I just wanted to take this time to wish all the readers of my blog......Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
R and I have a lot of plans for our time off during the holidays. The day after Christmas we venture to Detroit to the Motor City Bowl. This year it matches up my Alma mater Central Michigan University against Purdue. Go Chips!!!!!! and I ain't talking about no cookie, either.
On New Year's Eve we will take in the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. They will play the St. Louis Blues. After the game we will hop on over to Greektown, hit the Greek bakery for some chocolate mousse and then lose some $$$ at the Greektown casino.
In between all that we are going to work on the house, eat at The Holly Hotel, and go to Grand Illusion Gallery to pick up some old window sashes and whatever else they have that is cool.
See you in 2008!!!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Nails...twisty not broken
Sounds like a martini order....I like my nails twisty not broken, with extra olives.
R and I have been working on dismantling the railings on the older part of the deck. Those railings were too low and the spindles were spaced too far apart. They will be replaced and will match the newer portion of the deck. We have been pulling twisty nails out of the spindles and 2 X 6's so that we can reuse the lumber elsewhere. Some spindles have as many as 7, 4 inch twisty nails in them. Two correctly placed deck screws would have worked and looked better.
In between nail pulling, breaking a nail (folding clothes), going to work, and dodging snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice pellets...I baked a cake to take to work. I just realized why the Midwest has been hit so hard with ice and snow. It all makes sense now. I am so sorry to anyone that may have lost power or suffered any inconvenience do to the weather.
Jan used her stove/oven, hence "hell has frozen over".
R and I have been working on dismantling the railings on the older part of the deck. Those railings were too low and the spindles were spaced too far apart. They will be replaced and will match the newer portion of the deck. We have been pulling twisty nails out of the spindles and 2 X 6's so that we can reuse the lumber elsewhere. Some spindles have as many as 7, 4 inch twisty nails in them. Two correctly placed deck screws would have worked and looked better.
In between nail pulling, breaking a nail (folding clothes), going to work, and dodging snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice pellets...I baked a cake to take to work. I just realized why the Midwest has been hit so hard with ice and snow. It all makes sense now. I am so sorry to anyone that may have lost power or suffered any inconvenience do to the weather.
Jan used her stove/oven, hence "hell has frozen over".
Happy Birthday...Dad. Seventy four years young.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Roger and Red Green
A friend of mine......."Hi Carrie!!!".......who reads my blog, mentioned that Roger's methods resembles those of Red Green.
Red Green is the elected leader of Possum Lodge Chapter 13. You might be familiar with their motto........
Red Green is the elected leader of Possum Lodge Chapter 13. You might be familiar with their motto........
"Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati (when all else fails, play dead)"
Red Green is also an avid user of duct tape. At the racetrack we call it 200 mile an hour tape. He also uses unconventional items to complete tasks. I believe Red would have looked favorably upon the innovative use of a truck hood to move a large rock. Though he might have included the use of tape duct and dynamite.
Red Green is also an avid user of duct tape. At the racetrack we call it 200 mile an hour tape. He also uses unconventional items to complete tasks. I believe Red would have looked favorably upon the innovative use of a truck hood to move a large rock. Though he might have included the use of tape duct and dynamite.
The Possum Lodge also has a prayer, it goes something like this....
I'm a man
but I can change
if I have to
I guess.
I think Roger has said that very same prayer...once or twice.
The Possum Lodge has quite a distinguished membership. Winston Rothschild III of the Rothschild Sewage and Septic Sucking fame and Mike Hamer who comes from a long line of felons, jailbirds, scam artists, and biker chicks.
Red Green is chock full of wisdom, a Canadian Aristotle of sorts. Such as ....spare the duct tape....spoil the job. My favorite is this little tidbit of advice that he doles out to the men..........
If the women don't find you handsome,
They should at least find you handy.
I believe Roger adheres to that philosophy too.
So in honor of Red Green, I'll end my post in the same manner that Red ends his show........
Keep your stick on the ice.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Paving the way...
In an earlier post I mentioned that "The Gear" was going to have a yard (36") of bricks just like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I am happy to announce the arrival of a 9 pound ORIGINAL paver brick from the speedway.
