Green In The Green Mountain State

Life Imitates Art

2011-12-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

We watched a couple of the Pink Panther movies with the kids, and they sure loved them. Actually, what they really loved was Clouseau, and he wasn’t as prominent of a figure in the first Pink Panther movie, and was definitely not as bumbling and funny. It was the Return of the Pink Panther that the kids really loved, though I recall one of my favorites was Strikes Again. Either way, in the Return, there is a cool scene where the jewel thief sneaks into a museum and steals the Pink Panther diamond. In order to pull this off, he has to escape all sorts of traps and alarms, and this really inspired the kids.

What they ended up doing was setting all these traps around the house with trip wires. They were very clever about it, using electronic sirens and buzzers with insulators that would slip out when we walked through the wire. I actually contributed to the mix by suggesting they tie a thread to a jar of marbles and placing it on a metal tray. When the trap gets set off, the marbles roll around the metal, making a raucous noise. It’s cool that they were so creative about it, but I set the traps off about two dozen times a day. This, as you might have guessed, amuses the kids to no end.

Oh well, you reap what you sow, right? Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Sinks and Baths

2011-12-04T05:35:00.000-08:00

We ordered and received the toilets for the barn, but that’s only part of the picture. KB said to order the sinks and a bathtub, as well. I guess those are important, as well. One interesting note about the downstairs bathroom: when we were in Florida, the house that we stayed in had a small bathroom that was nearly identical to what we had in mind, but with an interesting twist.

We had originally envisioned a small bathroom with a door on one end, a wall mount sink on the side which you would have to walk around to get to the toilet. What the Florida house had was a bathroom with a sliding door on the side that allowed for a full size pedestal sink on one end and a toilet on the other. I’m not a huge fan of sliding doors, but you could always put in a regular door, and this would allow for much more space.

The bathroom is already framed out, but nothing a reciprocating saw and sledge hammer can’t handle. Did I mention that I like framing?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ryan Smart for the pic.

Signs of Winter

2011-11-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

For me, one of the true symbollic acts to signal the advent of winter is removing the screens and installing the storm windows. Then you’ve really taken steps to prepare for the cold weather. What’s nice about it is the windows let in much more light without the screens, though our windows were a bit dirty.

With this in mind, I set about doing something I’ve never really done before, and that was washing the windows. Now I did this before we left thinking that it would be too cold to wash windows upon our return from our trip. This was incorrect thinking, but how could I have known that before we left? Either way, it was a bit of a scramble to wash the windows in the midst of preparing for the journey, all by my lonesome, no less. I tried to be practical about the whole thing, so I only washed the outside because once it got really cold, I couldn’t really do that. Plus, washing the outside was a little easier since I could splash and spill water and not have to worry about furniture, floors, etc.

The storm windows presented a bit of a challenge, because we have two sets of glass to clean, and two sets of surfaces, both inside and out. Just thinking about it makes me want to ignore it, but I persevered and got it done, at least on the outside. I still have to clean the inside, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Sometimes ambition can work against you.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Looking at the Bright Side

2011-11-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

It’s a total bummer that we had to delay our departure due to illness, but it was a no brainer. It’s not fun traveling when you’re sick, heck, nothing’s really fun when you’re sick, and the extra few days really helped us to get back on our feet and feel better. We made the right decision, though it delayed our reunion with mom, whom we miss terribly, none more than yours truly.

On the bright side, however, the delay affored me more time to finish what I originally set out to do, which was to complete that darn woodpile, and complete it I did. Not wanting to squander a golden opportunity, I went to work immediately and told myself that I wasn’t going to stop until it was done. I lucked out with good weather, cool and dry, though it rained one afternoon and I went out and split anyway. How’s that for being a hardcore Vermonter?

Now the pile is done, sort of. I still need to cover it with a tarp before the snow comes, but one thing at a time. Let me relish the sweet afterglow of accomplishment.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Broken Toilets

2011-11-20T03:06:00.001-08:00

This is kind of a bummer that actually has a happy ending. You have to appreciate these moments. We ordered our toilets online and got free shipping, which is nice because it would have required a truck of some sorts, and yet it’s strange to think that they would deliver a toilet by FedEx. They each weigh about 100 lbs.

The site, National Builders Supply, is a great site. We got a good price on a toilet that is not always easy to find, a Toto. Plus, as I mentioned, we get free shipping. Anyway, I think we may have ordered from them in the past, and what I recall is that they sternly warn you to check the delivery for damages before signing the receipt. The problem is, the FedEx guy isn’t going to sit there and wait while you cut open the boxes and pull out the toilets to inspect them. The guy basically unloaded the boxes and left.

Last time I ignored this and it worked out fine, but this time around, when I opened the box, one of the lids to the toilet was cracked in half. Total bummer. I immediately called NBS and they said Toto would replace it for free. So I called Toto, and sure enough, they said they’d send me a new one, no questions asked. Whew! Dodged a bullet there.

I love when that happens. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Determination

2011-11-19T03:27:00.001-08:00

I set my sights on finishing one goal before we left, and that was to complete year two of the woodpile before our departure. It seemed so plausible because I had a huge pile that was split and ready to stack, and the pile was at least 60% done. Then again, 40% of five cords is still a fair amount of wood, two cords to be precise, and before I knew it, my split pile was depleted and there was still a large gap in the stack.

With only a day left before leaving, it’s doubtful that I’ll get it done, but at least I tried, and that’s the important thing. Besides, I have all winter and spring to finish it, though if it were done, I could have focused on other important tasks, like working on my tan.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Toilets and Sinks

2011-11-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

We ordered our new toilets for the barn, and went with what we’d purchased in the past. At least for me, there are two issues in making these choices: selecting a toilet (there are so many choices it’s madness), and then getting it home. KB offered to pick them up with his truck, but I’ve found the better way is to order them online and have them delivered, especially if you can score free shipping. Such was the case this time around.

Many places seem to be offering free shipping, I’m guessing to attract customers during these difficult economic times. Toilets are pretty big and heavy, so it’s a bonus for us. We went with Toto, just because that’s what we got in the past, and they get good reviews. Plus, this simplifies what could be an overly complicated situation where choosing a unit from literally hundreds of choices can bog a person like me down. No thank you. It’s done and over, now we just await their arrival.

Of course, we still have to choose sinks and, gulp, a bathtub, so we’re not out of the woods quite yet. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to engindeniz for the pic.

Building More Walls

2011-11-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

If you can believe this, we may have finished framing the walls for the upstairs. First it required that we come up with a plan, which is never easy for the likes of us, but it helps getting some expert advice from KB. He’s done a lot of houses, even his own, so he can give lots of practical advice. The layout of the upstairs is complicated by the fact that with no dormers, we lose a lot of head room as you get to the periphery of the room. You have to factor this in when you design toilets and sinks so you don’t bump your head. Not a problem for a short person like me, but for anyone over 5’10”, it will be an issue.

We designed the upstairs to have the main bathroom, a laundry room, and a small office/sewing room. It came out nicely, I think, and the other half can be an big open spaced bedroom, maybe with a loft feel. I always liked that chalet feel. With KB at the helm, we went to work. I helped out with a fair amount of the upstairs, and things really moved along. The framing is done, and the best part was when I had to leave, KB was more than able to take it from there. He even gave me jobs to do on my own, like cutting out some of the framing. Can’t let the man down, can I?

KB said the next thing will be to purchase toilets, sinks, and even a bath tub. This means going out and choosing a fixture, then buying it. Never an easy process for me, but you do what you gotta do. I think we ordered our upstairs toilet online, with free shipping, so we may go that route once again.

As for sinks and tubs, a trip to Home Depot is in the stars. Until then, thanks for reading.

So Long Burn Pile

2011-11-09T05:42:00.000-08:00

After what seemed like years, we finally burned that burn pile, and it’s so satisfying to see all that wood gone. Plus, we have a nice charred section of the yard to remind us of our hard work. Most of all, it’s nice to get rid of that ugly stack of scrap wood, it almost seemed destined to become a compost pile or small forest ecosystem. It made mowing the lawn a big of a challenge.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Raking It In

2011-11-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

I thought I was getting a free pass this year on the raking because we got this crazy early snow. I really hadn’t done much in the raking department, which for the record is my least favorite thing to do, no question about it. With the snow, suddenly it was all out of sight, out of mind.

Well, as you might have guessed, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky, and sure enough, all of the snow is melting, revealing a cover of... you guessed it, leaves. Part of me wants to just leave it until next spring, which is what a lot of people do. Another part of me thinks I’ll regret this course of action.

I usually do one final mowing in concentric squares that progressively blow the leaves out into the woods, but all it takes is a good windstorm to blow all of my hard work back into my face.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Almost Done with Woodpile

2011-11-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

Just when it seems like the woodpile will never get done, things seem to move along and suddenly there’s hope. I would say we’ve reached the 50% mark, if not more. In fact, we are getting closer to being done with one row, and once that’s done, it’s all downhill from there.

That is, of course, until next year. Thanks for reading.

Walled In

2011-11-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, KB came over and started framing the bathroom downstairs but wasn’t going to finish it until next week. Say no more, I’m ready, willing and able... two out of three ain’t bad. The wood is there, all I need to do is cut it up, figure out how the spacing will be, and then nail it in. I even got the thumbs up from KB. Hey, I could get used to this.

I was looking at how he did it, and being the experienced professional that he is, I think he built the frame first, then nailed it into place. When I framed the windows, I did it the hard way, partially because I had no choice, but it was more my style to do it slow and methodically. Plus, when I measure out pieces and nail them together, it never seems to go according to plan.

This should be interesting. Since I’m pressed for time, I first cut the boards to size. Next I’ll nail them together, and then put the wall into place.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Keith Syvinski for the pic.

More Kindling

2011-10-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

I sort of had a sense that over time, this barn project would yield some kindling, and sure enough, after KB had made the stairwell and framed the bathroom, there was tons of the stuff, and it’s only just begun. I know, this feeds into my firewood OCD, but in the end, it’s a practical obsession, so maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

I just need to cut the wood into more manageable pieces, then split it into small bits. I can’t wait.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Progress Being Made

2011-10-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, we should go away more often. Progress on the barn has been made, in a big way. I spoke with KB before we left and he said he could work on the barn while I was away. He had mentioned the idea of building a stairwell, which not only would make working the barn easier, but would make at least me feel as if things were getting done. I hinted that we would all be happy to see a staircase.

Well, sure enough, when we got back from our trip to DC, there was a stairwell in the barn. Amazing, I tip my hat to KB. Then again, he’s a professional, he’s doing what he does best. The kids are thrilled because now, for the first time, they can see the second floor of the barn, though I don’t want them playing around up there too much, it still worries me. Also, we can use the ladder for other purposes, like building a soffit. Yahoo... I think.

Progress was also made on the downstairs bathroom. He started framing in the walls, which look great, though it is a small bathroom. All we need is a place to do our business. Nothing fancy, right? The real bathroom will be upstairs.

Either way, it’s great to see things moving along. Who knows where he’ll go from there. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Finishing the Floor

2011-10-19T08:00:00.003-07:00

KB has other projects ongoing, so he couldn’t make it back until this past week, which was when we were away, so I took it upon myself, with his blessing, of course, to finish what I could on my own. KB and I got about 60% of it done the previous week, but again, I had to go, as did he. We discussed this matter and I told him the only way this project was going to get done is if it can be done without me. As much as I’d love to be the hands that completes this barn, it’s way over my head, not just in time, but in experience and knowledge. I just don’t know what to do.

KB, on the other hand, can do it with his eyes closed, it’s just that he’s a busy guy. I figure I can fill in the blanks when I can. So, I went for it. All of the lumber was there, I just needed to get nails and sub-floor glue, or liquid nails. I don’t have the manly caulking gun that KB has, but mine will do. I watched KB do his thing and absorbed his wisdom. The only tools I really needed were a circular saw and a framing hammer, which isn’t as fun or efficient as a nail gun, but you do what you gotta do.

It wasn’t so bad, and kind of nice working by myself up there. When I’m in the presence of a pro, I get big-time self conscious, partly because I’m clueless, but also because I work so slowly. When I’m alone, I can take my time, and take my time I did. It took me at least twice as long on my own to do what he and I did in about a day, but is that so unreasonable? Laying down a floor is a bit like framing, which I like, so it was fine. By the time we were ready to leave for DC, I finished the floor. I couldn’t believe it.

