Category: lakehouse

Cool morning followed by hot afternoon. Summer isn’t quite here, but it’s close. It’s still chilly and damp at night, and the fire is welcome.

Spent most of Saturday doing boat related things. Got a few very small things taken care of, and cooked a special dinner for D2’s birthday celebration. The two extra kids ate, but I don’t think they were really down for eating lamb rib chops. Pity because they were really good. W did the side dishes and they were all good too.

Today the family is headed home early while I stay to wrap up. I’ll also try to diagnose and fix the drive issue with my lawn tractor. If I get it fixed, I’ll mow before heading home.

Then it’s a week of doing home stuff which I can’t put off any more.

There’s always more to do. Don’t get complacent.

Stack.

nick

Probably starting out around 70F and getting warmer, maybe into the high 80sF… and for sure it will be damp. It was 72F and condensing when I went to bed. Apparently lots of places got lots of rain yesterday. I never saw any, but I did see wet roads. My weather station here said we bot 1.75 inches in the last couple of days. Lake is a few inches above normal too.

I completed almost all of my tasks yesterday. I didn’t get to the Lowe’s on the way up, so I’m missing a couple of things that would be useful, but I’ll either manage, or do something else. I’m now a boat owner… although it’s not yet in the water. That will happen later today.

This weekend is birthday stuff for D2, so I’ll be doing some special cooking today. And it’s the annual resident “clean up the common areas” day and member meeting. We have an expired POA not an active HOA, so it’s all voluntary at this point, but there is still a male Karen who thinks he can dictate behavior. He can’t. He still tries every year. On the plus side, he pays more than his dues so that covers for some of the owners who choose not to pay. They still complain about the condition of the roads though. If you aren’t paying for the upkeep, it’s pretty arrogant to complain that the upkeep isn’t good enough…

I’ll be working to improve my situation, and I’ll be working on meatspace things too. Fitting into community takes work and time. There isn’t any shortcut either. If you expect to stay in place or to get to a BOL, you better be working the human factors now.

And stacking of course.

nick

Well, it rained last night, and the temp dropped, so I really don’t know what to expect today. Map showed our part of the world as clear of rain and storms. I’m hoping that is true, as I’ve got stuff to do that will be a lot easier if it’s dry. And the weekend will be a lot more fun for the kids if it’s not raining. If it’s not dry, I’ll deal.

Got my buddy loaded up, and on the road before noon. He’s got a long trip ahead of him in a very heavy vehicle. At least it was a new truck. That should be more comfortable than some old clunker. Then I rushed to meet my wife at the boat place, and we bought the boat I’d looked at last week. Yeah, I know the joke, but if I can get a couple of years between the two happy days, it will have been worth it. Remind me if I b!tch.

Hit a couple of pickups after that,then came home to kid stuff. Oh, and snuck in a Costco stop for meat and treats for the birthday girl and my wife.

Today I’ve got to install the hitch receiver from the parts truck onto my Ranger. I’ve been putting it off, but I’ll feel better pulling the boat with a better hitch. Then it’s take a load of stuff to storage, do some pickups, and head toward the BOL. Pickup the boat on the way…

I can only hope it will be that straight forward. I expect that it will not. Rain complicates all of that and will cause some rearranging…and swearing on my part.

I’ll let you all know how it goes.

In the mean time, keep working to improve your situation. And stack.

nick

Cool and damp again. Never got real rain, just some moisture from the sky, so we could still get some today. It did warm up yesterday, so we’re in a period of cool nights and warm days. Feels like this Spring has been cooler than several recent Springs.

I mostly didn’t do much yesterday, other than cooking dinner. I did get a few small things done, it is very hard for me to not do something productive, no matter what the day. I put new screen in a really beat up and damaged window screen for the dockhouse. First time I’ve actually done it that I can remember,but I knew how and had the stuff to do it. It wasn’t hard, and went quickly. Saved some money, and completed a task.

Cooking was fun, well received, and I was really glad to have the oven out in the garage. It would have been nice to have the cooking smells from the roasting lamb and potatoes, but it was really nice not to have the heat of the oven in the house. Definitely glad I spent the time and effort to set up the oven out there.

Today will be spent doing a couple of chores and some organizational stuff. Then it’s homeward bound.

I’ll bring up some more stacks next trip. Alternative creamer is top of the list, along with more coffee K cups, if I can get them cheap. I need some bulk sugar at home too.

There is always more to do, even stacking.

nick

Cool and nice, probably around 70F and clear. Might be windy though. The wind was blowing like crazy yesterday. And the sun was enough I got burned on my neck and face… mainly because I couldn’t keep my big hat on. The wind blew it away whenever I turned the wrong direction.

I did a bunch of yard work. I’d fallen behind a bit and some of it was catch up. Some was just Spring though.

