Yeah! the camper is now a hunting blind and in situ but.........

We finally finished converting the old camper into a hunting blind for my husband. We had arranged for our neighbour to come and tow it with his truck to the spot where we wanted it set up. Just over a week ago on Sunday at 2pm.  The problem was we were working on it right up to the time he came to move it.  We didn't get the time to sit in it and admire our nearly 4 months of hard work.  We worked on it almost every day for all that time and then it was poof!....Gone!  I wanted to wallow in an bit of glory for at least an hour or so lol.

Here are some before and during the transformation pictures. For some obscure reason I didn't take any inside pictures, probably because it was really yuk!

We totally gutted the thing to the outer shell.  Everything came out of it.  The fixtures and fittings, the carpet, the walls, the ceiling and part of the floor which had been where the bathroom was as it had rotted.  We replaced that part of the floor then we added a subfloor for more stability and less noise when walking on it..

The exterior was in bad shape and we had to do some reconstruction and repair on it.  Then we took out all the existing windows and mad new push out solid windows.  We made every darned one of them and they were hard work.  We also had to replace a lot of the timbers and add new ones to strengthen it and make sturdier framework for the windows to slide into.

We insulated it, as you can see from the pictures there was not one piece that was the same as any other so every piece had to be measured and cut to shape.  We did the walls and ceiling and the wheel arches.  Then we had to put up the boards to cover the ceilings and walls and wheel arches.

My husband built a shelf and a rest in front of each window so he could put things on it and rest his rifle and crossbow on the rest. His illness has taken a lot of his strength so he is not able to hold the rifle or bow without support any more.

Finally the carpet went in.

So here are the 'after' pictures






We still have some work to do on the interior. trim to put in and the walls have to be camoflauged but we will pull it back in the Spring and do that, for now it is functional.

All the time we were doing the conversion my husband was camouflaging it.  It took a lot of time and a lot of paint but it ended up being amazing.

 

During this whole process I got to use some tools I have never tried before, the Rockwell Blade Runner and the oscillating tool. I never touched the table saw though, that thing scares me!

Our neighbour had sited the camper for us but it had to be leveled and we set about doing that but it was too much for my poor husband and he has hurt his back.

He has been able to hunt a few times but right now his back is too sore and he can hardly move.

Yesterday he managed to get up there so I could take photos.  I really hope his back gets better quickly.

As you can see we do have deer on the property.  My husband would love to get a buck and our supply of deer meat is about gone so we need the meat.

The camper saga

My husband decided that we should totally gut this camper so we set about doing that.  It has been a long and painful process for us.  My husband can not work for very long due to his illness and I am quite arthritic so what we used to be able to do in a couple of hours takes several days now.  Not to forget the heat right now too.

We eventually got everything out of it and down to the shell.  Unfortunately, this only showed us that a lot of the timbers were rotted so we have been trying to replace those, again, a difficult process. JET is very determined though so we are persevering. Taking a day off today though as we were both pretty tired and beat up.

I did catch up with some much needed housework this morning, all that had been getting done was cooking, clearing up afterwards and the washing. (We are getting through several sets of clothing a day as we are sweating so much in the heat). Feeling a bit better for having done some vacuuming and dusting and having a nice cup of tea and some English fig roll biscuits (cookies) while I am catching up with my blogs.

A better few weeks

We have been a little more productive the past few weeks but first a few things on JET's health.

The lump in his buttocks appears not to be anything cancerous as it increases and decreases in size, it might, however, need surgery at some point if it becomes very troublesome.

Secondly, his neurologist is going to try a different regimen which has proved to help in other patients with similar problems to his.  For nearly three years he has been having Rituximab infusions which is a chemo drug used for treating blood cancers.  The doctor wants JET to try 'targeted therapy' as opposed to chemo therapy.  It is still a drug used to treat blood cancers as it targets the B cells that produce the antibodies that are attacking him.  Will know more about that on 9th August.

Now a little on what we have been up to.

Firstly we aquired a junker camper for him to use as a hunting blind.  We have some work to do both inside and outside to make it functional but it will only ever be a blind so doesn't have to be  top notch.  It will stay here if we ever move and hopefully be a selling feature.  We just got that this week, the people getting rid of it were grateful for us to take it and even towed it to our place so a win win all round.

