Entry for August 14, 2007 COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT..???

Today I have come out of retirement, I haven't worked since I retired in July, 2006. I had worked on my niece's new house in 2001. They are expecting a new baby and are in the process of converting the double garage into another bedroom and bath. When my niece called and wanted me to do all the work I told her I was retired and I was sorry I couldn't do the remodel for them but I would do the siding for them. This will only take about two day's.

Yesterday I picked up all the materials I need to complete the job and will go this morning before the temps get into triple digits. By noon I will be in the hot sun so I only plan to work till then. I'm not as tough as I was when I was working, the heat never bothered me . The truck is packed with all my need tools and I'm off to drive 25 miles to the job site. To tell the truth I have missed working and being around people but also enjoy doing what I want to do. It's off to work I GO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!!!

Entry for August 12, 2007 FLEA MARKET DAY..!!

I'm going to take you on my first effort to go to a big annual flea market and try to sell some items that have accumulated over the years. We have had yards sells over the years at out home and we have visit many flea markets over time but only as buyers.
During last week I began the task of gathering up those items that I no longer need or have two of. Most items were of hand tools, plumbing supplies, elect rial supplies and some car parts. I spent some time each day with cleaning everything and making sure all electric items worked. This was going to be all items that men would buy, a smart move on my part I thought?? Most markets we attend it's mostly items women are interested in and very few for men.
The grounds were the market was held was a park 8 miles from our house. 300 vendors usually turned out for this event ever year. New rules were in place as people would spend several days at the park picking a good location for setting up in the shade. No one was pr emitted to enter the park and set up until Friday at 4:00 pm. Several people from out of town didn't get the new rules message and started setting up and were run out of the park and made to go by the rules. Friday at 3:00pm I was in a long line to try and located a good spot. It was going to be one mad dash to secure a preferred location. It looked like frontier days when people set out on the great land rushes. Time ticked by very slow as I waited way back in line. A large embankment was off to my right and I had a plan to take a chance on go down than steep bank and secure that nice shady spot between two oak trees. We are off on our mad dash, I skating down the embankment dragging the truck's under carriage but I made it to my Spot !!. We are permit ed to set up our tables and items and cover them up for the night as we are not allowed to spend the night, a guard will be on the park grounds during the night.
Saturday morning I'm up at 4:00 am with my loaded truck to return to the park and start getting ready to sell, sell. Things go great and finally my first sell, $2.00 and I'm off and running. My son and grand daughter would come later to help, with Lindsey bringing some of her items to sell and I put her in charge of selling Pepsis and water. Later my wife came and helped after lunch. The day was a success as I sold a lot of things I no longer needed but still brought back a truck load of items. It turned out to be not as much fun as I had anticipated. Still worth the effort and the experience not to mention some new mad money.
Two events during the day stand out in my mine. One of our renters years ago left a baby buggy when they moved. I took it and my wife said why don't you leave that here, no one will buy it. I took it any way to prove a point, If I couldn't sell it I would give it to a person carrying a small baby. Indeed I tried to give to a couple with a new baby but they thanked me, they had one. Late in the day 3 women and one with a little baby asked about the buggy. One women in a wheelchair is asking if I will take any less than $10.00 for the buggy and I see there poor condition and say you can have it for $5.00. They buy and are very happy, when the women went to her purse she pulled out a stack of bills that would choke a horse!! The woman with the baby put him into the buggy and I said this is your first set of wheels youngman and he gave me a great big smile, he was about 9 months old. I saw an old man with a yellow bird on his hat. The bird was alive and just stayed attached to his hat as he walked.

Entry for August 07, 2007 WATERMELON HEIST..

Growing up in our teenage years life becomes a great adventure, this was true in my case. In my teen years there were no drugs, no beer or whiskey in my town . Yes, I guess you could call my town a one horse town. We did do things to amuse ourselves back in those days and I will share a night three friends and myself went on a watermelon mission??. OK , a mission sounded better than we went to steal some melons.
Charles had a black 1946 Chevy and drove that dark night to a watermelon field near Woods Lake. Plans had been made as we traveled about 10 miles to the field loaded with ripe watermelons just waiting for the four of us. Larry's uncle lived next to the man's farm near the lake and it had been his idea for the great heist. " Guys you wouldn't believe how many big melons are in that patch." The melon patch was a distance away from the owners house and he would never know we were there? Wrong!!
On our arrival Charles pulled the old Chevy into a wooded area near the field. Each of us were to enter the field and bring back melons and put them into the trunk. Off we go on our mission, things were going as planned and we had almost filled the trunk with our bounty. G.W. says, " guys lets get out of here before we get caught." Guys I have seen the biggest melon in the field and I want to go get just one more. OK, Nick go get it and we will wait for you. I arrive at the location of the biggest melon I have ever seen. That big boy must weigh 75 pounds. It's all I can do to get it into my arms and head back to the car. A voice in the distance rings out, "STOP OR I'M GOING TO SHOOT!!!!" My heart is in my throat as I begin to run with that big melon! A shootgun blast ring out into the night air! I'm saying a little prayer as I run , Lord if you will pick up these feet I will put them down! Why didn't I drop that big melon, I'm sure I could run faster but no I'm not giving up this baby. In my haste I hit another melon with my feet and fall and my prize burst into several pieces. I finally make it back to the car and shout, "Get out of here he's got a shootgun!" We later eat some of the melons and gave some away but mine didn't taste all that good. To this day I have a hard time eating watermelon. NOT!!!!

Entry for July 11, 2007 COMPUTER ROOM..!!

Glad you guy and gals were interested in my little computer room. This room was my office during my working days. I built this house in 1984 and did almost all the work myself with help from my wife and my son. The only work that was hired out was laying the concrete blocks, pouring the concrete floors in the basement, porches and garage. Also we had the carpet and vinyl installed. It took 5 years to build as I only worked week ends and at night on the house. I didn't think it would ever get finished. I told my wife don't put any nails on the walls to hang your pictures and decorations on. I came home and there were 5 women nailing things on the walls.LOL now but wasn't all that funny back then.
My trophies were won by my 1940 Ford street rod over the last 19 years at cars shows. These in my office were put up here when I got my computer. I still have a lot in the family room, my wife collects dolls so she put some more doll in the bookcases when I moved some trophies up to my little world on the second floor.
My wife didn't like computers, at first,but she is slowly getting into watching me show her some of the great photos you guys put on line. I'm in big trouble if she ever gets the computer bug, we'll have to share???He, Haw!!

Entry for July 01, 2007 WATER GARDEN UPDATE..

The photo is a current one after my wife has done some flowers in the pool and around the pool. She has a talent with flowers and decorating. I got her two fish but I got two that are very shy or they have died. She has seen one of them but I haven't seen them in a week! The green algae is beginning to cover some rocks and the sides of the pool as Vi. warned me. I am open to suggestion as to how to control the algae. I made the light house for her, at first she hid it behind some flowers, maybe she is trying to tell me something!!LOL! The garden continues to be a work in progress. Our regards!!

Entry for May 31, 2007 WATER GARDEN.....PART #2

Women can be undecided on what they want or how a project will look upon completion. Carolyn had in mind how she wanted the pond to look, so I drew an outline in the ground using an axe to shape, after several times changing the outline she finally decided on the shape! Digging was very hard with a big oak stump in the way. After digging, cutting, pulling two days later the hole in the ground looked good. I tell her we will go to town Sat. to get the liner. There were 3 pond supply stories in town at one time but all of them went out of business. We find what we need at Lowes and Carolyn buys a magazine with water pond photos. Sunday we take a day off to rest but Mon. it's back to work installing the rubber liner { it's made in China} isn't everything ?? Once in place I began to fill the liner with water pulling out any wrinkles in the material. This goes well and it takes some time to fill with water, I estimate it holds about 800 gallons of water. Some rocks are laid around the edge to hold the liner in place but are relocated later. I pour a concrete pad which will support the weight of all the rocks that we use to create the waterfall.
At this point I call my nephew, Mike to come help with the waterfall as he has build several over the years and Carolyn wanted him to help her with the flowers and shrubs to be placed around the finished water garden. Mike is a true expert on flowers and shrubs as he worked in a garden center years ago. With Mikes help for almost two days the garden finally came together. Carolyn has plans to mulch around the garden later. When I ask Mike how much do we owe you his quick response was $ 6,000, man I hope this was a joke and it was thank goodness. The pump that makes the waterfall is a big one, it flows 2,000 gallons each hour to make a peaceful splashing sound as it cascades over the rocks. Carolyn is happy with her water garden and I'm wandering what's next to do??? Maybe a sunroom!!!
YOU CAN SEE SOME MORE PHOTOS IN MY PHOTOSTREAM.....

Entry for May 30, 2007 CAROLYN'S WATER GARDEN...!!

Carolyn has wanted a bigger water garden for some time and a trip to see one my nephew, Mike was building was all that it took to get her excited for us to build her one. She would decide to use a preformed liner she bought from a friend a year ago. After she selected the spot she handed me a shovel and instructions to dig a hole to put the liner into ground. I had cut several big oak trees down about 3 years ago and knew I would run into some trouble. On the fourth shovel into the ground, you guessed it,I hit the stump!! No option, this is where it's got to be!! By the afternoon I had a hole ready for the liner. We didn't put it all the way into the ground, it set about 8 inches above the ground level. I used some stones I had for about 20 years and filled in the area around the liner. Man, that looks good to me, I tell her.. At days end I'm tired but happy with the results, after all Carolyn is hard to please????
The next day I'm off to town to get some concrete mix to pour a pad for the waterfall. Upon my return Carolyn says," Do you want to hear the bad news." What in the world could she be talking about I'm thinking to myself, go ahead hit me with the bad news????" I DON'T WANT THE POND ABOVE GROUND, I WANT IT BIGGER AND INTO THE GROUND!! I know she thinks I will throw a fit, but I am kool and tell her, " Honey if thats what you want, I can change everything." I totally catch her off guard. I forgot to tell you that after I placed the rocks around the liner she moved every one of them to suit her taste.
STORY TO CONTINUE TOMORROW !! HEADACHES & BACKACHES !!