Garden 2014

Well we finally got the garden out. We planted five tomato plants and seven pepper plants, three hills of cucumbers and a couple of stands of pole beans. Hopefully we will see some progress in the coming weeks. We have had the plants for over a week in the house due to the cooler temps and the two and a half inches of rain we got this week. The plants was starting to look a little sickly so I hope they come out of it. Time will tell.

Cubanelle

Cajun Belle

Petite Bell

Anaheim Chili

Super Sweet 100

Big Beef

Brandywine

Pineapple

Golden Jubilee

Loss

We wish you could have stayed longer. I feel as if I never really knew you while you were here. Only now that we sort through your belongings that I feel like I know you better. We will miss you and take solace that your suffering is over.

Training

On March 24th after work 3 of my fellow coworkers and I headed South to Brentwood Tenn. for LEAN Management Training. I wasn't sure what to expect and was a little concerned because the people who had been down for training before me said there would be a test and it was tricky. We got down to the Baymont Hotel in Brentwood around 5pm and after getting settled in our rooms for a few minutes we met back in the lobby to head out for supper. We wanted something close after spending so much time on the road so we went to a Chili's that was just behind the hotel. We all filled our stomachs and went back to the hotel to relax before the next mornings classes. We got up bright and early the first morning of class so that we could get good seats and make sure our group got to set together. We got there right at 7am with breakfast served at 7:30. After breakfast we started class at 8:00 am and right from the start the pace of information was very brisk. Ideas and concepts of different ways of thinking about stream lining complex procedures and correction measures to do so. We got out of class at 5:30pm.  That evening we decide to go to the Bass Pro Shop, mall and ate at the Aquarium. The food was very good and scratched my itch for seafood. The second day of class was more of the same but more about problem solving, data collection and the start of implementation. We had a group challenge that involved 20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti a yard of tape, a yard of string and a marshmallow. The challenge was to build the tallest freestanding structure and the complete marshmallow had to be at the very top. We ended up winning that challenge with our tower at 33 inches tall.  That evening we went to the Cracker Barrel for supper and to a Krispy Kreme to taste doughnut fresh out of the fryer. YUM! The third day was co worker buy in and getting people to work with you rather that against you. One from our group was under the weather so instead of staying for the test we ended up heading home and doing the test on line.  It was a very intense 3 days and a lot of information to digest. By the time the trip was done I think all of us was a little worse for wear. I think its going to take a few days to recover.

Another storm on the way.

Over the last few days we have seen yet another winter storm heading into our area. It look like this one will start off with sleet and freezing rain followed by a few inches of snow. I am so sick of this weather and I am ready for spring. I might try to get a few picks of the mess in the coming days. Good luck to everyone out there that is effected by this storm.

Frigid Temps

 

About 6 inches of snow, gusting winds up to 40 mph and temps as low as -9 has made life interesting a round here. We hosted Cynical and Ragged over the weekend but the impending bad weather made them head home a day early. I am ready for winter to be over. Have a good evening and hope you are keeping warm.

The doom is here!

The walk several inches of snow ago.

 

Last night and this morning we got several inches of snow. Several as in like 12. I have spent most of the day shoveling. My arms and back are sore and the white stuff just keeps on falling.

Mr. owl.

A gnome house.

Thanksgiving

This years Thanksgiving was a little different as things are still in flux. Last year we went down to the farm dark and early to put the bird in the oven. This year however we decided to use an electric roaster we had here at the house and so we got up early Thursday and put the 22 pounder in the roaster and went back to bed. We got up around 9am and gave the bird another hour before checking the temp. At 10 am we pulled the lid off the roaster and found the bird had almost fallen apart. The temps told us that the main course was ready. We packed the roaster pan in towels and put it in a plastic tote. We arrived to the farm around 11am and then started on the side. Mashed potatoes, green beans with beacon and cranberry sauce accompanied the turkey along with home made rolls and butternut squash pie. The food was amazing and we all ate our fill. We all sat around the table and enjoyed each others company and before long it was time to head home before it got dark. We observed several deer making their way in to the field for a late evening meal. Overall we had a pleasant Thanksgiving and looking forward to next weekend and gun deer season part 2. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving also.

