Friday, July 25, 2008
More old time Memories
More old time memories. started on July 23rd, finished Friday, July 25th, 2008
We had a nice family re-union picnic. Always some sad memories added in for the ones who are no longer with us. I can remember when there would be close to 200 attending, then for a few years there were still 100 or more showing up. This summer there was only about 50 -60 that showed up. Too many of the younger ones had to work. In my own family there was just one son who brought his grandson with him. Same thing happened in most of the other families.
A couple of the little boys started climbing the tree in front of my sisters home. That got us thinking about when my brothers and I used to climb trees. About a year before ,my mother passed away she told me that there was a time when I really scared her. She told me that it happened when she was at the stove cooking supper. She said that she happened to look out the back window and what she saw scared her so bad that she had to turn the stove off and glued her eyes to looking out that window. She said I must have been about 5 yrs old at the time. There up high in that tree was my brother with me climbing up right behind him. She told me she wanted to run out and tell me to get out of that tree, but she was afraid if she yelled at me I might lose my footing and fall out of the tree. So, she just stayed by the window watching until my brother and I climb down and were standing on the ground.
My brother and I got to wondering, now, if that scared her, what would she have done if she had seen another brother and I going hand over hand out onto some limbs and swaying the branch up and down we would grab onto other tree branches as we swayed past them and would end up climbing down from another tree.
That brought up the subject of other things our parents never knew about. Like how much larger the strawberries grew on the neighbors fenced in property than they did in our open field. This fenced in property is hidden from view from where my parents home was. Also in this enclosed field there was a large bull who wasn`t friendly. But we didn`t worry about him because there was a deep pit at one place where that field bordered another field belonging to the family farm next door to our home place. In one of the bad storms a small tree had fallen and landed across the open deep pit and a tiny section jutted outside onto the farm property. We soon learned we could be safer if we went hanging from that tree and walking hand over hand towards the end of the tree . From there we could climb under the fence and onto the other field where the bull couldn`t reach us. This went on for weeks, until the day when we found the tree had fallen into the pit. Being young, we never even thought about something like this happening, so we never checked to see if the tree would be still there. Well, this time when the bull came running to where we were and the tree wasn`t there, I can still hear my brother asking "What do we do now? I never took time to answer, I just sat on the ground and slid down into the pit and my brother followed me down. Here is where the larger problem was. The other side of the pit where it extended onto the other side of the fence was straight upward and impossible to climb as far as we could see. So, there we were, standing in the bottom of the deep pit while the raging bull was snorting and running back and forth around the top of the pit. We knew we could never climb back out the easier side with the bull there waiting for us. I knew we needed a way to climb the steep side to safety on the other side of the fence. But how??? Finally I decided we needed steps for our feet to use and the only way to get steps was to dig out spaces as we climb. By the time we reached the top, my fingernails were loaded with dirt and my fingers were sore. But, we did manage and you can be sure we never went picking strawberries in that field again. We settled for picking the smaller berries on our own families farm property from then on. We sure would have been chewed out if mother had known. If she had found out, after chewing us out, when Dad came home from work, she then would have told him and he would have warned us to never enter that property again. Funny , when I think back, all Dad ever did was tell us, he never threatened or raised his voice and we just knew we better not disobey him. It was like he was always giving us a second chance, but he never did tell us what would happen if we disobeyed him and since I did as he said, I still don`t know what he might have done If I had gone against what he said.
Another thing I remembered our mother saying to me was how sorry she felt when she would see me walking up the road from high school with so many books that my head was held up in the air so my chin could help me keep from dropping any of the books. Things are so different today. Kids don`t seem to have as much homework and so they don`t have to carry as many books home every night. I remember when we had 4 years of History and Social Studies in High School when I was attending. Then for some unknown reason when my older children attended High School they only had 3 years, but by the time my youngest was in H.S., they had again re-added the 4th year. I used to wonder how they could teach two more Wars than we had in less learning time. And now we have another war for the kids to learn about. I wonder what they will remove about past History to add on this war?
I remember when we used to play tree or wood tag. One younger sister was always going in to tell our mother that we were running away from her and wouldn`t let her play with us. Then our mother would come out and tell us to either let her play or we could all come in the house and sit. We would try to tell mother that we weren`t running away from her, we were running playing wood tag. Then Mother would tell us to let her play. That usually ended up with us stopping the game just to keep her from getting us into trouble. She was just to small to keep up. But we always had my basketball with the hoop up over Dad`s garage door. When it became this youngest sisters turn, I would lift her up so she could get the ball closer to the net. I wasn`t tall enough to hold her very high , so most of the time the ball would just hit the rim and bounce off, if it should get that high. Once a fellow I was dating ran over my basketball in the dark where the younger sister and brother had left it in the driveway. That Christmas him and my brother went together and bought me a more expensive basketball. All the relatives used it whenever they stopped at our home. So, when I got married I never felt like I could bring my own basketball and hoop and put it up where we were living. I worried that mother would want to keep it there for everyone's children to play with- to give them something to do. When my kids got big enough to play, we bought another set and put the hoop up on the back of the bicycle shop. All their friends hung here so it also gave them something outside to do on good days. I remember this one day when some of the step sons friends were playing while he came in for supper. When he joined his friends, he discovered that one of the friends had thrown the ball to another of the boys who missed it and over the back fence it landed. The older lady who lived there didn`t like kids playing in my back yard. So she took the basketball and put it into her milk case sitting on her back porch. She refused to give back the ball saying whatever lands on her property is then hers. Later when she went into her house, my Step son climb over our fence and went after the ball. Out she came and started hitting him on the back with a board as he was climbing back over our fence. She was something... About a week later she saw the ball laying in our back yard. She came onto our property, took the ball and returned home. I went thru a lot to get the ball back and after that the kids remembered to bring the ball into the house when they were finished playing with it.