Secondly we made a table for my drill press.  My husband got a new router bit set for Father's day so he used some of the bits on shaping the legs and cross bars on it. We stained it and sealed it.  It is really way too fancy for the shop but that's what we made it for so that's what we are going to use it for.

The legs were routed with an ogee bit and the crossbars with a roundover bit

The table top is so pretty

We have been working on the deer feeder too.  Last year we had to take it down as the racoons were getting on it and in it to get the feed.  We cured them getting in it by screwing down the lid last year but then they hung of it and got the feed from the motor underneath that disperses the feed.  Little boogers!!!!!

We looked at cages but they are either not very functional or very expensive so we decided to make one.  We had an old stand up metal fan which the motor had stopped working on so we used the metal casing that goes around the fan for a top and a bottom and got some wire fencing we had and cut it to go around the outside.  Still working on it but it will be just the thing we need when finished.

The old fan casing was just the right size.  Still have to attach the top one but it has to be wire brushed first

Also, the design and assembly of the dust collection system is about done. Now JET is spray painting the sections and will glue it all together.  It has been quite the project but it is working efficiently now.

It's still really hot here, it's been like this for 9 weeks now.  I am pretty useless in this heat even after nearly 12 years of being here.  JET has to keep out of it too because extremes of heat and cold are very detrimental to his health so we have spent a lot of time indoors.  We do shop stuff first thing in the morning for a couple of hours then quit.

I think I have picked up a bug or something as I have been feeling pretty crappy the past couple of days.  Hope it goes away quickly.

We spent last weekend visiting with family.  JET's eldest son and grandson came to KC form NJ to watch a baseball game so we spent last Saturday and Sunday with them.  We didn't go to the game though as it was way too hot and the stairs in the stadium are difficult for us both so we came home and watched it on TV.  We saw the two of them too in a couple of spectator shots so that was exciting. More exciting than the game actually as the Royals got beat!

A blah week here at the homestead!

It has been a very uneventful week here this past week.  I did get out to mow one day and got all the areas close to the house done, that was a bonus.  We have had a fair bit of rain but it is still very hot and with the rain the humidity is way up.

I did a little leatherwork which I detailed in my other blog.

a little leatherwork

JET has been working on and cussing his computer a lot, he is trying to eliminate Microsoft and get Linux set up but it is quite a challenge.

We did a bit of work in the workshop on the dust collector but only early in the mornings as it gets too hot.

JET has discovered quite a large lump in his buttocks.  It has been there a while but has increased in size.  We originally thought it was a boil under the skin but it has not got a head and it is not red.  We will get it checked out on Tuesday when we are in Columbia to see the neurologist.

So, all in all, a blah week!

I really need to get out and mow!

We have had a lot of rain over the holiday weekend and the grass has grown so much!  The problem is in the morning it is too wet to mow and then it gets too hot.

This morning we worked in the shop a bit before it warmed right up, the dust collection system is nearing completion.  JET managed to get it set up so it has equal suction to all the tools.  It has been a very drawn out project because he just kept going at it until he got it to work how he wanted it to.  I would not have had the patience, I only like to do things once.

I am going to check out if it is suitable to mow later in the evening around 7.30pm when the sun has gone mostly down.

The trip away to spend time with family was very enjoyable.  We got a lot of chatting done, went out for some great meals, also ate some good food in the house.  The kids had a basement full of things like air hockey and a ping pong table to keep them occupied and the baby is adorable.

Been catching up with blogging and reading blogs and TV shows we recorded whilst away.

The 4th was a bit of a non event for us as we go to bed early and don't do fireworks.  The family had moved on to their next leg of their trip so it was just us and the dogs.

A full week of working went into this belt.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with family for a 5 day visit.  Not here at the homestead but at a rented house in KC.  Too many scorpions, snakes and other dangers for little ones here and not much to do for them.  The nearest small town is 15 miles away and the next biggest which at least does have a cinema and swimming pool is 35 miles away.

