And the Self Isolation continues!!

Heh. 

Well,  I think I might have mentioned at some point over the years that I,  in fact,  could quite likely get along just fine living as a "recluse".   Not a hermit,  mind you.  I likes my wifi and all that.  And getting deliveries to the door would be problematic if living as a hermit.  Plus,  if I were to chose to live in some remote gawd fersaken place,  I'm afraid I'd be very much alone. 

Anyhoodle.   There's always something to while away the hours.  At least until my knees start to complain.  And Oh Lordy.

But this isn't a Pity Party,  so let's not go there.

After the bulk of the painting is done downstairs,  and before I starting making some moves in the furniture department,  I figured I'd suck it up and finally put down some baseboard of some sort.

This stuff is actually considered "casing",  but the baseboard that I was looking at was kinda flimsy,  and I wasn't about to blow too much dough on some fancy schmancy stuff made from Oak say,  as it is the basement after all.   I had thought that I'd be painting it one of the colours that would perhaps be a nice contrast to the paint on the walls,  but T.C. took a look at the primed bit that I put down as a bit of a reference/test,  and declared that she thought she'd like it to be white.

So white it is:

Always best to paint it ahead of time I find,  so as not to be forced to spend all that effort on hands and knees trying not to get paint everywhere.

The beauty of the white is (or any colour for that matter) I can caulk any little "issues"  I might find,  and then just paint over it.


Me likey.

None of that has actually been nailed in place,  by the way.  We're still at the "fitting" stage here.


I'll get back to this once my knees stop complaining.

And to think,  there was a time when I could spend a day doing just this,  and then go in to work and carry on until midnight. 

It's been a while.

So if I think of it,  it's been a few years now that I've been "self isolating".

Hope y'all are hanging in there.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice.

And wash your hands.

It's not the painting, it's the prep.

There have been many a time when,  lying there semi-comatose on my big comfy couch down in the "Man Cave",   that I've thought that maybe,  someday,  possibly,  I'd give the whole place a paint job.

I like thoughts.   Thoughts are great.  They require minimal effort.

Then along comes T.C. who,  during our trip back from Ottawa (well,  Osgoode really)  last weekend, (no,  a week ago last weekend...) managed to "rearrange the whole house".   Here I thought she was having a little shut eye but NO,  she was THINKING.

There's a big difference,  between the way I "think" about things,  and the way T.C. "thinks" about things.   When T.C. engages in this activity,  it usually means work.

For me.

 So, along with moving random dressers,  beds and desks,  there was going to be some painting.

Ooof.


Oh ya,  forgot to mention.

Took a little road trip last week. (no Bob,  two weeks ago.)

Sister-in-law and hubby who live in Kingston,  had (wait for it) taken the train to Toronto a few weeks back,  stayed overnight at another sister-in-law's place,  and then flown off to San Diego for a visit/vacation.  Her hubby has two brothers in California.  Of course,  they naturally counted on taking the train once again back to Kingston from Toronto.

See where this is going?

They arrived back in Toronto on the Tuesday (a week ago)  and having come to terms with the train issue,  thought they'd take the BUS to Kingston.

You may or may not be aware that there have been some rail disruptions in this country due to some land disputes with some of our First Nations.  I'm not going to get into it,  'cause I'll just say something I shouldn't.  Even though it may very well be the very thing that every one is thinking.

A while back already,  we had been thinking of taking a wee trip out that way for a visit,  as both the Kingston Party and the Osgoode Parties had come for their usual Christmas visit,  and I was looking forward to showing up at their respective doors and getting fed and lubricated.

Didn't plan on driving though.

It's been a long,  long time since I ever took a bus most anywhere in this country,  and taking a bus to either Kingston or Ottawa has me hearkening back to some time in the 70s.   I was a student then,  and bus fare was something I could afford, and besides, I didn't have a car at the time.

Skip ahead some 40 years.  Um,  I don't take no bus.  And I don't expect anyone else close to my age or older to it either.

Besides, ever heard of The Corona virus?   To me,  a bus would just be a smaller version of a Petri dish,  such as those really big Petri dishes, that on the outside look suspiciously like a cruise ships.



So,  we drove off to Toronto a week ago last Thursday morning to fetch the Travellers,  and continues on to Kingston.   We didn't stay in Kingston,  even though we were invited,  as I know perfectly well that,  when I've been away for any length of time,  the very last thing I would want, would be to play host to a couple folks who,  even though they may have provided some very timely transportation,  are still going need a bed made up and food put on the table. 

Besides,  it was only another couple hours to get to Osgoode,  so as to mooch off the other set of Christmas guests.   Also,  it was my sister's birthday (indeterminate age,  but she's older than me)  She lives in Nepean (part of greater Ottawa)  and we wanted to see her on her birthday.

All well and good.

Skip then ahead to getting home and getting to work.

