That time of the year again, dry dusty roads and the smell of grin dust in the air. The farm neighbours scrambling around to get the feed in the yard and the field work done. Things are a bit delayed this year due to the annoying little showers we had nearly every day. Never enough rain to do any good but enough to keep the hay from being baled. But we prevailed and have first and second cut hay in the yard green feed is ready to bale and we weaned the large group of calves yesterday, surprisingly without a hitch. That makes me worried about today's job, weaning the second group, all heifer calves we pastured separately with no bull. But I will remain optimistic that things will go well.
We trailered the calves home after sorting them from their mothers. Once they are all here then we run them over a Scale to get a weight. 69 steer calves averaged 697 lb. not bad over all. That includes the twin calves and April/may calves too. The heaviest calf weaned 826 lb. and the lightest was 497.
The weight was down a bit from last year but we had less, beneficial rain this year and less grass. We started calving two weeks later as well so the calves are a bit younger, all in all we are Happy, now we just need the price to stay up.
Splendor
September 9, 2013
August 30, 2013
On Autumns doorstep
Here we are nearing the end of seasonal summer (I go by nature not the calendar) the grasses are drying off and the golden rod is blooming, even the rose hips are turning dark orange. Leaves on a lot of the trees are yellowing and in a strong wind a few are already letting go to flutter to the ground.
I also know that autumn is near because we are getting ready to wean this years crop of calves.
Rob will start cleaning the corrals this weekend and I am doing the calf sheets up, which lists the animals tag numbers, parents and weights etc. The only fly in the ointment to us being able to wean the first group on Monday is the neighbour, who offered to do a spot of specialty welding on our aluminum stock trailer, still hasn't done it yet.
This neighbour is a really nice guy but super super busy, he works the oilfield, owns a picker truck, and farms. We have him do some welding for us from time to time and in return he borrows our equipment to farm, He has only been farming for a dozen years and doesn't have the extensive line of machinery that Rob has. He borrows things like a field disc, cultivator, our grain truck and just this week our hay rake, he has a brand new version of our rake but his hired help ( the teenage boy he hired to help hay) hit a rut and ripped one of the rake wheels off. This neighbour is hard on his equipment because he is so busy and does everything at high speed to be able to get it all done on time. Makes me cringe a bit when he borrows our newer stuff, but we can't say no or he might not do the welding.
I have to nag Rob to get him to nag Troy...hahahaha....or we won't be weaning until November...
I am hopeful that the good healthy cattle prices stay up until we sell the calves sometimes in late October. Last year they stayed good until the week before ours sold...which was so disappointing.
I got my hair cut on Tuesday. It's been 10 months since my regular stylist went on maternity leave, perhaps never to return, she was having twins. In April I broke down and went to new salon in town, which turned out to be a big mistake. I got a very bad cut and paid a hefty price for the privilege. Since then I have just let it grow but it was in dire need of a trim at the least to get rid of the bad ends. The layering had basically grown out and it just hung there limply...An, EX-friend (recently a person I thought of as good friend) recommended I try one of the many FIRST CHOICE Cut places in the city. and to it just goes to prove how desperate I was for a cut, I actually went to one. It was a very sterile, kind of surreal experience. You don't know the persons name, you can't choose who cut it, who ever is free takes the next person on the list kinda thing. I got a young Asian girl, she was pleasant enough, talked the whole time about how much her boyfriend wants to have a child. They do not wash your hair, or they do but it costs $5. they do not use any product, just spray the hair with water and cut...they do blow dry but she just used her fingers to move the hair around and so when I left, my hair was full of static cling and drove me insane the rest of the day...which we spent in the city...and I looked like a hillbilly with flat lifeless hair hanging in my face....I hate that... and I look hideous with straight hair. I always need volume and wave in my hair style to even half descent. In spite of the initial drama in the truck, taking my ex-friends name in vain and cursing Rob for suggesting I ask her opinion, I survived...but just barely...hahaha The actual hair cut was not bad, the next day I washed and styled it myself the way I like and it looks good. So I might think about going back, it was certainly affordable, I call it a super shaggy page boy style. The multi layering looks good on me and really lets my natural curl happen, right now it looks like a perm job its so curly.
