Posts by Chuck Curtis
I don’t usually say this. I really hope the base is open tomorrow so I can go to work.
That isn’t to say that a couple of snow days aren’t fun. I would prefer one or two vice 3.5 days in two weeks.
We did make the best of it and got some chores done in the house and even got Targa out sledding yesterday.
The weather service is predicting a huge snow storm tonight and tomorrow. Up to 2-feet of snow overnight and maybe more tomorrow morning.
Normally I don’t spent too much effort to prepare for things like storms. We usually have enough on hand to get by. But today I decided to head out of work when the active duty staff in the building were told to go home and had two hours to kill before the boys got home from their half-day of school. So, what the heck, I may as well prepare for the storm.
We already have a couple of bottles of wine and plenty of beer. Susanna did grocery shopping yesterday. So we were good in the food and drink category. That left getting ready for a couple of days without power as well as heat for workshop. What the heck is the point of a snow day if I can’t get into the shop for a little bit? I mean, one can only watch the kids shovel snow for so long.
The generator was filled with fresh gas and moved out of the back corner of the garage. I ran the generator a couple of weeks ago, so I didn’t feel the need to start it today. No point in really being 100% prepared when 90% will do. Anyway, I’d rather sleep tonight with the belief that the generator will start right up rather than know it will start, but is a pain in the ass to get running. I also replaced the flat tire on the generator so it sits level now (and is easier to move around).
I filled the jeep up with gas – even though it will probably be buried beneath the workshop for a couple of weeks and not be driven – at least there is more gas available there if we really lose power for a couple of days. And heck, if we get two days at home, the boys will need a good project like digging the jeep out anyway.
And of course, I topped off the kerosene can for the workshop heater. Now to clean up the house a bit until the boys get home (and make it dirty again).
Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking. What about the mud room? Of course you must have done that last little push to completion before diving back into the workshop. Or, will the mud room fall to the bin of ADHD unfinished projects?
Well, no, the mud room isn’t finished. And yes, I know, all of us with ADHD have basements/workshops/houses filled with great intentions and unfinished projects. Heck, come to think of it, there is probably still a sixth-grade science fair project sitting in my lifelong unfinished projects bin. But I promise, the mud room won’t be put in that bin. Of course, saying I’ll finish a project and actually finishing it are two different things.
It is always easy to make an excuse for an unfinished project – so I’ll make one now – I’m waiting on the paint to dry on the last two window sashes. They should be dry by tomorrow, so hopefully by this weekend I’ll be able to finish that window (and for the most part, the mud room) and post that to the blog.
But back to the workshop. I recently added a thermostat for the kerosene heater, and have started adding insulation so the heater would actually head the space to a usable temperature. I spent several evenings over the past week working on odds and ends projects in the workshop and the house.
In the shop I cleaned up most of the mess that had accumulated through a fall house renovation project. I also decided to move the workbench away from the wall – I think it may be useful to be able to access the back side of the bench while I’m working on a project. I’ll have to see how it works.
I also moved the dust collector back to the center of the shop, and moved the tablesaw and jointer over a little bit (to accommodate the dust collector). The bandsaw was moved to the corner where the dust collector had been, but it isn’t a great place for the bandsaw. I’ll still have to find a better home for that tool.
In addition to cleaning and improving insulation in the shop, I was able to get back to the toy box construction. The second box is nearly complete. I attached the top this week and glued up the door panels today. If the weather/heating supports finishing, I should be done with the second box by the end of this week.
We hosted a New Year’s Eve party here – the first real party here since our wedding reception. Thankfully the New Year’s Eve party needed less preparation than the wedding reception. Of course, (mostly) due to Susanna’s work, the party was a success. I think all had fun. Even Will, who was grumpy the two days leading up to the party, wound up having fun at the end.
Of course, what does this have to do with my resolutions/plans for 2015? Well, one of the games at the party was an ice-breaker where we introduced someone else at the party to the group. One of the questions we needed to ask the person we were introducing was what he/she was making for a new year’s resolution. The questions were posted on the wall at least 24 hours prior to the party, so maybe I shouldn’t have been caught off-guard when I was asked what my resolutions were. But I was. I didn’t have an answer. So after a few beers some reflection I have come up with the following goals for 2015:
In the workshop:
For the house:
With the family:
Personal Goals:
And most of all have fun!
