Happy 72nd Gloria!
I didn’t sleep quite as late as I did Saturday morning, but still a little later than usual. I found my way downstairs just before 8am. The sunny skies I was hopeful to find were noticeably missing once again, although the chance of rain was minimal.
Without wasting too much time, I began carrying out my exercises as soon as I had made some coffee and choked down a vitamin. I was a tad stiff from the physical abuse of ripping up decking boards the day before. But thanks to Mindy’s skillful hands and my anti-inflammatories, my back and shoulders were feeling fine.
Soon Ykraps and I were outside relieving ourselves and getting a feel for the day’s weather. I was hopeful that the sun would be breaking through as originally forecasted, but a recent revision says not. Instead, we’re supposed to be cloud covered most of the day with high’s only reaching 65. Are you frikin’ kidding me!
After enjoying two full cups of coffee I readied for a run. I didn’t want to get too late of start given the day’s somewhat aggressive agenda. I left for my run at 9:31am. I was hovering somewhere near 56 degrees. It was a tad chilly! I finished my run at 10:04am – 33 minutes for 4.1 miles. Not bad.
I wasted little time once I was done. By 10:30am I was on my way to Home Depot to find the lumber I needed to fix the trim around my door. A fix for the door jam itself will have to wait. I made the HD trip a fast one. In lieu of buying an expensive 8’ rough sawn cedar 1x12 and wasting 5’ of it, I bought an 8’ 1x6”. I’d just double up on the width and it’ll be fine. On my way out I grabbed a pack of AA energizers since I am all out at home.
I was back home just after 11:00am and ready to get started. I planned to work right up until 2:30pm when I would have to go in to finish frosting the brownies and ready for Mindy’s house. The first thing I did was cut and mount the 1x6” board. That was fairly easy. The hard part was splicing the joist with limited space. There’s not enough room for a drill or a hammer for that matter. So, I predrilled eight holes through the scab 2x8” x2’ (four on each side of the seam). Then I placed 3.5 inch spikes in each of holes. With the side of my 8lb sledge I was able to muster just enough space to drive them in. M arms ached a lot when done. Next, I carried nine of the seventeen decking boards from the garage to the deck working my way around the massive pile of old deck carnage.
I started on the bay window side meaning that there’d be an angular cut at each end of the boards – one at the bay window and another at the octagon shaped. I had an existing small piece of treated lumber with the rough angle already precut for the bay window side. I used it as a template to achieve the proper angle. I then slid the boards up to the stucco to check for accuracy then backed it off a quarter inch. The first time I installed the decking I butted it right up against the stucco. Ultimately, I think that helped contribute to some splitting and curling on the ends, not to mention some bleeding of the woods tannin onto the stucco. Using the existing decking as a lateral guide, I simply had to begin securing the boards with decking screws. Of course few boards are perfectly square so most require a Little persuasion in at least a spot or two. For the time being I allowed the step end to hang over the edge. After mounting three pieces I would snap a line of chalk then cut them off with my circular saw. That worked flawlessly.
I carried on with the same process for the next 2.5 hours. A couple of times I had to fight with a decking board to get it snug against the other but all in all it went as planned. In those situations I could’ve used a third hand. Before calling it a day, I carried the remaining boards onto the deck and put them in place. A couple of things to note, I was careful this time to inspect the grain and rings carefully so to place the side prone to cupping face down. The first time I used the “prettiest” side up as the first choice in the process. That wasn’t wise. All of these boards are knotless since I spent the extra money for premium decking. Still, all wood will split and cup if you install it improperly. To my dismay, once all the boards were laying in place (only nailed screwed in) it was apparent that I’ll have to rip about 1.5 inches off of the last one. There’s no getting around it. These decking boards must be about a 16th of an inch wider than their predecessors. I know this for sure. They’re definitely installed tightly against one another. My guess is that because they come injected with water repellant, they are a bit swollen.
A time check revealed that it was pushing 2:30pm. I had to get moving. I put all my tools away then swept the fragments of dirt from the kitchen floor. Just as I was getting ready to head up for a shower I saw that those damn geese were roosting in my back yard again (about 25 of them). This didn’t sit too well with me. You should see all the shit and feathers spread all over the back half of my yard. It’s almost unuseable. I grabbed my bb gun and took a few shots from about 150’. I missed as usual, but managed to rile them up a bit. I moved further into the yard as they entered the water. I pumped the gun about four times and took a shot from my hips with out aim. Next thing I know one of the geese starts swimming in circles frantically. I didn’t even think that I had hit one, but apparently I had. Next, he stuck his head down under water and left it there. Weird! Three others began circling back around him honking fiercely as if they were mourning. He laid there still all the while his head under water. I was overcome with sadness temporarily. I mean, heck, I certainly don’t want to hurt them, but I also don’t want them shitting in my yard. Trust me, it’s worse than any dog! I went back inside and took my shower all the while wondering what came of that hapless goose.