I just hope I didn’t screw things up. Then again, KB will let me know. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Stairmaster

2011-10-15T04:36:00.001-07:00

While we were working on the barn, KB mentioned that the next thing we may want to focus on, rather than framing walls, was to build a stairwell. I’m all for that. It would definitely make life easier, especially when we’re working on the second floor. Plus, it would allow the kids, for the first time, to spend some time on the second story. We forbade them from going up there because of the safety issues. Then again, for all I know, they snuck up there when we weren’t around. That’s probably what I would have done.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lisa Wilding for the pic.

Woodpile at About 50%

2011-10-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

We’re about halfway done with year 2 of the woodpile, and thanks a bunch to my in-laws, PR and RR, for all the work they did. They were on a mission, and they split a bunch of wood blocks. There was a fairly substantial pile of split wood that I finally got around to, but in the end, I’ve found that a big pile of wood doesn’t necessarily translate into a big dent in the stacked pile. I stacked what they had done, and it made a difference, but there’s still a long way to go. Then again, what else is new?

I started splitting more blocks, but my bad shoulder started acting up, and had to stop. On a positive note, but bad elbow seems to have mended, so now I only have pain on side of my body.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Working on the Barn

2011-10-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

I contacted KB and he showed up to work on the barn. Granted, he said he could do two days last week and we ended up only doing one, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get. He’s very enthusiastic and gung ho about this project, and he has alluded to making lots of progress over the next year, but we’ll see. For now, we’re happy things are moving along.

The first order of business was to put a new floor in the second story. He said the previous floor was too thin, and even I could see that it was buckling and uneven. He mentioned that when it’s like that, the flooring won’t go on evenly, like tiles or wood, even linoleum, so the plan was to put 3/4 inch plywood over it.

The truck arrived from LaValley’s and delivered a bunch of wood. From my wealth of experience, I could recognize the framing material in addition to the plywood, so I could see the KB was planning ahead. The idea is to frame the walls and then the bathroom downstairs after the floor is done.

He said it would go faster if he had a helper, and he could bring along one, or if I had the time, I could do it. It worked out that I had time, also because the kids are recovering from colds, so we could blow off tennis. I told KB, however, that the goal is to get this barn done, even I’m not around, and he’s fine with that. The take home message is that if someone can help him, the faster it will go. Say no more.

I helped out as best I could, helping him unload the wood (there was a ton of it), sweeping, applying glue. I even got to nail the boards in with the nail gun, which scares me. Watch those hands and feet. We got a little over halfway done when I finally had to go to take the kids to an activity. KB stayed behind and worked for another hour, but I think the brunt of the two man work is done.

In fact, I’m toying with the idea of carrying on what we started and getting it as far along as I can. KB can’t come back until later this week, and we might not be around, so if I can knock off a bunch of it, then less work for him and we can move onto the next big stage, whatever that is.

It’s exciting that things are moving forward, though the idea of nailing in those floorboards by hand is a bit daunting after using that nail gun. Oh well, that’s what framing hammers are for.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Clean Sweep

2011-10-08T04:41:00.001-07:00

My friend asked if I had the poles needed to sweep a chimney, and I said I did, but I hadn’t used them yet. It’s getting cool outside and we’ve been burning wood, and I haven’t had the chimney swept. I don’t know if you can sweep the chimney when it’s being used, or if it needs adequate time to cool off before you can do it. I figure with pros, they can do just about anything, but I guess it’s easier before you really start using the stove full time.

With this in mind, I finally bit the bullet and swept the chimney. I’d done this once in the past, but my brush was too small, and I didn’t get it right. I found a brush the right size, but was concerned that it would get stuck in the flue. This small anxiety paralyzed me to the point of inaction, as usual.

Winter is right around the corner, however, making the time to take action imminent. We had the market to attend to, and there were unseasonably cold and freezing temperatures in the forecast, so I just went and did it. I love when I do that. It worked fine, the brush didn’t get stuck, and now the chimney is reasonably clean.

Bring on cold, we’re ready to burn. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Meeting with Our Umpteenth Contractor

2011-10-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

So KB came over and looked at the barn, and I think things will start moving along now that we’ve got a professional on the scene. This, of course, means paying professional wages, but at least things will get done in a professional manner, i.e., it won’t depend on me. As much as I love the idea of getting my hands dirty in the finishing of this barn, I just don’t have time and my sporadic schedule means that I can’t be there for the time needed.

I’m hoping this works out, because KB’s our friend and we trust him, but also we want to see this project be completed. I think it’ll happen, but I’ve said this before, so stay tuned for more.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Svilen Milev for the pic.

Stood Up and Seeking Professional Help

2011-10-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

It’s time I got a little professional help, in more ways than one. BL was supposed to come over and work on the plumbing, and he bailed out on us. Bailed out hard. I spoke with him two weeks ago, and we scheduled a day for him to come. He was all for it, and I marked it on the calendar.

The day before, I called him and left a message, and he didn’t call back. I then called him the day he was supposed to come, and again, he didn’t call back. At that point, it was clear that he was just not into it, and we were going to have to look elsewhere. Fair enough. Fortunately, we live in an area where contractors grow on trees.

I called our friend, KB, and asked if this was something he had time to do. He came over and checked it out, and said it was a good time because he was in between projects, and things could get busy in the coming months. We figure that something’s gotta happen, and the sooner the better, so I told him we’d like to have him frame out the bathroom and then install the pipes into the septic. I hope it works out, because it if it does, then progress is being made.

KB’s a professional, so he’s going to make professional wages, but it’s better to pay a little more and get something accomplished than save money and get nothing done, right? As my Mentor always says, you get what you pay for.

Plus, KB’s our friend, and in addition to the knowledge on every aspect of building a house, he’s got every tool in the book, so other aspects of this barn project will benefit from his presence, which means just about everything.

Stay tuned for more, this should be good, and thanks for reading, and thanks to A B for the pic.

Seeding and Blueberry Maintenance

2011-10-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

As part of my vow to keep up on the blueberries, I did the semi-annual maintenance that was recommended to us by the people in the know, mainly CS, grower extraordinaire.

There are two things they told me to do. First off, add acidic fertilizer, then add soil acidifier. With pine mulch on top of that, it sure seems like a lot of acid, so I’m only adding the acidifier in the spring, and I’ll add fertilizer spring and autumn. I added the fertilizer, topped it off with fresh mulch, and we’re good to go.

I then seeded the lawn with some conservation mix, with N helping out. He likes to spread the seeds, it’s sort of fun, and I figure if we can spend some quality time doing real man’s work, then all the better. Besides, we might as well take advantage of the time’s he wants to help out, because once he gets to those turbulent teen years, he’s not going to want to have anything to do with us, except, of course, when he needs money, food, or the car.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Wood - A Family Affair

2011-09-30T12:27:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks back R’s family came for a visit and we managed to get them to help out with the yard work. It helps that the guys were eager to sink their teeth into some real man’s work, especially her brother. I still have several cords of wood that are cut into blocks but need to be split, and both PR and RR were more than happy to jump in. I didn’t even have to ask, they just went for it.

PR in particular was a go-getter, and he must have split at least a cord and a half, maybe two cords. He and N then went about stacking, so the pile is growing. I am firmly convinced that we’ll get the year-2 pile finished before the snow, especially once my elbow heals. Even if it doesn’t, what’s a little pain amongst real men (in training)?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Finishing the Front

2011-09-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

We’re moving at a snail’s pace on the front, but at least it’s moving. Not unlike traffic in LA, eventually you’ll get to where you’re going. I would say the front is about 95% done. I just need to get that one piece of trim in below the door, and voila, we have a front porch, sort of. Not so much a porch as a front door, but it has porch-y qualities.

I put the trim in around the door, but there were gaps in between the door and window trim. Originally their were pieces that were flush in between so it looked like one continuous frame, but my brilliant idea was to put in pieces that were recessed a bit, giving it a more dramatic effect. I’m all for more drama in our lives. The problem is, cutting a piece that fits perfectly inside is difficult, but ripping a 7 foot piece that is 1 inch wide is pretty much impossible, especially in my hands. Plus, the table saw scares me.

What I ended up doing was ripping the pieces a little bit small so they would fit in, and then filling the gaps with copious amounts of vinyl caulk. After it dried, I painted it, and it actually looked pretty good. I’m definitely better at doing a sloppy job at first and then going back and making it look prettier. Sometimes this works, other times you only get one chance.

Going back and cleaning it up reminds me a lot of writing, you just get the first draft down and then re-write and edit it until it reads nicely. Amazing how that works.

One last piece of trim to put in, and I think I’ll be finally done with that front step. Hard to believe.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Leaving JH (and his MBoTs) Hanging

2011-09-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

I had to bail out on JH last week, though the weather was a contributing factor. With the return to dumplings and the rush to get our school material in to the state, working on the barn had to take a back seat. For the past several weeks I had bailed out on him, though in all fairness, the guy is busy with a ton of stuff himself. Besides working full time, his family owns a cottage over on a lake that took a serious hit from Irene, so he has plenty of work cleaning up and repairing that.

Even still, he said he’s ready to begin working on our projects, it’s just that we are busy on my end. What the heck else is new? This past week, we had vowed to work on the barn, and sure enough, I had a ton of stuff to do. Even with all that, however, I stayed the course and told JH we could meet. Then, the weather actually worked in my favor, and it rained. With the poor weather, we decided to put it off for another week, and see how it goes. He also mentioned that he changed his schedule and could now work on Fridays, so that might work out well.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Penny Mathews for the pic.

Making Contact.... Again

2011-09-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got in touch with BL about the plumbing and he said he was going to call me about getting together... yeah, right. In all fairness, I haven’t been as on the ball about this as I could be, so I can’t fault him. Either way, we set up a day in the coming weeks to get together and put in those pipes. I’m still not sure what exactly it will entail, but he seems pretty relaxed about the whole thing, and said it would be easy. Fair enough, I believe him.

This should be interesting. Once we have pipes in, we can think about putting in plumbing and all sorts of good stuff. Me and JH (and his MBoTs) could have our work cut out for us, but that’s what real men thrive on, right? Or at least, in my case, real men in trainging.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Michal Ufniak for the pic.

Getting Level

2011-09-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Inspired by HH, I went out and got a 2 ft. level. It makes a huge difference when working on the soffit, because my 8 inch doesn't do the trick, and the 4 ft. is way too big. I don't want to have all these redundant tools, but this one is really useful. Plus, it only cost about $6 at Home Depot. Enough said.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Next of Kindling

2011-09-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again, and it should be interesting to see how much wood we go through this year. We may have our wood all cut and split, but let’s not forget about kindling. Can’t get that old fire going without the stuff. In the past, I’ve gone to Britton’s and hoarded the scrap wood, and it was fruitful like you wouldn’t believe. Now they don’t seem to have a scrap box, and in the end, they probably thought I was crazy for grabbing the stuff up. At LaValley’s, when I asked, they tried to take me into the alley and flog me with a 2X4.

Either way, I got so much of the stuff last year, and this year there is none. I have wood from assorted projects, and I have pine logs up the wazoo. It doesn’t do much good lying around outside, however, and at some point I need to start splitting the stuff and store it in the basement. Winter will be here before you know it, and we don’t want to get left out in the cold... no pun intended.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lori Downing for the pic.

Soffit Progress

2011-09-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

Not to sound like a broken record (too late?), but because we didn’t have to spend our days in dumpling hell, I was able to spend a day working on the barn. It was a miserable task, but it sure felt good to get it all done. I have to install a soffit on the back end, and before I do that, I have to install something for the soffit to nail into. I was told that normally you cut the joists so that the soffit attaches directly to that, but no such luck in this instance. Like the front, I was going to have to install a strip of wood spanning the entire distance.

It is easy enough nailing strapping onto the sheathing, but you also have to install it onto the fascia, and because these boards are nailed into the joists, it’s best not to nail the strapping onto the fascia boards because you might knock them out. Does this make any sense?

What this entails is screwing the strapping into the fascia, and even this wouldn’t be so horrible, except that I can’t screw in long pieces of strapping because the joists reach down to low. So, I had to cut about 45 individual pieces of strapping about 14 inches long to fit in between every single joist. To add to the fun, I don’t have a cordless drill, the one I have is a piece of junk, so I had to do all this with an extremely long extension cord.