I had the consult with the aneasticist on Wednesday finally in preparation for my colonoscopy. Have you had yours? If you're fifty or older you need to have one done. I went last month to see the surgeon who does it and was turned away because he cancelled his appointment due to a surgery at the hosp. then this week I was to go on Monday, but the anesticist was sick after a holiday in Egypt and cancelled to rebook for Wednesday, I finally got to see him and am all ready for my procedure in two weeks. Hopefully I get the all clear like Rob did last year and won't have to go for another 10 years.
I also know that autumn is near because we are getting ready to wean this years crop of calves.
Rob will start cleaning the corrals this weekend and I am doing the calf sheets up, which lists the animals tag numbers, parents and weights etc. The only fly in the ointment to us being able to wean the first group on Monday is the neighbour, who offered to do a spot of specialty welding on our aluminum stock trailer, still hasn't done it yet.
This neighbour is a really nice guy but super super busy, he works the oilfield, owns a picker truck, and farms. We have him do some welding for us from time to time and in return he borrows our equipment to farm, He has only been farming for a dozen years and doesn't have the extensive line of machinery that Rob has. He borrows things like a field disc, cultivator, our grain truck and just this week our hay rake, he has a brand new version of our rake but his hired help ( the teenage boy he hired to help hay) hit a rut and ripped one of the rake wheels off. This neighbour is hard on his equipment because he is so busy and does everything at high speed to be able to get it all done on time. Makes me cringe a bit when he borrows our newer stuff, but we can't say no or he might not do the welding.
I have to nag Rob to get him to nag Troy...hahahaha....or we won't be weaning until November...
I am hopeful that the good healthy cattle prices stay up until we sell the calves sometimes in late October. Last year they stayed good until the week before ours sold...which was so disappointing.
I got my hair cut on Tuesday. It's been 10 months since my regular stylist went on maternity leave, perhaps never to return, she was having twins. In April I broke down and went to new salon in town, which turned out to be a big mistake. I got a very bad cut and paid a hefty price for the privilege. Since then I have just let it grow but it was in dire need of a trim at the least to get rid of the bad ends. The layering had basically grown out and it just hung there limply...An, EX-friend (recently a person I thought of as good friend) recommended I try one of the many FIRST CHOICE Cut places in the city. and to it just goes to prove how desperate I was for a cut, I actually went to one. It was a very sterile, kind of surreal experience. You don't know the persons name, you can't choose who cut it, who ever is free takes the next person on the list kinda thing. I got a young Asian girl, she was pleasant enough, talked the whole time about how much her boyfriend wants to have a child. They do not wash your hair, or they do but it costs $5. they do not use any product, just spray the hair with water and cut...they do blow dry but she just used her fingers to move the hair around and so when I left, my hair was full of static cling and drove me insane the rest of the day...which we spent in the city...and I looked like a hillbilly with flat lifeless hair hanging in my face....I hate that... and I look hideous with straight hair. I always need volume and wave in my hair style to even half descent. In spite of the initial drama in the truck, taking my ex-friends name in vain and cursing Rob for suggesting I ask her opinion, I survived...but just barely...hahaha The actual hair cut was not bad, the next day I washed and styled it myself the way I like and it looks good. So I might think about going back, it was certainly affordable, I call it a super shaggy page boy style. The multi layering looks good on me and really lets my natural curl happen, right now it looks like a perm job its so curly.
