Well, it has been a whole week since I posted. "Why?" you may ask. We arrived home from San Diego on Friday, July 25th (which, incidentally was my Grandma Brooks's birthday...happy 118th, Grandma...although she passed away in 1966). While we were there, I thought I was a kid again, and I kind of wrecked my back. So, I have been recuperating. The good news is that we got the work done that we set out to do. Tim and I tore down a brick wall and remodeled a shed and moved it to the back corner of the lot. These two projects gave Tim and Laura what may be the largest backyard in San Diego!!
Since we arrived back in Clackamas, the weather has been hotter each day. Saturday was around 95. Sunday was closer to 100. Yesterday, we recorded 105, and today the high was 108. Tomorrow is forecast to be about the same as today, and then a cooling trend will set in. By the weekend, it will be back in the mid-80s.
Last night at 11:00 PM, Laura called to say she is in the hospital with premature labor. This is eerily similar to the time four years ago, when Jill and I had been in San Diego helping the kids paint their condo. The day after we arrived home, Laura called from the hospital, where she was in premature labor. That time, they got the contractions stopped and she went home after a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, her water broke a couple of days later, and Josiah was born 5 1/2 weeks prematurely.
We are hoping that things will go better this time. Her contractions are now stopped, but the doctor wants to keep her in the hospital to make sure. Jill will probably fly down there on Thursday, which would be a prerequisite for Laura's being able to go home from the hospital. This time around, there is an almost 4 year old who needs tending, and Laura needs bed rest. She is not due until early September, but she has been told that the baby will be full term in terms of development by August 15th. So, the current goal is to keep the little beggar in there at least until August 15th and then let nature take its course. August 15th is Josiah's birthday, so it would be ironic if the new baby comes on that day!! Bit of an intrusion on J-man's big day!
So, life is uncertain and a little trying at the moment. We are scheduled to take a motor home trip to Hood Canal a week from today. It is looking pretty much like that will not be happening. If Jill is in San Diego, I would be pretty lonely in the motor home, not to mention that I may be needed in San Diego at some point, too. We shall see what the Good Lord has in store for our family. I am reminded of James 4:13-14: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Destruction, construction and a birthday bash...
My goodness, it has been ten days since I posted! Where does the time go? We are in San Diego, staying with Laura and Tim and little Josiah. Another baby is due to be born on September 5th, and the kids wanted help with straightening up the yard and getting prepared for the arrival of our second grandson.
So far, Tim and I have knocked down the cement block wall that ran between the house and the garage. It was about 16 feet long, six feet high and about 6 inches thick. We rented a rotary hammer, also known as a jack hammer, and went at it. It took us about four hours to remove the wall and a brick planter that was on the back side of it. Cleaning up the rubble is another matter entirely. Tim has a call in to a couple of possible sources for hauling away the debris from the wall, along with other trash that has accumulated.
Some of that other trash is left over from our second big project. There was an 8' by 10' shed made of sheet metal in the back yard. It was old and rusty and dilapidated, and Tim and Laura wanted it removed in order to open up the other end of the back yard. Tim and I talked it over and decided to dismantle half of the shed and do some remodeling which will result in a smaller shed that is 5' by 8'. That project is about 80% complete. There is still a gap between the roof ridge and the top of the wall that I moved into what was formerly the center of the shed. I hope today to engineer a solution to that problem. Then it will remain to pressure wash and paint the "new" old shed and move it to its new location by the corner of the fence. Jill, bless her heart, has offered to do the painting, a job I do not relish.
The final construction project for this visit will be a new gate between the garage and the end of the fence, which formerly connected to the now defunct brick wall. This project should be relatively simple, and it involves using new materials, unlike the shed remodel, which involves old rusty sheet metal, screws that are rusted to their nuts and have their screw driver slots filled with old paint. And spiders...did I mention the old shed was a haven for spider, from daddy long-legs to black widows! Yuck!!
Yesterday was my birthday, and we had a wonderful time. The whole family went out for breakfast. Then Tim and I went to work on making a new brick foundation for the shed. Later we placed the final fence post to support the end of the fence that formerly attached to the brick wall. That is the one on which the new gate will swing.
At the end of the day, Tim, a master of the grill, grilled some nice thick lamb chops, asparagus and fingerling potatoes for my birthday dinner. We topped it all off with a bit of ice cream cake from Baskin and Robbins! What a feast...what a family. It was a VERY good birthday.
