No. 80: More Home Repairs

No. 80: Let There Be Light


A little carpentry, a little electrical, a little plumbing.
I decided No. 80 would be some electrical work. Need to be well rounded, you know.

At some point I'm going to be able to build my own house. Or at least repair it. 

The front light at the cabin went out. I tried to open the fixture to get the bulb out and discovered a stripped screw. Couldn't get into it.  This is an original fixture from before we bought the place. I had already replaced bulbs in the side yard light and knew they were about $8 apiece. I whisked off to the hardware store with the grand idea of maybe just replacing the fixture. Two new bulbs for the front (IF I could get into the fixture) would have been $16 and a new fixture was $26. Easy decision. 

The existing light. 

Originally the entire top half of the cabin was

painted that lovely shade of green.

Ugly fixture, bad paint job- what is there to love here? 

With neighbor Sue on stand by to call 911, I flipped the breaker box. I've never switched out a light fixture before but I have certainly seen it done enough. How hard could it be? Not very, as it turns out. 

With the power off I unscrewed the original fixture.  A dead and deteriorating wasp nest fell out which leads me to believe it wasn't sealed that well in the first place. Like most of the electrical work in this cabin it was done a bit on the fly. There was electrical tape around one of the connections and fabric tape (huh?) around another. 

It took no time to remove the original and then I attempted to install the new fixture which I had been sure was identical to the first. Oops. No.

Like my painting shirt?

Getting those wires attached....

Almost.

(The scissors in my back pocket were for getting into the packaging,

not for any actual electrical work.)

The original screwed in at the center. 

This one had two screws on either side. Because the junction box wasn't recessed, the original owners had placed two pieces of wood on either side to make the light fixture level with the junction box. Of course, the screws on the new fixture did NOT match up to the screw holes on the junction box. And there was no wood, just air to connect to. A little wiggling and I finally managed to screw the fixture in at the top of the junction box and attach the bottom screw to a wood piece. There was a slight gap which was sealed with foam sealing tape. I figured the hubs used that with the back light fixtures, so it must be ok. Silicone caulk sealed the deal.

Trying to shove everything into the junction box.

The light works beautifully. The cabin has not burned down. Yet.

What an improvement!

I think I can, I think I can.....

Many thanks to neighbor Sue for taking pics and helping me make sure the breaker was off! 

I Think I Can: Part Three

I Think I Can: Part Three....I Can!
(or officially No. 76: Learn a little carpentry)

If you missed parts one and two on this little baseboard saga, click here and here.

Otherwise, behold the almost finished project:

Corners cut. In a good way.

 Aren't those 45ºs pretty? 

And look at that bull nosed wall end. 

Paint is next but that will probably be ALL of the trim so no rush.

Last week there was a stumbling block in the form of needing a table saw and not having a table saw. I had kinda given up, figuring that I was not going to be the one that finished the project.
Bunny asked what happened next, most likely fearing her bathroom would go on looking even more ghetto than it had before.  I told her the Daddy-O would probably hire someone to finish it up or at least make all of the cuts for me to finish.
Bunny looked at me and said "But that totally takes away from everything you have already done if someone else finishes it."
I confess, I loved her just a bit more at that moment. It was so sweet to have recognition that I was trying to do something hard.

So.  A quick note on Facebook with a plea for a table saw to be used.
Who knew my niece and her husband had a table saw in their garage? Certainly not me.

 Brian, who officially has the title of BEST Nephew-in-law.

(Apologies to Wade, Ford and Manny.) 

Showing me how to adjust the blade angle.

The man has the patience of a saint.

Measure twice, cut once.

My biggest challenge? 

Not running my fingers through the blade.

O! And measuring correctly. 

Measuring twice doesn't count when you get it wrong from the outset.

Somewhere along this corner I lost ¼" on two pieces. 

(as Belle noted "you almost had it, mom")

Since my measurements were off on that bullnose corner, it took a second trip to Brian and Amanda's for the table saw. I am certain they had better things to do after a long day of work for both of them and corralling not one but TWO three-year-olds into bed, but they were as sweet as they could be about my spending two fun filled nights in a row at their house, sawing away.

Then I got to play with the nail gun!! Woohoo! Those babies are efficient.

