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

Weekend past

Himself and I had a good weekend at the cabin.  Himself has been "down in the back" but if he's careful and slow and "easy does it", he gets by.  So Saturday, he put up an electrical box in the new cabin and began the detail-oriented, painstaking work of wiring the new cabin.  Me? I slap-dashed a "board walk" together.  We have decided it is going to be a wet summer.  (Oh really? as we in Southern Iowa are working on the 6th inch of rain in two days.  Six? or will it be seven?)  And with the new boardwalk we will be able to walk from the old cabin to the new in our bare feet.  No tracking mud!  Yay!!!!

A small bit of the wiring. 

The new "boardwalk" with a couple of cuties keeping their tootsies out of the mud! 

Himself has spent a lot of time on the wiring.  He has enjoyed it, he said.  And yet, I don't have a photo of the "box" and the junction of all the wires coming together in the new cabin.  I will have to rectify this situation.  You will be impressed when you see the new breaker box and all the wires coming together to give us light, heat and entertainment in the years to come.  I'm SO impressed. 

II UPDATE-from Himself

Things are proceeding very well at the new cabin. We have pretty much finished installing the insulation in the loft, just a couple of side walls to go, and it should be ready for drywall.
We have hopefully secured what I need to run electrical wiring from the old cabin to the new electrical box in the new cabin. I just hope the plumber has done his "digging" and has the new cabin connected to the sewer and new underground water supply installed so I can dig a trench (by hand, actually by spade) to run the new wiring.
Then we should have electricity, then on to the finish plumbing, wiring the new exhaust fan/heater in the bathroom, and all kinds of odds and ends. There are so many things we have to think of as we go cause we've never done this before. Anyway, its still fun. I am looking forward to July as I and hopefully herself will have a week off to work.
Boi

Odds and ends

Little cabin visitors find it difficult to get the screen door open, even with that low door knob on there so Nana installed a door bell.  Actually, there are three little brass bells on that braided strip and they tinkle.  These bells are about the prettiest ringing bells I ever did hear.  So a small child (once trained) will be able to stand down and ring the bells and Nana will come running to open the door.  (Much better than one little one standing and screeching "Nana!  NaNa!  NANA! NNNaaaaaNNNNaaaa!

These bales of R19 insulation now have new homes in the wall of the second story.  We have cut, measured and installed the bats between the studs in preparation of the dry wall.  oh no!  I dread the drywall!!!!!!   

And this photo, dear ones, is what Grampsy would have labeled "The End".  : )

Perfect June weekend

The weather was about perfect.  It did rain a little Friday but by Saturday the ground was drying out and the sun was shining.  The evenings were cool but the days pleasantly warm.  Himself mowed the grounds.  Not once, but twice!  The grass is so thick and it was tall and a little wet when he mowed the first time so it really did look a lot nicer after the second mowing.  If you read Nana's View, you will know I've been struggling with writing lately so here are some photos to help me tell you about the weekend. 

All spring, our visits have been met with rains or we came just after heavy rains and the ground has been soggy and wet.  We've had boards thrown down to walk on, between the cabins.  This weekend started out that way too, on Friday.  Saturday, midday, the ground was drying out, the sun shining and the temps a rising.  Saturday turned out to be a perfect "outdoor" working day so we did. 

We moved the brackets that hold the wasp trap and the hummingbird feeder from hanging over the porch to "over hanging" the porch.  Hhmm.   We kill creatures at one end of the porch and nuture them at the other????  I might need to think about this!

I made more syrup for the Oriole/Hummingbird feeder.  And we watched the Orioles and the Hummers when we could, while we were taking breaks or walking by.  Himself has been standing at the feeder and had a hummingbird zip through within itches of his head.  The hummers are feisting, aggresive tiny birds.  Some hummingbirds live in Iowa in the summer and winter in South America.  Isn't that amazing?   That boggles my mind how far they fly, which is why the stuff themselves all summer in Iowa on honey and nectar. 

Himself climbed on the roof of the little cabin and cut tree limbs back that were hitting the vent and the TV antenna.  While he was up there, we decided he may as well do what he needed to do to take the old television antenna down.  Between the two of us, we got that accomplished.  30 years worth of rusted metal made it a bit of a challenge but we gotterdone AND I now have the materials I need to build a handrail.  Stay tuned for the rest of the story there! 

I changed my mind about Gramps old bench.  I had painted it gray and while it looked so much better than it had, I just kept noticing it as we were working around outside.  Finally, I said to Himself.  Shouldn't that bench be red?  And he agreed.  I think it will now be a great accent to our front porch. 

