It’s done

The PC is now in the office and all of the peripherals are connected and functioning as they should.

MB and I had a short conversation in the midst of relocating stuff.

The gist of it was that we don't have enough room for all of the stuff.

We've had that conversation before.

It will probably be repeated.

Movement

Things have been stirring around here for several months.

MB's mom had occupied two rooms here for about 14 years.

One was her bedroom, the other a sitting room.
When I say occupied, I mean there was no room to spare . . .   and it seems like something was being added regularly.

She basically lived in those rooms, coming out for meals, and to leave the house.

When she had visitors, which was often, they went to her sitting room.

Those rooms have been pretty much cleared out and are available as guest rooms for family when they visit, or when grandkids stay over.

We have another room that served as a guest room.

It was originally the fourth bedroom, but had been converted to a home office.

The living room serves as an overflow for guests, as it has a queen size hide-a-bed.

Anyhow, the former guest room is again becoming an office.

When I moved here, I brought the bookcases that had been in the den in Anderson.

They just fit along one wall in that room.

A neighbor gave us a desk that will serve nicely for the PC.

The lighting is much better in that room, too.

As soon as I have finished with this post, we'll be disconnecting power and moving around the corner to the next room.

This entire process has taken since last May because it has involved sorting, separating, curating, recycling, cleaning, dusting, patching, painting, furniture moving, and inquiring if anyone wants something in particular, which always seems to involve more than a simple yes or no answer.

There is still much to do because we still have to tackle the garage and the things out in the shed.

Bumped from Tuesday

Almost like a scene from Cool Hand Luke.
There was a mailbox there on Saturday [the picture is from Sunday].
The problem was that the post supporting it was no longer anchored in concrete.
Another challenge was the grass under the mailbox was inaccessible to the mower.
Easy task to deal with, right?

Well, it was simple.

• Remove the turf - well established lawn with good root system, not at all cooperative: about 1 hour
• Claylike topsoil - seemingly impervious to shovel or posthole digger . . .  or even water. No wonder there's always runoff when the lawn's watered. Instead of an 18" hole, we dug a 14" hole and used less concrete anchor the ABS we are inserting the steel support into: about 2 1/2 hours

The finished product will be landscaped with African Daisies.
Hopefully it won't take as long to dig the holes for them.
Gonna bury that sewer clean out again after I fill in the hole.

Coming soon

So there I was* posting a comment over at the Old AF Sergeant's blog post about house renovations.
I didn't let on at all that right behind me, in the living room, is a project of our own that has been lurking for the past couple of days.
The carpet is to be replaced in the next couple of weeks.
We determined there is no better time to paint a room than just before the old carpet is removed.

I don't mind painting at all.
It's the prep and clean up after that I dread.

That means, too, that I will be pulling the plug on the PC, thus limiting the ability to post and comment.
We'll see if the laptop is up to the task.

it's always somethin'

*SJC - Standard Juvat Caveat = A Fairy Tale begins with "Once upon a time" and a War Story begins with "So, there I was"

It's not cement

The concrete is gone.

I've a friend who is an engineer.
He worked for CalTrans¹ his entire career.
Any time he'd hear someone talk about cement, as in sidewalks, streets, driveways, curbs, gutters, or or other constructions, he would correct them by telling everyone present that it was concrete.
Cement is what holds the concrete together.

Anyway . . .   there's no front porch or entry at present.
As soon and the front door has been lowered some 5 ½ inches we'll see new concrete poured and be able to get on with our project.
Meanwhile company has to enter through the garage.

There will be a slight change in blog posting for the next few days.
MB and I are meeting family so we can bring two of the grandkids here for a week.
I will attempt to post some pictures from wherever we happen to be [key word: attempt — iPad limitations irritations].
This is the first trip in MB's retirement.

another in a week

¹California Department of Transportation, the road guys

It's kinda dusty

I mentioned there's a project.
The entry foyer to our home was raised [key word: was].
From the entry it was a step down into the living room on the left, the family room on the right, and into the hallway straight ahead.
It was tiled.
I have no BEFORE picture.

MB took some during pictures.

living room is behind curtain one

Step one was dust protection

looking from family room to entry

some labor is involved

. . . and hand tools

About 1/3 finished now

The tools remain because the next step, which begins this morning, is to remove the front step and concrete entry so it isn't a step down into the house.
Then we get to lower the front doors, after which a new concrete entry will be poured.

I have to stop before the noise of the jackhammer sends me to an audiologist.

