In case you haven't heard already, I have received a promotion and will be changing jobs. This will also include me changing job locations, but I believe it can only lead to bigger and better things. I will somehow have to get use to a normal working schedule and hanging out with my family every night after work. But I'm pretty sure I can handle the change. The best part of it is that overtime will pretty much be a thing of past. (unless something major happens). Well that is all for now. I have some homework to take care of.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving to remember...
Each year when the holidays roll around. I am reminded of a Thanksgiving when I was a lot younger then I am now. I remember it being a very hard year for our family. (I am still amazed at the fact that my parents survived all of us brats). It was an early snow fall like it has been this year and the temperatures outside were really cold. It was the night before Thanksgiving and we were having a terrible storm pass through. I remember the East wind was blowing snow around like mad. I was watching the trees sway back and forth. Each time I was wondering when the next strong gust of wind would knock the tree over onto our house. This had been a fear of mine since we did have a very large tree that was blown over in the front yard just a year or two before. So as a young boy, I would watch the trees with great anxiety wondering which one was the next to fall. For those who do not know about the East winds of Kaysville, they are very strong winds that blow down from the canyons and easily top 100mph. It use to amaze me at the force of these winds.
Anyway, as I was saying the wind was blowing fiercely, we had the back door of the house blocked shut because the wind kept blowing the door open. Because of my fear, I was staying up listening to the wind and the snow hitting the East facing windows. All of a sudden there was a loud CRASH coming from the kitchen. You could hear the snap of the glass and the whistle of the wind. I ran out to the kitchen to find the main window to have been broken. At the same time, the dog in the backyard was barking like crazy, the dog on the front porch was going crazy as well. I though for sure that a tree had fallen on the house, luckily the window had just be struck by a branch. Because the window was now broken and the temperatures outside where in the teens, my parents had to find a quick way to repair the window. After a search around the house as the temperatures continued to drop. Someone was able to find some masking tape. It wasn't the easiest job taping up a cracked window with the wind blowing fiercely against it.
After a while, the window was finally taped up as best as it could be. It was a little scary watching the window flexing back and forth just waiting to fall out of the window frame.
It was now about 4 am and we all tried to get a little sleep. That morning we woke up and it felt like we were locked into the house. The backdoor was blocked shut, and I don't remember why but the front door wouldn't open. There was a sort of depressed feeling around the house. I knew things were tight for my parents, but there is not much I could do at that age. While we were hanging out in the living room of the house, I happened to notice something out on the front sidewalk. It was a big dark lump in the snow. For some reason I decided to go out and see what it was. Since the house was locked down like Fort Knox, I put on a coat over my pajamas and climbed out the little window that was located on the back porch. When I made my way around to the front yard, I arrived at the big lump of snow. As I uncovered it, I realized it was a box that was full of food for the holiday. There was a turkey and a bunch of other great food. To me this was a great gift. When we brought it into the house, it sure lifted the glum mood from the room. I was amazed then that someone would have the heart to leave this great gift for our family.
I still wonder to this day who might have left this for our family. It might not have been the most expensive turkey or the most expensive fixing, but it sure left an impact on my life.
To whom ever left this gift for my family during a time of need, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Anyway, as I was saying the wind was blowing fiercely, we had the back door of the house blocked shut because the wind kept blowing the door open. Because of my fear, I was staying up listening to the wind and the snow hitting the East facing windows. All of a sudden there was a loud CRASH coming from the kitchen. You could hear the snap of the glass and the whistle of the wind. I ran out to the kitchen to find the main window to have been broken. At the same time, the dog in the backyard was barking like crazy, the dog on the front porch was going crazy as well. I though for sure that a tree had fallen on the house, luckily the window had just be struck by a branch. Because the window was now broken and the temperatures outside where in the teens, my parents had to find a quick way to repair the window. After a search around the house as the temperatures continued to drop. Someone was able to find some masking tape. It wasn't the easiest job taping up a cracked window with the wind blowing fiercely against it.
After a while, the window was finally taped up as best as it could be. It was a little scary watching the window flexing back and forth just waiting to fall out of the window frame.
It was now about 4 am and we all tried to get a little sleep. That morning we woke up and it felt like we were locked into the house. The backdoor was blocked shut, and I don't remember why but the front door wouldn't open. There was a sort of depressed feeling around the house. I knew things were tight for my parents, but there is not much I could do at that age. While we were hanging out in the living room of the house, I happened to notice something out on the front sidewalk. It was a big dark lump in the snow. For some reason I decided to go out and see what it was. Since the house was locked down like Fort Knox, I put on a coat over my pajamas and climbed out the little window that was located on the back porch. When I made my way around to the front yard, I arrived at the big lump of snow. As I uncovered it, I realized it was a box that was full of food for the holiday. There was a turkey and a bunch of other great food. To me this was a great gift. When we brought it into the house, it sure lifted the glum mood from the room. I was amazed then that someone would have the heart to leave this great gift for our family.
I still wonder to this day who might have left this for our family. It might not have been the most expensive turkey or the most expensive fixing, but it sure left an impact on my life.
To whom ever left this gift for my family during a time of need, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Story time....
A Noble Journey
On a calm mid-after noon, in the southern northeast, is where we find Jonathan, your typical all American boy who finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Jonathan, while lounging in his favorite plush orange beanbag chair, realizes his instinctive cravings for a cheeseburger, creamy shake, and the gooey goodness of golden cheese french-fries. As Jonathan sits, he contemplates how delightful he would feel after eating such tasty morsels of food. He reaches into the back pocket of his black denim shorts and retrieves his light blue Velcro-clasped wallet. Upon opening the wallet, his eye gazed the vast emptiness and he realizes his quest had begun.As Jonathan’s quest began, he reluctantly climbed out of his warm Styrofoam-bean filed sanctuary and made his way to the plush carpeted Family Room. As he entered to tan walls with the corresponding white crown molding, he spotted the white with blue pinstriped sofa. He automatically was drawn in to the crevasses of the couch and began foraging under the spotless seat cushions, in search for his treasure. Scavenging over lint and small food particles, Jonathan was one by one multiplying his net worth, silver, copper, all shapes, and sizes, yet this was not enough. While Jonathan was taking a momentary break from his quest, his mind was still racing toward accomplishing his savory satisfaction.
As if it were a bolt of lightening striking his mind, Jonathan’s memory of a long forgotten card that was given in celebration for the day of his birth, shocked him back into service. He again sprung to life with the vigor of a young child on Christmas morning awaiting their chance to catch a glance of old St. Nick. Jonathan burst into his dimly lit bedroom and through a mass of clutter found the infamous greeting card. With quivering anticipation, he opens the blue envelope, removed the green card with a picture of a yellow dog which had the handwritten inscription inside “Happy Birthday, Son.” Looking past this with a determination, he saw the crisp green and white American twenty-dollar bill, which was screaming at him to release it back into circulation. Jonathan wasted no time as he scrambled for his maroon Chevy Citation. As the engine began its bitter struggle to start, it eventually overcame the struggle and roared to life. Jonathan immediately forced the Citation into gear; the vehicle lurched forwarded like a beast that had just awakened from a long slumber. The aged mechanical monster attacked the pavement with the fervor that matched Jonathon’s need to quench his biological hunger.
With his quests completion almost insight, Jonathan’s drive was slowly building. He makes the final change in his course of direction, and in his view is the rainbow colored, multi-choice menu of delight. On his final approach, he hears a magical voice welcoming him to his ultimate destination. As Jonathan slowly makes his way, the time seems to slow to an almost frightening pace. All he can think about is the tantalizing morsels he has prepared all his life to consume. He stops the vehicle, as a figure appears in a rectangle framed opening; a small exchange is made with no outside interference. Jonathan is focused on a medium brown and white paper bag, with small patches of dark areas from the preparation of its contents. In that moment, the air causes a small chill to run up Jonathan’s spine as his prize is lowered to his waiting hands. Jonathan drives only a short distance before he finally gives into his animal instincts, when faced with starvation. As his taste buds are enticed by the multitudes of flavors as they entertained his pallet, Jonathan basks in the satisfaction of knowing that he will survive to live another day.
By Keith Pears
Friday, October 16, 2009
Its Official...
Well, I am officially back in school. So I guess I will have something to bog about again besides my lawn. Maybe if everyone is luckily I can post a picture of whatever "lunch" I decided to buy while I am at class. I know I use to receive tons of fan mail with questions of what I might or might not be eating that day. So prepare yourselves. Also in case anyone was wondering what the real reason for me going back to school was....Well...it's a little bit of sibling rivalry. As everyone knows my little sister has been going to school to finish her BS degree. The last I heard, she was making some decent progress towards the completion of said degree. Well, me going back to school is a way to "one-up" her again. lol Anyway, sis you know what this means, now YOU have to get your Masters... So as Webster once said.
"In your eye hoopie"
"In your eye hoopie"
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I guess it's that time...