Well, a couple of years ago, (or more) we promised to make the daughter in law a leather belt.  She is a California girl and not into country stuff so our usual style wouldn't be anything she would like.  So we asked for idea and she sent us a photo of their dog's collar which someone had tooled for it and she quite liked the look of it.  She also wanted it to be as wide as possible and just able to get into belt loops.

It would involve using various colours and painting and wasn't anything I wanted to attempt.

So we conveniently, sorta, kinda accidentally on purpose forgot about it.  Conscious got the better of my husband though and he said we really have to make the belt.  So on Monday past we started on it.

He cut the leather belt from a leather belly we had bought.  Then I tooled on a pattern, bigger patterns than on the sample.

We knew that we couldn't do the painting on top of the staining as the work is way too fine for us to do so my husband came up with a different idea.  Fine point sharpie pens instead of painting but the colouring would have to be done before the staining doing it this way.  Thank goodness for Amazon overnight shipping!

So we set about colouring the stampings, he started and gave me some ideas then I did the rest.  It took me a whole day.  Then he said that he didn't think he could stain round all the patterns without 'splodging' it.  Leather stain is very runny and lethal.  It can not be removed so no room for mistakes. So he came up with the idea of putting an 'aura' around each pattern which had a smoother edge so it would be easier to stain up to it.  I did that part too.

Then it was over to my husband to do the most difficult part, to stain the belt.  I could never have done it, it would have been a disaster, I get the dye everywhere.  He did an absolutely magnificent job.

Next was the conditioning of the leather, he started on it and made it nice and soft and then I did the gumtraging of the edges and back.

After that more conditioning then shining and polishing.

We are really impressed with ourselves.  No intention of ever making another like it but really feeling quite accomplished that we did it........finally!

We did not have a buckle that size so we can go with her to Tandy in KC and she can chose a buckle. Then we can put the holes where she wants them to be.  She wears her jeans on her hips so better to wait and see where she wants them.  I have the tools packed to take with us to finish it.

I will get a photo of the finished belt and post it after our visit with them.  

Not much going on at the old homestead this past week!

It is very hot here right now, it got to 100F this past week.  I am not good in this heat, I just want to vegetate in the house.  We have stopped mowing as much for me as the grass.  It will scorch in this heat and I just can't be outside in it for long.

We did get out to buy a counter top to make the tables for our new tools and we did get the tools assembled.

The drill price was only $55 and the belt table sander was $60.  Not the best quality in the world but more than suitable for us in our golden years.  We did give them a trial run and they both seem to perform very well.

Counter top cut ready to make tables for the tools

The dogs aren't much enjoying this heat and the bugs outside either.  They are like us and prefer to be indoors.

Here is Maggie in one of her favourite spots wrapped around my chair by the computer.  She does this while I am sitting in it so she must feel pretty confident that I am not going to roll around.

JET has been trying to set up his computer with an alternate operating system to Windows and it has been thwart with problems.  He has found one which seems to be working OK now but he still has to move all his programs and files onto it.  At least it is not infringing on his shop time as it is too hot to be working in there for too long and it's too big to be able to afford to keep it air conditioned.

Getting ready this coming week for the meet up with the family.  Really looking forward to it.

Another funny couple of weeks!

It's been a funny couple of weeks.  I know I say that a lot but it is true.  We have been to Columbia twice for hospital appointments, got some results back which showed a little more deterioration in the nerve damage to JET.  Not surprising, but it would have been a lot worse if he hadn't been receiving the chemo treatment.

It has turned out really hot here so mowing has ceased for a while.  The mower threw it's belt off but JET was able to fix it.  The first day he tried he had to stop as the cramps and pains in his legs was too much but the next day he got it done.  He is such a trooper.

We treated ourselves to two new things from harbor Freight.  They were a really good price with the 20% discount.  We always purchase the replacement warranty though just in case as Harbor Freight do not have really high end tools.

I got a drill press for a project I have in mind and JET got a bench sander.  He can not use the hand held ones very well any more as the neuropathy has worsened in his hands and arms.

Now JET has to build tables for them, we checked and we have wood supplies enough to do them.

In just over two weeks we will get to spend some time with some of the family.  JET's youngest son and his wife and family.  I have been making a couple of sun dresses for the newest grand baby.  She is 13 months old now and walking and talking and always seems to be happy and smiling on the videos and photos we see. I can't wait to see them again.

The dust collection system is still underway.  JET keeps changing it to make it more efficient.  He was getting a lot of pains and cramps with trying to work everyday in the shop though.  His computer needed some work doing to it so he has spent a few days tinkering with it and getting a much needed rest.

Back to the grindstone tomorrow I suspect.  We did get a bit of a storm this afternoon and some much needed rain but that means is will be very humid tomorrow. It means the grass will start growing again too!

and a few more tidbits!

We are still doing the gluten free diet.  It is working great for JET, he has lost some weight and it shows.  Me, I can't see any difference but I am sticking to it, amazingly.  Not at all like me but something is telling me to keep going, so I am.  Besides, it wouldn't be nice to eat a big old slice of fresh hot bread and butter in front of him, now would it?

Here is my gluten free brunch.  JET's portion was a lot bigger and he had 6 pieces of bacon and he is still losing weight. Huh!

A little bit blurry but as I ate it I can't go back and retake it!

Yesterday I was helping JET in the workshop, he needed to put some of that squirty foam stuff in a can around something to stop air leaks and I, in my infinite wisdom, thought I could do it better than him. Well, I paid for my delusions of grandeur big time. I did not heed the warnings on the can to wear gloves and I got it all over my fingers.  It's nasty horrible stuff and no solvent known to man seems to get it off.  You have to pick it off, a teeny bit at a time.  I am still picking today.


If you have been watching Game of Thrones you will have seen the people whose skin looks like it is turning to rock, that's what mine looked like yesterday, now it just looks like my skin is flaking off. Rest assured I will not be rushing to use that stuff again!

   

A busy old time!

This week we have hardly stopped running.  Not literally, of course, as neither of us can run, but it has been a tad hectic to say the least.

A week past Friday I took our van in to get the tyres checked as we had a vibration.  Good old Walmart had replaced one a couple of weeks earlier and we had developed a wobble.  They checked them all for balance etc. and said they were all fine then gave me the bad news that it looked like the tie rod ends had gone as when it was up on the ramps the front wheels could be moved side to side. Not good! even I knew that.

They recommended a place that fixed them and did realignment.  So I made an appointment for the following Monday which was last Monday. So we were kind of grounded for the weekend as we only have one vehicle and they advised us not to go out of town in it. (A bit difficult as we live 35 miles out of town).  Didn't want to push our luck having made it home so we stayed put until I took it in on Monday.  That took up most of Monday. Also got the rear brake pads replaced as they were needing doing.

Tuesday we went to Kansas City for a cousins reunion as one was flying in for a visit and wanted everyone to meet up.  That was a lovely day but a long one.

Wednesday I had to go to town and pick up Maggie from the vet's kennels as it was too long to leave her unattended the previous day so we dropped her off there on our way out. I also picked up some groceries.

Thursday was the day to go to the cemeteries and take flowers, another good half a day of being out.

Yesterday we got to stay home, all day, yeah!

In fact we have another three days at home before we start running again.

Tuesday back to the cemeteries to pick up the potted flowers as they will not survive the dry heat and replace them with nice silk ones.  We will enjoy the potted plants at home and will be reminded of our loved ones so it's a win win situation.

Wednesday, drop off the dogs at the kennels then on to Columbia for an EMG on my husband to see if the nerve damage has changed one way or another. An overnight stay in Columbia as he has another appointment with the neurologist on Thursday then back home to pick up the dogs from the vet's kennels.

Meanwhile, if it dries out I have to get on with some mowing, the grass is so tall with all the rain but the ground is too wet for the riding mower right now.  Hoping the wind dries it all out today and I can mow tomorrow and Monday.

Trying to do a bit of crafting in between everything else and JET has been working on the dust collection system in the workshop.

We try and grab a bit of time everyday just to sit outside and relax and let the dogs run around and we have been able to do that too.

So, a busy but productive and enjoyable time, we are not quite over the hill yet!

We are plodding on here

Weatherwise it has been wonderful for May so far.  We just had three good days of rain and the temperatures have been in the 60's during the day and 40's at night.  The quilt came back out!