It's OK.   Really.  I don't mind too much.  Except that,  in "Bob Land",  we don't just prime and paint over the crappy jobs that have gone on before. 

First of all,  back in 1992,  when we built this apartment,  there was a bit of a push on to get it done in a timely fashion.  Took long enough to clean out all the junk,  come up with some sort of layout,  cut up the concrete floor for the plumbing,  and then get on with putting up walls, etc.

As a result,  there were several "hands" at work.  With varying degrees of skill,  let's say?   So there was that.

Then skip ahead to around 2001,  and Daughter Number Two and one of her college buddies thought they'd paint.  Well.  I'll not say much,  except that I'm now taking the time to first of all fix some of the dry walling boo-boos from way back,  and then sorting out some of the other "issues".   Like,  I just spent maybe a half hour scraping paint off of a phone jack that should have been removed,  and not half painted over.

That sort of thing.

And yes,  once upon a time,  we had these things called "phone jacks".   Old school I realise.  But I either keep it in its place,  or patch the ensuing hole once I take it out.  Either way,  pain in the ...

You might notice up at the top of that one window there,  where you can see the corner bead?  Wasn't done properly.  Had to scrap off the very thin layer of drywall compound and fix it by taping it,  and then applying more mud.

So I did get one wall completely done,  and some stuff put back in that corner.  I initially,  naively thought I'd completely remove the cantilevered cabinet where that TV is sitting,  but thought better of it. 

Too many wires.

And,  that's life here at The Ponderosa.

Just when you think you're "retired".

Ha!


Thanks for stopping by.

Keep that stick on the ice.

Fun with concrete.

And you'll notice I didn't say,  "cement".  This is I'm sure some sort of character flaw,  but I find it somewhat irksome when concrete is referred to as cement.   Bzzzzt.  Not the same.  There's cement IN concrete,  along with water,  and aggregate (sand and stone),  but cement by itself won't do much.

Anyhoo,  I'm not so sure it was actual "fun",  except of course,  that giddy feeling when the whole ordeal is finally over.
And really,  it's not quite "over"  yet.  I still have to hang a gate there,  and install a panel between that post and the house.

The wooden bits are there to keep things in place until the concrete cures which,  is probably just about....now.  As I was using some of that "quick crete"  kind of stuff that sets up almost instantly.

The "fun" part (and again,  it really wasn't)  was chipping away at the existing concrete that had been poured there by the previous owner.   Oy.   See,  there was this sort of greenhouse type of lean too that was there when we moved in. And right about where I wanted to put that post,  there had been a doorway. The previous owner (that would be my late father-in-law)  had this somewhat goofy idea that he'd be able to grow stuff for most of the year.  All that really happened was that he got a lot of bugs.

Oh and,  if you're hanging around,  thanks.    I have been painfully absent.   Just doing summer stuff.

Ooh look.  Here,  I'm on a boat.

I'm the idiot making with the bunny ears behind the head of one of my crew mates.  I'm sure she's seen that picture.  Surprised she hasn't said anything.  This was a Saturday regatta just last week.  Normally we don't have that many bodies on the boat,  as it's a wee bit tender,  meaning that weight distribution can be a challenge,  but we figured,  what the hell.  The more the merrier.

It's been a pretty good summer so far for sailing well,  with the exception of some of the earlier days when there was no wind.  AND,  we've had some seriously high water levels on the lake.

Here's a good example:

That area is normally ....dry.   This was back in June.   It's by now finally gone down,  but whether they've turned the power on at the slip yet or not is still the question.

This picture was taken after the town had come along and build a boardwalk on top of the existing boardwalk.  Which begs the question,  as this event happened two years ago,  and is likely to happen again,  why not just build a proper elevated board walk?  Then there would be no need to turn off the power?  Maybe?

Couldn't do that of course.  That would make too much sense.



Anyway,  I think that's all I got.   I'm off to grill up some burgers and cook some corn. 

Keep that stick on the ice.

Thanks for stopping by.

Well, here it is 2019.

So,  Merry Christmas,  Happy New Year and all that.

And,  we're finally getting our first taste of real winter.  We've been dodging the weather bullet for a couple months now,  but now we're getting our comeuppance.

I also must say, these days as a "Pensioner",  I don't really mind a good snow storm.  It kind of brightens my mood.   And that would be just weird,  I do realise,  except that when you consider that,  when I was doing that whole "working for a living" thing,  I used to dread going to work after or during a snow storm.  The only exception of course being if the schools were closed.   School closures didn't seem to happen nearly often enough.  Plus,  there were too many occasions when I was thankful to have a four wheel drive vehicle.   So ya,  now that I don't really even need to go outdoors!  I don't mind it at all. 
Funny how that works.

Mind you,  it's one of the rare times when I do wish that I had some way of accessing the garage directly from the house.  But,  it's only on these occasions.  I'll live.

Travelling Companion did mention that the previous owner had talked about some sort of way of doing that,  but it would have involved cutting into the existing garage floor right about where I have cabinets and a sink,  and coming in to the basement that way.   The "previous owner"  was my late Father-in-law of course.   I'm sure he realised at some point that it would have been a major undertaking,  which is precisely why it was only "talk".

I'm trying to come up with anything of interest to share.  It's a challenge.

*thinks*

I did make a cabinet/containment thingy for the bottom of the laundry chute just the other day and it's already in use.


Oh,  I have a picture. 

It's just a melamine "box"  that's not quite built in the traditional "box" like structure.  It had to be open at the top for the clothes to fall through.   The "door"  is actually a panel I had made years ago for the dishwasher that used to be in the kitchen.   It was a "Miele"  (not that that matters)  and was designed in such a way that you had to make a panel to match the other cupboards etc.  When the dishwasher finally fried its brain a few years back,  we (well,  when I say "we",  I mean..."me")  installed one with a stainless steel front,  but I couldn't bring myself to just turf out the panel I had built.    It sat and collected dust at one side of the garage/workshop for the longest time,  and then I had this cunning plan.   

And there it is:







This morning,  I put it to the test by stripping the bed and putting the entire contents down the chute,  and then going down to see if the door would stay closed.

It did.

I could just leave the laundry there until it's time to put it in the machine,  or transfer it to a basket.   Before this arrangement,  the laundry would sort of fly down and end up sometimes in the sink,  sometimes on the floor,  sometimes in the garbage under the sink if it wasn't completely tucked under. 

One time,  and one time only,  I just happened to be at the sink when T.C. fired a towel down the chute,  which then ended up on my head! 
I laughed so hard I was weeping.  Weeping,  I tell you!

Anyhoo,  that's today's missive.   Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.


I'm out.

Weekend on the water.

Which means,  the painting was put on hold,  but I finished another wall today.
I can't say exactly that I'm as enthusiastic about painting as I once was?   Or maybe,  I never really was.
I had thought,  that the last time I painted,  would be the *last time I painted*.   But no.  We don't like that colour anymore.

Anyhoo,  I took along my somewhat beat up Canon G16 which,  as it turns out,  still takes good photos,  even though it's gotten wet on at least two occasions.   *sigh*
The first time it happened,  I dried it out,  and discovered that the built in flash would no longer work.  So fine,  I bought a flash for the hot shoe,  and that was the answer to that little issue.  Carry on.   Then,  earlier in the sailing season,  I managed to get the poor thing wet again,  and this time it seems that I can no longer use the viewing screen.  Thankfully there is a range finder lens that at least allows me to compose a shot of some sort.   The problem is,  I have no idea what I'm taking a picture of or how it turned out until I upload it to some sort of other device (like this computer) and see what I got.   Kind of like back in the old days when using film.  We never knew what we got until we picked up our prints or a contact sheet from the lab.

This particular regatta was held at a yacht club/marina community not far from here called "Newport" where it would seem that a developer was allowed to scoop out a marina,  then build condos all around and create this little community.

Once you buy a place though,  you don't automatically get a slip,  as the slips are deeded separately.  Plus,  there are way more dwellings than slips.

So,  I did manage to get a couple shots in,  but it was a wee bit windy for the first two races,  and I was busy.   Our Fore Deck guy was having an issue with one of his eyes and couldn't make it,  which meant that Muggins here volunteered to do Fore Deck.   I keep a set of knee pads in my sail bag for just such a contingency.

I'm getting just wee bit long in the tooth for doing Fore Deck however,  and I'm feeling a little bit of discomfort here and there today from essentially thrashing about on the front end of a boat.

Now,  you might be wondering just why I used the term "weekend",  when the regatta was only a one day affair?   Well,  we ferried the boat down there Friday night,  sailed Saturday,  had dinner there,  listened to the band,    and then the skipper was going to simply motor the boat all the way back to Bronte on Sunday,  and I offered to sail it back with him if he'd be willing to drive me back afterwards to pick up my vehicle.   So that was the plan.
And as it was,  the wind on the Sunday was somewhat better than the Saturday,  as it was a very nice 10 or so knots out of the West.  Realistically,  they could have had a two day regatta,  but maybe that's just not realistic.

Bit of a before and after,  although I should have looked at the first one,  as I screwed up the angle.

And,  if you make your own millwork (trim etc.)  then you can also make it so you can remove it for painting.   A couple of those pieces are from the kitchen,  since I want to touch up the finish on an area just above the range.

Needs to be cleaned,  sanded and refinished.  Of course,  I have to take down that metal rod.

Thus:

I unhooked the little puck lights and shoved them up into the cabinets for now.

Such exciting stuff,  yes?

I'm out.

Thanks for stopping by.


Here's a video posted by Newport Yacht Club:

Click on the link.