After about a year and a half, I have decided to go back to school. I have to admit, I am still sometimes surprised at the fact that I have had as much schooling as I have. I never really was a big fan of it while I was growing up. Yet, it seems kind of strange not having a paper or two due at the end of the week. Once again, I really don't have a ton of "extra" time that I am trying to fill. I figure with as busy as I am still, I might as well cram something else into my schedule.
With everything else that has been going on around this place, I need to get my schooling out of the way before things get worse. If you haven’t heard, I survived the latest layoffs at my work. Unfortunately, 550 other people weren’t quite as lucky. I still might not be completely out of the woods yet, we will see how things go in Dec. Either way, with my work again paying for school, I would be kind of crazy not to take them up on the offer.
Speaking of work, I spent Monday trying to chop down one of the old dead trees at the parents’ house. A lot of progress was made. I even survived the day of climbing with a chainsaw and dodging HUGE branches as they fell. The only really tragedy of the day was when I backed into a large section of the tree and dented my Bronco. It was very sad indeed. That Bronco survived since 1991 with only a bent bumper, but now it has a real dent. Oh such a travesty of justice. I can hear her crying out in the driveway now. (tear, tear, sniff)
For those who are interested, the Awesome Fam is doing pretty darn well considering the circumstances. The baby is getting bigger and bigger. I am surprised I haven’t lost any of my (sympathy) baby weight from chasing her around the house. It's a good thing that her mom is here to help keep this little tornado in check. “A” and “K” are also doing well. The only other big news is that we have managed to “rescue” 26 little frogs out of our window wells. We now have them housed in a little 10 gallon fish tank that sits in the kitchens window sill. Scratz has been spending her time catching spiders and bugs with the help of a cassette case and feeding the frogs. Every week we have been heading to the pet store to buy about 30 crickets for the frogs to eat. This might sound like a lot of crickets; however, the frogs eat all of them in about 30 seconds. It’s quite fun listening to the little frogs croak in the evening and at night. Normally, I believe they would be hibernating this time of year, but since it’s nice and warm in the house they are very entertaining.
That is all for now, I have decided to give myself a migraine today, so I will have to call it a day.
With everything else that has been going on around this place, I need to get my schooling out of the way before things get worse. If you haven’t heard, I survived the latest layoffs at my work. Unfortunately, 550 other people weren’t quite as lucky. I still might not be completely out of the woods yet, we will see how things go in Dec. Either way, with my work again paying for school, I would be kind of crazy not to take them up on the offer.
Speaking of work, I spent Monday trying to chop down one of the old dead trees at the parents’ house. A lot of progress was made. I even survived the day of climbing with a chainsaw and dodging HUGE branches as they fell. The only really tragedy of the day was when I backed into a large section of the tree and dented my Bronco. It was very sad indeed. That Bronco survived since 1991 with only a bent bumper, but now it has a real dent. Oh such a travesty of justice. I can hear her crying out in the driveway now. (tear, tear, sniff)
For those who are interested, the Awesome Fam is doing pretty darn well considering the circumstances. The baby is getting bigger and bigger. I am surprised I haven’t lost any of my (sympathy) baby weight from chasing her around the house. It's a good thing that her mom is here to help keep this little tornado in check. “A” and “K” are also doing well. The only other big news is that we have managed to “rescue” 26 little frogs out of our window wells. We now have them housed in a little 10 gallon fish tank that sits in the kitchens window sill. Scratz has been spending her time catching spiders and bugs with the help of a cassette case and feeding the frogs. Every week we have been heading to the pet store to buy about 30 crickets for the frogs to eat. This might sound like a lot of crickets; however, the frogs eat all of them in about 30 seconds. It’s quite fun listening to the little frogs croak in the evening and at night. Normally, I believe they would be hibernating this time of year, but since it’s nice and warm in the house they are very entertaining.
That is all for now, I have decided to give myself a migraine today, so I will have to call it a day.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
All good things....
...Must come to an end.
Unfortunately unless some miracle happens in the next hour, we will be join the ranks of many other Americans in the unemployment line. Hopefully we will be able to turn things around before we end up homeless as well.
On a lighter note, baby z can now say "mom-ma." She is growing so fast, pretty soon she will asking to borrow the car keys....
Unfortunately unless some miracle happens in the next hour, we will be join the ranks of many other Americans in the unemployment line. Hopefully we will be able to turn things around before we end up homeless as well.
On a lighter note, baby z can now say "mom-ma." She is growing so fast, pretty soon she will asking to borrow the car keys....
Friday, August 14, 2009
The changing view...
Well, they have been getting ready to install new power lines in the area next to our property and today we have the new "bottom" part of the pole. Its not as ominous as I thought it would have been.
Also there is no good news as of yet to update at this time on the scrat situation...crap
Also there is no good news as of yet to update at this time on the scrat situation...crap
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Things might be looking up...
Well, I can't discuss the latest news yet, but things look like they might be looking better. We should find out tomorrow, so lets all keep our fingers crossed for some good news tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
SOD: Day 2
Well if you remember, I commented about the great night sleep I planned on getting after working in the yard for the day. Well that didn’t happen. My back ached from bending over, my knees hurt from crawling on the ground, and my arm/hands hurt from carrying the sod. I pretty much ached all over, so I couldn’t get comfortable at all. I tossed and turned all night long, while the whole time all I could think about was laying sod. AAARRGG.
One of the times I got up to head to the bathroom, I happened to notice someone or something in the kitchen area of my house. At first, I thought how did jersey get out of his kennel and climb on the table. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. The more I looked; I thought…maybe that is one of the kids sitting at the kitchen table doing something strange. That really didn’t make sense and then it hit me, THERE IS SOMEONE IN MY HOUSE!!!. In a matter of seconds, I was locked, loaded and ready to go. I let scratz know what was going on as I left the bedroom to find out what was going on. As I tactically moved from the bedroom, noticed that the individual wasn’t sitting at the table as I had originally thought. They were actually standing outside in a location that their head and shoulders were only visible over the kitchen table. As I made my way around the house, I turned on a few lights which must have scared them away. I did a quick sweep inside of the house, then I did a quick check outside. Luckily for them, I didn’t see anyone. I then got a drink of milk and headed back to bed. This is where I was informed by scrat that I should let her know that everything is safe and secure BEFORE I decide to get a drink. I went back to bed to attempt to get some rest. Needless to say, 7am came around pretty early the next morning.
Once I pulled myself out of bed, I got ready to head back out to the dirt patch with the intent of getting finished as soon as we could. While scratz was getting the kids up so they could help watch the baby, I went outside to check if I could see anything evidence of the “visitor”. All I found was a large pile of dog poop, where apparently the “visitor” must have been walking his dog and decided the new sod would make a great place to leave his load. I’m not sure if they will come back or not but I will be ready for them next time.
Back to the sod. Once we woke the kids up and got them fed, scratz and I began working on the yard. We worked for a good 4-5 hours, slowly making progress, when we realized that we had to much sod. With our calculations, we figured we would have an extra 3-4 pallets of sod. That’s roughly 2000 sqft of sod, more sod then it took to complete the front yard.
Here are few pictures of the sod problem we ended up having…
Luckily as we were running out of steam again, the same neighbor that helped on day 1, returned to help again. He only helped for a few hours, but it really allowed us to get more done then we had planned. Also the guy that delivered the sod showed up to pick up the pallets that the sod came on and since we weren’t quite done yet, he also helped lay some sod with us. With this extra help we were able to finish soding the yard 2-3 days ahead of the schedule I had planned on.
Once the sod was all on the ground, scratz and I sat on the back deck and took in the sight of grass in the backyard.
It has been many months of dirt, weeds, and hard work to get to where we are today. The best part is that we finished 3 days ahead of schedule. This extra time was put to good use in doing nothing at all. It has been months since I haven’t had a “to-do” list that had to be completed. I was nice knowing that I didn’t have to go dig in the yard or install some sprinkler system. Yet it was also slightly awkward not having something that had to be completed by the end of the day. I even found some time to play a quick game of Guitar Hero: World Tour.
Now I have 2 weeks that I don’t have to do anything with the yard, beside watering it. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best medicine.
Next project: clean garage
One of the times I got up to head to the bathroom, I happened to notice someone or something in the kitchen area of my house. At first, I thought how did jersey get out of his kennel and climb on the table. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. The more I looked; I thought…maybe that is one of the kids sitting at the kitchen table doing something strange. That really didn’t make sense and then it hit me, THERE IS SOMEONE IN MY HOUSE!!!. In a matter of seconds, I was locked, loaded and ready to go. I let scratz know what was going on as I left the bedroom to find out what was going on. As I tactically moved from the bedroom, noticed that the individual wasn’t sitting at the table as I had originally thought. They were actually standing outside in a location that their head and shoulders were only visible over the kitchen table. As I made my way around the house, I turned on a few lights which must have scared them away. I did a quick sweep inside of the house, then I did a quick check outside. Luckily for them, I didn’t see anyone. I then got a drink of milk and headed back to bed. This is where I was informed by scrat that I should let her know that everything is safe and secure BEFORE I decide to get a drink. I went back to bed to attempt to get some rest. Needless to say, 7am came around pretty early the next morning.