I had the consult with the aneasticist on Wednesday finally in preparation for my colonoscopy. Have you had yours? If you're fifty or older you need to have one done. I went last month to see the surgeon who does it and was turned away because he cancelled his appointment due to a surgery at the hosp. then this week I was to go on Monday, but the anesticist was sick after a holiday in Egypt and cancelled to rebook for Wednesday, I finally got to see him and am all ready for my procedure in two weeks. Hopefully I get the all clear like Rob did last year and won't have to go for another 10 years.
August 23, 2013
Huh ?
Since deciding to buy some sort of mobile device, my life has been a vortex. Literally having the life sucked right out of my body by radon gases given off by the screen of my new iPad. As per usual in our lives (mine and R's) we do nothing in half measures. I originally wanted a small tablet, just to doodle around on the web with and play games. The cost was significant enough that it made us question whether we wouldn't get more bang for our buck upgrading to a new desk top computer which we were direly in need of 5 years ago. Ours was so old that windows kept popping up when ever I was online telling me that Google no longer supported my version of Internet explorer...once we started to do our research we found that my computer was sadly lacking GB's of ram and hard drive. Staples store had an awesome back to school sale on and so we went to look. Well, just as I dreaded, R got carried away while talking with the sales man and we came home with a new desktop computer, (which I admit we did really need) AND not just a less expensive android tablet ( I wanted the Google Nexus 10" ) but the 10 inch iPad 4th generation tablet. nearly double the cost.
Off topic: while we were being given the demo of the iPad by the just out of high school salesman, some nimrod with shopping cart came barrelling down the aisle and side swiped a huge cardboard display box full of some computer gadget things. this thing stood over 6 ft tall and was about 3 ft wide. I didn't see what exactly happened since I was paying attention to the tutorial we were being given and had my back to that aisle. But the whole thing came careening down on my hitting me in the lower shoulder blade area with one of the sharp corners and all the gadgets being displayed hit the back of my legs making me pitch forward and having to grab hold of the counter in front of me to avoid going down face first. I must have let out a muffled curse, because both R and the sales man turned and a look of horror came to their faces. I was almost afraid to turn and see what had hit me. When I did, there was some bald little dip shit grabbing up the products strewn on the floor at my feet and throwing them back into the bottom of this large cardboard display box. not bothering to put them back on the metal pegs in the right places. He never said a word, didn't even look up...grabbed his cart and rushed off down the aisle like his balls were on fire. then of course I had to endure the smothering ingratiation of the sales person and a couple more store employees who saw it happen and came rushing over. My shoulder stung and the back of one leg was burning a bit... later when we got home we found that the box corner had left a small gash and bruise on my shoulder and that the metal pegs that the packages were hung on, one of them must have poked my leg because I had dried blood where it had poked a hole in my calf and blood had run down into my sock. So, to say the least, I was a bit distracted after that, which is my excuse for not putting my foot down about the iPad.
Since that expensive day, I have been holed up in the house setting it all up, I opted to transfer all my own files to the new computer which turned out to be really easy, I just bought a mobile hard drive device, saved all my files to it. unplugged the old computer, hooked up the new one, which runs windows 8, plugged in the mobile hard drive and sent them to C drive. Easy peasy...
setting up the iPad is another matter, not being familiar with Apple products makes it very time consuming because I have to look everything up, and make new passwords, etc....still haven't figured out how to get pictures from the windows PC to the iPad. Tried a few things but no luck so far.
I am, though, now addicted to playing word games and sudoku on the iPad. Oh ya... to the exclusion of nearly everything else right now....I am sure the novelty will wear off.
R's justification for being so extravagant is that if we have to live out here so isolated from everyone and work 24 / 7 / 365 then we should at least be able to connect with family and such this way.
so there you go you guys, you better connect with me now...
