Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Life @ 1046
Well, a few updates. Had to cancel the trip to Hawaii, cause Anne wanted the downstairs bathroom finished, the Christmas tree & outside lights taken down, and a few other items on her "Honey Dew" list. The bathroom is all but done. Only thing left is installation of new glass in window (damn, it's cold down there in the morning!) and reinstall door to storage area under back stairs so it swings in instead of out. The window is between the bathroom and the laundry room, and for years had a diamond-patterned acrylic in it's (18 x 30) opening;pretty tacky. So now it's a jazzy piece of glass, in place and waiting for the 1/4-round to hold it in place. I've decided to friction-fit the molding, so the next guy that removes the glass won't (wont?) have to split the molding to get it out.
The installer came in last week and removed the front-hall ceramic tiles, at their expense, and put new ones down in a brick pattern.(12 x12's) Old floor was a diamond pattern, and the grout was breaking up. Installer said that was because the old tile wasn't properly installed - they left out the mesh! Installer put about 100 screws through the 1 x 4 subfloor into the basement ceiling joists, so all should be OK.
Two of the projects I was in charge of at the church have been finalized (pull-down roller blinds and exterior sign) which leaves me just having to line up consultants for exterior lighting. Add to that my involvement with the Celebrate Aldershot in 2008 (our 50th anniversary of becoming part of Burlington) and that should take me to spring planting at 1046.
No, we don't anticipate taking any holidays this year, as we hope to head south in 2009 with
Peggy & Randy, Marilyn, and Murray & Marie, likely in February or March. Arizona is a strong possibility, if we can find a place that will put up with the likes of us for a week.
Somebody named Linda, in Crofton, BC called my cousin Mame in Kelowna, wanting Family Tree info on the McGregors (Audrey's maiden name). I'd done quite a bit of work on Mame's behalf, so she steered said Linda to me. So we've grown to a committee of 3 in the last week, and great gobs of research are in the mail between the three parties. I've been down this road before, and it usually ends up with me giving out a tonne of research, and others failing to reciprocate. So say a prayer for this guy, will ya?
That's enough for most of you to choke on, so see you next time. Unca Warren P.S.Grandkids are all well!
The installer came in last week and removed the front-hall ceramic tiles, at their expense, and put new ones down in a brick pattern.(12 x12's) Old floor was a diamond pattern, and the grout was breaking up. Installer said that was because the old tile wasn't properly installed - they left out the mesh! Installer put about 100 screws through the 1 x 4 subfloor into the basement ceiling joists, so all should be OK.
Two of the projects I was in charge of at the church have been finalized (pull-down roller blinds and exterior sign) which leaves me just having to line up consultants for exterior lighting. Add to that my involvement with the Celebrate Aldershot in 2008 (our 50th anniversary of becoming part of Burlington) and that should take me to spring planting at 1046.
No, we don't anticipate taking any holidays this year, as we hope to head south in 2009 with
Peggy & Randy, Marilyn, and Murray & Marie, likely in February or March. Arizona is a strong possibility, if we can find a place that will put up with the likes of us for a week.
Somebody named Linda, in Crofton, BC called my cousin Mame in Kelowna, wanting Family Tree info on the McGregors (Audrey's maiden name). I'd done quite a bit of work on Mame's behalf, so she steered said Linda to me. So we've grown to a committee of 3 in the last week, and great gobs of research are in the mail between the three parties. I've been down this road before, and it usually ends up with me giving out a tonne of research, and others failing to reciprocate. So say a prayer for this guy, will ya?