That was quick

The weekend, I mean.
I know it was a weekend because MB was home in the daytime instead of working at work.
She was still working , just a change-up from the usual.
Saturday was ideal (76°F) for yard work, weatherwise.

Speaking of Saturday . . .    we were invited to attend the Sacramento River Cats game.
One of the highlights of the game was seeing Madison Bumgarner pitch for the first time this baseball season [actually, it was the first time I have ever seen him pitch, in person].
Another highlight was an inside the park home run by the shortstop, Orlando Calixte.
Finally, there was a fireworks display afterward.



Saturday was followed by Sunday and Monday, which was a holiday [kinda highlighted in a couple of previous posts].
There wasn't much to get excited about other than an afternoon at the neighbor's, where most of the neighbors gathered for a potluck because Monday was too warm (95°F) for yard work.

maybe it's summer

Who are these guys?

There's something about Christmas decorations.
Some folks have collections of things they put up every year.

Some collect snowmen.

Others have nutcrackers.

It's  great when they can be integrated.

Then there's all the other stuff, about 15 totes worth.

maybe more

Note: These are just the ones inside

Dear Walmart

Really!
You couldn't find a way to pack all of those little things my mother in law ordered into one box?
I checked.
All of them would have fit into the second largest of the six boxes you used to ship them.
All of them came from the same location.
You really could have waited and sent them in one box on the same day instead of six separate shipments over four days.
Oh, and the neighbor would have been much happier had you printed the correct street number.
She's only just started waving to us again.
There isn't enough room in the recycling bin this week for all of the detritus from the deliveries, so it's going to be two weeks before we can forget this inundation of, literally, useless paper, plastic, and cardboard.
At least it is recyclable.
Now if I could only get back the time spent breaking it down to fit in the bin.

Another thing I don't understand is why you'll ship something to somebody's community, then have someone take it to the post office and mail it.
Why not just put it in the mail to begin with?

Please, don't bother to respond.
I don't like your company anyway and nothing you say can make me change my mind.

phlbbbbt

What?

Some time ago [years] I said I was gonna clean up the clutter around here.
Y'all that've been around awhile will recognized how far I have gotten.
It won't be happening any time soon.
MB and I are still in the throes [that word is used advisedly   . . . look it up] of combining, collating, and culling . . .

. . . plus, there's still more to be transported from the old homestead . . .

. . . once we make more space here.

Maybe then there will be time to write more interesting blog posts?

but, I doubt it

Monday update

Brings up a question.

Why, in the middle of July . . .

 . . . this?

I'm  thinking maybe sometime in September   . . . or for those in the Southern Hemisphere April?
Just not today.

Not that it isn't worthwhile information.

might want to file this somewhere

About that avocado peeler

Really . . .   I don't need one.

Then the discussion progressed to junk drawers.
I don't have one  . . . at least not they way it was described.
OTOH, my garage may qualify, as it meets the criteria mentioned.

I do have gadget drawers . . .   two of them (maybe three).

One for sharps:

One for pick 'em up things:

One for non-food things:

Okay!
So the last one may have some junk.
 But it doesn't need an avocado peeler

Instead of a junk drawer, I have a garage with a workbench that has so much crap on it that I stopped looking for stuff a couple of years ago.
Last Friday I went looking for the pressure washer.
It hasn't been used since the drought began.
It took four hours to finally find it because it was behind and under an accumulation of things I'd decided I might need.

I already have too many things I don't might need.

In fact, I need help.
I have stuff that I will probably never use.
(yeah, I used the word never   . . . deal with it)

I finally figured out why.
It's because I live in a grandma's house.
She acquired much booty for small visitors to entertain themselves.

Two things happened.
(more than two, but two main things)
Those visitors have gotten older.
They don't visit much.

The real question isn't about what to divest, but where to start.
Even some furniture has to should go.

News from the eastern front

PHG reports the weather has improved sufficiently enough for outdoor activities, not related to snow and fish, can begin.
That means, of course, yard work.
It also means a little exporation.
She found a dove nest.

credit: PHG

It's probably a good thing Sebastian is here.

when is dove season, anyway?

This is true gold

It has to be true because I found it on the Internet.

Not only do I talk like a sailor, I was a sailor.
Somehow I've managed to trim it back a little.

old habits die hard

This works

I think this is somewhat appropriate to pay tribute.