Off topic: while we were being given the demo of the iPad by the just out of high school salesman, some nimrod with shopping cart came barrelling down the aisle and side swiped a huge cardboard display box full of some computer gadget things. this thing stood over 6 ft tall and was about 3 ft wide. I didn't see what exactly happened since I was paying attention to the tutorial we were being given and had my back to that aisle. But the whole thing came careening down on my hitting me in the lower shoulder blade area with one of the sharp corners and all the gadgets being displayed hit the back of my legs making me pitch forward and having to grab hold of the counter in front of me to avoid going down face first. I must have let out a muffled curse, because both R and the sales man turned and a look of horror came to their faces. I was almost afraid to turn and see what had hit me. When I did, there was some bald little dip shit grabbing up the products strewn on the floor at my feet and throwing them back into the bottom of this large cardboard display box. not bothering to put them back on the metal pegs in the right places. He never said a word, didn't even look up...grabbed his cart and rushed off down the aisle like his balls were on fire. then of course I had to endure the smothering ingratiation of the sales person and a couple more store employees who saw it happen and came rushing over. My shoulder stung and the back of one leg was burning a bit... later when we got home we found that the box corner had left a small gash and bruise on my shoulder and that the metal pegs that the packages were hung on, one of them must have poked my leg because I had dried blood where it had poked a hole in my calf and blood had run down into my sock. So, to say the least, I was a bit distracted after that, which is my excuse for not putting my foot down about the iPad.
Since that expensive day, I have been holed up in the house setting it all up, I opted to transfer all my own files to the new computer which turned out to be really easy, I just bought a mobile hard drive device, saved all my files to it. unplugged the old computer, hooked up the new one, which runs windows 8, plugged in the mobile hard drive and sent them to C drive. Easy peasy...
setting up the iPad is another matter, not being familiar with Apple products makes it very time consuming because I have to look everything up, and make new passwords, etc....still haven't figured out how to get pictures from the windows PC to the iPad. Tried a few things but no luck so far.
I am, though, now addicted to playing word games and sudoku on the iPad. Oh ya... to the exclusion of nearly everything else right now....I am sure the novelty will wear off.
R's justification for being so extravagant is that if we have to live out here so isolated from everyone and work 24 / 7 / 365 then we should at least be able to connect with family and such this way.
so there you go you guys, you better connect with me now...
July 1, 2013
Cattle are our ball and chain and other rubbish
That was a rather long Hiatus, but I'm back again. On a trial basis, let's say.
We were suppose to sell our cow herd last fall. Obviously that didn't happen...as I knew it wouldn't. I think I said in a previous post that his promise of selling as soon as cow prices were up wouldn't hold because who wants to get rid of them when they are making money again, aaaaannnnnnddddd then the price dropped and they are still here.
When they do finally go, it will be a tough day, we are both attached to them, it's never been just about the money they make us. But I find more and more lately that I begrudge them the hours of work they create. Breaking through the fences, the bruises from kicks, the loss of sleep, the stress of things going wrong and for sure the time we have to spend taking care of them leaves no time for any kind of life other than the cows or putting feed up for the cows.
We had an old cow that birthed twins this spring, one calf was perfectly normal and the other calf was born blind...the eyelids open but instead of an eyeball there is just white skin inside. We transplanted it to another cow who had lost her calf and she took very good care of it while in the wooden corral..but now she wants to be on grass in the yard and we have let her into a small bale yard to graze along with another cow and calf and a bull. This poor blind calf that now weights 500 lbs. gets left behind when it's mother goes to the water bowl and it gets disoriented and afraid and bawls and bawls while moving around running into one fence, turning and walking until it hits another fence and the cow is only 50 ft away but won't moo back to the calf...it really pisses me off and I feel bad for the calf...I wish there was some way to keep it with the cow...other than locking them in a 10 x 10 corral. Rbt says I worry too much, that it hasn't walking into the dug out yet so it's fine, but he doesn't have to be out in the yard listening to it bawl and bawl and no one answers it back...boy it I had a gun.... better yet an electronic dog collar for the cow to wear...and when the calf bawl and she doesn't answer I can push the remote and ZAP her and she'll bellow...hahahaha makes my day just thinking about it...oh yes...I have a real mean streak...