Funny how your mind just keeps remembering more and more once you start writing.
Just answered the telephone to learn that my remaining brother ( who had the leg removed in Nov. 06) got the results from his MRI and they found more bone cancer. Not sure yet what the Dr plans for the next step. Then a sister called me to tell me about my brother ( he was the one who had already called me). She was surprised as she didn`t think he would have let me know, but him and I have a closeness the past few years and he leans on me more than the rest when he needs to talk.
But, my sister also had some good news to tell me. She had a great grandson born this morning. I knew she was due soon as her grandmother ( my niece) attended the picnic last week. Seems the baby was having trouble dropping into place so the Dr ordered a test and what they discovered was that the cord was wrapped aroung the baby 2 or 3 times, holding it in place. Thank God for these new machines. They immediately did a cesarian and the baby wasn`t hurt. I have the first granddaughter in my parents family, but my sister actually had the first granddaughter, but that baby died due to the cord wrapping around the babies neck during birth. So happy her great grandson had better results. If we had only had these modern machines years ago.
Seems like there is always someone for us to worry about. I Pray that things turn out better for this brother. We lost the youngest brother in 1994 from a Heart Attack, then our oldest brother last month from another stroke and this is our only remaining brother who is 4 years older than I am. He is just starting to walk with the prosthesis and a walker. He had the gland in his throat removed almost 10 years ago from cancer and we thought he had won the cancer battle. While talking to my sister I asked her if she knew what the date of the picnic was. When I told her it was 6 years since on that date since I lost Walt, she told me I should have told her and she would have changed the picnic date. I knew she had already changed the picnic date twice for the sister-in-law, so I didn`t think I should ask her to do it again since most people had already been told.
We had a thunderstorm this morning while I worked in my wood shop. Glad I own a couple battery operated drills so I could pre-drill holes and pound in more nails without using power tools. I am in the process of making myself another kitchen cabinet. I wish I had made my large bench a bit lower as that is where I have been putting the cabinet together as the top of the bench is level. To reach the top of the cupboard when sitting on the bench top , even when it is turned on it`s side, I had to climb the small ladder to be able to drill nail holes that high. I need to re-level the shop floor. The hardest part is done. Frame is built and two shelves are in and the sides are nailed on. Still a lot to do-- close up the back, add the top shelf , add a top on the cupboard, and decide what type door- or doors- I want on it. Still raining hard out and can hear thunder in the distance. Think I will rest for a while and work another day in the shop. I also made stuffed peppers today using my own grown green peppers. Ate a couple smaller ones and froze three for another day.
Well, think I will close off in case the thunder storm might get any closer.
Wrote this Wednesday, and the thunderstorm prevented me from posting it then. More thunderstorms and rained hard yesterday. . Hot, but no rain so far today ( Friday). Might rain later tonight. Went to the Hospital Wellness Clinic and worked out with their machines, weights and bands for about 1 1/2 hours. Then went grocery shopping. When I got back home I decided to rest and work more in the wood shop tomorrow. Yesterday I went next door to ask two favors from my son-in-law. one was to remove the large battery from my craftsman drill. The arthritis is not allowing me to reach wide enough to press the release places on each side of the handle at the same time. The second favor was to come to my shop and help me lift the cupboard off the huge bench and onto the floor. I built it upon the bench because I knew I made the bench nice and lever.
But even when resting there is still all the garden plants and flowers to be watered. Just finished doing that. All this rain has ruined one of my lettuce heads.
I can hear a lot of hammer pounding. They must be still working across the road on the 4 family building. I heard each apartment has 2 bedrooms, but there is plenty of room in the cellar sections for more bedrooms if they are needed. So, still have no idea how many there will be in each of the 4 families once the apartments are occupied. It is one long building with all the apartments connected together.
Guess that is it for tonight.
We had a nice family re-union picnic. Always some sad memories added in for the ones who are no longer with us. I can remember when there would be close to 200 attending, then for a few years there were still 100 or more showing up. This summer there was only about 50 -60 that showed up. Too many of the younger ones had to work. In my own family there was just one son who brought his grandson with him. Same thing happened in most of the other families.
A couple of the little boys started climbing the tree in front of my sisters home. That got us thinking about when my brothers and I used to climb trees. About a year before ,my mother passed away she told me that there was a time when I really scared her. She told me that it happened when she was at the stove cooking supper. She said that she happened to look out the back window and what she saw scared her so bad that she had to turn the stove off and glued her eyes to looking out that window. She said I must have been about 5 yrs old at the time. There up high in that tree was my brother with me climbing up right behind him. She told me she wanted to run out and tell me to get out of that tree, but she was afraid if she yelled at me I might lose my footing and fall out of the tree. So, she just stayed by the window watching until my brother and I climb down and were standing on the ground.
My brother and I got to wondering, now, if that scared her, what would she have done if she had seen another brother and I going hand over hand out onto some limbs and swaying the branch up and down we would grab onto other tree branches as we swayed past them and would end up climbing down from another tree.
