God give us rain when we expect sun.
Give us music when we expect trouble.
Give us tears when we expect breakfast.
Give us dreams when we expect a storm.
Give us a stray dog when we expect congratulations.
God play with us, turn us sideways and around.
~Micheal Leunig ~
*Sarah Brightman
Hey People! I think I'm still amongst the living and am feeling somewhat better. Thank you for all checking in on me and your concern. That made me feel better! Doctor said it was not strep but was some type throat infection and an ear infection on top of that. I still have my tonsils and have always had trouble with tonsillitis and ear infections if stuff gets my allergies fired up. So anyway, I got a big shot in the ass and some horse pills to take. I was beginning to wonder if even that was going to help but when I woke up this morning the swelling and pain in my throat was much relieved, thank goodness. Just got sore spot on my butt in return!
Yes, that really is a song title and by the legendary Otis Redding, no less. So, anyway, I'm sick! I feel like crap. I guess that's what I get for bragging about how well I was doing back at the first of the week. I thought I was about over the problem I was having during the week and then this afternoon this crud started coming on. My throat is swelling and I feel like someone beat the hell out of me.
Here you can see where I have been adding to the edge of the driveway. I need to add a lot more fill on that left side there. Anytime I have a big truck come in they squeal and moan about that turn being so sharp. Sissies. They never come close to the edge though. But I'm going to fix it. It does need to be wider. I have cut the right side about 2 feet more into the hill but those large rocks keep me from doing much more there.
This is a great big ol' sycamore tree down at the road. Very pretty tree. I love it's white bark.
I believe these are beech trees. They will hold their leaves all winter and stay that copper-like color. It's almost like the new leaves of spring force these old leaves off the tree as they bud out. I think I know how the trees feel. Grendal has leeched onto me and won't let go. She likes to sit in my lap a lot because I naturally put off a lot of heat and she always acts like she is cold. Now that I'm sick, I guess I'm running a fever and am hotter than ever (quit your snickering, you know what I mean), so she has attached herself to me like that moss on a rock.
The great progress I was making at the first of the week crashed and burned about halfway. I have been having a little health problem for over a week and it finally got the best of me a couple of days ago, so I just crashed and slept a lot due to some meds I had to take. It was nothing major, and nothing with my heart, so I'm doing better now but I have not accomplished anything with the house since my last postings. So much for my new goals! I was going to work today but this morning I discovered a water problem again and spent the afternoon fixing that. As soon as I get a good break in the weather I'm going to have to do a major overhaul of the spring where I get my water. Then i had to split some more firewood because this next week is going to turn cold again. If it's not one thing it's another or just the same damn thing over and over again.
This is one of the tracks and what I'm poking at with the stick is where I could see the deer's dew claws made an impression in the mud. On the other track, the main hoof print was as long as my index finger. Now, I have big hands so it was a fair size track.
I was also very happy to see this! This is the little stream that is formed from the water that overflows from my spring and it is full of watercress. My spring is an artesian well; the water boils up out of the ground and about a foot below grade, there is a little overflow outlet that runs all year around. The watercress loves this cold, pure water and right now it is really going bonkers. Yes, I do harvest this, in case you are wondering. When it's small like this, it is great in salads. If you wait until it gets a little bigger it can get kinda hot!
I'm not sure what is going on but over the past week I seem to have developed a much more energetic and positive attitude about things. I mean, not that I've had a crappy attitude. Well, okay, (hush your mumbling..) occasionally I have but I just feel more like working I guess. Really working. I've just been kinda pissing around for so long now but I've got to make a stronger effort to complete things. I have decided a good goal would be that I must complete at least one project a day for at least 5 days of the week. And by project I don't mean really big ones; I just mean get something to a finished point. Like, I installed this skirt and drawer yesterday. Didn't take 15 minutes but it is one more thing done. Don't have to worry about that any more.
