Weekend Project: the Update

Four rows of paving bricks should have been enough to reach the top of the steel ring ... but we forgot the ring is sitting on a bed of rock. So back to Lowe's for 9 more bricks, tomorrow.

More forest which will need to be reclaimed ... maybe. We haven't decided whether it's worth clearing. Meanwhile, the three marked trees will be leaving us, later this week: cut down, chipped/mulched, debris removed, and stumps ground down to yard level. 

Freezing Drizzle Saturday

Well, we all survived a very long week (at least, it seemed that way).

I've met only one person who admitted being disappointed in the election outcome, and as expected, she couldn't articulate why she thought Ms. Clinton would have been a good President. "We need a woman President," et cetera.

Why? She couldn't even explain that. Oh, well.

Speaking of the election, about a hundred protestors showed up Wednesday (or was it Thursday) at a mid-town Anchorage intersection, and waved anti-Trump signs. They stayed on the sidewalk, didn't break or burn anything, and went away after a couple of hours. Apparently they stuck around just long enough to make sure the local press could take some pictures.


The weather has been iffy here all week, and it's 29° with a light rain this morning. They're calling for more rain this afternoon, but with temps moving into the mid- to upper-30s, at least then it won't freeze. Like it is, now.

I bought a new porch light to go outside the garage man-door, with a dusk-to-dawn/motion sensor. The weather turned cold and wet the day after it arrived, so it's been sitting on the work bench for awhile. I'd like to put it up, today, if there's any interruption in the rain.

I'm hoping it will be relatively simple, and bolt right up to the existing set-up. We'll see what Murphy's Law has to say about that. But daylight is still 2 1/2 hours away, so I need to buy a 100-watt incandescent bulb for the fixture. The LED bulb I have now is great in terms of staying cool and using little power, but isn't dimmable.


Since it's National Pizza Day, my wife has dragged out the California Pizza Kitchen cookbook, and will be making a BBQ chicken pizza for dinner. Everyone's already drooling in anticipation.

I also picked up a pair of the brightest headlight bulbs available for standard sockets for my Explorer, and need to plug those in. Either that truck doesn't have the best set-up, or my eyes need more illumination at night to see well.

Naw, that can't be it. Must be the whole "wet asphalt soaks up the headlights" thing. :)


All y'all have a wonderful weekend out there. Thanks for stopping by, friends.

The View From My Desk

Nothing philosophical, this morning. Just my back yard ... and there's still some work to be done, out there. Right after we finish in the garage.

It's a grey, cloudy morning, and AccuHunch promises we'll have rain shortly.

I hope so. We had the birch trees around the deck sprayed for aphids yesterday, and the overspray coated the front steps. It'll be nice to get them cleaned off without having to hook up a hose.

Trees and Fish

Over the weekend, we shopped for new end tables. The ones we found have dual 120-volt receptacles and two USB ports on each one. I thought that was pretty cool.

Tonight after work, I met with the owner of a local tree-trimming service to discuss the removal of a tree which leans across - and over - the neighbor's fence, at a 45 degree angle. They will take the tree, after securing it to its neighbors, down to a flat stump in the yard, for the low, low price of $500.

Ouch.

We'll be getting a second estimate, of course, but I'm not really surprised by the cost. Things cost a lot, up here.

* * * * *

Our daughters will be participating in a private fishing expedition next week, so tonight they're trying on hip-waders. It's all new to them, but they'll be with experienced folk, and the boat is normally a charter vessel. But this time, it's a private "friends and family" expedition. They'll be on a river up in the mountains well north of here, and should have a great time.


So now you know where the post title came from. Bet it made you wonder, eh?

Another Day, Different Chores

I hope you're all enjoying your day of rest (wink, wink).

This afternoon, we've finished the last of the dusting, vacuuming, and laundry. This dry weather is causing quite a bit of our dust/volcanic ash mix to get airborne. And don't even get me started on static cling ...

Then we spent a couple of hours assembling a new piece of exercise equipment. It's a combo/hybrid recumbent bicycle and elliptic trainer. Assembly was a bit tricky at times, but fortunately I had plenty of tools to handle the work-arounds. :)

This afternoon it's time to put up our feet and relax. And so we shall.

Busy Weekend

Yesterday was Younger Daughter-the-Chef's 19th birthday, so we took her to a new-ish restaurant in town ... but that's a topic for a separate post, still to come.

Here's a hint:

Today my wife and I brought home a load of lumber, to build a 4' x 11', 5' high, shelf - okay, a table -  in the back of the garage. Now we're both going to sit down and watch yesterday's episode of Doctor Who, and eat a pizza.

No, it's not on the list of approved dietary foods, but we've earned it. :)

Pics and restaurant story will have to wait. I have some aches and pains in places I'd almost forgotten about.