The boat that's "getting close"  is us,  TARDIS.  I'm in the yellow shirt.

Just click "not now"  when it asks if you want to create a new account.   There you go.

I caught him!

For years now,  and I'm talking decades here,  we've been getting someone else's mail.   Not every day,  mind you.   Just once in a while. 
It all comes down to one number.  Our address contains a "3",   the recipients of our prodigal mail (it does come home eventually) are down the street and around the corner.
So,  a week ago yesterday,  there was a package left on our front doorstep from some place called "Well.ca".   Didn't look like anything I had ordered. 

And as a matter of fact,  I have nothing on order.

Of course it wasn't ours,  so I hopped on the bike and made the delivery.

Oh,  there's a bit of a 'back story'  to this.   See,  once upon a time,  the folks at that other address were Mr. and Mrs. Helm (no relation to "Matt") 

I recall Daughter Number Two telling me that,  when she and her hubby were living here during the time that we lived in Europe,  Mr. Helm would come by from time to time to deliver our mail.  They'd do an exchange,  as we likely had some of his as well.   Usually "Chatelaine"  magazine that Mrs. Helm had on order.  Don't judge.

Sadly,  I remember her telling me one time that,  poor Mr. Helm was getting really old and weary,  and was having difficulty even getting out of his car, let alone making it up our front steps.   Then,  a couple years ago by now I think it was,   Mr. Helm passed away,  and Mrs. Helm was the only one whose mail we were getting.
Then,  a couple months ago,  I couldn't help but notice a "for sale" sign on the front lawn,  and now there are new owners.

I don't think they realise that it was me who delivered their package last week?

We'll introduce ourselves at some point I'm sure.

Anyway,  this morning there was a knock on the front door,  at which point I raced to the front door thinking perhaps my sister-in-law,  who lives up the street and around the corner,  might have got caught in the rain or perhaps needed to use the facilities.

Nope. 

It was "Delivery Dude",  who is under contract with Canada Post,  and he had left a package from Amazon.   Of course,  didn't have my glasses on,  and he had darted off before I could wave him back anyway.

Sure enough.  Not for this address.   But I thought,  "Dammit,  I'm gonna race off and see if I can catch him".  Figuring that,  even if I couldn't track him down,  at least he went in the direction of the proper recipients,  and I'd drop the package off anyway.

And like I just said,  it was raining like you wouldn't believe!

And I saw him!  He was just finishing up another package delivery on one of the side streets,  and I think as soon as he saw me,  because maybe he recognised the vehicle,  he came right to my window.  We had a little chat.  He was apologetic.  He was also getting soaked.  I tried to be brief.  I didn't quite go to the point of trying to explain the difference between '3' and '4',  but he got the idea.

I suspect that,  as long as he's the guy delivering the boxes around here,  I won't have to make any more deliveries.

Now,  the actually postal workers?   That's a different story. 

I've managed to chase down the odd one in the past,  but it's tricky.   They're too surreptitious.  And by the time I've sifted through the dregs of junk mail to see if I actually got anything,  they're long gone.

*****

In other "news",  I thought I'd try one of those copper BBQ mats again,  only this time to cook a couple eggs.

Meh.  Still not the greatest.   I know that when it comes to using a frying pan,  I like to cover the eggs,  which allows them to start to skin over on top before getting crusty on the bottom.

I'm not overly keen on that crusty bit.

I even tried another couple eggs later in the evening,  figured maybe I'd cover them with the lid to a pot.  The only one that I had that would fit over the eggs was this glass thing,  and it started to make these cracking noises, which was freaking me out, so I took it off.  Breaking one of the lids to our pots would be "no bueno".

So,  those eggs in that photo above look really perfect BUT,  they stuck to the surface (not supposed to)  and were way too crusty on the bottom when I was trying to flip them.   Just a mess,  really.  Edible,  but sad looking.


Maybe it would work better on a BBQ,  as opposed to a grill?  I give up.

I'll stick to using the cast iron bit that goes over the grill for anything like bacon or eggs that I want to cook outside.

Meanwhile,  I've finished yet another wall,  and have two (?) more of that colour to go.   Of course, with it being so overcast and rainy,  I may have to bring in one of my gazillion candle power work lamps,  which I'm not keen on using due to the amount of heat given off,  but whatever.

Gotta get at it.

Um,  it looks like two different shades,  but that's just due to the flash.


Thanks for stopping by.

Just about the toughest part.

Once I get this section over the stairs done,  the rest is easy peasy.   Well,  depending on your skill set,  of course.
Just because painting isn't something I totally love,  doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing. 
Put it this way,  I'd sooner "cut in"  than waste a bunch of time fooling with masking tape.

First was the bit up and around the air conditioner.   Tried as I might,  I couldn't find any directions on the line as to how to remove the cover.  I took out a couple screws,  but knowing that the top section was 'clipped in',  I got nervous.