That's enough for most of you to choke on, so see you next time. Unca Warren P.S.Grandkids are all well!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
home and a broad
So I cleaned up the last of the leaves at 1046 with my blower/vacuum last Saturday pm, stocked up the three bird feeding stations, and woke up Sunday to 2-3 inches of new, wet snow. Because every Sunday starts the same way for me (arrive at church at 9:30 for pre-service choir practice) it's onerous to have to clear entire driveway before I shower, snack, dress, and head out. But it's nice to arrive at a place "where everybody knows your name".(see:Cheers song). These days I'm rather involved in a number of projects, most having come about because I spoke out about a need and was invited to address the need and follow it through. One revolved around an engraved sign(18.5 x 42 inches) that is to be erected at the south-east corner of the church property. The donor is very skilled at such, and it was a matter of marrying his design to our needs, and following it through to completion. For my part, I had to procure two 4 x 4 cedar posts, coat the lower half with linseed oil, and prime and paint the upper halves with gloss black tremclad, to match the signs outer border. Inner part is burgundy, surrounded by old piping, and white script-style lettering sets it all off. John Q. & I dug the holes and erected it last week, in 2-above-zero weather. The sign reads "The Gathering Place - Worship Center".(see below)
The next project involved getting quotes for two pull-down blinds to cover four adjacent windows, all in an 8 foot high by 13 feet wide opening. These are similar to what one sees at most Tim Horton's sites, and will effectively reduce the glare coming into The Gathering Place, plus hide some rather ugly vertical windows on the south side. The Gathering Place is a large room at the rear of the main sanctuary, where everyone "gathers" prior to and after every service. I was on a committee for 3 years that heard the architects ideas, added our own thoughts, sought quotes, and convinced the congregation that the need existed;and that we could come up with the $175,000.00 to pull it off. It was completed last January, and paid-in-full by end of March. The blinds are the last frill, and will be installed before year-end.
The other project that I'm seeing to the end involves exterior lighting across the front of the church, and this one has been on my plate for over a year, largely due to my inability to get agreement from the property committee as to out ultimate needs. They have, for some years, tried to tackle such projects with a "we can do this ourselves" approach;but they have finally realised that some things, particularly the ones that just have to be done right, are not doable. So, at the last meeting, I convinced them the we should involve the services of a consultant, and that's my current job.
But enough, already. I'm also on the "Celebrate Aldershot in 2008" steering committee, which sprung up when I suggested to our Coucillor that 2008 was the 50th anniversary of Aldershot becoming part of Burlington, and that we should have a party. He jumped on the idea, and asked that I be on the committee. I'm not the chair, so that's OK by me. But we have met every two weeks for over a year, and will continue to do so for another 12 months.
Our new front door is in, and looks great. I've finished the interior trim, and wall has been painted to match existing. I persuaded the company that installed the original ceramic floor to remove it and replace with new, all under warranty, and that may just happen before Christmas.
Right now I am gutting the basement bathroom, as I was able to buy a pedestal sink on sale two months ago, and had bought the floor tile over a year ago. I'm taking 2008 off, and flying to Hawaii for some R&R.(Anne can't come, as she's too busy walking all over Burulington with her best friend and neighbour, Bev Jones.)
If you believe the foregoing, I've some swamp land in Florida to sell you!!!
See you next time. Warren
The next project involved getting quotes for two pull-down blinds to cover four adjacent windows, all in an 8 foot high by 13 feet wide opening. These are similar to what one sees at most Tim Horton's sites, and will effectively reduce the glare coming into The Gathering Place, plus hide some rather ugly vertical windows on the south side. The Gathering Place is a large room at the rear of the main sanctuary, where everyone "gathers" prior to and after every service. I was on a committee for 3 years that heard the architects ideas, added our own thoughts, sought quotes, and convinced the congregation that the need existed;and that we could come up with the $175,000.00 to pull it off. It was completed last January, and paid-in-full by end of March. The blinds are the last frill, and will be installed before year-end.
The other project that I'm seeing to the end involves exterior lighting across the front of the church, and this one has been on my plate for over a year, largely due to my inability to get agreement from the property committee as to out ultimate needs. They have, for some years, tried to tackle such projects with a "we can do this ourselves" approach;but they have finally realised that some things, particularly the ones that just have to be done right, are not doable. So, at the last meeting, I convinced them the we should involve the services of a consultant, and that's my current job.