Another thing that's really been on my mind lately, and not in a good way, is my lawn....what is it about some humans who feel the need to beautify their yards. I spend 3.5 - 4 hrs, mowing grass every 4th day and every second time I mow I spend an additional 2 hours trimming with the gas trimmer.
NO ONE BUT US SEES THE DAM YARD !!!
I've been busy building cabinets and miscellaneous things out of old wood. Good feedback from my fans, maybe it's time to seriously sell something.
I am currently out of commission, with bursitis in my right shoulder and elbow. Painful as all hell and not much can be done about it...Rbt. had to start cutting hay today and that's always my job. I hope to take over in a couple of days once the pain subsides and I can move my arm again. Besides all the little chores I'm not getting done are starting to pile up.
I hope to write on here more often, wish me luck.
We were suppose to sell our cow herd last fall. Obviously that didn't happen...as I knew it wouldn't. I think I said in a previous post that his promise of selling as soon as cow prices were up wouldn't hold because who wants to get rid of them when they are making money again, aaaaannnnnnddddd then the price dropped and they are still here.
When they do finally go, it will be a tough day, we are both attached to them, it's never been just about the money they make us. But I find more and more lately that I begrudge them the hours of work they create. Breaking through the fences, the bruises from kicks, the loss of sleep, the stress of things going wrong and for sure the time we have to spend taking care of them leaves no time for any kind of life other than the cows or putting feed up for the cows.
We had an old cow that birthed twins this spring, one calf was perfectly normal and the other calf was born blind...the eyelids open but instead of an eyeball there is just white skin inside. We transplanted it to another cow who had lost her calf and she took very good care of it while in the wooden corral..but now she wants to be on grass in the yard and we have let her into a small bale yard to graze along with another cow and calf and a bull. This poor blind calf that now weights 500 lbs. gets left behind when it's mother goes to the water bowl and it gets disoriented and afraid and bawls and bawls while moving around running into one fence, turning and walking until it hits another fence and the cow is only 50 ft away but won't moo back to the calf...it really pisses me off and I feel bad for the calf...I wish there was some way to keep it with the cow...other than locking them in a 10 x 10 corral. Rbt says I worry too much, that it hasn't walking into the dug out yet so it's fine, but he doesn't have to be out in the yard listening to it bawl and bawl and no one answers it back...boy it I had a gun.... better yet an electronic dog collar for the cow to wear...and when the calf bawl and she doesn't answer I can push the remote and ZAP her and she'll bellow...hahahaha makes my day just thinking about it...oh yes...I have a real mean streak...
Another thing that's really been on my mind lately, and not in a good way, is my lawn....what is it about some humans who feel the need to beautify their yards. I spend 3.5 - 4 hrs, mowing grass every 4th day and every second time I mow I spend an additional 2 hours trimming with the gas trimmer.
NO ONE BUT US SEES THE DAM YARD !!!
I've been busy building cabinets and miscellaneous things out of old wood. Good feedback from my fans, maybe it's time to seriously sell something.
I am currently out of commission, with bursitis in my right shoulder and elbow. Painful as all hell and not much can be done about it...Rbt. had to start cutting hay today and that's always my job. I hope to take over in a couple of days once the pain subsides and I can move my arm again. Besides all the little chores I'm not getting done are starting to pile up.
I hope to write on here more often, wish me luck.
December 25, 2012
Where's the Joy ?
