No. No money with me. I heard him coming well in advance. Waved hello. He slowed down. Had to wave him off. Why the bad video. Too much waving. I'm not good at multitasking.
Heigh Ho!... From the 1937 Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. One of my favorite earworm songs while I'm thinking. Mormon Tabernacle Choir Version . . . ..
Update on the blackberries Good News: .There are thousands of them in a patch not bigger than 10x30 feet. Bad News: .Most of them are less than a half inch across, a few are ripe already, but some are just setting on. I would shed more blood picking them than the gain in berry juice. Is this just the typical boom/bust cycle? Somehow a DR Trimmer/Mower got in my basement just like the one below. I don't remember how it got there. I didn't buy it. It's a 6.5 hp electric start, so it must have a battery. I doubt it would work, even with a new battery because it couldn't have been used in at least 14 years. Since I've now had experience tearing down a carburetor and cleaning it, I might tinker with it. It could be useful. I could mow a path down the middle of those berries, thin them out, and make them easier to reach next year. Just dreaming. I'll never get to it. Getting it out there would be a hassle but it's not very heavy.
Drove the truck around into the back yard to see how much space a driveway turn around would take. Less than I thought. I was afraid of getting a wheel stuck in the sinkhole, so didn't get a good estimate of the length. The minimum space it would take is marked off in red. It could be extended back to accommodate 2 cars at once. It would mean less lawn to mow. Concrete or asphalt? The current driveway is asphalt but it's getting in pretty bad shape. Most everyone else on the block has concrete. Some did a good job and some didn't. I'm inclined toward asphalt because I think it looks better. Don't like seams, definitely don't like cracks, and not inclined to go out and wash stains and mildew off of concrete. However the edges of asphalt are not neat like concrete. But now the project begins its typical spin out of control. There is a stone retaining wall next to the driveway. This would be a chance to remove that wall and the narrow steps, slope the yard to the driveway, and use any extra dirt to drain the water away from the house. I think I could remove that wall myself with a sledge hammer. Rearranging the dirt would be harder. And you could make a drain from the downspout under the new driveway, because there is no good place right now for the water to go. But would it just get clogged up and eventually be useless? Anything to lose by trying it? This is what makes every project so hard to get started. I don't like regrets, should have's...
(continued)... Just thought of something else. You could extend the turn around up to the back basement door, and enter the house from the basement if you wanted. That would require a nice new basement door, and a new door from the basement into the house. Which opens up the possibility of a carport back there. Although I don't like carports, one made out of wood, like a pole barn, wouldn't look so bad. And then you should add a roof extension to the basement door, in case it was raining. It just never ends.
Just heard on TV Ford has opened its factories. I was torn whether to buy a truck now or wait for the 2021's. A 2020 would have been rather rare some day. Kind of like steel pennies. They said they are producing the "new" model F-150. I guess that means 2021? My father always said never buy a new model when it first comes out, wait until later in the year when they have all the kinks worked out. Wonder if there is anything to that? I always dreaded shopping for a new car because once you go to the car dealer they never leave you alone. They keep bugging you, calling and offering a "better" deal. This time, because of the pandemic, I had to correspond with the salesman by chat and email. He tried to get my phone number but I said I'd rather use email. Kept asking me questions trying to find out who I was. I managed to avoid answering. Finally he asks point blank, "Do you live in Athens?" I said yes, and he replied that he thought I was in Connecticut. He has been searching. You'd think he could figure it out by the email address. That's the last I heard from him. What's strange is ... for some reason it bothers me he isn't bugging me. Go figure. He obviously thinks I'm pulling his leg about buying a truck. I think I'll punish him for that.
I thought the same way as your father. My family gad always bought GM. So in 1982 I decided to finally buy my Buick Riviera since it had been in production for a few years. So I purchased a 1983 and the repairs began within the first year. I would be diriving along on the Interstate and suddenly it would lose power and then restart.After several go-arounds at the dealer I took it in and an older mechanic heard me describing the problem. He suggested the the fuel filter needed replacing and it in fact di need it. So then one morning around 5:30 I'm on the Interstate headed to my client's office and all of a sudden there's a gnashing sound and the car is slowing down. I called for a tow and the car has 72k miles on it and the transmission needs to be replaced. Lo and behold my wait period had not been long enough. For the 83 models GM decided that adding an extra casino containing stainless steel ball bearings was engineered to give an additional speed. I had it fixed($3500) and traded it for a Toyotas 4 Runner.
(6/23/2020) Good news! . Yesterday the factory sent an email that they had completed the order for the carpets for the stairs. Today UPS estimates delivery by 9 pm Thursday. Perfect. I'll be home both Thursday and Friday. The website said to expect an extra 2 week delay because of COVID-19 issues, but it had been almost a month with no word whatsoever, and they charged the credit card long ago, so I was starting to get a little worried. Glad I didn't bug them now. I decided this was a good opportunity to re-paint the risers on the backs of the steps, and the baseboard, and I've come to dislike painting so much I dragged that job out for 2 weeks. I don't understand why I detest painting so much. I used to be pretty good at it, can even do trim work left-handed, been painting rooms since I was a kid. I think it's the new paint. It dries too fast. You have to stop and wash the paint out of the brush often or it doesn't spread well, and that makes a perfect excuse to quit for the day. Finally gave the blue tape one more try, because it made you feel like you were at least accomplishing something by applying tape. .Still don't like it, but it allows you to paint faster. I thought the old stick on treads took off the polyurethane on one step, but it just happened to coincide with the grain in the wood and looked that way. So I don't have to refinish any of the steps. It might take a week for a new coat to dry well enough to withstand carpet tape, and I'd have to figure a way to keep the cat, and floating cat hair, off of them. I can always refinish them NEXT time. lol
6/25/2020 The stair carpets came at 3 pm. They are nice. The color, thickness, sizes, and the carpet for the landing are perfect. I spent a lot of time thinking about it before ordering. The only thing I notice is the grain on the landing carpet runs opposite to that of the stair treads. I didn't think of that, and there was no option to choose. They had a 50-50 chance of matching it. You have to look hard to notice. I chose this company mostly because it was so hard to find a retailer who offered treads I liked without rubber backings. That rubber just disintegrates and then tape won't even stick. These are rough and scratchy, and would grind off the polyurethane on the steps over time if left to move around. Ordered a roll of double-sided carpet tape from them, even though it was expensive. I figured a carpet factory might know the best kind to use. They threw in an extra roll. Will use lots of tape instead of a pad. Did the 4 steps around the corner at the top to practice and see how it holds up. Will finish the part that shows most tomorrow. New things keep coming into the house and few things seem to be going out. This has to stop.
Used a Norm Abrams template to get the spacing uniform---two chunks of wood scraps. It went fast then. Used the Down-on-your-knees criteria about the paint job (with the blue painters tape). If you have to get down on your knees to see something ugly, it looks good enough. The landing carpet will take more thinking. It's approx 6' x 5' and there's no room to maneuver. It will move without tape on the back. I know that from the carpet that was there before. It would climb up the side of the wall eventually and required a regular attitude adjustment.
Picture from my home town in Ohio, probably taken in the late 50's/early 60's. Anyone have an idea what is going on?