Before getting my shower I finished frosting the brownies and then topped them with some magic shell chocolate, powered cocoa, and caramel/chocolate chips. I also cut the fudge I’d made the night before into chunks and put them in a nice little travel container I saved from Mitchell’s.
After my shower I gathered all of my goodies and my camera and set out for Mindy’s. I was ahead of schedule by about 15 minutes. I knew that Mindy would appreciate me showing up a little early so that I could get the grill going. I arrived around 3:45pm. Once again, the kids greeted me at the driveway, and so did Mindy. She helped carry in my goodies and gear.
Mindy’s mom, the guest of honor, was there too. She had come home with Mindy immediately after church. With out much hesitation, I got busy with the grill. We had 20 brats (8 hot & 12 not), 8 burgers, and 8 hot dogs to be cooked. Soon each of Mindy’s siblings began arriving. Before long she had a mini house full.
The spread looked great. In addition to the meat, we had her sister’s famous dirty rice, a cheese tray, potato salad, chips, veggie tray, and fruit tray. Everyone filled up. The presentation was as good as the food itself. It really looked nice. After our meal we sang Happy B-Day to Gloria and Jeff and then enjoyed some cake.
As the evening wore on Mindy’s siblings began to leave. At the same time, Jacob and Bella asked if I would walk them to the park. I did. It was a little chilly but not too bad. We were gone for about twenty minutes. Upon our return, Jacob asked me to pitch to him. I did. After hitting we played some catch. By then all of the family members had gone and it was just the five of us. After a little play time it was time for the children to get ready for bed. As they normally do, the children asked me to read them a story. I decided to read Bella a pretend book and proceeded to tell her the Three Bears story. She liked it! Jacob wanted to do the seek & find book, so we did.
It was after 8:30pm once the kids were completely settled. Where did the weekend go? It went unbelievably fast to be sure. Plus, I had eaten so much chocolate today that I thought that I might come out of my skin. I was wired! While we sat and talked on the sofa, Mindy was kind enough to give me a foot massage. While doing so she found a splinter in the arch of my foot and immediately went into surgical mode. 10:00pm came around quick. Soon it was time to go home. I had to walk Ykraps since he hadn’t been out since around 8:00am.
I was home by 10:30pm and instantly took Ykraps on a walk out back. I took my new flashlight along to see if I got spot that goose from early. He was no longer lingering in the same area of the pond. Not sure what came of him/her. Afterwards I returned inside for a little guitar playing and the down loading of the days pictures. It was fun! Then, before going to sleep I did some reading. I didn’t fall asleep until almost midnight.
Happy 72nd Gloria!
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I didn’t sleep quite as late as I did Saturday morning, but still a little later than usual. I found my way downstairs just before 8am. The sunny skies I was hopeful to find were noticeably missing once again, although the chance of rain was minimal.
Without wasting too much time, I began carrying out my exercises as soon as I had made some coffee and choked down a vitamin. I was a tad stiff from the physical abuse of ripping up decking boards the day before. But thanks to Mindy’s skillful hands and my anti-inflammatories, my back and shoulders were feeling fine.
Soon Ykraps and I were outside relieving ourselves and getting a feel for the day’s weather. I was hopeful that the sun would be breaking through as originally forecasted, but a recent revision says not. Instead, we’re supposed to be cloud covered most of the day with high’s only reaching 65. Are you frikin’ kidding me!
After enjoying two full cups of coffee I readied for a run. I didn’t want to get too late of start given the day’s somewhat aggressive agenda. I left for my run at 9:31am. I was hovering somewhere near 56 degrees. It was a tad chilly! I finished my run at 10:04am – 33 minutes for 4.1 miles. Not bad.
I wasted little time once I was done. By 10:30am I was on my way to Home Depot to find the lumber I needed to fix the trim around my door. A fix for the door jam itself will have to wait. I made the HD trip a fast one. In lieu of buying an expensive 8’ rough sawn cedar 1x12 and wasting 5’ of it, I bought an 8’ 1x6”. I’d just double up on the width and it’ll be fine. On my way out I grabbed a pack of AA energizers since I am all out at home.
I was back home just after 11:00am and ready to get started. I planned to work right up until 2:30pm when I would have to go in to finish frosting the brownies and ready for Mindy’s house. The first thing I did was cut and mount the 1x6” board. That was fairly easy. The hard part was splicing the joist with limited space. There’s not enough room for a drill or a hammer for that matter. So, I predrilled eight holes through the scab 2x8” x2’ (four on each side of the seam). Then I placed 3.5 inch spikes in each of holes. With the side of my 8lb sledge I was able to muster just enough space to drive them in. M arms ached a lot when done. Next, I carried nine of the seventeen decking boards from the garage to the deck working my way around the massive pile of old deck carnage.
