Powell, WY

Vince peeks into bedroom.

When I got home from work yesterday the first thing we did was harness Buddy and get him outside for his walk.  It looked like a big storm was coming and we didn't want to wait.

While we were walking the winds really began to blow.  It was hard to see with dust blowing into our eyes.  After we got home it began to rain, and then it began to hail!  The entire yard was covered with white pea-sized hail!


This morning Bob sent me to work via Clark so that I could drop off the pocket door frame for the half bath.  Chris was framing interior load-bearing walls today and he wanted the pocket door frame so that he could make the opening for the half-bath the right size.

Interior walls going up.

When I got to the house this morning the hallway wall was laying on its side in a big puddle of water.  More supplies were staged outside - engineered joists for the loft floor, plywood for the loft sub-floor, and 2x4 lumber for the interior walls.

This evening I stopped up there and found the bedroom completely framed in.  The walls that are nailed to the exterior SIPS are rock-solid.  The whole house will be even more solid once the roof goes on, which should be in a couple of days.

We had a salad for dinner this evening.  Temps today were cooler but the humidity was up.  It looks like it might rain again tonight.

Weekend

What a weekend!  I am beat!

On Saturday morning we drove to Billings, MT to rent a U-Haul truck and pick up our kitchen cabinets, counter tops, and all of the interior doors. 

Lowe's associates don't help you load your truck.  The cabinets were all stacked on two pallets and wrapped with saran wrap.  We had to unwrap it and load the truck ourselves.  It was hot outside.  It was tiring.

Finally we had all of the doors standing up against the walls and tied to the walls.  We had all of the boxed cabinets stacked on the floor and the counter tops were up against the right side wall. 

We stopped for lunch at IHOP before heading back.  I had a BLT sandwich and Bob had bacon turkey club sandwich.

I drove the 17-foot U-Haul truck while Bob followed behind in the Toyota.

On the way back to Wyoming we had one of the back tires blow out on us.  The side wall was badly cracked and it just blew out.  We kept driving because the truck was still level, but the winds were picking up because a storm was coming.  At Bridger, MT we stopped and took a break.  Here we decided to go back home via Clark instead of US 310.  At least on the Clark route we would not be out in the middle of BLM BFE with nobody around for miles and no cellphone service.

51 panels around the outside.

We turned on to MT 72 and headed south to Belfry and then to the stateline.  When we got to Brushland Drive, I pulled the big truck in, made a 3 (or 4) point turn, and parked the truck down by the highway.  I climbed into the Toyota and we drove back to our house.

Honestly, I only expected Chris to get a few panels up.  As we approached the house I was astounded to see the outside walls all assembled and standing!  He installed 51 out of the 93 panels!

We hung around and watched Chris and his helper install the last outside wall panel - No. 11.  Using the remote crane/forklift, they lifted the panel up and slid it into place.  Then they pushed down on it with the forks until it was all the way down to the floor.  Then the helper fired up the air nailer and nailed it to the adjacent panels, and to the sole plate - both inside and outside.

Bob in our future living room.

I was very pleased at how much progress they made in one day!

Chris will have to frame up the hallway wall and the wall that runs between the bath and foyer as these are load bearing walls.  The hallway wall supports the SIPS that make up the roof top deck.  Also, the wall next to the stairs will have to be framed up so that the glulam beams that carry the loft and part of the roof will be supported.

We enjoyed walking around the inside of the shell and taking in the views from our windows!

This morning we began unloading the truck.  Using the hand truck, I brought the cabinets inside first and began stacking them in the dining room.  We put the base cabinets down first, then the wall cabinets on top of those.  After that we carried the doors inside one at a time and stood them against the wall.  We could not get the 13-foot-long counter top into the house - too long!  So I had to pull all kinds of stuff out of the garage, put blocks of wood on the floor, and then stand the counter top in the garage.  Then the dishwasher, range, wood stove, and all of the other stuff could go back inside.

After we got the truck empty and swept out, we hung around the house waiting for the service technician to come and change the tire.

We had ribeyes grilled over charcoal and Brussel's sprouts with melted butter for dinner this evening.  It rained for about 10 minutes this evening, so Bob ran the sprinklers for about 10 minutes too.

