Occassional and Random Stuff

mudroom

2008-07-03T10:49:27Z

Mud room floor

To the left is the pocket door to the rec-room. The solid door goes to the garage and the glass door to the right is to the breezeway. Picture taken from laundry room.

Update

2008-07-03T04:02:55Z

Mudroom

walls and ceiling wet sanded
walls and ceiling dry sanded
walls and ceiling painted with primer
ceramic tile laid on floor
grouted

very tired and sore me

pictures tomorrow, maybe. if I remember.

theblueleader @ 2008-06-23T13:31:00

2008-06-23T17:42:37Z

Fun weekend.
Lovely house guests - good company and lots of fun
Fun at Assessments except for some frustrations with my fighting
Good time hanging out at home afterwards. Yah for blue martinis - they make the frustration go away, at least for the rest of the evening.
Low key 4th Sunday get-together but managed a bit of fighting time with Wistric
Got a bit of sewing done

Today
Garage figured out why my truck died on Friday not 3 hours after I picked it up from them. The newly replaced fuel pump was defective.
Sanding drywall is messy
Sanding drywall in a small room with a lot of corners and a lot of patches is even messier. Yah for shop vacs with new filters.
I think I'm finally done sanding drywall for today. Trying to decide if I have the energy to put on a coat of primer.

theblueleader @ 2008-06-16T14:46:00

2008-06-16T18:58:11Z

I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog........

This time it isn't the usual culprit, Markie Mark (aka Chewbacca), it was Maxi. I headed out early this morning to take Markie to the vet for a dental cleaning (they put animals under anesthesia for that) and so Maxi was left home alone for about an hour and a half. I come home after a quick stop at the grocery store to find a very excited/anxious Maxi and chunks of wood missing from my new back door. Sigh. I may be able to glue some of the chunks back on and will have to fill the rest with putty. I was planning to stain that door but I may have to paint it. Of course now, everything is fine, she's all calmed down and is snoozing on the rug in the dining room. I get to go to my new dentist for a cleaning too. I think Maxi is going to enjoy some time outside this afternoon where the most damage she'll do is dig up the yard and bark at the UPS guy when he brings the mobile stand for my new table saw.

Thursday Matt and I headed over to a house not far from here to look at a used table saw. He had advertised that it was disassembled. When we got there he asked if I wanted to put it together. I told him I'd at least like to make sure that the motor worked. So, over the course of the next hour and a half he collected all the parts from various areas in the huge workshop and we assembled the cabinet saw, but a blade on it and did a test cut. It all works although its original owner had hard wired it in and so this guy just did a make-shift wiring to his circuit panel so we could run it. Everything ran well so I bought it. As we disassembled it again - had to so it would fit into the truck, I carefully held on to them and but them in the back of the truck. If I put anything down in that workshop I would never find it again. The thing that amazed me the most is that I called the seller about 24 hours before coming to see the saw and he didn't seem to think it necessary to collect all the parts and figure out how this saw was going to get out of his workshop before I got there. He had move two other large pieces of equipment, clean up the floor and unscrew a door so that we could load the saw into the back of my truck. Big thanks to Matt for his help moving and loading this thing.

Update - the vet techs are referring to Markie as "drama dog". Nothing but loud whining the moment they let her out of the cage and lots of frantic whining and nudging the moment she saw me.

Yeah, I know boring entry.

The only other things going on are garb sewing and working on assorted small house projects - organizing things, sorting through bins of possible loaner stuff that well-meaning friends have given me, and throwing out those things that I would never consider inflicting on a newbie. It feels good to throw away junk.

Thought for the day.....

2008-06-07T14:45:22Z

Ivy looks best on buildings maintained by someone else.

Playing hooky

2008-06-03T21:15:41Z

I'm playing hooky from house renovations today by doing some silk painting tests and finishing some mostly completed sewing projects. So far I haven't been completely happy with the results of the silk painting. Too much bleeding, not enough control to get crisp lines/outlines and the colors loose their intensity when the resist/stop-flow is removed and the silk is washed.

My back appreciates the time off. Yesterday I painted the rest of the garage exterior sheathing and did some drywall patching. I still have a bunch of drywall sanding to do and I need to finish reassembling my jointer as well as varnishing the wood boards for the rec-room paneling. This weekend was collecting and moving rocks for the rock garden and moving some good dirt for Corby to use when planting or moving a bunch of plants as well as other assorted yard maintenance.

Trying to decide if I want to join the 5 questions meme. There is only so much that I am willing to share of myself.

Baaaa Baaaa

2008-05-29T18:15:08Z

Where I'd really like to be.... Although moooo is more appropriate in that area.

Looking for a table saw

2008-05-28T23:55:08Z

Ok, woodworkers and builders - what kind of a table saw do you have? Do you like it? If you could get another one what would you get?

I'm in the market for table saw on which to cut A LOT of oak boards that will become my hardwood floors. (I have about 1,600 board feet of red oak). I need something sturdier than a small contractor's saw but don't have the space for a big cabinet saw.