Once I pulled myself out of bed, I got ready to head back out to the dirt patch with the intent of getting finished as soon as we could. While scratz was getting the kids up so they could help watch the baby, I went outside to check if I could see anything evidence of the “visitor”. All I found was a large pile of dog poop, where apparently the “visitor” must have been walking his dog and decided the new sod would make a great place to leave his load. I’m not sure if they will come back or not but I will be ready for them next time.
Back to the sod. Once we woke the kids up and got them fed, scratz and I began working on the yard. We worked for a good 4-5 hours, slowly making progress, when we realized that we had to much sod. With our calculations, we figured we would have an extra 3-4 pallets of sod. That’s roughly 2000 sqft of sod, more sod then it took to complete the front yard.
Here are few pictures of the sod problem we ended up having…
Luckily as we were running out of steam again, the same neighbor that helped on day 1, returned to help again. He only helped for a few hours, but it really allowed us to get more done then we had planned. Also the guy that delivered the sod showed up to pick up the pallets that the sod came on and since we weren’t quite done yet, he also helped lay some sod with us. With this extra help we were able to finish soding the yard 2-3 days ahead of the schedule I had planned on.
Once the sod was all on the ground, scratz and I sat on the back deck and took in the sight of grass in the backyard.
It has been many months of dirt, weeds, and hard work to get to where we are today. The best part is that we finished 3 days ahead of schedule. This extra time was put to good use in doing nothing at all. It has been months since I haven’t had a “to-do” list that had to be completed. I was nice knowing that I didn’t have to go dig in the yard or install some sprinkler system. Yet it was also slightly awkward not having something that had to be completed by the end of the day. I even found some time to play a quick game of Guitar Hero: World Tour.
Now I have 2 weeks that I don’t have to do anything with the yard, beside watering it. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best medicine.
Next project: clean garage
Monday, August 10, 2009
SOD: Day 1
So after weeks of preparation and grading of the yard, it became time to have the sod delivered. I contacted the company who was delivering the sod and was informed they would deliver it between 9am and 1pm. I figured this would allow for me to get a few hours of sleep since I would be working the grave shift the night before. Scratz and I planned on me coming home and going directly to bed, then I would get up when the sod was delivered .; However, the best laid plans often fail…On my way home from working a long 12hr shift, I had just made the turn into our neighborhood when I saw in my rearview mirror…the sod truck. AARRRGGG. I promptly called scratz who was trying to get a few things done before the sod got there and informed her of the pending delivery. This completely changed any plans we might have had. After making a fresh pot of coffee, we started the fun process of installing the sod.
We started in the front yard and were making pretty good time. We installed approximately 1600sqft worth of sod in less than three hours.
I thought we were doing great, until I realized, we had a little over 13,000sqft to go. By time we had completed the front yard, my energy had been quickly depleted. I had been up since noon of the previous day, so what little energy I did have was quickly melting away. However, we carried on. I should have taken more pictures on the install process but I was more concerned about getting everything installed as quickly as possible. I originally planned on completing the sod over a period of 4 days and took off an extra day from work just incase we didn’t get it completed.
After a short break, scratz and I started working on the backyard. As we were laying the sod, we quickly found out that as we progressed, the large pallets of sod became immovable obstacles in our progress. This was an ongoing problem. Each time we tried to finish an area, the pallets of sod were in the way so we had to carry the sod to a different location. Moving sod sucks, but it you think it is any more exciting to move it 3 or 4 times you are WRONG! Anyway, as we were working in the yard a neighbor stopped by and gave us a hand. The three of us were able to lay a large section of the sod in about 4 hours. Luckily after that, it was time for a lunch break because I was dying from the lack of sleep.
Once the much needed food break was over, scratz and I continued the exciting task of laying more sod. A few hours after we began working again, my brother and sister-in-law showed up to help out. My Mom and Dad also dropped by to see how things were going. By this time we were no longer going at the break-neck pace as earlier, but we were still making good time. When the sun was heading over the horizon for the night, we had finished about 70% of the yard. I was excited about this because it meant we were ahead of schedule.
With all this work behind us, I was looking forward to going to bed to get a nice long night sleep…
We started in the front yard and were making pretty good time. We installed approximately 1600sqft worth of sod in less than three hours.
I thought we were doing great, until I realized, we had a little over 13,000sqft to go. By time we had completed the front yard, my energy had been quickly depleted. I had been up since noon of the previous day, so what little energy I did have was quickly melting away. However, we carried on. I should have taken more pictures on the install process but I was more concerned about getting everything installed as quickly as possible. I originally planned on completing the sod over a period of 4 days and took off an extra day from work just incase we didn’t get it completed.
After a short break, scratz and I started working on the backyard. As we were laying the sod, we quickly found out that as we progressed, the large pallets of sod became immovable obstacles in our progress. This was an ongoing problem. Each time we tried to finish an area, the pallets of sod were in the way so we had to carry the sod to a different location. Moving sod sucks, but it you think it is any more exciting to move it 3 or 4 times you are WRONG! Anyway, as we were working in the yard a neighbor stopped by and gave us a hand. The three of us were able to lay a large section of the sod in about 4 hours. Luckily after that, it was time for a lunch break because I was dying from the lack of sleep.
Once the much needed food break was over, scratz and I continued the exciting task of laying more sod. A few hours after we began working again, my brother and sister-in-law showed up to help out. My Mom and Dad also dropped by to see how things were going. By this time we were no longer going at the break-neck pace as earlier, but we were still making good time. When the sun was heading over the horizon for the night, we had finished about 70% of the yard. I was excited about this because it meant we were ahead of schedule.
With all this work behind us, I was looking forward to going to bed to get a nice long night sleep…
Friday, July 17, 2009
It's been a few...
A few days have passed since I last gave an update on my yard stuff. So, I guess I will put all the wondering minds to rest tonight. The past few weeks all I have really been doing is trying to get my yard leveled out so I can lay sod. To do this, I bought an awesome garden tractor and a box blade attachment. Scratz helped out and drove the tractor around the yard for a few hours and made pretty easy work of the un-level ground. We are still waiting for a sleeve hitch to allow us to do a final grade on the yard, but I dont know if that will be here before the sod it. I ordered it a while ago but haven't been updated by the seller to whether or not it has been shipped. Anyway, today I spent a few hours placing heads on the sprinklers and adjusting the patterns of others. One thing I did find out was that 2 of the wires that were installed to control the automatic valves, had shorted out. It took me a few hours to make a work around so I didn't have to un-bury the cable or some other ghastly thing. Once everything was connected, I did a quick test for the system and everything functioned as it should.
I still need to level out the front yard before the 5th of August because that is when the sod magically appears on my driveway. I know this blog isn't very exciting lately, but if there is not excitement in my life, it is very hard to write about it.
Ok, that is all. Now go read something else more exciting.
I still need to level out the front yard before the 5th of August because that is when the sod magically appears on my driveway. I know this blog isn't very exciting lately, but if there is not excitement in my life, it is very hard to write about it.
Ok, that is all. Now go read something else more exciting.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The rant....
After a bunch of busy days off, I am back to work. I have already completed all the important tasks that go on at this place, which include counting down the days left to work, looking for alternative places to work, and the obligatory chewing off all my fingernails. I don’t know what it is about going to work, but without fail, I have the deep desire to chew off my nails. I know it is a terrible habit, but I do not chew on them unless I am at work. If for some reason, I take a week off of work, I also take the week off of nail biting. One would think that the nail biting is caused by stress. Well in my case, I don’t see how this is possible. The most stress I have in a typical day at work is whether or not I have enough DVD’s to watch. Sure there are days when I really do have to work, but this is a rare occasion. For the most part, I just sit here and wait for the clock to say it is time to go home.
Now, I shouldn’t complain because I do get paid very well for the “work” that I do, However, I have come to the conclusion that I have died and NOT gone to heaven. Some say Hell is what just a place in your mind where you relieve the bad part of your life over and over again. This causing you to relive the agony over and over, which confines you to an eternity of despair and torcher. That describes my “work-life” completely. I sit here doing the same thing day in and day out, nothing changes. I still get annoyed at the same people for doing the same stupid things every day I work. No matter how many times I ask people to do a task a certain way, the less chance that task will be completed correctly. The sound of the telephone ringing causes solicits visions of me throwing the phone across the room. It is like I am working with a bunch of people who have no common sense or anything that might resemble intelligence at all. No water what I do or what I say, I continue to be stuck here wasting my life away for what? Nothing.
