Yesterday I cleaned up both cars. The Sable was a disaster. Reminded me of the days when we had a station wagon (now know as an SUV) and three kids. The Taurus was much easier work: except for ancient coffee and coke stains.
The Taurus has developed a leak in the exhaust system. It sounds like a well-tuned Harley. Cool. I have never had exhaust work on the Taurus but now that it is a teenager, it becomes more demanding of its needs. I hope it never needs braces.
We went shopping for groceries and various things for the house. First phase remodeling is about done. Which is both good (yes!) and bad. A completed job, in a woman’s mind, spawns ideas for new jobs. It is better to delay completing any home project as long as possible.
The weather is fantastic and is predicted to continue for a while. Everything continues to be green outside. Unfortunately, the weeds are exuberantly happy. And the moles and voles have developed a real urban neighborhood in the backyard. I need a dog. You would think the coyotes would be supping out back…or maybe those feral cats?
I am still working industriously on the bus routes. I have created 15 special needs routes. There are two new schools in the district. One older school not previously served by busses, has had its boundaries expanded so now we bus some of those kids. O’Fallon has added sidewalks in several areas and now kids who were bussed before, have to walk up to 1 ½ miles. Parents are complaining about that…I anticipate traffic jams at the schools as parents bring the little angels to school. I guess the parents would welcome higher taxes so the kids can ride the bus. One of the complaints I get is about timing. Parents would like the bus schedule to coincide with their work schedules. Fortunately, most people understand.
We will be going north next weekend to help celebrate Brandon’s birthday number XVI
Time has flown by – and will go by even faster from now on. Cie le vie.
Time to get ready for church. I plan to go on West Main. Several buildings have been torn down including the old Tribout building. The murals are gone.
That’s about it for now from HOME ALONE.
Dad
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Little Firecracker
5 years old !!!
This is the birthday of our nation and of our youngest granddaughter.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOPHIA! (…………….xxx…………..)
I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. It has been dry and cool for the past week; beautiful weather.
The VP fair is underway and the big parade kicks off at 10:00. Looks like it will be a wet one. Too bad since it usually is a great parade.
I like to walk the fairgrounds and see all the sights. May not happen today.
Jason and Rebecca are planning to come up from Louisville late today and go directly down to the landing to view the fireworks. Hope it works out for them.
The rain just got more intense. I mowed the lawns yesterday (here and at the school and at the church). I was surprised to see how dry the ground was already though we have had record rainfall the month of June. Many farm fields are way behind in germinating the crops. But this rain should be beneficial for the farmers.
Bill and Dawn and family will be down tomorrow. I am going to do pork steaks on the grill and also hamburgers, sweet corn, and etc. I am looking forward to it.
Been real busy at work. The boss went to Florida for a week. My associate, Kelly, and I were in-charge. Unfortunately Kelly’s husband had a heart attack and subsequently had a three way by pass. I have been getting a lot of questions about my surgery. Everyone is surprised how healthy I appear to be.
Needless to say, I have been real busy. I am developing bus routes for the fall; the most difficult and time-consuming routes are the special needs routes. The parents and schools are really pushing me to get this done, as are the drivers who will be picking their routes.
Been looking at all the pictures on Facebook. I wish we could have made it to the islands. I am glad that family is making the most of the trip.
That’s about it from HOME ALONE.
Dad
This is the birthday of our nation and of our youngest granddaughter.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOPHIA! (…………….xxx…………..)
I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. It has been dry and cool for the past week; beautiful weather.
The VP fair is underway and the big parade kicks off at 10:00. Looks like it will be a wet one. Too bad since it usually is a great parade.
I like to walk the fairgrounds and see all the sights. May not happen today.
Jason and Rebecca are planning to come up from Louisville late today and go directly down to the landing to view the fireworks. Hope it works out for them.
The rain just got more intense. I mowed the lawns yesterday (here and at the school and at the church). I was surprised to see how dry the ground was already though we have had record rainfall the month of June. Many farm fields are way behind in germinating the crops. But this rain should be beneficial for the farmers.
Bill and Dawn and family will be down tomorrow. I am going to do pork steaks on the grill and also hamburgers, sweet corn, and etc. I am looking forward to it.
Been real busy at work. The boss went to Florida for a week. My associate, Kelly, and I were in-charge. Unfortunately Kelly’s husband had a heart attack and subsequently had a three way by pass. I have been getting a lot of questions about my surgery. Everyone is surprised how healthy I appear to be.