Healthwise, JET had the chemo, no significant improvement yet.  He also saw his other neurologist at the University hospital.  He ran more blood tests on him and has scheduled another EMG.  Some of the bloodwork came back with elevated muscle enzyme levels, still waiting on the other results.

We have been trying to cut out gluten and carbs from our diet as his VA neurologist said it helps reduce inflammation.  We have done this now for 2 weeks.  Again, no significant improvement in either he or I.  I was hoping it would help with the arthritis but so far it hasn't.  We will continue to try it though.  JET has lost a little weight doing it and I think I may have too but my scales at home are not very accurate so not sure on that.

We have been working on the dust collection system.  I have helped with running wires.  We had to do it twice as the pipe we bought the first time to run the cables through was too narrow and we snagged the wire a lot.  A costly error but we bought bigger pipe and new wire and now it is done correctly.

JET is now wiring in all the outlets and he doesn't need my help for that.

No mowing for a few days because of the rain, maybe back to it tomorrow.  Last time out I felt quite ill afterwards, I think the pollen and heat got to me, I left it too late in the day to start.

Hoping to get out early tomorrow am if it has dried out some.

We attended the Celebration of Life of our friend and neighbour on Saturday.  It was a good celebration but also very sad.

Done a little crafting but will blog on that in my other blog.

How the week has gone!

We had two trips to the VA hospital in Columbia this week and two trips to town to take the dogs to the boarding kennels and back in  between.  Slip a few shopping sessions in there and a fair bit of mowing, all in all a busy week.

Also some very sad news.  Our good friend and neighbour Keith died yesterday. We knew it was imminent but it always comes as a shock to lose someone.

He was one of a kind.  A generous, caring and kind man who befriended us when we moved out here over 11 years ago and had looked out for us ever since.

We will miss him.

The chemo session for JET went OK, it is always a long day, we left at 6.30am and didn't get home until after 8pm.  A long day. I try and get as much shopping done while he is in there so we can come straight home afterwards.  I think the doctor upped the steroids in the mix this time as he was actually feeling quite good yesterday but today he is not so wippy.  A few more days though he should feel OK for a few months.  The problem is when he feels better he tries to do way too much and he probably does more harm than good.  His neurologist tells him to rest after being up and about for an hour but does he listen...........Nah!!!

Mowed this morning but not doing a lot else today other than cooking, washing and try to get a bit of sewing done.

Risk versus actuality

We saw JET's neurologist yesterday and had a long chat with him.  We discussed the risk of the JC virus reactivating because of the treatment and the consequences of stopping the treatment.  To him it was a no brainer.  There is a risk but he thought not too likely of the JC virus developing but if he stopped the treatment his body would kill itself.

So on that bright note we are back to Columbia tomorrow for him to get another round of the chemo and he will remain on the oral immuno suppressants also.

He hasn't been too well this past couple of weeks, when the antibodies come back they do so rapidly and start attacking his body so it will be good for him to get the treatment to kill off those antibodies again for a few months.

It will be a quiet few days after that as the chemo usually leaves him feeling pretty ill for a few days then he starts to buck up again.

I have been trying to keep the mowing going and mowed this morning before going to take the dogs to the boarding kennels for a couple of nights so we don't have to worry about taking Maggie in the van in the heat and leaving Boris alone for a long time.  It's pretty nice weather right now so mowing is actually  enjoyable.

It's always an all day job at the hospital when he gets the chemo so we will pick up the dogs Friday morning.

In town I also mailed off a package and did some grocery shopping.

I am pretty tired myself now and ready for bed so calling it quits for the day.

Finally, time to do a blog post!

Another busy couple of weeks.  Three trips to Columbia for hospital appointments and another next week.

First off some not so good news.  My husband has an auto immune disease that attacks his nerves and in turn his muscles.  He carries a rare weird antibody that does this to him. Until his current neurologist decided to take on this problem previous doctors were just telling him he had it and to get over it!  He has been seeing this one for three or four years now and he has done an awful lot to help my husband and to manage this disease.  He has been on an immuno suppressant chemo drug for the past two+ years and that has been a great help.  The doctor monitors when the antibodies start repopulating and then he gives him the chemo.  My husband has been so much better with this treatment.  We can tell when they are back though as he gets weak, tired, his eyes go out of wack and get gets lots of dizziness and tiredness.  He is currently going into that cycle.