Chose to simply cover the top with some newspaper.

Next is the somewhat nerve wracking part right over the stairwell.

Thankfully it's not a full set of steps,  but it wouldn't matter if it were seven steps or twelve,  getting out there on that plank over the 'abyss'  doesn't really make me a happy camper.

Plus,  after I had put that board out there,  and even after I had cut off the more rotten ends,  I decided I didn't want to use it.
So,  off to Home Despot for a two by twelve.

The best looking stuff they had were the 16 footers,   so I picked one up and cut it in half.

I'm having fun with the self timer on the camera,  by the way...

I could probably make those three into some sort of short "stop animation",  as the camera will take three shots in rapid succession.

Anyhoo,  that's better.

And that's the first coat.

I see that the next area to take that particular shade is in the living room,  so I'll be moving on.

Oh,  and the Nairobi thing? 

One of T.C.'s sisters was invited to a wedding there,  and was looking for someone to travel with her.   Seems a work associate from Nairobi met someone over here (also from Nairobi,  or maybe somewhere else in Kenya?)  and rather than entertain the thought of getting their family over here somehow,  it was easier to go back there to get married. 

Got a note from her today,  the wedding was quite "traditional".   I don't know if that means,  "Kenyan traditional"  or "North American traditional".   I guess I'll find out.  The email I got was rather short and cryptic,  with promises of further info.   T.C. is using her Ipad,  so I totally get why she didn't get too carried away in terms of lengthiness .   Typing a note on one of those things is pretty much an abomination as far as I'm concerned.

After the safari they're going on,  as well as a visit to a "Giraffe Centre" (?)  she'll be heading back to Paris,  and then on to Lyons,  where they'll visit with some friends of her sister's for a few days.

That's all I got.

Back for a second coat.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sorry there, little birds.

And this happens each and every spring.  I wage a battle with the birds that are immediately attracted to the front of the house,  where nest building is their thing.

And I get it.  There are some really great spots up there for nest building.  And I *almost* wouldn't mind too much if it weren't for all the crap that ends up everywhere.  Bad enough to get birdshit on the car,  it's even more annoying when it's just out of reach on the front of the house.

To quote one of my favourite childhood cartoon heros,  "That's all I can stands,  'cause I can't stands no more."

Here,  in case you're still wondering:


Popeye


OK,  where was I?

Right.   So,  in spite of the really crappy weather,  the birds are coming back north,  and they're looking for spot to hang out.

We've had a Morning Dove "nest" on the pillar of the front porch.   We've had Robins do the same.  Now,  I have "nest" in quotation marks,  as it seems that Morning Doves....wait.  I just realised,  they're "Mourning Doves",  not Morning Doves.   Even though that ridiculous cooing sound they make is enough to drive you around the bend in the morning,  that's not a thing.

Their "nest" consisted of a few strands of dead grass,  amongst which they laid two eggs,  which then proceeded to roll off,  breaking on the cement steps below,  making a mess.  I gave them the bum's rush.

The robins however,  managed to get a nest built and had eggs in it before I was able to properly get up there and knock their creation down,  so we watched those little guys hatch and fly away.  Pretty sure I wrote about that once upon a time.
I'm not that cold hearted that I'd knock down a nest that had eggs in it. 
No, really.

So then we have the sparrows.

Holy Moly.

Like I said,  if they'd just not shit all over the place,  I might let them build a nest up under the eves,  but NO.
I mean,  I like birds. 
Again...really.

So,  I had to do some hackin' and hewin'.

The results:

And over on the other side:

Note the snow still hanging around,  even though it's been raining pretty steady for the last, oh I don't know,  20 hours or so?   It's above freezing,  but just refuses to leave.

This isn't just one board though,  it's a multi piece contraption that fits in the opening in such a way as to prevent birds from both sides of the purlin.   A  Purlin , by the way, is basically a roofing member that runs perpendicular to the rafters.  In the case of The Ponderosa here,  the builder fancied things up by having them come out past the front of the building.

There,  you learned something.

And,  as is the norm with this kind of thing,  it never really occurred to me to take a "before" picture. 

Figures.

Travelling Companion couldn't quite get her head around the idea that I did this from inside the house,  even though I explained the use of a sliding T-Bevel to get the angle,  along with only needing three of the dimensions to work with.   Kind of like when she tries to explain to me some sort of special sewing thing or other,  and I try not to let it show that my eyes are starting to glaze over.
Look interested....nod your head,  nod your head.

Like that.

Oh and,  "Sliding T-bevel"?   Just look it up.


Thanks for stopping by.

For those of you for whom this applies:  Bundle up.

For anyone else where it's warm?

Well,  I'm *happy* for you.

Keep your stick on the ice.

Wenn die Katze fort ist...

tanzen die Mäuse.

