Verdict Is In... :)

Got bales of hay for the trailer, so I will haul them around the neighborhood... The trailer with hay seems to be popular, I think more people are coming over to ride along... :)

Hmm... I posted that before we left, but now that we are home the post wasn't up?!?! Oh well, we tooled around the neighborhood like that, Carolyn and Doris sat in the trailer with the kids and some other kid went with us... I had put a light at the front of the trailer and Doris and Carolyn sat there and chatted and I'd drive around and then stop and the kids would all pile out and run to whichever houses had their lights on... They each got like a pillow case full of candy?!! We heard a few people saying there weren't many kids this year, and I think people just wanted to unload the candy, because normally there are like four times as many families out in our neighborhood, so the kids lucked out!

How It Works...

Still Doing Landscaping...

Carolyn did most of the mulching...

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!! :)

The Devil's Holiday...

So I'm sure anyone who has read my blog for any length of time will remember my post last year about Halloween (I'm not sure why I capitalize that)... If you don't remember, feel free to puruse the archives!! :)

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...

Of Course I Didn't Finish...

It wasn't for lack of trying though... :) I got up and finished using that tiller, then took it back and got an auger to dig the holes for the bushes, etc...

I used the auger to dig all the holes, Cory was coming over and was going to plant everything...

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... :)

Brutal!!

Note to self: NEVER rent two tools from Home Depot on the same day!!

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...

I mainly got the tiller to work on that bank behind the pool, but thought, why not just do the front first! So I started on that...

Of course, one thing turns into another, so I figured, well, while I'm at it, I'll just get the drainpipe behind the retaining wall and fill it in with dirt...

I used the bobcat to bring the dirt over, but I'm having to move it by hand because the fence is there... I suppose I should have hired a few illegal aliens, but I didn't! Now it's time to eat, then back at it until dark I suppose, ugh!

Fall Festival...

So tonight was the Fall Festival at the kids school, and AS usual, we got drafted to help out... :( I think I'm going to STOP volunteering for stuff next year, we'll see how that works out though... Although tonight, there were actually two other dad's who helped out, and of course I drafted Carolyn and the kids again to help, but I was glad when it was over! Luckily it was only 5:30 - 9:00, but we ended up leaving at 8:30 once we were 'pretty sure' everything was taken care of! :)

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... :)

Landscaping...

So I am VERY tired of having to constantly clean the pool deck, but I have to so the kids don't track the red clay into the pool!! So we decided to spend the weekend doing the landscaping around the pool so we can get all the dirt covered up! LUCKILY the Home Depot Landscape Supply companies in Atlanta are going out of business, so off we went to take advantage of the 50% off sales! (We went there a few weeks ago, but luckily didn't buy anything as it was only 20% off then!!)

Of course once we got home with the plants, I was thinking, that is a LOT of digging there Matt!!

We started spreading out the plants around the pool...

Turns out we need about TWICE as many as we bought today!!! So I suppose we'll go get them tomorrow...

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... :)

Just Updating... :)

I see the title, "Matthew's Opinion", and think it should be changed to "Matthew's Projects"... :) Of course I used to post my opinions on a wide variety of subjects, but got tired of it because no one ever commented... (except the regular few :) Whatever, I'll leave it the way it is...

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!!

It's Raining!!

Which is a good thing here in GA!! Although it means I can't do much on my projects! NOT that I'm complaining! We need the rain desperately! Although, if we didn't pump billions of gallons of water each day down south to save the FREAKING endangered mussels in FL, we might not be in such dire straights here!! Kudos though to the Governor for suing the Feds to stop the nonsense, we'll see how that works out!!

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!

So Anyway...

I decided to build the top for the bar today...

I've had that planer for a few years, but this is only the second time I've used it. It's one of those tools that is rarely used, but when you need it, it is GREAT!!

It actually didn't take long to build, the longest part was getting those boards cut and planed...

Tis done! Well, almost, I have to sand it some more and put a piece of trim on the edge there... One more thing down, about a gazillion to go!!!

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... :)

Wow!

I've tried to post for the past several hours, but it wouldn't let me... Not that I spent the ENTIRE time trying, but still... :)

Having a pool requires work! It has to have the leaves taken out each day, sometimes it has to be vacuumed (although not much, because we have a vacuum that runs during the night), and the sides need to be brushed! I got tired of doing it, so I now have Chance and Tanner doing it, but Taylor insisted she wants to help! So there she is brushing the sides of the pool, Bo fell in shortly after... :) Taylor 'saved' him though...

I FINALLY got around to moving that damn wall out five inches, and what a chore it was! I built the house to NOT come apart!

Finally have it moved, securing it ONCE again!

Tis done!

Making Corrections...

