Saturday, June 23, 2012

Almost there......really?

What do you think? - click to enlarge
  I don't know, do you?  I found that I had a brush already the would do a decent job on grass, but I can decide if the color is okay.  I'll have to take some time and think about it.  Also, I'm open to suggestions (in the comment section).
  I have in mind my next project, and I have started to collect what I need for that one, a sick mind never stops.
  It's still early here, 2:20am, and I've already been up an hour.  Now, if it were daylight I could paint; I just can't do it in the dark.  Then again I don't know if I've ever really tried to paint while it was dark, I mean I'm indoors.  Well, I won't find out today - it's breakfast and a little walking, oh..five or six miles done in halves with a coffee break in the middle.
  Always looking for ideas, and the comment section is almost always blank.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Out and back again, again

  I started out about 3:30AM as usual, it was sprinkling a little but weather.com said the next six hours would be dry, so off I went.  By the time I got to Bangor there was a steady rain.....so instead of starting my walk I went for coffee and read the paper.  It was raining a little bit more so I decided I needed to go to the bank to use the ATM.
  I put my card in the ATM at let's say Bank A.  I put in my PIN and asked for $100.00 and waited.  After about 3 minutes the machine said "take card" and I did but no money came out - the machine didn't say the transaction was over.
  I went directly across the street to Bank B.  B has a walk in ATM at street level, you use your ATM card to unlock the door and go in.  I asked for $100.00 told the machine I accepted the $3.00 fee (my bank pays me back for that) and I asked for a receipt.  After looking at the receipt I was $203.00 shy of yesterdays balance.  Where did the other $100.00 go?
  By that time it was a full blown thunderstorm, pouring rain, lightning all that loud stuff.  I waiting a few minutes before I began thinking "what if the other $100.00 came out of the machine late?".  So I ran across the street to my car, soaking, soaking wet, and drove through Bank A's ATM to see if the missing money was there. No.
  By then it was time for coffee with 'the boys'.  Then I went to Wal-Mart (the bathrooms are clean when they first open) and bought a stool for use at home.  I went to Dunkin' Donuts to buy coffee for Linda and went to the hospital.
  The doctor was with Linda when I arrived so he said "do you want to leave and go home earlier?", the answer was yes.  So I told Linda I needed to go the the bank and speak with them at 8:30AM when they open and told her about the missing money.
  I went back to the bank and spoke with the branch manager. "Oh" she said, "the same thing happened to me this morning", the bank had re-set the machine and posted back the missing money, the $100.00 had been found.
  Bank with Linda and waited, and waited, and waited.  We got back home about noon.
  The woman is doing fine, walking with her walker - - - but still hasn't done the dishes!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Day six

  I took a long time to add some of the grass, one flick at a time, I could be at this for weeks!  Of course I had to take time to do other stuff too.  I have an idea of how I may be able to speed up the process but I'll have to try it to find out.
Kind of ugly close up isn't it?
  On this enlargement you can see what one flick at a time looks like.  I use my liner brush and kind of flick it tip upward.
  I'm using the brush with the darker handle, it has long bristles but not very many of them.  I'm thinking about using the bottom brush in a manner that may make the work easier.

  Today is the first full day of summer, it reached 91 here in Levant and we had 15 hours and about 40 minutes of daylight.  Conversely Drake North Dakota had just over 16 hours of daylight; you see Drake is 3.4025 degrees further north than Levant, just look at how much difference that makes.  When I spent the summer in Iceland there was over 23 hours of daylight on the longest day.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

....and on the fifth day, not so much

After 5 days. It helps to click to enlarge
  Well I darkened the first floor to bring out the white porch posts and rails, with a touch up to the window and door trim, and added a door knob.  That door leaves a lot to be desired doesn't it?
  My wife, Linda, is still in the hospital but she is able to walk a little with the Physical Therapist and may be home tomorrow.  A visiting nurse will come in once in a while and she will be going to PT in Bangor, the one I have been to, good people there.
  So, that's it for today, I have a lot to do before she comes home; but, I have done laundry, dishes and all that.  I'll also try to spend some time on the 'project', the temps are supposed to rise here today into the 90 degree range, I don't like that, in fact I complain about the heat when it gets to 54!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

More work is done, more needed

Click to enlarge, if you dare
  In between trips to town I was able to get work done while waiting for the phone to ring.  I worked on the roof, added some trees, and started on the main part of the house, it needs to be a little darker.
  My wife went in to intake at 6:00AM, the surgery was scheduled for 8:15AM, the doctor called me at noon to let me know all was well and that she was in the Recovery Room.  My wife called about an hour later to let me know she was in a regular hospital room.  I took in the stuff she had pre-packed (she knows how hard it is for me to find things), and stayed with her for a little while.  She does not like people around or phone calls while she is on the mend.
  I sent emails to family and some of her friends to let them know how she was doing.
So even though I didn't do too much physically, I was busy waiting.  I do not like waiting, or running around looking for people - maybe I'm impatient.
  I am planning to walk a little, go to coffee run a couple of errands and work around the house and on the 'project' today.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Not much to report

Lauries Ledge, Appalachian Trail, Maine.  Bangor Daily News photo - click
  I did not work on the 'project', it's resting, instead I watched the Yankees beat the Nationals for the third time, bah!  The Red Sox had a late game and won that but remain in their favored position, last in the Eastern Division of the American League.
  But it's summer now, in Maine that means there are places that look like you'd like to go there, but for whatever reason you just don't go.  My reason is age, I couldn't really climb up to that ledge with it's magnificent view.
  My wife is going for surgery this morning, to replace some parts in her replacement knee, a retread is another name for that (non-medical).  I'm thinking she'll be gone two or three days, we don't know at this point.  Anyway, no walking for me today and I need the rest, sore left hip and knee and sore right foot, and a shin splint on the left.
  I probably will get some work done today on the 'project', or not.  I'll let you know.
Broad Cove, Cobscook Bay State Park, Maine.  www.maine.gov - click

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Flower in the pot(holes)

Flowers in pot holes
  On a road in Orrington, Maine the residents have planted flower as a protest to the condition of the road.  There is more to the story than that.
  Here, in a few short words, is the rest of the story.  If you recall, I mentioned a beaver dam breaking on its own and flooding a road and railroad some months ago.  Yeah, I don't remember exactly when either.
  Anyway, an 80 foot long beaver dam breached, or broke, and the sudden release of thousands of gallons of water flooded a road and a nearby railroad tracks.  When the road was being repaired the town needed some pavement removed before applying new pavement.  When they did that they also removed the pavement on the road with the flowers, its scheduled to be paved in July.  Because its been down to dirt for a few months it has done what roads do in Maine - fill with potholes, it's the nature of the beast when many, many rocks are under anything.
  Eleven of the beavers have been live-trapped and relocated to the hinterlands, or someplace that they haven't told the public.  The road and railroad that were flooded have been repaired.  The subject road will be paved in July when the new fiscal year starts, and the flowers will need to be trapped and released in a new spot.
Pictures and idea from Bangor Daily News
When the dam broke, Maine route 15 under water.
What is missing? The road damaged by flooding water is inspected.