Just a few projects and repairs.

Over the last few weeks I have tried to keep myself busy with things to do before the snow starts to fly. It started with putting new brakes on the Jeep. While doing so I noticed what I thought was some surface rust but after some inspection I found out that the frame was in very bad shape. After acquiring some metal I had a friend weld the patches over the bad spots in the frame. This was better but I thought the strapping needed a bit more reinforcement. I purchased a flux wire welder from Harbor Freight and after watching few YouTube videos taught myself to weld. I started working on the Jeep and while doing so I cut off the cat and the muffler to better access the frame. After the welding was done I painted the frame and re installed the cat and muffler. Finding the battery was getting weak so I had to pick up one of those. I then moved to Needles truck. Due to overheating I replaced heat sensor and thermostat to find out it was a freeze plug. When we got the truck back from the shop, I decided to do something about the paint. It was in pretty bad shape in a few spots so I ordered the factory paint and prepped the hood and top of the cab. After prepping I painted and finished the hood and several other problem areas. I decided to bed line the top of the cab, front and back bumper, step bars and tops of the bed rails. I think it turned out pretty good. It is a lot better than what it was. After the paint job I slapped four new shocks on it. I then moved back to the Jeep since the bed liner turned out well on the truck, I decided to paint the fender flares and the bumpers on the Jeep. I also drained and refilled the rear end oil and flushed the radiator. Once that was finished I moved back to the Dakota and replaced all four speakers and tomorrow I am replacing the radio. Just in time for deer season. We have spent a lot of money on our vehicles in the hope that they will last us for several more years.

Night of the Living Dead

 

Tonight we went with my brother and his family to see Night of the Living Dead. A local play done by the Old Town Players. It was their second night for this play and I would say they did a good job but it needs a little polish. I am sure with the next several performances it will get better and better. We all had a good time and was thoroughly entertained, after all that is what it;s all about anyway. Have a good night.....Brains!

Kentucky

A trip to Kentucky last weekend gave us a chance to visit with the family and to see the new water fountain across from the courthouse.

Star Trek Convention 2013

Last weekend we venture South to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the Star Trek Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Here are a few pictures from our stay.

 Chekov - Walter Koenig

 Jadzia Dax - Terry Farrell

 Malcolm Reed - Dominic Keating

 Harry Kim - Garret Wang

 Odo and Kira - Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor

 K'Ehleyr - Susie Plakson

 Leeta - Chase Masterson

 Quark - Armin Shimerman

 Tasha Yar - Denise Crosby

Tuvok - Tim Russ

 ROM - Max Grodenchik

NOG - Aron Eisenberg

Under the House.

A couple of weekends ago while under the house trying to re level the kitchen floor I noticed a corroded pipe. It was a gas pipe which makes me a little nervous for it to fail and send explosive gas under the house looking for a spark. I wondered about getting someone to replace the pipe but this would undoubtedly cost a few hundred bucks. I did some research and found a product that would encapsulate the pipe and keep it from corroding further. I ordered the product called pipe wrap which cost $40. Since my Mom and Dad came up this weekend I decided to put it off until Monday. Well today is Monday so after shutting off the gas I gathered my tools and crawled under the house. After doing some additional shimming of the floors I moved on the the main project. The pipe was laying on top of an old red brick which allowed the ground moister to move to the pipe and cause the corrosion. First thing was to remove the brink and dig out enough dirt under the pipe to allow me enough room to wrap the pipe. I prepped the pipe with a wire brush and rasp to remove the loose rust and then prepared the epoxy coating. After apply the epoxy I then wet the fiberglass casting material and began to wrap the pipe. After wrapping the pipe you have to smooth the casting material with your hand for a couple of minutes to allow the product to cure. After project was done and a quick check on one of the sticking doors to see if the shimming worked, I was ready to get out from under the house. Total work time approx. 60 minutes. I am glad to get at least one thing that was looming over my head accomplished. I still have several other things that need to be finished up but it seems like I have to wait. Hope everyone had a good three day weekend.