Didn't Mouse do a beautiful job on making this? This was his idea too; I didn't design it but after he showed me a little mock-up of what he was talking about it sounded great. I despise a lot of stuff on the counter tops and this let's me put most of my stuff in this little drawer, like that hairbrush sitting there which is now stowed in the drawer. He also designed and installed the drawer so that it pulls out at a slight angle, so it doesn't scuff the wall. Cool huh?
So, yesterday I also worked on siding and got this area almost done. However, right at the end of the day I discovered I had made a mistake in the top 4 pieces of siding. Ouch! So, I just put the tools up and first thing this morning I got up there and took those pieces down and corrected things. I did get this area topped out today and even caulked everything above the window. Tomorrow I'll need to go back and sand some places I patched. Well, the next day it's not raining anyway. I think we are supposed to have storms later.
So, finishing the west end has let me start again on the south side of the house and I began trimming out all the windows. I had to mill some more trim though and this takes a little while if you are doing it by yourself. I got a little further along than what this photo shows before the dark clouds opened up. It's so nice working off level ground too! I'll be so happy not to see that damn Tyvek anymore. The very first thing I did after getting the pick board set up was to clean those kitchen windows though! Gak! they were awful!
This cabinet does have a door but I want to make a very simple stained glass insert for it before I put it on. Mouse made this for me, along with the coolest drawer and 'skirt' for underneath the bathroom countertop. He is, by trade, a cabinet maker and does some really pretty work. I wanted a very simple wall cabinet for the bath so he made this from my description. I've had it for a while but really need to get off my butt and get it installed, so today I started with the first coat of finish. I am using a spar varnish, as I did on all the woodwork in the bath. It is the best kind of finish you can use on anything that might be exposed to water. Not that I expect to be flinging water all over the walls and stuff but you never know....just messin'. The humidity produced in a bath is reason enough to use a spar. Now, spar is a type of varnish, not a brand. It has a slight odor until dry but not overwhelming and imparts a soft, golden glow to most woods. You can easily see which areas I have applied it to in the photo.
This is an old painter's trick to extend the life of your sandpaper that some of you might not know. If you don't have a sanding block this is a good way to make a stiff surface for your paper and not screw your paper up. Fold one sheet in quarters to crease it and then tear one crease only to the center of the sheet.
Fold one quarter up so the the paper back is together.
Fold that quarter (which is actually two) over so that the abrasive side of one is touching the paper back of the other half.
Then, just fold up that last quarter. The idea is that none of the abrasive sides should be touching, so it will not wear itself out. You can then refold the paper as one quarter wears out and it provides a stiffer sanding surface than just one sheet of paper would. Pretty cool huh?! Those old painters do know a few things.
I was going back through the blog and I realized, you know, I didn't really get a whole lot done on the house last year. I know I got burned out and was not able to get any time off from work so there were plenty of days I just didn't do crap. Then, there were a couple of men coming around distracting me. Dang men.
Does that make you feel warm!? Today was an absolute beautiful day and it was warm enough that I just wore a light jacket over one shirt! Wow! However, I am still having trouble completing the back filling behind the house because the freakin' dirt is frozen! I piled up a formidable amount of great topsoil for the top layer of fill but it's frozen solid. Hard as a rock. I can't even break it with the Bobcat. I scraped and pushed and banged...nothing. So, I had to find something else to do today. 
There are 2 kinda sharp curves in my drive that just really freaks a lot of people out so I hauled mucho dirt from the old dam and did a pretty good job easing one of the curves. Now, even a big truck can get more straighten out before heading up the hill and around the next curve. I still have more work to do there but I was about to run out of gas, well, the machine was not me, so I headed back to the house. The Bobcat does not seem to be as fuel efficient as the mini-excavator. I wish I could get some pics or video of the Bobcat in action but since I'm on it, that's kinda hard to do.