So far, Tim and I have knocked down the cement block wall that ran between the house and the garage. It was about 16 feet long, six feet high and about 6 inches thick. We rented a rotary hammer, also known as a jack hammer, and went at it. It took us about four hours to remove the wall and a brick planter that was on the back side of it. Cleaning up the rubble is another matter entirely. Tim has a call in to a couple of possible sources for hauling away the debris from the wall, along with other trash that has accumulated.
Some of that other trash is left over from our second big project. There was an 8' by 10' shed made of sheet metal in the back yard. It was old and rusty and dilapidated, and Tim and Laura wanted it removed in order to open up the other end of the back yard. Tim and I talked it over and decided to dismantle half of the shed and do some remodeling which will result in a smaller shed that is 5' by 8'. That project is about 80% complete. There is still a gap between the roof ridge and the top of the wall that I moved into what was formerly the center of the shed. I hope today to engineer a solution to that problem. Then it will remain to pressure wash and paint the "new" old shed and move it to its new location by the corner of the fence. Jill, bless her heart, has offered to do the painting, a job I do not relish.
The final construction project for this visit will be a new gate between the garage and the end of the fence, which formerly connected to the now defunct brick wall. This project should be relatively simple, and it involves using new materials, unlike the shed remodel, which involves old rusty sheet metal, screws that are rusted to their nuts and have their screw driver slots filled with old paint. And spiders...did I mention the old shed was a haven for spider, from daddy long-legs to black widows! Yuck!!
Yesterday was my birthday, and we had a wonderful time. The whole family went out for breakfast. Then Tim and I went to work on making a new brick foundation for the shed. Later we placed the final fence post to support the end of the fence that formerly attached to the brick wall. That is the one on which the new gate will swing.
At the end of the day, Tim, a master of the grill, grilled some nice thick lamb chops, asparagus and fingerling potatoes for my birthday dinner. We topped it all off with a bit of ice cream cake from Baskin and Robbins! What a feast...what a family. It was a VERY good birthday.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Like a babbling brook...
Finally, I found time today to overhaul the fish pond. I just went through this whole process a year ago, because the pump died. I bought a new pump last August; in January it failed. I didn't want to get into the pond when it was full of ice water, so I postponed the repair. Well, then I found it easy to procrastinate about getting it done. It's true that we were on a road trip for a month, and then we were getting the house ready for all of our kids to visit in June. Then the kids all showed up, and we had a great time. Then Patrick had eye surgery and spent a couple of days with us.
So, today was the day for the project. Actually, I cleaned out a bunch of algae yesterday, which helped a good deal, but the water was still cloudy and the pump was still broken. So, today, I tried to defeat the GFCI long enough to pump the pond dry, but after about a minute, the pump quit altogether. That put me in the position of having to hand bail 300 gallons of water by hand. Not fun!!
Part of the reason that I have procrastinated on this project is that I expected to have to fight with the pond shop to get a new pump. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tranquility Ponds in Clackamas cheerfully gave me a new pump on warranty exchange!
Once I had the pump in hand, I installed it and pumped the last of the water out of the pond. Then I hooked up the pressure washer and cleaned the rocks and replaced the ones that the raccoon had dislodged last year when he ate my favorite gold fish. By five o'clock, I was filling the pond and trying out the new pump. It really looks great. Tomorrow, I will go to the pond shop again and buy some water hyacinth to float in the pond.
I had caught the two goldfish we had left in the pond and put them in a bucket while I was cleaning the pond. After it was refilled, I put the fish back in, and they seem to be very happy. So, I am very happy; Jill is very happy. Everyone is very happy. Pogo was not too happy while we were sitting by the pond watching the fish. She wanted more dinner...
So, today was the day for the project. Actually, I cleaned out a bunch of algae yesterday, which helped a good deal, but the water was still cloudy and the pump was still broken. So, today, I tried to defeat the GFCI long enough to pump the pond dry, but after about a minute, the pump quit altogether. That put me in the position of having to hand bail 300 gallons of water by hand. Not fun!!
Part of the reason that I have procrastinated on this project is that I expected to have to fight with the pond shop to get a new pump. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tranquility Ponds in Clackamas cheerfully gave me a new pump on warranty exchange!
Once I had the pump in hand, I installed it and pumped the last of the water out of the pond. Then I hooked up the pressure washer and cleaned the rocks and replaced the ones that the raccoon had dislodged last year when he ate my favorite gold fish. By five o'clock, I was filling the pond and trying out the new pump. It really looks great. Tomorrow, I will go to the pond shop again and buy some water hyacinth to float in the pond.
