Prepping for Winter

I can't believe it, but I've got to move the wood piles. It dawned on me that the wood is in the way of the septic system, and though there's space, we probably need more. I asked Todd Hill but of course he blew me off. Still waiting.

The weather has been perfect, very much a New England Fall, and we have started burning wood. The wood from last year is nice and dry and burns like kindling, it's awesome, and you can really feel the difference. I managed to discard the clapboards and waste at the dump, was worried what I was going to do with the junk, but it was easy. Like everything, fear of action prevented me from just doing what was in essence very simple. Ah, the joy of action.

Today I plan on fixing clapboards, but I've got to cut more plywood and replace it, then seal it with Vycor. So much to do, and I've got to make supper for the family. It ain't easy, but nobody said it would be.

Spent the late afternoon mowing the lawn like crazy, and Bob even said the property looked so, so give ourselves a thumbs up there.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Moving Forward at the Speed of Molasses

I don't know where the time goes. It seems like by the end of the day, I've gotten nothing done, and there's so much to do. Big weekend coming up with the in-laws, and there's a lot of home improvement that needs doing. Not sure if I can pull it off while they're visiting, but I'd like to. At the very least get some of it done.

The weather has been beautiful, it really feels like Fall, and it seems in such contrast to the turbulent storm that is our world today. Not sure how the current events are going to effect our little pocket of paradise here in Vermont, but we shall see.

Wasn't sure where to buy more stain, but went with the smaller, more local-ish store, Foggs, over Home Depot. We wanted to blade afterwords and are still in search of the famed Lebanon bike trail, but we'll get there. I'm going to try to finish the front clapboards this week, and work on my next big home improvement project, replacing the ugly shingles on our front porch. It'll take some creativity and thought, so stay tuned. I don't want to get too cocky, that always bites me back.

The barn is starting to move forward and I need to get in touch with Todd Hill, no word from him. Also need to move our firewood to make space for the septic system. So much to do.

Until then, thanks for reading.

One Step At A Time

My disorganized nature in conjunction with my ignorance cause me a lot of angst, not to mention time and money. There seems to always be a multitude of things I need for home improvement, and I end up making forty trips to get each individual item. It doesn't help being so clueless. When you start from ground zero, you've got a lot of ground to make up, and there are a million and one tools out there that you've never even heard of but suddenly find you can't live without, and then you have to find the store that carries it.

I'm finding a rhythm, however, and it's satisfying to learn so much. AND, I'm building up my tool arsenal, one more step to being a real man. It may be long and inefficient, but I can't seem to work any other way. Also, it contributes to mess being so impressionable. Gary will tell me that the best Cat's Claws are the ones made in Japan, so I'll hold out on buying one until I find the right one. Also, not every place has what I need, or are sold out, or I've forgotten my list and didn't buy a necessary item. It's crazy, I tell you.

I am finding that I am warming up to places I didn't much like before. Home Depot isn't high up there on reliable customer service, but they are nice and they try, even if they are clueless. It's the effort that counts, right? Well, sort of. I don't dislike Lavalley's as much, they have better prices than Britton's, though they lack the patriarch and are not warm and fuzzy. They get the job done, are probably used to dealing with people in the know. Britton's is my favorite, but they let me down by blowing off my request to rip that plywood. Even still, I try to support them. And Fogg's is good for paint. Again, I'm impressionable.

I've mowed about 30% of the lawn, hope to get it done today, and finish the trip on the shelves. There's no way I'll get to staining it, but at least I can complete it unstained and raise it up. Working on the clapboards on the other side of the facade, feeling more confident but not yet competely capable.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Monday Morning

We managed to get a few things done yesterday, in spite of the poor weather. I've come to realize that in Vermont, as in all of New England, you can't let a little bad weather stop you from doing not only what you have to do, but what you want to do.

I think I'm done priming clapboards, at least for now. I do need more stain, however, if I plan on finishing the exterior walls, which have take a long time. I still need to do the following - finish staining the clapboards, paint the corner boards white, check the clapboards on the other side, which I believe may be in worse condition, put a finish coat on my shelf unit, paint the croquet stand, etc.

I don't know where to begin. I made a kitty litter tray and a food tray, though I figured that I'd put a finish coat on the food tray. I spent all day staining my new shelf and will have to put a satin finish on it, and hopefully it'll be a dry day. I also want to mow the lawn.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and still have other things I need to do, so I'm going to sign off and get some other things done.

Until then, thanks for reading.

PS Ruth's parents are coming this Thursday, so I need to get a lot done before they get here. Bob also likes to stack wood, so I'm thinking I'll relocate a wood pile, which is a royal pain, but if he has fun, it's well worth it.