The one thing that most people comment on when they visit me, is how quiet and peaceful it is out here. Even though I'm actually not that far from other people, and even subdivisions, the hills and valleys allow for most street and people noise to be blocked. It is very nice. This week however, it has been a little oppressive or isolating. I don't do well in total solitude for long periods. A few days ago I was watching a special on PBS about 'happiness'; maybe some of ya'll saw it too. It was very interesting. They interviewed a man who had been a POW for 7 years during Vietnam and he talked about how he and the other prisoners communicated by tapping on the walls of their cells. I was fascinated at the elaborate code system that they developed to 'talk' to one another. Now, I am in no way trying to compare my situation to the literal hell these men went through, but it occurred to me that, for me, blogging is a similar system. Tapping on keys to see if anyone will talk back. The desire to reach out to other people is strong and curious. Am I such a freaking loser (by not having anyone of my own to talk to) that just seeing words written on a screen by other folks makes me feel better? Maybe I've just read too many recent blog entries by women rattling on about how their husbands did this or that for them. Oh, he chops the wood, he built that stone flower bed, he builds everything for me etc. etc. Oh well, at least I don't have to cook supper if I don't feel like it. I can just eat popcorn and fruit if I want.
What is it with Blogger lately? Are they being a complete friggin' ass with everybody else, or is it just me? Nothing wants to work right. It took me forever to get these #@%#^%&^ photos to load right side up and it keeps wanting to underline everything I type!
I know many of you may have never seen this before and God knows, most residential builders won't go to the trouble to use it, but this is the perf pipe with a sock on it. Just a fine, fabric mesh tube that covers the whole length. If you don't use this type your pipe will fill up with dirt in about 6 months and then you just got a big, fat, solid worm of pipe laying there in the ground doing nothing. And again, I don't care what some contractor told you, if it doesn't have the sock on it, it ain't worth a crap. Do you want to dig this thing back up in a couple of years? No? I didn't think so. Now, you are going to have to go to a commercial construction supply to get this. Lowe's and shit don't have it. They don't even know it exists.
You can also get 90's and T's and such to make different connections and they just snap on, so it's really easy.
After you lay in your pipe with the sock on it, cover the pipe with at least a foot of gravel. You also need to use what we refer to as #57 stone. This is NOT 'crusher run' or similar. #57 stone is a stone of one consistent size and will allow water to freely pass through where 'crusher run' or #89-10 compacts solidly and doesn't allow water to go through as well.
Then, lay down another layer of filter fabric over the stone and start backfilling with dirt. This is a proper French drain and will actually allow water to filter down to an open pipe and be carried away from your foundation. Oh, I forgot to show how I ran the pipe around the corner and down the hill so that it does turn downward and allow water to run rather than just sit in the pipe. It ends down around the front of the house.
That drain pipe is fiendish but I finally got the upper hand on it! I am so happy to have this part almost completed because I think it is going to make things look further along, like I've actually been doing something all this time. 
Now, I hope you all understand that much of that last post was written with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek!
this is with a piece put on the header to make it the same as the other windows. So, this way I would have 2 1/2" wide trim on the sides and a 5" tall piece of trim on the top. I know there is a little notch missing there but just ignore that. What do you think? Do you think this makes the header look top heavy or unbalanced? I know some of you work in design, architectural and otherwise so let's have it....If it makes any difference, the bottom trim piece is the same as all the other windows.
Alright, you people in Canada and those other northern, snowy lands, stop your giggling! To us thin-blooded southerners, this is cold! I know ya'll run around outside nekkid in 20 degree weather. And yes, I spelled that right. As the great Lewis Grizzard once wrote, "naked is when you don't have any clothes on, nekkid is when you don't have any clothes on and you're up to something."
It does add a beautiful feel to the bath. A lot of people have questioned me as to why I insist on adding such touches to the house, because it takes so much time. Hell, I've questioned myself as to why I insist on such stuff! But once it's there it adds so much. It's just a nice touch.