So I HATE making mistakes, but that shower drain is a few inches off... Whatever, I'll have to chisel up the concrete and move it over, but it shouldn't take more than an hour or so... I was excited about setting the shower pan tonight, but I guess it will have to wait until I can move it... :(

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!! :)

Yeah, Yeah, Whatever...

Wow, has it been a week? No, I haven't been TOO busy! :) Just the usual, trying to get those backyard projects done, which might be busy for some, but all in a day's work for me... :) I was going to post pictures, but kept thinking, who wants to see a picture of that? Or that? I suppose I could be wrong, but... I guess we can see:

I finally got the gas hooked up to the pool heater and the house! Not sure why I didn't just do it before, I suppose I was a little leery of the whole thing, but it turned out okay considering there was VERY little room for error there... At least none of it leaks! (That I could tell anyway... :)

I finally finished the fence as well, I am leaving that last panel out that will attach to the pool house until after I put the siding on... Speaking of siding, I need to start that next!!

I also have to fill in behind that retaining wall I built with dirt, so I WONDER when that will get done??

Tanner LOVES his new dog Bo!!

Amazing!!

What's that you might ask? That I finished a project I started today! Of course to be honest, it only took a few hours... :)

Went and got all the materials needed, and for a change didn't have to go BACK to Home Depot!

It's actually pretty quick work except if you have to cut one, but I only had to cut six total.

Finished project! Well, technically it's not really 'finished' as I have to put gravel right behind and then the drainage pipe and then back fill with dirt... As far as I'm concerned it's a finished project though! :)

It's Official...

After watching these people debate, I'm now officially supporting Giuliani... It's stunning that this is what we have to choose from, but that's what we have. Out of the field, I think the only person who has a prayer of beating Hillary (who I think will be our next President I might add) is Giuliani...

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... :)

GREAT!!

So I was merrily hooking up the gas to the pool heater, and when I was about to hook up the last piece I REALIZED it was the wrong size!!

Of course I suppose it is my fault, I asked the guy who installed it what size the connection was and he told me it was a half inch... I never thought to actually check myself, I just went and got half inch fittings... Well, turns out it is THREE QUARTERS!!! I suppose it's not really THAT big of a deal, I can just take the half inch fittings off from the bell reducer on and use those when I hook up the water heater, but still!! Speaking of idiots, I heard someone on the radio mention this and found it mildly amusing:

9 Things I Hate About People

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!!! :)

The Joys Of A Swimming Pool...

So I decided to clean the pool deck, now that the steps were up because it had dirt all over it from the kids tracking it from the yard...

Before I started, it was FILTHY!!!

No, the Georgia red clay does NOT come up that easily!! I suppose I'll need to start using bleach/water to keep it clean, but no sense getting anal about it until I have everything done, or else I'll just drive myself crazy trying to keep it spotless! :)

No sooner than I had cleaned the entire pool deck, when one of the neighbors dogs came trotting onto it and there were red clay footprints everywhere... :( I almost got upset, then was like, "Well, get the fence entirely closed in Matt, and that won't happen." :)

All clean and shiny (as my kids say) now, but not for long I'm sure!! :)

Pool Steps...

So I got up this morning and got to work putting the concrete in that footer there... I'll put a retaining wall there about three feet high so I can back fill around the fence posts there...

Steps and footer poured... Now I'll let them cure for a few days before I tear down the frames, then put the flagstone on the steps and the blocks for the wall on the footer... I wonder if that will ACTUALLY happen in a few days?? :)

Wow...

So last night was 'Movie Night on the Lawn' at the kids school, and of course I was supposed to get the Dad's to help with setup and parking, yeah, that worked out REAL good!!! The loser dad's that have kids at Russom don't want to help with shit it appears, so this is what I ended up with:

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!! :)

So Anyway...

I was DREADING doing that retaining wall by the pool fence, but then was like, "Hello Matt! The Bobcat!!" So I fired it up!

A WHOLE lot easier than digging by hand...

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... :)

Almost Done...

Ran into a few snags, but for the most part, it's nearly done. I did finish digging all the post holes today, because that damn auger I rented, which I THOUGHT I would only need for one day, I ended up having it for three!! So I had to get it back...

This corner turned out to be QUITE complicated! The ground slopes there, so I'm going to have to put a retaining wall there. I ALSO had to dig those two holes by hand as all the electric, gas, water, sewer run through there and I am not exactly sure where all the lines are, except in that general area... :) So I had to use those cylinders to set the posts...

Making sure everything is level... DREADING the task of building the retaining wall to bring the ground level up to the level of the pool deck... Has to be done though, and I don't see anyone dropping by to do it for me... So we'll see how that works out!! :)

Looking good though, if I do say so myself!! :)

Analemma...

Trivia for the day! Do you know what it means? Quick!

The figure-8 path the Sun follows over the course of a year is called an 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... :)