A couple of visits ago, the doctor told us that there have been some cases of people who have been on this drug developing PML which literally turns your brain to mush and you almost always die or are left very disabled and sick.  Apparently, there is a virus that 50% or more of the people have been exposed to at some point in their lives but the body's immune system keeps it at bay.  It is the JC virus and if it progresses fully you develop this PML.  People on immuno suppresant drugs are more at risk for the JC virus becoming active in them.

To monitor it, they test for antibodies to the JC virus and he had that test three weeks ago and has tested positive.  The three high risk factors are:- a positive antibody test, use of this chemo drug for 2 or more years and also use of another immuno suppressant drug.

He can tick all three!

His doctor did have an MRI done on my husband's brain about 4 weeks ago and that was all good, no signs of it, so that was a relief.

The question now is whether or not he should continue with the treatment and increase the risk further.  We go to see the neurologist next week again and will discuss it in full detail then.  At our last visit he hadn't had the MRI done or gotten the results of the JCV antibody test.  The MRI result is a good thing but the positive JCV antibody test is bad so not sure what the doctor's thinking will be.

This JC virus disease apparently progresses very quickly once it takes hold.  We have to consider which is worse, the disease progressing or the risk of developing PML.  Before he started on this course of treatment he was pretty weak and had had two neurologic crisises.  It's not an easy call to make.

Meanwhile, he is still working on the dust collection system in the shop.  He is pretty obsessed with getting it done.  The problem is he is not strong enough to be doing it now.  This means I have to be with him to help and also be there in case he hurts himself  in the process as his balance is not good and neither is his dexterity.  So a lot of my time is now being spent in the shop helping him. An unexpected problem is the electrical wiring isn't sufficient to run the dust collector and say the table saw at the same time so the past fews days we have spent running new wiring which is not a simple task for two oldies like us.

The ever growing dust collection system, it evolves on a daily basis

My husband working on the new wiring

Then there is the mowing which I am doing also, and the grass is growing non stop right now.  We mow about 5 acres, which is in 5 sections.  I do one section at a time so by the time I have them all done I have to start all over again.

This is about a third of one of the five sections

No complaints about any of what I am doing I enjoy helping him and mowing so my crafting hobbies have to get slipped in when they can.

The iris are in full bloom here and they are beautiful this year so plenty to pick for indoors and still leave a lot outdoors too.  The peonies are in bud and there will be plenty of them this year too.

These are an unusual colour and have spread a lot over the winter, they are my favourite

This one is unusual too, it is a very pale yellow and very pale purple

My rose bush has started budding already.  I can't spray the weeds though this year as maggie eats them so don't want her to be poisoned.  I am working on some non toxic homemade spray but it isn't working very well.

We saw two snakes so far this week so they are out and about now.  Not sure how Maggie will react when she sees one and don't really want to find out.  She loves chasing the bunnies though but doesn't catch them thank goodness.  Turtles are also out so it will be interesting to see how she reacts to them too.

So that's been our past few weeks.  I have been too busy to update my blog until now where I am stealing some shop time to do this whilst making potato salad.

Seems I can still multi task so all is not lost.......yet!

It's been a funny couple of weeks

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary.  We had plans to go out to eat.  But, my husband wasn't feeling at all well.   Not sure what is going on as he has symptoms of his auto immune disease and also his COPD and heart problems.  But he said he was not sure what was going on but that he just felt pretty crappy. It is likely that the antibodies are coming back and he will need to go for his chemo again soon.

For the past few weeks he has felt better than he has in a long time and has been trying to get some projects done.  Seems like the universe is swiping him around the head and saying  'Hey, don't get too ambitious matey'.

Today he is feeling a little better though and we are going out for that meal.

Meanwhile, we have been working on a dust collection system for the shop as he has many wood cutting tools and the dust is bad for us.  It gets into the lungs and he already has COPD so don't need to make matters any worse.