Needless to say, I have been real busy. I am developing bus routes for the fall; the most difficult and time-consuming routes are the special needs routes. The parents and schools are really pushing me to get this done, as are the drivers who will be picking their routes.
Been looking at all the pictures on Facebook. I wish we could have made it to the islands. I am glad that family is making the most of the trip.
That’s about it from HOME ALONE.
Dad
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Summer Solstice
Disambiguation is Here
Longest day of the year eve…?
The sun is scheduled (as if we arranged it) to be at its northernmost transit in the sky at 05:45 Greenwich mean time on June 21. Here in south central Illinois, local time is 5 hours earlier than Greenwich time so the disambiguation occurs at 12:45 AM here in Illinois or 45 minutes after midnight. I am curious; was today the longest day or will tomorrow be the longest day?
I returned from Missoula, Montana this past Thursday.
Missoula Montana is at 3,200 feet elevation, and is flat as a pancake...not one hill in the town. However snow capped mountains surround it and you can be up on a mountain overlooking the city (population 83,000) within 20 minutes. It is an old, well laid out town that is bisected throughout with bike trails. It has a nice river walk and kayaking on the river is a favorite past time, as is all the outdoors stuff.
The downtown is clean and the architecture is, well, eclectic. The University of Monatana is located in Missoula. There are not nearly as many dogs as I saw in Edmonds, WA.
My host, Jennifer Keith of First Student, was an excellent host who loves to show off her town. She is also well traveled including many post Katrina trips to New Orleans.
Jennifer and her husnband, Dean, treated me and another traveler to an excellent steak dinner at the Lolo Creek Steakhouse on Lewis and Clark Rd in Lolo , Montana. The cooking was done on a large open pit, wood-burning grill. We were surrounded by stuffed wildlife including grizzlies (University of Montana mascot), badgers, elk, and moutain lions.
After the meal, Jennifer and Dean introduced me to geo-caching. They led me to the first hidden object ( which I found with the first clue under a metal sign for the steakhouse) , and then I was on my own. They were impressed about how quickly I figured out the clues for four sections of walking.
At home, the temperature at Lambert was 20 degrees higher than in Missoula. The house interior temp wa 87 due to an air conditioner being on the fritz. I did not sleep well that night. The following day, I got a tech out to diagnose the problem. Not a cheap fix; needs a new a/c unit.
Knowing this will take a while, I bought and installed a small a/c in the bedroom window. It was comfortable except for another passing storm that dumped a ½ inch of rain on an alresdy soggy back yard. We received 4 ½ inches of rain over the last week. Not adding the two inches the previous week. It has been a very wet Spring. Which, as I mentioned earlier, will end in abour four hours.
I mowed the lawns early, but it was still a chore being hotter by the minute. Can't use the riding mower since it would tear up mud.
That’s about it from Home Alone
Love to family and friends and you Dads, have a great day.
Papa
Longest day of the year eve…?
The sun is scheduled (as if we arranged it) to be at its northernmost transit in the sky at 05:45 Greenwich mean time on June 21. Here in south central Illinois, local time is 5 hours earlier than Greenwich time so the disambiguation occurs at 12:45 AM here in Illinois or 45 minutes after midnight. I am curious; was today the longest day or will tomorrow be the longest day?
I returned from Missoula, Montana this past Thursday.
Missoula Montana is at 3,200 feet elevation, and is flat as a pancake...not one hill in the town. However snow capped mountains surround it and you can be up on a mountain overlooking the city (population 83,000) within 20 minutes. It is an old, well laid out town that is bisected throughout with bike trails. It has a nice river walk and kayaking on the river is a favorite past time, as is all the outdoors stuff.
The downtown is clean and the architecture is, well, eclectic. The University of Monatana is located in Missoula. There are not nearly as many dogs as I saw in Edmonds, WA.
My host, Jennifer Keith of First Student, was an excellent host who loves to show off her town. She is also well traveled including many post Katrina trips to New Orleans.
Jennifer and her husnband, Dean, treated me and another traveler to an excellent steak dinner at the Lolo Creek Steakhouse on Lewis and Clark Rd in Lolo , Montana. The cooking was done on a large open pit, wood-burning grill. We were surrounded by stuffed wildlife including grizzlies (University of Montana mascot), badgers, elk, and moutain lions.
After the meal, Jennifer and Dean introduced me to geo-caching. They led me to the first hidden object ( which I found with the first clue under a metal sign for the steakhouse) , and then I was on my own. They were impressed about how quickly I figured out the clues for four sections of walking.
