Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Verdict Is In... :)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Still Doing Landscaping...
Kids were cleaning out their pumpkins while we did the landscaping, Chance and Tanner carried up all the mulch before they started though, so that was a huge help...
Starting to shape up, but WOW, there is always so much more to it than I think!! Got the walkway done, the forms up for the concrete so the flagstone can be put down and all the mulch, etc done...Still a TON of things to do, but one day at a time!! :)
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Devil's Holiday...
Anyway, my kids have taken a turn on it... They have been doing it for days now though, so what will I do? Chance was like, "Dad, I know that it is the Devil's holiday, but we know that, so as long as we know that, does it matter if we just go to a few houses and get some candy?" Tanner and Taylor both soon chimed in with the same thing! Hmm! A dilemma of sorts I suppose. I go back and forth in my mind. My children are getting to the age where they have their own beliefs, so am I to shove mine down their throat and tell them to hell with theirs?? That's what my parents did. Of course if they decide that 'It's only about the candy and the fun', then I will HAVE to be a willing participant! Who else will take them? Then there are the pumpkins, etc... So my position is still that it is the Devil's holiday, and I'm sure many disagreed with my original stance anyway, but whatever... The holiday is Wednesday, so I wonder what we will do? Do I allow my kids to dress up and then take them around the neighborhood even though I disagree with the holiday? Even though they have all told me, "Dad, we know that the holiday is wrong, but does it matter if we just dress up and go get some candy?"
Interesting dilemma... I can see their logic. Of course then you'll have the people who will be like, "You have to stand firm!". Well, they didn't live my life, so screw them!! I had shit crammed down my throat all my life, and NEVER did my own opinion count. My kids opinions count! We'll see how this little saga pans out...
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Of Course I Didn't Finish...
Cory finally made it and started planting everything, I started building the forms for where the walkway is going to go there. I'm going to have Enrique come over again and pour concrete and then I'll lay flagstone on top of all the concrete... Had I been THINKING, I would have done all that dirt moving BEFORE I put the fence up, oh well, live and learn... :)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Brutal!!
I did however! Got up this AM and went and got the aerator, started that and then took it back around 1:00 and picked up a tiller to shape up all the areas where all the plants go...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fall Festival...
Tanner and Bo...
Carolyn took a few pics of the Fall Festival, but they didn't turn out, which is unusual for us, we usually take tons of photos!! Yeah, I know my front lawn there where Tanner and Bo are is in sad shape! That's what we'll be doing this weekend though, I've got to aerate the yard, put lime down and reseed... Then there is the whole planting thing, we ended up going back today and getting more plants for around the pool, so that will be a chore! Cory is going to come over Sunday and help us, so that will be good! He was going to come tomorrow, but decided to go hunting instead! So it should be a FUN weekend, not! Has to be done though... :)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Landscaping...
I'm NOT however going to be digging THAT many holes by hand, of that you can be sure... So I suppose I'll have to go rent that auger again, but let's see... Rent an auger and dig the holes in a day, or spend the next three weeks digging holes, umm... Yeah, rent the auger!! We'll see how it all turns out, but I'm sure anything will look better than what it looks like now! I'm sure I'll be tired come Sunday evening as well, we'll see... :)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Just Updating... :)
Pimp... What does that word mean to you? According to Merriam-Webster it means: 'a man who solicits clients for a prostitute'. According to my kids, it means cool! Wow! I overheard them talking in the garage about it and asked them about it, so they are about to come in here and I'll show them what it means. Although I suppose words have a different meaning for each generation, I suppose this could be one of those words, I'll have to look into that some more.
Global Warming! What a bunch of con artists these people are... I did enjoy Pat Buchanan's article on it, and I'm with him, count me in as one of the disbelievers as well...
The global-warming hucksters
How about the fires in CA? You have Boxer, the Lt. Governor, etc politicizing it saying that if Bush didn't have the National Guard in Iraq the fires would be out pretty much. It's a LIE! CA has 1,700 of their National Guard in Iraq, they have 17,000 left at their disposal. Many of the National Guard that were called to help fight the fire, have already been sent back to their posts. What about the differences people are saying about the fires and Katrina?? There is a HUGE difference! The people in CA are helping each other, they are NOT screaming for the Federal government to come 'bail' them out, they are helping themselves!! The people in New Orleans sat around WAITING on the Federal government to bail them out, INCLUDING the state and local governments!! Not so in CA, the state and local governments, and the people themselves are doing what needs to be done!! The parasytes in New Orleans have that 'entitlement' mentality and blame the Federal government and the President for what is going on... Stunning really, but it is a true difference between people who don't expect anyone to bail them out, but they bail themselves out, and the other group that sits around WAITING for someone to come bail them out because they have never fended for themselves in their lives!! I'll get off my soap box on that issue, for now! :)
What about the stealth amnesty bill?? Senator Reid tried to RAM it through the Senate today WITHOUT debate, but failed thankfully!! It's amnesty plain and simple!! I'd go on and on about it, but am tired of typing!
Why no pictures of progress on the pool house you might ask? It's been raining for three days now! We need it though, so I'm not complaining!!
Monday, October 22, 2007
It's Raining!!
Note to self: NEVER use the green towel again!! Ever do that? See someone use a towel to wipe something up off the ground? I saw Taylor use a towel today to wipe up some dirt off of the garage floor. I was thinking, you know, I think I used that towel the other day to dry off after taking a shower!! NEVER again! I mentally catalogue stuff like that, because I DON'T want to use it to dry off, even if it's been washed!
Yeah, I really have nothing to post about, as you can tell... So I'm going to bed now!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
So Anyway...