Progress

All 15 of the windows are in but the trim has a few days left yet.

 

I do believe it is an improvement.

A little remodeling in the works.

We have taken the plunge and purchased new windows for the house and had them contracted to put in. The guy is supposed to start on them Monday so I hope everything goes well. I am a bit hesitant to put money into this house but maybe in the long run it will pay for itself in lower bills and if we ever decide to get the heck out of here.

Garden Patch

We have been getting a bit of produce from our small garden. The garden has yielded several dozen cherry tomatoes and one large tomato with several larger about ripe. I have picked a couple of sweet peppers and have had several hot peppers. We have cooked one mess of green beans with almost another bunch ready for cooking. Then there is the cucumbers. We have probably harvested 30 or so cucumbers with many more to come. Since the neighbors have moved on, we have been picking the blueberries. I have gotten about 3 gallons so far with many more berries ready every day. Got to love this fresh produce.

Birthday weekend.

Friday we headed down to Owensboro for the weekend with Cynical and Ragged. We arrived and then made out way to Yellow Creek Park for ROMP. When we got to the park we made our way across the crowd and found a place to set up our lawn chairs. We got to see Della Mae, SteelDrivers, The Dangerous Gentleman, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leftover Salmon.

The Deadly Gentleman

Carolina Chocolate Drops

 Della Mae

 Leftover Salmon

SteelDrivers

 

We returned back to Cynical and Ragged's home to stay up late into the night catching up on life. The next morning we awoke to breakfast prepared by our hosts, we stayed close to home and I was presented with a birthday cake from our hosts before returning to the park for the last evening of ROMP. Unfortunately the weather turned on us and we cut the evening short with a stop at Capone's for pizza. We returned to our host's home for the night. For lunch the next day we went to Panera Bread. Our visit ended all too soon and we had to return home. We had a wonderful weekend and hope to see our family soon.

P.S. Thanks Cynical and Ragged for the birthday cake, the Romp tickets and a wonderful weekend.

We're Back!

For details on our latest vacation check out the travel blog. The link is in the gutter to the right.

Memorial Day

Today I want to thank everyone in our armed services and to remember the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to have the freedoms that we have today.

 

A picture I took at Arlington Cemetery in 2009.

Cinco de Mayo

Today we went down to the farm and had tacos for Cinco de Mayo. After our visit we returned home to put some of the tomatoes and peppers we picked up yesterday in the ground. I know the wet muddy earth isn't the best for planting right now but if we waited any long I think we wouldn't have anything left to plant. One of the plants had a rough ride home and was bent over when we arrived. Not long after letting it set in the back room to straighten out, I knocked the same tomato plant off into the floor. I don't think this plant isn't meant to make it. We will see.

The day the music died.

Yesterday afternoon Needles and I were setting in the living room and all of a sudden we heard a crackling from the surround sound system. I looked over the speakers and after a bit of investigating, discovered that the 9 year old Bose system was as dead as a doornail. I removed the unit and settled on listening to the T.V. speakers. After about 10 seconds of that, I decided that this wasn't going to work. Since my birthday was coming up, Needles offered to purchase a surround sound system for me. I did some research and decided on one that I thought would do the job without breaking the bank. It will be a few days before the new unit will be here but until then, we will have to settle with  the crappy T.V. speakers. Over the last few days, Needle and I have been preparing a little area in the yard for a garden. Today Needles planted some green beans and cucumbers. We are homing in a couple of months that we might have some fresh garden vegetables. We have already harvested a good serving of asparagus and the raspberry canes are looking healthy. Tomorrow we are planning on picking up some tomatoes and peppers to get in the ground. Last week Needles picked up a pink dogwood tree so we got it planted in the backyard.  It is finally nice to be able to spend some outdoors in the nice weather. Have a good weekend.