But enough, already. I'm also on the "Celebrate Aldershot in 2008" steering committee, which sprung up when I suggested to our Coucillor that 2008 was the 50th anniversary of Aldershot becoming part of Burlington, and that we should have a party. He jumped on the idea, and asked that I be on the committee. I'm not the chair, so that's OK by me. But we have met every two weeks for over a year, and will continue to do so for another 12 months.
Our new front door is in, and looks great. I've finished the interior trim, and wall has been painted to match existing. I persuaded the company that installed the original ceramic floor to remove it and replace with new, all under warranty, and that may just happen before Christmas.
Right now I am gutting the basement bathroom, as I was able to buy a pedestal sink on sale two months ago, and had bought the floor tile over a year ago. I'm taking 2008 off, and flying to Hawaii for some R&R.(Anne can't come, as she's too busy walking all over Burulington with her best friend and neighbour, Bev Jones.)
If you believe the foregoing, I've some swamp land in Florida to sell you!!!
See you next time. Warren
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Since Sept.30
Are you kidding? I can't recall last week, never mind last month!
Most of my time in early Oct.was spent on the wall(s) in the driveway. After I saw how good the two looked on either side of the garage door, I felt I needed a single layer (that's a virgin hen) where my driveway meets my neighbour's lawn. Laying these 4" - thick, 18 -pound guys is no picnic, so the first 25 feet took a couple of weeks;then I decided to take a 30-degree detour of about another 8 feet, and then bury the "loose"end in the lawn slope. I thought I was working to a November 5 deadline, set by the paver. Then he changed it to Nov.12, so I relaxed a bit on what little had to still be done. Paul and Ted helped along the way, as I put in two window wells at grade so I would have some more places to plant flowers. When he changed it to Nov.8, I trimmed the lawn a bit on one side, and removed any greenery that might be in his way. Imagine my surprise when I came home on the afternoon of the first to find the job 3/4 done. So I chewed out the foreman, and told a little lie - that I was still making changes to my plan, and that the wall needed modification. In the end, I still paid him cash when he finished;although, if I was dealing with a contractor again, I would hold back 10%, just to afford me the opportunity to inspect the details, and negotiate more attention to flaws. Anne made sure all the neighbours came by to tell me how beautiful it looked;and each had to ask me how I liked it, so I lied again!
Saturday last was the church's annual Arts & Crafts show and sale, so I put a lot of miles on my feet and dropped 500 flyers in mailboxes;plus I took 10 sets of 50 to each of 10 schools, as Friday was a P.D.Day, and all the staff would want to know how to spend their Saturday, right?Friday afternoon I put 200 more under wipers at the GO station, and then called it a week.
So the new front door gets installed tomorrow, and I sure hope I have the guts to stand firm on my insistence on a quality installation. If there's one thing I hate, it overuse of Silicon caulking; and I made that known up front, so it better be a good fit. There will be a full height side window, and a 3/4 height oval in the door. All set off by new brushed satin hardware. We'll have no storm door, of course;and I want to replace the mailbox with something more suitable, and that's down the road.
Anne gets her new pacemaker sewn in next Tuesday at 10:30 am, and gets to spend the night there just to be certain all is well. She has an aberration in her heart that shows up when it wants to, and essentially, it's a case of the one chamber not always waking the other one up with a timely "shock". This all came about because she had the sense to discuss a sudden weakness she experienced a few weeks ago, while climbing a hill with her walking partners. All the tests pointed to the same solution, so it's a pacemaker for her;and all I get is a T-shirt, suitably monogrammed. I'm looking for suggestions!