In the end, I got it done, and it was one of the tasks I was dreading enough that I simply avoided it and hoped it would go away. Then again, that’s how I feel about a lot of things. Next up, cutting the soffit to size and drilling about a million holes in the boards for ventilation. Will the fun ever stop?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Great Weekend Before the Great Weekend

2011-09-19T06:32:00.001-07:00

The weekend before the big visit I had a very productive couple of days on the home improvement front, and it all stemmed from one thing - no dumpling making. I can’t stress this fact enough. We missed last week because of the weather, so we had all the dumplings that we’d made all ready to go. This freed us from dumpling hell all weekend, and I was able to get some stuff done around the house.

First off, the lawn. Besides dumplings, it’s been hard to mow the lawn because the weather has been crazy. With all that rain, the lawn is growing wild, and we finally got a break in the weather to coincide from dumpling liberation. Plus, it cooled off a bit. Mowing the lawn in the scorching heat is almost unbearable.

I was also finally able to return to attending to the woodpile. I would say it’s about 20% done. Mind you, this is next year’s wood, so it’s not a rush, but the sooner the better. I made some kindling, as well, of which we had none before this weekend.

So things are moving along, and I’m confident once the dreaded dumplings are done, we’ll be more productive and efficient.

Until then, thanks for reading.

White Out

2011-09-19T06:28:00.001-07:00

After thinking it over and consulting with half the population of Vermont, I finally decided to paint the front step, the same one I went to great lengths to get a nice piece of stainable wood so it would look natural. I think in the hands of a seasoned professional with an eye for aesthetics, it would have worked beautifully, but with me, it just didn’t seem to work. I love the look of natural wood, it’s just that somehow it wasn’t meshing.

Painting it white seems to give it more unity, and it will protect the wood a bit more. It’s also beneficial in the hands of a rank amateur as myself because when I paint the clapboards and trim, I inevitably spill paint on the step. Now I can simply paint over my mistakes with white paint. I do much better when I can go back and edit, rather than doing it right the first time. Or, like framing, I can do a sloppy job the first time, and it doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s sturdy, sort of.

Either way, I’m glad that’s been decided. I think the front step is about 95% finished, and it only took about a year. That’s 7 in dog years.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Addressing the Cold

2011-09-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

I had this brilliant plan to keep the two front facing rooms warmer, and I have no clue if they’ll work, but they sure sound good in theory. The guest room and our bedroom are much colder than the rooms on the back of the house, for a number of reasons. First off, the back faces south, so it gets a lot of sunshine. Second, the back is directly above the stove, so it gets heated the most. And finally, and I could be wrong about this, but the back wall is better insulated.

The reason I think this last point is true is because the front rooms are doghouse dormers that have knee-walls that are part of the slant of the roof. I know there’s insulation in there, but also know that a roof must allow cold air to vent through it in order to work properly. For anyone in the know (my Mentor, JH and his magic bag of tools, PR, etc.) this is important because it keeps the attic cold.

In this knee wall, there is a book shelf in each room, and the bottom shelf has no backing, so it is essentially exposed to the roof. I keep assorted clothes on this shelf, including underwear or shirts, and I’ve noticed that when I put them on in the Winter, it’s like putting ice cubes on. They’re freezing.

Through a rigid process of deduction, I concluded that this is contributing to the cold in the rooms. My plan, of course, is to seal up that hole. I’m not sure why it wasn’t done in the first place, so I could be screwing things up, but it’s worth a try. I need more projects to feed this blog.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Raja R for the pic.

What Deer Fence?

2011-09-13T05:13:00.001-07:00

We installed a deer fence way back when to stop the deer from decimating our garden, and it worked for a few years. Now that the gardening season is coming to a close, R is less stringent about keeping the garden sealed, so a deer wandered in and started snacking.

It saw us and tried to run, but felt trapped inside the garden. The gate was open, but the animal was in a panic and wasn't thinking straight. Instead of exiting through the door, it simply jumped over the deer fence. We were all watching it, and after it happened, N said, "Dad, the deer just jumped over the deer fence."

So much for that. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to ARL for the outstanding pic.

Working on the Roof

2011-09-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve about finished the other side of the back dormer, and I would say it’s about 75% complete, enough to where if I left it at that, it would be no worse of than before I started working on it. The flashing is in along the edge, so it’s more water protected than before, it’s just that some of the clapboards took a beating and need to be replaced. The problem is, the ones that got destroyed are at the top of the roof, where the dormer meets the apex of the house.

Not only is this the hardest and scariest section to be standing on, but it’s also where the darn hornets have made their nest. I’ve also concluded that my setup is not that good, and I don’t feel safe up there, so I’m going to have to come up with another solution. I may be able to get the other ladder over the vent pipe after all, it just will take a little patience and maneuvering. I feel more comfortable when the ladder is hooked over the roof, it’s a lot less scary.

For now, we’ll see how much I’ll get done. I’m somewhat complacent with the fact that the flashing is in, though I don’t want to flake out and let this project die a slow death.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Decked Out

2011-09-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

As per HH’s advice, I treated the wood on our deck and am in the process of fixing the hatch door. She told me that even though cedar resists rot, it still should be protected against water. I’m guessing that a stain or water sealant was in order, but which one? As it turns out, I have a silicone based water sealant that I used on the front step, and lots of it. I love when that happens.

I got some cedar deck boards to fix the hatch door but figured I’d treat the wood before assembling it, and then I treated the rest of the deck. I’m hoping this will protect it, because that deck really takes a beating from rain, snow, and sun. On the other hand, the cedar boards were not as expensive as I had originally thought, not that I want to replace the whole thing, but if it came down to that, it wouldn’t be as horrendously painful as I imagined.

For now, I think it looks pretty good. Once that door is finished, we are ready to move on with our lives. Until then, thanks for reading.

Real Man’s Work

2011-09-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

During the storm a tree actually fell onto our driveway. I knew it was coming down at some point because not only was it dead, but it was leaning against a big pine and I could tell that it was just a question of time. Sure enough, when the rains came, we saw it lying across the driveway. Fortunately, we didn’t have to be anywhere, and noticed it when we were going for our walk.

This, of course, gave me a chance to do some real-man’s work. I had to dust off my chainsaw, which I had prepared for Winter storage by running the tank dry and putting it in the basement. The day before I got some fresh gas, and kept it handy just in case of such an event. How’s that for foresight?

I added the oil and filled up the tank, and then walked down the driveway and started cutting. The wood is old hemlock so the saw cut through it like butter, though I screwed up and cut through to the dirt, which is the kiss of death for the sharpness of your chain. Oh well, time to break out the Dremmel sharpener.

What was great about it was that as I was cutting, at least a dozen trucks drove by and I got to show them that actual real-man’s work gets done over at our house... not that isn’t obvious, of course.

I might even be able to use the wood for kindling, but that’s yet another project, for another time.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Done With The Garden

2011-09-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

When I say done, I don’t just mean for this season, I mean for good. I'm talking a big no thank-you. I just don’t have the green thumb thing going, and at some point, we just give up on the whole idea. When our crops finally do ripen, we usually don’t make the most of it because by that time, we’re so burned out on trying to battle weeds and critters that all we want is for Fall to arrive. Then again, come next Spring, we may sing a different tune. It's been known to happen.

People talk about their love for gardening and how they love to spend time out there, but I can’t say I completely relate. I love being outside and working, but the whole gardening thing just doesn’t speak to my sensibilities, or should I say our sensibilities. Some people just do it better than we can, and maybe it’s better to just pay them for their talents.

With that in mind, we’ve finished harvesting the garden and R has left the gate open to let nature run its course. Despite a load of effort, we really didn’t have a bounty of a harvest. The tomatoes are still plodding along, and the corn was about four inches long, though for the record, it was really good. We have cucumbers, but I don’t feel that inspired to pickle, though the kids are bugging me to do it. They enjoy the process because yours truly ends up doing most of the prep and cleanup.

We’re not sure what we’ll do next year, we always seem inspired come Spring, but I personally wouldn’t be heartbroken if we just planted some flowers and let things unfold as they will.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Daino_16 for the pic.

Doing What I Can

2011-08-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

I had all these grandiose plans to get things done around the house, but with Hurricane Irene looming, I instead set about clearing the yard of possible projectile objects and mowing the lawn. I recently changed the blade on the mower, which always gives me a bit of anxiety, so it's good to run it few times to know that the thing isn't going to fly off. Scary thought.

Also, since Sunday was slated to be crazy in terms of weather, we had to finish up the dumplings by Saturday, which is a day before we usually do it, thus complicating our lives even more. In addition to stocking up on rations and water, I had to not only make and cook dumplings, but clean up all the pots and pans, as well. Then, I moved all potentially dangerous stuff into the barn, which included my ladder setup on the roof as well as various power tools.

I then mowed the lawn, which badly needed it, and picked up some lumber at a friend's house who said he had plenty and gave it to me free. Thanks M.

Now we sit and wait. The weather is supposed to be nice after the hurricane, so hopefully I'll have the wherewithal to keep my feet moving.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Andrea Kratzenberg for the pic.

Moving On to the Eastside

2011-08-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

With the hurricane looming, I've decided to leave well enough alone and move to the other side of the house. I still need to finish painting some of clapboards on the west side of the dormer, but we're talking 30 minutes of work, tops, and the boards are primed. The important part, sealing the side of the house from water, is finished, so I can in good conscience start on the other side. Plus, the work can be finished with just our extension ladder, so I don't need to borrow one from KJ.

With that in mind, I moved the ladders to the east side of the dormer and was ready to start ripping out clapboards to get that flashing underneath, but then decided that rather than get too involved, to break things down in anticipation of the storm. Kind of a bummer, because I was feeling inspired, and now it's going to take some doing to get back on track. Momentum is a funny thing in that way. I think if I'm more careful this time around, I won't have to do as much siding replacement and painting.

I also ran into a complication with the ladders. We have a 28ft extension ladder that goes up about 1/3 of the way, which falls way too short, so I use another ladder that hooks to the roof. The difficulty of this is that I have to borrow someone's ladder. On the east side, there is a vent pipe sticking out, so I can't hook the ladder to the roof. I thought about getting the pipe through the steps of the ladder, but that would be a chore. So I came up with an alternative plan, which was met with much skepticism by the likes of JM and CF. I was going to build an extension with 2X4s and rest it on top of the extension ladder. I figure 8 ft. would be plenty, and then I wouldn't need to hook the ladder over the top.

JM thought I was flirting with disaster, but in the end, I came up with a solution to my solution - I will tie a rope to the top of the wooden extension, and then secure that to a tree or window on the other side of the house. That way, the extension won't slide down the face, taking me with it. I think it will work. For good measure, I could always secure a harness, as well, and might do that, though it's a pain hooking up every time. Better safe than sorry, right?

Just a final note, I think the long term plan for the dormer will involve replacing many of the clapboards and possibly installing a piece of trim, but it's water tight for now.

This should be interesting. Until then, thanks for reading.

About 75% Finished With One Side

2011-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

Progress is slow in these parts, but things are moving along. I finally went up on the roof and nailed in the clapboards, thus securing the flashing. As always when dealing with clapboards, I ended up cracking and destroying a few, so they needed to be replaced. This entailed getting the clapboards, and then cutting them to size and installing them. Not always easy to do when you’re standing on the roof and hornets are flying around your head.

Part of the problem was nailing through two piece of flashing, which required some force. I employed the advice of my father in law, RR, and held the nails steady with a pair of plyers as I gave them a good whack. It worked out well. Now the new boards are in, the flashing is secured, and I think it’s fairly protected from the weather. Now I could probably leave it as it is for the Winter, but I figured that since I’m all set up up there, I might was well paint the trim and the clapboards. Just what I need, something else to put off and weigh me down.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

All Hands on Deck

2011-08-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

Our deck is pretty fried, though my Mentor doesn’t think it’s bad as I make it out to be, and he would know. I need to fix that hatch door, however, and like everything in my life, I’ve been putting it off. Part of my dilemma is the cost of materials. The deck is cedar, and that stuff is expensive. To replace the deck would cost hundreds of dollars, and that makes me anxious. However, to just fix the door would be a fraction of that cost.

I finally investigated the matter and found that cedar deck boards are not that expensive, at least I don’t think they’re that expensive. About $1/foot, so to replace the door would cost about $50. True, the entire deck would set us back, but that’s not necessary at this point.

