Great Karate Class

We had a great karate class last week, if not for the simple fact that A decided to join, and she jumped right in. I got the dreaded call around 4:00PM from sensei CH that he couldn't make it, and I could fill in. Those are might big shoes to fill. He said Master H would be there, which is always a bonus because he's an amazing teacher.

Class was not too big, with the usual faithful suspects showing up. A&N were bummed because PC couldn't make it due to illness, but PC was there. Also, the new girl TD was present, and she and A seem to be hitting if off fairly well. My first impulse, of course, is to jump in and do whatever it takes to encourage the friendship, but I'll just keep my distance and watch things unfold.

Now A and I had a chance to go over some basic exercises over the past few weeks, and she has really caught on. She knows the structure but just needs to work on getting the form down. She said she enjoys it, and I'm thrilled to have her in the class. Now if only N will join in, life will be even better, but no pressure.

We went over katas and basics in preparation for testing that will occur at the end of the month. Since sensei CH was not there, I had to lead in warm-up exercises and go over katas with some of the students. We didn't have to spar, which is something A will have to get used to, but I can help her prepare.

We'll see how this one goes. I'd like for A to be able to defend herself while learning discipline and focus, but we'll let it unfold naturally. For now, she enjoys it, so I'll take it. I'll have to work on getting her a gi and some pads.

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

In Need of a Backhoe

I am at wit's end with this log situation, and I'm not sure what to do. We have these two big logs behind our barn that were supposed to be picked up by our neighbor for him to do whatever he wished. I was willing to give the guy the logs and let him keep the boards just to get them out of there, I just don't have the ability to transport big pieces of wood.

Well, he never showed up, and a year has passed, and the wood is sitting there rotting, though I'm told the maple will last a lot longer. Eventually the pine will be useless, so I need to act on this. Another friend with a backhoe and a mill said he'd be happy to come over, get the logs, mill them up and get me the boards. I told him he could keep the pine and I'd pay him for the maple. Of course, here I am, a month later, and he hasn't shown up, though in his defense, his backhoe is broken and in need of repair. I see the guy every week at the market and he feels bad for the delay.

I finally went over to the local mill and asked if he could bring his portable mill over and cut the boards. He said fine, but the maximum they can work with is 20 feet, and that's pushing it. Those logs are easily 30 feet long, meaning someone (your's truly) will have to cut them first, then move them to a location where it will be accessible to the mill.

Seeing that the logs weight hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, I figure I can move them no problem since I have an extra backhoe just lying around the house. What a drag.

I called the original logger about the logs, and he never got back to me after I left several messages, so I finally went over there. I met with his son and he said his dad is not always good about returning calls (an understatement if there ever was one), but he would talk to him and get back to me.

I can't sit around and wait, however. I figured the original guy GC was the best option, because he knew the arborist who cut it down, and he cut it to his specifications. I assumed he knew what to do, but he never showed up. He may still show up, but like all things in life, when you want something done, you just gotta man up and do them yourself, or pay someone else to do them.

My friend is an option, but because he's doing me a favor, I can't force the issue. Finally, I could just let them sit there and rot, but what a shame that would be. Life ain't easy when you're just a real man in training and not an actual real man with a tractor.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Michaela Kobyakov and Joe Zlomek for the pics.

Mirror, Mirror, On the Floor

My next goal is to get that darn mirror in. It seems as if I can't go through life without some project haunting me. The weather has been lousy, so it's not a bad time to do something indoors, but even still, I keep putting it off. I have everything I need.

PR gave me some clues as to how to put the thing in, and now that I have them, it's really just a question of time before it gets done. I'm sure of that... sort of.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Getting the Window In

I finally got the window framed and installed in the kitchen, and for the record, the picture does not do it any justice. The new glass is amazing, and it is so clear that N even commented that it looked like there was nothing there. Just goes to show you how bad the previous glass was.