Year after Year we pimp ourselves up and make the tedious drive into town to present ourselves at Rbts nephews house on Christmas eve. We sit and watch them perform a gift exchange and general socializing. They all pack up and head off to church for the evening service and we head home again. there for a total of 2.5 hours. It's tough. since my first marriage in 1977 I have always been the one to have to drive some where on Christmas. with the exception of one year when I convinced my first mother in law. A Ukrainian lady, to let me do Christmas dinner instead...I turned myself in side out preparing the whole meal deal, turkey, ham, meatballs and gravy, potatoes, pyrogies, cabbage rolls, salads and stuffing, homemade buns and fresh pies for dessert. We were to eat at 2pm. Sids sister had a 3 hour drive to get home afterwards. She and her family had come the day before and stayed at the mothers house in town. They slept late on Christmas day and at basically noon my mother in law made them a breakfast of potato pancakes, ham and eggs so at 2 pm when they arrived at my place they weren't hungry. all they did was drink and nibble and they were back at the mother in laws for HER Christmas supper at 4 pm. Sid drove in and I stayed home...I was livid, and since then never offered to make dinner again, not that I would have been allowed...when I complained to Sid that his family did eat much of my dinner, his response was " well, if had tasted more like my moms, maybe they would have eaten more". there was me told.
since marrying Rbt. I have tried to have Christmas dinner here but there were no free slots...unless I wanted it a week before or after...hahahaha the one time I did have a New Years day dinner, three people showed up....apparently we live to far from the city...hahahaha screw them. I happen to be an awesome cook, and they will never know because they are to f-ing lame to bother coming out.
I just get tired of being the people that invited because they feel they have to and we wouldn't be missed if we didn't bother showing up.
Christmas is depressing, it builds a persons expectations so much, to the point where how can you not be disappointed.
We are eating left over meatballs I took to the family dinner last night and they didn't eat. along with some coleslaw and broccoli salad I have in the fridge. I think there might even be a piece of leftover cherry pie in the freezer as a special treat for Rbt. Merry Christmas y'all.
since marrying Rbt. I have tried to have Christmas dinner here but there were no free slots...unless I wanted it a week before or after...hahahaha the one time I did have a New Years day dinner, three people showed up....apparently we live to far from the city...hahahaha screw them. I happen to be an awesome cook, and they will never know because they are to f-ing lame to bother coming out.
I just get tired of being the people that invited because they feel they have to and we wouldn't be missed if we didn't bother showing up.
Christmas is depressing, it builds a persons expectations so much, to the point where how can you not be disappointed.
We are eating left over meatballs I took to the family dinner last night and they didn't eat. along with some coleslaw and broccoli salad I have in the fridge. I think there might even be a piece of leftover cherry pie in the freezer as a special treat for Rbt. Merry Christmas y'all.
December 20, 2012
College
I apologize for the infrequent postings of late. My spare time is used up on the bathroom renovation that seems to be taking forever. The work is progressing very slowly, which might be for the best in the long run but seems frustrating right now.
Every third day or so we are compelled to drive to town for more supplies and tools we forgot to get the last time. Makes me want to pull my hair out. If we had done this sort of thing before we would have better idea what things were needed to do the job right but we are learning as we go and so it is taking many trips to the hardware store. One day we were in LOWES in Edm. so long, the older guy working in the tile department asked us if we wanted to fill out applications...hahahaha every body's a comedian.
We did luck out and one of Rbt.s nephews owns a wet saw for cutting tile. that saved us a bundle of money.
I have the tub deck framed now and today I got my first lesson in taping and mudding the drywall. putting up rounded corner bead and the like. I was alone and willingly admit to be a nervous wreck. But I got my little job done without any catastrophes, and am ready to apply the second coat tomorrow.
Christmas is on hold for us this year...we both discussed it and have agreed to put off our Christmas dinner for two until the reno is complete, at which time we will do the big turkey dinner and the fixing's as a celebration.
We do plan to drive to Rbts nephews place on Christmas eve, where Rbts brothers 4 sons and families get together for dinner ... we have gone 3 yrs in a row now and always have a nice time. After dinner they all go to the tiny church nearby and we head home. Neither of us being particularly religious and find going that one time a year a bit hypocritical.
Rbt. took me to see THE HOBBIT movie, thanks to Jen for sending us the cineplex gift cards. It was awesome. Rbt fell asleep briefly near the beginning but then got his second wind and stayed awake to see the rest. I thought momentarily that I was going to have to elbow him like I did during the third and final show of Lord of the Rings, when he was snoring too loudly. First movie I've seen since the new year.