And in this case,  I'm the Maus.   Although,  I haven't done any dancing so far today.

Oh,  this expression in English is,  "When the cat is away,  the mice will play."   You remember that one.
The word order in German is a bit tricky,  but we won't get into a grammar lesson here.

You're welcome.

See,  T.C. is away.   And will be until I head back up to Guelph on Wednesday to fetch her.  Her sister offered to drive her home,  but I'll also be dropping off a small dresser for another one of her sisters.  Long story.   She's somewhat "dis-advantaged" shall we say?  I'll just leave it at that.
Anyway,  the dresser she presently has (which I do believe we provided for her, now that I think on it)  is not in the best condition.  She moved a couple years ago,  and the movers were less than...careful.

Anyway, back once upon a time,  before we had the roof and chimney sorted out so that there would no longer be any water coming in well,  water came in.   Not like,  buckets or anything,  but just enough to mess up the plaster.

I've been meaning to get it sorted out for a time now.   The only issue is,  it's in what is now T.C.'s sewing room,  and she's in there most every day.
Of course,  I'm in my "shop" most every day as well.

That's what we do.   We're pensioners.

So rather than lying about all day,  or spending my time sitting at the computer here (whoops)  I figured I'd get at it.

Of course,  it took as long to get the room ready for what was really a minor bit of spackling,  but at this point at least I have on the first coat.

Turns out,  the new camera I bought a while back does this "panorama"  thing.  Figured I'd give it a go.

I didn't end up generating all that much dust,  but I just wasn't sure.  Plus of course,  in a similar way that what looks like a tiny rust spot on the fender of your vehicle that subsequently turns out to be you needing to replace the whole damned thing?  It's kind of like that with what looks like some relatively minor water damage.



Not much,  right?

Right.

Meh.  Whatever.

Meanwhile,  I found out yesterday at a little gathering just who it was who has been slightly messing with me in terms of where I think things *should* be,  as to where they end up?  Can't think of any other way to explain that.

See,  when the tree guys were here a few days ago, they had moved a couple little figurine/pseudo gnomes/whatever out of the way so they wouldn't get damaged.   There were a couple other things that got moved out of the way too,  but I do remember these two little squirrel statue things sitting by the generator.

Then I couldn't help but notice this:

Wait.  How did that get there?

And this:

Da hell??


Creepy little bastards.

See,  once upon a time,  before we (sounding like a broken record here)  put some finishing touches on the front of the Ponderosa here,  the squirrels would take great delight in getting up there and CHEWING ON THE HOUSE. 
They looooove cedar.
Used to drive insane. 
So our wonderful children thought it would be "funny" (note the quotation marks) to give me these creepy little squirrel statues just to,  you know,  bug me.
Trust me,  there are more than just those two.


Well of course,  one of the days when we were away,  I find out it was Daughter Number One who thought she'd try and get my goat once again by setting the little buggers up on the windows.

Am I going to have to check the cameras now each and every time we away?  Just to see who is creeping around? 

I can.  It's doable.  Just takes forever is all.


Anyway,  that's it for this round.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice.

When you get the "yellow light".

Bit of a nice day today,  so I thought I'd do a little farting around outdoors.  On the sunny side of the house at this time of the year it's quite pleasant.  In the heat of the summer?  Not so much.

For the longest time now,  I've been meaning to remove the extra mortar that was put on the side of the house by the previous owner.   See,  he had this *interesting* idea that he wanted to have some sort of green house up against the side of the building,  but discovered after a couple seasons that it was mostly just a place to collect bugs.  Anyway,  it wasn't something we wanted to look at when we moved here,  so I ultimately took it away.  It was quite elaborate too,  with a metal frame and those corrugated Plexiglas panels and such.   On the one end,  there was a doorway,  so of course all the little spaces between the frame and the house had to be filled with mortar.

Probably better to show the pic I took yesterday.  I'm thinking of closing off that access with more fencing,  so I sent a note off the a company I've been dealing with.  Hence the need for a photo.

This is a slightly better angle:

After today's activity.  I still have a ways to go, but after a little bout with the pneumatic chisel,  I had had enough for today.

  

And yes I know,  there's a lot of "stuff" there that I have to deal with.  I'll get to it.  Don't judge.

Then I noticed on the Generator,  where normally the light on the side is green,  there was part of it that was showing yellow.

Huh?

Then I realised,  I had changed the oil and filter a while back, but neglected to reset the "service reminder"  or whatever you call it.

These days,  just about every machine has some sort of built in service reminder.  At least with the generator,  I don't need a special tool.   Just the one between my ears.  No mention as to how "sharp" it is.

Um.  Ya.

Good thing there's this thing called the "internet"?   Somewhere in my bunch of stuff,  I have a schematic of the labyrinth of commands that lurk beneath that keypad,  but I basically have very little clue as to just where to go.