At home, the temperature at Lambert was 20 degrees higher than in Missoula. The house interior temp wa 87 due to an air conditioner being on the fritz. I did not sleep well that night. The following day, I got a tech out to diagnose the problem. Not a cheap fix; needs a new a/c unit.
Knowing this will take a while, I bought and installed a small a/c in the bedroom window. It was comfortable except for another passing storm that dumped a ½ inch of rain on an alresdy soggy back yard. We received 4 ½ inches of rain over the last week. Not adding the two inches the previous week. It has been a very wet Spring. Which, as I mentioned earlier, will end in abour four hours.
I mowed the lawns early, but it was still a chore being hotter by the minute. Can't use the riding mower since it would tear up mud.
That’s about it from Home Alone
Love to family and friends and you Dads, have a great day.
Papa
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sure Didn't Look Like Kansas
Well, here we are, Home Alone again.
We felt so sad as the plane sped away from our middle child and her small family. Savannah made the trip back to Seattle with us. She had visited here for about three weeks. We will miss her
The week was full of things to do. The house the Millers live in is situated on a hillside with a grand view of Puget Sound. The air cleared enough at times that we could see some of the snow capped Olympic Mountains. We mad a trip to Hurricane Ridge on Mt. Olympus. Unfortunately, as Traci drove through clouds, the clouds were rising. When we topped the ridge, we got a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks, and then the clouds closed them off.
There were several snow fields remaining from the winter and as we tramped through them. We couldn’t resist having snow ball fights…in June! Lots of deer wandering around munching the new spring buds. Some came as close as 20 feet.
We should have gone up the ridge before we had lunch, but that too turned out good. We happened on a burger joint (with the help of Carmen, the English speaking GPS device) that was clean with great burgers and hotdogs. The grandma loved the hotdog. Said it was to die for.
All the day trips tend to be a little long. Several involved the use of the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. The ride is smooth and just a half hour long. As we were hurrying back to the car, a boat hitch left in the bumper of a pickup truck snagged me. I went down, taking Sophie with me. She was unhurt, but I took a large piece pf skin off the side of my hand. It was bloody and painful. I couldn’t believe how people can leave those things, unused, on the hitch.
We visited the Seattle Aquarium, a nice place along the waterfront.
After the visit, we took a two and a half hour tour of Puget Sound. The tour included locking through the locks separating the lake and the Sound. The lake is fresh water; the Sound is salt and is affected by the tides, thus the purpose of the locks.
An interesting feature along the Lake was the number of houses actually built and floating on the lake. We saw the house where Tom Hanks lived as the character in Sleepless in Seattle.
On Sunday, Jim, Shane and I went to a Seattle Mariners game. Nice stadium and Jim had gotten very good seats in the second deck.
The weather was good, so we spent an afternoon on the beach at low tide. The kids love to explore what the departing water leaves behind. We saw many jellyfish, starfish, sea anemones, and buried crabs. The kids love it and we also enjoyed the experience.
Another side Trip was touring a Navy destroyer, USS Turner Joy, which is on permanent display in Bremerton Washington. It is maintained in excellent condition and most areas of the ship are accessible to visitors.
The mothball fleet used to be there in Bremerton but all that is left are three decommissioned attack carriers, They have outlived their service time and will be eventually be disposed of by the wreckers and salvage people or, perhaps as was done with USS Oriskany, be sunk for artificial reefs and scuba touring.
This was a wonderful trip but too short.
I leave for Missoula, Montana tomorrow for some training. Unfortunately, my sister Kathy and some family got into St. Louis tonight. They will leave next Wednesday so I won’t get to visit with them.
Darn.
That’s all from Home Alone
Monday, May 25, 2009
Flat Tire
It is a quiet, rainy Memorial Day morning. We have no big plans for the day except containing to finish the re-model job.
I installed the new toilet yesterday. The job went very smoothly for which I was appreciative, my back is bothering me again so lifting and guiding the toilet was a trial.
I had to set the toilet twice since the wax ring shipped with the toilet (all the way from Foshan City in China) was not high enough so a trip to Home depot was in order.
After that, all went smoothly. I checked this morning and saw no leaks so that project goes into the finished pile.
I am not going to attempt installing the pedestal sink. All that I have heard makes it out of my league.
We bought a new stove and dishwasher, both of which I will install. We are going to gas after 40 years of all electric stoves. I have to run a gas line, but that is easy work; shouldn’t take more than the standard three trips to Home Depot.