I went to Britton’s and got the wood, and I think I’ll be able to pull this off before Winter... yeah, right. HH did tell me that cedar resists rot, but still needs to be treated, so I’ll attend to that this time around. I think I have the stuff to use, the same stuff I used on the front step. It’s a silicone based water proofer that is water based, so not as nasty as some of the products out there. I was going to use it on the picnic table, if I ever get around to fixing that.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Paint It White

2011-08-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

After all my efforts to have a nicely stained front step, with a natural wood look, I've finally decided to paint it white, of all things. Had I done this in first place, I probably could have used a cheaper piece of wood, but the step is nice, and will be more durable because of it.

Now the question is, when?

Until then, thanks for reading.

The Woodpile Grows and TB Calls

2011-08-19T04:59:00.001-07:00

Finally got back into splitting and stacking wood, which I really enjoy, as does N. It’s a great way to get something accomplished and hang with my son doing a manly activity. How can you beat that? I’m almost finished relocating the wood blocks, and once that’s done, we’re all set and ready for our next truckload.

There is quite a bit of wood that still needs to be split, and it could take me months to get it all done, but that’s not a problem as long as we have enough to keep us warm over the Winter. The plan is to finishing stacking the second year, and then whatever is left over I’ll stack in the woods uncovered. Then, when Spring arrives, we can just move the split wood over to the dry pile. How’s that for planning? What’s great about it is that it speaks volumes to my firewood OCD.

Also on the wood front, I finally heard from TB, the logger. He hadn’t returned my call for about a week, and he’s generally very professional and reliable, so I figured he was on vacation. Then again, loggers don’t go on vacation during the busy Summer/Fall months, there’s too much to do. Either way, I was ready to start looking for alternates when he finally called and left a message. We were still on, and he said he could get me the wood before Winter, which I had said would be fine. One less thing to worry about.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Almost Done With the Front

2011-08-18T05:51:00.001-07:00

Things are cruising long on the home front (literally and figuratively), and though progress is slow, it’s progress, nonetheless. The front entry has been stalled for the past year, and I decided to just bear down and try to finish it. Part of the delay stemmed from the fact that we are going to change the color of the house, and I figured it wasn’t worth it to paint it now and then paint it later. The question is, when are we going to paint it, and what color?

So, I just went for it. I needed to caulk the seams before I could paint, but once that was done, I could begin. Painting short clapboards is a chore when you’re trying not to paint the trim, and I’m a sloppy person, so I’m going to have to re-paint the trim, anyway. Not a bad thing.

I would say the entry is about 90% finished. All I need is finish the trim around the door, and we’re on our way. There is some debate as to whether I should pain the step white. I originally liked the natural wood look, and even went out of my way to get a nice piece of lumber for that purpose, but when I look at it, I think it would look better if it matched the trim. A white step doesn’t seem practical, but what’s practicality got to do with anything?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Got My Paint

2011-08-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

My Mentor is going to roll his eyes on this one, but I went to LaValley’s and got more stain for the house, but left my old stain can there. I brought it with me for a color reference when I got a new can, and it was only about 1/4 full, but when I got the new can, I forgot the old one. Part of the problem was that we needed clapboards, as well, and that was on my mind. The reason that is was on my mind is because the boards usually come in 16 foot lengths, which is way too long for our sedan, especially with two kids in the backseat. They will cut the boards to size, but that requires getting someone to help you, which is a chore at LaValley’s because they are not warm and fuzzy over there, and I need warm and fuzzy.

I did luck out and find them in 5 foot bundles of ten, which fit perfectly in the front seat, so much so that I bought two. Now I can fix the clapboards that I destroyed trying to get that stinking flashing in, but don’t get me started.

Anyway, my original point is that it wasn’t worth a trip out to LaValley’s to get a 1/4 full can of paint, but I was so mad that I’d forgotten it there. I was using it, after all. Since we were heading out to get dumpling wrappers and bike grips, I figured a quick stop wouldn’t be the end of the world. So we went, and I got my paint, and now I feel much better.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Painting and Flashing

2011-08-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to two projects on the main house, painting the front entry and flashing the dormers. The dormers need to be attended to before Winter, because you don’t want water damage, while the front could be put off for another year, it’s really an aesthetic issue. The problem is, it’s much easier to paint the front because it doesn’t involve getting on the darn roof, which I hate to do, mainly because of all those darn wasps.

I managed to start painting the front, but it takes time because I have to be careful of the trim, which is white, as opposed to the siding, which is purple. I made a mess of it all, and will have to go back and paint the trim white again. It’s taking shape, however. BTW, I forgot to mention that I needed to seal the edges of the siding with vinyl caulk, as well.

The roof was trickier. I had to borrow a ladder from KN to hook over the apex of the roof, and then break out all of our ladders just to get up there. Installing the flashing was a bit of a pain, and I was hoping to avoid removing the clapboards because that never turns out well, but I couldn’t slide the metal up the roof. It kept getting stuck on something, and eventually I had to remove some boards to get it in. I thrashed the flashing a little, but it will work fine, and I’m not going to worry about it.

Of course, now I need to replace boards, and while I’m up there, do some painting. Total bummer, but it needs to be done. This will delay the completion of this project considerably. I’m toying with the idea of removing the wasps nest before I continue, and it’s a huge one. I have nothing against them, but when you’re on the roof and they’re swirling around you constantly, it can be dangerous, and I’d just as soon not have them there. Time to break out the hose. At least it’s cooling off.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Mouse House

2011-08-12T14:17:00.002-07:00

I was stacking wood and fixing the cover on the woodpile when I happened upon a mouse nest. There were even little mice in there. They were babies, and they didn’t know what to make of me and just sat and stared. I showed the kids and then covered them back up and left it at that. I’m guessing their almost old enough to leave, which they’ll hopefully do soon before I need to use the wood, or before the cats find them.

I love these nature moments, it makes you appreciate life in the wilds of Vermont. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to aneczka bazant for the pic.

Roof Update

2011-08-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

We drove out to Pittsfield, of all places, to get the flashing for the roof. This begs the question, why go all the way out there? The answer is because I needed flashing to match our roof for maximum aesthetic effect, and that was the only place I could find that would cut it to the size I wanted. Apparently these guys (Pittsfield Standing Seam) are famous in contractor’s circles for doing metal roof stuff.

Surprisingly, the drive wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We had to go to Killington, and it’s good to know that it’s a manageable drive once ski season starts. I even borrowed KJ’s ladder and set up the roof to install the flashing, so things are already moving along, though I had to stop to make dinner, and then get ready for karate, which kind of made me crabby and whine about having no time.

Then again, what else is new? I toyed with the idea of painting while I was up there, but figure I should take it one step at a time. That flashing really needs to be done ASAP.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Thibaut Monot for the pic.

Getting It Done… Sort Of

2011-08-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

I’m back on my own in terms of house projects, and I kind of like it that way, sort of makes me feel like the man of steel. Besides, being the professional that she is, I don’t think HH was so into working with me, especially in light of my incompetence. Either way, she’s off to greener pastures and I’m left to fend for myself, which is just how I like it.

With that in mind, I asked JH and his magic bag of tools if he was interested in rekindling our working relationship, and he said yes. It’s much more laid back with him, though perhaps not as profesional, and we tend to have more fun. R is astute to point this out, or more to the point, the lack of progress in terms of building. I guess you just can’t have it all.

One thing is for certain, I think the projects will move along more efficiently now that camps have subsided. Not as much running around or time committments, and I’m glad for that. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a great summer, it’s just that I went a little nuts carting the kids to their respective activities. No regrets, it’s just nice to get a break.

We’ve obtained the roof flashing, and also I managed to finally caulk the seams on the front door clapboards. I still need to finish the trim work, but at least now I can paint the wood so it looks somewhat normal. The trim work will be a bit tricky, but nothing a table saw and lots of paintable caulk can’t fix.

The yard is in reasonable condition, mowed and trimmed. Now that the days are getting cooler and shorter, I think the grass is growing slower, which is a bonus, because I don’t need more work right now. I’ve contacted BL the plumber, as well as TB for our firewood. Still waiting to hear about our propane contract. Otherwise, we’re moving along into Fall, and I still need to stack about 5 cords of wood.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Erica Johnson for the pic.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things, Again

2011-07-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun on our trip, but it goes without saying that it sure feels good to be back in New England, a sentiment voiced to me by many people on the plane. The heat and politics of AZ just don't mesh with me.

On that note, there is much to do. The grass was growing out of control when we left, and now it is even more out of control. I am almost done with relocating the wood, and should finish it by this week, opening the door for me to receive the next 7 cords of logs. I could even theoretically start cutting the logs this Fall, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Then there is the barn.

Since the kid's activities are winding down, sort of, I hope I'll have more time to work on that darn barn. BL the plumber called before we left and said he's open to work on Sundays. HH is pretty much out of the picture, I think she dislikes working with a rank amateur as myself, plus she has other life issues to attend to. I was thinking of calling JH and his magic bag of tools, but he's busy, as well. Looks like I'll be riding solo on this one.

Finally, there are many projects to do on our home, the most immediate of which is getting the flashing to do the roof. This is going to be a bit of project because it will entail getting on the roof. Also, I need to borrow a big ladder, which always makes for some drama, but what's life without a little drama?

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Christa Richert for the pic.

Disaster Strikes

2011-07-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

It finally happened, something I’ve heard about since we moved here. Our wood pile collapsed, and unfortunately, it’s not something I can ignore, because not only is it wood that we’re going to burn in a few months, but my whole darn wood pile seems to be leaning forward. Disaster impending.

I don’t know I have what it takes to straighten out the entire pile, but something’s gotta be done. For now, I’ll focus on just fixing the end, but hopefully the pile will hold up until cooler weather. Unfortunately, the other end of the pile is leaning, as well. What was I thinking when I stacked that thing?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Can We All Just Get Along?

2011-07-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

We have a woodchuck, I see him almost every day, but truth be told, he has not entered the garden, and so far seems content to eat whatever is growing on the lawn. I realize that it may be an eventuality that he’ll find his way into the garden, but for now, as long as he is just eating weeds, we can all get along. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.

Besides, if I set the trap up outside the garden, there is always the valid problem of catching a skunk, and we don’t want to go there again.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Stephanie McKendrick for the pic.

Another Roof Option

2011-07-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

After talking to HH about my plan to flash the side of the shed dormer in the back of the house, she told me of another option. At first I thought I’d just use aluminum flashing and then either leave it at that, which would look bad but would do the job, or paint it. I have the paint, but she said paint would chip off over time, and the thing to do would be to contact the roofers, Iron Horse, and get the actual metal that they used to flash it. That would be a perfect match, and I might even be able to get it cut to size, which would be about 4 inches.

She also mentioned contacting Bethel Mills, who might be able to pull it off, as well. The advantage of BM is that they could probably send it to Britton’s, making obtaining it simpler. IH, on the other hand, is out in Tunbridge, though they might be able to deliver.

Either way, this should be interesting. Until then, thanks for reading.

Closer to the Soffit

2011-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday HH came over and we crammed in about 3 hours of work on the barn. It had been awhile, and she was ready to work all day, but I had other things that needed to be done, so we had to cut out early. I think she was disappointed, because she was prepared to get more done. Sorry. On the bright side, she brought her kids and dog over, and they all had fun with N. Plus, they went back over to their house for swimming (they have a small pool), so N had a blast and I’m glad for that.

I wrestle with this because these seem like things I could do on my own, and yet they never get done because I never seem to have the time. Funny how that works. This time around, I’ve resolved to be more diligent about it, because in the end, it doesn’t take that much to just chip away at the stone. Just a little bit at a time, and before you know it, things are moving along.

For now, I need to finish drilling the holes in the soffit board, then cover them with screen. I should then install the strapping on the other side of the barn and cut holes in the soffit board for that. That’s plenty of work until the next time HH comes over, and hopefully I’ll get it done by then.

Thanks for reading.

Finished the Blocking

2011-07-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

The next time HH comes over she won’t think I’m a total loser, just a partial one, because I finished the blocking. Sure, it wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s something. When you’re a real-man in training, you’ll take what you can get.

Once I got started on it, it wasn’t so bad, and had a day a few hours to dedicate to it. It wasn’t a fun job, and my Mentor wasn’t even sure if it was necessary, but some people felt it was important, and once I got the suggestion in my head, I felt like it was the proper course of action. After all, I’ve got plenty of free time on my hands, right?

Either way, at some point I was going gangbusters on it and then ran out of wood. Consequently, I completely ran out of steam and it all came to a grinding halt until I could get the wood. I didn’t need much, just about 8 feet of 2X6 board. It was really a transportation issue.