Today we started the new year off right with a short 2.5-mile hike on the Narragansett Trail. The section of the trail we hiked was a short drive from our home. The whole family (minus chickens and cat) went on the hike. We hiked out to a beaver dam and lake. And Tucker didn’t even throw up in the car (he did however throw up on the walk).
… and why do I want to keep adding a “n” to the end of beaver dam? I can tell what vocabulary I am used to writing. I guess I need to find more water slowing features to describe and lay off the cursing in 2015.
So… How did I do with my 2015 goals that I posted last January? Let’s see how much ADHD and life came in the way of finishing my first list of the year.
Here is what I wrote last January with my how I did:
For the house:
In the workshop:
With the family:
Personal Goals:
Overall I had a pretty good year. I didn’t do all the things on my list – but that is okay, a list is just a place to start and is always changing. Instead of a bed, I built a toy box. Instead of camping, we spent several nights on the boat. I sailed to Block Island which was a very long trip. We redid the mud room (mostly)and the hall ceiling – I hadn’t planned on a major project this year.
I did pretty good with managing unfinished projects. I did start building a boat, but life got in the way, and I gave up on the project. But I think that is fine – as long as I am finishing most projects. At the end of the year, I have a couple of unfinished projects. I’m working on cleaning and organizing the basement, and it is half-done. I also need to finish the mud room and the toy boxes. I’m sure if I asked Susanna or the boys they would be able to point out a couple of more unfinished projects – but what fun is life is one doesn’t have way too much going on.
Not to think about what I want to do in 2015…. But that will be another post.
Ah, nothing says “Christmas” like weather in the upper 50’s, rain, and a flood of new electronics that need charging. I know, maybe some year we can try something traditional like snow and an Official Daisy Red Ryder Range Model 1938 Air Rifle BB Gun.
Our current charging station is a box that replaces the faceplate of an outlet and gives 4 USB outlets and 8 plugs, and a place for one or maybe two iPods to sit (off the counter). But we are now a house with four phones, three iPods and three iPads. So, now the corner of the kitchen counter with the charging station is a muddle of charging wires and expensive electronic devices. A brand new iPad is just what you want sitting on the counter next to the coffee machine.
We put an outlet high up on the wall in the laundry room so I could eventually build a charging station. I think that eventually meant “this week.” It will be nothing fancy, built from oak plywood and edged with oak. A fancy solid-wood charging station is on my long term list, but far enough down that it will probably never be built. But what fun is having a workshop if my “honey-build” list isn’t overflowing with projects that may never get finished (until all the things on the other never-ending “honey-you-really-need-to-build-it-before-I-give-up-on-it-and-buy-it” list are built).
I’ve made it writing for over 4 years in this blog. I have 396 posts (397 with this post) and 113,000+ words and nearly 700 pictures in the blog. The blog takes 800MB of disk space. While that may not be a great number of words or posts as far as blogging goes, for me it is an accomplishment.
I have too much of a tendency to like shiny new objects and get bored with old projects. However, forcing myself to sit down and reflect is a good exercise. It helps me keep focused (as focused as I’ll ever be) – though if you looked through old posts, I’m sure you would find it pretty random and wonder if I could ever find focus at all.
Anyway, here is to focusing (sort of) for the next four years.
This weekend, Susanna and I made the decision that we didn’t want to have Will’s ceiling replaced. The renovations on the first floor are enough without having to worry about the second floor.
Today I took a piece of plywood to patch the ceiling. I routed a nice edge on the wood, and covered the opening. Once painted it should match the ceiling and not stand out so much. It is not fancy, but should be good enough. Heck, we lived with a chimney in that room for years – a patched (and painted) ceiling will be an improvement. And anyway, neither Susanna nor I have to hang out in that room and Will was fine moving back into his room sooner.
I took some oak flooring that I had inherited from my dad when he moved from St. Louis to Columbia. It had been sitting in his basement for I’m sure many years and it moved to our garage to collect dust. While the flooring isn’t a perfect match, it is pretty close. Again, it is good enough. If it bothers Will, he can cover it with an area rug. And it is a drastic improvement.
It was a huge relief to decide to simplify the second floor project. Now I can focus on working on the laundry room and mud room. That should keep me occupied for a while. But not too long. We are planning on hosting a party on New Year’s Eve, so I’ll have to have the rooms done by then.