
We got a late start on our activities today for which we DO NOT apologize. It's Saturday and we'll take it at our own pace.
I'm down to the waning days of my vacation and it doesn't feel like I accomplished very much. I think I'm feeling that way because there is so little progress in the look of the TV Room. That doesn't mean we haven't been in there working. It's just at a point where the daily progress is not very visible.
Susan and I both spent the afternoon working on the windows. We are removing the paint to return them to a dark stained wood look that is the main motif of the house. It's slow and it's tedious.
We shall continue with the same tomorrow.
The tree is coming down today. I'm up early and getting things ready for the tree trimmers.
Avista showed up yesterday and trimmed the branches away from the power line. David at All Seasons Tree Trimmers called and said he had an opening and would be here at 9:00.
Here are some pictures as it looks now.
9:17AM: The first guy for the All Season's Tree Crew has arrived.
And so has the rain!
It started light but quickly ramped enough to a steady drizzle. I stopped working out in the yard stripping trim.
Here are some pictures as the trimmers do their work.
Here's the final stump. It's finally to a manageable size.
It sure does open the area up.
There's a little damage from the hoist on the lawn but my lawn is not in that great of shape. It'll grow back.
They beat the crap out of the cement in the back of the house. Now I don't have to hit it repeatedly with a sledge hammer to haul it away.
Look at the size of this root.
There is a nice close up. You can also see how the cement got broken up.
That's one of the reasons the cement is going away. The damn tree has lifted and cracked it all over the place.
I left this four foot stump because if we want to completely remove the stump rather than grind it down, the backhoe operator wants something large to chain up to. Apparently, they work it back and forth until they can loosen it enough to cut the big roots and yank it out.
My only other concern that is not a concern is the lawn. The lift they brought in chewed up my grass a little bit but I bet you won't see it in two weeks. You definitely won't see it in five months cuz it will be under snow.
I got up at 7 and immediately went to work on a stripping project. I got most everything off the channel trim that holds the big window in place.
At ten, I had to run up to Mom's to take her sewing machine back to the repair shop.
Once I got home, I went to work on a project I have been putting off for months. I replaced the Utility Sink next to the washer/dryer.
It ended up taking about three hours and three trips to the General Store. I had to replace the fixtures coming out of the wall and it took a while to get the size right. For the record, it's half inch pipe coming out of the wall and the hose attachment is 3/8". The hose has the 3/8" connection and a regular hose connection at the faucet.
Everything is groovy now and it seems to work okay. That means it is not leaking. It's a pretty cheap replacement but it will have to do for now.
I am half way through my designated vacation period and I'm going to make up for yesterday's slovenly performance.
I'm heading out shortly to pick up some glass. The east window in the TV Room is a sheet of plexiglass. I've been replacing plexiglass wherever I encounter it.
I'm also going to stop by Windsor Plywood in search of door casing and baseboard. I did purchase crown molding yesterday at the Ugly Duck.
So that is my set up for the day. Let's see how it goes!
6:17PM: Okay, I've had a myriad of experiences today and I think I was at least, a little bit productive. I got the piece of glass I needed for the east window. That cost $40.00. I had some printing that Susan needed done. AND...I did a lot of scraping on the windows in the TV Room. I made major progress on the east window.
Here are a few photos of my progress...proof really.
8:27PM: Oh...I also did laundry!!!
I am trying to plan my day. I am not going to do much in the Carriage House because of the stuff in there I want to sell.
So I'm thinking about straightening up the basement. That could use some attention. But first, I have to do some work on my Wine Label for this year. I have to have it finished by next Tuesday, which is the day our wine bottles are due at the fairgrounds.
10:58AM: I just spent some time working on the wine label and I would like to reiterate that I do not like Macs. I can't find files, I can't find programs. I have to trick it to open Photoshop. I connect my camera to the computer and it does not seem to recognize it. It doesn't show up on the desktop or ANYWHERE except in a photo gallery. The photo gallery is inaccessible to the Photoshop program I tricked into opening. It took me an hour and a half to complete something I could do in 20 minutes on my PC...which is at work. Which is why I'm complaining about the Mac.
Later: I didn't accomplish much today. I'll try better tomorrow.
I got out of bed a little after 7AM and it was glorious. The house was quiet when I came downstairs and I was on my own. I just finished up a nice hearty breakfast and I am heading over to church to complete the first task of the day. I have to do some work on our Reader Board out front of the church building. Then I have to see if I can figure out the church website.
When I return, I will go full bore on the garage.
Success! I removed our old Pastor's name and replaced it with our new Paster's name.
NooN: I did not go as crazy cleaning out the garage as I originally anticipated. Nonetheless, I am pleased with the results. I moved some stuff around. I found a lot of crap that is going to the Salvation Army and a lot of stuff that's going to the dump.
The main thing now is that one can easily access the car when it's parked in there and I can get the mower out without pulling the car out.
3:12PM: Since I finished with the garage so early, I got to work on the rail on the front porch. It's amazing how paint immediately improves the look of something.
Here is a section of the rail that I had to sand and scrape and patch.
Here it is after the paint is applied.
This pillar has been looking like this all summer.
It looks much better now. I need to get a second coat on the pillar tomorrow.
I also mowed the backyard and did some general organizing.
Susan is not happy with the ceiling. There is a hump that is barely noticeable but it is all she can see.
I say, if you can't see it in this picture, it's not a problem.
Clearly, I lost this battle. Oh well, it would have driven her crazy if she had not made the attempt to assuage her concerns.
Now we have to wait for that to dry so we 're in a holding pattern for an hour or so. I'm going out to survey the Carriage House.
I'm back from my survey. The Carriage House is a conundrum. I have a bunch of furniture out there that we want to get rid of but haven't. I've advertised some of it on Craig's List but got no takers. I guess I need to do it again and lower the price. I just did that. No takers yet but I couldn't even find it so I'm not sure it took.
Until that furniture is gone, there's not much I can do with the space.
Today is the first day of ten days off for me. I'm not going
anywhere because Susan doesn't have any vacation time built up with her new job. So I'll be trying to do some productive stuff around the house. One project is to clean out and organize the garage. I'm going to do that on Monday.
Another project is to clean out and organize the Carriage House. That will be set for Tuesday.
It's 1PM right now and we are finally getting around to working on the TV Room. We are getting a late start because I had to help Mom with an errand this morning regarding her Sewing Machine. If that is not working, Mom is not going to be happy.
Our first move is to head to the General Store to get some paint...Primer, really. So we'll be right back!
9:56PM: That was a transformation. As you can see from the pictures, it looks dramatically different once the walls are painted.
We are mostly pleased with the results, although the paint has highlighted a couple of problem areas that need attention.
That attention will have to wait until tomorrow.
So that's day one of my vacation. I could get used to this.
I am 62 years old and I cannot learn to put stuff away. I spent a good portion of last weekend wandering around the yard looking for a set of pruning shears that I left not in it's proper place.
I think I left them somewhere in the yard and some late night visitor (a skunk or a scumbag) made off with them. Today I spent and good chunk of unproductive time looking for my air nozzle.
I had to take one of the yard maintenance machines I own to the repair guy today and I wanted to blow it off to clean it up. I can't take the guy a dirty machine. What will he think of me.
Anyway, it took me 20 minutes to find the damn nozzle. It had fallen on the floor.
Susan did another round of mudding in the TV Room. We might be there. She'll know more tomorrow after she sands.
I gathered up all the trim from the room that has been laying on the front porch for over a year and figure out a better place to store it all. I pulled all the nails and wrapped it up in individual bundles and labeled them so I know which opening it previously graced: east window, south hall door, whatever.
I ended up storing them in the garage up in the rafters.
I also performed what has become my Saturday thing, blow the leaves out of the garden and suck them up with the mower. I mowed the whole front lawn but it really didn't need it.
I was working out back and noticed the hops that looks ready to harvest.
There's not a whole bunch up there but it's enough to make a few batches of home brew. Maybe I'll advertise on Craig's List.
It's time this blog got back to it's main mission which was to chronicle the unending remodel jobs we do on the house and the stupid things I do in the course of doing them.
Today, the stupid thing involved the vacuum. As you'll recall, we are remodeling the TV Room. We are currently stuck in mudding and sanding.
While Susan was out doing a variety of things, I got in there and sanded. It didn't take very long and everything looks pretty good, except for the areas that need more mud. That will happen tomorrow.
Once I finished, I broke out the shop vac and started cleaning up all the fine white powder all over the floor. I got the floor about half way cleaned up when I looked at the vacuum and saw a great deal of dust blowing out the exhaust. It's not supposed to do that.
I had forgotten that I cleaned the filter last weekend and had not replaced it. So I spread a nice even coat of dry wall dust all over the entryway, down the haul towards the kitchen and all the way up the stairs.
Stupid!
The guy from A1 Tree Service came by today to take a look at the damn tree. His quote was $2,000.00 to remove the tree, $250.00 to haul the fire wood away, and $250.00 to grind the stump. With taxes, it came to $2,722.50. That's a thousand more than the previous quote so guess who we're going to.
It's time for it to come down.
We are almost to the end of July and I have decided to make an entry. My absence has not been from lack of information to impart. It's from lack of dedication. So there is my apology.
On the other hand, I'll post when I damn well feel like it, so that pretty much negates the apology.
So let's ignore the first two paragraphs and get on with today's post.
We had a weather event last Tuesday where the wind suddenly came up, the thunder and lightning came in and the rain poured down. In the course of the event, this troubled tree next to the garage dropped a good sized branch onto the back of the house.
No damage, no wires came down but it caused a bit of a blockage with access to the backyard. All in all, not a disaster.
However, this tree has been a problem since we moved in to the house almost 15 years ago. You might recall from this blog my adventures with this tree and a hillbilly named Martin. If not refer to December of 2014.
We had this tree pretty much down. All we needed was to cut down the main trunk. But we ignored it and this sickly tree that bleeds down its trunk completely grew back to the size it was before.
I am so angry with myself for letting this happen. I completely wasted the money I spent on Martin, not to mention the stress of dealing with Martin. Now it's going to cost us much more. A quote we got to remove the tree last fall was for $1700.00.
The second part of the day was dedicated to the TV Room. We are down to the worst part of this project. Sanding. Today we decided to use our electric pad sanders. This went much faster but really made a mess. The air was thick with dust and every surface in the room got a nice coating. It was quite a mess to clean up.
Tomorrow we will wipe everything down and shine a light on everything to see where we need to mud next.
