Out of Order

Recently I had a long run with finding things "out of order." It began while we were in North Dakota and we had to do laundry. We drove over to this little town called Leeds because a friend of my wife said that she does her laundry there. We drove all through town looking for this Laundry and found none. So Audrey went into the grocery store to ask. Well it has just recently closed. So we drove on to Rugby, ND.

At Rugby we found a laundry on the highway frontage road, so in we went. The first thing we noticed is that the change machine was out of order. So this meant we had to go to different stores to get quarters. The second thing at the laundry that was annoying is that 25% of their machines were out of order. Audrey sent me across the highway to get her a latte at the coffee shop. Well, the latte machine was out of order... so it was plain coffee.

The next time I had to do laundry, which was the next day, I drove into Devils Lake. Well, their change machine was not exactly out of order, but it wouldn't take five dollar bills either. So I was off to change my five for ones at the gas station.

On the way home from North Dakota we stopped at a Hardees to get a meal. Audrey would have liked a latte. But guess what? Their machine was also "out of order."

Well, we are home again. I am hoping that this will bring some order back to our lives.

The Roof

Yesterday's job should have been so easy. I've done this type of roof repair a zillion times.... but not at this pitch.

The insurance company denied the lady's claim for wind damage. Wind damage includes shingles that get blown off the roof and other shingles where the tabs are bent upward and therefore badly cracked. I replace these shingles and seal down others that are loose. It is usually a nice paying job for the amount of time spent. And yesterday I had help.

This roof, however, is one of those that when you stand on the peak and look down you think you are standing on a mountain ledge. So, out came the ropes and we tied ourselves to the roof incase we started sliding. Thank God for the ropes because we never stopped sliding. The loose granules on the shingles acted something like snow so we were constantly skiing down hill. We became one-armed workers. We hung onto the ropes with one hand and worked with the other.

It was one of the most exhausting jobs I have done this year. We had to hoist ourselves to the peak to grab shingles and sealant. So up and down we went like yo-yos. It was about 95 degrees on the roof so we constantly sucked water. By noon we were both exhausted. The good thing is that by noon we were also finished.

Roof repairs is one of my highest paying jobs and nobody has yet complained about what they pay me. About 80 percent of the population has never been on their own roof. Even people who are not afraid of heights don't like being on the roof. There's just something about the roof. They are willing to pay me for the risk.

I'm Bored....

I had the grandkids over night last night and it was a lot fun. They are great kids.... and good kids, too. But I did find out one thing; they are always hungry and they are always thirsty, and being bored is a way of life with them.

As a kid (which was a long time ago) I can remember being hungry and thirsty, but I don't ever remember being bored. In the winter there was always sledding, ice skating, and black and white TV to watch. I glued model cars and painted them. I also played board games (not bored games). And, o yes, there was always the water to sweep of the flat roof.

In the spring there was marbles to play, the excitement of the snow melting, and.... o yes, the flat roof to sweep off.

Summer brought bike riding, fishing, going to the park, swimming, lawn mowing, baseball, softball, and sweeping the water off the flat roof. If I ever said I was bored I'm sure there were dishes to do and a house to clean. I stayed away from home as much as possible and always had something to do.

The fall took me back to school, football games, gardens to raid, apple trees to climb, hay rides, county fair, hunting, fishing, black and white TV and a flat roof to sweep the water off.

I just don't get this bored stuff with kids today. When Julia told me she was bore today I said, "you are always bored." She said, "true."

Up the Up Staircase

I was going to title this "Up the Down Staircase" but I know that that title has already been used by some famous writer whom I no longer remember his name. His theme was about racial matters but my theme is about hard work and finding good help.

I recently did a tiling job in a second floor bathroom. When I say second floor, I mean, in through the door, down a hall, up the stairs, and down another hall to the bathroom. The first 20 trips up and down weren't too bad, but by the end of the you feel like you have been on a stair stepper for about an hour.... or longer. You don't want too many dry runs up or down. The help I had certainly didn't help out with that aspect of the job.

