Never thought retirement would be like this
- Thread starter NancyNGA
- Start date
Wanna see something ugly? This is my hand after getting stung with a wasp on the ring finger last week trimming shrubbery. It didn't turn blue, that is some kind of reflection. Couldn't even make a fist.
We have at least three kinds of wasps here: red (mud daubers), the typical brown & yellow ones (paper nests), and black ones that live in the ground. I think this was from a black one. Didn't actually see it. The brown ones are not so potent. It was back to normal in 3 days. They should bottle this stuff and inject it to make wrinkles go away.
As you can tell not much going on here to write about.
We have at least three kinds of wasps here: red (mud daubers), the typical brown & yellow ones (paper nests), and black ones that live in the ground. I think this was from a black one. Didn't actually see it. The brown ones are not so potent. It was back to normal in 3 days. They should bottle this stuff and inject it to make wrinkles go away.
As you can tell not much going on here to write about.
Today I checked on the cabin after a long time neglecting to. A year or so ago I spent 2 days securing it so the squirrels could not get in the attic crawl space anymore. Then spent several weeks cleaning out the mess they made up there and replacing the old ceiling. Last spring I found another place they were trying to chew through and temporarily plugged it up with some hardware cloth. Then promptly forgot about it. They have managed to pull out that plug and resume chewing. I think they might have gotten through to the attic again. Had to drive back to the house and get a ladder and tools and temporarily close it off again. I keep doing temporary fixes and then forget about going back to do them more premanently. But there are so many other things that need to be done I can't keep up. These squirrels are starting to get really annoying (putting it nicely with no foul language).
No two-legged intruders as far as I can tell.
Made one quick run around the fence and found some shorts but only got the charge up to 3400 v. Need to spray one section with Roundup before the plants quit growing for the summer, and check fence more closely. Next trip out maybe. One section of the road is so covered with weeds and bushes you can't even tell where to drive now.
No two-legged intruders as far as I can tell.
Made one quick run around the fence and found some shorts but only got the charge up to 3400 v. Need to spray one section with Roundup before the plants quit growing for the summer, and check fence more closely. Next trip out maybe. One section of the road is so covered with weeds and bushes you can't even tell where to drive now.
Wanna see something ugly? This is my hand after getting stung with a wasp on the ring finger last week trimming shrubbery. It didn't turn blue, that is some kind of reflection. Couldn't even make a fist.
We have at least three kinds of wasps here: red (mud daubers), the typical brown & yellow ones (paper nests), and black ones that live in the ground. I think this was from a black one. Didn't actually see it. The brown ones are not so potent. It was back to normal in 3 days. They should bottle this stuff and inject it to make wrinkles go away.
As you can tell not much going on here to write about.
Wow Nancy, that looks so swollen! Poor girl, hope it's back to normal now. I was stung recently on the foot by a Yellowjacket, but the swelling and redness was very little, not an issue at all.
SeaBreeze, it didn't really hurt after the first hour. I just couldn't make a fist.
I'm finding it a challenge to write things coherently in this diary. But it is good practice.
Received the booklet about Fort Fizzle from Mr. Drouhard. He did a lot of research on this. Below is the inscription on a highway marker recapping the alleged incidents. (Holmes Co, OH).
"The cannon going to the same neighborhood that the company is being organized has a meaning or looks suspicious.... there may be nothing in this, but it don't look right for the times."
The imprisoned ringleaders referred to on the marker were not that keen on being released, realizing there might be a price to pay. Drouhard doubts that 1000 people ever convened in one place there at that time for anything. Records from Wallace indicate they came upon at most 50 men in one skirmish, there was no fortified camp, just men hiding behind bushes, logs, and piles of building stone. There were a few shots fired. Even Lorenzo Blanchard was pardoned by Lincoln after 6 months at hard labor. I get the impression both Drake and Robinson were embarrassed about not being able to carry out their assigned duties of registering men for the draft, and blew things out of proportion to justify their failure. There was a lot of miscommunication and misinformation. I think a Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffeth) type could have settled the whole thing peacefully with a little common sense.