This job has turned into my own private hell, continually sucking me dry of any feeling of achievement. I remember having jobs, where at the end of the day, I could actually look back at what I had done and felt as if I had made a difference in the world and accomplished something. In this job, the most I have to look back on is the number of movies I had successfully watched in the 12 hours I was at work. Or I guess I could count it as an achievement that I didn’t choke someone over their inability to follow simple directions. Either way, if I did go to hell, I think this is exactly what it would be like. The consistent, reoccurring-nothingness that this job has been over the last 7 years is numbing to the soul. No matter what individual actions I take to get me out of this place, I continue to return day after day after day after day. The mind-numbing boredom of the non-stop repetitive-doldrums is enough to make anyone go insane. Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank.
Now, I shouldn’t complain because I do get paid very well for the “work” that I do, However, I have come to the conclusion that I have died and NOT gone to heaven. Some say Hell is what just a place in your mind where you relieve the bad part of your life over and over again. This causing you to relive the agony over and over, which confines you to an eternity of despair and torcher. That describes my “work-life” completely. I sit here doing the same thing day in and day out, nothing changes. I still get annoyed at the same people for doing the same stupid things every day I work. No matter how many times I ask people to do a task a certain way, the less chance that task will be completed correctly. The sound of the telephone ringing causes solicits visions of me throwing the phone across the room. It is like I am working with a bunch of people who have no common sense or anything that might resemble intelligence at all. No water what I do or what I say, I continue to be stuck here wasting my life away for what? Nothing.
This job has turned into my own private hell, continually sucking me dry of any feeling of achievement. I remember having jobs, where at the end of the day, I could actually look back at what I had done and felt as if I had made a difference in the world and accomplished something. In this job, the most I have to look back on is the number of movies I had successfully watched in the 12 hours I was at work. Or I guess I could count it as an achievement that I didn’t choke someone over their inability to follow simple directions. Either way, if I did go to hell, I think this is exactly what it would be like. The consistent, reoccurring-nothingness that this job has been over the last 7 years is numbing to the soul. No matter what individual actions I take to get me out of this place, I continue to return day after day after day after day. The mind-numbing boredom of the non-stop repetitive-doldrums is enough to make anyone go insane. Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank Clickity-clank clickity-clank clickity-clank.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Another one bites the dust...
Billy Mays here, I have a once in a lifetime opportunity here. it's called death!
I believe it's the week of the 50 year old dying. I wonder if he will get as much TV coverage as Mike has?
Full story here
I believe it's the week of the 50 year old dying. I wonder if he will get as much TV coverage as Mike has?
Full story here
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Another long day...and then MJ died...
Today I spent the majority of the day trying to till the backyard. The ground it a lot more solid then I thought. I ended up breaking the drive belt after only three long runs in the back. Then I spent the next 2 hours driving from store to store trying to find a replacement belt. I finally found one at the local hardware store. The only problem is, I wasnt sure of the correct size so I ended up buying the wrong one. After getting home and installing the belt, I was only able to make one pass in the backyard before the belt I just bought snapped. CRAP... So after Scratz got home from work, I headed back to the hardware store to find another replacement. However this time, I bought 2 of them just incase. That is about as far I got today. Tomorrow we are going to Lagoon, so no yardwork for me.
And for all of those Michael Jackson fans, here is a video in his memory.
And for all of those Michael Jackson fans, here is a video in his memory.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Yard update, 4-billion and 10...
Well today was pretty much a waste of a day again. The sun was out for the first part of the day, but the ground was still kind of soft. I decided I would try and move some of the gravel from off of the newly poured concrete and stick it out in the far end of the yard where we might have a sitting area on year. Well, I managed to get one load out to the fence line without much of a problem...UNTIL I tried turning around to head back to the house. The left side of the bobcat sunk all the way up to the frame. I couldn't turn, all I could do was go forward and backwards about 3 feet. With each attempt, the bobcat sunk deeper into the mud and I inched closer and closer to the fence. I then decided to use the front bucket to try and push or pull my way out. I was not making and progress forward, but was slowly going backwards. Remember I am literally 2-3 inches away from the fence. At one point the front bucket actually snagged on the fence, but I stopped in time not to completely destroy it. Since that wasnt working so well, I did the old trick that you do if you get stuck in the snow. I started rocking that bobcat like it was a 1982 Chev Scooter. I figured it at the rate I was going I was going to be buying a new fence for the farmer when I was done anyway, so I put the throttle up and went for broke. Somehow I bounced that bobcat up and out of the hole and I ended up getting high centered on a wooden pallet. I again used the front bucked and was able to work myself off of the pallet. Since I was no longer stuck I figured I ran out all my luck for the day, so I parked the bobcat and moved on to a different project.
By this time I was already pretty frustrated, then so I decided to wire the valves for the sprinkler system. I got everything wired up, and luckily I took this picture of the wires I needed because I almost cut the wrong ones when I made it over to the other set of valves.
Well as I was doing playing with wires, Scratz had been digging in the area of the mud puddle to see if she could find where the water was coming from. She ended up diging a little hole where you could actually see the water flowing from either under the cement pad or coming up from the ground. The water was draining out pretty quickly so we ended up making a trench that headed from the cement pad to the middle of the yard.
The point of the trench was to see if we could drain enough water off to either have it all gone or to find out where it might be coming from. Well the water kept flowing for hours. We even turned off the sprinkler system to see if that might have been the source for the leak. After many hours of waiting for it to stop, we think it might have tapered off but I am not really sure since it started raining again.
After just a few minutes, there where puddles of rain everywhere again.
I continued to play in the yard, while Scratz took the time to clean the house and watch the baby. While I was outside I was able to complete all the wiring to the sprinkler vavles, mount the controller, and do a quick test of the system just before it started raining again. Since I ran into about a million stupid problems while installing the controller, frustration won out and I called it a day. Shortly after that my brother called to tell my Happy Fathers day, which I actually pretty much forgot about with all the B.S. going on with my yard project. Anyway, I talked to him for a few minutes and then decided to go out to dinner with the baby and Scratz.
We went to one of our favorite places to go, Lorena's. It is a small Mexican Resturant where the food it good and the price is even better. I figured the rain would start again while we were in eating dinner, however the rain never came. When we got home, I happened to take a walk out into the backyard and noticed that the ground was firmer then it was earlier in the day. I decided to take another try and moving the gravel since I did pay a hefty amount to rent the bobcat for the weekend. Luckily I was able to move one load of gravel without any problems, tried a second load and was successful with that as well. Then I figured, since the ground wasn't just a big mud pit, I would flatten out a few of the tire ruts I had made earlier.
I was able to avoid the extra soft spots for the most part and re-flatten out a large amount of the backyard. Scratz was outside helping me spot mud zones and sprinkler heads so I wouldn't cause any more damaged then needed to be made. While I was flattening out large sections, Scratz was filling in the big ruts I couldn't get to with her shovel. We only had about an hour and a half of day light, but we did a pretty fair amount of work in that short time. That is a good thing, because now I dont feel that I rented the bobcat for nothing.
Well, it's getting pretty late and we both have to work in the morning. Hopefully by the time we get off work tomorrow, I will be able to tell if we still have a water leak in the backyard or if it is just drainage from around the house. This will require the rain to stop for a the rest of the day at least.
By this time I was already pretty frustrated, then so I decided to wire the valves for the sprinkler system. I got everything wired up, and luckily I took this picture of the wires I needed because I almost cut the wrong ones when I made it over to the other set of valves.
Well as I was doing playing with wires, Scratz had been digging in the area of the mud puddle to see if she could find where the water was coming from. She ended up diging a little hole where you could actually see the water flowing from either under the cement pad or coming up from the ground. The water was draining out pretty quickly so we ended up making a trench that headed from the cement pad to the middle of the yard.
The point of the trench was to see if we could drain enough water off to either have it all gone or to find out where it might be coming from. Well the water kept flowing for hours. We even turned off the sprinkler system to see if that might have been the source for the leak. After many hours of waiting for it to stop, we think it might have tapered off but I am not really sure since it started raining again.
After just a few minutes, there where puddles of rain everywhere again.
I continued to play in the yard, while Scratz took the time to clean the house and watch the baby. While I was outside I was able to complete all the wiring to the sprinkler vavles, mount the controller, and do a quick test of the system just before it started raining again. Since I ran into about a million stupid problems while installing the controller, frustration won out and I called it a day. Shortly after that my brother called to tell my Happy Fathers day, which I actually pretty much forgot about with all the B.S. going on with my yard project. Anyway, I talked to him for a few minutes and then decided to go out to dinner with the baby and Scratz.
We went to one of our favorite places to go, Lorena's. It is a small Mexican Resturant where the food it good and the price is even better. I figured the rain would start again while we were in eating dinner, however the rain never came. When we got home, I happened to take a walk out into the backyard and noticed that the ground was firmer then it was earlier in the day. I decided to take another try and moving the gravel since I did pay a hefty amount to rent the bobcat for the weekend. Luckily I was able to move one load of gravel without any problems, tried a second load and was successful with that as well. Then I figured, since the ground wasn't just a big mud pit, I would flatten out a few of the tire ruts I had made earlier.