And finally, caulk.

Googling "how to caulk" got me a video from "Uncle Knacker" on the secret to perfect caulking. As I watched this guy eating a popsicle to get to the "secret weapon" I was getting a little concerned maybe I had clicked on porn by mistake. But no. The secret weapon is the popsicle stick.
Made caulking super easy and kept my fingers clean.

Except...

Fingers clean, jeans not so much....

Not paying attention resulted in a quick strip down and wash for me.   Then it started storming.

So guess who had to come into the teeny tiny bathroom with me? 

Some of the caulk brushed out, the rest will just have to shed out. 

I'm not sure how Carlos got caulk on his tail but he did. We were in pretty close quarters.

Anyway, there are new baseboards in the upstairs bathroom. No one had to swoop in and save me at the last moment.  Even thought this wasn't an official challenge I am giving it a number and counting it as such.  (Number 76!)

Because...

I learned a ton about carpentry and trim work. It's not hard but you do need to think it through. The proper tools for the job really really help. One piece builds on another and if one doesn't fit, it throws the connecting pieces off.

And sometimes, in the true spirit of these challenges, you just need to start and then figure out how to finish. I think it's called taking charge.

Pulling off the baseboards and THEN figuring out how to finish the project reminded me a bit of my neighbor Sue. She had a tiled kitchen island counter top she hated.  One day she took a hammer to the island. When her husband came home (fortunately he's a great handy-man) she told him she wasn't sure exactly what happened but they needed a new island top.  If he hadn't fixed it, I'm sure she would have found someone who would have. But if she hadn't taken the hammer to the island in the first place, I bet there would still be tile there.

Things work out. Just start and then see what happens.

So No. 76: Learn a little carpentry is officially done.

No. 22: Surprise a friend in another city for lunch

No. 22: Surprised. or at least unexpected.


I mentioned last week that I managed to knock off two of my challenges while in Texas.

I'm counting No. 22: Surprise a friend in another city for lunch, even though I didn't actually make it for lunch. More like dinner. But I can assure you my showing up was a surprise. Or at least not the tiniest bit preplanned. 

Leaving Colorado, we were a little caravan of three cars. Bunny and I in her car, Bunny's friend boy drove his truck pulling a U Haul and the friend boy's mama was in her car.   We didn't 100% stay together but we did all meet up at the Texas/New Mexico State line. 

                                     

Back in Texas.

And then the really really long part of the trip began. 

Bunny and friends were determined to do the drive in one day. 

We stopped for lunch in Dumas. If you are ever in the armpit of Dumas between 11am and 2:30pm on a weekday, stop at the Alley Cafe.  To say this cafe has limited hours is an understatement but the food was so fresh and yummy. A lovely respite from drive through fast food and Stop N Rob Convenience store snacks.   

Since Carlos was with us, he got to stay in the car. The restaurant is behind the courthouse so I felt fairly comfortable leaving Carlos in the unlocked running car while we watched him from the cafe window.   This was one situation where I could not count on Carlos to be protective. I'm pretty sure if anyone got in that car, he would have gleefully welcomed them as long as they took him on a ride.

                     

Let's go! I love riding in the car. 

(What a goof!)

And then we continued to drive across Texas. 

And we drove.

And we drove.

And we drove. 

Texas is a big ass state. 

When the sun started to go down, my allergies started to kick up. So I was not only tired, but sneezing and my eyes were fifty shades of red. 

Bunny and friends were all "Let's keep driving. We'll get in at 1:am! We can do it." Remember the friend boy was pulling a big Uhaul. I was skeptical. 

About 9:30pm I was done. Just done. Tired of the car. Tired of driving. Tired of trying to make it across Texas. 

Fortunately I had been texting off and on with friend Sue who has a house here in Colorado. That's how I met her. I saw a huge Cadillac with Texas plates go up my Colorado road and had to investigate.  Carlos and I took a walk and met Sue and her husband, Mike, and their three dogs, Sophie, Skip and Molly. We all hit it off right away. Well, everyone except Carlos and Molly. Those two still aren't the best of friends.

Mike with Molly, Skip, Sophie and Carlos.