A lot of resources and time of many people was wasted. Many residents were first generation immigrants. At least two moved to Canada, and one to Kansas, because of this. Things never change.
It was an interesting read. The troops did *not* march by my grandfather's cabin. They took the other route.
I'm finding it a challenge to write things coherently in this diary. But it is good practice.
Received the booklet about Fort Fizzle from Mr. Drouhard. He did a lot of research on this. Below is the inscription on a highway marker recapping the alleged incidents. (Holmes Co, OH).
The title of the booklet is, It Don't Look Right for the Times, which refers to a four (or possibly six) pound cannon sitting at a railroad station in Lakeville, Ohio, consigned to a Frenchman in Napoleon, the same neighborhood where the resistance appeared to be building. The phrase appeared in a letter from Capt. Drake to superiors requesting troops to quash the alleged rebellion:
"The cannon going to the same neighborhood that the company is being organized has a meaning or looks suspicious.... there may be nothing in this, but it don't look right for the times."
The imprisoned ringleaders referred to on the marker were not that keen on being released, realizing there might be a price to pay. Drouhard doubts that 1000 people ever convened in one place there at that time for anything. Records from Wallace indicate they came upon at most 50 men in one skirmish, there was no fortified camp, just men hiding behind bushes, logs, and piles of building stone. There were a few shots fired. Even Lorenzo Blanchard was pardoned by Lincoln after 6 months at hard labor. I get the impression both Drake and Robinson were embarrassed about not being able to carry out their assigned duties of registering men for the draft, and blew things out of proportion to justify their failure. There was a lot of miscommunication and misinformation. I think a Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffeth) type could have settled the whole thing peacefully with a little common sense.
A lot of resources and time of many people was wasted. Many residents were first generation immigrants. At least two moved to Canada, and one to Kansas, because of this. Things never change.
It was an interesting read. The troops did *not* march by my grandfather's cabin. They took the other route.
All the previous talk of old houses a couple of weeks ago reminds me of what a weird kid I must have been. When the paper came, after the cartoons, the first thing I looked up was the daily house floor plan. I would imagine walking through the house. I've always thought it would be fun to buy an old schoolhouse and remodel it into a house. Not a big school, but two stories, one with either 4 or 8 classrooms, and big wide stairways and halls. The hallways would be fun to decorate.
Here's one in Utah that might be good.
Here's one in Utah that might be good.
This is a project from a couple of years ago. The old (cheap, but solid wood) closet door in the bedroom of my house in town was sagging from 100 years of wear and tear. It is odd sized, 84" tall and thinner than the doors now, so a new replacement door would have been a *very* expensive special order from a custom door place. It looked horrible.
Before:
Tore it completely apart and re-glued it. The blue tape was to number the parts.
What I didn't notice until afterward was that someone in the past had sawed off the top left of the door, rather than try to square it up. So the top rail is not quite a rectangle, and so it still looks a little out of square. It needs moved out from the hinge side just a tad. I know how to do it, but it is so hard to hang by yourself, if it ain't broke I hate to try fixing it. (Of course a new coat of paint sure helps.) This project was fun.
After:
Before:
Tore it completely apart and re-glued it. The blue tape was to number the parts.
What I didn't notice until afterward was that someone in the past had sawed off the top left of the door, rather than try to square it up. So the top rail is not quite a rectangle, and so it still looks a little out of square. It needs moved out from the hinge side just a tad. I know how to do it, but it is so hard to hang by yourself, if it ain't broke I hate to try fixing it. (Of course a new coat of paint sure helps.
) This project was fun.After:
ndynt
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Florida
Nancy, that is more than impressive. You are truly amazing. And here I am pondering about one clamp to tighten joints on the bottom of a vintage heavy wood door. I stripped and stripped, sanded and sanded and then decided it might be oak. For I cannot get paint out of the grain. So cannot stain it. After laying on saw horses since my heart stuff.....i see the joints are now slightly apart. My son said just use wood putty LOL. Need to wood grain faux paint it. Has diamond shape window panes that I love. Nancy, thank you for the inspiration and push to get to the door, after I clear out the sewing room.