Got the apple trees planted and watered in.

Got the truck unloaded and some of the stuff stowed away.

Today I’ve got more cleanup outside to do, mainly blowing the leaves and debris that trimming left. Then I’ve got to put some of the stuff away, and to do that I’ll have to do some organizing. Then it’s poison fire ant mounds, and load up.

Family made it home safe, even with D1 doing some of the driving. I am always glad to get that text. I do not like it when the pack is divided and traveling separately. Kid needs the practice, but SHE NEEDS PRACTICE. By definition that’s risky. Part of life though. Stacks won’t help her learn, nor keep her safe, but hopefully the rest of my mindset will.

Stack what you can. Do your best for the rest.

nick

Should start cool, chilly even, but get warmer and very nice. Started yesterday in Houston where it was a bit warm by afternoon, but it was nice and a little cooler at the BOL. The day ended around 70F and there was a little chill off the water, but a fire took care of that.

It took me a while, but I did get the truck loaded, and made the drive to the BOL. Lots of cops on the road north, with extra DWI enforcement all weekend. I’d be curious to see some real numbers about DWI and if all the draconian enforcement has made any real difference. I’m betting not much.

Today I need to get the truck unloaded. Then I can trim the yard and blow the cuttings. I’ll need to plant the trees and do some deer discouragement around them. Don’t know if it will work. The peach tree has a lot of fruit on it. One consequence of cutting down the big trees is more light for the peach. Now if I can figure out how to keep the critters from eating all the fruit, I might get a peach or two this year.

My buddy looks good. He’s getting some energy and strength back after the radiation and chemo. Unfortunately his wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer. They will do a PET scan soon and determine a treatment plan. It looks like it’s localized but the PET scan will be definitive. They have to drive an hour each way for treatment and that has been the hardest part so far. Living in the country does have downsides, and lack of easy access to medical care is one. It’s something to consider if you are planning for a retirement place or BOL.

This trip counts as “always be working to improve your situation.” Not much stacking this month. Still, it’s Spring, and the weather is nice. If nothing else, we’re stacking memories of the good old days.

Do some for yourself…

nick

Cool but warming later. Clear. Another really nice day in other words. We are currently being spoiled by the cool weather and getting a really nice extended Spring. It’s awesome.

I didn’t get as much done yesterday as I hoped. Probably got as much done as I could have. Did my pickup on the south side. Stopped at the local Habitat ReStore just because I was in that part of town. It was nearly empty. They’ve been working on making it nicer and cleaner, but this was nuts. Large parts of the store were just empty. There is something larger going on, when it’s not full of donated materials, and we’ve got thousands of huge building projects going on around town. Either it’s too early in the build process to have excess, or the builders learned to be better at ordering and don’t have any excess. When the charity shops are looking threadbare, I get nervous.

After that I went by my secondary location and moved some stuff around. Then it was kid taxi for 2 hours. Never made my pickup on the north side, but they will ship my small hobby items. Once I had the kids sorted, I worked on getting stuff loaded for the BOL. Wife’s minivan got the light stuff or stuff that can’t get wet or sit in the sun. I’ve still got a full truck load of stuff, and I’m debating whether to bring the big solar panels. I decided to go up today, so I could finish loading in daylight, and not be so tired for the drive. Also, I don’t like driving at night, especially if I’m already tired.

So it’s sleep in a bit, then load up, and hit the road. My buddy up there sent a pic of the grass, so I know I need to mow before it turns into a need to bushwhack. There’s always plenty to do. Oh, and I’ll need to plant the two apple trees, rig some sort of irrigation, and do something to keep the deer from eating them.

Always be working, always be stacking…

nick

Cool and wet this morning. Friday was beautiful until just after dark, then it stormed. Even that was nice as it stopped by 10pm and left everything smelling clean and fresh. Also wet, which is why this morning is wet. Hopefully it didn’t rain more overnight.

I didn’t quite get the trench drain cut yesterday. I am about 2/3 cut but the saw died and wouldn’t restart. I didn’t have the energy to try for more than half an hour. I’ll put a new air filter and add oil next time I’m up here, and hopefully it will start so I can finish the cuts. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up, putting away, and getting ready to leave.

Which is what is happening today. I’ll leave here for a series of pickups, then home before the end of the day. I wouldn’t have minded staying at the BOL for a couple more days, but I’ve got plenty to do at home too.

Pickups are mostly for home, but with two birthdays and a wedding anniversary coming up, I’m on the lookout for presents too. The intarwebs say that “china” is the traditional gift for a 20th wedding anniversary, but I’m pretty sure that won’t fly at Casa De Nick… so I’m keeping my eyes open. And my options.

Meanwhile, stacking and working continues apace. At the pace of a turtle, but even turtles make progress.

Find your pace, and work at it.

nick