Anyway, Sue graciously offered me a room for the night. We were coming up on Ft. Worth at that point, Bunny was driving and I was toast. Everyone else felt like going on. We all stopped, Bunny got in the truck with her friend. I put Sue's address into the GPS. Ten minutes later Carlos and I were being welcomed into my sweet friend's  home, dinner still on the stove for me, treats and a backyard to play in for Carlos. 

And did the rest of them make it all the way to Sugar Land? 

No. On the other side of Ft Worth, they caved in also. Found a hotel. 

But I'm counting my unexpected arrival at Sue's house as "surprise a friend for lunch". (Dinner). 

Because you know what? Surprising someone out of town is not as easy as you'd think. I almost accomplished it once, then weather came into play (snow I think that day). But really...if you are going to the trouble of leaving town, usually you make plans to meet people so that you know you will get to see them. Spontaneity is harder to pull off than you might think! At least in this case.

So. This counts. 

Another New Adventure...

Another new adventure in town.

Drive past the Aquatic Center almost every day but have NEVER set foot in the place before today. But neighbor Sue is in town, we both wanted to try it out, so off we went. 

It was dumping snow at the cabin and we were worried we might not be able to make the drive. Figured the highway had to be icy.  
But no.
As soon as we got off the dirt road, there was NO snow. Beautiful sunny day, dry clear roads.  You just never know. 

The Salida Hot Springs public pool is the largest indoor hot springs in the country!
Imagine that.
Hot water is piped from an underground spring eight miles away into the pools. There's a large lap pool, a smaller soaking pool and even a beach entry kid pool. There are also small private soaking pools if you want to get away from the masses. Pool water temps range from 84° in the lap pool to 100° in the soaking and kid's area. 

We soaked, we swam, we relaxed. The water was lovely. 

And then on the way out, Sue snapped a picture. 

Hot Springs in the Heart of the Rockies!

Would you believe it was entirely coincidental that it looks like I'm balancing that heart? 

Another fun day for the books. Or blog. 

Follow Up Friday: Waterdog Lake

Follow Up Friday:  Waterdog Lake Hike


Yay! We made it.

Wednesday's hike was MUCH more successful than Sunday's attempt at a hike.

We were prepared.
We had a map. A walking stick with bells. Whistles to call to each other. Snacks. Lots of water.

We found the Trailhead!

This hike was described as "moderate" on one map and "easy" on a website. We were also told it was 1.4 miles to the first lake.

 Please note this is UPHILL.

 Still UPHILL.

 You might think I am posing for a photo but really I am catching my breath.

And still UPHILL.

After an hour and a half of huffing and puffing  hiking we made it to the top.

 Proof- that's the marker for the first lake.

O Man! It was worth it. 

Aren't you impressed? 

I learned how to use my Panoramic mode on my phone.

And...the pedometer showed we had walked 1.9 miles. We must have wobbled a lot; not walked in a straight line. 

We sat and talked and snacked and DRANK lots of water. 

Then we wandered about half way around the lake. 

We did not head up to the second lake as I was not about to go UPHILL one more step.

But apparently we would have been able to see the Continental Divide if we had.

We started at 8600 feet altitude and ended at 11,100.  High enough for me. 

After some scenic photos, we headed back down.

 Me, gasping for air.

 Me and Sue, holding on to each other for support  smiling for the camera.

 Pretty flowers against the CLEAN CLEAR water.

 Some more pretty flowers.

Gorgeous scenery everywhere. 

Downhill took us about 40 minutes. We had to watch our footing or else go sliding down.

All in all we hiked 3.8 miles. 

I came home and took some Advil.

It was a great day. 

Take a Hike

Take a Hike: What's the Difference between a Hike and a Walk?


I've often wondered what the difference is between a hike and a walk and so I looked it up.

Guess what?

No definitive answer.  The best I can find is hiking is not done on pavement. Walking is.

That means when I've been taking Carlos for our morning walks we are really hiking because we are on dirt roads. Yay us.

Anyway, Sunday I went with my neighbor Sue and her daughter Lauren for a little hike.  Right along Highway 50 near the cabin is a bat cave.  The cave is grated over now- an attempt to stop the spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats.  But still, there is a trailhead and we wanted to walk (hike) up there and it seemed easy enough.