Anyway,  after a bit of searching,  I did manage to find what I was looking for,  and we're back to a steady green light again.  What was not mentioned in all the videos and forum comments etc.,  was the fact the you have to turn the generator "off".  After that minor consideration, it was easy peasy.

So actually,  I did TWO jobs today.  Holy moly!

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep that stick on the ice.

Time passes.

I wanted to start out with "Chronicling Life",  but I wasn't even sure if that's a word.  And yes,  time sure has a way of passing.  It's December!  Carumba!

But of course,  there's always something to do.  Or fix.  Or dig up.

Well,  I've officially finished with that whole "digging up" crap.  I wanted to have a certain amount of the new water line in before it got too cold,  but also didn't want to wait until spring when it would be too mucky.  Been there,  done that.  The mud gets every where.

So I basically followed the pipe I had set in the ground with the control wires for the sprinklers,  and added a new water line.
I naively thought I had left some way of going under the concrete step.  Um,  not really.  I just decided to go in front and make life easier.





Figured I had best stop right there,  as there's a plant (more like a tree actually) that Travelling Companion wants to move in the spring.  So I'll dig the rest of the way after that happens.  And I guess there will be mud after all.

There is/was a water line already there,  but when we were living in The Netherlands,  and in spite of some rather detailed instructions on blowing out the lines,  something went awry,  and that didn't turn out. Not naming names.  My own damned fault really.  When we knew in the spring of 08 that we'd be moving overseas,  I never should have charged the lines in the first place.  Silly me.
So fine,  it's a 'do over'.

 Oh,  speaking of 'do overs',  we got a recall notice for our somewhat new dishwasher.   I installed a new dishwasher back in 2014 I think it was,  as our faithful Miele lost its mind after 15 years and refused to pump out the water. 
Bob doesn't bale.  Unless it's on a sinking boat,  but that's another story.

So,  apparently some wire or other would heat up,  and we were to "Discontinue using the dish washer immediately!".   
Riiiiight.   Bosch didn't exactly offer to send someone by the house every night to wash the dishes,  so that wasn't happening.

Anyway,  service Dude shows up a couple Fridays ago,  and I had already removed the kick board and the contents of the under sink cabinet,  so his job was pretty easy.  When they shipped the machine, it was to be hard wired.  No big deal,  as I've hard wired many a machine over the years,  but the previous machine had a plug and so I had put in a GCFI protected receptacle under there.  I simply ran a cord from the new box to the plug and plugged the new one in.

It would seem that,  some folks who may have done something similar had gone ultra cheap (or something, it was never explained to me),  and the wire would overheat.  I'm not sure why a wire rated for the proper amperage would overheat,  but People Be Dumb.   So Service Dude replaced the cord with one that we simply plugged in.  Should have been shipped that way in the first place. Rolling my eyes here.

Only thing was,  when he put the machine back,  it was kind of cock-eyed,  and I resolved to take it out AGAIN and see what the hell was causing the problem.
Not really a whole lotta fun,  as it involves hanging around on my hands and knees and being generally uncomfortable.

Turns out the opening in the side of the adjacent cabinet wasn't allowing the drain hose to be out of the way,  and the machine simply wouldn't go in all the way.  After a little bit of hackin' and hewin',  I got it sorted.  So it was more of an old problem,  rather than a new one.

Lemme see.  What else?

Not too damned much actually.   Oh,  I did change the oil in the generator on Sunday.  I chose Sunday,  as that's the day when it does its weekly run to keep it in working order.  I wanted the oil to be if not hot,  at least warm.  Hot oil comes out heaps easier.
 It wasn't exactly the warmest day,  so that was kind of important.

It's funny because,  when I'd check the oil,  it looked OK,  but when I drained it,  it did look rather gross.  And yes,  I disconnected the battery so it wouldn't accidentally fire up on me.  We don't really have random power outages,  but one never knows I guess.  There's gobs on info on the line if you're really not too sure what to do.

I fired 'er up for a few minutes afterwards just because that's what you're supposed to do,  and everything seems fine.  Until next year.


That might be it for December,  I'm not sure.  If I get struck with the need to say something,  I'll be back. 


Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.

Somebody had a good day.

While I realise that for the most part,  this blog thing is all about me me me.   However,  it's worth mentioning that T.C. had a birthday last week (a week ago, to be exact)  and it was sort of a "milestone"  type of thing.

Anyhoo,  we had planned to go golfing that afternoon,  with the thought of then "going out to a restaurant"  later in the evening.  Long story short,  it was a total ruse.
Not the golfing part.
We did do eight holes at Victoria Park Valley Golf Club.  Had a great time.  I only lost two balls.  Um,  the loss of golf balls is pretty much my benchmark for whether I've made out OK or not.  Scoring is another matter.

(I took down the photo)

I have to be a little careful here,  as T.C. does NOT like her image posted to the net.