That brought up the subject of other things our parents never knew about. Like how much larger the strawberries grew on the neighbors fenced in property than they did in our open field. This fenced in property is hidden from view from where my parents home was. Also in this enclosed field there was a large bull who wasn`t friendly. But we didn`t worry about him because there was a deep pit at one place where that field bordered another field belonging to the family farm next door to our home place. In one of the bad storms a small tree had fallen and landed across the open deep pit and a tiny section jutted outside onto the farm property. We soon learned we could be safer if we went hanging from that tree and walking hand over hand towards the end of the tree . From there we could climb under the fence and onto the other field where the bull couldn`t reach us. This went on for weeks, until the day when we found the tree had fallen into the pit. Being young, we never even thought about something like this happening, so we never checked to see if the tree would be still there. Well, this time when the bull came running to where we were and the tree wasn`t there, I can still hear my brother asking "What do we do now? I never took time to answer, I just sat on the ground and slid down into the pit and my brother followed me down. Here is where the larger problem was. The other side of the pit where it extended onto the other side of the fence was straight upward and impossible to climb as far as we could see. So, there we were, standing in the bottom of the deep pit while the raging bull was snorting and running back and forth around the top of the pit. We knew we could never climb back out the easier side with the bull there waiting for us. I knew we needed a way to climb the steep side to safety on the other side of the fence. But how??? Finally I decided we needed steps for our feet to use and the only way to get steps was to dig out spaces as we climb. By the time we reached the top, my fingernails were loaded with dirt and my fingers were sore. But, we did manage and you can be sure we never went picking strawberries in that field again. We settled for picking the smaller berries on our own families farm property from then on. We sure would have been chewed out if mother had known. If she had found out, after chewing us out, when Dad came home from work, she then would have told him and he would have warned us to never enter that property again. Funny , when I think back, all Dad ever did was tell us, he never threatened or raised his voice and we just knew we better not disobey him. It was like he was always giving us a second chance, but he never did tell us what would happen if we disobeyed him and since I did as he said, I still don`t know what he might have done If I had gone against what he said.
Another thing I remembered our mother saying to me was how sorry she felt when she would see me walking up the road from high school with so many books that my head was held up in the air so my chin could help me keep from dropping any of the books. Things are so different today. Kids don`t seem to have as much homework and so they don`t have to carry as many books home every night. I remember when we had 4 years of History and Social Studies in High School when I was attending. Then for some unknown reason when my older children attended High School they only had 3 years, but by the time my youngest was in H.S., they had again re-added the 4th year. I used to wonder how they could teach two more Wars than we had in less learning time. And now we have another war for the kids to learn about. I wonder what they will remove about past History to add on this war?
I remember when we used to play tree or wood tag. One younger sister was always going in to tell our mother that we were running away from her and wouldn`t let her play with us. Then our mother would come out and tell us to either let her play or we could all come in the house and sit. We would try to tell mother that we weren`t running away from her, we were running playing wood tag. Then Mother would tell us to let her play. That usually ended up with us stopping the game just to keep her from getting us into trouble. She was just to small to keep up. But we always had my basketball with the hoop up over Dad`s garage door. When it became this youngest sisters turn, I would lift her up so she could get the ball closer to the net. I wasn`t tall enough to hold her very high , so most of the time the ball would just hit the rim and bounce off, if it should get that high. Once a fellow I was dating ran over my basketball in the dark where the younger sister and brother had left it in the driveway. That Christmas him and my brother went together and bought me a more expensive basketball. All the relatives used it whenever they stopped at our home. So, when I got married I never felt like I could bring my own basketball and hoop and put it up where we were living. I worried that mother would want to keep it there for everyone's children to play with- to give them something to do. When my kids got big enough to play, we bought another set and put the hoop up on the back of the bicycle shop. All their friends hung here so it also gave them something outside to do on good days. I remember this one day when some of the step sons friends were playing while he came in for supper. When he joined his friends, he discovered that one of the friends had thrown the ball to another of the boys who missed it and over the back fence it landed. The older lady who lived there didn`t like kids playing in my back yard. So she took the basketball and put it into her milk case sitting on her back porch. She refused to give back the ball saying whatever lands on her property is then hers. Later when she went into her house, my Step son climb over our fence and went after the ball. Out she came and started hitting him on the back with a board as he was climbing back over our fence. She was something... About a week later she saw the ball laying in our back yard. She came onto our property, took the ball and returned home. I went thru a lot to get the ball back and after that the kids remembered to bring the ball into the house when they were finished playing with it.
Funny how your mind just keeps remembering more and more once you start writing.
Just answered the telephone to learn that my remaining brother ( who had the leg removed in Nov. 06) got the results from his MRI and they found more bone cancer. Not sure yet what the Dr plans for the next step. Then a sister called me to tell me about my brother ( he was the one who had already called me). She was surprised as she didn`t think he would have let me know, but him and I have a closeness the past few years and he leans on me more than the rest when he needs to talk.
But, my sister also had some good news to tell me. She had a great grandson born this morning. I knew she was due soon as her grandmother ( my niece) attended the picnic last week. Seems the baby was having trouble dropping into place so the Dr ordered a test and what they discovered was that the cord was wrapped aroung the baby 2 or 3 times, holding it in place. Thank God for these new machines. They immediately did a cesarian and the baby wasn`t hurt. I have the first granddaughter in my parents family, but my sister actually had the first granddaughter, but that baby died due to the cord wrapping around the babies neck during birth. So happy her great grandson had better results. If we had only had these modern machines years ago.
Seems like there is always someone for us to worry about. I Pray that things turn out better for this brother. We lost the youngest brother in 1994 from a Heart Attack, then our oldest brother last month from another stroke and this is our only remaining brother who is 4 years older than I am. He is just starting to walk with the prosthesis and a walker. He had the gland in his throat removed almost 10 years ago from cancer and we thought he had won the cancer battle. While talking to my sister I asked her if she knew what the date of the picnic was. When I told her it was 6 years since on that date since I lost Walt, she told me I should have told her and she would have changed the picnic date. I knew she had already changed the picnic date twice for the sister-in-law, so I didn`t think I should ask her to do it again since most people had already been told.
We had a thunderstorm this morning while I worked in my wood shop. Glad I own a couple battery operated drills so I could pre-drill holes and pound in more nails without using power tools. I am in the process of making myself another kitchen cabinet. I wish I had made my large bench a bit lower as that is where I have been putting the cabinet together as the top of the bench is level. To reach the top of the cupboard when sitting on the bench top , even when it is turned on it`s side, I had to climb the small ladder to be able to drill nail holes that high. I need to re-level the shop floor. The hardest part is done. Frame is built and two shelves are in and the sides are nailed on. Still a lot to do-- close up the back, add the top shelf , add a top on the cupboard, and decide what type door- or doors- I want on it. Still raining hard out and can hear thunder in the distance. Think I will rest for a while and work another day in the shop. I also made stuffed peppers today using my own grown green peppers. Ate a couple smaller ones and froze three for another day.