Yesterday at noon the mechanical systems in the house were back up and running.
All it took was reaching the right person at Tech Support, who could tell that there was another part missing [it had fallen into an almost inaccessible place and neither of the repair techs knew it was missing   . . .not their fault].
For awhile I was thinking I was going to have to check into a hotel.
In fact I was seriously considering a road trip, leaving Sebastian to his own devices for a day or two.
There were (are) some other considerations, as well.
I may still do the road trip.
It's funny how, after it has been between 62 and 64 degrees in the house, 68 degrees can feel so warm.
I won't miss the cold, but will still miss Glenn Frey.

Oh. . . I almost forgot

The furnace and water heater are back online and running well. . .    at the moment.
The issue was a balky pressure switch.
It will have to be replaced.
There is also a leak in the condensate return line.
That will have to be fixed.
And [yeah, don't start a sentence with "and"] I don't like the thermostat.
That will have to be fixed . . .some day.

I feel very fortunate, grateful even.
I have been dealing with this particular heating and air company since it started out and was basically a one man operation.
Today they're much bigger.
They could easily have dinged me for a huge payout.
They didn't.
They never have.

Whoa is me...

I am not at all mechanically inclined.
So you may see where this is going?

I have a really neat central heating system that's tied in with my water heater.
So there is "always" hot water.
It recirculates the water.
In the summer it cycles through the a/c [if it is turned on] and does amazing things, too.

This morning   . . .and last night   . . .the system stopped doing what it's supposed to do.
Yeah, I checked the thermostat, the breakers, all that I can think of.
There seems to be nothing wrong with the gas supply because all of the other gas appliances work.

Why is it little catastrophes like this always seem to happen on weekends?

It is probably a good thing I am not mechanically inclined.
Otherwise I might try to fix it myself.
Anyway, I am waiting for a call from the repair folks.
Maybe we can sort this out?
The indoor temperature, depending upon which room you're in, is between 63 and 68 degrees.

The good news is they aren't going to charge me for the diagnostic.

we'll wait for the other shoe

. . .and done

It is amazing what can be accomplished in three hours when the folks doing the job have the know-how and all of the right tools.

At 8:00am there was a broken attic ladder in this spot.
At 11:00am they two men who did the job were driving away.

We'd actually measured; checked that the new ladder was in stock; driven to Redding to pick it up;
removed the old ladder; and installed this one.
Installation involved some alterations to the new ladder (as per instructions provided by the manufacturer).

Project

Remember the bit about the broken attic ladder.
Today repairs begin   . . .I hope.

A friend is bringing over a friend and we are measuring twice.
Then we are going to purchase a sturdier.

Follow up

Yes, we do pay attention to comments  . . .even though we don't always reply.
(My current excuse for not replying is, the cat was in my lap when I read your comment)

Yesterday's post about the printer that almost screeched [my metaphor for the sound that emanated] brought a number of comments.
Mostly they were about the propitiousness of the features of the new business location.
However, one commenter remarked about how the more things change, the more they remain the same  . . .sort of.

The was a lot that went into creating signs and banners.

• ink ribbons - five different colors and it was necessary to have back stock because the stuff wasn't available locally
• paper - it wasn't just regular printer paper, it was heavier stock and was available in at least five colors, coming initially in the folded style with perforation every 11 inches, but eventually coming in rolls that could be cut once the print job was completed
•  lamination supplies - rolls of plastic laminate and various fasteners for same.
• software -  I mentioned this yesterday, two large containers of 5 1/4 inch floppy disks.

That doesn't even begin to cover the equipment, office furniture and office supplies.
I operated that shop, with the help of one employee and an occasional contract worker, for a little over one year.

I was offered another business opportunity.
A really good deal.
I couldn't pass it up.
So I went off to explore the wonderful world of neighborhood grocery stores.

The employee continued to operate the sign shop, which was actually becoming more of a laminating shop.
Then the landlord sold the space to someone who intended to occupy it.
The business had to move. . .   again!
Empty store fronts were kind of at a premium.
We could move the shop into my garage.
Then the help took off.
(No, he didn't quit. He went on vacation for a week)
I was in the midst of acquiring a grocery store 30 miles away.
We packed up the sign shop, made three or four trips with a Ford Econoline van and a Chevy half-ton pick up truck, and loaded all the stuff into my garage.

A lot of it is still there.
Most of the office furniture is gone.
The laminator was sold.
And we had to toss the paper products because they got wet and mildewed.
But, the printer, computer and all of the software are still in the garage, along with the bits and pieces of a few other computers, a metal table, a chair, a cabinet that still has some supplies in it, and a filing cabinet with the business records.

I bet if I was to clean that stuff out of the garage and the rafters, I could probably park both cars inside?

What does one do with 25 year-old technology?

don't ask about the grocery store