I talked with Mom this evening and she said that Grandma Pat is having a hard time in the hospital.  Her pneumonia is starting to clear up, but she is weak from not eating in two weeks, and she is very uncomfortable.  She is agitated and thinks she is dying.  It's hard to know how much of it is an old woman who is tired and how much of it is someone trying to draw attention to herself.

I am sore and hurt.  I think I will sleep well tonight.

Friday

Barbara called in sick today.  Ding dong the Wicked Witch is deeaaaaaad!!  It was much quieter and less stressful for everyone else.  The only problem was that we were even more short-handed.

It was rumored that Barb was having blood sugar problems this morning.  All I can say is, if that is true, it is probably better that she stay at home.  Blood sugar fluctuations can cause her mood swings too.

After work I drove up to Clark to check on the progress at our house.  The contractor got the sole plate installed on the slab.  It's a treated 2x6 bolted down to the slab on 4-foot centers.  It lies on top of an insulating foam layer and sealed with construction adhesive.

Tomorrow the first wall panels will go up!  Chris will put these up while we are in Billings picking up the interior doors, kitchen cabinets, and counter tops.  We are bringing these back in a 17-foot U-Haul truck.

38 Special

After work I ran to Clark to check on progress at the house.  All that I could see that had been done was
the electrician came and installed the temporary electric service.  Nothing else was done.

Then I went home.  I changed clothes and we went to the Park County Fair where we had prime rib sandwiches and a funnel cake for dinner.  Then we sat up in the grandstand to see the 38 Special concert!

The opening show was almost unforgettable except for their fiddler.  She was fantastic!  She's only 17 years old, but she made that fiddle SING!  They did Charlie Daniel's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and it was excellent!
Finally, around 9:00 PM the main event began.  38 Special was very good.  Very LOUD and good!  They played all of the hits - "Rockin Into The Night", "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys", "Back Where You Belong", "So Caught Up In You", and "If I'd Been The One".  

We left around 11:00 PM after we stopped to get Bob a $30 souvenir t-shirt.

When we got back home we had to put a Construction Loan Draft Request together and update the Facebook.  I was beat.  I slept okay, but I did not sleep long enough.

Work today was very busy for us with Keri out.  I had to bust my butt.  For the most part Barb was in a good mood, and that really helped.

After work I went to Clark to check and see if anything else had been done on our house - nothing has been done.  But I did see that the wind really blew last night - some of the panels were blown over or blown completely off of their pile!

This evening we walked Buddy clear over to Absaroka Street and visited with Mary Vail, our old neighbor for a little while.  We asked her to pick up our Bountiful Basket on Saturday since we have to go to Billings and bring the kitchen cabinets, counter tops, and interior doors down in a rented truck.

I am over this heat already.  In a few short weeks the temps will begin their annual trip back down.

Panels Delivered

We drove to Cody this morning and ate breakfast at The Sunset House.  We both had omelets.  Then we went to Subway and bought sandwiches for lunch.

I went to work at the courthouse and Bob left to drive to Clark to watch our house panels being unloaded from the truck.  He got there at 8:30 and the truck was already there with Chris unloading it!

About an hour later Chris's wife, Laura, showed up with the baby and the dog.  She drove the forklift/crane while Chris directed her.  The baby slept the entire time.

I called at lunch time to check on the progress.  At 12:15 they had the entire truck unloaded.  There were 93 panels, a bunch of long screws, two 5-gallon pails of sealant, and two glulam beams.

They called it a day after getting the truck unloaded.

The electrician will come tomorrow morning to install temporary electric service - "saw service".  Then they can get busy installing the sole plate and putting some walls up.  Bob intends to go take more pictures tomorrow too.

Weekend

These weekends sure go by fast! Yesterday I got up from the bed in the morning, fed the dogs, and immediately started the mower. I got the yard mowed before it started to get hot.  Seeing me take the lead, Bob got up too and started the grass whip.

After this I went in and made scrambled eggs with Canadian bacon and tea for breakfast.