It is not a simple task though we have found out, it is thwart with problems but he is doing a lot of online research to try and find a way to make a system that will work for us.

I also have a brother in Canada who is not doing so well, his wife left him as she couldn't cope with his being ill so my younger brother is doing all he can to help.  So frustrating being so far away!

The trials and tribulations of getting older!

This is what I had to eat today at our favourite BBQ restaurant.

The new lights are up and running

We got the lights up today which is great.  The light over our workbenches now is so much better. The problem was it showed up how messy our benches were.  One was a bit more messy than the other I might add lol. I do tend to tidy up after myself better than JET does.

Anyway, we set about cleaning them up.  JET also cut me a piece of metal plate for my press.  It is for when I do stamping or patterning on the leather.

so much light now

The light fitting itself above the benches

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We are working on LED lights this week

In between hospital appointments and shopping trips we have been working on a LED light fixture for above our work benches in the workshop.  We needed a fixture above our benches (which are back to back).  I use my bench for my leather work and JET's bench gets used for every thing under the sun. We have good lighting in the shop but we just needed some extra lighting over our benches.

JET wanted to customise it so we bought the individual parts to make them.  The lights come in 16' strips, we bought 2 strips and you can cut them to whatever length you need.  We wanted a 7' fitting so we have 4 rows of 7' mounted in a metal channel. We have a couple of feet left over for something else. They work and are very bright. Just have to hang them now.

Having a quiet day today so will take pictures when they are hung above the benches.

Yesterday, after spending most of the day in the shop working on said lights, we went outside and sat and enjoyed the lovely weather.  Today we will not be doing the same, it turned wet and cold today but the rain is very much needed.  Maggie loves to be outside, she runs around and has so much fun. Her party trick is to go into the woodshed and bring up logs and sticks.  We throw them for her and she just loves running and bringing them back. This is her favourite tree and play area.  Boris just lies down and enjoys the sun on him and we have our chairs out there to sit,

Happy Easter!

Here they are!

Here is the shelf unit my husband made from cedar.  I can claim no credit for this, he did it all.  Isn't it gorgeous? He used offcuts from the workshop, he is an amazing man.

It's been a bit of a day or two!

Yesterday we drove to Springfield to pick up some grub killer as the armadillos are just ruining our land.  It says to kill off their food supply then they will move on.  Well 4 bags of the stuff cost $160! Plus we had to get some more lime and fertilizer and bug stuff to put all around the house in a bid to keep out the scorpions.  They are showing up again so time to put down the bug stuff.  The total bill came to $260 after VA discount.  It did include a treasure for me though and some metal drill bits for JET.

Here is my latest treasure.

Last year I started on a bit of a gnome patch.  I have four gnomes so far and this now makes it five. Not to mention that I wanted a bird bath so a double wammy.  It was only $39 (less 10%) which is quite reasonable for a bird bath.  Of course, it is the perfect height for Maggie to drink out of so it may have to be turned into a bed full of pansies.  Don't need her drinking all the mosquito eggs when they start breeding.

I also got some leather tools and thread from my two favourite leather stores while we were out yesterday.

By the time we had done all that we were pretty done in so came home.

Our neighbour came round and recanted his few bad days and while ours wasn't that bad up until then, we did have to spend more money than we wanted.

This morning though it just went downhill.  I got about 6 miles from home on my way to get shopping and I realised I had forgotten my cell phone.  It is important that I take it in case JET takes ill while I am gone.  I came back and got it and set off again.  By the time I was half way through the store I get a message from JET that our only working mower had quit while he was spreading the grub killer and he was a long way from the house.  He did manage to get back to the house slowly with the aid of a stick to help him walk but the $40 a bag grub killer was stuck out in the meadow in the spreader and it had started to rain.

He asked me to go to the John Deere dealership while I was in town to pick their brains and they printed up a parts list and diagram and indicated what might be the problem.  Of course, they didn't have the parts in stock and they had to order them. They won't be in until next Thursday.

We eventually managed to tow the mower back to the shop and got the grub stuff out of the rain. That was not without it's problems either.

Back in the house I started to put away my shopping and realised I hadn't arrived home with it all. AARRGGHH!!!!