Any suggestions? Any saws to avoid?

Power tools!

2008-05-23T19:36:09Z

I've got a jointer! I'm 2/3 of the way there with the major power tools I need to start making my oak flooring. Now, to find a good table saw that isn't huge but is big enough to be sturdy and has a reasonably sized top - yeah, that narrows it down, right? :-)

Yay for craigslist!

Now to pack for Sapphire.

Busy stuff

2008-05-21T01:55:59Z

Assorted busy-ness

-sewing an arming jacket
-hand quilting a wall hanging

-finishing boxes for crowns
-finishing new and improved banner poles for new and improved war standards
-trying out different silk painting techniques

-filling holes in the yard made by dogs hunting moles
-mowing the lawn
-moving gravel

-hanging new drywall where the dogs have mauled it next to the doors in the mudroom
-taping and mudding drywall
-catching up on e-mail correspondence

theblueleader @ 2008-05-07T23:13:00

2008-05-08T03:14:24Z

Yay! We are connected to the rest of the world again.

Not Connected

2008-05-07T14:01:55Z

We've been without an internet connection at home since Sunday. Our DSL modem died. The new one should arrive today or tomorrow, hopefully. I'm currently at a Panera's downtown catching up on e-mails. I didn't realize how much I've come to rely on the internet for international news (no cable tv), communicating with friends, researching things and buying stuff. If I haven't responded to you for some reason that's why. If you need me for something, call me. My number is in the Acorn and on the Isenfir website.

I has....

2008-04-25T14:35:16Z

A sense of accomplishment from yesterday. The rec-room wall that backs to the mudroom and laundry room is drywalled. A bunch of wiring has been moved and re-configured and all the walls in the mudroom are now drywalled and I can finish taping and mudding.

I have 16 tons of gravel on my driveway and the area in front of the garage! Yay to the dump truck driver who knows how to use his truck to spread it so I don't have to move it all myself. The last guy didn't know how to use his shiny new truck yet and dumped most of it in a pile in an impractical spot.

Tomorrow I will have over 30 Free Scholars and Provosts at my house for a couple of meetings, and more importantly, lots of fighting. It should be fun.

Sunday we'll have our monthly open house for fight practices, archery and thrown weapons practice, cooking, sewing and whatever projects people want to work on.

On Monday I will have a quiet day and a quick trip to Richmond for a fitting of the amazing knit pluderhose that Caemfind is making. They really are incredible.

I'm ready for a nap.

Odds and Ends

2008-04-14T16:37:51Z

Corby will not be fighting in the upcoming Crown Tourney. In weighing the pros versus the cons, the why nots list was longer with the top reasons being 1.) The house renovation - we'll be gutting the whole kitchen and putting a big hole in the wall to the dining room this summer. That'll be enough work and stress at one time. 2.) Corby's not being able to train much because of injuries. Maybe we'll try in the fall.

We get a tax refund this year - yay!.

I spent 2-1/2 days playing cat herder to my brother, 2 nieces and parents after 2-1/2 days of dealing with subcontractors and trying to get the house and renovation area cleaned up for the family visit. I'm done with people who ask questions and want directions from me and then don't like my answers or suggestions (no, I'm not going to go get you s'mores fixin's and ice cream sandwiches at 9 pm when the grocery store is 10 miles away - we have other things for dessert right here) - at least for a couple days.

My 15 year old niece and my 75 year old father sure have a lot in common - moody, self centered, rude and unaccommodating.

My back is much much better. I should be set to fight at the WS/FS get-together in about two weeks. I can't wait.

The garage is almost entirely enclosed. The first of the storage shelves are already in place and are being used. Now all of the armored and rapier equipment can live in one place instead of being scattered between three rooms and two vehicles.

Spring is for the birds

2008-04-09T14:57:14Z

The other day I cleaned most of the windows in the house - inside and out. Today, simultaneously, there was a male cardinal tapping at his reflection outside the rec-room window and a downy woodpecker tapping at his reflection outside the kitchen window. If only I'd had the good camera. I was inside but less than 5 feet from the cardinal.

Bad day?

2008-04-04T21:52:41Z

Sometimes you're just having one of those days ....
Fail Dogs

nothin' much

2008-03-25T21:45:41Z

My back is slowly getting better. This weekend was fun and busy and I overdid it a bit but I'm being good now - taking it easy and putting ice on it. I get a cortisone shot for it on Friday.

I have everything I need for my costume for the party this weekend except the fishnet stockings which I'll get tomorrow.

My brother and nieces are coming to visit in two weeks and I had hoped to have a couple of the house renovation projects done by then, or at least farther along than they are. Oh well. I just have to be resigned to getting done what I can. The first part of next week I'll be at my parent's house helping my mom finish a couple of projects so their house is ready for the family visit.

theblueleader @ 2008-03-21T19:43:00

2008-03-21T23:46:09Z

Posting for the sake of posting.