Fishing and Birthdays

We went to Tori's birthday at Dewey's Mill Pond yesterday, and it was a very low key but fun party. The kids really enjoyed it, and the truth is, it really was a fairly humble affair, very much in line with life in Vermont. I had wanted to get some fishing stuff together for the kids for a long time but in typical fashion, didn't know where to begin (I know, it's fairly simple, but not for me) so naturally I just shut down and blew it off. Of course, as time passed, I regretted my inaction.

With the birthday at hand, I resolved to make it over to Steve's bait shop to get together a tackle box. I'd never been there, and figured that it wasn't necessarily cheaper than Walmart or Kmart, but I'd get something that I'd never in a million years get at those stores-personal attention and service, not to mention the all important advice.

Steve's is local, as well, and fairly non-descript, so you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention. Even after we'd found the sign, we weren't sure where we were. The store is part of his house, and he doesn't go to great lengths to advertise. The door is even locked. We knocked and he answered the door, a super friendly and gregarious man whom I bonded with immediately over the Dodgers.

I used to fish a lot as a kid with my dad, I loved it even though we never really knew what we were doing. We fished solely in salt water, off piers, but there's something special, especially for kids, about fishing in fresh water. It's just a very soulful experience. I told Steve our situation-we had a broken rod, and we needed just the basic startup kit to go fishing for a novice and young kids. He hooked us up with all we needed, dispensing advice, which at our level didn't require a lot, and providing us with the basics-tackle box, weights, hooks and some bobbers. Nothing fancy, and no sales pitch to get us more than what we needed.

He was nice to the kids, something I appreciate, and showed the live bait, which they got a huge kick out of. Audrey and Nicholas (especially) really love checking out all the gadgets that people use for the sport, and what attracts fish seems to attract curious minds, as well.

He even went out of his way to find us an old dusty rod to replace Audrey's broken one, something I appreciated, and he only charged us a buck. I came away with a good feeling a resolve to go there whenever our fishing needs came up.

Now that we were stocked up for the big hunt, we needed a birthday present, which I'm sorry to say we were sadly unprepared. There aren't too many places in Hartford or Hartland to find presents, and W Leb was not an option. Our choices boiled down to the Vermont Store (Laros) or Phat Hat. We went to Laros, got her a stuffed cat, tried free samples, and each got a maple shortbread cookie. That's a really fun store, and even though they are geared towards tourists, it's a fun place to go for locals wanting to give local presents. And the people are so nice, very much in the local tradition.

They wrapped it in a box, and we hit the pond. The party, as I mentioned, was low key and fun. Just fishing, cake and pizza. It was hot, and we fished for a couple of hours, the kids tormented assorted fish and frogs, and it was done.

After fishing, we were slated to chase Gary's balloon, but we had some time. We headed over to the Ottaquechee School and tried out our new inline skates, then off for the chase. I hadn't chased for Gary in months, but I was more than happy to help him out when I could. What started out as a potentially challenging chase actually turned out fairly easy, the winds calmed down and all went well. The kids got to ride in the truck, and on the way back they got to sit in the basket. A fun evening.

We couldn't wait to get back to our kittens, and we fed them, and it was an nice end to a busy but rewarding day in the Green Mountains.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Assorted Home Improvment and the Tunbridge Fair

Boy, it sure doesn't take much to lose track of your time and let things slide. I've been trying to focus on getting Audrey's portfolio and curriculum together, so I've let everything slide, and in the process have gotten nothing accomplished. Have also had to deal with all the parenting things and the social issues. It ain't easy.

One Wednesday night I went out drinking with my real men friends in South Royalton. There's a cool manly bar there called Crossroads that is filled with real men and students, probably from the nearby VT Law School, an interesting mix. The guy who owns the place is clearly a hunter, and his trophies adorn the walls. They have a wings and beer special, and the place is a favorite of Paul's, but I have to confess that it's a long way to go for a beer. I'd only been there once and was counting on my fried memory to get me back there. I drove along route 14 for miles and had two things going through my head-I hope to hell I can find this place, and it's a #&@^% way to go for a beer.

I found it, was only about 20 minutes late, and it was fun, though I managed to sneak in a non-alcoholic beer by going up the bar rather than ordering it through the bartender. I poured it into a glass as to appear like a real man. It fun, Gordy was there and he and Paul both are incredibly knowledgeable about building. I hate to be so annoying but ask many questions.