I desperately want to see Les Miserable between Christmas and New year. Rbt took me to the theatre production for our 5 th anniversary and I loved it. The movie looks even better. I mean with Hugh Jackman and Russel Crow in it, it's gotta be good. We will use the other gift card Jen generously sent us to see that.
Rbt and I never go out for New years. We prefer to stay home and watch the comedians on TV and the year end reviews on the National (Rbt.s favorite thing to watch) and I go along with that, just happy to have him in the house early. We cut loose and eat potato chips and dip, open a box of chocolates and drink pop. Party animals that we are. If we lived closer to the city I would love to watch the fireworks, I haven't seen live fireworks since I was kid in PG.
Other than that, I will just keep plugging away at this reno, for a small job it sure is taking it's time... I keep waiting for Rbt to give me a hand but he barely manages to get the chores done before dark and by then I am tired so the reno ends for the day. maybe this weekend. He is going to have to hook up the plumbing of the bathtub soon since I refuse to do that job.
The world is suppose to end tomorrow according to peoples interpretation of the myan calendar. If that's the case, I won't have to pay off my latest Visa Bill...hurray.... if it's not, damn I guess I'll have to pay it.
All the best to you, one way or the other. It's been a blast knowing you all.
Every third day or so we are compelled to drive to town for more supplies and tools we forgot to get the last time. Makes me want to pull my hair out. If we had done this sort of thing before we would have better idea what things were needed to do the job right but we are learning as we go and so it is taking many trips to the hardware store. One day we were in LOWES in Edm. so long, the older guy working in the tile department asked us if we wanted to fill out applications...hahahaha every body's a comedian.
We did luck out and one of Rbt.s nephews owns a wet saw for cutting tile. that saved us a bundle of money.
I have the tub deck framed now and today I got my first lesson in taping and mudding the drywall. putting up rounded corner bead and the like. I was alone and willingly admit to be a nervous wreck. But I got my little job done without any catastrophes, and am ready to apply the second coat tomorrow.
Christmas is on hold for us this year...we both discussed it and have agreed to put off our Christmas dinner for two until the reno is complete, at which time we will do the big turkey dinner and the fixing's as a celebration.
We do plan to drive to Rbts nephews place on Christmas eve, where Rbts brothers 4 sons and families get together for dinner ... we have gone 3 yrs in a row now and always have a nice time. After dinner they all go to the tiny church nearby and we head home. Neither of us being particularly religious and find going that one time a year a bit hypocritical.
Rbt. took me to see THE HOBBIT movie, thanks to Jen for sending us the cineplex gift cards. It was awesome. Rbt fell asleep briefly near the beginning but then got his second wind and stayed awake to see the rest. I thought momentarily that I was going to have to elbow him like I did during the third and final show of Lord of the Rings, when he was snoring too loudly. First movie I've seen since the new year.
I desperately want to see Les Miserable between Christmas and New year. Rbt took me to the theatre production for our 5 th anniversary and I loved it. The movie looks even better. I mean with Hugh Jackman and Russel Crow in it, it's gotta be good. We will use the other gift card Jen generously sent us to see that.
Rbt and I never go out for New years. We prefer to stay home and watch the comedians on TV and the year end reviews on the National (Rbt.s favorite thing to watch) and I go along with that, just happy to have him in the house early. We cut loose and eat potato chips and dip, open a box of chocolates and drink pop. Party animals that we are. If we lived closer to the city I would love to watch the fireworks, I haven't seen live fireworks since I was kid in PG.
Other than that, I will just keep plugging away at this reno, for a small job it sure is taking it's time... I keep waiting for Rbt to give me a hand but he barely manages to get the chores done before dark and by then I am tired so the reno ends for the day. maybe this weekend. He is going to have to hook up the plumbing of the bathtub soon since I refuse to do that job.
