Plans...Thwarted!

I found myself on a gorgeous Friday afternoon sitting behind the desk in an empty office, light on work myself. It had been a quick week made long by excessive tasks and loose ends not quite ready for the tying. Finally the day yielded and I was off, headed for the box stores. The special order electrical panel was not yet in, and too many variations in size for the Formica order put a hold on things until I firm the plan this week.

 

Ran myself ragged (our stain color is being discontinued, also) and was back on the road by 6, creating quite a stir with my 16' masonite siding (loaded in an 8' payload Blazer). Picked up Cara while rain threatened and headed straight for the lodge. With groceries in tow, we watched the storm roll in from the deck and I commented the last time we tried this (last year) I was so PO'd the soffits weren't in that I could scarcely enjoy sitting up there. (They're in now)  We closed up shop with lightning cracking all around and made it before the gully-washer hit.

 

Sat AM Cara went on her walk for the March of Dimes (in the rain) and I shipped out for some decent finds at the JV city-wide sales. The break in the rain coincided exactly with my arrival at the lodge and I took the opportunity to dig out the dust mask and circ saw and ripped the siding to length. Worked inside the rest of the afternoon while it rained off and on. There would be no staining or PH siding-install this weekend.

 

Met Cam and Ben down at the PL for a few drinks (and a good sandwich) that eve and shot some pool before Ben unexplicably took off as things got going. Cam and I set sail for The Cypress, had some cold Schlitz and looked on in disbelief at the packed house. Made a brief stop at Toads but weren't in the mood for the mindless patrons and slow service and cont'd on to the BR where the live music and foosball entertained.

 

Sunday, more interior work at the lodge while the skies pounded. Watched the fog roll in the low lying areas and escaped with 4WD late in the afternoon. Spent Sunday eve at the parents while Cara worked on a dress and I tackled laundry. All eyes were on the TV as the storm kept on and the tornado sirens sounded. Set a new record for rainfall totals as well. I kept tabs on the sump pump and ended up filling half a 5gal bucket with silt and clay scooped by hand from the bottom of the pump pit. This fill over the years had effectively raised the bottom of the pit, offsetting the float's normal working range. With the range offset, the duty cycle of the pump was skewed such that I feared the thing would burn itself out. Saying that'd be a bad deal would be the understatement of the year.

 

This week? More rain.

Egg. For your Face!

I mentioned before how this month is just screaming along, but as far as Aprils go, we've had much worse. Looking back at my records, May has always been the biggest month for knocking off tasks. This April might be a tie if I don't peter out.

 

Took Friday off to knock out the SE corner blocking and soffit sections. Took around 5 hours but was more bearable than the SW corner done two weekends before. How it can take so long is beyond me. The temps topped 70F and with a clear sky, it got hot working in the sun.

 

After assembling the new drop hitch and airing up the low tire on the trailer (while the generator knocked and puttered for mercy trying to start that big inductive load), I hauled said trailer to the rear fenceline and commenced filling with sumac, saplings and all manner of sharp, difficult-to-load brush. Brought the trailer to a heaping load and parked it in front, resuming upstairs electrical work. Went home, took a much-needed shower, and headed out for the eve, meeting up with Cam, Cara and Ben, then finally closing down the PL with Cam after some seriously questionable jukebox selections and pickled eggs with all the fixin's. Strolled home in short sleeves taking in a pretty nice night, hitting the hill just in time to watch droves of drunken college kids stumble out of every doorway within sight.

 

Sat AM my stomach was demanding answers (*Note to self: No vodka tonics after a night of hops). But pressed on with some coffee and once I was working out at the land things really clicked. Prepped the meter box for the elec service. Found some 3/8 bolts of proper length for the rail mounts. Drilled and cutout the openings in the front soffits for the can lights. Installed the SE cedar deck corner, then hitched up the trailer and headed for the landfill drop-off.

 

Ventured on into Cedar City where the dump was once upon a time. I remember the dirt path from the Biarritz era, a tune before there were paved biketrails meandering back in the woods and prior to the chain link fence guarding the slightly unnerving one-land bridge over the swamps. A steady stream of vehicles were either dropping off leaves and brush, or helping themselves to the complimentary wood chips. I got everything unloaded without poking out an eye and headed in for lunch and materials from my private stock.