Well, think I will close off in case the thunder storm might get any closer.
Wrote this Wednesday, and the thunderstorm prevented me from posting it then. More thunderstorms and rained hard yesterday. . Hot, but no rain so far today ( Friday). Might rain later tonight. Went to the Hospital Wellness Clinic and worked out with their machines, weights and bands for about 1 1/2 hours. Then went grocery shopping. When I got back home I decided to rest and work more in the wood shop tomorrow. Yesterday I went next door to ask two favors from my son-in-law. one was to remove the large battery from my craftsman drill. The arthritis is not allowing me to reach wide enough to press the release places on each side of the handle at the same time. The second favor was to come to my shop and help me lift the cupboard off the huge bench and onto the floor. I built it upon the bench because I knew I made the bench nice and lever.
But even when resting there is still all the garden plants and flowers to be watered. Just finished doing that. All this rain has ruined one of my lettuce heads.
I can hear a lot of hammer pounding. They must be still working across the road on the 4 family building. I heard each apartment has 2 bedrooms, but there is plenty of room in the cellar sections for more bedrooms if they are needed. So, still have no idea how many there will be in each of the 4 families once the apartments are occupied. It is one long building with all the apartments connected together.
Guess that is it for tonight.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
July 17, 08,shop,garden, great grand babies, etc.
Thursday, JUly 17, 2008
Just another day. Had intended on doing a little grass cutting, but I pulled and pulled and still the lawn mower refused to start. I watched my son give the mower a foot push forward as he pulled the cord, -one problem- he is longer legged and can push it farther away from him. I gave up and finished all the trim cutting around the house, trees and other things with the cord trimmer. Now it feels too hot to work outside. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow and Saturday. Saturday we are having the large Family July Picnic which we usually have the first Saturday after the 4th. . I first thought they might forgo the picnic this year due to losing our oldest brother who owned the farm where the yearly picnics were held in the past. This year it is one of my younger sisters turn to handle the doings, so she decided to hold it at her home which is down the road from the farmhouse. Everyone makes a dish or a desert to bring to share, so we always have lots of extra food there. This year most of my family will be working and unable to attend. Youngest sister told me most of hers also had to work. So there will be less attending, plus every year our large family keeps getting smaller. Only one Uncle and two Aunts now left in the family and one lives too far away and the other 2 are in poor health so won`t be able to attend. Only a few cousins left also. I can remember when there would be well over 150 attending. Hope there is a breeze and no rain as the weather might be way too hot to stay outside all day long. Feel sorry for the one who will end up doing the outdoor cooking this year as it sure will be hot enough without the heat from the cookers. (Walker, hope your big cook-out has a cooler day for all your cooking. Of, course that is probably just wishful thinking on my part since your weather isn`t too much different from mine.)
I also spent part of the day cutting out the frame boards for the new cupboard I hope to make and add to my kitchen. Seems like we never do have enough places to put everything. When I first started to cut the boards, I had plugged in the saw , but nothing happened when I pushed on the start on the floor. I have a cord connection that goes between my table saw and the plug in on the wall. This connection has two push places-- one says start and the other says stop on them. I like this connection because if you have both hands supporting a board you are cutting, you don`t have to remove one hand off the board to hit the normal on/off switch on the saw itself. This connection sets on the floor, so to stop it you can just step on the stop place without removing either hand off the board. I feel it is so much safer and there is less chance of the board being kicked back towards you if you don`t have to take you hands off it. . You can`t accidentally step on the start place as it sets deeper into the connection platform and to push the start place you have to push it by hand.You can just use your foot for a faster shut off of the saw.
Well, to get back to why the machine didn`t start when I had plugged in the cord and pushed the floor start by hand. You might have already figured out why. You see my youngest son used the table saw last when he was cutting treated lumber to build the larger back deck for his sister who lives next door to me. He is a construction worker by trade, which sometimes comes in handy. From habit, he has shut off the saw by pushing the on/off switch on the saw. So, once I turned that switch back to on, the saw started up ok. Glad it was nothing wrong with my saw to worry about. But all this treated lumber cutting seems to be dulling my saw blade, or it could be just adding gunk onto the blade that needs to be cleaned off. Before I do any more cutting, guess I better unplug the saw and try cleaning the blade. If that doesn`t make it cut better, then I will have to give in and go buy a new blade. This blade sure does get a lot of use since others also find that mom`s shop tools come in handy.
My bandsaw and router tables are on wheels so I can keep them back to the wall out of the way until I need to use them. These wheel bases have a way to drop the machines down solid onto the floor when the wheels are released to make them sturdy when being used. I wouldn`t feel safe to have the wheel frame under the table saw, so I have to move that one the harder way, but it isn`t real heavy to move. I finally cleared off the large bench and hung the double florescent light up over the bench. Still haven`t decided where I will end up hanging the smaller double light. I have a double length overhead light with double long lights on each section that lights up the whole shop. I even hung most of the tools off the bench on the pegboard hooks on the pegboard end of the bench. Now, I have the bench top cleared to work on. Next is to decide just where I want to add the bench vise where it will be handy and still not in the way while working. Always something waiting to be done.
Now for some exciting news:
One of my granddaughters phoned me yesterday to tell me she might have her baby on my Birthday in Sept.. She is so excited about having it then. This baby will make the 17 th great grandchild. Boy, just writing that makes me feel old. 17 grandchildren and soon to be 17 great grandchildren. Boy, how Walt would have loved seeing them all. He never saw his youngest granddaughter or the last 10 of the great grandchildren. He sure would have felt proud of them all. Wish they all had been able to know their grandfather. The ones he did know were all very close to him.
