Lets get that baseball picture on the screen, okay?

WOW! it only took 13 minutes and 39 seconds to download that picture from my "My Picture" file. Doesn't someone out there who does blogging have a better suggestion? Since, this is Friday, I must get to some lawn and garden work, will soon be time to put in tomatoes and my space is not ready, so I'll sign off for now.

Cherrio

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Wow, time goes by so fast it seems, been a week since I blogged last, and somehow I think quite a bit has happened in my life. For a old, tired, retired guy, I can sure keep myself busy.

Lets, see, I'm still on the bathroom re-model at Sue & Pauls. Got the linen closed built or should I say, put together today. A friend of ours, Dan, is a cabinet man, and I was asking him last Saturday a good source for the nice white melinine wood. He offered to supply me what I needed at cost, and would even cut it up for me. So yesterday, after lunch with our church's senior group, ventured some 20 miles out into the country to Dan's shop.

Took him no time at all to cut the pieces, top, bottom, 2 sides, 3 shelves and a back. I almost made it home without problem, but in Vancouver, driving there for me is always a problem. Coming home, I was traveling South on 162nd Ave S.E. and had I stayed on it, would have ended up at Hwy 14, and back to I-5 and home. Instead, I was in the wrong lane and was soon on the freeway (205) heading for Seattle, was able to get off after 1 1/2 miles and head for Salem which put me across the 205 bridge, took Airport Way, to 82nd Avenue and then Columbia Blvd on home. Was able to get rid of some scrap aluminum, so wasn't and entirely wasted mistake. Might even have been closer coming home that way.

So, today, I glued and screwed the cabinet together. Not sure if carpenters glue will stick to the material or not, will try and call Dan tonight and find out. It may take something like gorilla glue, will see.

Was able to pick up just a little scrap this morning, went to the bank to deposit some cash from a Shopsmith I sold last night. Practically gave it away at $450.00, but it came to me free and I completely rebuilt the headstock, so its like new. Worked a little while over at Laura's and got another board nailed to the door posts. Have the kitchen door molding and the small window which is where the sink used to be. Will have to climb on the cabinets to get that nailed on. Guess I'd better do it while I'm fresh in the morning, or else she is liable to come home and find me on the counter top not able to get down (just kidding)

Got the front yard mowed, and the grass trimmed around fireplug, steps, and water meter cover, then blew the sidewalk off nicely. Should have quit then, but decided to trim around the old train track. My wild strawberries that we got a year ago up in Leavenworth, Wa. are really looking good. Maybe I can insert a picture of them on this blog.

Tuesday afternoon, I took in a baseball game over at the U of Portland. They were playing the National Champs, Oregon State University. Was a close game till the 7th, guess the pitcher walked the first man (I was out for a potty break and missed that first batter) Then the flood gates opened, and he couldn't get anyone out. One play was very spectacular, don't know how many of you who might read this saw last years Beavers in the National Championship, but they have several players who can fly around the bases.

With the bases loaded, Darwin Barney on first, Mike Lissman on 2nd and Scott Santschi on 3rd, the batter slammed a ball against the fence in left field. The runners on 1st and 2nd could see the play very well, and were off at the crack of the bat. I looked up, and it looked like a traffic jam coming around 3rd. All three runners scored, the last guy almost passing up the runner who had been on 2nd. This is a great picture that was in the Oregonian, think I'll download it too.

The Pilots have some good major league prospects, and the Beavers have many, so there were about a dozen big league scouts in the stands with their speed guns checking out the pitchers. There were also a lot of old timer baseball players behind me, and it was fun to hear there comments. One old guy kept saying how good or bad the umpire and players were doing, but couldn't see the scoreboard to know if it was a no hitter or not (2nd inning). I had to chuckle to myself. Most of the old timers knew each other, and would jab one another with "who let you out of the rest home?". Good bunch of guys.

Well, that almost brings me up to date. Remember that May 3rd is National Day of Prayer, you don't have to pray all day long, but a minute or two as you drive along, will help our country and families, and the world to be a better place. So with that I close, Cherrio

OOOPS!, almost forgot the event of the week, and that was Donna & Sue's birthday on the 23rd. Imagine that will you, I now go to bed at night with a 70 year old lady, course she's been going to bed with a 70 plus old man for some time now. We celebrated by going to Burgerville and having a ice cream sunday together, Sunday afternoon. Then the two of them celebrated together on Monday, shopping, talking and having a very good time.

As you can see the baseball picture didn't come through. Maybe I'll post the picture first before I start my typing. I suspect that because the picture goes to the top of this blog, the computer has to re-arrange all the typing to accomodate the pictures. Sorry about that.