 

All day the skies had been threatening and light rain occurred off and on. After lunch I got busy with the shovel, digging a trench from the xformer to the pumphouse base. Still plenty hot out, more of a balmy hot, especially digging. Managed to thread the 50' triplex up through previous conduit in the PH foundation, then used the 2 sticks I had on hand to lay the cable. I began backfilling as I went which turned out to be a good move, for after getting the conductors in the general vicinity of where the risers need to go (need more conduit), the sky opened up and I knew this was the real deal. Having an open hole and a pile of black dirt is a bad situation if it rains. So, I quickly filled the void, threw some scrap plywood over the meter area, gathered tools, and hustled inside for some late afternoon elec panel work. Also managed to adjust the front deck cans and install the glass trims and power things up. Nice. Made an earnest record of what breakers lead to what (my master list went missing) and decided to head in around 6? 7? for dinner with Cara. Stepped outside to unhitch the trailer and take in the rolling fog.

 

Cleaned up and settled on Rudy's Taco after trying our hand at Gary's (closed). A fine meal indeed. Capped the night with further elec catalog planning back at the apt, and a good nights sleep.

 

Slept in Sunday, but we were still up at 9-9:30, greeted by a chilly, windy, overcast day. Cara came out and we went gangbusters on the upstairs for a couple hours, vacuuming, sorting tools, hauling out scrap in prep for the grasscloth install in the afternoon. The parents met us at 1 and around 5 hours later we had knocked out the living room side of the shear wall and all of the bathroom exterior. It all turned out very well for a bunch of amateurs working over walls that had a finish level intended for paneling. By the end though my nerves were shot and the burning question on everyone's mind was "can we go now?".

 

Finished with pizza over laundry and The Apprentice while the dryer did its thing. We arrived home both completely exhausted.

 

 

Chip a tooth, win a prize!

(written Tue)

A very busy week so far and if I take Friday off to put in a day's labor at the lodge (anticipating Saturday's crappy weather), I'll really need a recharge. But, we're moving forward.

 

Last Friday was a holiday and I spent it working on soffits and odd jobs. A real taxing day, just couldn't find my rhythm. Ended the night well enough though with drinks at Toads, and later, The PL with McC and crew. A very enjoyable outing. Keeping my word about trying again Saturday night, Ben, Cam and I hit up the Tap only to find a pool tourney underway and the place overrun by JV 20-somethings. We left after our $1.20 beers.

 

At the PL, we doubled the occupancy and took control of the pool table and juke. I end up feeling like a heel asking if they'll turn the lights down. It's SOP, but someone always forgets behind the bar. Despite having worked all day at the land, ripping, sanding and staining cedar, replacing a blown out part of the water system and burning off the weeds with Cara, plus a drop-in visit by Cam, I ended up staying out quite a bit later than planned and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Sunday then, Easter with the family. A walk around Timberledge. Laundry and automotive work in the late PM. Zero engine maintenance by the PO on the ETC resulted in seized t-stat housing bolts. Seized to the point of snapping an easy-out off in there. Started yanking the fan and and pulleys off the front to gain access to pulling the waterpump. Should get interesting.

 

It may only be Wednesday but the weekend feels like it's almost here. A surprising phone call Monday from the local poco informed me that I would need to pull a permit and request inspection for the service entrance before they can drop their meter in. This code went into effect March 1st. Even though "Chet" Culver signed this thing last year, and is a state-wide utility requirement, it somehow slipped their mind until this week despite payment and project kickoff incurring last fall. What this means is a new level of complication. As there's no local jurisdiction to set requirements in the rural area, it's entirely the inspector's call on what he likes and doesn't like. You might think there's a right way and a wrong way to do each job, and you'd be wrong. Simple things like grounding or bonding can vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; state to state. In my case, I have the meter 25' from an intermediate panel which is 25' from the main panel. All feeders underground. Nothing wrong with this, but it's so atypical as I know it'll cause some consternation. You can't just invite the guy out on a pre-inspection as each visit racks up bucks for the state. Way to go, Culver.

 

Handily, the local Poco also followed through on their meter base/socket requirements. My choice of 2! You see, back in the day, the poco would provide the meter, the meter socket and everything up to the socket. Then they'd place their meter in the socket after the house was connected, and close up the box with a padlock-type seal. Your responsibility was downstream of their meter. Nowadays it's the same, except YOU furnish all of this stuff for their end. (and in my case, everything up to the road, though they "own" it.) The cheapest meter socket for this provider is over $200. The $30 socket from the box store is sufficient for all the other providers in and around the county.

 

So, it's been crunch-time getting my ducks in a row, playing out disconnect scenarios for various equipment. Determining sources and pricing, etc. On top of the daily list. That's not a complaint by the way, just fact I guess. 

 

Yesterday, post-day job, I arrived to work on more of the same (gorgeous evening, btw) and found the farmer busy tilling, two fullsize JD's running in the field. May is going to be here in a the blink of an eye.

Hannibal Harbinger

This winter weather business is really getting old; not only the havoc of working out in the cold but dealing with mud and the road erosion on a daily basis takes a toll. Seems like a far cry from last Friday when we had terrific post-work weather. A little windy but warm enough to work shirtless from the bucket. Before sundown I had the side casement windows dismantled, masked, primed and frames painted. Much better. We hauled the picker in to town and headed for the apartment to collapse.

 

Only to spring up hours later and hit the road at 6AM. Destination: St. Louis. Summation: Picked up the precious turquoise cargo, strolled about the arch, had lunch on the riverfront with Cara's friend and family. And endured the agonizing 6 hour drive back. Not only was it a long day, but someone stole my hitch between Friday night and 6AM Saturday.

 

And then the snow came Sunday. Thick, slushy snow. There would be no picker transport today. Road crews couldn't keep up and Hudson Rd. was such a mess that after pulling out from an intersection, the Blazer remained motionless, spinning its rear wheels in place. Kept the 4WD going all the way out on Union. Drove in, noticing something wasn't quite right. The 4WD light was no longer lit. Hmmm. Did the bulb go out or was I really without front wheel assist? Pretty sure it was the latter after sticking the Blazer in the wet mud near the lodge. Trudged up the hill, wet snow piling and water dripping from the brim of my hat. Worked a couple hours building the bath vanity before heading to the Blazer and trying my luck. No dice. The snow was really flying by now and I walked to the road (laundry bag in tow!) to get a ride from Cara. We (and the parents) returned to the scene a couple hours later to see if we could break the beast free, even jacking the vehicle up and placing plywood under the wheels. But, without 4x4 action, this was a lost cause.

 

Monday: After some internet detective work Sunday night I took a stab at the Blazer's problem. Had a part sent down from Waverly to the local auto store. Trudged out after work with tools and slid under the frame on a sheet of scrap plywood with a new thermal axle actuator. Bingo, bango we were back in biz. Got the blazer out and toiled until dark on const activities. Finished things up by moving the "new" stove into the kitchen. Then home for cleanup and some Cary Grant. My body says, take a break pal.

 

This week- more of the same.

 

The Lido Shuffle

(Written earlier this week)

The weather Friday wasn't too bad. A little chilly, but an indicator of things to come. I stayed at work an extra hour to make up some time I lost over lunch and didn't make it home until 5. Just enough time to change, head to the parents and flush the cooling system of the ETC. Then back to the apt to change and rush down to the PL with Cara to meet up with Ben. I had been running at 120% all day and was looking forward to a good sit and hobby talk. Got there and the place was standing room only. To add insult, the best we could get was a wobbly table in the (too well lit) corner by the ATM. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's the tables at the PL.

 

Saturday AM, waiting for things to warm up. Finished a book due back on Sunday. Made some sausage, brewed some coffee, went over the receipts and hit the road. Spent the next 5 hours working on soffits over the deck until the blowing snow made the concrete dangerously slick. I found a good stopping point and managed to get to T&T in Waverly just before close. Verdict: high prices and poor wares. Paid more than I wanted to for a picnic basket and drove back into town via Winslow road; sipping coffee from the thermos and cruising at 50MPH. "So this is what it's become," I pondered.

 

Another exciting Saturday night! (actually, one of those nice quiet nights in). Paid the bills while watching Guy Lombardo, then turned my attention to the pumphouse blueprints. Worked out the math for 3 different scenarios that I ended up modeling and revising. Would take some further analysis. Despite getting to bed before midnight, I was still beat come Sunday morning.

 

With a solid blanket of snow on the ground, we patiently waited for temps to hit 40F around 1PM. You see, Sunday was supposed to be the big weed burning but the weather put the kabosh on that. Instead, Cara and I took up the tools and tackled brush, tree trimming and a whole lotta sumac cutting before spring gets sprung. Totally worn out, nightfall nearing, we still managed to unload the '55 Frigidaire without incident. From there, Sub City, hot shower and a little decompressing before total collapse.