Guess I should stop playing on the computer and go water the garden plants and the flower beds. Still keeping my eyes open in case my unwanted guest is still around some place ( the snake, that is). Brought in my first batch of yellow string beans this morning. Green beans are taking longer. Tomatoes and green peppers are getting larger and the beets and carrots in the containers seem to be doing well also. Saw my first teeny cucumber on the vine this morning. Already eaten a lot of lettuce and the lettuce head style, plus the cabbage are both getting larger. Zucchini has loads of blossoms on them. Hopefully there will be some vegetables to freeze and can to help with the food prices this winter.
Just another day. Had intended on doing a little grass cutting, but I pulled and pulled and still the lawn mower refused to start. I watched my son give the mower a foot push forward as he pulled the cord, -one problem- he is longer legged and can push it farther away from him. I gave up and finished all the trim cutting around the house, trees and other things with the cord trimmer. Now it feels too hot to work outside. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow and Saturday. Saturday we are having the large Family July Picnic which we usually have the first Saturday after the 4th. . I first thought they might forgo the picnic this year due to losing our oldest brother who owned the farm where the yearly picnics were held in the past. This year it is one of my younger sisters turn to handle the doings, so she decided to hold it at her home which is down the road from the farmhouse. Everyone makes a dish or a desert to bring to share, so we always have lots of extra food there. This year most of my family will be working and unable to attend. Youngest sister told me most of hers also had to work. So there will be less attending, plus every year our large family keeps getting smaller. Only one Uncle and two Aunts now left in the family and one lives too far away and the other 2 are in poor health so won`t be able to attend. Only a few cousins left also. I can remember when there would be well over 150 attending. Hope there is a breeze and no rain as the weather might be way too hot to stay outside all day long. Feel sorry for the one who will end up doing the outdoor cooking this year as it sure will be hot enough without the heat from the cookers. (Walker, hope your big cook-out has a cooler day for all your cooking. Of, course that is probably just wishful thinking on my part since your weather isn`t too much different from mine.)
I also spent part of the day cutting out the frame boards for the new cupboard I hope to make and add to my kitchen. Seems like we never do have enough places to put everything. When I first started to cut the boards, I had plugged in the saw , but nothing happened when I pushed on the start on the floor. I have a cord connection that goes between my table saw and the plug in on the wall. This connection has two push places-- one says start and the other says stop on them. I like this connection because if you have both hands supporting a board you are cutting, you don`t have to remove one hand off the board to hit the normal on/off switch on the saw itself. This connection sets on the floor, so to stop it you can just step on the stop place without removing either hand off the board. I feel it is so much safer and there is less chance of the board being kicked back towards you if you don`t have to take you hands off it. . You can`t accidentally step on the start place as it sets deeper into the connection platform and to push the start place you have to push it by hand.You can just use your foot for a faster shut off of the saw.
Well, to get back to why the machine didn`t start when I had plugged in the cord and pushed the floor start by hand. You might have already figured out why. You see my youngest son used the table saw last when he was cutting treated lumber to build the larger back deck for his sister who lives next door to me. He is a construction worker by trade, which sometimes comes in handy. From habit, he has shut off the saw by pushing the on/off switch on the saw. So, once I turned that switch back to on, the saw started up ok. Glad it was nothing wrong with my saw to worry about. But all this treated lumber cutting seems to be dulling my saw blade, or it could be just adding gunk onto the blade that needs to be cleaned off. Before I do any more cutting, guess I better unplug the saw and try cleaning the blade. If that doesn`t make it cut better, then I will have to give in and go buy a new blade. This blade sure does get a lot of use since others also find that mom`s shop tools come in handy.
My bandsaw and router tables are on wheels so I can keep them back to the wall out of the way until I need to use them. These wheel bases have a way to drop the machines down solid onto the floor when the wheels are released to make them sturdy when being used. I wouldn`t feel safe to have the wheel frame under the table saw, so I have to move that one the harder way, but it isn`t real heavy to move. I finally cleared off the large bench and hung the double florescent light up over the bench. Still haven`t decided where I will end up hanging the smaller double light. I have a double length overhead light with double long lights on each section that lights up the whole shop. I even hung most of the tools off the bench on the pegboard hooks on the pegboard end of the bench. Now, I have the bench top cleared to work on. Next is to decide just where I want to add the bench vise where it will be handy and still not in the way while working. Always something waiting to be done.
Now for some exciting news:
One of my granddaughters phoned me yesterday to tell me she might have her baby on my Birthday in Sept.. She is so excited about having it then. This baby will make the 17 th great grandchild. Boy, just writing that makes me feel old. 17 grandchildren and soon to be 17 great grandchildren. Boy, how Walt would have loved seeing them all. He never saw his youngest granddaughter or the last 10 of the great grandchildren. He sure would have felt proud of them all. Wish they all had been able to know their grandfather. The ones he did know were all very close to him.
Guess I should stop playing on the computer and go water the garden plants and the flower beds. Still keeping my eyes open in case my unwanted guest is still around some place ( the snake, that is). Brought in my first batch of yellow string beans this morning. Green beans are taking longer. Tomatoes and green peppers are getting larger and the beets and carrots in the containers seem to be doing well also. Saw my first teeny cucumber on the vine this morning. Already eaten a lot of lettuce and the lettuce head style, plus the cabbage are both getting larger. Zucchini has loads of blossoms on them. Hopefully there will be some vegetables to freeze and can to help with the food prices this winter.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 11,08- Shop/ busy week-end
Friday, July 11, 2008
Ever start a project and suddenly decide you should wait till another day to do more work on it? I need another cupboard in my kitchen just to hold things like tupperware containers, freezer containers, plus some of the electrical equipment that seems to be taking up too much room on the counter tops. I hate leaving a project until I have it finished. But if I don`t stop now I will feel too tired to enjoy the weekend.
