Firewood Done... For Now

Okay, more news on the firewood front. I tend to talk a lot about wood because it's one of the few things I actually know how to deal with. That, and making brownies. Either way, we've got two years stacked, and I can relax a little before I start working on year three, which I will cut into blocks and maybe, if I have time, split and stack in the woods. We have already gone through about half of this year's wood, so it's highly likely that we'll dip into next years wood before the weather warms up.

Also, I just wanted to mention that wood that I am burning that has been drying for two years still sizzles, which makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong. Why can't I get dry wood? My solution is to dry it even longer, but if anyone has any advice, please do tell.

Thanks for reading.

Home Improvement for the Holidays

During the holidays, home improvement becomes a family affair, and I can't tell you how cool this is. Things that I've put off doing because I am totally clueless (which pretty much includes everything) get finished and things that are broken get fixed, especially electronic items. Yet another reason to wish that our family would visit more often, but don't get me started.

First off, the FEBP, which is moving at a snail's pace. Electrical work just scares me, though guys like JH or PR are fearless when it comes to wires. JH came over and did an amazing job of wiring up most of the front door lights, but there was still the issue of the overhead light and the switch.

Well, PR looked at it and said, "Let's get to work." My first reaction was to think, "Shouldn't we put it off until next year?" The first thing to do was to get the proper tools, which included wire cutting accessories and assorted pliers. Once these were procured, PR went to work, and didn't stop or hesitate until the job was done. It was pretty amazing to watch, and not a hint of doubt or trepidation. He managed to fish the wired through a small hole to hook up the overhead light, and replaced the switch box to accommodate an additional switch. When I looked at all those wires coming out of the wall, I almost fainted.

PR also fixed the seal on the front door, and then RR took a look at our TV, which no longer works because it fell of the shelf and hit the floor like a rock. RR wanted examine it, so he took the thing apart and figured out what might be the problem. Talk about going for it, he just dismantled the TV and had a good look, no hesitation. He thought it might need a new circuit board, and said he might even have on at home and would bring it the next time they visited. I can tell you one thing, the TV will not be fixed (at least not by me) by the next time they visit. Pretty impressive stuff.

Sometimes I think we should have a TV show, The Family Home Improvement Show. I would simply be a clueless observer, of course.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Volt Meter

When I was kid, my dad had a voltmeter that I loved to play with to check batteries and light bulbs. I'd been told by JH that they were useful (of course he has one in his magic bag of tools), and I toyed with the idea of getting one, when lo and behold, when we had family over, we had an occasion to get one.

RR and PR were fixing the kid's electric motor, and RR mentioned a voltmeter would be useful. Say no more. PR and I ran over to Aubuchon and got one (actually, it's a multimeter), and we used it extensively over the course of the weekend. The kids got a huge kick out of it, too, so it was a win-win situation. I love when that happens.

We now know which batteries still have charge in them, which as any kid will tell you, is extremely useful information. Thanks for reading.

PR to the Rescue

I'm in awe of my brother in law, PR. The guy is a home improvement master, he should wear a cape and red tights. He is fearless, and inspires me to follow in his brave footsteps, or at least be less of a spineless jellyfish.

He was here for a few days and his impact was significant. No job is too big or demanding for him to tackle, and he jumps in like it was nothing. It's pretty amazing to watch, and watch I did. First off, he fixed the kitchen light. The upper bulb kept going out, and dismantled it and saw it was a loose connection with a rivet that requires soldering. Fortunately, I had asked RR to bring his soldering iron to help fix one of the kid's toys, so PR used that to fix the light.

Next, he took on the wiring that JH had started. He replaced the electrical box, rewired it and hooked up the upper light in the vestibule. He ran into some problems with a severed wire, a situation that would have made me throw in the towel, but he persevered, and had wires coming out of every wall in the house. He managed to fix it, and now the front porch lights are ready to go.

Finally, he fixed the front door. He probably could have installed all of the siding on the barn if he'd have stayed longer. The guy is amazing. Now, if only we could get him to stay longer, then we'd have an entire shopping mall built by next summer.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Home Improvement Progress

JH came over and we (I should say he, I just watched and handed him tools) got the wiring done, but there wasn't time to get the lights put in, nor did we have all the equipment. For the record, the store did not have the switches we needed, so I need to go elsewhere.

In the meantime, the front is ready to be wired and the lights installed. I ran into an electrician at the library and he gave some advice about how to do the lights. He said what they do is use a pine board to frame the light, then put the clapboards around that. Say no more, sounds good to me.

I just need to find some wood, cut a hole, and then I'm in business. I could even put the board in without the light, but we'll see how that goes. I do, however, forsee that this could be finished and done before the new year. How crazy would that be?

Then again, crazier things have happened. Until the next time, thanks for reading.

FEBP Actual Steps

This is old news for some, but I'm trying to chronicle this in proper order, so excuse the redundancy.

We managed to finally get the front step in, and I had some help getting it done. N in particular likes to help out by nailing and hammering and especially painting. A likes to help with the painting, as well. It makes for a fun day getting things done, and the kids learn the value of lending a hand, namely in the form of a happy dad.

With the step in, I could caulk the seam and put in some flashing. I decided to use shims under the step, essentially making for a double shim pitch, which worked out beautifully. It was not as apparent as I'd thought it would be, and now we can be sure to encourage water to fall away from the house.

With the step screwed in, I could put in the trim, after it was painted by my fabulous assistants, of course, and then begin thinking about putting in the clapboards as well as the lights. The lights will require wiring so that could be out of my league, but I can definitely do siding.

I'll wait for JH or PR to work with electricity. Until then, thanks for reading.

Going, going, gone...

This will probably not be the last that you will hear about these logs, but at least for now, they are gone. I can't believe it.

The process of having them carted off has been such a pain in my you-know-what that I almost don't even care what happens to them at this point... almost.

As I mentioned, I contacted CI about them, and he said he'd mill them if I could get them over there. Easier said than done. He did recommend calling his neighbor, DS, who is a logger and has a truck and a small trailer. I called and left a message, and the actually returned my call. He said I was lucky to have reached him because he is out for most of the day. He came over with his trailer and saw, and was I ever happy to see him.

He said some of the logs were too long and that they'd need to be cut. I was worried that my saw would get pinched, and he looked at me and shook his head, indicating that he thought I was a big sissy, and brought out his massive chainsaw. He told me that in 40 years of logging, he'd never got his saw pinched, and I believed it. He cut the logs like they were Popsicle sticks, loaded them into his trailer, and carted them off.

I told him I'd follow him to where they were going, but he knows CI, and said don't bother. Then they were gone. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. AND, DS is local, meaning he's a neighbor, and he can sell me log length hard wood in smaller increments than what I'm buying.

Life is good. Until the next time, thanks for reading.