A few days back my Mentor kindly helped me pick up some pipes for the plumbing, and at that time I got the board, which sat for about a week until yesterday when I had a free 45 minutes to cut the wood and set in it place. One day I’ll get around to nailing them in.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Tackling the Garden

2011-07-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

All things considered, the garden does not look half bad. R has been doing a great job. This despite the fact that we’ve had lousy weather during the Spring and for much of the Summer. This past month has been fairly sunny, and this late push has been enough to get the veggies to grow. Unfortunately, it also has encouraged the weeds to thrive, as well, and once again they’ve taken over the spaces in between the raised beds.

While we got a weeding tool that looks pretty cool and was given rave reviews by our friend CH, the weeds are pretty deeply rooted and really hard to dig up. The best way we’ve found to deal with it is to just go through and mow them down with the weed whacker. It would be even better to just use the mower, but it would be a bear to get into the garden and then move around. The weed whacker is a little more work, but works fine, at least until the weeds come back.

For now, the garden looks like a garden instead of a tropical rain forest. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Enzo Forciniti for the pic.

Only the Beginning

2011-07-06T05:13:00.001-07:00

Started in year two of our wood, and so far, so good. When you look at the wood pile, it’s hard to imagine that it gets done, much less burned, but Summer is the time to make things happen, because once that thermometer drops below 20 degrees, you sure are glad to have that beautiful wood pile.

With that in mind, it’s important to keep your feet moving. I have to confess to succumbing to complacency now that this year’s wood is done, but I figure if I slowly and gradually put the second pile together, it should get done before the end of Summer. We’ll see where this goes. The nice thing about stacking wood is that the kids like to help, so it’s a win-win situation.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Getting the Pipes

2011-07-04T05:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks much to my Mentor for helping me to get the plumbing supplies that we’ll need get the bathrooms started on the barn. I had a list from BL that was kid of extensive, and not necessarily written in layman’s terms. BL offered to pick up the supplies or go with me (he’s a great guy), but also said that it would save me $$ the more I did myself. Say no more, I was going to Home Depot. I initially wanted to go to LaValley’s because I always feel like a real contractor going there, but Home Depot is moving up the ranks in terms of the quality fo the experience.

Of course, once we got there, some of the stuff was hard to define and if I’d been alone, I’d never found any of it. Amazing how much pipe stuff goes into doing the plumbing on the house, and this is just the tip fo the iceberg.

Either way, I just wanted to point out that we got excellent customer service at Home Depot. The sales guy was extremely helpful, not to mention knowledgeable. He knew the stuff we were looking for, and we found everything. I also scored the final board I’ll need to finish the blocking.

We stopped off at Fore-U for some ice cream to reward ourselves for a job well done, though in the end, I didn’t do much.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Burning Wood

2011-07-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence, but I've been holed up at home making dumplings, and before I know it, the day is over.

Now that it's cooking hot, it's hard to imagine that just a couple of weeks back, we actually burned some wood in the stove in the middle of June. The weather has been gloomy and damp, with seemingly non-stop rain. In addition to the coolness, it really gets you down when it’s a bit chilly, so we decided that if it was going to be gray and miserable, at least we could be warm. We fired up the stove, and since it wasn’t really freezing outside, man did that stove get hot. A little disconcerting, actually, but it sure felt good to be warm.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Roof Inspection

2011-06-30T05:31:00.001-07:00

My Mentor’s eagle-eyes pointed out to me that the roof is not properly flashed, and upon closer inspection, it makes perfect sense. That guy is my hero. I thought it was fine, and all I had to do was put some trim on it and be done. However, that doesn’t address the water problem. Think like a drop of water. For most of the roof, it seems like it might be okay because the roof hangs over and the water will drip straight down, but sections will clearly let water in, and that’s bad news.

One approach would be to increase the length of the clapboards so they overlap the flashing, but that would be a bear of a job, not to mention incredibly expensive. What I’ll do is slide some flashing up along the pre-existing flashing, making sure I get it under the clapboards. Like everything I do, it sounds brilliantly simple, but will most definitely end up being harder than I anticipated.

Oh well, that’s why I have my Mentor to call in my time of dying. This should be interesting.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

All Hands On Deck

2011-06-28T05:10:00.000-07:00

Our deck is in serious disrepair. I have no experience with these matters, but what else is new? Looking at it, I think I can pull this off. I just need to decide what material to use, and then break out the miter saw and get to work. The wood that the Gs used was high end red cedar, which would cost a fortune to replace. I am inclined to use synthetic boards, which are more expensive, but last a lifetime. It’s nice not to have to worry about rotting.

This project is fairly low on the totem pole, so it won’t be happening any time soon. Plus, it gives me some time to consult with assorted experts so I can obsess over it for awhile.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Finishing the Blocking

2011-06-27T05:17:00.001-07:00

I can’t let the barn project slip too much because before I know it, HH will be back, BL will come calling, and if no progress is made, it will only confirm what a complete loser I am. Wanting to avoid this, I need to get some things done, but man is it hard to find the time. Throw in some lousy weather, and I’m more than happy to sit back and work on my tan.

This past weekend, there was a break in the weather, though using rain as an excuse if for sissies, and a lot of the work can be done under the shelter of the barn. Either way, I was determined to get some stuff done, so I cut the blocks and nailed them in. I am about 95% done with it, except that I ran out of wood. The question then becomes, should I go to the time and trouble to get rough cut wood, which is cheaper but more of a hassle, or just go with dried pine which would be easier though more expensive? I only need about 10 feet, so the difference in the end would not be huge.

My big problem here is one of transportation. I can’t haul a 10ft board in the car, and would need them to cut the board, at least in half. They don’t do this at the mill, though maybe if I begged them, they would. However, they would gladly cut it at the lumber yard. I’ll have to think about this one.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Ready for the Next Round

2011-06-27T05:16:00.001-07:00

I can’t get too complacent, because we want dry and crispy wood for our stove. I have been slowing hauling the cut up wood blocks over to the splitting area, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. I would say I’m about 75% done, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at the pile. It still looks huge, though nothing like it was a month ago.

I’ve even started splitting. Like I said, the goal is to move 10 loads each day and split for an hour. I never manage to get even this done, but as long as I’m chipping away at the stone. I want to take advantage of the Summer heat to dry the pieces, so I’d like to get started on the stacking. Besides, stacking is the easiest and most enjoyable part, and something the kids can help me with. Also, I can do it in the early morning because it doesn’t make too much noise, and even under the searing hot sun because it’s not too strenuous.

My hope is to get the pile complete before the August, but like all things, that might be getting too ambitious. Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Plumbing Progress

2011-06-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

I finally met up with BL and we hashed out some details about the plumbing. It wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be, and I came away from it wondering why I put it off for so long. Most importantly, I finally learned BL’s last name. I thought he wanted us to come up with a blueprint for the design, and then we could begin, but all he really needed was a general idea of where the two bathrooms would be, and then he made a list of parts that we’ll need, which should be an adventure in and of itself, but let’s not get ahead ourselves.

He even mentioned choosing a bathtub and then letting him know so he can do some calculations, which should be interesting because that means that R and I have to make a decision, which is never an easy proposition. We’ll work on that one.

BL even offered to meet me and help pick up the supplies, which I thought was really cool, but I think I can manage. If things get too crazy, I can always ask my Mentor for help, but I don’t think I’ll need to bother him. I can always rent the truck from Home Depot.

I’m still waiting for the CL the electrician to show his face, but I told him it wasn’t urgent, yet, so I can’t make an issue out of it. Even still, the unreliability is always a bit of a bother, but what else is new in the world of contracting?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Marcelo Terraza for the pic.

Making Contact

2011-06-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

You have to take what you can get. I finally got in touch with the plumber, and even arranged a time to meet, but the electrician, CL, flaked out on me. CL is a friend of ours, so we have to understand these situations, but it’s still a bit frustrating. He’s been somewhat unreliable about doing logging stuff, but he did, in the end, come through and mill the maple boards for us, and for free, no less. I can’t complain, but I still do.

Either way, things are crawling along on that front. It’s hard to imagine that one day the electrical and plumbing will get done, but that’s what house building is all about, right? In the meantime, I’ll keep plugging away at that soffit, my current challenge of the month.

As a side note, I saw HH before her big trip, and told her I was going to get as much done it as possible while she was away, and I detected a distinct scoffing on her part. What exactly is she trying to say?

Sometimes, you just can’t win when you’re a real-man in training. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Yamamoto Ortiz for the pic.

Blocking

2011-06-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was going to be a busy one with the Balloon Fest and dumpling making, so I figured that with whatever free time I had, I was going to have to squeeze in some barn time, and I managed to get about an hour in trying to finish the blocking. We finished the front side and needed to address the backside, the story of my life. I had most of the wood, and decided to use whatever scraps of 2X6 or 2X8 wood I had, and there was a fair amount. We use 2X6 for framing all over the place.

I ended up a few blocks short, however, and will need to go and pick up some more wood. This, of course, is a bummer and a pain when you’re driving small import cars, but I think I can manage. I only need about 10 feet, and if I can somehow manage to get the board cut in half, I’m in business. The guys at the lumber mill must look at me and laugh. I can’t say I blame them.

I’m hoping that this week I’ll have time to nail those blocks in, but something always seems to stand in my way. I’ll be optimistic. Until then, thanks for reading.

Skunked

2011-06-22T04:39:00.000-07:00

Of all the bad luck, we caught a skunk in the Have a Heart Trap.

I’d like to whine and say that this sort of thing only happens to me, but this event has precedence. In fact, it happened to DH, who lent us the trap in the first. place. As you may have guessed, we have had a woodchuck problem, which people up here often deal with up here with a rifle or shotgun. Being the peaceful animal lovers that we are, we don’t want to kill the thing since he’s not really hurting our livelihood, he’s just a pest.

Last year, we had a woodchuck problem, as well, and we somehow, by some miracle of fate, caught the bugger with DH’s trap. Well, we’ve spotted yet another one in our yard, so we borrowed the trap and feeling confident and self assured, set it up once again. This new one hasn’t gotten into the garden, yet, so we figured we’d be proactive and catch it before it found its way in.

I set the trap up beside the garden fence, and waited. While we didn’t catch the groundhog, we did manage to catch our cat, Misty, who must have been curious enough to climb inside. She wasn’t upset, and we got a big laugh out of it, but just yesterday morning, I looked down at the garden and saw something black and white inside. My heart sank as it was clear what it was - a skunk.

I called my karate teacher, CH, who is a master hunter and trapper, and in between chuckles he said to just make sure you protect yourself with a big sheet or tarp, then release the thing. He had never caught a skunk before, but he said he got a porcupine once. DH, on the other hand, had caught a skunk, and had firsthand knowledge. He confirmed CH’s advice. He said he used an old blanket and slowly approached the thing before covering it up. Once it was covered, he could transport it. However, he said he had a smaller trap, and the thing couldn’t move around inside. The trap we had was much bigger, and the skunk could move freely inside and spray me at will.

I didn’t have time to deal with it right away, and took N to his hockey practice and then to W. Leb to run an errand, but it was on my mind the whole time. Finally, around early afternoon, I decided the time had come to be a man and deal with Nature’s wrath. I put on disposable gloves and clothes that were expendable, took a 9X12 clear plastic tarp, and slowly approached. I thought the tarp would allow me to view the skunk as I approached, and even see the spray hitting the plastic, but it wasn’t actually clear. I ended up having to peak over the top, thus exposing myself.

Anyway, I was anxious as heck, and assumed the beast was going to blast me. He was clearly scared, and I could see that he was extremely wary of me. Skunks are kind of cute animals, if not for their defensive mechanism. As I got closer, however, he never once turned his rear end to me. I got the tarp over the trap, and then covered that with a sheet, figuring that darkness might be more comforting. Getting the trap open was a bit of a chore because the mechanism that keeps it closed also makes it tricky to open, at least when you’re concerned about a skunk spraying you. I used some hooks and rocks to undo the latch, and after about five minutes (the skunk must have been freaking out), finally got the darn thing opened.

And, of course, once freedom was looking him in the eye, the skunk didn’t want to leave. I think I made it too cozy for him, and he had plenty to eat inside. Also, since the cage was covered, I couldn’t see if he was still there, and didn’t have time to sit and wait for him to leave. I went up to the house and made the kids lunch, then checked the trap, and the guy was still there! I was tempted to lift the thing up and dump him out, but that would have pissed him off.