I was able to avoid the extra soft spots for the most part and re-flatten out a large amount of the backyard. Scratz was outside helping me spot mud zones and sprinkler heads so I wouldn't cause any more damaged then needed to be made. While I was flattening out large sections, Scratz was filling in the big ruts I couldn't get to with her shovel. We only had about an hour and a half of day light, but we did a pretty fair amount of work in that short time. That is a good thing, because now I dont feel that I rented the bobcat for nothing.
Well, it's getting pretty late and we both have to work in the morning. Hopefully by the time we get off work tomorrow, I will be able to tell if we still have a water leak in the backyard or if it is just drainage from around the house. This will require the rain to stop for a the rest of the day at least.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Seriously....Stop it...
Yesterday the bobcat was delivered to the house. They wouldn't let me tow it with Big Red, but instead allowed me to pay them an additional $80 to have it dropped off. Grrrr. However, once I got going I was able to get quite a bit accomplished. I think I need to buy me one just to have. It is a blast. I do have to say, I am quit at home sitting in the drivers seat working the controls. Maybe I can get me one and spend my time off digging holes in the backyard or just driving in circles.
Anyway, the first project I did was clearing out some dirt and moving the gravel into place in the front yard. There is a ton of extra gravel that will have to be moved to the backyard someplace once we get most everything else finished. I would have taken pictures last night but I didn't want to get out of the bobcat and waste time just to take a picture. ;)
Once I completed the gravel, I headed to the backyard to spread out the road base in the location of where we plan on putting the shed. By time I got this completed, it was time to take a break to eat dinner since Scratz got home.
The dogs spent the next 10 minutes barking at the thing.
I took today and tomorrow off work just so I could make some progress on the yard. This morning, we got up early to get a jump on the day. I started by leveling out the dirt on the north side of the house, then I made my way to the front yard to do a little leveling out there. While I was working the bobcat, Scratz manned the shovel and was re-digging out the area where the first sprinkler box is located. The box gets covered in dirt and mud every time it rains. Once we get the decorative gravel in there, I don't think we will have this issue.
One thing we did notice last night was there is one area out by our new cement work that was really wet. I started to dig at it today, only to find even more water. I don't know if there is a leak or if that is just where the water has been collecting. I guess we will be digging up that area once we get most everything else taken care of.
Since we found that nice wetland, I took a few minutes to walk around the yard to see what needed to be flattened out or whatever when I found a little mud spot that had water bubbling up out of it. I dug down to find a connection in the pipe that had not been secured. I was getting ready to fix that when it started sprinkling. I figured that it would be a quick little storm, so Scratz and I decided to go get some food and head to Lowes for a few parts that we needed. Well, the storm didn't just pass by in a few minutes, it is currently still raining. It has been raining for about 4 hours now. I cant believe how much it has rained. I dont know how I am ever going to get this yard finished at this rate. The yard is now a muddy mess and the sky doesn't seem to be finished falling as of yet.
Here is what my mud pit looks like now.
This is craptastic.
Anyway, the first project I did was clearing out some dirt and moving the gravel into place in the front yard. There is a ton of extra gravel that will have to be moved to the backyard someplace once we get most everything else finished. I would have taken pictures last night but I didn't want to get out of the bobcat and waste time just to take a picture. ;)
Once I completed the gravel, I headed to the backyard to spread out the road base in the location of where we plan on putting the shed. By time I got this completed, it was time to take a break to eat dinner since Scratz got home.
The dogs spent the next 10 minutes barking at the thing.
I took today and tomorrow off work just so I could make some progress on the yard. This morning, we got up early to get a jump on the day. I started by leveling out the dirt on the north side of the house, then I made my way to the front yard to do a little leveling out there. While I was working the bobcat, Scratz manned the shovel and was re-digging out the area where the first sprinkler box is located. The box gets covered in dirt and mud every time it rains. Once we get the decorative gravel in there, I don't think we will have this issue.
One thing we did notice last night was there is one area out by our new cement work that was really wet. I started to dig at it today, only to find even more water. I don't know if there is a leak or if that is just where the water has been collecting. I guess we will be digging up that area once we get most everything else taken care of.
Since we found that nice wetland, I took a few minutes to walk around the yard to see what needed to be flattened out or whatever when I found a little mud spot that had water bubbling up out of it. I dug down to find a connection in the pipe that had not been secured. I was getting ready to fix that when it started sprinkling. I figured that it would be a quick little storm, so Scratz and I decided to go get some food and head to Lowes for a few parts that we needed. Well, the storm didn't just pass by in a few minutes, it is currently still raining. It has been raining for about 4 hours now. I cant believe how much it has rained. I dont know how I am ever going to get this yard finished at this rate. The yard is now a muddy mess and the sky doesn't seem to be finished falling as of yet.
Here is what my mud pit looks like now.
This is craptastic.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Rocks...
Yesterday, I had the day off and was able to do a little work in the yard. Scratz arranged to have the cobble stone rock
delivered at the house since I was going to be home. The guy showed
up to drop the rock off around 11am and I had him dump it off onto the park strip, to try and
keep it off the street.
Since I was already out shoveling dirt, I decided to fill in a small section of the park strip to see how it would look.
I don’t plan on doing a lot by hand because today I am getting off early to pick up the bobcat. I have a big day today. Hopefully the ground has had the time to dry out a little bit since the rain has stopped for a little while. It isn’t suppose to rain at all today, but there is suppose to be a little scattered showers later in the day tomorrow. If I can figure out how to work the bobcat without many problems, I believe I can get most of the items on my “to-do” list done before it rains. As far as driving the bobcat, I have only driven one a long time ago when I use to work construction. However, I was able to find a driving simulation online where you can hone your skills. If you want to practice yourself you can go to http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/skidsteer-sim/skidsteer.htm
The biggest thing about getting the bobcat is whether or not they will let me tow it with Big Red.
I have called a few times and depending on how I talk to the service person says I can or I can’t tow it. I really don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to tow it. After all I am paying for insurance on the bobcat and the worst that can happen is Big Red will fall apart on the way home.
That is all for now, look forward to the update of the bobcat action.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 16
As you read in the previous blog about sprinklers, I had finished installing all of them only to find out we had ZERO water pressure. I spent the whole night wondering how I would go about finding the blocked or broken pipe. Well the next morning scratz made a call to the city and found out the problem was on thier side of the system. Apperently they had a break in the main line in our area and were working to repair the problem. This was the biggest relief to me, so yesterday was the day that the water was turned back on. I went and checked my system and the only problem I found is it appears I forgot to make the little hole in the main pipe where one of the heads connects. Out of 30+ heads only having 1 to fix isnt that bad at all.
Tomorrow we get to move onto a little more land scaping fun. Scratz ordered 3.5 tons of cobble stone that will go into the parking strip in the front of the house. From a co-worker, She got the name of a guy who gets and delivers the rock for a great price. So tomorrow around noon, I will have a ton of rocks in front of the house. This gets the rocks here just in time for me to have the bobcat on Friday. I am hoping the sun will come out and stay out for most of the day tomorrow and then is out for the rest of the weekend. If not I am going to have a heck of a time trying to drive that bobcat without causing more damage to my yard then it already has.
Tomorrow we get to move onto a little more land scaping fun. Scratz ordered 3.5 tons of cobble stone that will go into the parking strip in the front of the house. From a co-worker, She got the name of a guy who gets and delivers the rock for a great price. So tomorrow around noon, I will have a ton of rocks in front of the house. This gets the rocks here just in time for me to have the bobcat on Friday. I am hoping the sun will come out and stay out for most of the day tomorrow and then is out for the rest of the weekend. If not I am going to have a heck of a time trying to drive that bobcat without causing more damage to my yard then it already has.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
I have a secret...
Since I am at work today and extremely tired, I decided to take a slight detour from the sprinklers posts and post something a little more interesting for the masses. I have decided to pass along a little known secret that I have. I have been keeping this secret to myself for a few months now and so far my fellow co-workers haven’t figure it out. What is the secret? Well the secret is that when they replaced our 1980’s microwave, they replaced it with a microwave/convection oven. You might wonder how no one else knows this secret…Well I was here when they delivered it and the delivery guy handed me the manual. So in my boredom on that day, I read it. That is where I found out the microwave has a darker side.
It is the coolest thing ever. (Don’t worry I hid the manual.) The best part about it is this allows me to have a wider variety of foods to eat at work. I don’t get stuck with the typical microwave meals any longer.
For instance, today I am having a Tonino’s cheese pizza.
Mind you, this couldn’t pass for gourmet cuisine, but it sure beats the pants off of Hot Pockets.
Anyway, I am typing this up while my pizza cooks in the oven. Soon it will be nice and crispy and not that soggy mush you would normally get if you tried cooking a regular pizza in the microwave.
Well that is all for this minute, it’s time for me to eat my pizza.