Of course, I screwed up a few things, but not enough to prevent its installation, and not a day too soon. It has been cool, gray, rainy and bleak out here, but at least we can see it clearly with our new window.

I ran into problems putting in the trim/molding. The trim had two widths, and I naturally chose the wrong one to stick out from the glass. I should have tested both orientations, but tried instead to logically think it through. Just goes to show you how thinking only gets you into trouble.

I also was a bit confused (what else is new?) about how to properly caulk the pane. Do you caulk it to the frame, or the molding, or both? The previous owners caulked it to the molding and not the frame, which made it much easier to remove. In what seemed like good foresight, I did the same, but we shall see.

Whatever be the case, my anal-retentive side wants to rip the trim out and put in a new one, but first I have to go get it and then stain it and cut it. The way it is now will hold until Spring, but I may have to take it out before that. We'll see.

Otherwise, it looks great. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Small Steps with Firewood

Okay, we're about 25% done with next year's wood, and I'm still kicking myself that it's taking so long. Not only do I need to get that pile stacked and covered, but I also need to cut and split more, more, more...

The situation is delayed by the fact that in order to move the pile, I have to haul it with a wheelbarrow, which was out of commission for a couple of weeks until my father-in-law enlightened me as the best solution to the situation. Now that we're back in business, the work can resume.

N enjoys helping me and I love having out there, but sometimes it adds a new dimension to the process. I don't want to discourage him, because he is so earnest and sincere in his desire to help out, and he is definitely getting stronger lifting those pieces of wood, some of which are kind of heavy. I even started the wood pile in a way that makes it easy for him to simply continue stacking the wood in a continuous line. In other words, all we have to do is bring the wood to one end and extend the pile.

Being an optimist, I think we'll have this done before the first snow. Once its stacked, I will continue to cut and split into Winter. That will the wood even more time to dry. My goal is to get really dry wood that burns like... wood, I guess. I've yet to have firewood that doesn't sizzle a bit when it burns, but I know I'll get there one day.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Friends and Neighbors

We had a bit of drama when we got back home in that the weather was rough enough to force a tree down over our driveway. I knew this was going to happen at some point in our lives, and the tree in question was actually leaning terribly to the side, so we knew it was just a matter of time before it took a fall.

When we returned from out trip, R noticed that some wood had been cut and stacked by the side of the driveway. Our cat sitter mentioned a tree had fallen and prevented her from getting in, but she didn't mention who took care of it. I left her two emergency contacts and assumed it was one of them, or maybe JH came by and saw it and took care of the situation.

Whomever did it, they did a fabulous job. Not only did they clear the path, but they cut the tree into even pieces and stacked them. Then, they trimmed the branches off and left them in a pile. I don't think even I would have been as neat and thorough.

After some inquiries, I was at a bit of a loss as to who did it. Upon asking my Mentor, he replied, "What tree?" I finally contacted PV and she mentioned calling our neighbor, JH, who is a fantastic neighbor, and it all made sense. He's an uber-capable guy, and the degree of conscientiousness was reflected in the job. For the record, I would have imagined that my Mentor or JH would have done the same.

We were grateful, and baked him our famous rum-less rum cake, which we had to scramble to make because we had just returned home, but we managed, and he was kind and gracious at having helped us out. We're lucky to have such great neighbors.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

First Things First

Now that we are back and ready to roll, my first priority will be to get that window done. I put it off before we left because if complications came up, as they always do, I wouldn't have to stress over it on the cusp of our trip, which would have added to an already stressful situation, especially in light of the limited amount of time we had.

Now, if there's a problem, I have plenty of time, sort of. The weather has gotten really cold, so it would best to get this thing done during the day and in as short a time as possible. I think it can be done, and in the event of an desperate emergency, I can always jet it on over to Portland Glass and plead my case.

So we'll see how this goes. PR gave me some helpful advice, so working with that, I'll jump right in. I think the new window will drastically improve our perspective in the kitchen, in more ways than one.

Until then, thanks for reading.