That's it for now. Love to all. Warren
Most of my time in early Oct.was spent on the wall(s) in the driveway. After I saw how good the two looked on either side of the garage door, I felt I needed a single layer (that's a virgin hen) where my driveway meets my neighbour's lawn. Laying these 4" - thick, 18 -pound guys is no picnic, so the first 25 feet took a couple of weeks;then I decided to take a 30-degree detour of about another 8 feet, and then bury the "loose"end in the lawn slope. I thought I was working to a November 5 deadline, set by the paver. Then he changed it to Nov.12, so I relaxed a bit on what little had to still be done. Paul and Ted helped along the way, as I put in two window wells at grade so I would have some more places to plant flowers. When he changed it to Nov.8, I trimmed the lawn a bit on one side, and removed any greenery that might be in his way. Imagine my surprise when I came home on the afternoon of the first to find the job 3/4 done. So I chewed out the foreman, and told a little lie - that I was still making changes to my plan, and that the wall needed modification. In the end, I still paid him cash when he finished;although, if I was dealing with a contractor again, I would hold back 10%, just to afford me the opportunity to inspect the details, and negotiate more attention to flaws. Anne made sure all the neighbours came by to tell me how beautiful it looked;and each had to ask me how I liked it, so I lied again!
Saturday last was the church's annual Arts & Crafts show and sale, so I put a lot of miles on my feet and dropped 500 flyers in mailboxes;plus I took 10 sets of 50 to each of 10 schools, as Friday was a P.D.Day, and all the staff would want to know how to spend their Saturday, right?Friday afternoon I put 200 more under wipers at the GO station, and then called it a week.
So the new front door gets installed tomorrow, and I sure hope I have the guts to stand firm on my insistence on a quality installation. If there's one thing I hate, it overuse of Silicon caulking; and I made that known up front, so it better be a good fit. There will be a full height side window, and a 3/4 height oval in the door. All set off by new brushed satin hardware. We'll have no storm door, of course;and I want to replace the mailbox with something more suitable, and that's down the road.
Anne gets her new pacemaker sewn in next Tuesday at 10:30 am, and gets to spend the night there just to be certain all is well. She has an aberration in her heart that shows up when it wants to, and essentially, it's a case of the one chamber not always waking the other one up with a timely "shock". This all came about because she had the sense to discuss a sudden weakness she experienced a few weeks ago, while climbing a hill with her walking partners. All the tests pointed to the same solution, so it's a pacemaker for her;and all I get is a T-shirt, suitably monogrammed. I'm looking for suggestions!
That's it for now. Love to all. Warren
Sunday, September 30, 2007
typical week
Monday started with a 9 am mtg.with my Aldershot 2008 committee. We're planning a year-long celebration of Aldershot becoming part of Burlington in 1958. Once I got out of there I ran some errands, and then fell to building some more of the two two-layer drywalls either side of the garage door. These will define some gardens/shrubs to be planted next year, and will give our new pavement a border out to the rear sidewalk, on one side, and the neighbour's evergreens on the other. Had the city in the previous week to install a new culvert, smaller than the first and lower, and they did a fine job. My neighbours will pay for it in their taxes. Monday evg.attended Official Board meeting at church, where I tried to keep my mouth shut on major issues, as I no longer wish to pick up additional committee work.
Tuesday I did some small jobs here and at the church, and goofed off for the evg.
Wed. I rejoined the YMCA and spent an hour there doing pushups. That evg.I travelled to Brenda's to help Paul install stove wire from panel to far corner of kitchen. That took us from 4:30 to 8:30. All holes in walls covered.
Thursday I spent the morning recovering from Wed., and odd-jobbed around here. That evg.I went to Grimsby to play poker with the same guys I've known for 30+ years. I was able to attend only because choir practice was cancelled due to death of director's grandfather in Newfoundland.
Friday morning Anne & I went to the farmer's market, and then to the 'Y' to do "Stretch & Tone" for an hour. PM was yard work, and evg. was another meeting with 7 guys from the church to plan our Fourth Friday Fellowship Group events for the coming year.