See the bat cave up there at the top? 

Ha!

Sue leads the way.

We started out innocently enough on the road. 

Quickly it became ....

rocks? 

The three of us probably should not be allowed out to hike.  We parked and headed down what looked like a trail.   Lauren went a bit ahead of us. Quickly we realized the trail was really just the wash out from where it had rained.  We carried on. Lauren got further ahead, earbuds tightly tucked into her ears.

We trudged along, a sort of path, sort of just a divide between the rocks. Some places there were just rocks.

Is this a trail? 

Not really.

I thought Lauren headed up the mountain. Sue thought Lauren had gone around the corner. We went straight, around the corner and no Lauren.

On we hiked.   No Lauren.

After a bit we admitted this was not a trail, we were half a mountain away from where we wanted to end up and Lauren was no where in sight.

We called for her. No answer.

We discussed that at least she was wearing bright yellow shorts. Search and Rescue could easily spot her.

We backtracked. No Lauren.

We got back almost to the car. No Lauren.

We waited. Sue and I climbed a bit straight up towards the bat cave. Certainly that wasn't how we were supposed to do it?   But there were vestiges of some stairs. Maybe it was.  We needed gloves, though, to try that climb.

Scanning the mountain.

No yellow shorts.

Finally Lauren comes bopping around the bend.  She had found a trail. It led no where near the bat cave.

We headed home. No one really got lost. But we never made it up to the cave.

Monday Sue stopped at the Forest Service and found us a map for trails. The bat cave trail I "KNEW" was there is gone. Once the cave was grated over, the trail was abandoned. That explains why we couldn't find it.  But when it was there, it was straight up.

Tuesday we are going on another hike. Waterdog Lakes.   Maps have been procured. We've got info.
We are going to discuss good hiking practices. (Stay together. Stay on the trail.)
If there isn't a post on Thursday- please call out the rescue team.

No. 46: Have a dinner party

No. 46: Have a dinner party  (Rethought.)


My original concept of No. 46 was a lovely dinner party with six to eight erudite friends gathered around my graciously set dining room table, crystal sparkling, silver shining and me charmingly serving a tasty and beautifully prepared meal to a symphony of oohs and ahhs.

The reality of my dining room these days is this:

Not exactly the place setting I had in my mind when I chose all the wedding china a gazillion years ago.

I have a centerpiece cat.

This is Max. He's a manx. (No tail. Never had one, never was supposed to have one.)

Max back in the day. 

Wasn't he adorably awkward? 

He is 20 years old. His back legs are wobbly. Carlos would like to play with him which just makes Max anxious, so he has been given safe haven on the dining room table. Sadly, he lives there 24-7. I say sadly because I would prefer he not be the first thing you see when you walk into our house. I don't think Max is sad about it at all. Max feels safe up high on his own private island.

I had bunko last night at my house. Dinner for 12 women along with drinks and dice throwing and more drinks and laughing and then yelling. Then dessert, prizes and water to rehydrate everyone.

Does that count as a dinner party? I'm not sure.

Certainly I fed 12 people. The crystal and silver were used. My friends are definitely educated and well informed.

The crystal was placed by the wine with care...

And let me just mention how much I HATE that tile backsplash. 

The centerpiece cat and his island table were moved into the office, the door closed and a substitute table was thrown into service. That cat table won't be eaten off of again until it has been refinished.  The table was my grandmother's. Sorry, Nanny. It does deserve a better life.


But I've also been thinking about a little dinner I had before I left Colorado.

My neighbor and new friend, Sue, was over and mentioned she had some tamales she needed to eat. She was trying to clear out her fridge before she headed back to Texas. Turns out, so was I.  My fridge had avocados. And beer. There were chips in the pantry.

That sounded like dinner.

So I told her to bring her tamales over. I made up a chili sauce for them and some guacamole.
We had some beers on the front porch, then moved indoors for tamales and guac. We laughed. We drank. We ate.

I think we used the enameled tin plates that I inherited from my sweet friend Liddy's mom, Verlyn. (Read about her, here.) "Gimme" Koozies encircled our beer cans.   Carlos did the dishes. (Ok, maybe just the pre-wash.)