The Grendal of Christmas Present hopes you all have had a wonderful holiday season and will join in the Twelfth Night festivities. The date of Epiphany can vary, if you are going by certain liturgical calenders, but I am just counting straight from Christmas Day for my celebrations. Anyway, today or tomorrow is the date to have all holiday decorations removed from the house and general cleaning done.
Twelfth Night is a time of parties and celebration and many people wait until this night to give gifts, as this is the date generally associated with the Magi visiting the Christ child and presenting the gifts to Him. A 'King's cake' is often baked and decorated lavishly and a coin or bean is slipped into the cake at some point. Some divide the cake into as many pieces as they have guests and some bake it in. Anyway, whoever gets the token is proclaimed King for the day and gets to bless the house.
For the blessing you should have incense or sprigs of dried sage and juniper to burn and a small container of spring water, none of that chlorinated crap. You go to each room of the house with the items, sprinkling the water and saying a simple blessing, such as "Bless all who dwell within this house".
As I mentioned in the previous post, the last couple of days of Christmastide have a few, very obscure associations with them but not much that I could find would be a practical way to celebrate. However, at least one day of the twelve is devoted to honoring the creatures of the earth because they figure so prominently in the folklore of the season. I picked today to try and show the critters of my area a little extra kindness by setting out extra suet blocks and feed. Squirrels will enjoy a few piles of nuts they don't have to scavenge to find. I will also put out a loaf of stale bread and fruit that any number of animals would enjoy. I might even put out some corn for the deer, although some might say I have ulterior motives on that one!
There are loads of stuff you can do for all the critters, whether they are pets or wild. Lika and Grendal will get a few extra treats. Maybe I can find a new heating pad for Grendal to keep her off the floor vent. We are expecting some very cold weather here this week so I imagine the birds and such will really be happy to see more food.
I did not mean to disappear like that but things got kinda busy here over the New Year holiday. An old friend called and wanted to visit, so I cooked the traditional veggies and he brought the pork chops, which we grilled. He insisted on helping me around the house and although I hate to say, 'yeah, come work for me!', I was grateful for the second pair of hands and friendly company. Especially since he knows how to get a contrary Bobcat cranked when the battery in it has gone bad. We discovered that the battery had cracked and most of the water ran out. Not good. So, we borrowed the battery out of Oliver and ran the Bobcat off that. Yeah Allen, if you are reading, I'm going to put it back just as soon as I can get Tommy to bring me a new battery!
I insulated the new duct work I ran from the wood stove to the living room. Let me tell you, that makes a huge difference, so if you haven't done yours you might want to look into that. Just saying. Anyway, Grendal discovered the hole in the floor that releases hot air and now it's a challenge to keep her big butt off the thing so the room gets warmed.
More work continued on the window. I know this looks like a mess and ...well, it is. If you build a window using came instead of copper foil, you have to grout the joints where the glass fits into the channels. This makes the window weather proof and more structurally sound. The grout is a thick, black, oily goo that you just have to scrub into the joints with your hands.
Then you sprinkle the window with whiting and scrub again with a stiff brush. This helps absorb the oil and cleans up the excess grout. It also polishes the lead and zinc came and makes the whole window look finished.
With the Bobcat running, we went over to a neighbors pasture where they had a very large hickory tree fall on their fence. They had told me if I could get the tree off I could have the wood. He sawed it up for me and together we rolled the chunks down the hill and into the bucket of the Bobcat. The tree was so large we could only get about 4 sections of the trunk into the bucket at one time but we could then lift them right up and roll them out into the bed of my truck. I was grateful that he also split a good bit of wood but I will have to get out there and split some more this week as they are predicting a very cold week ahead and even more snow!! 
Happy New Year to everyone!!! I hope everyone out there has made it into the new year okay and will be enjoying time with loved ones today. I'll be having the traditional, southern new year's meal of pork, greens and black-eyed peas and just working around the house.