Grandpa

Wednesday the 18th, my mothers birthday, and was she alive today she would be 99 years young. You would have loved my mother, as gentle as one could ever be. I never heard a harsh word from her, never put anyone down, about the worst she ever said was "that kid needs a good lickin". That's it.
She would often in the winter time, give me a choice of milking the cows or washing the supper dishes, me I took the dishes. Am sure she was much more tired than I, but I was only thinking about myself and not of others back then.
Today is also my nephew Scott's birthday, happy 43 to you Scott. Sue has her 43rd coming up Monday as does Donna. Whew, no I don't mean that Donna will be 43, she will be in the 70's somewhere, but maybe I better not say where. She is sound a sleep right now listening to t-v. She sleeps better if there is some noise like music on the t-v.
Don't know if I mentioned on the last post, but Easter Sunday the kids saw two bald eagles fly out of the trees across the road from our house. ANd then today, Donna was looking out the window, and a couple of mallard ducks were making their way around the tennis court, it was raining quite hard at the time, and they were finding things to eat.
Got a little more done on the bathroom at Sue's place, and a window frame nailed in at Laura's place. Somehow I keep busy, between naps that is, got in a 2 hour nap today, right after I had eaten my lunch.
Went over to the Columbia cottage last night for game night. Played BINGO with a bunch of older ladies, and two other gents. I won only one game, and those gals at my end of the table were yelling "Bingo" about every other time, a gal at the other end of the tables were winning the other times.
We have a good time, but my how the faces change. Bill and I were the only ones there which would have been there 3 years ago. Gone is Adah, Audrey, Mina, Dorothy, Mary, Don, Linda, Jonnie, Mildred, and several others who always made it to Bingo night, but age brings on change and many of the above have moved to retirement or rest homes.
I have several friends who are moving to a retirement center next month, but I tell them, I want to stay where the young folks are, it will keep me living longer I think. I have Laura next door, and the lady who bought the Bonebrake home is Alica, a young gal, then there is a young couple across the street, and same for the other two units in that complex. A young couple in the Wooten house, there is Shaunie and Jamie down the street, these are all young folks, and thats right where I want to be.
I would call your attention to May 3rd, its National Day of Prayer, and if you want to do something good for our Nation and yourself, spend time in prayer. Our missions committee is working to find folks to pray around the clock that day. Have some reminder cards printed up and will sign up folks the next two Sundays at church.
When I was in Kansas last month, Micah asked me, "Grandpa, does your pickup have a spare tire?", and I had to tell him, I didn't know. Well, yesterday I thought about his question again, and so I got down and looked up under the tailgate and there was a spare. Don't know if it has any air in it, but I got a spare. So, last night I sent Micah a e-mail letting him know i was covered in case one tire should go flat.
Had a nice banquet Saturday night for CityTeam ministries. Was a fund raiser, and I hope that folks pledged lots of money, as they are doing a great job of helping men and women change their lives, and being productive beings again. Somehow there is nothing worse than seeing a man down on his luck, laying in the door ways, drunk or on drugs. Its a waste of humanity, and only God can change them, but they have to want to change too.

I think I'd better go wake up the sleeping one, and find my bed, for another day comes around tomorrow, and I want to be ready for it. So, will say Cherrio for the present.

April 12, 2007,

Yes, I know, its been exactly one month since I last posted. So much has happened since that time, I'm not even sure if I can remember it all. According to the airline ticket stubs, Donna and I flew to Kansas City on March 14th, where Julie picked us up at the airport, and we traveled north to Jefferson City.

Dan was in a pastors conference, and it would not be over till the next day, so we stayed over night there and the whole family then came home on the 15th. Micah had a upset tummy and had been vomiting off and on, so stayed at their motel with one of the assistant pastors wife. He was happy to see us, but still couldn't hold his food down for a few more days after that.

We enjoyed our stay, think my major project was building a toy for Micah, a car wash machine so his trains could stay clean (no water, just make believe) It really doesn't look like much, but Micah is very happy with it. I know I'm supposed to be building something else, but I've got to ask Donna where the sample is, thought we brought one home, but don't recall seeing it around.

On the way back we flew into Denver, and the flight to Portland was over booked, so we took the next flight, and UAL was nice enough to give us two free round trip tickets to anywhere they fly here in the USA during the next year, so that was a profitable 3 hour delay in Denver, and our bags were here waiting for us, so didn't have to wait at a carrasol for them to come off the plane.

God home on the 21st and the next day, Paul and I started remodeling their bathroom. Took out a heavy cast iron tub, took the plaster and lath off the wall and put in waterproof sheetrock, then a new iron tub (much lighter) and a shower surround, then pulled the old toilet and put in a nice new one, found it a bit crowded so turned it 45 degrees, for more leg room. Then because the tank lid wouldn't go on, had to cut a hole in the wall, and custom fit it. Next came a new pedestal sink replacing the antique that was in there.

You can't believe all the challenges there are on a old remodel. The toilet was held down by 4 screws in the floor, and no place to attach the new one, as there was no iron ring around the waste pipe, just open air space, so I took some continuous threaded rod & put a plate under the floor to thread it through, will put a nut on the rod and that will hold it down. A new exhaust fan was also needed, so Tuesday, I drilled up through the wall plate and made sure it was open to where the new fan was to be, and yesterday, cut a hole in the wall for the new fan, and put a vent in on the outside. Got beat up pretty well by the 3 inch hole saw I was using, atop of the ladder against the house. IT WORKS, and thats good news.

Today was some minor adjusting to the fan housing, and putting some corner strips on the new partition at the end of the tub. Since the sheet rock mud has to dry, it was a short day, and I picked up some molding for around the walls near the ceiling.

Can't help but think of Joshua 14: 7 & 8, where it talks about doing things wholeheartedly, thats what you need to do on a project like this.

Sad news out of Kansas right after we got back, Dan is assistant district superintendant, and their friend Steve Ortmann is the District Supt. That Saturday night after we got home, his wife died suddenly from a fall and broken neck. She was showing some friends how to get onto a zip line (a cable strung from a tree down a steep incline to a tree below) She didn't get on the swing properly, and was hanging on, laughing at the goof and she either fell or decided to get off part way down, and tumbled over & over and died instantly. So sad, as they were a very loving couple and she left 6 children behind. His sister is Ray Adams wife.

My neighbor Laura, is supposed to arrive back in Portland tonight, was in Boise last night on her way home from Kansas City, where she has been for last 2 or 3 weeks, working her job from her parents home. One of my next tasks is helping her put molding around the windows and the baseboards on her remodeled home. Would have been best if the carpenters did it, but they wanted too much to re attach them.

I've went on long enough for this blog, noticed as I dated it, its my Dad's birthday, were he still living he would have been 109 years old, and would have been one of the last WW I, veterans alive. There is only a few of them still living.

So, I say cherrio, for now.