Nona, do you have a picture of your door? I'd like to see it. An oak door like that would be worth trying to fix, unless you hate doing stuff like that.
Those pipe clamps are not real expensive (~$14). They are called Pony clamps. They fit over a piece of regular old galvanized pipe, cut to any length you want.
That closet door was pine and had peg joints---the cheapest kind of joints. Can you believe at one time in its life that door was painted mauve.:eewwk:
Those pipe clamps are not real expensive (~$14). They are called Pony clamps. They fit over a piece of regular old galvanized pipe, cut to any length you want.
That closet door was pine and had peg joints---the cheapest kind of joints. Can you believe at one time in its life that door was painted mauve.:eewwk:
Monday finished the last trim work on the kitchen ceiling. Around the upper cabinets has been holding me up. I tried 3 different ways and finally settled on one. Painting is next. A lot of prep work required. Don't really want to get started on that any time soon. I hate painting.
Tuesday the AC repairman came and said the blower motor was bad, loose shaft, which in turn ruined the edge of the fan. Parts are still under warranty, but not labor. Motor is available, but fan has to be ordered. The weather has cooled off some. Don't really need AC downstairs right now.
This afternoon I went out to the farm with the goal of spraying the road around the fence. Found two logs across the fence just since Sunday. That took some time, so only got one tank of spraying done, but got the worst section done.
Here is a picture of a mushroom I ran across. Searching the net it is the spittin' image of an Amanita caesarea, commonly known as Caesar's mushroom---a highly regarded edible mushroom. But it also says native to southern Europe and North Africa, not known to exist in the United States and Canada, but has been found in Mexico. So I guess that rules that out.
Any ideas?
Appears instead to be Amanita jacksonii, probably not edible.
Tuesday the AC repairman came and said the blower motor was bad, loose shaft, which in turn ruined the edge of the fan. Parts are still under warranty, but not labor. Motor is available, but fan has to be ordered. The weather has cooled off some. Don't really need AC downstairs right now.
This afternoon I went out to the farm with the goal of spraying the road around the fence. Found two logs across the fence just since Sunday. That took some time, so only got one tank of spraying done, but got the worst section done.
Here is a picture of a mushroom I ran across. Searching the net it is the spittin' image of an Amanita caesarea, commonly known as Caesar's mushroom---a highly regarded edible mushroom. But it also says native to southern Europe and North Africa, not known to exist in the United States and Canada, but has been found in Mexico. So I guess that rules that out.
Any ideas?
Appears instead to be Amanita jacksonii, probably not edible.
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ndynt
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Florida
Nancy, pictures are not that good. Tablet only has front view camera. Looking at the pic the grain does not look like oak. The door is too heavy for poplar or fir. Even my 6 ft. son had a hard time lifting it. (Picture was huge. Will resize)
Nona, it could be pine. Fast growing lightweight pine lumber is a "fairly" recent thing. If this is a very old door it could be a different species of pine, maybe grown in the northwest. Some grow very slowly, have small grain, and are very heavy and durable. I know a guy here who goes around buying lumber from old abandoned houses, just to resell it. I'll do some searching to see if there is a way to get the paint out from the grain. Glad your son can do some heavy lifting for you.
ndynt
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Florida
No pine has a finer grain. The is a very open grain, like oak...only not the same striations'. I used every stripper on the market, sanded and sanded. Cannot get it smoothed, not the the wood is rough. Just has that grain that keeps the paint in it. Why anyone would paint it? It had all kinds of layers...of colors like pink, turquoise and white was the initial paint. Ah now the pic is too small :crying: I am tired...will enlarge the three again and post them tomorrow. Glad you got your trim done. Sorry about your AC. It seems that something is always breaking, does it not?
View attachment 20797
View attachment 20797
The only things I could come up with that you might not have tried are acetone (fingernail polish remover) and use steel wool instead of sandpaper. Maybe the paint residue won't show much when it's coated.
Maybe ash? (I'm going on the memory of the bigger photo.) Have a good night!