It is the coolest thing ever. (Don’t worry I hid the manual.) The best part about it is this allows me to have a wider variety of foods to eat at work. I don’t get stuck with the typical microwave meals any longer.
For instance, today I am having a Tonino’s cheese pizza.
Mind you, this couldn’t pass for gourmet cuisine, but it sure beats the pants off of Hot Pockets.
Anyway, I am typing this up while my pizza cooks in the oven. Soon it will be nice and crispy and not that soggy mush you would normally get if you tried cooking a regular pizza in the microwave.
Well that is all for this minute, it’s time for me to eat my pizza.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 15
Half of a month gone and we have 90% of the sprinkler system completed. Today Scratz and I spent most of the day filling in the trenches in the front yard. We had most everything re-buried before it started raining again. We took a little break and then decided to go check out the system. I went to the water main and turned that on. Then I had Scratz turn on one of the hose bibs to see if the water made it all the way around to that side. Well, she turned it on and NOTHING... There was a little time before a slow stream of water came out. I checked all the valves and checked the other hose bibs and still the water pressure was nothing to write home about. I don't know what is going on. If you remember for previous blogs, Sprinklers Day-3 I did have water flowing to the first manifold without any issues. I even tested the sprinklers out on Sprinklers Day 7 and everything in the first 5 zones worked perfectly. Then by
Sprinklers Day-8 I didn't have all the valves closed. There was so much water pressure it created a major sink hole in a matter of seconds. So I know I at least had good water pressure to both manifolds by that date.
I am very perplexed on what could be the problem. We walked all the hose lines to see if there was a bubbling up of water indicating a break in the line or something, but nothing was found. Maybe the city decided to stop pumping water today. Either way, I now have a completely sprinkler filled yard and no water pressure to feed the sprinklers. I guess I will have to hope that something magically fixes the problem because I don't have the slightest clue on what to look for. Xeroscaping anyone?
Sprinklers Day-8 I didn't have all the valves closed. There was so much water pressure it created a major sink hole in a matter of seconds. So I know I at least had good water pressure to both manifolds by that date.
I am very perplexed on what could be the problem. We walked all the hose lines to see if there was a bubbling up of water indicating a break in the line or something, but nothing was found. Maybe the city decided to stop pumping water today. Either way, I now have a completely sprinkler filled yard and no water pressure to feed the sprinklers. I guess I will have to hope that something magically fixes the problem because I don't have the slightest clue on what to look for. Xeroscaping anyone?
Sprinklers...Day 14
Well we are in the final stretches of the sprinklers. I was able to finish running all the pipe and installing all the sprinkler bodies for the whole yard. I had the Parents come over during the morning to help watch the kids, while I spent the majority of the day outside. I had to make a few trips out to Durk's Plumbing to get a few supplies, but once Scratz came home, it only took few more hours to complete.
Now that all the pipe is laid out I just need to put all the dirt back into the holes. This means I should be on schedule for when the bobcat gets here to help get everything ready so we can sod.
Now that all the pipe is laid out I just need to put all the dirt back into the holes. This means I should be on schedule for when the bobcat gets here to help get everything ready so we can sod.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I WON, I WON, I WON
I hit it big on the slots today. I have been trying for something big for a really long time, and finally I have. With this win, I won 500 coins. That is 500 coins of pure awesomeness. Since I have hit the jackpot, I am think I am going to go on a vacation or buy a new house or something awesome like that. So as all of you feel jealous of this awesomeness, I will be basking in the delight of becoming today's first $25 winner. SWEET
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 13 update
I know everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting and wondering how much I accomplished today. Well, I am proud to announce that I was able to complete both of the tasks I set out to today. I did run in to some problems digging the extra trench. Even though it has rained for the last few days, the ground is still solid and rocky about 3-4 inches down. It probably took me close to an hour to dig a 5ft section of trench.
When I originally planed on the front yards, we were going to put the secondary manifold in the area between the garage and the porch. However, with all the concrete in the driveway, I didn't want to try and figure out how to get the pipe run under 30ft of concrete. So we put the box all the way on the other side of the house, which turned out that we didn't have all the trenches connected to run all the pipe. Luckily it was only a few feet that needed to be trenched by hand.
Here is the final trench.
The second item on the list was running pipe underneight the sidewalk. This was pretty simple. I purchased 3 - 2ft lengths of 3/4in PVC pipe and connected them together with couplings with a hose attachment at the end. I didn't glue any of the pieces together so I could add to the length as needed during the process. All that I had to do is turn on the faucet and slowly work the PVC under the sidewalk. It was pretty quick and other then all the mud, it was pretty painless.
Here is the final product.
With in minutes of finishing, the real rainstorm began. Luckily I didn't have to try and work in the downpour.
The neighbor to the south of me, however, was getting concrete poured today. Even though the neighbor told us that we couldn't drive over his property any longer, the other neighbor still had the trucks running through. :)
When I originally planed on the front yards, we were going to put the secondary manifold in the area between the garage and the porch. However, with all the concrete in the driveway, I didn't want to try and figure out how to get the pipe run under 30ft of concrete. So we put the box all the way on the other side of the house, which turned out that we didn't have all the trenches connected to run all the pipe. Luckily it was only a few feet that needed to be trenched by hand.
Here is the final trench.
The second item on the list was running pipe underneight the sidewalk. This was pretty simple. I purchased 3 - 2ft lengths of 3/4in PVC pipe and connected them together with couplings with a hose attachment at the end. I didn't glue any of the pieces together so I could add to the length as needed during the process. All that I had to do is turn on the faucet and slowly work the PVC under the sidewalk. It was pretty quick and other then all the mud, it was pretty painless.
Here is the final product.
With in minutes of finishing, the real rainstorm began. Luckily I didn't have to try and work in the downpour.
The neighbor to the south of me, however, was getting concrete poured today. Even though the neighbor told us that we couldn't drive over his property any longer, the other neighbor still had the trucks running through. :)
Sprinklers..Day 12 &13
It's still raining and muddy, so I didnt even attempt to do any yard work yesterday after I got off of work. It even rained enough to make the nieghbors fancy rockwork in the front of their yard go for a little strol.
The bolder is at least 4 foot around and who knows how much that thing wieghs. The nieghbor seems to have problem after problem with his new house. I have come to the conclusion that his house must be possessed by the worker that fell of the roof and died when it was being built.
Anyway, I do still plan on going out to work in the yard today. I have all 3 kids home with me, so I should be able to arrange for one of them to watch the baby while I dig in the mud for a little while. I really dont plan on getting a lot accomplished today, however I do need to dig one 8 foot trench and figure out how to run a few pipes under the front walk.
That is all for now, I will update with my progress...if there is any.
The bolder is at least 4 foot around and who knows how much that thing wieghs. The nieghbor seems to have problem after problem with his new house. I have come to the conclusion that his house must be possessed by the worker that fell of the roof and died when it was being built.
Anyway, I do still plan on going out to work in the yard today. I have all 3 kids home with me, so I should be able to arrange for one of them to watch the baby while I dig in the mud for a little while. I really dont plan on getting a lot accomplished today, however I do need to dig one 8 foot trench and figure out how to run a few pipes under the front walk.
That is all for now, I will update with my progress...if there is any.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 11
Nothing to report. I didn't even make it outside to even think about getting anything accomplished. Maybe tomorrow?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Sprinklers...Day.. um..10
Rain, Rain go away, come again another day. That is what I have been thinking all day long. If I thought the muddy mess from yesterday was a treat, well good old Mother Nature showed me what fun really is. The neighbor was also kind enough to move the downspouts from his rain gutters over the property marker line and drain everything into my trenches, so his didn't get as wet. Got to love the caring nature of your neighbors. As you can guess, I didn't accomplish anything beside seeing that my new mud boots fit. I also realized that my arm really hurts, I must have pulled something while I was moving dirt around yesterday. That is all for now, I think I am calling it a night. One of these days the sun will shine and I can have a real update.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 8
Holy crap I am tired. I have been working on sprinklers all day long with only a little to show for it. I finally got the second sprinkler manifold all connected and attached to the mainline. However, when I went to check to make sure everything was tight and I didn't have any leaks, my fairly successful day went down the tubes. One of the automatic valves did not turn off. Almost instantly, this turned the hole, where the manifold was located, into a major mud-infested swimming-pit. The majority of all the surrounding dirt walls crumbled into the water making the hole even bigger and muddier then I could have ever wanted. By time I turned off the water, which is all the way on the other side of the property, I had successfully filled all the trenches in the area with about 4 inches of water. This didn't include the foot of water in the hole where the manifold was.
In trying to unbury the valves, more dirt fell into the hole, making the water the consistency of cold oatmeal. And if any of you have tried digging in oatmeal, you know it isn't very easy. Because mudslide buried the valves, I was unable to hook up any of the sprinkler zones directly to the manifold.
