Eric

I’m not sure what else to title this, since I have been graciously given a four day weekend in which to accomplish work.

What a busy day!  It started out with a drive to the city, where I spent a Target gift card (new pliers), got the car’s wheels aligned and balanced, and fought off the salesman’s desparate attempt to sell me tires.  He was right in the fact that I will need them soon, but I’m not as quickly won over as the lady he convinced needed tie rods like RIGHT…MEOW.

I also went to the friendly Lowe’s, where they sell you $20 power washers and give you a military discount any time of the year.  It’s amazing how capitalism and competition can drive prices down, so I guess it makes sense to take that away with national health care right???  I got a set of saw blades and a new fire extinguisher.

After that, I came home and got to work.  Here is the end result of my efforts for the day:

Deck and Patio Cleared of Debris.

So, one might ask, how did the grill get off the deck?  It was simple – I decided to take a cue from Obama and miracle that piece off the deck!!!  I knew if I spoke eloquently enough, I could convince it to float off the deck and down to the ground.  Next week maybe I’ll sit down and speak eloquently with our enemies, right???

The firewood is a temporary pile until something more permanent is arranged inside the basement.  You wouldn’t believe the spider I found in it while moving logs – that thing had it’s own zipcode and I’m pretty sure I caught it in the middle of doing long division or something to that effect that you expect from higher life forms.  At 4 inches in diameter (legs, not body, and not a daddy long legs), I thought about taking a picture but decided not to let it escape.  It died under the mouse 2 x 4 in a very messy splat.

After looking at the neighbors house, I decided I’ll need to protect the ground when I tackle the deck.  I think the other thing I’m going to do is stain and seal the bottom side so it has a uniform appearance.  I haven’t decided completely yet, but I am leaning in that direction.  We’ll just have to see how much stain, sealant, time, and patience I will have at my disposal on Sunday or Monday or whenever I start this thing.  I can’t believe I did this every day for an entire summer when I was younger.

While I was taking a picture of the deck, I also went next door and snapped a picture of the neighbor’s house taking shape.  Here are some pictures, in order, looking from left to right from the entrance to their bedrooms off of the great room in the southwest corner of which I am standing: