What a Weekend

I took Friday off from work and had a great day of accomplishment on tasks around the house. Mostly outdoor tasks. I took a couple of power tools to get tuned up. I put the snow blower away and I cleaned up my garage so I can park inside again. Just in time for a bunch more snow.

I didn't even bother to break out the snow blower because I knew it would all be melted before the end of the day...and it was. But then it snowed again. It's melting now.

So anyhoo...I had a load or two to haul to the dump. I borrowed a friends truck, donned my Ca-Boi Hat and went to work.

I had many tasks to perform involving the truck. I wanted to get the yard cleaned up a little and the garage cleaned out a LOT.

I really enjoyed driving the truck around. It made me miss my old truck. It's really handy to have an old beat up pick up. There's just so much you can haul with it. But, it's a total pig on gas.

I hauled some stuff to the Habitat for Humanity store and upon heading home, I came across this poor little car.

It was really smoking. The Fire Department showed up on scene just as I made it through the intersection. So I got to enjoy some excitment and not get bogged down in a major traffic jam.

My trip to the dump involved the removal of a lot of yard debris that had built up over the winter...including our $50.00 Christmas Tree. I trimmed a few branches off a tree next to the garage. This one branch layed right across the peak of the roof and wore a hole in it. It's not very big and right where a rafter is so it doesn't let much weather in. Still, it had to go. I'll patch the hole in days (months) to come.

I have been wanting to plant some vines around the deck so I could get them to grow up the posts and onto the arbors. I have found a place that sells Grapes vines and I am going to plant a clamatis as well. I also ordered some cutting of hops from Jim's Homebrew and they arrived Friday. It's still too chilly to plant them, but I picked them up and put them in a couple of pots in the basement. That will get the roots started and then they will be all set when it warms up...in August.

Well, that was my busy Friday. The rest of the weekend was full of accomplishments too. The main accomplishment I would like to discuss here is the Beer Chicken I barbequed for Sunday dining.

It's the first time I have tried this and it worked okay. I used Guiness and it didn't really add much flavor. I'm told that Sierra Nevada is a good beer to use cuz it's really hoppy. I'll try that next time.

The main problem I had was that it was too big to fit in my Bar B-Q. I had to take out the grill and set it down in the coals. It took about an hour to cook and the meat just fell off the bone. I'll be trying to perfect this technique over the Summer.

Snowy Shower

Pictured above is the scene I saw upon emerging from the shower this morning. That's right! I said "Shower". Falling sprinkles of wetness in the privacy of our own home.

So, after Eight Months and se7enteen days, we have a mostly working upstairs bathroom. The sink is not in yet and will not go in until after this weekends project...wall papering. Then it's just the odds and ends that will take a while to (1)find and (2) install.

We haven't picked out Towel Racks or a Medicine Cabinet yet, although I may be purchasing the Med Cab today...if I can find one I like on-line.

Is it a Shower yet?

It's hard for me to believe that I have let another week go by without writing. It's also hard for me to believe that I'm having a hard time believing it. It's Unbelievable!

I finally have some pictures to show off the almost completely-but not quite finish bathroom.Below is the shower from a couple of angles.
We could conceivably shower in it tomorrow. However, we've waited this long. We might as well allow everything to dry properly and go a day or two more.

The inside of the shower is pretty big and I think I'll be able to have a little steam bath effect working in there.

Below are a couple of angles of the toilet. Doesn't it look like the perfect spot to flush your troubles away?!

Admittedly, we still have a lot of detail work to finish. I am still looking for a Medicine Cabinet that I like. We also still have all the wall papering to do and then applying all the hardware.

I'm really looking forward to the first shower.

St Paddy's and Other Stuff

I find it hard to believe that I haven't made an entry in a week. I am almost sure I have. However, if I have, I cannot for the life of me remember what it might have been. And so, it is lost for all time and we must accept that and get on with our lives.

We took part in the Annual Sons of St Patrick Parade on Saturday. We got to be in it, which is a much better way to see the parade. The parade itself consists of a bunch a local companies who drive their equipment down the parade route. It is sprinkled with some High School Marching Bands and local assorted Arts and Dance troupes. It is a giant advertisement.

When you are in the parade however, you get to take part in some of the best people watching you will ever see. Plus, the parade goes by much faster. Our "float" consisted of a flat bed trailer pulled by a pickup. It was colorfully decorated for the event and had a sign that said, "The Lads & Lassy's of Flat Bed".

We returned home after a fabulous lunch of Corned Beef and Cabbage and did a few things around the house. The "Around the House" effort continued today. We are trying to get Susan's new curtains up. It turns out to be a much bigger operation than it sounds because she has to sew the curtain as we go to get the proper length in each of our different shaped windows.

As with everything with this house, nothing goes as planned.

Another Productive Sunday

We are finally to a point were when we do some work in the bathroom, you can actually perceive progress. Today was such a day. We painted the ceiling. We primed the walls that will be wall papered with sizing. And we stained the wains coating. We had a quart can and you can see that we almost made it. We might have been able to stretch out the last little bit but we still have baseboards and trim to stain so we will get another can.

I figured I would have to pull the potty when we stained, but I was able to remove the tank only. It's much easier to put back and I don't have to spend another ten bucks on a wax ring. So, my prediction that it would only be a "one day thang" is once again wrong! It's going to be a three day thang (at least) because we can't apply varnish until everything has dried for 12 hours. Plus, there are some touch up areas we have to hit.

However, I would like to reiterate that progress has been made.

A Throne for a King. . . or Queen

After EIGHT MONTHS, we have a working toilet. I cannot tell you of the great thrill and luxury it is when you have a toilet right near your bedroom.

Of course, we're going to have to remove it again when we stain the wainscoating but that will be a one day thang!

Fab Ski Weekend

Susan and I took the weekend off from doing anything productive to going skiing in Northern Idaho. We stayed in Wallace at a supposedly haunted hotel called the Jameson. It is a lot like what you might imagine an old cowboy Saloon and Hotel was like. They only have six rooms and everyone shares bathrooms. They have two toilet rooms and two shower rooms down at the end of the hall. We did not experience anything remotely ghostly or appariational.

We skied Saturday at Lookout Pass. It's right on the Idaho/Montana border. Snow was falling all day but it did not impeed our enjoyment of the day. The snow was quite nice although a touch icey in the morning.

On our way down the hill, we stopped for a beer in a town called Mullan, population 380. We drove around until we found a bar. It took almost 3 minutes. We were fortunate enough to find THE SMOKIEST BAR IN IDAHO. Out of the 13 people in the bar, 12 were smoking. They had a big smoke eater fan in there but apparently felt it would take away from everyone in or near the bar getting a full nicotine contact high. It made me glad that they banned smoking in Washington bars.

We slept in on Sunday and then explored Wallace and Kellogg, Idaho. I got a lot of good pictures which I will try to post here later.