In the afternoon we went to the Book Rack to look for some books.  We got a book about raising dairy goats, a book about the 1893 World's Fair, an collectible hard back about carpentry, and an entire set of Time-Life books about the old west.  There are 26 books in this set and the regular price would have been over $80.  Because we bought the entire set, Kim gave us a good deal - $50 for all.  That comes to less than $2 per book!

We got tacos and potato oles from Taco Johns and ate that for dinner.

This morning I made French toast with pork sausage links and black tea for breakfast.

After breakfast we went outside, got the electric reciprocating saw out and cut the tops out of the steel drums.  We will need these in Clark to burn trash.  After we got the tops cut out, we used the grinder to smooth the sharp edges.  Then we cut holes in the bottom for water to escape.  Finally we lit gas fires in each to burn off the polyurethane.

We got a couple of bottles of water, filled the gas tank, and drove to Clark.  Here we found the dumpster delivered by Two Tough Guys, and a porta-potty delivered by Keele Sanitation.  I unloaded the drums here.

For lunch we went to the Edelweiss and had burgers and beers.

We came back home to 102° F.  We went upstairs and laid down in front of the fan and took a nap.

When the sun got lower in the sky we took Buddy and walked over to Subway for sandwiches.

Tomorrow Bob will go with me to Cody and drop me off at the courthouse.  He will then go to Clark with the Rubbermaid trash cans in the bed of the truck to watch and photograph the wall and roof panels being unloaded from the delivery truck.

Work tomorrow promises to be busy and hectic.  1.  It's a Monday and Monday and Friday are busiest.  2.  Roly and Carol will be out.

Park County Fair starts this week too.  Bob got a pleasant surprise last night when he found out that I bought tickets to the .38 Special concert on Wednesday night!

Powell, WY

We have confirmation that our wall and roof panels will be delivered to Clark, WY on Monday, July 22! 

Bob will drive me to work that morning and then go to Clark and park the truck.  He will take pictures of the panels being unloaded from the truck.  I can't go because we will be short-handed in the office already.

I got paid today, but amazingly, I don't have bills to pay with this paycheck.  I will just lay it aside, because there will be bills to pay soon enough.

To my surprise, Bob had prepared stuffed peppers for dinner.  I know it's a lot of work to make those, but I wish he'd find cooler things to make that don't heat up the kitchen when it's so hot outside.

Tomorrow we are having our once-a-month pot luck lunch in honor of Carol's birthday. 

Dog Days

Structural Insulated Panels

I phoned Enercept today during lunch to find out when our order would be shipping.  Our order is on the production schedule and it scheduled to begin on Wednesday.  The customer service rep said that our job will not take longer than one day, so it should be ready to ship out on Thursday or Friday (if they can get a carrier in to pick up the order).

So, our panels should be delivered sometime early next week!

We put about 1 gallon of sauerkraut in a 2-gallon crock down in the basement to ferment this weekend.  If we are lucky, we will have four quarts of kraut to can in 5 or 6 weeks.  If it turns out good, we will make more.  Lots more.

The Revolution flea-tick repellant for Daisy and Buddy arrived today.  I gave each dog their individual dose after everybody ate their dinner.  This will protect them from fleas, ticks, and heartworms during the dog days of summer.  After October, we do not have to worry about insect pests here.

My  throat feels scratchy and sore, my ears itch, and my muscles are sore.  I think I am coming down with something.  Ugghh.

Powell, WY

Alligator juniper bar top.

I left work today at 3:00 PM and drove to Montana.  Red Lodge, Montana.  I loaded up the recently finished alligator juniper bar top for our new house and headed back to Powell.

Bob helped me carry the big slab of wood into the house and we set it down on blankets spread over the tops of the four bar stools.

Take a look at it - you gotta admit it's a beauty!  A sure conversation starter.

Chris Gunn appeared at my counter today.  I was not expecting him, but took a break to talk with him.  He still does not have a shipping date for our wall panels, but wanted to let me know that all of the exterior doors and windows have been ordered.  Also, instead of a thermostatically-controlled gas wall heater for the living room, the plumber is exploring a wall-mounted mini-split heater/air conditioner.  When you factor in the gas line that does not have to be run, having AC might only cost a little bit more!  It will be a small air conditioner, but if we wanted to, we could easily add another one in the bed room as well.