Enameled tin plates. Love them. Have some old, some new. 

But the red rimmed white ones have the most sentimental value.

Does that count as a dinner party? Again, I'm not sure.

But you know what?
I'm saying YES.
These were dinner parties.

I think more than anything my time away from my real life has made me realize that things are not as concrete as I once believed. There are possibilities. I can make things happen. The limitations that I perceive are just that: perceptions.  

It also got me thinking about what we need in our lives.      
I have so much stuff.
Or does that stuff have me?
So I'm doing a little informal surveying regarding the "stuff" that we "need".
That post next week.

...................

And if you need an easy recipe that expands to feed 12, here it is, courtesy of my mother and the Houston Chronicle.

Romantic Shrimp Fettuccine

1 ½ sticks butter (this is what it calls for- I use about half that much)

4 stalks celery, chopped

½ green bell pepper and ½ red bell pepper, chopped (or all one color, doesn’t                                                                                         matter)

1 bunch green onions, chopped  (I always forget these, no one has complained yet)

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup flour

½ cup water

2 lbs. peeled, deveined shrimp (frozen works)

4 Tbs parsley flakes

1 lb. Velveeta Mexican cheese

1 pint half and half

1 lb fettuccini noodles, cooked

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 in. casserole dish

In a large skillet, melt butter and sauté celery and bell pepper until tender. Add green onions and garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and mix well. Cook 5 minutes on very low heat.

Add water- mixture will become very thick. Add shrimp and parsley- mix well. Cook another 5minutes. Add Velveeta and when melted, add half and half. Put noodles in prepared dish. Pour shrimp mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Prepared as is this feeds 8-10. To stretch it to twelve I add another pound of shrimp, throw in a little extra fettuccine noodles and use a larger casserole dish. And still I have leftovers. 

I could not find the Mexican Velveeta yesterday so I just used regular and I think it turned out too “cheesy”.  I think the next time I would try the Velveeta Queso Blanco. Or possibly half of each. 

Bunny even suggested I make it with chicken next time. She isn't a fan of shrimp. Silly girl. 

No. 49: Make a New Friend (Part Two)

No. 49: Make a New Friend (Part Two)


Pulling out of our lane last fall, I encountered a big gray Cadillac with Texas plates.
What?
I seldom pass other cars and if I do, it's a Subaru (the National Car of Colorado) or a truck. Certainly there are no Cadillac sedans and definitely no other Texas license plates.   But there it was.

Of course, my curiosity got the best of me.

The next morning Carlos and I set out on our walk. I heard voices coming from the house across the street and up the way.  I had to go introduce myself.

And Voilà!  New friends.

Actually new friends for me and three new friends for Carlos. (Well, two new friends and an acquaintance...not everyone wanted to be friendly.)

And imagine.  The people who bought the cabin down the way are from Fort Worth. The wife worked with one of my sister-in-law's best friends. What are the odds?

They are part timers, this is a second home for them.   But like me, the wife is trying to figure out how she can stay longer.

Fine with me. I love a playmate.

Funny how you can meet some people and immediately click.

The next day we were heading to the hot springs and to lunch.

And Carlos?   Two new Schnauzers that chase and play.
And one dachshund that is not so happy to have a large puppy romping in her yard.
Two out of three ain't bad.

Me and Sue on a visit to O'Haver Lake.

So another new friend. Someone happy to have company to stop by unannounced.
(Especially if there is a wine bottle in hand....)
Is that a Texas thing?
I seldom see the few Colorado neighbors that I have.
Whatever, I don't care.


No. 49 is done.


AND....

This weekend is FIBArk in Salida.

I'll post about it on Thursday.  One big party!

When FIBArk is over, we are all packing up and heading back to Texas.
So posts may be few and far between for the next couple of weeks.  I am more than overwhelmed by the thought of cramming all of these belongings into two cars and driving the thousand miles back to Houston.
And the cars....ugh.
Just replaced the transmission on the Baby Hummer and last week we noticed a radiator leak. Once we get it back from the shop, Bunny's car needs to go in.   Her tires need aligning and rotating before we drive it to Texas. It's always something.

But first, we party!