Since the past couple of days had brought us poor weather, my home improvement endeavors had come to a halt. The clapboards are finished and all I need to do is apply a second and perhaps third coat of stain. I've caulked the seams and done all that good stuff, but doubt if it's ready for the full onslaught of the weather.

The deck has been giving us problems from the get go, and replacing all the cedar is an expensive proposition. The biggest issue is that it leaks into the bulkhead, and the source seems to be the trap door. Too many cracks, and every time it rains I can see pools of water on the floor. I am attempting to seal the deck before Winter hits, covering it with a tarp is not an option, so we'll see. Have caulking gun, will travel. I ripped a few boards out, and they're history, though I'll probably pull out the nails, seal the holes, and just lay the boards over it. The poor man's way to do it.

I just wish the rain would stop.

And then there's the fair. We joined our friend Gary for the Tunbridge Fair, he used to a public defender out there, a fact that I still find interesting considering he's a Jewish lawyer from Yonkers and his wife is Japanese. How did they ever end up in rural town like Tunbridge? He's a local, though, and knows a lot of the local people, so I figured it would be fun to go with him.

He knew the back way to go, and we parked near the animals, which is the complete opposite of the previous year that we went. We barely made it to the animals, but stuck with the rides, instead. I think Gary likes the farm animal part because he can appreciate the value in it from a community as well as education POV. The kids were not as interested, and mainly wanted to go on the rides. The animals section definitely has more of the local flavor, and a lot of them knew Gary.

I was completely at a loss over how they evaluate the animals, they all looked healthy and robust to me, but I'm a city boy and a cow's a cow. We walked through the barns and saw everything, the kids enjoyed it but their minds were set on other things.

We watched a pot-bellied pig race, which was a scream, and then off to the ferris wheel and other assorted rides. The kids section was manageable, and it was there that we saw all our home school brethren, who were out in full force. Not just home schoolers, mind you, but many of them. It was nice to see them, and I met a few more. The rides were mellow and Audrey and Nicholas loved them, they couldn't get enough. The unlimited ride pass was the way to go, and they went over and over again. I worried that Nicholas might have some issues, but he was fine, and even went on some of the rides himself. He even rode the motorcycle with a babe on back, he looked like Marlon Brando.

And they went on the ferris wheel sans parents. They are growing so fast. Dinner consisted of two corn dogs each with a strawberry smoothie (a bit of fruit). Thankfully for lunch I gave them enough fruit to justify the corn dogs for dinner, and then it was off for more rides. In the end, that was what it was all about. The kids had fun, and by night fall it was time for us to go. I was worried that I couldn't find my way back, but it was pretty simple and straightforward, and we made it home to pick up Ruth with no problems. It was fun.

I'm finding that if I want to keep up this blogging, I'm going to have to do it at night. It's only way this will work. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Almost There

This home improvement gig sure does take a lot of time. I feel bad that I have to twist the ear of all my friends, and I know they get sick of it, but man am I learning a lot. Hope I don't burn too many bridges with my incessant inquiries.

I'm getting there with the clapboards. At the very least the front looks a lot better, maybe like a real house? I applied the green poison, poor-man's pressure treatment, and then nailed the plywood and covered it with the ice and water shield. That stuff is a bear to apply, it's so damn sticky and of course I got too ambitious and tried to put on bigger and bigger pieces, but managed to not lose a single piece. It stuck like hell, however, and bit of grass and dirt came along for the ride. Oh well, I'm not PD, not yet, at least.

The black paper/felt was actually just as hard to use, only because the theme of your home's exterior is barrier. You want to protect it from moisture as much as possible, and a huge factor are seams, or lack thereof. Less seams is better. In fact, ideally you'd like to cover your house in one single, big sheet of whatever you're applying, which of course is impossible, so you apply as big a piece as possible and overlay to reduce seepage onto the wood. It's fairly intuitive once you start doing it, but there is oh-so much to consider. It really takes patience and insight.

Once I had the black paper on it, I was about 65% of the way there. Now all I need to do is apply clapboards, which will be another drama in and of itself. I've stained several of them and they are ready to roll. Should be interesting, and I can't wait for it to be done. As difficult as this has been for me, it's been a learning and rewarding experience, and I'm looking forward to doing the other side, sort of.

It's just that I've never really done this much home improvement.

Still hoping to mow the lawn, and as always, looking for some more wood. I saw a pile on route 5 and called the guy but never heard from him. Every time I go by GS's I drool over all the firewood that he has in front of his house, and he never once even hints at selling me some, even though he must have some sense that I'm looking for it. I'm thinking that I have to give up on that one and give it a rest.

So much home improvement, so little time. And my wife's parents are on their way. Until the next time, thanks for reading.