I had caught the two goldfish we had left in the pond and put them in a bucket while I was cleaning the pond. After it was refilled, I put the fish back in, and they seem to be very happy. So, I am very happy; Jill is very happy. Everyone is very happy. Pogo was not too happy while we were sitting by the pond watching the fish. She wanted more dinner...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Some of this and some of that...
Busy day today. It was supposed to be the "repair the fish pond day," but things got in the way. I had to do some bookkeeping. Then I had to call an insurance company regarding my dad's estate. The call didn't go through, so I had to send an email to the company. When I finally went outside to work on the pond, I thought I had better check the mole trap to see if I had caught my little friend who has been wreaking havoc in back yard.
I did, in fact score with the mole trap. That was a relief, since the count of mole hills had increased to 14. Having caught the mole, I felt confident in cleaning up all the mole hills he had created. By then I was on a roll with reclaiming the lawn. I mowed, fertilized and watered both front and back lawns. Well, by the time I finished all that stuff, it was time for lunch with Perry. Jill had gone next door to babysit, so I made a sandwich, switched on the tube (yes, we still have a tube, which is not to say that Jill and I haven't had long discussions about a large flat panel set), and sat down to see whodunit.
After lunch, Jill came home, and we went to the pond supply shop to get a vacuum cleaner-like gadget to pick up debris from the bottom of the pond. The gadget looks like a vacuum cleaner hose attached to a rigid section of telescoping pipe with a vacuum cleaner brush type attachment on the end. It hooks up to a garden hose, and the idea is that the water from the garden hose squirts out of a nozzle at high velocity, creating a venturi effect and causing water (and any nearby debris) to be drawn into the pipe and discharged through the vacuum cleaner hose onto the lawn.
You know those things in life that seem so right and turn out to be such a disappointment? Well, the "Muck Vac" is one of them. The concept is so good; the execution not so much. The directions say that the contraption requires 50 psi of water pressure, and I know that our water pressure is on the order of 65 psi. Nevertheless, the water pressure was inadequate to lift the pond water high enough in the tube for it to actually be expelled out the end of the exhaust hose.
Years ago, I constructed a gadget that works on the same principle. It uses water at high speed to produce a venturi suction, but instead of lifting the water out of the pond, it discharges at pond level into a nylon stocking, which acts as a filter. It works like a champ, but it adds a lot of water to the pond, and sometimes the stocking tears and spills it's contents back into the pond. So, I was hoping the Muck Vac would be the answer. Wrong! Tomorrow it goes back to the store. I'll get my $118 back and keep using my $10 homemade thingamajig.
I forgot to mention that we were expecting to host 9 for dinner this evening, so a portion the morning was given over, among other things, to dicing and marinating 6 or 8 pork chops for making teriyaki shish kebabs. After my battle with pond scum, I came in and assembled the kebabs. I can tell you, that is a lot of skewering!! In the end it was well worth the effort. The kebabs were fun to eat, and the company was non-pareil.
I did, in fact score with the mole trap. That was a relief, since the count of mole hills had increased to 14. Having caught the mole, I felt confident in cleaning up all the mole hills he had created. By then I was on a roll with reclaiming the lawn. I mowed, fertilized and watered both front and back lawns. Well, by the time I finished all that stuff, it was time for lunch with Perry. Jill had gone next door to babysit, so I made a sandwich, switched on the tube (yes, we still have a tube, which is not to say that Jill and I haven't had long discussions about a large flat panel set), and sat down to see whodunit.
After lunch, Jill came home, and we went to the pond supply shop to get a vacuum cleaner-like gadget to pick up debris from the bottom of the pond. The gadget looks like a vacuum cleaner hose attached to a rigid section of telescoping pipe with a vacuum cleaner brush type attachment on the end. It hooks up to a garden hose, and the idea is that the water from the garden hose squirts out of a nozzle at high velocity, creating a venturi effect and causing water (and any nearby debris) to be drawn into the pipe and discharged through the vacuum cleaner hose onto the lawn.
You know those things in life that seem so right and turn out to be such a disappointment? Well, the "Muck Vac" is one of them. The concept is so good; the execution not so much. The directions say that the contraption requires 50 psi of water pressure, and I know that our water pressure is on the order of 65 psi. Nevertheless, the water pressure was inadequate to lift the pond water high enough in the tube for it to actually be expelled out the end of the exhaust hose.
Years ago, I constructed a gadget that works on the same principle. It uses water at high speed to produce a venturi suction, but instead of lifting the water out of the pond, it discharges at pond level into a nylon stocking, which acts as a filter. It works like a champ, but it adds a lot of water to the pond, and sometimes the stocking tears and spills it's contents back into the pond. So, I was hoping the Muck Vac would be the answer. Wrong! Tomorrow it goes back to the store. I'll get my $118 back and keep using my $10 homemade thingamajig.
