What we are all doing on this snowy morning.

Ben is heading out to measure the snow. So far 2.5 inches (9 cm).

Will is playing on his computer:

Susanna is working on her homework. My dad and I are putting together his blog. And finally, Peter Pan is being a cat:

The boys are here for the long weekend, so we get to take a slow Saturday morning.  Will has been starting to get into his music.  His song for today, is Joan Jett’s “I hate myself for loving you.”  It is funny to watch him sing along while watching the music video on his computer.

We hit the Hair Cuttery early – there is not line before 9AM.  Will came along to show Ben the hair cut (from the hair style card at the store) he got last week so Ben could get the same.  Ben wanted hair gel.  Will didn’t .  We may have to pick up some gel.

Now time to head out and finish the bridge while Susanna does her yoga…

As promised (threatened).  Pictures from last night and today.  Maybe too many posts for a day –  it is because I’m tired/lazy and don’t feel like doing any more work around the house…

The stream isn’t very deep, just muddy.  After the bridge is done, we will have to clear a trail looping back to another part of the yard (to meet up with the other bridge).

Not a bad day today.  Not as warm as yesterday, but nice enough to work outside.  Tucker stayed in the yard for two days in a row – a nice change.  Now to head out to meet some friends at the Mews Tavern in Wakefield RI.

A good morning for the cats. Today’s body count: 1 whole mouse in the driveway. 1 in parts. 2 whole mice in the basement and 1 in parts. I’m glad they are doing their chores. Now mine is to go pick up the carnage. If only the dogs could find something as useful to do.

On a positive note, it seems that we don’t have mouse problem anymore. However, the mice might argue that they have a cat problem.

This is Tucker’s idea of helping around the house:

Ok. It is January.  And I was outside in a short-sleeve shirt working in the yard.  I would say it is quite a welcome change from the bitter winter we had last year, but I’m probably not really thankful for the (probable) cause of the extreme weather we have been having.  It was 59 degrees out this afternoon.  I guess on the good side (in the whole carbon/global warming picture) is that I’m burning a lot less oil this year to heat the house.

I took Will to get his hair cut this morning while Ben was at his piano lesson with Susanna.  For the past year or so it has been a fight to get Will to get any hair cut off.  And when he goes to get a hair cut, he wants the smallest trim that I’ll allow him to get away from.  I told the hair stylist that I wanted to make sure that she took 1-2 inches of hair off – but make it closer to the two inches.  This time I must have let his hair get long enough to really bother him.  He had the stylist use clippers.  She showed me a picture of what he wanted and asked if it was ok to cut it that short.  I said that there was a minimum that I wanted to take off, not a maximum.  She could cut it as short as he wanted it.

Of course I didn’t take a picture.  I’ll get one later and post it.

This afternoon was dedicate to yard work.  We (mostly I – but Will, Ben and Justin did help a little) cut out a couple of big thorn bushes in the back.  We were clearing a path to where we plan to build a new bridge over the stream (it is in the woods – just upstream of the old stone wall crossing the seasonal stream).  I made a fire in the fire pit – it is always a pleasure to burn the thorn bushes.  We cleared a pretty good path, but I think a better approach for the summer may be to try and borrow Mark’s tractor to clear out the other thorn bushes.

We went under the barn and dug out 4 pieces of white oak (8 feet long, 2″ thick and 7-8 inches wide) for the bridge.  I bolted them into 14 foot lengths and Susanna helped me place them for the bridge.  The next step is to finish the frame and put the planks on top (that should use up a bunch of the scrap red oak).

Again, I failed to take pictures.  Maybe tomorrow if the weather supports.

Ben had his best friend, Anthony, over for dinner tonight.  Will was a little upset that his friends couldn’t make it over today, so he convinced Susanna to take him to the arcade at Foxwoods casino (that and a nice dinner out).  For once, Will stressed that he couldn’t find a nice enough shirt to wear out (he hasn’t tried to wear a button down shirt in a year, so he doesn’t have one that fits).  With a little help, he was able to find a presentable outfit for a night out on the town.

Susanna’s sister, Sofia, is taking most of this year to travel around the world with her friend Linda.  She has a break in employment and decided to take advantage of it.  They are heading east from Sweden, and we hope to have them visit here this fall.

They are blogging about their journey.  You can read about it here: http://lindaosofia.blogg.se/. For those of you who read Swedish as well as I do, you can use Google translate to read it in English here.

It was a nice surprise to get home to a newly reorganized library (or rather study – at least until I get bookshelves built for it so we can make it a library).

It was inspiring.  So tonight, after dinner, I headed to my own personal craft space (aka the workshop) to see what kind of shape that space was in.  Not so inspiring.  Maybe needs a little work.  What do you think?