So I needed to put this vanity top together and install the faucet and drain. I wanted to do that in the garage where there was room and where I had all the parts. I had to go upstairs to take some measurements. When I got back down to the garage, the vanity top had disappeared. So did my help. I ran back upstairs to find him and when I did I also found the vanity top. So, of course, I had to carry it back down. I put my help to work patching drywall and painting.

The next thing I needed to do was modify the back of the vanity to allow for the water supply and drain. For some reason I couldn't find the vanity. So back up stairs I went. Sure enough my help had carried it up. So, of course I had to carry it back down. I needed certain tools to work on the vanity, couldn't find those either. My help carried those upstairs and I carried them down.

The other thing my help is good at is losing tools. I would use a tool and put it back in the tool zone. When I wanted to use it again I'd go to the tool zone and the tool would be missing. So now I had to search. I'd ask him if he used the tool and where did he put it. Well, he couldn't exactly remember. Oh, he took it down to the garage to open a can of paint. So down stairs I went.

He is also good at stacking things in doorways. Go into the bathroom to work, turn around to leave and trip over something he set in the doorway. Pretty soon stuff is piled high in the door way. So I move the stuff and organize. But before long there are more lost tools and more blocked doorways. I bet he's one of those guys that parks as close as he can to the door at the super market, too.

I wish I could calculate the lost time spent looking for tools, parts, and stepping over piles of stuff. I'm sure it makes no difference to him.... my loss is his gain. Well, not totally. I will avoid using him on my next jobs.

But, man, I'm tired.

Visitors

Recently my daughter Sonia, her son, Archie, and Lane one of my other grandsons were here for a visit. Sonia and Archie are home now, Lane is still here. I really enjoyed seeing all of them. We had a great time in Breck at the condo. Other relatives were there also: Amy and her kids: Amber, Julia, and Cade; Jim and Karen, Don and Nadine, Brent and Sue and Erica, Josh, and Jeremy. Thanks everybody for making it great 4th of July weekend.

We walked down town, ate, walked down town, went to a parade (downtown), ate, walked down town, went to a fireworks, walked down town. Did I mention that we drank coffee, and we drank coffee, and we...... you guessed it, walked down town and drank coffee.

Summer and Winter

It seemed as though last winter would never end. I got really tired of shoveling the snow and even more tired of the cold weather. I thought, 'boy, I wouldn't mind moving to Arizona'. I knew that Arizona has really hot summers, but anything would be worth it to get away from the winter.

Well, now it is summer in Colorado and I find myself complaining about the heat. I'm certainly glad I am not in Arizona, but now I am thinking that North Dakota wouldn't be so bad. North Dakota! Man, I must be delusional. Maybe I really am cracking up.

It's just that working in the cold and the heat are hard on me. Just think, I used to run 4 miles a day in 90-100 degree weather. Not anymore! It's my knees. Anyway, why can't it just be 55 degrees at night and 73 degrees during the day? That's the way I would have created the planet.

Well, at least I am not in Arizona constantly sucking Gatorade to stay alive, and I am not in North Dakota slapping mosquitoes. By the way, who set retirement age at 67? Must have been some young guy or somebody already retired.

What's this Thing About Beds?

Traveling and vacationing are supposed to be pleasurable things to do. I guess for the most part they are. The once dreaded aspect of this..... at least for me is bedtime. If I have figured it out right, the main reason a person rents a hotel room is to have a private bath and to sleep. The TV is secondary.

So, then, why is it hoteliers find the absolute hardest and most uncomfortable beds in the world. Sleeping on them is almost as bad as being water boarded (not that I have been). The point is, that no matter how tired I am, sleeping on a hotel bed is pure torture. Especially when they slam it right next to their noisiest in the world air conditioner.

And as far as the private bath is concerned I haven't have had good luck on that front either. The bath in Mobridge wasn't so private since the door wouldn't stay shut. The bath here in Breckenridge is private, but what's with the slanted ceiling in the shower and the ripped shower curtain? Either I bump my head or have a back ache from bending sideways. And..... the ventilation fan sounds like a tractor. That might not be too bad for the person showering, but for the other person trying to get a few winks it might be a little annoying.

At least I was able to bring my Starbucks coffee with me. But the coffee pot is also a little sad.