So,  when we later got to her sister's place up in Guelph,  she did make a comment about a car in the driveway with Massachusetts plates,  which I pretty much ignored,  as I suspected that there just might be a host of people waiting for her in the house.

And there was.

She had no idea.

The car from the States was being driven by a couple of folks we had visited in Slovenia,  who are now in the process of doing a little tour of Canada and the States.   A friend of theirs in Mass.  lent them a car.  Pretty awesome that they were able to work their plans in such a way as to be there that day.
Needless to say,  T.C. was "gobsmacked"  (to use the U.K. term)  when she saw everyone waiting for her.

I'll only be so bold as to put up one of the pics that they had assembled for the occasion.

The last time I saw photos assembled in this way was at a funeral, so this was a nice change.

So it's been cards and letters,  and dinners out.


Meanwhile,  I just keep plugging away here at The Ponderosa.

I've finished my set of "cubby holes"  for the bathroom.   When the tub was in there,  the space at the end was pretty much wasted,  and when I put in the wall for the controls and such,  I knew I wanted to take advantage of that space.

So here we go:

Right next to the "tooth brush charging station".

Now I just have to replace that door.   It's only back up there because the new one will be getting its finish over the next few days.   Then I just have to do the rest of the painting.

I think that's it.

It's been a bit of a long haul,  but here's the thing:  A similar endeavour taken on by one of my sisters-in-law was in the neighbourhood of thirty thousand dollars.   T.C. added up all the costs so far,  including about a thousand bucks for a wet saw,  and we still came in at around eight grand.

No accounting for my time of course.

I suspect that if I had the patience/tolerance/whatever to let trades people come into the house,  this job may very well have exceeded that amount. (30k,  that is)
But then,  nobody is going to make truly custom mill work.

And I know this,  'cause one of my brothers-in-law,  who happens to be an architect and would therefor have all kinds of contacts when it came to having custom work done,  had to hire me to do some cabinets for their rather tiny galley kitchen in their Toronto home once upon a time.
I  must have done an OK job,  as they are still there and in good shape.
The bonus was,  not only did he pay me almost twice what I was asking,  but also supplied me we some awesome plans to follow.
I so love it when someone else makes all the decisions like that.

I think that's about it for this go around.

I'll pipe up sometime when I think I have something worth saying.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sometimes I'm just dumbfounded.

"Sometimes?" you say?   Well,  maybe more than just sometimes.
Be nice.
Anyway,  nothing much new to report here at the Ponderosa.   We did have our what has now become an annual dinner party wherein Travelling Companion recreates an Austrian dish called Tafelspitz.

I remember the first time she came home from a gathering with some of her Austrian work companions and told me they had had "boiled meat".
I was pretty sceptical.

"Gah!  Boiled meat?  What the hell?"


But we did venture out on more than one occasion to a particular restaurant in Vienna called Plachutta, and it's their recipe that she tries to replicate.

Pretty damned well I might add.

Anyway,  it was good.  Plus there was some deserts to die for.





But I digress.

I still find myself somewhat dumbfounded when a delivery arrives at our front door,  or in this case the mail box, and it's so soon after I've ordered it,  that I don't immediately realise what it is.


See,  when a feller gets to a certain vintage,  and if said feller wishes to be seen in public, it behooves said feller to be somewhat fastidious when it comes to the removal/trimming/what have you of ones random/extra/annoying nose/ear hairs.

Got that?

Like,  I got 'em growing in places where no hair should be allowed.  If only more would grow on my head.


And just last week,  I broke my trusty trimmer,  and there was no chance of putting it back together this time,  as one of the small pieces went into the sink drain.  And yes,  I do have the skill set to take the trap apart,  but that's a slippery slope.  Emphasis on slippery.

I ordered a new one on the 24th.  That was Friday.   I even think it was Friday night,  but my memory is dim.   Today is Monday.  Apparently things get shipped out on the weekend.

But hey,  just the other night we were talking about all of us "old fogeys"  (my term)  still having land lines and such.  The "kids" (they're mostly all middle aged by now)  no longer have things like cable TV or such a thing as a land line.  Everything is done on their cell phones.

Half the time I don't even know where my cell phone is,  but I am getting a little better in that department after I lost the last one.

Don't feel bad,  I didn't like it anyway.  Good riddance.

Anyhoodle,  a quick update on the bathroom situation.

It's coming along.

Travelling Companion snapped a pic of me putting in the last tile in the shower area,  and I've since been muddling along with the rest of it.

I think it's starting to look pretty good,  if I must say so myself.

I've been putting off doing the floor,  as it involves installing a mat from Warmly Yours.
I mean,  I just have to suck it up and get it done.  Of course, it also involves being on my hands and knees so, ya..

I'll get there.

Keep your stick on the ice.

Thanks for taking a look.