Or… “Not everyone that shows up is there to help”
🙂
Hardwood floors here we come.
Well it’s only taken us about 5 months to get our act together. We finally figured out what we’re installing and where. We initially wanted to do the entire first floor but budget constrains are keeping us to only the Kitchen/Sitting room and the hallway for starters. We’ll do the office and Living room at a later date.
The big monkey wrench in all of this is some added cabinet work and new counter tops which bit into the flooring budget. So when all is said and done, the kitchen should be good to go. We’re going to put a cabinet where the fridge is now since it’s a goofball sized space and we can’t find another fridge that we like that will fit there. This will move the fridge to an open wall. New countertops too.
The flooring we ended up choosing is this:
Somerset Flooring, Hand Scalped, Country Collection Natural White Oak.
We’ll also install a mix of 3″ and 5″ like their photo shows:
This should go with our old house rather nicely.
Things we’ve learned thus far:
1) Lumber Liquidators isn’t all that. Their prices are OK on some items, not so OK on others. If you have to toss a significant portion of anything because it’s a mix of A, B, and C grades, then you haven’t really saved much.
2) The internet pricing is similar, by the time you read the fine print, and realize you’re getting seconds, adding in shipping, or making their minimum order, well, that’s not necessarily a good deal either.
We worked with our local supplier (Halsey-Myers) the fine folks that supplied the materials for our barn. While they didn’t match internet pricing, they came close enough and we’re dealing with someone local for issues.
More details as this project unfolds.
In the interest of getting it done, Charlie’s doing the dirty work. He’s a master at working with old houses and things that aren’t square. A1 Garage Door Repair Seattle put square garage doors on our barn, and that was almost a miracle.
Claudine and the Deer
While we live out in the sticks we rarely see deer. In the 8 years I’ve been here I’ve only seen them near our place one other time.
A couple of days ago we saw one out by the Horses near the burn pile. We watched it for a while until it finally meandered into the woods.
This morning it was back.
It certainly wasn’t very big.
Claudine wondered how close she could get. So with camera in hand she set out towards it. Using her Monty Roberts “Horse Whisperer” techniques, she slowly approached and retreated. It didn’t take long and the little deer was watching her and curious. It was clear she wasn’t a threat and it eventually walked up to her. It was alone, and probably looking for someone to hang with.
Eventually she got to pet it (more like rub up against it).
There are more photos in the Deer Gallery. It was one of those once in a lifetime things.
We kind of hope it sticks around, at least until the garden is planted, then it’s game on if it starts eating the garden.
Call of Duty 4 Prestige Rank Update
Last night I flipped Prestige over again… On my way to that elusive gold cross.
So I am again a level 1 with next to no weapons and the quest to build up the arsenal starts all over again. I am no one over 1/2 way if you count the 55 levels it takes to get to the first one, I have completed the task 6 times. It takes time…
I’m hopeful that when the new maps are released to the PS3, we’ll have a double experience point period, that might help me cap off a prestige in one weekend as opposed to about 2 weeks of play.
Mowtown USA, getting the mower ready.
It’s that time of the year again. Time to break the mower out of storage and get ready to mow some grass.
This post serves two purposes.
- It gives me an online place to put all the stuff I need to remember about our mower so this time next year I don’t have to go hunting for make/model numbers.
We have a 61″ BobCat (Ransom) Zero Turn Commercial Mower. This isn’t your mamma’s mower. It’s now 7 years old and still cuts like the day we bought it new for nearly $8k. Of course it’s gone through a number of sets of blades, etc. It looks a little rougher than it used too, the seat could use some work, but it still runs great.
For historical purposes here’s the info I wish to save:
- Now that that’s out of the way. Each year I change the oil, put in new plugs and treat her to a new set of blades. I purchase all of this stuff from MowTownUSA.com Back when I was cutting commercially and went through 3 sets of blades a year I’d buy them here. I do sharpen them myself, but for $8 a blade for standard blades you can’t hardly beat that. It takes me a good hour or so to sharpen and balance a set. If one’s bent your kind of hosed. So replacing them is the easy choice.
Engine: 23HP Kawasaki FH680V Twin
Engine Spec# BS08
Oil Filter: (21334-1) 49065-2078
Oil Capacity 1.9L (4.0 pt)
Spark Plug: BPR5ES
Pre Cleaner 11013-7009 // Air Filter 11013-7010
So if you need parts, I highly recommend them. They’d beat the locals (with shipping) by $5 a blade or more on Gator Blades. This year I’m going out on a limb and trying the new Super Hard, Gator Brand Mulcher Fusion Lawnmower Blade. It’s supposed to last 200% longer, etc. We wear them out, we hit rocks, sticks and toys so we’ll see.