Monday, April 28, 2008

And 2 weeks later.....

.....I still have nothing to report....but tomorrow I take pics of my big 5 month project and as of wednsday evening, I'll be on walkabout.....yep, a few days off are in order, so I got the "Crackmobile" outfitted and am getting set to head out, somewhere....anywhere.....but most importantly, a place where there is no cell reception, and as far as the eye can see rolling hills, thick woods, water, and fish. The bear and I spent sunday on the water catching crappies and as of now, wednsday couldn't come fast enough. Check in tomorrow, I'll have pics of one sweet renovation.....As for now, I'm on my way to Restoration Hardware to pick up a few final pieces!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

I can feel, for heavens sake.....

.....for tonight, We'll try something new. More pics, less words, and a short story at the end about taking my 13 year old daughter to her first show.(concert for those not in the know ; )
Most of what I have is about this old house, and the beginings of the process to make it ours. So for starters, lets talk carpet. If theres one thing I hate more than feet, it's carpet.. Carpet is just gross, even when it's brand new like ours was when we moved in, carpet just fuels the germaphobe in me and already I've had enough.....so I did something about it....behold......

Yep, here's where it starts! Enough of the wiring, and replumbung of the laundry area in the basement, and fixing of the down spouts and drainage lines, and.....you get the picture. Time to tear shit apart and put it back together. Get to what I do best....Carpentry.....(and drinking)
With all the excitement, Poor Crosby needed a nap, and as I pulled staples, tack strips, and used hot water and white vinegar to scrub off what seemed like half a million little paint spots he just sacked out and snored. as I pulled back more padding, he'd just move a few feet back and sleep some more. (lucky bastard)
The fruit of my labor was this......Who in their right mind would cover this? To each their own I suppose but knowing what lied beneath ate at me all winter and I have swore for months that I'd rip it all out when spring came. The Misses was a huge help with the billion staples from who knows how many re-carpet-ings and in the end got into the swing of things and was re arranging furniture and talking wall colors by the end of the day. Especially in the dining room.



When there wasn't an assload of snow on the ground, it bothered me to no end that there wasn't any mulch in any of the beds...just mud....that the dog just couldn't stay out of....So before plants started emerging, I picked up a big load of bulk mulch with the "Crack Mobile 150" and laid it on thick. Just in time I'd say since there isn't 3 square inches in any of the flower beds without something popping up. This is better than x-mas morning, since we have no Idea whats in any of them! So far tons of lillies, tulips, 6 out of control Peonie groups, cool ground cover, etc....I'll keep those pics flowing as they come up!

Next week, the lawn gets a nice dusting of powdered Com-Till (pulverized mulch mixed with essentially human wast,e sludge from local waste water facilities)(yelgth.......). As gross as it is, I'll get over it for a kick ass lawn devoid of fertilizers or other chemicals, and I won't tell one damn neighbor what I used when they come asking.... "Oh, some shit from 'Blows' in a bag" is all I'm sayin'!

Didn't I say less words? Damn am I shot......On the knitting frontlines is a variation of my beer cozy, designed with a flap to protect my really expensive Bronze Block plane, known only as "the precious"(like golum from lord of the rings, you get the picture) safe in my nail apron. Everyone who knows me, knows not to fucking touch it. This is not a tool for sharing. it you need one, you need to buy one. That's the rule.....

Next up is a Clog experiment...I love my army man green crocks...The kids love theirs....My wife has several pairs, but they are cold in the winter....So why not knit up Fiber trends clog pattern, just without the second sole as a nice warm liner? I think the Lambs pride bulky verigated I used is still too thick, but since I can crank these puppies out in record time, I'll knit some more out of a thinner yarn on smaller needles until I get it right. On the topic of taking your kids to their first show when they are old enough......

We went to CD101.1's annual spring show.....It was a fuckin' blast! 6 bands, 5 bucks and the line up was awesome.... Ashley loved the switches and they put on a long set of 8 songs complete with knocking over mic stands, wrecking guitars, and roadies scrambling to keep up! She was grinning ear to ear all night and even wanted to stay in the crowd on the floor in front of the stage start to finish. They were good, but the Duke spirit was absolutely awesome live, so much that I'm gonna go see them in a few more weeks again with Black rebel motorcycle club.....Looks as though I've found myself a concert buddy for life, and that I'm not a total square of a parent as she spent all night pointing out the ones hovering in the background, trying to keep an eye on where their kids ran off to.....for the most part, it was a great show, and a well behaved older (but drunken) crowd of mid 20's to mid 30's. A perfect night wasn't complete without a pit stop of taco hell for food.