I forgot to mention that we were expecting to host 9 for dinner this evening, so a portion the morning was given over, among other things, to dicing and marinating 6 or 8 pork chops for making teriyaki shish kebabs. After my battle with pond scum, I came in and assembled the kebabs. I can tell you, that is a lot of skewering!! In the end it was well worth the effort. The kebabs were fun to eat, and the company was non-pareil.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
And later the same day...
Patrick's eye surgery went well. In the words of his doctor, "It was uneventful." That may be true of the surgery, and we are confident that Pat will have a speedy and satisfying recovery. In the short term, however, he is suffering mightily with pain and nausea.
The nausea, we are told, is in part the result of the surgery, since visual input can induce nausea. In addition, the medications that were used to induce general anesthesia are known to cause nausea. The pain, on the other hand, seems excessive, since the doctor told him he would have "some discomfort" for two or three days and didn't prescribe anything other than OTC analgesics.
He is sleeping now, while Jill and Katie and I sit in the dark because we don't want Pat to get up and come into a brightly lit room. Even Pogo seems concerned and keeps going to the door of the room where Patrick lies sleeping. We trust that God will bring him through this, and he will soon be in the pink again.
The nausea, we are told, is in part the result of the surgery, since visual input can induce nausea. In addition, the medications that were used to induce general anesthesia are known to cause nausea. The pain, on the other hand, seems excessive, since the doctor told him he would have "some discomfort" for two or three days and didn't prescribe anything other than OTC analgesics.
He is sleeping now, while Jill and Katie and I sit in the dark because we don't want Pat to get up and come into a brightly lit room. Even Pogo seems concerned and keeps going to the door of the room where Patrick lies sleeping. We trust that God will bring him through this, and he will soon be in the pink again.
A day like all days...
I write this from OHSU's Casey Eye Institute. Patrick is having surgery as I write to correct his strabismus (crossed eyes), which was diagnosed 20 years ago. He and I are both asking the question, "Why wasn't this taken care of then?" I don't have answers, but I do have faith in his surgeon, and we expect a good outcome. In fact, the surgeon told him that he won't even need to wear contact lenses when it is finished.
We (Jill and I) are in the waiting room, but Katie went back to the prep area with Pat. The surgeon told us that the procedure takes about 45 minutes. That, of course, doesn't include prep and recovery time. It is a day surgery, and Pat will be going home with us. I suspect he and Katie will go back to Monmouth this evening. If I were the patient, I would want to recuperate in my own home, rather than at my parents' house!
This has been a full day. Pat and I played 9 holes of golf this morning at a par 3 course near my home. It was neck and neck in a see-saw battle, until the old man quadruple bogied the 9th!! It was the pressure, man...
After the golf game, we did a little geo-caching. Things didn't seem right and we didn't find the cache. When we got home, it turns out that the GPS co-ordinates we were using were given in degrees, minutes and tenths of minutes, whereas our GPS reads out in degrees, minutes and seconds. The difference in notation put us off target by something like a mile!! That is not conducive to successful geo-caching.
Today is Jill's and my 8th wedding anniversary. Pat and I stopped by Safeway on the way back to the house to pick up a dozen red roses. They made a hit and bought me a few husband points. So, this has been an eventful day so far, and it is just now 1:36 PM! I think I'll go rest now.
We (Jill and I) are in the waiting room, but Katie went back to the prep area with Pat. The surgeon told us that the procedure takes about 45 minutes. That, of course, doesn't include prep and recovery time. It is a day surgery, and Pat will be going home with us. I suspect he and Katie will go back to Monmouth this evening. If I were the patient, I would want to recuperate in my own home, rather than at my parents' house!
This has been a full day. Pat and I played 9 holes of golf this morning at a par 3 course near my home. It was neck and neck in a see-saw battle, until the old man quadruple bogied the 9th!! It was the pressure, man...
After the golf game, we did a little geo-caching. Things didn't seem right and we didn't find the cache. When we got home, it turns out that the GPS co-ordinates we were using were given in degrees, minutes and tenths of minutes, whereas our GPS reads out in degrees, minutes and seconds. The difference in notation put us off target by something like a mile!! That is not conducive to successful geo-caching.
Today is Jill's and my 8th wedding anniversary. Pat and I stopped by Safeway on the way back to the house to pick up a dozen red roses. They made a hit and bought me a few husband points. So, this has been an eventful day so far, and it is just now 1:36 PM! I think I'll go rest now.
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