Saturday morning I had to usher at the funeral of a friend at East Plains, after which I went home, ate, changed, and arranged to meet Anne's brother Murray at Heather's, where the two of us put a plywood roof on Connor's clubhouse, as Ted was at his folk's 40th in Orillia and Heather is in either Reno or Vegas on company business.
Today was church in the morning, and after lunch Anne and I went for a one-hour guided hike in north Burlington along some of the Bruce Trail. This is a new approach the Assn. is using to encourage the public at large to show up and join the walk, and consider possibly joining then or shortly after. It was a perfect day for a 3 km.walk over hill and dale, in a forest of mature trees .
We ran a couple of errands on the way home, and then rested up for supper - a totally yummy salmon casserole, courtesy of Anne.
So that was an almost typical week for me. And tomorrow it will start with a 2-km walk for me, coffee at the church from 9-10, and then it's off to Jill's to help her with some shelf installation and power-washing of a very dirty driveway. Marilyn is due to arrive at Murray's any minute now, and will be here for the week before heading back to Calgary. She spent the last two in New Brunswick visiting old friends.
Hope you've found something of interest to you in this drivel, and I'll close with this note from the old philosopher. "Every situation, properly perceived, is an opportunity." Warren
Tuesday I did some small jobs here and at the church, and goofed off for the evg.
Wed. I rejoined the YMCA and spent an hour there doing pushups. That evg.I travelled to Brenda's to help Paul install stove wire from panel to far corner of kitchen. That took us from 4:30 to 8:30. All holes in walls covered.
Thursday I spent the morning recovering from Wed., and odd-jobbed around here. That evg.I went to Grimsby to play poker with the same guys I've known for 30+ years. I was able to attend only because choir practice was cancelled due to death of director's grandfather in Newfoundland.
Friday morning Anne & I went to the farmer's market, and then to the 'Y' to do "Stretch & Tone" for an hour. PM was yard work, and evg. was another meeting with 7 guys from the church to plan our Fourth Friday Fellowship Group events for the coming year.
Saturday morning I had to usher at the funeral of a friend at East Plains, after which I went home, ate, changed, and arranged to meet Anne's brother Murray at Heather's, where the two of us put a plywood roof on Connor's clubhouse, as Ted was at his folk's 40th in Orillia and Heather is in either Reno or Vegas on company business.
Today was church in the morning, and after lunch Anne and I went for a one-hour guided hike in north Burlington along some of the Bruce Trail. This is a new approach the Assn. is using to encourage the public at large to show up and join the walk, and consider possibly joining then or shortly after. It was a perfect day for a 3 km.walk over hill and dale, in a forest of mature trees .
We ran a couple of errands on the way home, and then rested up for supper - a totally yummy salmon casserole, courtesy of Anne.
So that was an almost typical week for me. And tomorrow it will start with a 2-km walk for me, coffee at the church from 9-10, and then it's off to Jill's to help her with some shelf installation and power-washing of a very dirty driveway. Marilyn is due to arrive at Murray's any minute now, and will be here for the week before heading back to Calgary. She spent the last two in New Brunswick visiting old friends.
Hope you've found something of interest to you in this drivel, and I'll close with this note from the old philosopher. "Every situation, properly perceived, is an opportunity." Warren
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Quiet Life
Ho hum! Nothing much happening here at 1046. Trying to replace rotting boards in Cedar Deck - maybe I can find some replacement stock on Cedar Avenue! Jill has had her feet operated on and will likely benefit with a size smaller shoe;and only has to suffer through six weeks on crutches to enable her to buy cheaper shoes. On a serious note, she's suffered for several years with arthritis of the (big) toe joint, and yesterday they opened both of them up, scraped away the deposits, removed cartilidge from another part of her foot and packed it into the open joint. That's a layman's description, with apologies to Jill. Anne spent most of today with her, as she can't get from the couch to the Loo, even with crutches. She has to walk on her heels, and keeps falling over backwards.(Try it and you'll see what we mean.)