We not only bird watched this weekend, we critter watched too.  This is a little ground squirrel. Some folks call them Squinties.  My neighbor up the hill told me how just the day before, a Squinty ran into her trailer and how they had to corral it and run it back out!  We have had a pair of squinties living under the bridge but now they have moved under the cabin and their family is inhabiting our entire lot.  We see them everywhere.  We may have to declare war.  Himself also saw a badger this weekend.  He has zero tolerance for badgers so I imagine he is planning war strategies and cleaning the rifle. 

Himself and I did a little planting and rearranging this weekend, too.  We left the Illinois Katchutree on the hill and moved the honeysuckle.  I dug out around the Katchur hoping it will take off -- but if it doesn't very soon, it will be transplanted to a sunnier, lower area.  The honeysuckle was transplanted to the front corner of the new porch where I have visions of the future flowerbed.  It will be the basis for a new shade garden. 

So we mowed and weed eated and pruned and polished and plumped and planned.

 Did I mention it was a perfect weekend to work outside? lol

The Little Cabin

and the big cabin aren't big enough for the two of us tonight!  Himself and I had a difference of opinion. Well, an altercation.  No, not that.  We had an unpleasant moment -- and we hadn't even started working on the new cabin!

We got here shortly after 6:00.  Himself went to mowing and I went to talking on the phone.  I called the (potential) plumber and left a message, then called cousin Jim in Texas.  While talking to Jim, I suddenly said, "Jim, I've got to go.  My husband is waving at me from the mower.  There must be a problem."  and we said our goodbyes and hung up quickly.  (usually it takes Jim 30 minutes to say goodbye.) 

Then I went outside and Himself was mowing contently so I pulled some weeds and some wild flowers that were in the way.  I admired the blooming lilacs and the redbud and puttered about.  When suddenly, the calm peaceful evening  was broken by some shrill whistling.  It got my attention.  I looked around.  There's Himself beckoning (just as I had imagined!)  so I drop everything (the weeds) and struggle up the hill.  Himself is glaring and gesturing at some rocks and ends of boards and waving towards the porch.  As the mower is right there and running, the conversation was a bit limited.

Move them?  I ask in charade language?  motioning and mouthing big words. 

MOVE THEM! 

Hands turned up and shrugging . . . I tried to transmit telepathically "I thought we were going to have a rock pile here for drainage?" 

MOVE THEM!

chin down, eyebrows meeting in the middle, eyes small and dark.  He looks like a picture of Thor. 

He's furious . . . MOVE THEM! 

At this level, I can read lips. 

So I did.

I moved them. 

But not cheerfully and not willingly and when I'm speaking to him again, I'll ask him "but I thought we were going to pile rocks here for a natural, drainage water way?"

build a crooked house

No way. 

We will not build a crooked house.  I'm a firm believer in measuring twice and cutting once but Himself is fanatic when it comes to square and plumb and level. 

And exact.

Himself builds well. 

Some might say he overbuilds but he says "this will never come down in my life time!"

And it won't.  It won't fall down and it won't be pulled down.

I think it would take a bulldozer.

And that's the way it is.

We have undone a couple of things.  We did them well the first time.  We just did not do them perfect or exact.  Then we undid them and did them right.  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!   

And that's the way it should be.

Himself has an eye like a lazer level.

I'm pretty good at seeing straight, plumb and level but I'm rookie next to him. 

There he is standing in the bedroom. 

And there he is checking his work at the end of the day.  He's in the living room looking towards the back door.  I'm getting ready to climb the stairs. 

This is the loft.  He's started wiring.  We hope to get a plumber in soon so we can get the bathroom plumbed and usable.  We are debating about hiring an electrician.  Himself thinks he might be able to do the wiring.  I'm betting he can.  Meanwhile . . .

We are having fun.  

We are learning a bunch.

Looking forward to days and weeks at the cabin in Mo. 

Someday.

Signs of Spring

We found signs of our (late) Spring, this weekend.  Guess we should have expected a late Spring since Easter is so late.  Year after year, I find that Spring comes along about the same time as Easter --  you would think I would learn to be patient and wait for Easter. 

It was sloppy, rainy and damp in No Mo this weekend.  The Missouri clay is slick and oozing water.  We have boards on the ground to walk on outside, cardboard on the porches and rugs at the doors and we still track mud into both cabins.  Jeans, sweatshirts, socks and all . . . muddy!