We've had a short break from the heat.  It's been raining every couple of days and this cools things down.  Plus it saves us having to water the lawn.  There are still plenty of hot days ahead though.  These are going to go quickly as we struggle and race to get out house finished up.

This blog turned 10 years old on July 7!  Amazing how time flies!

200,000 Miles

This morning on the drive to Cody, the truck rolled past 200,000 miles on the odometer.  200,000 miles!  I
remember when American cars were built to fall apart at 100,000.  But you have to always remember, this isn't an American truck!

Work  today was rather busy.  I am sure plenty of people thought we were closed, but there were a lot of people off of work too.

After work this evening I purchased a $42 bag of Puppy Dog Fuel for Daisy and later I ordered a three-month supply of Revolution for a 20-40 pound dog (Daisy) and a 40-60 pound dog (Buddy).  The Revolution cost $113.  Ouch!!

It rained again today and some this evening.  Today was cooler than it has been, even if it is more humid.

July 4th

After our breakfast of frozen waffles with turkey sausage and tea, I washed dishes and began cleaning peaches while Bob assembled an icebox cake for the evening.

Then we heated the kitchen up nice and hot making Bourbon-Peach Jam.  We made 15 half-pints of jam and left them on the counter to cool.  We could hear the lids pinging as the jars cooled down and pulled the lids down tight.

In the afternoon, after we took a nap, I lit a bag of charcoal on our little portable grill and grilled up some nice ribeyes.  This is the first time I've had ribeye in two years because it has gotten so expensive.  These were delicious steaks!

Later, right after we finished watering the lawn, a strong thunderstorm came up.  It rained really hard and there was winds and thunder and lightning. 

Around 7:00 we showered and gathered up the ice box cake, a jar of jam, my camera, and our fireworks and headed over to Jerri and Leonards house.  It was raining hard when we got there, but we were surprised to find a few of their neighbors and some of their friends from Clark in there!

The rain tapered off around 9:00 PM and Jerri took the kids outside to start fireworks.  From their house we can even see the big display in Powell.  After the rain stopped, it got very cool.  I think the temperature fell into the 60's.

Mike and Dom showed up with their boys before we were finished shooting rockets and firecrackers.  Leonard finished off the show with a grand finale called "Attitude Adjustment".

Gradually everyone left, but somehow Bob and me were there talking with Jerri and Leonard until after 2:00 AM!

Bourbon-Peach Jam

Prep: 30 minutes       Process:  5 minutes

7   cups sugar
4   cups finely chopped, pealed ripe peaches (about 3 pounds)
½  cup bourbon 
¼  cup lemon juice
½  of a 6-ounce package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin

1.  In a 6 to 8-quart heavy pot combine sugar, peaches, bourbon whiskey, and lemon juice.  Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Quickly stir in pectin.  Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.
2.  Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace.  Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
3.  Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling).  Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks, turning and tilting jars after 20 minutes to distribute fruit evenly throughout the jam.  Repeat as necessary.  Makes 7 half-pints.

Per tablespoon:  54 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

We made a double batch of this today.  We processed the jars for 10 minutes just to be sure since we are over 4000 feet altitude.  The peaches sat in a box on the counter since Saturday and they were perfectly ripe.  I was able to skin them with my fingers.  I simply cut them into quarters and broke the pieces up as we cooked the jam.

Doing this made the house un-godly hot, but we will sure appreciate it this winter when we can spread this on warm toast!

Summer

It is hot.  It is in the 90's and it is baking hot.

Even at work where they run the AC, it is warm.  It is a government building and they are not allowed to set the thermostat too low.  Once we get busy or start to hustle a little, you start to sweat and feel unpleasantly wet.

Yesterday I stayed late in Cody to help Jerri and Leonard decorate the float for the Wyoming Fiddler's Association.  It only took about half an hour with Mike, me, and two other people helping out.

The courthouse will be closed tomorrow for Independence Day.  We have to work on Friday.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July.  We are planning to make a refrigerator cake first thing in the morning.  Grill steaks around noon, and then take our cake out of the fridge and head over to Jerri and Leonard's house late in the evening to light fireworks.

I am tired.  I am ready for a vacation, but we cannot afford one right now.