The back is slowly getting better. Had another appointment with the chiropractor today followed by a massage. Very nice. I may have undone some of that though by spending the afternoon vacuuming and cleaning the house. Looking forward to Defending the Gate tomorrow even though I won't be able to fight. If I'm up for it I'll marshal. Isenfir should have a good turn out - possibly as many as 5 rapier fighters. Not bad for our lil' ol' shire. :-)

Also looking forward to good company and fun houseguests this weekend. soucyn and lady_guenievre as well as Shecky and Bess.

theblueleader @ 2008-03-21T19:36:00

2008-03-21T23:43:35Z

Posting for the sake of posting. The back is slowly getting better. Had another appointment with the chiropractor today followed by a massage. Very nice. I may have undone some of that though by spending the afternoon vacuuming and cleaning the house - after getting groceries. Looking forward to Defending the Gate tomorrow even though I won't be able to fight. If I'm up for it I'll marshal. Isenfir should have a good turn out - possibly as many as 5 rapier fighters. Not bad for our lil' ol' shire. :-)

Also looking forward to good company and fun houseguests this weekend. soucyn and

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Posting for the sake of posting. The back is slowly getting better. Had another appointment with the chiropractor today followed by a massage. Very nice. I may have undone some of that though by spending the afternoon vacuuming and cleaning the house - after getting groceries. Looking forward to Defending the Gate tomorrow even though I won't be able to fight. If I'm up for it I'll marshal. Isenfir should have a good turn out - possibly as many as 5 rapier fighters. Not bad for our lil' ol' shire. :-)

Also looking forward to good company and fun houseguests this weekend. <lj user="soucyn"> and <ljuser="lady_guenievre"> as well as Shecky and Bess.

Better living through chemistry

2008-03-20T15:46:54Z

Yay for pain meds!! I finally feel human and happy (yes the pain meds do make me a bit giddy). Now to remember that even though I'm not in agonizing pain it doesn't mean that my back has actually healed so I still need to take it easy - no lifting or bending and lots of time lying on the sofa with an ice pack.

Lots of talking

2008-03-19T11:17:43Z

Some people are concerned about what was said TO Obama (and the congregation) by the former pastor of his church. It's odd that no one was ever concerned about what was actually said BY Huckabee as a preacher.

theblueleader @ 2008-03-18T13:04:00

2008-03-18T17:20:50Z

Very frustrated. My back still hurts - even worse now than it did on Friday in spite of the very limited activity and the heating pad and ice packs. I'm going to the chiropractor almost every day this week for adjustments and massages and the regular doctor has prescribed pain management which includes a cortisone shot but that isn't until NEXT Friday. I can't hold out that long. I can barely sit and am having trouble walking. I'm getting bored lying on the sofa. I need to find some more interesting books and some new movies. Mike will pick up a pain med Rx for me on his way home. I'm sooo tired of hurting.

It's not fair

2008-03-14T20:34:29Z

I tried to be really good to my back this week - no heavy lifting, minimal repetitive bending, lots of simple stretching and today it hurts much more than any other day this week. No MTA for me - two hours in the car, driving stick, is just not my idea of a fun way to start the weekend. I'd probably just go and do something dumb like lift or move stuff I shouldn't and make it worse. So, my weekend plans are to stay on the couch on the heating pad doing some reading, some napping and taking it easy. I have much too much to do on the house to have serious back problems. Bummer

Nothing really new here

2008-03-10T22:17:25Z

It was a nice weekend. Had fun at Caer Mear's Baronial B-day. The weather was interesting but others have talked about Saturday's weather mood-swings. Celric's prize was fun, Ragnar kindly was my proxy since my back wouldn't let me fight. It was good to see some folks we haven't seen in quite a while. We ended up leaving after the first remove but with the pups being home alone all day, I'm glad we did - we didn't tempt fate - or doggy boredom.

Sunday was more garage construction. All the drywall between the house and garage is up - two stories worth - Philip and I made use of the fact that Corby was available to help lift the drywall sheets and he could better reach the really high spots to screw them down. We also put up exterior siding on the exterior wall of the house that is higher than the garage. Once I get it all painted and caulked that area shouldn't be leaking anymore.

Today was a take-it-easy-on-my-back day. I finished putting screws in the drywall from yesterday and I finished setting up my planer. Yay! It's really cool! I haven't tried any of the oak planks that will eventually become my living room floor yet but I did run through several of the pine boards that I'm taking down in the rec-room. They should clean up easily so I can refinish and re-use them. Now to decide what kind of a finish to put on the pine. I want the rec-room to be nice and light but I don't like the usual yellow color that pine turns when polyurethaned. Anyone have any suggestions?

theblueleader @ 2008-03-05T18:34:00

2008-03-05T23:42:06Z

I'm done with this back pain thing. The doctor has given me a second course of steroids to relieve the inflammation and an admonition not to lift heavy things, not to do any repetitive bending or lifting and to take it easy for a couple weeks. Hmmm, what projects can I still work on? Because it's my sacroiliac, it's hard to sit for long periods of time which rules out working on taxes and doing much sewing. Sigh and grumble.......frustrated because I have so much to do and can't work on any of it.