Here Comes Sunshine

Ah, the rain has finally ended. I was surprised how much rain came down, all night, no less. I had to scramble to protect our house from the splashes, which of course opens up a whole new avenue of home improvement needs. I'm ready.

Being the fickle SOB that I am, I have warmed up to LaValley's and cooled off a bit to Britton's, for a few reasons. I still think that they aren't that friendly at Lavalley's, they just seem cold and distant, but again, that's true of about almost every hardware/lumber store I've been to. They're just used to dealing with people who know what they're doing, which therefore excludes me. Even still, it's hard for a Flatlander to enjoy himself when he feels like such a loser.

What I learned is that LaValley's has everything I need and so much more, and they are actually cheaper than the other guys. I got a bundle of cedar clapboards for less, and they have a greater variety of sizes, and they seem to be in better condition. Sure, they people were not friendly, but after much effort (it helped having my partner, Nicholas, who is as cute as a button, with me) managed to squeak out a smile from the girl behind the register. And best of all, they had what I needed, something my two standby's could not claim. So I'll probably be going there more.

I couldn't find the wood preservative for the life of me. Fogg's was sold out, and Britton's doesn't carry it, ever. He said if I knew what I needed he could order a million gallons of it for me, but I probably only needed a quart, if that. Enter LaValley's. Not only did they have it, but it wasn't that expensive, though like Balloon Gary says, you have to get over frugality and spend some money on your house to get quality. I love that guy.

How did Britton's let me down? I bought a piece of plywood and it was massive, they only sell big pieces and I couldn't buy a half piece. Naturally it wouldn't fit in my car so I asked them to cut it down and then I'd get it the next day, but they flaked on me and I had to buy the big piece-Paul brought it over. Thanks, Paul.

Maybe it's a good thing because I had to deal with something that I wanted to avoid-ripping the wood myself. I have anxiety about using my rotary saw because I can't seem to always cut straight, and this is for the house and I can't mess around. Anway, I did it, and it worked out fine, and I feel like a man. So maybe I should thank Britton's. Thanks.

There's so much good cheer now that I can't believe it. Will work on that this morning, no rain and breezy, perfect for drying toxic chemicals.

Also need to get toner for our printer, and mow the lawn to make our yard look beautiful. Yesterday I drove by a pile of hardwood that had been blocked up and I assumed it was the state's, but found out it belonged to some guy named Jim Punger. I left a message if he wanted to get rid of it, or even sell it, and if he agrees, I might get a couple of cords out of it. We'll see, though it amounts to more work.

Finally I need to move one of my wood piles for the in-laws. Bob likes to stack wood, so I'll break up one of my cords for him to re-stack. It's a long story, but well worth the effort.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.