I started on the bay window side meaning that there’d be an angular cut at each end of the boards – one at the bay window and another at the octagon shaped. I had an existing small piece of treated lumber with the rough angle already precut for the bay window side. I used it as a template to achieve the proper angle. I then slid the boards up to the stucco to check for accuracy then backed it off a quarter inch. The first time I installed the decking I butted it right up against the stucco. Ultimately, I think that helped contribute to some splitting and curling on the ends, not to mention some bleeding of the woods tannin onto the stucco. Using the existing decking as a lateral guide, I simply had to begin securing the boards with decking screws. Of course few boards are perfectly square so most require a Little persuasion in at least a spot or two. For the time being I allowed the step end to hang over the edge. After mounting three pieces I would snap a line of chalk then cut them off with my circular saw. That worked flawlessly.
I carried on with the same process for the next 2.5 hours. A couple of times I had to fight with a decking board to get it snug against the other but all in all it went as planned. In those situations I could’ve used a third hand. Before calling it a day, I carried the remaining boards onto the deck and put them in place. A couple of things to note, I was careful this time to inspect the grain and rings carefully so to place the side prone to cupping face down. The first time I used the “prettiest” side up as the first choice in the process. That wasn’t wise. All of these boards are knotless since I spent the extra money for premium decking. Still, all wood will split and cup if you install it improperly. To my dismay, once all the boards were laying in place (only nailed screwed in) it was apparent that I’ll have to rip about 1.5 inches off of the last one. There’s no getting around it. These decking boards must be about a 16th of an inch wider than their predecessors. I know this for sure. They’re definitely installed tightly against one another. My guess is that because they come injected with water repellant, they are a bit swollen.
A time check revealed that it was pushing 2:30pm. I had to get moving. I put all my tools away then swept the fragments of dirt from the kitchen floor. Just as I was getting ready to head up for a shower I saw that those damn geese were roosting in my back yard again (about 25 of them). This didn’t sit too well with me. You should see all the shit and feathers spread all over the back half of my yard. It’s almost unuseable. I grabbed my bb gun and took a few shots from about 150’. I missed as usual, but managed to rile them up a bit. I moved further into the yard as they entered the water. I pumped the gun about four times and took a shot from my hips with out aim. Next thing I know one of the geese starts swimming in circles frantically. I didn’t even think that I had hit one, but apparently I had. Next, he stuck his head down under water and left it there. Weird! Three others began circling back around him honking fiercely as if they were mourning. He laid there still all the while his head under water. I was overcome with sadness temporarily. I mean, heck, I certainly don’t want to hurt them, but I also don’t want them shitting in my yard. Trust me, it’s worse than any dog! I went back inside and took my shower all the while wondering what came of that hapless goose.
Before getting my shower I finished frosting the brownies and then topped them with some magic shell chocolate, powered cocoa, and caramel/chocolate chips. I also cut the fudge I’d made the night before into chunks and put them in a nice little travel container I saved from Mitchell’s.
After my shower I gathered all of my goodies and my camera and set out for Mindy’s. I was ahead of schedule by about 15 minutes. I knew that Mindy would appreciate me showing up a little early so that I could get the grill going. I arrived around 3:45pm. Once again, the kids greeted me at the driveway, and so did Mindy. She helped carry in my goodies and gear.
Mindy’s mom, the guest of honor, was there too. She had come home with Mindy immediately after church. With out much hesitation, I got busy with the grill. We had 20 brats (8 hot & 12 not), 8 burgers, and 8 hot dogs to be cooked. Soon each of Mindy’s siblings began arriving. Before long she had a mini house full.
The spread looked great. In addition to the meat, we had her sister’s famous dirty rice, a cheese tray, potato salad, chips, veggie tray, and fruit tray. Everyone filled up. The presentation was as good as the food itself. It really looked nice. After our meal we sang Happy B-Day to Gloria and Jeff and then enjoyed some cake.
As the evening wore on Mindy’s siblings began to leave. At the same time, Jacob and Bella asked if I would walk them to the park. I did. It was a little chilly but not too bad. We were gone for about twenty minutes. Upon our return, Jacob asked me to pitch to him. I did. After hitting we played some catch. By then all of the family members had gone and it was just the five of us. After a little play time it was time for the children to get ready for bed. As they normally do, the children asked me to read them a story. I decided to read Bella a pretend book and proceeded to tell her the Three Bears story. She liked it! Jacob wanted to do the seek & find book, so we did.
It was after 8:30pm once the kids were completely settled. Where did the weekend go? It went unbelievably fast to be sure. Plus, I had eaten so much chocolate today that I thought that I might come out of my skin. I was wired! While we sat and talked on the sofa, Mindy was kind enough to give me a foot massage. While doing so she found a splinter in the arch of my foot and immediately went into surgical mode. 10:00pm came around quick. Soon it was time to go home. I had to walk Ykraps since he hadn’t been out since around 8:00am.
I was home by 10:30pm and instantly took Ykraps on a walk out back. I took my new flashlight along to see if I got spot that goose from early. He was no longer lingering in the same area of the pond. Not sure what came of him/her. Afterwards I returned inside for a little guitar playing and the down loading of the days pictures. It was fun! Then, before going to sleep I did some reading. I didn’t fall asleep until almost midnight.
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