Finally, I went over and pulled the sheet off, thus making it bright inside the trap. I could see him nestled in the corner. I went away again for a bit, and when I returned this time, he had finally left. Boy was I relieved. I’m not going to set that thing up outside the garden again.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Torli Roberts for the pic.

Crawling Along

2011-06-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

Moving right along, albeit at a snail’s pace, we made some progress on the barn. HH came over and we finished putting the blocking in, and then installed the strapping to hold the soffit. The more we do it, the more I’m convinced that I could do it myself, if I only had the time.

We worked for about two hours, and then it started to rain. HH said she couldn’t make it on Tue, so that meant I am once again on my own, just the way I like it. I need to install the strapping on the fascia and then nail in the soffit, which is cut and painted. It needs vent holes and then a protective screen, then we’re ready to rock and roll.

It would be nice if the weather cleared up on a consistent basis, but you can’t have it all. HH is going on vacation for two weeks, so my goal is to get as much of the soffit done while she is away as possible. Nothing a little Elmer’s Glue and duct tape won’t take care of.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Levi Szekeres for the pic.

Heck of a Day

2011-06-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

With the weather being so poor, you really have to seize the moment when the sun finally shines. Unfortunately, just such a day fell on market day, but you have to take what you can get. It has been raining non-stop for the past month, and it makes taking care of the yard, chopping firewood, and working on the barn a bit of a chore. Not impossible, but kind of a bummer in the rain.

Yesterday, we finally woke up to a beautiful day, though it was market day, which meant that we had to be in Hanover after lunch. Anything that needed to be done on the home front needed to done in the AM. I had no time to lose. R had to be at work, but could hold down the fort for a few hours while I jumped into the work around the house.

First thing was the wood. I changed my plan and am hoping to move five loads per day rather than ten (not enough time). I also spent about 45 minutes splitting in order to get year two stacked, but that can wait until the Fall if need be. The main thing is to move the un-split wood before our next truck load arrives, which should be some time this Summer.

After the wood, it was time to do some yard work. I broke out the weed whacker and cleared the weeds in several areas. The place was the greatest need is paths where I need to travel, namely around the wood pile and garden, but also behind the barn, where I’ll need to do more soffit work, and in the back so I can get to the garden compost pile. I also had to cut down some serious invasive plants in the garden, one of which actually called for the use of the chainsaw. This was good, because it gave me a chance to run the saw dry, which is recommended for long term storage, i.e., over 60 days.

I then mowed the grass on the back hill, which is my least favorite part of cutting the grass because it entails pushing the mower up a hill. I tend to neglect it, and it becomes a disaster at some point, but nothing our Toro can’t handle.

I had to keep my eye on the clock because we had to be in the big city by 2:00, and that meant stopping the yard work by 11:30, making the kids lunch, cleaning up the kitchen, then loading the car up and heading out by 1:00. Then we spent the next four and half hours at the market.

Boy, there sure is a lot going on in this world that we’ve created, but that’s the price you pay when you’re trying to inherit the earth.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lonnie Bradley for the pic.

Ready to Stack

2011-06-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

No time like the present, as the saying goes. I still have about 7 cords of wood that need to be dealt with, and though it’s not a priority with the market, yard, barn and house to deal with, at least it’s something I know how to do, which at times can make all the difference. As I’ve mentioned in the past, just chip away at the stone, and before you know it, you’ve got a woodpile.

With this in mind, I’ve started splitting, and I’ve got the pallets almost ready to roll. Once they’re all set up, I can keep relocating/splitting and then start stacking. I can’t wait.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Still Alive

2011-06-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure if I managed to kill the blueberries, but it seems like they’re still alive, several week after the fact. I’m assuming that if I did manage to ruin them, they won’t let me know for a bit, so we’re not out of the woods just yet. However, they look okay, though one of our Patriots is looking a little skimpy.

One thing we’re doing differently this time around is watering them regularly. In the past, I figured they were shrubs and would take care of themselves. Then I learned that they need ample water, especially in hot weather. We’d never watered them in the past, and I think they suffered accordingly. There might very well have been other factors at play, but I think this time around we did things correctly, and hopefully we’re on the road to recovery.

If so, one day soon we may have blueberries of our own, which will then open up a world of new opportunities to do battle with the birds, critters, and bugs, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Squeezing It In

2011-06-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

With all that we have to do, coupled with the lousy weather, it isn’t easy finding the time to work on the barn, but I felt like I had to do something. Just the other day, the kids had a friend over and were playing upstairs in the house, so I managed to run out and get some work done. Sure, it was only about 45 minutes of work, because we had to be somewhere, and I had to make lunch before we left, but at least it was something. It’s looking like that’s about as good as it’s going to get.

I cut more of the blocking and ripped it on the table saw, which for the record scares me almost as much as the chainsaw. I have all the pieces cut for one side of the barn, so hopefully nailing them in won’t take months. I’d like to get simple things like this done on my own time, rather than when HH is here and on the time clock. I.e., I’d rather do it myself than pay her to help me do it. Now if I just had more time...

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Gavin Wood for the pic.

Getting Nothing Done on the Barn

2011-06-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

I had this grand vision that on the days that HH was not here, I’d get everything that needed to be done finished, but as it turns out, I’ve gotten nothing done. What a bummer.

It’s not much, either, just intalling the blocking and putting up the strapping for the soffit. Granted, I still have 3 days until she comes back, but if past history is a guide, I’ll still get nothing done. Part of the problem, and I’m not making excuses here (yeah, right), is that we’re so busy. There’s the market to prepare for and execute, and then the myriad of activities for the kids throughout each day, it’s enough to bring a grown man to his knees. Plus, the weather has been very strange, alternating between extreme heat and hurricane like rain. Then, of course, there are the millions of other projects that are ongoing, including the firewood, which sitll beckons me.

Just the other day, R and I were commenting on how much is going on in our lives, and on the one hand, it’s a little crazy, if not masochistic, but on the other, sometimes things don’t happen in your life unless you bury yourself in it and see how things turn out on the other side. Sure, there’s a little pain and suffering in the process, but the alternative is to simply maintain the status quo and never even try, and then at some point later in life regret your inaction. Believe me, I know all about this, and there is nothing worse in life than asking yourself the age old question, “What if... ?” or saying with remorse, “I wished I would have... “

You get the point. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Yard Gone Wild

2011-06-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Our grass is growing at an amazing clip, no pun intended, and I have lawn OCD, so it should make for quite a neurotic Summer. I had resolved to be on top of the lawn, especially since I’ve been seeding it every Spring and Fall in an effort to rejuvenate it. Wow, rejuvenation sure seems to be a theme in my life. Why is that?

The seeding aspect seems to be working, and I have even gotten the seal of approval from the kids, who are the most discriminating of critics, not holding back on their thoughts. They are always commenting on “other people’s” lawn and how green and lush they look, as opposed to our lawn. I always tell them, be patient, our grass just grows slower, and sure enough, it’s looking pretty green these days. A far cry from years past when the voles decimated it and brown and dusty.

Of course, with greener lawns come a greater need to mow the darn thing, and I’m guessing due to the excessive amounts of rain we’ve gotten, it’s growing fast. Getting a good workout from our mower, which I’m grateful started up this Spring. Yard machine maintenance is a whole other issue which I won’t get into at this moment.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Barn Storming

2011-06-09T05:31:00.001-07:00

HH came over and we officially re-started the work on the barn. There are several storylines to this project, all of which are sources of drama and consternation. Then again, a day without drama is like a day without sunshine over here.

First off, there has been an inordinate amount of moisture on the floor of the barn. This worried me to no end because water is your worst enemy when it comes to houses. The question was, where the heck was that water coming from? Concrete is porous, and my first thought was that it was soaking up from the ground. After consulting with my Mentor, who for the record is a fountain of wisdom, he said it was possible that the water was soaking from the ground, but he said if the water table was that high, there would be moisture in the basement of the main house, which there isn’t (thankfully). The second point was that the moisture was not constant, only happening after a heavy rain or cooler weather. When it was dry and sunny, the moisture dried up.

With this in mind, he said it was more than likely precipitation, an idea seconded by my friend GS, who also knows a lot about building. They both said the situation should be amended once the building is insulated, which relieved me to no end.

Our plumber also seems to be blowing us off, but why does this surprise me? It was us that first dropped the ball. He was waiting for us all Winter, and we never called him, so once we re-established contact in the Spring, we couldn’t expect him to drop everything and come over. Either way, it would be nice to know if he was still interested, because we sure as heck are.

Finally, there was the big question of whether HH wanted to work with us in the first place. As I’ve mentioned, she’s a former professional contractor who is in transition in life. Not only is she looking for work in her new profession (which I believe she’s found), but we weren’t sure if it was even worth her time. When we asked her, she hedged a bit, which seemed to indicate that she wasn’t interested, but then out of nowhere, she mentioned that she said let’s begin. We were glad, but also surprised.

Now we’re moving ahead. With better planning, things will work out more smoothly, but for now, we’re still working out the timing. We managed to cut the soffit pieces out, using our fabulous new table saw for the first time (HH thought it was nice, if only for the fact that it has wheels, and she's a pro). We also cut out the blocking pieces, and will work out how to install the soffit once the blocking is all in.

The biggest thing is that we’ve started, and that’s often the hardest part. HH will only be coming two days a week, so that gives me ample opportunity to tie up loose ends until the next time she comes, or at least think about them and not necessarily doing them, which is sometimes as good as it gets around here. Also, HH brought along her new puppy, and the kids got to take him for a walk in the woods, so everyone was happy.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Tackling the Soffit

2011-06-08T05:16:00.001-07:00

As per the advice of my Mentor, I went out and got the materials to install the soffit on the barn. One small step for real-man in training... of course, there were complications. I originally thought the wood I’d use would be pine boards, but my Mentor informed me that plywood would do the trick. This made it more economical, though I have to rip the boards, and I have issues cutting things in straight lines. I may have to break out the table saw.

He also informed me of something called strapping, which is basically cheap strips of wood used for various odd jobs that is standard for most lumber yards. I contacted Brittons, and they and what I needed (I was amazed how cheap strapping was). The only question was, how was I supposed to transport the stuff without the use of my Mentor’s vehicles? Simple, contact a friend. I don’t think I have a single male friend, at least one who is competent with a hammer and saw, in Vermont who doesn’t own a truck. The problem is, they are all working men, and don’t have time to waste hauling my junk.

I do have one good friend (GS) whom I could ask, partly because he’s one of my best friends, but also because in addition to being an extremely competent builder, he’s a lawyer in private practice, so he has some leeway in setting his hours. With proper notice, we might be able to arrange something.

Sure enough, he said he could help after he dropped his daughter off at school. We met at Brittons, loaded the stuff, and got it home. The thing is, now that I have the wood, I need to do something with it. Every moment of success seems to bring with it the need to do more. Why exactly is that?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Planting Blueberries

2011-06-08T05:04:00.001-07:00

Now you know I wouldn’t be able to plant the blueberries without creating some sort of disaster. Best of all, I had N there to give me play by play commentary on all the things I was doing wrong. You have to love kids for doing that so well.

I had decided to finally plant the blueberries we obtained from JM and CS, thus creating our fabulous blueberry orchard. This time I was going to do it right. Now being the type of person who has difficulty following directions, I did it all wrong last time, and I think the plants suffered for it. This time, CS gave me a lot of advice, and I soon realized that much of what she said was on the directions for the blueberry fertilizer, which is for acid-loving plants, i.e., blueberries.

The first step was to obtain some peat moss, which we just so happened to have in the barn, left over from the previous owners. You’re supposed to mix it in with the soil, along with the fertilizer, to make the plants happier. I didn’t do any of this the first time. Then you supplement the soil with sulfur pellets once a year, and then cover with mulch.

We wrestled with the location, mainly because we want them within vicinity of the house, but also because they need direct sunlight. The spot we chose we soon learned was right above the leach field, which I learned from asking SG, the previous owner. He recommended the same spot where the previous two plants were planted. We were concerned about this because those plants aren’t doing so great.

However, it could be because I planted them incorrectly, and truth be told, since I started taking better care of them, they seem to look a little better. Wishful thinking, perhaps? Sure, why not.