Indy pavers do not have the same dimensions as today's modern day pavers (Home Depot type). This will pose a design problem. According to Plan A, I had originally intended to use modern concrete pavers for the entire 36 inches and just place this one special paver in the center. So on to Plan B. That plan would require obtaining enough old pavers to pave the entire 36 inches. Downtown Flint, Michigan was at one time paved entirely with bricks. Over the years they were either removed or asphalted over. This only left part of Saginaw Street still paved with the red bricks. I wonder what they did with all the old pavers?? If that doesn't pan out, there is always Plan C. I have already started acting on Plan C (I guess you can tell I am not too optimistic about A and B). Plan C requires obtaining enough old pavers (from anywhere) to do one row. That row will be the center row with all other rows paved with new concrete pavers of the Home Depot variety. I have already purchased several pavers off of eBay. One paver was from an old railroad roundhouse (that's where they turned the locomotive around).
Indy pavers do not have the same dimensions as today's modern day pavers (Home Depot type). This will pose a design problem. According to Plan A, I had originally intended to use modern concrete pavers for the entire 36 inches and just place this one special paver in the center. So on to Plan B. That plan would require obtaining enough old pavers to pave the entire 36 inches. Downtown Flint, Michigan was at one time paved entirely with bricks. Over the years they were either removed or asphalted over. This only left part of Saginaw Street still paved with the red bricks. I wonder what they did with all the old pavers?? If that doesn't pan out, there is always Plan C. I have already started acting on Plan C (I guess you can tell I am not too optimistic about A and B). Plan C requires obtaining enough old pavers (from anywhere) to do one row. That row will be the center row with all other rows paved with new concrete pavers of the Home Depot variety. I have already purchased several pavers off of eBay. One paver was from an old railroad roundhouse (that's where they turned the locomotive around).My intention is to acquire the paver bricks over the winter, so that next summer we can install them. But you know what they say about good intentions, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." I wonder if the road to hell is landscaped with unplanted hostas???
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The President is sitting on my chair
One lovely wrought iron chair found in the trash. Discarded. Tossed out. Given the old heave ho. Oh wait, saying ho isn't politically correct anymore. Ask Imus and Santa Claus. So let's just say it was heaved.
Roger was driving home from work the other day and this chair was out at the curb waiting to be picked up by the trash collector. He drove by and then turned around and retrieved it because he knows his wife LOVES wrought iron. AND.....he didn't have to drive to Wisconsin to pick it up, either.
Roger is rather lucky when it comes to finding stuff in the trash. He once found a round Woodard table and the four matching curved back chairs at the street with the trash. The owner was just walking up the driveway after placing it in the trash. All it needs is paint. Now if he could just find a million dollar oil painting in the trash.
I'm a sucker for wrought iron. I once made Roger drive all the way to Milwaukee and back in one day, just to pick up a Woodard wrought iron patio sofa and chair with pads. It was a steal on eBay for $95. I currently have a two car garage filled with Woodard patio furniture.
Back to the chair. Look at the details. I love how the bottom of the leg curls up. Also the scrolling on the back is very different. I didn't find a name on the chair so I will need to investigate a little to find who the manufacturer was.
Roger was driving home from work the other day and this chair was out at the curb waiting to be picked up by the trash collector. He drove by and then turned around and retrieved it because he knows his wife LOVES wrought iron. AND.....he didn't have to drive to Wisconsin to pick it up, either.
Roger is rather lucky when it comes to finding stuff in the trash. He once found a round Woodard table and the four matching curved back chairs at the street with the trash. The owner was just walking up the driveway after placing it in the trash. All it needs is paint. Now if he could just find a million dollar oil painting in the trash.
I'm a sucker for wrought iron. I once made Roger drive all the way to Milwaukee and back in one day, just to pick up a Woodard wrought iron patio sofa and chair with pads. It was a steal on eBay for $95. I currently have a two car garage filled with Woodard patio furniture.
Back to the chair. Look at the details. I love how the bottom of the leg curls up. Also the scrolling on the back is very different. I didn't find a name on the chair so I will need to investigate a little to find who the manufacturer was.
Notice the chair that the Prez is sitting on? I have that entire set. Sofa, 2 armed chairs, cocktail table, end table, chaise lounge, table and three chairs. I am missing one chair and Dubya's sitting on it.