So tonight I decide to take a little time and… well, no not organize the workshop.. take some time and come up with excuses on why it is so cluttered.  Here is what I have:

1. I am a little bit disorganized.
2. I just finished a project (well almost finished it).
3. It is just too damn cold outside to clean the shop.
4. I think I may be a little disorganized.

 

I started out the year by catching the cold that Ben has been fighting for the past week. A fine way to start a new year.

What are my goals for the new year?

I want to be better at finishing projects. I left a couple of projects unfinished at the end of 2011 – It is easier to start projects than finish them.

I want to build at least 6 pieces of furniture. Right now I’m planning a bookshelf and desk for the study. I’ll have to see what else pops up on the list as the year goes on.

Some other things I want to do this year (in no particular order): Go camping at least 3 times, take the boys to Six Flags, paint the house (yes big house project), take lots of hikes with Susanna and the dogs, bicycle into work more than I did this year.

I did start the year by finishing one of the projects left over from last year. I painted and installed the storm window in Ben’s room. So finally the scaffolding is down and the last storm window in the dining room installed. I also put primer on crown molding for the living room. I probably would have gotten more finished if I wasn’t fighting a cold.

I’ll post pictures later this week.

A quick review of what I did last year (and I’m sure I”m forgetting things as well) in no particular order:

• Started posting on this blog more regularly (it is really a journal for me to use and look back on what I have done, but posting it on the internet gives me more incentive to write).
• Went to Six Flags with Susanna, the boys, Mark & Jessica, and Sarah and Nick.
• Drove to West Virginia for a family vacation.
• Visited Washington DC (on the drive to WV).
• Took the boys to NYC to watch the Lucia concert
• Spent a very fun week in San Diego with work.
• Replaced the front shocks and brake lines on the jeep (with lots of help).
• Got a new car.
• Did lots of hikes in the woods with Susanna and the dogs.
• Visited NYC several times.
• Went camping twice with the boys (once with my dad and once with Susanna) at Selden Neck State park.
• Went to Australia
• Visited Stockholm
• Did a 5k fun run with the boys and Susanna.  Also did a second 5k fun run with Susanna (without the boys).
• Visited with family (many holiday dinners at my uncle’s house and had both of my parents visit).
• Did hikes with dogs on Sundays.
• Watched a good friend fight a very serious illness – and thankfully survive and regain his health.
• Planted a garden with Will and Ben.
• Stressed that Susanna had to deal with the hurricane by herself while I was in Australia (thanks again to everyone who stopped by to help out).
• Purchased a canoe (and repaired the seat on it).
• Took an underwater acoustics course at NUWC.
• Replaced the battery in my iPhone.
• Switched from a long distance relationship to having Susanna live with me.
• Found and lit sky lanterns with the boys.

I did lots of projects around the house (I had lost of help on some of these from Susanna and my dad):

• Painted the barn.
• Finished Ben’s Bedroom (complete renovation).
• Painted the dining room.
• Painted the living room (including a new ceiling and wiring)
• Added railings to all the stairs.
• Painted the porch trim.
• Built a patio.
• Refurbished and installed a bunch of storm windows.
• Installed a high-bay light in the workshop loft.
• Built shelves in the garage and workshop.
• Built a compost bin (a good way to get rid of not-so nice red oak).
• Improved the compost bin so Targa couldn’t jump in it.
• Improved the improved compost bin when Targa figured out how to jump in the improved one.
• Used the hose on Targa twice after he figured out how to get into the improved improved compost bin so that he no longer wants to jump in the compost bin.
• Repaired a window with Will (one that he broke by accident)
• Had the roof replaced.
• Cleaned out the storage loft (mostly).
• Got a piano (and had it moved into the house).
• Purchased a couch for Will’s room.

I also worked in the woodshop:

• Built two shelves (one for each boy).
• Built a fence for the router table (after watching Mark struggle with the crappy existing 2×4 oak board used as a fence).
• Submitted my desk design to the Design Matters Blog for a design critique (and got lots of good feedback).
• Built a lumber rack (pile) in the garage for the red oak I had cut in the spring.
• Built a shoe rack for the mud room.
• Built a finishing table for the basement.
• Built breadboards for Christmas.
• Built a bunch of wooden swords and guns for the boys.
• Built a storm window for one of Ben’s room.
• Took a class on saw sharpening.
• Made a saw bench.
• Drove to western Massachusetts with Susanna to pick up a trailer load of cherry boards.

I also left a couple of projects unfinished at the end of the year (but I’m doing better than in the past):

• The living room crown molding.
• The storm window for Ben’s room (needs paint).
• Finish cleaning the storage loft.
• Repair the keys on the piano.