Either way, me and N jumped in. We dug the holes, cleared the rocks, and put the plants in. Blueberries have shallow roots, so the holes don’t have to be deep. The blunder I made was that I put one of them in, and decided to adjust it’s position and tried to lift it out, and proceeded to break the dirt clod that houses that roots. In other words, I tore the roots, which are thin as hairs. Big bummer, I hope the thing survives. On the next one, disaster struck again when I pulled the plant out and the half of the root clod stayed in the pot. Another big bummer. We’ll see how those two plants do.

The other four went in without too much trouble, and now we’re done. I just need to get more pine mulch. I hope these work out, because blueberry plants are not only cool, but they’re cool looking plants, as well. Plus, the more stuff you plant, the less grass there is to mow.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Search for the Perfect Hose

2011-06-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

As you may have figured out by now, I’m cheap (or frugal, depending on how you describe it) and tend to opt for the less expensive item, or do without. This works out all right for the most part. Being the weekend warrior that I am, I don’t need the best of every tool, especially since many of them I use only sparingly. For the important stuff, like chainsaws and mowers, I went higher quality because not only are they used with greater frequency, but some of them scare me.

Either way, buying cheap also comes back to haunt me. Recently I decided to buy a good quality hose because the two I’ve purchased cheap are just pieces of junk. Sure, they work, but the kinks and knots drive me nuts. I finally decided to get a good hose. The question then became, what kind?

I don’t know much about buying hoses, but as many of you will know, I wasn’t going to make it easy. I saw some rubber hoses at Sears and thought that would be a good solution, but they were a bit pricey (more than the $9.99 I paid for ours). Then again, I was tired of wrestling with out piece of junk (though it is a Martha Stewart hose), and the time had come. So I bit the bullet and went to Home Depot, thinking it would be cheaper there. Surprisingly enough, they didn’t have what I really wanted (I hate when that happens), but they had alternatives.

I ended up getting a no-kink hose, which was vinyl, but reinforced to last. I really wanted the rubber, but thought this would do. It was about the same price. Even still, it was bugging me that I had compromised and got something good, but not exactly what I wanted, so went to Sears and got the rubber hose, as well. They were the same price.

Then the question became, which do I keep? As you well know, I wasn’t going to let this go without doing some exhaustive research, and I learned a few things. First off, the hose I got at HD was actually highly rated. It’s an Apex No-Kink hose, and the reviews were favorable, though some indicated that it still kinked despite the fact that it was guaranteed not to. The issue I have with the hose is that it is stiff and rigid due to the reinforcing, so it’s hard to wind up, especially on a hose caddy.

The rubber hose gave me pause because it does not indicate anywhere that it is no-kink. However, the reviews indicate that because it is rubber, the kinks are easily resolved, and are not permanent. With vinyl hoses, once you kink it, it’s kinked for life, which is a total pain. Something else you don’t give much though to in the modern era of high tech tools is the fact that Craftsman is a good brand, and Sears stands by their products and will readily replace any broken goods. You sure as heck won’t get that from HD.

So in the end, I’m going with the rubber hose. I’m done with vinyl. We’ll see how this goes. Until then, thanks for reading.

Almost Done with the FEBP

2011-06-07T05:51:00.001-07:00

We’re almost done with the installation part of the FEBP. Of course, there is still the issue of painting it, and for that matter, choosing a color, but before all of that, I have to install the last pieces of trim in between the trim. This won’t be easy, because the space is narrow and long, so ripping a piece that will fight snugly will be a challenge. Then again, what do real-men in training long for but a challenge? If I had planned this properly, which is as unlikely as snow in July, I would have installed the internal piece before nailing the trim, but now I have to do it after the fact. Who thinks of these things beforehand?

Either way, it won’t necessarily be difficult, just tedious, and those are the kinds of things that can be a chore when you’re a framer and not a cabinet maker.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Barn Work Begins

2011-06-06T05:28:00.001-07:00

The other day at the library, our contractor friend HH came up to me and asked if I was ready to start working on the barn. I said yes, but it really came as a surprise, because we had been hounding her for weeks to see if she could commit or even indicate when she was interested, and got nothing. Then again, when you’re working with contractors, you’re lucky to get a phone call back. They seem to show up whenever they feel like it.

I figured I could start on things when I had some free time, which is never. The current plan is to work on it, and then see how it goes. There was no talk about a regular schedule or when we will work on it again. We figured she wasn’t interested or had other jobs lined up, and were in the process of finding someone else to help out on the barn, but for now, we’ll go with it.

The question is, where do we begin? I know that will be the first question, for which, of course, I don’t have an answer, but you can’t let that stop you, right?

Until then, thanks for reading.

Scoring on Clapboards

2011-06-06T05:26:00.001-07:00

I’ve been bemoaning the fact that clapboards are so expensive, but the truth is, I could save some money by buying unprimed boards. It’s just nice to have them ready to install, it saves time and effort, but you pay the price. I got primed hemlock over at Briton’s and it works out to about $1.10 a linear foot, which really adds up when you consider I bought 60 feet, it wasn’t enough. To do just the front door area would probably require about 180 feet, and that’s just a small section.

Anyway, I was at Home Depot to get some trim boards and more, you guessed it, clapboards, and they didn’t have what I wanted. I was looking for primed boards, and all they had were 16 foot boards. Now I’m constrained to getting boards in 6 foot lenghts because that’s all I can fit in the car, especially with the kids, whereby I have to somehow fit the wood between the two front seats and two children sitting in the back. It’s rather comical, actually, what we have to go through.

They did, however, have unprimed pine clapboards, and they were cheap. $0.30 a linear foot, and in 6 foot bundles. I was ready to buy the stuff up, just for the heck of it, but restrained my consumer ways and just got what I needed. I was stoked, though now I have to prime these things before putting them on, which adds a lot of time because they have to primed and then allowed to dry, and the weather has not been stellar drying weather, but what are you going to do? At $0.30 a foot, I’ll suffer a little.

Until then, thanks for reading.

More Barn

2011-06-03T06:47:00.001-07:00

No sense in waiting around for help to arrive, we have to take the bull by the horns and finish this darn barn. Hey, that rhymes. While we search for the elusive helping hand that comes reliably but cheap, yours truly will have to jump in with both feet.

The first order of business is thinking of that soffit, along with blocking the joists. I’ve heard mixed opinions regarding this. Some say it’s necessary, others say don’t bother. I know I’d rather listen to the naysayers, because it’s less work for me, but I also want to do this right. One friend said we could probably get away with doing every other joist. I just need to do it, and get it done before I put up the soffit.

The soffit is going to be a pain, because I have to put in a fastening strip to nail it in all along the perimeter of the roof. This means getting it in level, which will require some creative thinking, which I’m still engaged in. Once the strip is in, I need to cut the boards, and then cut holes or strips to let the air flow. My mentor said to use 3/8 inch plywood, which was confirmed by my good friend KM, builder extraordinaire (I love when that happens), and then either drill holes at a regular distance, or cut out strips. Whichever way I choose, I need to avoid the mistake that the previous owners of our house made, which was they did not cover the holes with screen to prevent critters from going inside and establishing a residence. We have wasps and bumblebees living in our soffit, and I have to retrofit it with covering.

HH mentioned that she would lend me her nail gun, and I think I’ll take her up on that one. Plus, it would delight the kids to no end to see me try to use it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

More Blueberries

2011-06-02T06:00:00.001-07:00

We are all set to create our own blueberry orchard. The only question is, where to put it? They need a fair amount of sun, and we are surrounded by huge pines and hemlocks. Some people say we should thin them out and cut some of them down, but the fact that we are nestled in the woods makes the house a lot cooler in the Summer time, and I don’t want to lose that.

We had purchased four plants from JM, but I ended up getting two that were redundant because of a mis-communication. I figured it was fine, I just needed more of the other variety, Bluecrop I believe they are called. There is a whole science to growing that is way over my head.

I wanted a couple more plants, so I went to the source, CS. She is one of many amazing growers in town, and has plants for sale. We got two more 3 year-old Bluecrops, and we are in business. I think R and I agreed on a place near the garden. It gets lots of sun, and there is plenty of space. Plus, that area is a complete pain in the you know what to mow, so maybe if we have a little orchard there, life will be easier.

The biggest problem may be with critters, but what else is new when you live in the wild frontiers of Vermont?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

FEBP (front end beautification project)

2011-05-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Moving along with the front end beautification project, I finally started putting clapboards onto the front, and it’s taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I’ve put my fair share of siding onto this house, and thought I had the drill down, but this time around, it’s sort of slow going. Part of the problem is just finding the time, but also, for whatever reason, I keep having to go back and amend my initial plans.

A good example of suffering for being so disorganized, but at least it’s getting done. Another problem that stems from this quality is that I keep running out of clapboards, and they’re expensive. I cannot for a minute imagine siding an entire house with clapboards. It would cost you a fortune.

Either way, we don’t need a huge amount of the stuff to finish the FEBP, just more than I purchased. One day I’ll get it right.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Making Contact

2011-05-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

We’ve finally gotten in touch with BS, the plumber, and despite our flakiness and the fact that we dropped the ball, he’s still interested in working on the barn. Whew! Though truth be told, there are a lot of plumbers out there. We asked our friend HH if she was interested in helping, and she said yes, but we’re having a hard time pinning down when and how she’ll jump in, which makes me think she either doesn’t really have the time or isn’t as interested as we thought. The problem is, while we wait for her to get back to us, the barn sits unfinished. I need to take mattes into my own hands, but what else is new?

With this in mind, I need to get in touch with my Mentor. The first order of business is to get that darn soffit in, which won’t be easy. Then we can focus on the plumbing. I think trim and siding will be in the near future, as well as electrical, but one thing at a time.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to dave gostisha for the pic.

Let’s Not Forget About the Wood

2011-05-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

We can’t afford to get too complacent over here, the kiss of death, because once you lose momentum and inspiration, it’s all downhill from there. I finally managed to get this Winter’s wood complete, which satisfies my firewood OCD, at least for the moment. My first impulse is to sit back and pat myself on the back, but there are still 7 cords waiting to be dealt with. Granted, the weather has been lousy, I broke my foot (sort of), and the mosquitoes have been exceptional, but excuses are for sissies, and we have work to do.

Of course, I have a plan. I figure if I move 10 wheelbarrows a day of blocked wood, and then try to split wood for at least an hour each day, I should be okay by the time Fall rolls around. At some point this Summer, TB will deliver another 7 cords, and I’d prefer to clear the loading area of any of last year’s wood.

Until then, thanks for reading.

The Barn

2011-05-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

We are ready to get the Barn show on the road, but realize we need some serious assistance. While JH and his magic bag of tools can work wonders, he’s got a full time job, and we think we might need someone who can come more frequently. The possibility of HH helping came up, and she’s a professional contractor who is in the process of changing careers. She still has the experience, not to mention the tools, as well. We broached this with her, and she is interested, so it might work out.

Best of all, she could lead this project, which would be extremely helpful. The only problem is, the future is uncertain because she is looking for jobs, and when she finds one, it’s bye-bye to her. Hopefully under her tutelage, we can make huge strides. I feel like once we get over a critical hump, then the project will cruise, but things like this never get easy.

The first steps will be to finish blocking the joists, install a soffit, and design a bathroom so that BS can help install the pipes and we can have plumbing. From there, I’m guessing electrical, and then insulation, drywall, and then floors. There’s also the issue of siding, but that can wait.

It’s hard to imagine at times, but we have complete confidence that this house will get built. Maybe even by next week. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Blueberry Rejuvenation

2011-05-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into this house, the previous owner gave us two blueberry plants as a welcoming gift. We put them in the yard, and they gave us nice berries for the first year or so, then they petered out and now we get none. I set out to rejuvenate them, though in retrospect, I’m not sure they’re in the best location. We don’t get tons of sun, so the such a thing might not exist.

Either way, we are in the process of properly fertilizing and acidifying the soil. Actually, the two go hand in hand, since the recommended blueberry fertilizer is in fact an acidifier, as well. Also, after consulting with the resident blueberry expert, CS, we obtained some organic sulfur which acidifies the soil. We are so on fire over here.

The local community group is raising funds to promote their latest endeavor, Edible Landscapes, where they want to decorate the town by planting plants that produce edible fruits and nuts. How cool is that? As part of their fundraising, they are selling blueberry plants, and we got some. We currently have Patriots, and I was told they like diversity, so I ordered two other varieties. However, I ended up getting one other variety, and then more Patriots. There was some sort of miscommunication.