I worked at the bus lot on Saturday. We have lost three drivers, one due to involving her self in a rear end collision with the bus, and two ladies who failed the physicals. All of them had more than 35 years school bus experience. So the load shifts even farther to me. And this is at a time of budget crunches so there is no “paid” overtime. First Student, an English owned company, is the worst managed company in this country. It’s amazing it can stay in business.
Jason came up for overnight on Wednesday. It was 9:00 PM when he called and said he was on the side of I-64 with a flat tire. He had no flashlight and had never changed attire before. I, knowing how dangerous this can b alongside an interstate in the dark and tiring to change the tire, it made me shudder with fear. Jason was on the shoulder just past mile marker 45 (as it turned out) so I headed that way. I had to go past him for five miles then loop back. A state trooper had pulled up behind him at that time with all lights flashing. Unfortunately he did not remain since I was on the way. Those lights would have mad me feel a lot safer.
Anyway, Jason had the doughnut tire out and the jack and was ready to go. Thank god the flat was on the passenger side, the other side would have been scary as all get out. We were safely back at home at 10:45.
Jason had bought the tires at Sears with road hazard protection so he got that changed the next day and was able to take Savannah out for pizza in St. Louis.
Savannah is camped out at Laura’s; I plan on taking the two to City Museum sometime next week, after Laura is out of school. We may take Savannah up to spend time with Brook and company at some point in this visit. Plans are still tentative.
We understand the need for allowing Savannah as much social time with girls her age. We will let her have as much of that time as we can.
That is all from Home Alone ( Jim, you are such a good Dad)
Dad
I installed the new toilet yesterday. The job went very smoothly for which I was appreciative, my back is bothering me again so lifting and guiding the toilet was a trial.
I had to set the toilet twice since the wax ring shipped with the toilet (all the way from Foshan City in China) was not high enough so a trip to Home depot was in order.
After that, all went smoothly. I checked this morning and saw no leaks so that project goes into the finished pile.
I am not going to attempt installing the pedestal sink. All that I have heard makes it out of my league.
We bought a new stove and dishwasher, both of which I will install. We are going to gas after 40 years of all electric stoves. I have to run a gas line, but that is easy work; shouldn’t take more than the standard three trips to Home Depot.
I worked at the bus lot on Saturday. We have lost three drivers, one due to involving her self in a rear end collision with the bus, and two ladies who failed the physicals. All of them had more than 35 years school bus experience. So the load shifts even farther to me. And this is at a time of budget crunches so there is no “paid” overtime. First Student, an English owned company, is the worst managed company in this country. It’s amazing it can stay in business.
Jason came up for overnight on Wednesday. It was 9:00 PM when he called and said he was on the side of I-64 with a flat tire. He had no flashlight and had never changed attire before. I, knowing how dangerous this can b alongside an interstate in the dark and tiring to change the tire, it made me shudder with fear. Jason was on the shoulder just past mile marker 45 (as it turned out) so I headed that way. I had to go past him for five miles then loop back. A state trooper had pulled up behind him at that time with all lights flashing. Unfortunately he did not remain since I was on the way. Those lights would have mad me feel a lot safer.
Anyway, Jason had the doughnut tire out and the jack and was ready to go. Thank god the flat was on the passenger side, the other side would have been scary as all get out. We were safely back at home at 10:45.
Jason had bought the tires at Sears with road hazard protection so he got that changed the next day and was able to take Savannah out for pizza in St. Louis.
Savannah is camped out at Laura’s; I plan on taking the two to City Museum sometime next week, after Laura is out of school. We may take Savannah up to spend time with Brook and company at some point in this visit. Plans are still tentative.
We understand the need for allowing Savannah as much social time with girls her age. We will let her have as much of that time as we can.
That is all from Home Alone ( Jim, you are such a good Dad)
Dad
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Poles
Things are coming to a head here at Home Alone:
The flooring will be installed on Wednesday. I have to pull the dishwasher. Also need to make sure all the stapes are pounded down (from the old flooring)
I dug holes for three new posts ..
Hole #2 (center) was the record holder for the hardest clay I have ever encountered. I thought I had hit bedrock.
I'll let them set up in the mortar then start adding the boards. I made one span an even 8’ so I can take it down to pass a pickup through.
I borrowed Mike Melanovich's truck to bring the new sink and toilet home. He is really nice about letting me borrow it. Lee always sez I should ask him, but then I have to work on his schedule; not something I am willing to do.
Took your Mom to the casino today, then I left and walked around downtown for an hour and a half. Cloudy here and cool so it was pleasant
Yesterday I did all the mowing of our yard and the schoolyard.