The world is suppose to end tomorrow according to peoples interpretation of the myan calendar. If that's the case, I won't have to pay off my latest Visa Bill...hurray.... if it's not, damn I guess I'll have to pay it.
All the best to you, one way or the other. It's been a blast knowing you all.
December 10, 2012
Renovation Hell
Bathroom reno has begun. I basically demo'd the tub surround and walls myself, Rbt showed up in time to help carry it to the burning barrel.
Yesterday I forced myself to go down to the crawl space and re-enforce the joists under the tub area (something that should have been done the first time, when the guys built the house with the huge tub) and my efforts have already payed off, even before installing our new but much smaller tub. The movement in the floor and the subsequent squeaking has stopped. Yay...
It was pretty traumatic though...being down there for three hours. in dim lit space all by myself, especially with my severe issue with claustrophobia... the job was hard enough as it was but try doing it while your whole body is tensed up and screaming for you to get out.....it wasn't pretty, profuse sweating, the smelly fear based sweat, talking to myself, mostly in encouragement, sometimes in anger. I hate this weakness I have...that I can't bully into subordination.
Any way it worked so well Rbt wants us to do the same thing under the kitchen floor....hahahahahahha.... that's maniacal nervous laughter you hear.
Next on my list is to lay a second layer of sub floor, the professional plumber who plumbed the house when it was new...must have been drunk because he bored huge 5-6 inch holes in the sub floor for the drain and such but he's got about 5 holes all over the place and the tub only had one drain....hahaha so we need to bolster that by gluing and screwing a sheet of 3/4 inch ply on top...then I have to drywall the walls because the builders just built the tub surround over the insulation and vapour barrier. I want drywall there too, then I get to start constructing the new deck for the smaller tub. then apply 3/4 plywood to the top and sides of it and then the tiling begins.... I never done any of this before so it is pretty nerve wracking...and expensive...but the house is worth less money if the tub is defective..so we hope to increase the value by doing the reno. besides I love to take baths from time to time and I had a real problem accessing the old one now that I am gibbled up.
I'd have pictures on here but blogger won't let me.... gotta look into that...half the fun of blogging is being able to brag about stuff.
Yesterday I forced myself to go down to the crawl space and re-enforce the joists under the tub area (something that should have been done the first time, when the guys built the house with the huge tub) and my efforts have already payed off, even before installing our new but much smaller tub. The movement in the floor and the subsequent squeaking has stopped. Yay...
It was pretty traumatic though...being down there for three hours. in dim lit space all by myself, especially with my severe issue with claustrophobia... the job was hard enough as it was but try doing it while your whole body is tensed up and screaming for you to get out.....it wasn't pretty, profuse sweating, the smelly fear based sweat, talking to myself, mostly in encouragement, sometimes in anger. I hate this weakness I have...that I can't bully into subordination.
Any way it worked so well Rbt wants us to do the same thing under the kitchen floor....hahahahahahha.... that's maniacal nervous laughter you hear.
Next on my list is to lay a second layer of sub floor, the professional plumber who plumbed the house when it was new...must have been drunk because he bored huge 5-6 inch holes in the sub floor for the drain and such but he's got about 5 holes all over the place and the tub only had one drain....hahaha so we need to bolster that by gluing and screwing a sheet of 3/4 inch ply on top...then I have to drywall the walls because the builders just built the tub surround over the insulation and vapour barrier. I want drywall there too, then I get to start constructing the new deck for the smaller tub. then apply 3/4 plywood to the top and sides of it and then the tiling begins.... I never done any of this before so it is pretty nerve wracking...and expensive...but the house is worth less money if the tub is defective..so we hope to increase the value by doing the reno. besides I love to take baths from time to time and I had a real problem accessing the old one now that I am gibbled up.
I'd have pictures on here but blogger won't let me.... gotta look into that...half the fun of blogging is being able to brag about stuff.
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