The dog toy and treats were missing.  I called the store and thankfully they had them so that wasn't a total disaster and I will get them on our next trip in.

Time for bed now and I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

On a good note JET finished the shelves for under his desk.  He made them from cedar, some of it quite new wood and some older pieces we had so he decided to oil it to stop the older wood becoming too brittle.  So it is drying out in the workshop right now.  Pictures to follow.......

Loving the Spring weather

It is the perfect weather time for me right now.  I love the spring and fall and winter aren't too bad either.  The summer's are way too hot for me though and I tend to hide out indoors. (Bit of an oxymoron that!)  Mowing gets done at 7am before the heat of the day and even then it's hot during the summer.  I am bugaphobic so have to wear long sleeves, long pants and snake boots to mow in. Add a hat and sun glasses to that and there isn't really much of me visible.

The daffodils are up and blooming, the dogwood trees are in bloom and the irises are quite big.  No sign of the peonies yet but my rose bush in a tub survived and is sprouting leaves.  I have to prune it asap. Most things except the oaks and hickories have their leaves.  The forsythia have bloomed and already the leaves are coming out on them.  The grass seed we sewed in the fall is sprouting too so. We picked up some more lime, some fertilizer and grass seed last week ready to spread and sow.

We took Maggie to be spayed a week last Monday and she seems to be fully recovered from that. Took her to get the stitches removed yesterday and the vet said it had all healed nicely.  She hadn't really taken it easy at all, Maggie doesn't do 'in moderation' very well!

Off to the Polling place shortly, then to get gas for the mower(s).  JET's mower needs to go to the repair shop but we haven't got the winch fitted on the trailer yet.  Hit a snag on that.  We need to get some welding done and we don't have a welder.

Last Saturday it was the local St. Patrick's Day parade along the gravel road we live off of.  (We have a long driveway off of this road which actually has it's own road number but isn't a through road). It has been a tradition here for about 11 years.  We only started participating 4 years ago but it is always fun and the cook out afterwards and the chat with friends and neighbours is always good.  We put some feelers out with one of our neighbours about the welding.

That's me, I was with our neighbour and friend in his Jeep, JET was in a golf cart on the back of a trailer being pulled by us with another neighbour.  There were a few more vehicles and 4 wheelers but the weather was a bit dull and cold so not many people came out to watch.  Our neighbour's wife goes ahead and takes all the photos.

This past week JET has been working on making shelves from cedar to fit under the desk so he has space to put things and maybe give him more clear space on his desk.  They are nearly done. While he was doing that I was doing a little leather work. Will update about that on my other blog ilikeknittingandsewing.blogspot.com when it is finished.

So that has been out past week, will update with pictures of the shelves when they are finished.

A good leaf blowing session

Friday afternoon we got out and blew the leaves from around the shop away and mulched them. Doesn't sound much when you write it down but there were a lot of leaves.  Some we hadn't cleared for a few years as we didn't have a good leaf blower until last year.  Raking them all is just too tiring for us now.  It took us all afternoon but it was well worth the effort.  Wished I had taken the before photo but it is easy to be wise in hindsight. The lean-to on the side of the shop gets a ton of leaves blown in and they accumulate along the outside of it too.  For now it is looking pretty good.

The lean-to where we park the mowers and little trailer

The outside of the lean-to

This gives an idea of how the leaves pile up but this was just one year's buildup, the lean-to was much worse than this

Leaves after they are all mulched up....much better!

When in Columbia for the hospital last week we picked up a winch to attach to the big trailer so we can load things onto it easier. JET's mower needs taking to the repair shop and it is just too hard these days for us to push it up onto the trailer.  JET will work on that tomorrow while I take our puppy Maggie into the vets to be spayed. She is 31 weeks now so a good time to get it done. It will be better for her and for us as we live in the countryside and the dogs go outside whenever we are outside and we don't need to be fending off would be admirers.

Yesterday we went into town to pick up a few groceries and met up with some folks for pizza.  It was an enjoyable, informative and interesting evening.

Sunday is Nascar so we will sit and watch that this afternoon and I will work on my hand sewing projects or crochet.