Once that was done, I replaced the carburetor on Chance's dirt bike, but it still has some issues, I'm going to have to either take it somewhere or I think the kid across the street may be able to fix it, I'm going to ask him tomorrow. It may just be the spark plug, I'm going to get one tomorrow and see... I'll keep you posted, I'm sure everyone is on pins and needles about it... :)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Wow!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Making Corrections...
While I was "attempting' to set the shower pan, Chance and Tanner decided they wanted to swim... I am not sure HOW they can swim in the water as it is freezing, but they do! Chance was reluctant to jump in, but Tanner jumped right in... Chance jumped in a few moments later...
So yeah, I'm just trying to get all this done by Christmas now!! I'm almost thinking next Spring is a good target though... We'll see how that works out!! :)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Yeah, Yeah, Whatever...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Amazing!!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
It's Official...
You have these morons like Dobson talking about starting a third party, what fools!! The people like Dobson remind me of Candy and Boyd! "I'm going to take my ball and go home, to hell with the consequences!" Candy and Boyd lost their entire family because of that mentality, and that is what is going on right now in the Republican party! That is WHY Hillary will be the next President of these United States! These idiots, who claim to be Christians, and try to 'sway' the Republican vote as if they 'own' the party are quite simply power hungry morons, who no more live Christian lives than the farthest leftist you can name! They have forgotten ALL about the whole "Christ like" mentality because they have allowed money and power to cloud their judgement... So now they are going to take their 'ball', which they think translates to X number of votes and start a third party?? I WISH someone would start a third party, just not those nut jobs! Ah well, it is what it is! Stunning really how stupid most Americans are though, and I know we will survive a Hillary Presidency, but it will be quite the ride!
Here's a little quiz for you, who said what:
1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above
2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above
3) "(We)...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people."
A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Jose f Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above
4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own...in order to create this common ground."
A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above
5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above
6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above
Answers:
(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005
Matthew's Backyard Project...
Playing around with the various editing tools, I forgot how much I like doing that... :)
Monday, October 08, 2007
GREAT!!
1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?
2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the T.V. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.
3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?
4. When people say "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is. Why would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their asses!
5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.
6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?
7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.
8. When people say "life is short". What the ef?? Life is the longest thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?
9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here?
Taylor and Bo!
A few moments before this picture, Bo bit Taylor on the leg. I was pretty stern with the dog, and I don't think Taylor OR the dog knew what to think... At the end of the day though, Bo I think knows not to bite people and Taylor knows that dogs need to be trained (I think)... If somebody doesn't spend more time training that dog though, I'm getting rid of it! I don't have the time nor the inclination to do it, but dogs HAVE to be trained! We'll see how that works out. I remember when Cory was nine, he had a dog named Hoss, but Cory would never play with it or spend time with it. I kept telling him dogs REQUIRE attention, spend time with Hoss or we'll give it to a family that will... I ended up putting a sign up at the local pet store and a nice family came and took Hoss away... Having animals is a responsibility that requires time and patience. I know once you SPEND the time to train them they are WELL worth it if that's what you want! I AM NOT an animal person, kudos to those who are though!!! :)
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Joys Of A Swimming Pool...
Pool Steps...
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Wow...
Chance was the one who told everyone where to go...
Taylor didn't really want to help, but she did a GREAT job!! Once Chance sent them in, she sent them the way they were to go! :) She did get over it pretty quick though, and Carolyn went and helped her, but she stayed the entire time! :)
So that consumed my entire evening yesterday, we had to be there at 5:30 and it didn't get over until 10:00... Why they even have it I'm not sure, the kids all ran around and didn't watch the movie, so that left all the parents sitting there watching Firehouse Dog! Wow!!
Of course today I woke up feeling like shit, I think I got whatever the kids had last week, but whatever, no time to lay around... I never actually understood that concept, laying around all day because you "don't feel so hot"... Well, I felt like shit all day, but did the same things I do each and every day... Mind over body, that's my mentality... I just tell my body, yeah, get over it, we have things to do!!
I've been working on getting those steps done going to the pool:
Who knew that building the frames would take so long?!? I spent most of the day just doing that, making sure everything was square, etc... Finally got it squared though and am finishing the concrete there for the steps... I DID cut a few corners though because I was like, "Why am I doing this, I feel like shit, and I need to go take a shower!" We'll see in the morning how it turned out!! :)Thursday, October 04, 2007
So Anyway...
Of course there is still SOME manual labor to do, but it is MUCH easier when the heavy machinery does the hard part for you! :)
I was going to finish that fence today, but turns out I'm short 3 swivel hangers, which I ordered today, but won't get until next week! Plus, it rained off and on today until now. That fence section though that I have in those tubes is not all that steady, so I need to shore it up by doing the retaining wall and filling it in with dirt, so figured I might as well tackle that while I wait on the fence parts. That opening you see is where the gate goes (obviously!). I'm going to put curved steps there that go from the pool deck down to the driveway so I can keep the pool deck clean! I have to pour some concrete though for the steps, so figured I'd tackle both chores at once, the steps and the retaining wall! We'll see how that works out!! :)
I'll pour the base for the steps with concrete, then put the same type flagstone on them as is around the pool. Should look nice if I ever get it done!
Who knew building a footer would take that long?!?! Whatever, it's done, and the rebar is in the ground. I did put boards on the sides there so the concrete won't just flow out... I suppose though if I had done it by hand rather than using the Bobcat, I'd still be digging... :)
Now it's time for Survivor! For some reason, we have watched this show as a family since it started. The kids LOVE it, so we all pile up on the couches and watch it together every Thursday when it is on... Off I go... :)
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Almost Done...
Analemma...
The images taken over a year at the same time were superimposed to create the image above. You can see Venus in the lower right corner. I've sometimes thought about doing that, taking a picture everyday for a year... Just never get around to it though... :)