Well, This afternoon I went to my shop and cut out the boards to make the framework. Then I made the big mistake of looking at my bench top and knew I should find some kind of order before I did anything more. I finally added the hangers to the peg board that I had added to one end of my bench. After hanging up many of the tools off the top of the bench the bench looked much better. Then I got some dog chain and cut sections from it to use to hang up the long florescent double light over the bench. Well, the light isn`t up yet, but the chains are cut and connected to the ends of the light and the strong hooks are laying on the bench waiting with the light. So, before working more on the cupboard, I will get the lamp put up. I also have a smaller florescent double light that I haven`t yet decided where I want to hang that one. Seems good just to see the top of the bench again. I have some real long double lights hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room that lights up the area around the table saw, router, band saw and the scroll saw. But it doesn`t do so good in the front corner where the large bench sits.
I don`t want to do too much today as I don`t want to be too tired to enjoy another grandson`s graduation Party which is tomorrow. Now, I have just one grandchild left in school, plus a 4 year old that will start Headstart next year. Feels great knowing that all the other grandchildren stayed in school and graduated from High School, some went on to college. One is now a School teacher herself.
Then Sunday my brother wants me to accompany him to the Fort Edward High School Alumni Idle Hour ( a picnic style this time). This is the brother who had the leg removed 1 1/2 years ago, so he will be using his wheel chair which means he needs someone there to help him. Since he was 2 years ahead of me in High School, I do know most of the kids that were in his class, so that makes me the logical one to go with him. If I am lucky, I might also run into some of the ones who were in my classes. Been so many years since I have seen any of the old crowd, I wonder if I will recognize any of them. I graduated way back in 1950. Boy, that sounds like a century ago.
To Many of my wonderful friends:
I have kept reading many of your blogs, but most of the time Internet Explorer stops responding as soon as I try to open the comment area. So, if I haven`t left a comment on your blog, it is not from lack of trying. I am still enjoying reading your blogs even if I can`t usually respond. I keep hoping I will find out what is causing this problem. Not sure if it has to do with IE, or if it might be caused by my server. I am still on slow dial-up. The main reason I have kept it is because they do such a good job protecting my computer from viruses, etc.. I have also heard that some others are having the same problems with IE, and they don`t use the same server as I do. Hope to have better luck leaving comments soon. I had a few times when for some unknown reason I have been able to write a comment. then the problem shows up again.
I am enjoying reading your blogs.
Still no sign of the snake and still wonder what kind it was. Garden is growing great in the earth boxes. Apple tree is loaded,( so is the ground), but still spraying the tree with hopes of having some good eating apples this year. Thanks to the nice blogger friend who found the apple tree site for me, I read that the blotches were caused by too much rain. Have already sprayed three times this spring and summer and hoping to be able to do a couiple more sprays before the apples start to ripen.
Ever start a project and suddenly decide you should wait till another day to do more work on it? I need another cupboard in my kitchen just to hold things like tupperware containers, freezer containers, plus some of the electrical equipment that seems to be taking up too much room on the counter tops. I hate leaving a project until I have it finished. But if I don`t stop now I will feel too tired to enjoy the weekend.
Well, This afternoon I went to my shop and cut out the boards to make the framework. Then I made the big mistake of looking at my bench top and knew I should find some kind of order before I did anything more. I finally added the hangers to the peg board that I had added to one end of my bench. After hanging up many of the tools off the top of the bench the bench looked much better. Then I got some dog chain and cut sections from it to use to hang up the long florescent double light over the bench. Well, the light isn`t up yet, but the chains are cut and connected to the ends of the light and the strong hooks are laying on the bench waiting with the light. So, before working more on the cupboard, I will get the lamp put up. I also have a smaller florescent double light that I haven`t yet decided where I want to hang that one. Seems good just to see the top of the bench again. I have some real long double lights hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room that lights up the area around the table saw, router, band saw and the scroll saw. But it doesn`t do so good in the front corner where the large bench sits.
I don`t want to do too much today as I don`t want to be too tired to enjoy another grandson`s graduation Party which is tomorrow. Now, I have just one grandchild left in school, plus a 4 year old that will start Headstart next year. Feels great knowing that all the other grandchildren stayed in school and graduated from High School, some went on to college. One is now a School teacher herself.
Then Sunday my brother wants me to accompany him to the Fort Edward High School Alumni Idle Hour ( a picnic style this time). This is the brother who had the leg removed 1 1/2 years ago, so he will be using his wheel chair which means he needs someone there to help him. Since he was 2 years ahead of me in High School, I do know most of the kids that were in his class, so that makes me the logical one to go with him. If I am lucky, I might also run into some of the ones who were in my classes. Been so many years since I have seen any of the old crowd, I wonder if I will recognize any of them. I graduated way back in 1950. Boy, that sounds like a century ago.
To Many of my wonderful friends:
I have kept reading many of your blogs, but most of the time Internet Explorer stops responding as soon as I try to open the comment area. So, if I haven`t left a comment on your blog, it is not from lack of trying. I am still enjoying reading your blogs even if I can`t usually respond. I keep hoping I will find out what is causing this problem. Not sure if it has to do with IE, or if it might be caused by my server. I am still on slow dial-up. The main reason I have kept it is because they do such a good job protecting my computer from viruses, etc.. I have also heard that some others are having the same problems with IE, and they don`t use the same server as I do. Hope to have better luck leaving comments soon. I had a few times when for some unknown reason I have been able to write a comment. then the problem shows up again.
I am enjoying reading your blogs.