I think it’s fine, but I’d like to get two more plants other than Patriots, and then we’re complete. We have a spot in the backyard where we think we can plant them in a line, and if all works out, then we’ll have ourselves a little blueberry orchard, and in maybe about a 10 years, we can pick our own berries.

This should be good. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Maria Li for the pic.

Yard Work

2011-05-26T13:18:00.001-07:00

One thing that was in the back of my mind when we left was the lawn. I figured that it was going to grow a bit out of control while we were away, and sure enough, it did, but not as horribly as I thought it would. Sure, it was badly in need of cutting, but I thought it would be up to my knees by now. On the one hand, the rains encouraged growth, but on the other, there has been no sun, so that worked in our favor. The grass by the barn, which they seeded when they put in the septic, was a bit more out of control.

Now the constant rain that we’ve been having makes it a little more challenging to mow because cutting wet grass is not an optimal thing, but you do what you gotta do, and I gotta cut that grass. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, though, but I think I really need to stay on top of it.

I also fired up the weed whacker, which also, thankfully started up. It amazes me when that happens. I think the whacker will be put to good use this summer, because not only are there plenty of hard to reach places that the mower can’t reach, but we plan to use it to keep the garden in check, if we ever get that thing up and running. With the weather the way it is, planting is hard, and I think the entire area is a little behind in their planting. I also want to keep the wildflower area a little more groomed. I like the wildflowers, but we tend to get a lot of these waist high weeds, and it looks a bit unkempt. We can’t have that, now can we?

One big project we are going to undertake is rejuvenating our blueberries, but more on that later. If we can get that going, along with our blackberries, life will be good. Throw in some fruit trees (cherries, pears, apples), and I think we would have the makings of a pretty cool yard, not that it isn’t cool already.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Fixed

2011-05-24T05:25:00.001-07:00

You know you're getting old when you get excited about things like toilets, or should I say, fixing toilets? Then again, why not? You use one every day.

We had a ongoing problem with our toilet, as I mentioned in a previous post. I was concerned because you really need your toilet on a daily basis, and even a momentary shutdown is felt by all. The toilet was usable, it just leaked, enough to where I couldn't ignore it.

Finally, I broke out my tool bag and got down on the floor and dealt with it. You know what? It wasn't that bad, just a case of tightening the bolt on the valve. It might leak a drop or two each day, but I'll take that over how it was. Now we have continuous flushing capabilities, and life is good.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Return to Action

2011-05-23T06:06:00.001-07:00

When you get back home from vacation, you realize that the world goes on without you, irregardless of whether or not you are there. Case in point, our house, including the millions of projects that are a part of it. While we were soaking up the sun and olive oil of the Mediterranean, things that needed to be done around here weren't getting done. Now why do you suppose that is?

Before we had left, I knew that the lawn was going to be a mess. I had wanted to mow it before departure, but it hadn't really grown enough, so I waited. Upon our return, the grass wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it was long. I noticed on the weather that we got a lot of rain while we were away, tons of it, which usually encourages growth, but maybe because there was no sun, it didn't get as bad as it could have. Also, it's hard to mow the lawn in the rain, or even if the grass is wet, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I had a one day window to fire up the Toro, which thankfully came to life no problem, and I managed to spend the one day since we've been back that wasn't rain soaked mowing 80% of the grass. Boy was I relieved, something about that lawn that gives me anxiety.

The wood for this coming winter is about 98% complete. I'm glad for that, but still disappointed that we dipped so heavily into this year's wood. Oh well, live and learn. I cut the log pile into blocks before we left, which means I now the have the pleasure of hauling those blocks to the splitting site, then splitting them. Since next year's wood is not an urgent situation, I can do it at my leisure and focus on other important matters, like building a barn and finishing projects around the big house. I want to get those clapboards on and painted.

The fact that it has been raining puts a bit of a damper on things, no pun intended. I can't believe this weather, it makes working outside a bit more challenging, but when you're training to be a real man, with greater challenge comes greater reward. The question then becomes, where's the reward? Just kidding.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for the pics.

Changing of the Oil

2011-05-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

We never got to see this firsthand, but in Istanbul, they have the changing of the guard throughout at the royal palace, though they are a democracy and not a republic. Either way, in honor of this, I decided to take the plunge and execute the changing of the oil. Now changing oil is a pretty routine and simple job, but with today’s small cars, the process can be complicated by the intricacies of Japanese motors, plus the fact that the cars are so low to the ground, you cannot get below them.

I experienced this firsthand with the Mazda, which requires a complete rigmarole just to jack the thing up. Upon first glance, it was clear that the Honda was even lower, so it was going to me much of the same.

Naturally, I put it off until the last minute. The new cars boast some new developments where you don’t have to change the oil until about 7000 miles. They even give you an indicator as to when it needs to be done. Not that I like to ignore expert advice (for the record, I do), but how exactly do they know this? Am I to take their information on blind faith?

First off, my brother in law, PR, who is the uber-expert on engines, said that he didn’t care how advanced an engine is, when it’s new, it produces particles from the moving parts, and the first oil change should occur early. I took this info to heart and changed the oil around 1500 miles. My plan is to change the oil every 3500 miles, whereas the manufacturer recommends every 7000. I figure one additional change isn’t a bad thing.

Having said all that, I felt like the time had come. We were just back from vacation, and the rain stopped for a brief moment, so I seized the opportunity. It was actually easier than changing the oil on the Mazda because the filter is much easier to get to, though I still have trouble sometimes getting that darn drain plug out. I need a wrench to use solely for that purpose, but it has to be metric, which throws me off because all of my tools are in inches.

In the end, I got it done, not so much to save money, which when you really get down to it, you’re not. More so to know that there are things that you can do in this world, and it is satisfying to do them. Plus, it saves me the hassle of burning 2 hours getting to the mechanic, sitting around reading bad magazines and drinking bad coffee, just to get something done that I can do in half an hour.

I love when that happens. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Toilet Leak

2011-05-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

We have a problem with our toilet, and plumbing issues, like all issues come to think of it, give me anxiety. Something about water in particular that gives me pause, because water is your worst nightmare when it comes to the longevity of your home.

Either way, the darn thing leaks. This was a problem before we left for vacation, and has reared its ugly head more than once in the past couple of years. I think it has reached a head, and may need some serious, if not professional, intervention.

Before we departed for Europe, I simply shut the valve completely, and that took care of it while we were away, but now that we’re back, we can’t really use the toilet, and that toilet is the most frequently used one in the house.

Time to take action. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to István Benedek for the pic.

Finished

2011-05-01T05:20:00.001-07:00

I lied, here’s one more entry. I finished the wood, and managed to stack this Winter’s pile to about 95% completion. I ran out of time, but I’m happy with what was accomplished.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

More Progress Before Departure

2011-05-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

I just may accomplish my goal of cutting the wood pile before we leave, but even if I don’t, I’ve gotten far enough along so that I would be satisfied. I’ve been cutting like crazy, and if you can believe this, I’ve managed to get most of it done in just a week. That’s cutting just for a few hours in the AM. By noon, I have to cut out and make lunch, or it gets too hot. Also, we had really heavy rain one day.

My point being, I think I can cut up 7 cords of wood in a week’s time. Of course, I could probably do it sooner if I had nothing else going on, but that’s another issue.

Speaking of wood, I’ve been stacking as fast I can, also, and am about halfway finished with replenishing this Winter’s wood. The pile was already about 80% complete, and that’s wood that, by the time we use it, will have cured for 2 years. We had to tap into it last Winter’s supply because I am still learning over here. Either way, I figure that if I replace the wood now, by the time Winter comes, it will have dried enough. I will start burning at the other end of the pile, so by the time I get to the newer wood, it will be around February, which will have been about 10 months. Until I figure out the optimal amount of wood to stack, that’s as good as it’s going to get.

I also finished tuning up the lawnmower, which entailed replacing the blade and air filter, changing the oil and then firing it up. It amazes me how dull the blade gets from just cutting grass, though I’ve nicked a few rocks here and there. I had some concern that it wouldn’t start, and was prepared to haul it off to Joe’s, but it worked. I was elated. I even considered mowing the lawn before we leave, but decided against it. We have too much to do. I will say this, by the time we get back, our lawn is going to be a jungle.

I think this will be the last entry on this blog until we return, so for now, be good and thanks for reading.

Moving the Kindling

2011-04-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a trivial matter, but in my mind, it’s a big step. I moved the kindling box to the wood splitting area, thus clearing out a large object from the barn. This is significant because it means that we’re taking control of the matter by making the kindling ourselves instead of scrambling to find wood scraps at lumber yards.

It’s also important because we’re starting to move stuff out of the barn, clearing the way for its completion. This may be some time off, but you gotta start somewhere, right?

Until then, thanks for reading.

Making Progress

2011-04-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve noticed that when I start to cut up the log pile, it seems like no matter how many logs I cut, the pile does not get any smaller. If anything, it seems to grow. However, there is a critical juncture, maybe after about 15% of the pile has been cut, that it actually seems like there is progress being made. I think I’ve passed that juncture, and then some. In fact, I may even be about 25% done. Of course, that’s just cutting the wood into blocks. I still have to move it, split it, and stack it, but I’ve got all Summer for that, right?

The plan is still the same. Get this year’s wood all ready to go, and then take my time getting next year’s wood together. If possible, I’d like to get it all done ASAP, but there are so many projects in the pipes, I can’t afford to focus on one thing. Prioritization is the key.

I’ll tell you one thing, heating with wood doesn’t make life easy. I still have to contact our logger friend TB to get our next load.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Rebuilding

2011-04-27T05:47:00.001-07:00

People tease me that I have OCD when it comes to firewood, and I don’t deny this for a second. Something about wood and trees that really captures my attention. When the wood is all cut and stacked up, I love the way it looks, and sometimes, dare I say, I look at it with a bit of affection, which is not completely unreasonable in light of the fact that it represents a lot of time and hard work.

Best of all, after all the effort to prepare it, we simply tear it down and burn it. You have to love this process, and once the snow and ice melt, it’s time to start rebuilding the wood pile. This, of course, includes cutting up a load of tree length wood then hauling it to the splitting zone.

It’s an amazing amount of work, but a process that we’ve chosen to embrace. We could employ more machinery, but I like the workout, and it’s better for the environment. Plus, if we chose an easier route, I’d have less to whine about in this blog.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Possible Barn Solution

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, the barn has been slow going, but we may have happened upon a partial solution, and if works it, it means that the project will move along at not only a quicker pace, but a more competent and capable one, as well.

Our good friend HH is a former contractor, and she mentioned that if I needed a hand in working on the barn, to give her a call. I assumed that in addition to the friendly assistance, there would be a professional angle, as well, though money never came up. Like all of us, she would benefit from the income. Now I don’t know what her rate is, but part of the reason I’m doing a lot of the work is to save money, so if she charges standard contractor fees, it won’t work out.

However, if she is just looking to make some dough and would accept a lower rate, then this could work out beautifully. Not only is she experienced, but she has the wisdom and insight to lead the project, and she has the tools, being a professional and all. She’s got a nail gun, as well as one of those things that shoots nails into concrete, which we will need.

The point is, if could afford her and she were to come on board, it would move the project forward at a much greater clip. This, of course, would mean that we could get the barn finished and R’s parents could move in ASAP. Hey, you never know.

Either way, we’ll see how this goes. This is nice because HH is our friend and her kids are our kid’s friends, and we might be able to help her out with some income while she’s in-between jobs and I could get the help I need to accomplish something that clearly I am incapable of accomplishing.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Hex Wrench

2011-04-25T06:48:00.001-07:00

I learned something new about hex wrenches. It’s not something I put a lot of thought into, and it only comes from experience. What I’ve found is that it’s better to have the separate pieces versus having them together in one single unit. Of course, I learned this the hard way.

I need a 5/16 wrench to fix A’s bike, and I have an old set with the separate pieces but had lost track of that size. I went to Aubuchon to get just one hex wrench, and they didn’t have the size I wanted, so I was faced with having to get a set. I chose the single unit with all the sizes because I figured I could keep track of them better, and the guy told me that single units are not that cheap.

When I tried to fix her bike, however, it was too long, and I had to find an alternate solution. Single hex wrenches have a short side to them that is lost on the single unit, so I realized I would have been better off with just the 5/16 wrench, if they’d had it. I was bummed, but learned a lesson, which was not to buy tools at Aubuchon, but go where the big boys go.

I have to be philosophical about it all and realize that there is value to the lesson learned. Until the next time, thanks for reading.