After a good hour or so, I was able to get the manifold out of the mud and propped it up above the ground so the mud could have a chance to dry.
Since I couldn't attach any additional zones to the manifold, I decided to try and run the pipe backwards. So instead of running from the manifold out, I ran the pipe from the final destination back to the manifold. This doesn't sound so difficult, but right before I got to this point, my help had to go take care of the screaming baby. We had the baby out with us while we were working on the pipes, but she soon got bored and needed more attention. This changed the relatively simple task of rolling out the pipe into a major job. Usually you have one person roll the pipe, while the other person makes sure the pipe is going into the hole. All the time trying no to knock the dirt that is on the side of the trenches back into the trench. However, trying to hold the awkward role of 400ft of black poly pipe that has to weigh close to 50lbs makes for a big challenge.
Anyway, after all the fun I had today, I only completed 2 of the 5 zones. I guess this is a little bit of progress, but I still have 3 zones to go. Once that is completed, I still need to run the sprinkler control wire and finish burying the pipe in the ground. I was hoping to be done with all the zones today, that obviously didn't happen. So I will be slowly working at it again every night when I get home from work. FUN FUN FUN...
In trying to unbury the valves, more dirt fell into the hole, making the water the consistency of cold oatmeal. And if any of you have tried digging in oatmeal, you know it isn't very easy. Because mudslide buried the valves, I was unable to hook up any of the sprinkler zones directly to the manifold.
After a good hour or so, I was able to get the manifold out of the mud and propped it up above the ground so the mud could have a chance to dry.
Since I couldn't attach any additional zones to the manifold, I decided to try and run the pipe backwards. So instead of running from the manifold out, I ran the pipe from the final destination back to the manifold. This doesn't sound so difficult, but right before I got to this point, my help had to go take care of the screaming baby. We had the baby out with us while we were working on the pipes, but she soon got bored and needed more attention. This changed the relatively simple task of rolling out the pipe into a major job. Usually you have one person roll the pipe, while the other person makes sure the pipe is going into the hole. All the time trying no to knock the dirt that is on the side of the trenches back into the trench. However, trying to hold the awkward role of 400ft of black poly pipe that has to weigh close to 50lbs makes for a big challenge.
Anyway, after all the fun I had today, I only completed 2 of the 5 zones. I guess this is a little bit of progress, but I still have 3 zones to go. Once that is completed, I still need to run the sprinkler control wire and finish burying the pipe in the ground. I was hoping to be done with all the zones today, that obviously didn't happen. So I will be slowly working at it again every night when I get home from work. FUN FUN FUN...
Sprinklers...Day 7
Today(Friday) wasn't as productive as I would have liked. I did get the big hole dug where I have to put the sprinkler box and manifold. That was a fun task. It rained on and off during the day, so each time it did, I happened to find an excuse to go inside. Another item that was limiting my productivity was my back and arms were sore. This made it an extra chore to do any digging in the ground. I had the parents come over to tend the baby while I was messing with the sprinklers but decided to let them head home, since I wasn't planing on doing much more after the first few hours. On Saturday, I plan on getting the majority of the sprinklers done if not all of it. The neighbor to the North of me is doing a bunch of leveling of their yard, so I need to get the side closest to him done before he takes the dirt that goes in my trenches and moves it someplace else. So all of you can look forward to the progress made tomorrow.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 7
Today was a decent day for a little yard work. It wasn't as hot as it has been and it also didn't rain like it has for the few nights. Before I let you know what happened with the sprinklers today, it is time for a concrete update. Last time I posted I was saying how late the concrete guys were staying. Well the reason they were so late is because they miscalculated how much concrete they needed for the job so they had to get a second truck out to make up the difference. All-in-all they used 20 yards of concrete and finished it in one day. I haven't been around the construction business for a long time, however I was still impressed that they were able to finish it all in one day. If any of you need concrete work done, let me know and I will get you this guys number.
Here are some of the pictures of the final results.
Now onto the sprinklers. Today I spent most of the day installing sprinkler heads in the back yard. It wasn't to hard of a task, but it sure was time consuming. I installed 30 sprinkler heads and was able to complete 5 of the 10 zones completed.
Here is a before and after of the sprinkler heads.
Here is the yard almost looking "normal" again
I still need to setup the second bank of auto valves for the front yard area. Hopefully I will have the time to complete a good portion of the front yard as well. Once that is completed, I will be able to finish filling in the trenches and starting the next project of getting the ground ready to lay sod.
Speaking of getting the ground, I received the new tiller blades in the mail today, so I will be able to till the entire yard as soon as everything is buried. I have a big day tomorrow, so I will leave you with a final thought. If tree's and butter are natural and good, why can both of them kill you in the end?
Here are some of the pictures of the final results.
Now onto the sprinklers. Today I spent most of the day installing sprinkler heads in the back yard. It wasn't to hard of a task, but it sure was time consuming. I installed 30 sprinkler heads and was able to complete 5 of the 10 zones completed.
Here is a before and after of the sprinkler heads.
Here is the yard almost looking "normal" again
I still need to setup the second bank of auto valves for the front yard area. Hopefully I will have the time to complete a good portion of the front yard as well. Once that is completed, I will be able to finish filling in the trenches and starting the next project of getting the ground ready to lay sod.
Speaking of getting the ground, I received the new tiller blades in the mail today, so I will be able to till the entire yard as soon as everything is buried. I have a big day tomorrow, so I will leave you with a final thought. If tree's and butter are natural and good, why can both of them kill you in the end?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 6...Postponed
Postponed the sprinklers install for today to hang out with the baby. Well actually that was just an extra benefit of today. Really what happened today was the concrete guy showed up to frame everything and decided that he was going to poor today instead of tomorrow. So I just made sure I was here with the checkbook to pay for the gravel truck and the cement guys. I am having a lot of concrete poured today. It is just after 9pm and they are still working. Here are a few pictures from earlier today.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 5
Arrg, yet another long day. Today started with a full day at work. Since it had been raining on and off most of the day, I let my help know that I wouldn't be doing sprinklers today. However when I got home, I figured I better get as much done as possible since the cement guy was coming bright and early in the morning. It was to late to cancel him. So I came home, changed clothes, ate a few Ritz crackers, and started working. It sprinkled on and off for the first 30 or so minutes, but I was making decent progress. The only major problem I had was I kept forgetting to cut the little hole in the poly tube before attaching the fittings. After I was out working for a little while, scratz came out to assist. With her filling in the trenches, I finished putting the fittings on the pipe. Once that was done I helped with the trenches. In the last 10-20 minutes before were "finished", it started raining pretty heavily. I hope the hole back yard isnt pure mud by time the guy get here in the morning. I really dont have much to say because I am pretty exhausted. My hands dont hurt as much any more but they sure are ruff and dry. I will take some pictures and add to the blog for tomorrow. I think I will be working on the front yard sprinklers during the day because the concrete guy will be taking up all the space in the back yard.
Anyway, as always just because they are called cat tails, it doesn't mean you can shoot them with a shotgun.
Anyway, as always just because they are called cat tails, it doesn't mean you can shoot them with a shotgun.
Monday, June 1, 2009
4 in one...
I just wanted to show everyone my awesome find. I was eating peanuts at work today and I happened upon a peanut with 4 nuts in one shell. ( I'm not really supposed to be eating peanuts because I believe I have developed a food allergy because of them)
I was excited to see this. so I am sharing it with everyone else.
Enjoy
I was excited to see this. so I am sharing it with everyone else.
Enjoy
Sprinklers...Day 4
On the forth day of the sprinkler project, I had to take back the trench digger to the rental store by 7am. When I took it back to United Rental, the guy who recieves the equipment back tried telling me I didn't fill up the gas tank for the trencher. This was absolute B.S. I thought he was joking at first but he was serious. He tried to say that unless the gas tank is almost overflowing then the tank wasn't full. I was so pissed off because they charge like $10 per gallon of gas there. When he walked me into the service area he told the sales guy that the tank was a 1/4 tank empty. I told him he was full of it and told the sales guy that if he charged me for the 1/4 tank, I would cancel my next rental which is in two weeks. The sales guy made a smart choice, however because of the one guy I think I am going to cancel my rental anyway and go some place else. So if anyone reading this wants to rent from United Rental, I would recommend going someplace else because the employees who receive the equipment back must make a percentage on the amount of gas they have to replace in the rentals.
Back to the sprinklers, last night we found out that the neighbor to the north of us has decided to block access across his property beginning Friday. This causes us a major problem because if we cant get a cement truck in that way, we will have to pump the cement over the house which is quite a bit more expensive. This limited access also causes a problem for other neighbors on the street because they have also been doing yard construction. Anyway, since we are facing a possible non-access situation, we are trying to get all the pipe in the backyard in and buried inorder to have our cement guy come and do his job on Thursday. This is kind of pushing our schedule but I hope we can do it.
Luckily my brother and his wife came over to assist with the mess again. With their help we were able to get 90% of all the pipe work for the backyard completed. The storm that was coming in from the West force us to call it a night earlier then I had hoped, but with the wind and the blowing dirt there wasnt much that we could even do. We still need to bury most of the pipe so that the cement and other trucks can drive in the backyard to get the cement work done. However we are a lot closer then we were this morning. I think by tomorrow we should have the dirt covering the pipe in all the major areas of the back yard. Once the cement has been completed, then I can finish installing the sprinkler heads in the backyard. We still have a lot of pipe to lay to finish the entire yard, but I think we are slowly making progress. I only have to work 2 days this week, which will help in getting a little more completed.
So until next time, If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then you could probably eat it for dinner.
Back to the sprinklers, last night we found out that the neighbor to the north of us has decided to block access across his property beginning Friday. This causes us a major problem because if we cant get a cement truck in that way, we will have to pump the cement over the house which is quite a bit more expensive. This limited access also causes a problem for other neighbors on the street because they have also been doing yard construction. Anyway, since we are facing a possible non-access situation, we are trying to get all the pipe in the backyard in and buried inorder to have our cement guy come and do his job on Thursday. This is kind of pushing our schedule but I hope we can do it.
Luckily my brother and his wife came over to assist with the mess again. With their help we were able to get 90% of all the pipe work for the backyard completed. The storm that was coming in from the West force us to call it a night earlier then I had hoped, but with the wind and the blowing dirt there wasnt much that we could even do. We still need to bury most of the pipe so that the cement and other trucks can drive in the backyard to get the cement work done. However we are a lot closer then we were this morning. I think by tomorrow we should have the dirt covering the pipe in all the major areas of the back yard. Once the cement has been completed, then I can finish installing the sprinkler heads in the backyard. We still have a lot of pipe to lay to finish the entire yard, but I think we are slowly making progress. I only have to work 2 days this week, which will help in getting a little more completed.
So until next time, If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then you could probably eat it for dinner.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 3
Is it over yet? Wow this is a lot of work installing the sprinkler system. Scratz and I have been working all day long, with not much to show for it. We were able to get the first of 2 manifolds in and we finished one of the 10 zones.
Also was able to put in one of the two hose bibs.
When I went to test the first system, all the sprinklers in that zone came on execpt one. I forgot to cut the hole on the pipe where the sprinkler attached. Duh... Anyway, I also found out that the water would not turn off. So I had a ton of mud to deal with while I tried to figure out what I did wrong.
After about 40 minutes and a lot of mud, I found that one of the automatic valves was broken. I had to borrow one from the other manifold in order to make things work. Currently I do have a few leaks, but I will take care of them once I get a little more time to get things together. The other problem I had was when I was running a long pipe out to the end of the yard to allow for a hose bib. After getting the pipe ran, I realized that the company had send the wrong fitting to connect the metal pipe to the poly pipe. Darn it.
At about that time the storm started rolling in, so we cleaned up our pipe and tools. Once the tools where put away, we had to re-install the dog kennel so the dogs will have a place to stay when we head back to work. I hope the tarp that blocks the rain and sun stays in place because the wind was blowing pretty fiercely when I was finishing getting it all back together.
That was the end of the project for today, I forgot to mention scratz and I did spend about thirty minutes chatting with the neighbors who live two houses to the south of us. They too have been doing house projects all weekend long.
Tomorrow I believe my brother is heading over to help out a little. If he cant, then I will be working away at it myself and hopefully I can make some progress.
Until next time, remember the bear isn't the only thing that S***'s in the woods, so watch your step.
Also was able to put in one of the two hose bibs.
When I went to test the first system, all the sprinklers in that zone came on execpt one. I forgot to cut the hole on the pipe where the sprinkler attached. Duh... Anyway, I also found out that the water would not turn off. So I had a ton of mud to deal with while I tried to figure out what I did wrong.
After about 40 minutes and a lot of mud, I found that one of the automatic valves was broken. I had to borrow one from the other manifold in order to make things work. Currently I do have a few leaks, but I will take care of them once I get a little more time to get things together. The other problem I had was when I was running a long pipe out to the end of the yard to allow for a hose bib. After getting the pipe ran, I realized that the company had send the wrong fitting to connect the metal pipe to the poly pipe. Darn it.
At about that time the storm started rolling in, so we cleaned up our pipe and tools. Once the tools where put away, we had to re-install the dog kennel so the dogs will have a place to stay when we head back to work. I hope the tarp that blocks the rain and sun stays in place because the wind was blowing pretty fiercely when I was finishing getting it all back together.
That was the end of the project for today, I forgot to mention scratz and I did spend about thirty minutes chatting with the neighbors who live two houses to the south of us. They too have been doing house projects all weekend long.
Tomorrow I believe my brother is heading over to help out a little. If he cant, then I will be working away at it myself and hopefully I can make some progress.
Until next time, remember the bear isn't the only thing that S***'s in the woods, so watch your step.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sprinklers...Day 2
Today was a very exhausting day. I was able to finish the trenches for the yard. What a pain. I can't even imagine doing this by hand. The shoveling is bad enough just to clean out the corners or crosses where trenches meet.
My brother and his wife showed up to help out. We still didnt make much of a dent in the overall system but their help was appreciated. I didnt think it would be this much of a hassle to get a sprinkler system in the ground. My brother and I spend a large portion of the day trying to figure out where and how to place the sprinkler boxes that house the manifolds. One of the things we were able to complete was connecting to the main city water and installing a mainline filter for the sprinkler system.
As far as actual pipe, we were able to run 1 main line all the way out to the end of the property which will feed a hose bib. We also were able to dig the location for the first bank of 5-manifolds for the backyard sprinkler zones. We ran into the problem of location due to how the sprinkler plan was written up. The sprinkler box was going to run from East to West. When we tried it in that orientation, it was found that we wouldn't be able to connect the main line to it. Therefore we had to dig an even bigger hole to get the box turned correctly. The part about digging which really sucks is that the ground has spots of clay which is not very fun to try and dig through. With my hands killing me from yesterdays excitement, shoveling proved to be even more painful.
Anyway, at about 4:30pm my help had to go home and get ready for a party that was being held at my place at 6pm. This is why if you notice that scratz wasn't mentioned as to helping out, she was busy cleaning the house and running errands to get ready for the party. I did a few minor things to the sprinkler system before I too had to go get cleaned up for the party.
The party was a combined Birthday party for the Parents. It was a nice little get together and even the infamous flat mate of my sister showed up. The only downside was that I am completely exhausted from the two days of working in the yard. This was probably a nice change for the rest of the family because I wasnt as loud and rambunctious as I normally am. All-in-all I had a pretty nice day.
Tomorrow, I took the day off with the hopes of getting a little more completed on the sprinkler system. I hope to finish the section of the system which is located where the dog kennel usually sits. This way I will have a place to put the dogs when we head back to work on Monday.
That's all for tonight, it is past my bedtime and I can hardly think. So if this post doesn't make much sense, I will correct my errors tomorrow. until then, remember rabies isn't the worse thing you can catch.
My brother and his wife showed up to help out. We still didnt make much of a dent in the overall system but their help was appreciated. I didnt think it would be this much of a hassle to get a sprinkler system in the ground. My brother and I spend a large portion of the day trying to figure out where and how to place the sprinkler boxes that house the manifolds. One of the things we were able to complete was connecting to the main city water and installing a mainline filter for the sprinkler system.
As far as actual pipe, we were able to run 1 main line all the way out to the end of the property which will feed a hose bib. We also were able to dig the location for the first bank of 5-manifolds for the backyard sprinkler zones. We ran into the problem of location due to how the sprinkler plan was written up. The sprinkler box was going to run from East to West. When we tried it in that orientation, it was found that we wouldn't be able to connect the main line to it. Therefore we had to dig an even bigger hole to get the box turned correctly. The part about digging which really sucks is that the ground has spots of clay which is not very fun to try and dig through. With my hands killing me from yesterdays excitement, shoveling proved to be even more painful.
Anyway, at about 4:30pm my help had to go home and get ready for a party that was being held at my place at 6pm. This is why if you notice that scratz wasn't mentioned as to helping out, she was busy cleaning the house and running errands to get ready for the party. I did a few minor things to the sprinkler system before I too had to go get cleaned up for the party.
The party was a combined Birthday party for the Parents. It was a nice little get together and even the infamous flat mate of my sister showed up. The only downside was that I am completely exhausted from the two days of working in the yard. This was probably a nice change for the rest of the family because I wasnt as loud and rambunctious as I normally am. All-in-all I had a pretty nice day.
Tomorrow, I took the day off with the hopes of getting a little more completed on the sprinkler system. I hope to finish the section of the system which is located where the dog kennel usually sits. This way I will have a place to put the dogs when we head back to work on Monday.
That's all for tonight, it is past my bedtime and I can hardly think. So if this post doesn't make much sense, I will correct my errors tomorrow. until then, remember rabies isn't the worse thing you can catch.
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