Sunday, and taking it easy (?)

I woke up at 6:30 AM on Sunday I refilled my pill box for the week and ate breakfast. I posted some pictures and the Blog entry, Then I stripped the bed and started the wash.

I checked on the molding and everything was dry. I took the painted molding inside and sprayed a light coat of polyurethane on stained ones.

It was still calm out (it’s supposed to be hot with little wind – an ozone action day indeed) so I finally sprayed the herbicide on both patios, the sidewalk, garage pad and the driveway.

I worked as carefully as I could, always walking backwards (so I didn’t get any herbicide on my shoes) and never carrying the sprayer across the lawn, So, for example, I got the driveway, Jake’s patio, the sidewalk and then the garage pad first. Then I went through the house and out to the patio, where I did all the cracks and the grass growing up between the river rocks under the grill. I put the sprayer in the garage and then washed the bottoms of my crocs, just in case.

The washer had stopped so I put the bedding in the dryer. I got out of my shorts and t-shirt and dressed in long pants for a quick trip to Home Depot. I forgot two things I wanted to pick up, yesterday. I should have also gone grocery shopping today, but I didn’t want to spend the time. I got stuff to do!

I was back from Home Depot by 11:00 AM. I parked the car under the tree again, windows cracked, and alarm set. I need the garage for a fun project I promised myself I could do today as a reward for all the back-breaking (I’d don’t even like writing that, lol!) work I have been doing on the kitchen.

To give you the background, Vicky at work is from Puerto Rico. Her mother is definitely old-school (doesn’t drive, etc.). Well, her mother found an old toy truck she wanted to use as a lawn ornament and planter. But Vicky had checked it out and said it was an antique, cost too much and, since they live in Detroit, it would probably be stolen the first night it sat outside. She told Michelle and I this story at work last week.

So, I mentioned I had a lot of 2-foot cedar boards (left over from the cut-down raised bed herb planter) that I don’t need and I could probably knock together a planter for her Mom. She seemed to have her doubts (but she doesn’t know me that well, lol). Therefore, before I get back to the tile work, I’m making a planter.

You do remember those cedar post tops my neighbor cut off for me, right? Well, one will be the engine compartment (at least in my mind at this point – I’m winging it here and working without a net). If it sucks, I’ll pitch it (and you’ll never see a picture of it, lol). If it works, I’ll take it into work after I take a picture or two of it for you.

But, first things first. I got the bedding out of the dryer and made up the bed (I may need it for an afternoon nap).

Then I went out in the garage. I put the stained molding in the house and rearranged the sawhorses. I dug out the chop saw, the cedar boards and the table saw and set everything up where I could work (where the car should be). That’s the only available space in my garage at this time!

As I said, I’m winging this somewhat. I don’t have a drawing, but I have a plan. I used a hole saw to make the wheels, so even they are made out of rough-sawn cedar. I did run into a problem, though. Not for this project, but for the tile one. I was using the band saw and was perhaps too aggressive for 3/4-inch wood boards (but that’s how I was using it on the vinyl tile). The upshot was the blade popped off! As I said, it’s no big deal today, but I will have to dig out the owner’s manual and get it back on and working to finish the tile project.

I had the truck finished by 3:00 PM. It has tin front fenders (that should start to rust about the time the cedar turns gray (like the outside of the cedar post piece already has). The headlights were 1/2 copper end caps for plumbing pipes and that should also start to get a patina on it as it ages. All in all, while I’m not sure what exactly Vicky’s mother liked or wanted, I was pretty proud of what I made!

The first thing I did to celebrate was to go back in the house and put my brace on. The doctor wasn’t kidding, you can’t just take it off. I had it off since I got home at 11:00 AM and my back was killing me! I took a pain pill and an anti-inflammatory pill and then went back out to take some photos.

As I was looking at the photos when I downloaded them, I noticed something was wrong! The truck is too long (it is a planter, after all) for just four wheels. A real truck that long would have dual rear axles. The problem is I only bought four screws and four washers, because they were brass and expensive (you have to use brass or stainless steel with cedar, because ordinary screws turns the wood black after time).

I went through the usual justifications and rationalizations: It’s not for me, she might not even want it or use it, nobody else will notice, etc., etc., etc.

In the end, of course, I changed back into long pants and went to Home Depot again. Along with the screws and washers, I also bought some 3/8-inch copper pipe caps (for the tail lights I’d completely ignored).

Back home, I made two more wheels, repositioned the existing rear wheels and added the new ones, adjusted the rear fender (I made that of wood, thank God), added two tail lights and reassembled it. After taking new photos, I put it in the car to take to work, cleaned up the garage, put away all the tools and put the car back inside.

Then I shaved and showered. I didn’t earlier, knowing it was going to be hot and sweaty work (it hit 88 degrees today and I was working out in the garage) and I would be covered with sawdust. I threw all my clothes, including my towel from the shower into the washing machine for the last load of the weekend.

I noticed my daughter Melissa had called earlier, so I returned her call, but just got her voicemail. I fixed a cup of coffee and filled in the Blog to date and re-sized the latest photos of the planter. Then I put the clothes in the dryer.

It was 7:15 PM and I was getting hungry. I had bought some frozen Meijer stuffed shells a while back, so I dug them out of the freezer. I put all eight of them in my casserole dish after I had put in a cup of jarred pasta sauce. I covered the dish with cling wrap and cut some holes in it for vents. I microwaved them at 50% power for seven minutes and then for seven minutes more on high. Then I let them set for two more minutes (this was all per instructions on the bag of shells).

Meanwhile I put away the clothes in the dryer.

I topped my dish with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (hey, I haven’t been doing a lot of cooking for almost a year now, but I’m not a barbarian!). It wasn’t excellent, but it was better than the usual dinner in a box stuff (but more work, too, come to think of it).

I watched some TV but fell asleep before 10:00, so I missed “Longmire” again, but it taped.