There is a project I’ve been dreading for three or four years. The land bridge over the creek has been eroding, and there are too many options for a solution. Also, there is a chance that the culvert pipes are too small, and would need to be replaced.
Sparky is a sap for love, so he wanted me to take a photo.
Look, I don’t spend all my time screwing around with Sparky, but I’m not going to post about cutting the grass, changing the oil or doing the laundry. Nobody cares about politics because our current president has dementia, and Trump will be elected or the deep state will cheat sufficiently to elect a diversity candidate. No new movies or TV shows seem worthy of comment and I’m deep into a science fiction book series that isn’t boring enough to quit or interesting enough to care too much.
Rather than open my mail or pay bills, Sparky and I went for a long walk that included a visit to the tree fort. Joe and I built it 20 years ago as a deer blind and it seems to be holding up well.
When I was a kid, we used to roam around in the woods and play at the old boy scout camp. We called it that, but who knows if that’s what it was. Now, at some point, neighborhood kids were sneaking up into my deer blind. They didn’t leave any trash laying around, so I don’t care. Plus, that must have been years ago.
The ongoing battle of wits with Sparky doesn’t take all of my time. I am occasionally productive.
A friend had a maple tree taken down, so we diced it up. Now is a good time of year for putting up firewood because the weather has been mild. Even with a good system, it can be strenuous work.
I’ve got a good system, so can handle 24″ diameter logs without busting a nut. Big rounds like that take some muscling, but yield a better wood to bark ratio. My best trick is to elevate the trailer ramp so it’s at about the same height as the splitter rails. The trailer, towed by the quad, is positioned on the other side of the splitter.
If the logs are close to round, I can roll them up the ramp, muscle them onto the splitter, chunk them up and toss the firewood into the trailer. If it works right, I never have to lift a round, and only touch the firewood to put it in or take it out of the trailer.
That trailer-load yielded a half-cord of firewood. Next summer, I will move that into the wood shed, and burn it the following winter. That half-cord will heat my house for about a month.
Sparky isn’t being exploited, he is part of the reason the camper seats needed to be updated to version 2.
Last year, I re-imagined the seats in the camper and posted about it. Camper seating version 1.
The design was flawed. Seats are more comfortable when they slope down a bit. These were horizontal. The seat backs tilted back, but weren’t very sturdy. In bed mode, the sleeping area was bigger than it needed to be, but there were too many steps to get to bed mode.
I could have lived with it, but Sparky wasn’t satisfied.
It’s 10o F and windy, so the wind chill is -9o F. The wood stove is going full blast. To get the fire going in the morning, there is a bin of scrap wood to throw on the hot embers. That gave me an idea for inside fun.
A couple of split logs and a bunch of scrap wood makes a good course for the DeadBolt. It’s a live course because the scrap wood moves under the car. To improve FPV visibility, the car body was removed.
While driving DeadBolt, Sparky kept coming over. The sound of the RC car always meant he had a chance at snatching some food.
My IKEA computer desk was looking pretty haggard. The finish was wearing off around the keyboard. The computer mouse wasn’t tracking well, and there were other spots that were worn. It needed to be replaced or refinished.
The same thing happened to my IKEA dining room table. I was sanding the top to smooth it out prior to painting, when the finish started coming off. The finish is not robust, so it only took about 15 minutes to remove the finish. The veneer is thin, but it hadn’t been damaged. I decided to refinish it with water-based polyurethane. I chose that because it stays crystal clear, not yellowing a bit like the oil-based stuff does.
It came out fine, but not this good. The water-based polyurethane is thin like water, so doesn’t fill in gaps or level as well. I used oil-based clear gloss polyurethane on the computer table because it’s tougher and goes on thick, like warm honey.
This photo is after the surface has been dry for a day. I will let it cure for another 3 days before handling it.
I might try this finish for the dining room table.
I’ve had to use a Martingale collar for him because his head is so small, he slips out of a regular collar. He’s a good pup, so a little tug is enough to get him back on track. The big problem was when he is up against his instincts. When he sees a new dog, he’s excited to go investigate.
A Martingale collar doesn’t choke a dog because it has hard stops, but it does exert neck pressure like a training collar. When he’s working on instinct, he can pull hard enough to feel choked. It’s a problem at dog parks or camping. I got him a Rabbitgoo harness. It’s a dumb company name, but it’s pretty nice and Sparky doesn’t mind wearing it.
Sparky wouldn’t mind wearing the harness full time, but I can’t pet him properly. He really likes being petted. That means to take him out in the Winter, I have to put the harness on him, then put the Carhartt jacket on him. I thought a good idea would be to combine the two and make the jacket into a harness.
Having a sewing machine is great. You may be thinking, “but Uncle Rick, sewing machines are for girls”. Sure, nice comment Andrew Tate, but have you learned nothing from Brie Larson? Anybody can do anything now.
Nylon webbing can be sewn easily and buckles and D-rings are parts that I keep in stock. I’m looking forward to customizing some tarps this spring.
When Sparky wears it, he looks a little like Inspector Gadget.
It wouldn’t have been difficult to make the jacket into a harness just by adding webbing, but I wanted the chest plate from the harness. The chest strap and belly strap were removed from the jacket. The straps on the harness had to be altered and buckles added. I threw away the top plate of the harness. The whole harness is only $20.
With the leftover belly straps, leg skirts could be added. Here they are pinned on.
It makes him look like a samurai. Mudflaps to cover the top of his ass are also possible. It was getting too busy. If I start designing outfits, we may go full battle rattle.
My nephew just called about the shed he intends to build. After my own shed experience, I am well-acquainted with shed design and build.
Prior to getting the retaining wall and garage built, I knew the shed would be in the way. This shed has been in this spot since about 1971, when the solarium was built and the driveway was moved to this side of the house. Rather than tear it down, I decided to move it.
The support structure went together as planned. Later on, I will add a hatch to the lower storage.
Here is how the jump seats look in two stowed configurations. I had Sherwin Williams Avocado paint left over from my solarium, so that is the color I used. Wall paint doesn’t wear well, so I finished with polyurethane over the paint. I let the paint try for a couple of weeks. There is room for the cushions to fit behind the jump seats.
Here is seat and seat table configuration. The seat is very sturdy. The table is only a little sturdy. To firm it up, the seat legs can be opened to support the table. A seat back will be added later. I want to see how the cushions come out first.
Day bed configuration is for when I want to lay down and watch TV. I think I could sleep on it, but it’s only 4 feet wide, so my ankles would hang off. I do have a small folding table. It has adjustable legs, so there is some chance that could be used to extend the bed. I’ll try that sometime. There wouldn’t be cushions for my feet, but we’re roughing it. Kids could sleep there easily. I don’t know how those cutouts will effect a sleeper.
The next step is to start on making cushions.
BBC: Bud Light boycott over trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney hits beer giant’s sales
Even with the BBC slanting this article, it looks bad for AB Inbev.
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