Still no sign of the snake and still wonder what kind it was. Garden is growing great in the earth boxes. Apple tree is loaded,( so is the ground), but still spraying the tree with hopes of having some good eating apples this year. Thanks to the nice blogger friend who found the apple tree site for me, I read that the blotches were caused by too much rain. Have already sprayed three times this spring and summer and hoping to be able to do a couiple more sprays before the apples start to ripen.
Monday, July 07, 2008
My Unwanted Visitor
Thursday, July 03, 2008
July 3rd, 08--My wild animal visitors
My newest pet that has been either in my flower bed or wandering close near it. He could leave anytime and it wouldn`t break my heart. I told my daughter that I wondered what wild animal would show up either nexr door in her yard or here in mine.
One year it was a large moose that walked down our road, went into the small wooded lot across the road and just layed there watching me as we took his pictures. The next year it was a small fawn which took off so fast when the dogs barked that I never had time to get it`s picture. The following year it was a very large salamander that was laying on the picnic table next door. I figured it was probably someones pet that got too large for their tank. It left the picnic table and went around to the front of the house and laid down on the ground under her window that held the air conditioner- might have liked the water drops coming from the air conditioner. The next morning it was no where in sight. The next year I got pictures of a white turkey sitting on the fence on the side of my property. Then last year the chipmunks showed up and there are always new baby squirrels every year. Still have the squirells and chipmunks running around my yard. I sometimes toss out sunflower seeds to ( hopefully) keep them away from my plants. Two days ago the chipmunks decided to dig up some hanging plants in one planter. I once read that if you sprinkle hot pepper onto the soil they will leave that planter alone. It said it wouldn`t hurt the plants. Well, I gave up and sprinkled the soil with crushed hot pepper to see if it does work. Just checked and it only dug up one of the plants this time and left the others alone. Hope that means the hot pepper is working.
Now for my latest visitor that I first saw yesterday morning when I was walking around my home.
I went to the mail box and checked but didn`t see it, but when I walked past the front steps it quickly came out about a foot from my foot and hurried into the flower bed where I got some pictures. You can bet he startled me good when he (or she) came so fast from under the bottom step , just a few inches from my feet, and my heart raced for quite a while. After taking the pictures I came back into the house. Later when Sassy ( my border collie) wanted out, I decided first to see where the new visitor was. No where in sight till I decided to check the garden earth boxes on the side of the house and as I went around the corner of the house, it came rushing back around the corner and startled me again and back into the flower bed it went to try to hide behind some flower plants- this time only it`s head was hidden. I have a feeling that since he has hung around for two days already, it just might decide to make himself at home. Only the second time I have ever wanted a guest to leave. The last time i tried to add the pictures, IE stopped working and i lost everything, so I am posting this first and will later try again to add the pictures.
By now, I am sure you have already guessed what this new visitor is.
One year it was a large moose that walked down our road, went into the small wooded lot across the road and just layed there watching me as we took his pictures. The next year it was a small fawn which took off so fast when the dogs barked that I never had time to get it`s picture. The following year it was a very large salamander that was laying on the picnic table next door. I figured it was probably someones pet that got too large for their tank. It left the picnic table and went around to the front of the house and laid down on the ground under her window that held the air conditioner- might have liked the water drops coming from the air conditioner. The next morning it was no where in sight. The next year I got pictures of a white turkey sitting on the fence on the side of my property. Then last year the chipmunks showed up and there are always new baby squirrels every year. Still have the squirells and chipmunks running around my yard. I sometimes toss out sunflower seeds to ( hopefully) keep them away from my plants. Two days ago the chipmunks decided to dig up some hanging plants in one planter. I once read that if you sprinkle hot pepper onto the soil they will leave that planter alone. It said it wouldn`t hurt the plants. Well, I gave up and sprinkled the soil with crushed hot pepper to see if it does work. Just checked and it only dug up one of the plants this time and left the others alone. Hope that means the hot pepper is working.
Now for my latest visitor that I first saw yesterday morning when I was walking around my home.
I went to the mail box and checked but didn`t see it, but when I walked past the front steps it quickly came out about a foot from my foot and hurried into the flower bed where I got some pictures. You can bet he startled me good when he (or she) came so fast from under the bottom step , just a few inches from my feet, and my heart raced for quite a while. After taking the pictures I came back into the house. Later when Sassy ( my border collie) wanted out, I decided first to see where the new visitor was. No where in sight till I decided to check the garden earth boxes on the side of the house and as I went around the corner of the house, it came rushing back around the corner and startled me again and back into the flower bed it went to try to hide behind some flower plants- this time only it`s head was hidden. I have a feeling that since he has hung around for two days already, it just might decide to make himself at home. Only the second time I have ever wanted a guest to leave. The last time i tried to add the pictures, IE stopped working and i lost everything, so I am posting this first and will later try again to add the pictures.
By now, I am sure you have already guessed what this new visitor is.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
July 1st, 08- car, lawn mower, comp/ New great grandchild
July 1st, `08 is starting off on a bad foot for me, while it ended June very nicely with another new great grand son.
Today is one of those weird days when you think whatever can go wrong probably will.
I got up with the plan on going to see my newest great grandson and then after, stopping at the Wellness Clinic behind the Hospital to use their exercise equipment.
Well, that never went as I planned. Oh, I got ready to leave, but when I unlocked the garage and got ready to back the car out of the garage, the darn car wouldn`t start-- not even a slight noise coming from the engine. I got out the charger to connect it to the battery and the charger told me the battery already had a full charge. Now I am thinking maybe my starter has given up and stopped working. Since I am planning on getting another car, I really don`t want to put more money into this car. Now I will let it set until my son-in-law gets home tonight and have him look at it. Boy, it sure is nice having a car Tec in the family.