Maybe ash? (I'm going on the memory of the bigger photo.) Have a good night!
ndynt
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Florida
Nancy, thank you. I have used acetone, alcohol and every other suggestion I could find on the internet. Steel wool and wire brushes, toothbrushes et al. Nada....the paint remnants remain. Tried a dark stain over them...to see if it would be acceptable. It did not "take" on the areas with paint. So faux finish is my last resort. For such a beautiful door I hate to just paint it.
As soon as I figure out what size pic to use...I shall show you the bottom joints I need to pull together.
As soon as I figure out what size pic to use...I shall show you the bottom joints I need to pull together.
That's too bad about the paint, Nona. All the woodwork in my house had already been painted when I bought it. It would have been much prettier natural, and a lot less trouble to keep looking good.
The pine floor in one bedroom upstairs had not been finished. I hired a fellow to finish it with clear polyurethane. It came out real pretty. All the other pine floors have been stained very dark. Probably they were trying to hide some stains. At least I hope that was the reason.
I'm interested in the picture of the joints. Hope it's as easy to fix as my little door was.
It would have been much prettier natural, and a lot less trouble to keep looking good. The pine floor in one bedroom upstairs had not been finished. I hired a fellow to finish it with clear polyurethane. It came out real pretty. All the other pine floors have been stained very dark. Probably they were trying to hide some stains. At least I hope that was the reason.
I'm interested in the picture of the joints. Hope it's as easy to fix as my little door was.
Called a new contractor about the dam repair. He returned my call! I have a good feeling about this guy, but then I also had good feelings about the 1st and 2nd guys. I got the farthest one away, hoping he didn't know the first two. Ha! He knows about siphon systems and was on a list provided by Soil Conservation Sevice. The make or break moment will be when he sees the actual setup, so far scheduled for Saturday. I really hate making expensive decisions like this with no one to bounce thoughts off of and double-check my thinking. Guess I'll muddle through.
Ha! Ha! Meanderer, we've had beavers out there, too. At one time they were practically clear-cutting the area around the pond. They seem to be gone temporarily. There are so many crazy little things that have happened around that pond. It's a love/hate relationship.
That is the wrong question. The question should be, "Will you ever get someone to show up?"
The guy I called Wednesday said to call him back Friday at lunch time and we'd set up a time Saturday. Called back---voice mail, no return call. Called him back at 4pm just to make sure---voice mail. Never heard from him at all. I suppose I'll have to eat crow come next week, but I doubt it. :shrug:
One thing I noticed 2 of them have in common (and I'll bet this 3rd one also)----they have wives with good jobs and family benefits. I think they are just playing with man toys. They make just enough money to keep their toys in repair and buy a new one occasionally, but not work too hard. Actually I can relate to that because I liked to dig in dirt piles when I was a kid, too. But they need to learn to say "No, thanks," and let me move on to someone else.
I like to try to give business to small contractors, but I'm afraid I might have to go with a big contractor from out of town for this one. I don't know what would happen if the water level gets even with the point where the standpipe goes through the dam, but can't imagine it would be good.
Sorry for such a long answer, but your question was a good excuse to fuss.
Nancy, have you chosen a dam contractor to do the dam repair?
That is the wrong question. The question should be, "Will you ever get someone to show up?"
The guy I called Wednesday said to call him back Friday at lunch time and we'd set up a time Saturday. Called back---voice mail, no return call. Called him back at 4pm just to make sure---voice mail. Never heard from him at all. I suppose I'll have to eat crow come next week, but I doubt it. :shrug:
One thing I noticed 2 of them have in common (and I'll bet this 3rd one also)----they have wives with good jobs and family benefits. I think they are just playing with man toys. They make just enough money to keep their toys in repair and buy a new one occasionally, but not work too hard. Actually I can relate to that because I liked to dig in dirt piles when I was a kid, too. But they need to learn to say "No, thanks," and let me move on to someone else.
I like to try to give business to small contractors, but I'm afraid I might have to go with a big contractor from out of town for this one. I don't know what would happen if the water level gets even with the point where the standpipe goes through the dam, but can't imagine it would be good.
Sorry for such a long answer, but your question was a good excuse to fuss.
That's exactly why I try to do everything I can myself. It's faster in the long run, even as slow as I am.
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