But between the rains and in spite of the cool days and cooler nights, we found signs of spring. 

Mayapples.

These grow in the timber.  We had a big patch at III so these remind me of good times in the timber.  I planted just a tiny clump a bunch of years ago.  Look at them now!   I love the way the little delicate white violets bloom under the protective cover of the Mayapples umbrellas . . . and the yellow (wall flower) dandilions are being brave and inching in closer to the beautiful damsels, the Mayapples! 

There is a little dwarf apple tree sits up the hill by the "big shed".  It is in lovely bloom right now.  We should research when and how to spray it here in a week or two so that we would have a lovely crop of apples on it, late summer.  But we never get it sprayed and then we end up with 3 or 5 apples . . . we have got to learn to be more responsible farmers! 

These creatures are in our garden box on the bank.  I planted them last visit down and they are starting to take off; to grow.  These are onions plants . . . and it won't be long until we will be able to pull these and use them to enhance our scrambled eggs or our lettuce salad.  Can't wait!

We have 3 or 4 lilacs bushes at Too.  A couple of them took a beating last spring or fall as about half of the bush is dead.  There are lilac blooms developing on three of the shrubs tho and the next couple of weeks should be really pretty at the cabin. 

I really like this photo of the new little Buckeye Tree . . . with the short yellow dandilion staring up at it, admiringly.  I really would love to have a nice Buckeye at Too where children (and Nana) could pick up Buckeyes for good luck.  Wish me luck that this one grows! 

This is a Redbud and it was the week of the Redbud in Mo.  These trees are gorgeous!  The magnolia trees were waning and the flowering crabs just coming on but the Redbuds were at the heighth of their glory. 

The Bradford Pears took second place this weekend -- just behind the Redbuds.  The "pears" have such a distinctive shape and are so WHITE in relationship to anything else around.  They just plain catch your eye. 

This little gal was inspecting out of the Big Cabin's second floor windows.  She was looking for signs that the ground was drying up and the grass coming up under the swinging tree. 

She didn't find it. 

Hopefully that will happen soon.  In May.

Audri and her Mama bopped down for supper Saturday evening.  PaPa and Nana enjoyed their company. 

LEARNING HOW TO MAKE A STAIRWAY/STRINGERS

This was tough, a true challenge to our patience, wits, thoughts, anger management, skills or lack of, but we did it. We read, watched movies, laid things out, and when that didn't look right, we read some more, watched more movies, and laid things out again. Over and over. Finally, we decided, we just had to do it and see what happens. The worst would be we would have to buy more boards. So with the framing square and the "stair guides" attached, herself laid out the pattern. What if this isn't right? What if the angle is off? What if the distance between steps isn't right? What if it doesn't come out right at the top? What if the steps aren't level? What if they aren't plum? And on and on. Heck with all that. The pattern was laid out on the 2X10 by herself,and then what?  She deserted me!!! Say What??? She left!!! "I did my part" she said as she prettied herself up and headed to town. There I was with 2 huge boards with a pattern that I was to cut with the old circular saw. No one to help lift the boards, hold the boards while I was cutting, no moral support, just deafining silence.
Oh, well, here we go. I started cutting the first board and all went well. Laid the cut board on top of the uncut board and used the first board for a pattern for the second. BUT, I didn't allow for the huge bow and it threw all my cuts off for the second board. Not even close, but I used the framing square and remeasured the angles, recut the second board, and it came out perfect. And I did it without "herself". 
So, we now have now built a stairway, and this will be great knowledge, as we have to build steps for the porch. It wasn't easy, it took alot of time and patience, a few tense conversations, but as usual, common sense prevailed again.
We also started building the wall for the bathroom. At least we know where its going to be. The next trip we will purchase studs for the rest of the walls and hopefully get some built.
 Still the BOI

The Stairway

The framing square, one of the most useful of tools to a carpenter. If only we knew how to use the dang thing. We have attached "stair guides: to this one so we can draw out our stair steps.

Pondering the situation, getting ready to attempt to cut the stair "stringers"

The "brains" behind this operation, is laying out the steps. After reading and watching movies on the internet, she figured it out, cause I sure couldn't. Ain't she a beauty?? 

Wow, they are starting to look like a stairway. Professionally cut, I might add.

There they are, in all its natural beauty. They are kind of steep, but space is at a premium, even in the bigger cabin.

I think this is looking down from the loft. One thing, if someone falls and the door is open, they will tumble right out to the ground.