So, I was hoping my oldest daughter, Linda might be heading down today to see her daughter and new grandson, but guess she got tired out spending most of yesterday there. Since I can`t drive anyplace, my next thought was i might as well get the grass mowed in the front yard. First i couldn`t pull the cord hard enough with my bum shoulder, so daughter Theresa came over and got it started for me. But I was only able to cut a little ways and it would shut off on me. After re-starting it and having it quit, my daughter went home and came back with her husbands lawn mower. I finally was able to mow the front yard. My daughter ended up doing the other two lots and the back yard for me.
Then I watered the gardens- vegetable earth boxes and flower gardens. Now, I figured it was time to rest. When I came in the house a granddaughter phoned me from Florida. We talked for quite a while. She is suspecting in September- around the date of my birthday. Always nice talking to her. This showed me that everything wasn`t going wrong today. When I got off the phone, I decided I should phone the granddaughter in the Hospital and let her know I wouldn`t make it down to see her and the baby after all since my car still wouldn`t start. Never even tried to start.
I felt bad because when I spoke to her on the phone yesterday I told her I would see her today. She told me not to worry about it. She told me that her and her Husband would bring the baby up next week for me to see along with his adorable 2 year old brother. Real nice of her.
So next I went on the net and downloaded my e-mail. Then I went to some friends blogs and caught up with my reading, but every time I started to leave a comment Internet Explorer would say " not co-operating" or something like that and I would have to close it and go off the net to clear the screen as everything was locked up. I went on and off three times before finally getting my own blog to open. I hope, when I am ready to post this, that I don`t again see that discouraging words "not co-operating".
Now for some good news. I have another new great grandson- Andreaz James -born yesterday-who makes # 16 from my own kids, plus 5 more from the step children- total now of 21 great grand kids. Andreaz has a lot of dark hair - he weighed 9lb 7.6oz- little smaller than his brother was, but still a good sized baby. I have seen a lot of pictures of him and of course he is cute. So, from my own kids I now have 17 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren with one more great on the way, plus another 5 grandchildren from the step children I raised - total of 22 grand kids and 21 great grand kids with one due in Sept.. Family sure keeps getting bigger all the time. No wonder I am feeling old today and I thought my feeling old today was caused by the car that won`t start , the lawn mower that won`t keep running and the computer that has a mind of it`s own.
It is now 5:30 and this day is about 2/3rds over. Hope the remainder of the day has better news for me. The thunder storm stayed in the distance and we only received some rain, so that was nice. I have decided to copy this post just in case IE decides not to let me post now. Maybe my problem there is caused by all those thunder storms places all around us have had the past week or more. Sun is back shining here, hope also shining where they had the thunder storms earlier.
Today is one of those weird days when you think whatever can go wrong probably will.
I got up with the plan on going to see my newest great grandson and then after, stopping at the Wellness Clinic behind the Hospital to use their exercise equipment.
Well, that never went as I planned. Oh, I got ready to leave, but when I unlocked the garage and got ready to back the car out of the garage, the darn car wouldn`t start-- not even a slight noise coming from the engine. I got out the charger to connect it to the battery and the charger told me the battery already had a full charge. Now I am thinking maybe my starter has given up and stopped working. Since I am planning on getting another car, I really don`t want to put more money into this car. Now I will let it set until my son-in-law gets home tonight and have him look at it. Boy, it sure is nice having a car Tec in the family.
So, I was hoping my oldest daughter, Linda might be heading down today to see her daughter and new grandson, but guess she got tired out spending most of yesterday there. Since I can`t drive anyplace, my next thought was i might as well get the grass mowed in the front yard. First i couldn`t pull the cord hard enough with my bum shoulder, so daughter Theresa came over and got it started for me. But I was only able to cut a little ways and it would shut off on me. After re-starting it and having it quit, my daughter went home and came back with her husbands lawn mower. I finally was able to mow the front yard. My daughter ended up doing the other two lots and the back yard for me.
Then I watered the gardens- vegetable earth boxes and flower gardens. Now, I figured it was time to rest. When I came in the house a granddaughter phoned me from Florida. We talked for quite a while. She is suspecting in September- around the date of my birthday. Always nice talking to her. This showed me that everything wasn`t going wrong today. When I got off the phone, I decided I should phone the granddaughter in the Hospital and let her know I wouldn`t make it down to see her and the baby after all since my car still wouldn`t start. Never even tried to start.
I felt bad because when I spoke to her on the phone yesterday I told her I would see her today. She told me not to worry about it. She told me that her and her Husband would bring the baby up next week for me to see along with his adorable 2 year old brother. Real nice of her.
So next I went on the net and downloaded my e-mail. Then I went to some friends blogs and caught up with my reading, but every time I started to leave a comment Internet Explorer would say " not co-operating" or something like that and I would have to close it and go off the net to clear the screen as everything was locked up. I went on and off three times before finally getting my own blog to open. I hope, when I am ready to post this, that I don`t again see that discouraging words "not co-operating".
Now for some good news. I have another new great grandson- Andreaz James -born yesterday-who makes # 16 from my own kids, plus 5 more from the step children- total now of 21 great grand kids. Andreaz has a lot of dark hair - he weighed 9lb 7.6oz- little smaller than his brother was, but still a good sized baby. I have seen a lot of pictures of him and of course he is cute. So, from my own kids I now have 17 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren with one more great on the way, plus another 5 grandchildren from the step children I raised - total of 22 grand kids and 21 great grand kids with one due in Sept.. Family sure keeps getting bigger all the time. No wonder I am feeling old today and I thought my feeling old today was caused by the car that won`t start , the lawn mower that won`t keep running and the computer that has a mind of it`s own.
It is now 5:30 and this day is about 2/3rds over. Hope the remainder of the day has better news for me. The thunder storm stayed in the distance and we only received some rain, so that was nice. I have decided to copy this post just in case IE decides not to let me post now. Maybe my problem there is caused by all those thunder storms places all around us have had the past week or more. Sun is back shining here, hope also shining where they had the thunder storms earlier.