Ted and I are building a clubhouse for Connor out in the back forty, and have the (8 x 8) platform built and "decked". I have completed the blueprints, and we'll see if we can get the four walls up in 6 hours on Saturday. Then we'll look at sketches of a possible roof design, being careful not to upstage the house that sits in front of it!
Tonight we watched Connor and Paige at their last swimming classes of the summer, and Paige will move up one level;and Connor, the ambidextrous amphib, will move up two levels, having done both 5 & 6 in six weeks.
Things will kick into high gear in September, with choir, property committee work, and some projects I'm working on that will enhance both the interior and exterior of East Plains United Church. Add to that the normal requirements of owning a home, plus a new front door to be installed in about 8 weeks, and major tree (maple) pruning sched for next week, and you'll see I have little time to relax.
Right now Anne is begging me to come to bed, which doesn't happen often, so here goes nothing.(her words)
So long all. Warren
Ted and I are building a clubhouse for Connor out in the back forty, and have the (8 x 8) platform built and "decked". I have completed the blueprints, and we'll see if we can get the four walls up in 6 hours on Saturday. Then we'll look at sketches of a possible roof design, being careful not to upstage the house that sits in front of it!
Tonight we watched Connor and Paige at their last swimming classes of the summer, and Paige will move up one level;and Connor, the ambidextrous amphib, will move up two levels, having done both 5 & 6 in six weeks.
Things will kick into high gear in September, with choir, property committee work, and some projects I'm working on that will enhance both the interior and exterior of East Plains United Church. Add to that the normal requirements of owning a home, plus a new front door to be installed in about 8 weeks, and major tree (maple) pruning sched for next week, and you'll see I have little time to relax.
Right now Anne is begging me to come to bed, which doesn't happen often, so here goes nothing.(her words)
So long all. Warren
Friday, July 20, 2007
Is today Friday?
Ah, so nice to be retired. Mentally reviewed the to-do list at 7 am. Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow, so I rolled over and....hit the snooze button. Now I remember where I put that wad of gum last night! Spent somemore time removing the grout from the basement shower floor, and learned how while doing it. I use a mitre saw, sometimes called a back saw, and just take it easy in a back-and-forth motion until the crack is deep enough. Once done, I'll re-grout, re-silicone the borders, and...voila! Good for another 20 years. I'm making the job last as long as possible, as I am discovering, for the first time, how nice it is to shower in "Anne's" bathroom. Hot water, overhead light, new towels, skin-so-soft after shower body lotion, and on and on. No wonder she spends half her life in there. Also the fact that we re-dec'd it in May. I removed all the oak trim & refinished it. Filled all the holes, spot-primed, total primed, and then let a pro do the two finish coats in a camouflage green. Add a great mood-picture, fabric blinds and towels to match, and you've got a room I'm not allowed to use.
So the girls and spouses and kids are off to a Muskoka cottage tomorrow, and all we get is Brenda's dog for a week, and undying gratitude, mostly from Heather, as she just got back from 3 days in England on business;and Anne went and gathered up all her laundry on Wednesday so she have none to come home to. What a mom!!!
I have to-do lists from all of them, just in case I get bored while they are gone.
Locked Maggie(the dog) in and took Anne to Stoney Creek Dairy for dessert. Now it's 10:18 pm and I'm baffed, so Nytol. Warren
So the girls and spouses and kids are off to a Muskoka cottage tomorrow, and all we get is Brenda's dog for a week, and undying gratitude, mostly from Heather, as she just got back from 3 days in England on business;and Anne went and gathered up all her laundry on Wednesday so she have none to come home to. What a mom!!!
I have to-do lists from all of them, just in case I get bored while they are gone.
Locked Maggie(the dog) in and took Anne to Stoney Creek Dairy for dessert. Now it's 10:18 pm and I'm baffed, so Nytol. Warren
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