The backyard here is still wet from all the rain, but it was getting out of control (grass wise).
Randy, the guy next door, came to tell me the house next to him had been repossessed. He went on to say that the backyard at the house was a mess. Randy said he had called the realtor to complain. We went over to see, and it was a jungle. So to protect the neigborhood, we decided to mow. I unhitched the riding mower (that is one good mower!) and went over and knocked the weeds and grass down. Randy did the edging with his weed eater. Randy and I had just finished when a truck pulled up from Bosslers Landscaping (Andy Bossler was the former husband and owner(?) of the house so the realtor called him and he sent his crew over. Too late!
Anyhow, we did no harm.
The flooring will be installed on Wednesday. I have to pull the dishwasher. Also need to make sure all the stapes are pounded down (from the old flooring)
I dug holes for three new posts ..
Hole #2 (center) was the record holder for the hardest clay I have ever encountered. I thought I had hit bedrock.
I'll let them set up in the mortar then start adding the boards. I made one span an even 8’ so I can take it down to pass a pickup through.
I borrowed Mike Melanovich's truck to bring the new sink and toilet home. He is really nice about letting me borrow it. Lee always sez I should ask him, but then I have to work on his schedule; not something I am willing to do.
Took your Mom to the casino today, then I left and walked around downtown for an hour and a half. Cloudy here and cool so it was pleasant
Yesterday I did all the mowing of our yard and the schoolyard.
The backyard here is still wet from all the rain, but it was getting out of control (grass wise).
Randy, the guy next door, came to tell me the house next to him had been repossessed. He went on to say that the backyard at the house was a mess. Randy said he had called the realtor to complain. We went over to see, and it was a jungle. So to protect the neigborhood, we decided to mow. I unhitched the riding mower (that is one good mower!) and went over and knocked the weeds and grass down. Randy did the edging with his weed eater. Randy and I had just finished when a truck pulled up from Bosslers Landscaping (Andy Bossler was the former husband and owner(?) of the house so the realtor called him and he sent his crew over. Too late!
Anyhow, we did no harm.
Thats all from Home Alone
Love you all
Dad
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Loo
Sunday night and I am weary. I mowed the lawns yesterday after painting the kitchen and pantry area. Today, I finished tearing out some of the old floor and painted the bathroom and the hallway.
I pulled the toilet and sink/vanity out. The plumbing is stubbed into the wall and I was afraid of breaking a pipe in the wall so called a plumber to cut the pipes and seal them until I can get the new fixtures in. I asked him to give me a quote on installing the new toilet and pedestal sink. It floored me when the quote was $700.
Your mom said “SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?! YOU can do it”. So I went on line to check it out. How hard can it be?
Well, the toilet would not be a problem; I have done that before. But, the pedestal sink is not as easy as I thought. Or your mom thought. The sink has to be rigidly mounted INTO the wall, the pedestal has to be attached or cemented to the new flooring, and the old faucet (the brown one we got a couple of years ago for $150 will be reused. The info I found on the web says it is a moderately difficult job for TWO people and can USUALLY be done in a day. I think I can understand why the plumber’s quote was $700.
The old toilet I moved, with the help of gravity and friction, to the basement. That is one heavy piece of work. Then using the same two helpers, I took the vanity sink to the basement. No way can I ever take it back up the stairs by myself. We are giving them to Bill and Dawn for their basement.
The old flooring in the kitchen was under the dishwasher. I wasn’t satisfied with what remained so I pulled the dishwasher out. I write the date of purchase on most things and I was surprised to see that I installed the dishwasher in 1996. Is been a good one. I had to clean out under the sink to get the feed hose loose. I noticed that the garbage disposal was marked that I installed it in 2000. Warranty expired two years ago.
I found a bonanza of stuff under the sink. Traci really loaded up things when you left. Some interesting items have surfaced in the freezers. Who eats turkey salami?
We went to Outback’s Steak House last night with Dick and Jeannie to celebrate her birthday. I tried lamb chops for the first time. They were quite good. We then went to their house. We will not have people over until I get the loo up and running.
I planted flowers for your mom today (did I mention that I am tired?) and am now thinking of bed, since it is almost 10:00. I have been taking two Tylenol PM tablets hoping that thepain in my shoulder will not awaken me. It is a a major nuisance and doesn’t make any sense since I have really tested it the past two weeks with all the work I have done in the house. None of that bothers me, not even the painting. Yet I sleep on the right side and the pain comes back.
X-rays were negative and nothing changes. Any ideas, Jim?
Thats about it from Home Alone.
Dad
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