Projects

Himself gives me a bad time.  Says I don't complete my projects.  I believe I do complete my projects.  Sometimes it just takes me a while for various reasons.  Sometimes I need Himself to help me finish a project because I am not physically strong enough or I can't operate a certain hand tool and my biggest pet peeve of all! -- is that I cannot put the bit in or take the bit out of the BLACK & DECKER drill myself because I'm not strong enough!  (I swear, I am going to start writing Black & Decker and Sears and Montgomery Wards and anyone who manufactures small electric or battery operated drills.  They need to make them 1) so that a woman can use them and 2) that work the way they should!)

Anyway, off my soap box and on with this entry . . .

The reason I don't finish projects is because: 

1) My project is put on hold because of an immediate necessity to help Himself with a project.

2)  My project is put on hold because Himself assigns me a new, more urgent project.

3)  My project is put on hold because I need to buy materials for my project.

4)  My project is put on hold because I don't know how to finish it.

5)  My project is put on hold for any sundry of reasons.  (Is sundry a word?  Is sundry used correctly in that sentence?  Did I really mean Sunday?)

This weekend at Mo, again hot as blazes, there was only one major cabin project scheduled so I dragged out two of my old projects and the other project was there waiting from a couple of visits ago.

     Project 1 required some 2X4 lumber.  None on hand.

     Project 2 required a can of black spray paint.  None on hand. 

     Project 3 required some patience, determination and another nut and bolt.
                    Available, even if in short supply -- especially the first!

I like this photo, looking through the screen into the porch.  It is warm and fuzzy.  Two of the projects are there, inside the porch, just waiting to be seen. 

Project No 1 wears orange.  I've had these sweet little iron bed boards (head and foot) forever.  I finally got some 2X4's to fix up a little daybed for little children on hot, weary days at the cabin.  Or for Nana's.  A nap, mid-afternoon might be good.  There is a story here, for another day.  I will tell it later.  

Project No 2, is the decorative insert in this Mister-bilt screen door.  I noticed around the July 4th weekend, that little ones put their hands against the screen, when opening the door for their escape, instead of pushing on the wooden door itself.  The row of spindles should give some support and help keep the screen from being pushed out of the screen door. 

Project No 3 was basically done.  The back and seat boards had been painted red and the iron supports had been painted black.  I just needed to get all the nuts and bolts back in the seat planks.  Yep.  Done.  Finished yesterday. 

There!  three projects finished up!  All in one weekend. 

Hopefully next weekend at the cabin, we will be able to get the water or electric in.  I know we will be laying tile on the bathroom floor.  Stay tuned for the next installment . . .

sun·dry

[suhn-dree] adjective 1. various or diverse: sundry persons.

Electronic Free Weekend

Commander in Chief Hofmeister, declared the week of July 4, 2011 an "Electronic-Free weekend".  No electronic games, no game boys, Ipods, Cell Phones and absolutely no Black Ops! 

And interestingly, no one missed them!  Not a child said, let's go to town and buy one of those electronic games.

Instead, we had swimming and golf cart rides.  Oh, okay, we did have a movie or too on the DVD player but at the end of the days, we were all tuckered out!  We didn't keep our eyes open long after our heads hit the pillow.   Several of us girls slept on the little cabin porch.  It is a tradition.  Well, it is going to be!  

There was badmitten and fireworks and Keep Away in the water.  Nana was sure glad when that water football fell apart and we were done with game! 

There was bon fires.  But wait, CIC Hofmeister must have declared it a SMORES free weekend too.  There wasn't one single SMORE to be had.  To be eaten.  Nary a marshmallow roasted.  What?  that can't be right . . .

I like this photo, above.  The children are all fascinated with the camp fires -- and rightly so as they inherit that from their Nana who got it from Gramps -- but we are careful fire bugs! 

There was badmitten.  Did I mention badmitten?  There was croquet and more croquet and croquet again.  There were badmitten tournaments.

There was rivers and dams and broken levees and Giant Frisbie games. 

There was a covert search and rescue operation.  CIC Hofmeister declared that operation a huge success!  Good work, soldiers! 

Bella had her first solo cabin visit and Audri was sure glad she did.  These girls got on well together and Nana foresees future visits!  I may have to build a pool platform as putting the pool on the porch worked great, to keep the water in it, but the sun couldn't get in to warm the water. 

 There was even some quality porch sitting time. 

PaPa and I had a great vacation at Too.  We enjoyed the fireworks and all the games.  We sure enjoyed the visits from children and grandchildren.  We had fun and got some work done and PaPa is very glad to have the big plumbing operation out of the way.  Oh, er, hmm.  I meant to say that Commander in Chief Hofmeister called the plumbing operation a Success! 

SEWER RATS!!!!

That's what we are. We needed the sewer connected from the new cabin to the sewer line from Grampsie's cabin. We had called a Missouri plumber for an estimate. He actually showed up in a timely manner, prepared an estimate. This was early May. Well, Memorial Day holiday is coming up so probably won't be able to start until some time around the first of June. Fine, we said, since we we're going on vacation around that time. That would have to be another story as our vacation took us to a location about 70 miles from Joplin, Mo and the big tornado. We were there!!! Scary, tornados dropping everywhere, everyday, no place to run to. We survived and went back to the cabin for the final days over Memorial Day weekend to prepare for plumber. Went home, no word, no nothing. Went back to cabin 3 weeks later, no plumber. So I called. He had to order a part for his digging machine and is installing it as we speak, and will be there in a day or so to start digging. Another week, Herself calls and asks for a time frame and a call back. Nothing. 4th of July weekend: No plumber. You have to remember, this is Missouri. No one in a hurry to do anything, and if the have some money, they don't need to work.

SO, we decicded with a little bit of digging maybe we could installed the sewer ourselves. So we started by calling our builder to come over and give us some advice and help prepare a materials list. He did and so our "plumber" careers began.

Nance:  this is where the new and the old sewers join up. 

I started digging the old sewer line out so we could connect the new with the old. It started out badly. The old sewer line was 4" and the new was 4", however our new was much thicker than the old. What to do? I was ready to throw in the shovel right then, but herself declared "we can figure this out". And figure it out she did, we got the correct fittings, cut the old pipe, installed a "y" and a fernco boot and we we're off to the races.

The builder told us if we could get past this first hurdle, the rest would be a piece of cake. If the ground would have been soft like cake, maybe. I rolled over rocks, roots, clods, tin siding, boards, nails,  you name it, to get the toilet, tub, vanity, and washer connected, and about 8 hours of hard work and we were done. WE DID IT, DAMMIT,  and it doesn't look bad. Every section runs down hill. I even tested it this morning by dumping buckets of water down the toilet drain. It didn't leak!!

Nance:  Have you ever seen such neat and proper plumbing?  lol

Nance:  I've always wanted to use "unpinnings" in a sentence.

Still not sure that is proper here or not! 

Now we can move on to get some water and electricity to the new cabin, and on, and on, and on.  We aren't even close to finishing the new cabin, and already herself has plans for new stairs, decks, hot tubs, dog trots, and on, and on, and on.

As far as the sewer, I can safely say I will never again be a "sewer rat"

                                                                                                                           BOI