Sheetrock

On Monday night I went in and worked with Crew D.  Their supervisor was taking some time off.  They only have five people on their team.  I worked with Ethan Wallace and Tom Maczynski.

The cool thing about working with another crew is that I got to see a part of the manufacturing process I have not seen before.  Up until now I have seen the part where we do separations, add chloroform, add silica gel, filter, and distill.  I have seen this part three times.  Well, on Monday night I got to help with the very beginning of the process.  There are still several steps that I have not seen yet.

When I got home Tuesday morning I was very tired and felt like I was coming down with a cold.  I went to bed and slept all day and all night!

This morning I loaded the vacuum cleaner and brooms onto the truck after we had breakfast.  It was a little foggy when we headed out to Clark, but when we came down into Badger Basin the fog lifted.  When we got to the house there was a white truck there - the plumber.

We were pleasantly surprised to see some of the siding up on the house and were even more surprised when we got inside!  We were told that the drywall hangers would be at the house today, but as it turns out, they were there on Monday and four of them hung all of the dry wall in the house!  They are supposed to return before the end of the week to mud-and-tape and spray the orange peel texture on all of the walls.

With the drywall up, the house is looking more and more finished all the time!

Several electric receptacles inside the house are energized now and a couple of electric heaters were running.  It was easy for us to plug in the vacuum cleaner and get right to work cleaning up all of the broken sheetrock and gypsum dust.

I know there will be even more dust and finer dust the next time we come in to clean because they will be sanding the mud on the walls.   Because I have to work, we probably won't be back until Sunday.

This evening I went to my Wednesday evening CADD class at Northwest College.  I will have to miss the next three classes due to my work schedule.  I will go in on my days off to keep my drawings caught up.

On Monday the excavator, the plumber, and the electrician will all be at the house to install the potable water cisterns in the ground.  They have to dig a couple of holes to put the tanks in, install a pump, and wire the pump up.  We will probably have to order some water soon so the plumbing can be tested.

Powell, WY

We did not make it out to the house this weekend to clean because I had to work, but I ran out there on Saturday morning to check on it.  I poured two 1-cubic-foot bags of river rock into the hole under the bath/shower (excavated to access the drain pipe), and I noticed that the plumbing was pressurized to 60 psig so that the plumber will know if the lines have been penetrated by any drywall screws.

Another thing that I saw was a bunch of sheetrock drywall board stacked in the living room, the kitchen, the hallway, the bedroom, and the loft.  We are told that the drywall hanger will start work on Wednesday and work for four days.

On Friday Chris placed the first course of HardieBoard siding and he put an aluminum water table strip on top of that course.  Laura Gunn wrote to us in the evening to tell us that they had been at the house all day and got quite a bit of siding put up.

That is probably because they saw the weather forecast which predicted plunging temperatures on Sunday followed by snow on Monday and Tuesday.  Sure enough, temperatures fell last night and it began to snow this morning.

My trip home was a little hairy because it was still dark and the snow was still flying.  Plus, the wind was really blowing.  I was a little nervous because my back tires are almost bald.  I just took my time.  I don't think I got above 50 MPH on the whole trip back.

Temps did not get above freezing today and the low should be in the teens tonight.

I finished the last pay period with 98 hours.  Payday is this Friday.

Tonight I am going in and working with Crew D to cover for someone taking time off.  I can use the extra money the overtime will bring. 

I told Bobby that when I get off in the morning I am just going to stay in Cody for a little while, eat breakfast there, and wait for the sun to come up.  Then I will start out for home.  It's tough when you've been up all night, are already exhausted, and then you have to face a drive in the dark in howling winds, blowing snow, and possibly iced up roads and bridges.

Dog & Pony Show

This morning we drove to Clark for our meeting at the house with Trace Paul and our building contractor, Chris Gunn.  Well, when we arrived we were treated to a spectacle - Chris had the electrician, the electrician helper, and the excavator all busily working.  Chris and Laura Gunn were already giving Trace the tour of the house and pointing out all of the features.

We found the electrical work almost completed, and the plumbing and gas finished.  Once the siding is up, the drywall work can begin.  A subcontractor has not been identified for that work yet.

After Trace left work continued on laying the electric service into a trench out to the power meter and the trench was partially backfilled.  The two cisterns have been delivered and excavation will start soon for those.  Chris said that he expects to begin siding on Monday, and if the weather remains nice, he will have the siding completed in four days.

This evening I went to my CAD class at Northwest College and the instructor didn't show up!  I finished dimensioning one of my drawings and began another one.  I just have two drawings left and I will have completed all of the 2D drawings.  Next Wednesday is the last day I can attend class for three weeks due to my rotating shift work.

Tomorrow is my last day off, then I go to work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  I should probably look for some more shifts to take since we are really going to need the money badly next month.

EPDM Membrane Roof

I drove out to the house on Wednesday morning to see if the roofers were going to be there.  All of the rutted mud in our driveway was frozen!  I stayed out there until 9:30, but the roofer never showed up.  Of course the house was flooded again.  I could tell that it was as soon as I drove up because the windows were all fogged up.  I went on home because I knew we were going to return on Thursday to meet the chimney installer.

I attended the CADD class at Northwest College on Wednesday evening.  I had one drawing to make to catch up with the rest of the class.  While making the drawing I found a mistake in the text and the instructor will be making a revision to his lesson!  Because of my work schedule, I should be able to attend two more classes.

On Thursday we drove out to the house with our Shop Vac, brooms, dustpan, and other stuff to clean with.  We got most of the water out of the house and started sweeping the floors, but then the plumber showed up.  They worked all day running water lines and discussing with us how to run the propane to the appliances in the house.

ProBuild delivered the HardiBoard and Hardi Soffit products to the house.  They used a small forklift to take it off of the truck and set it down near the house.  

We were told that the roofer would be out on Saturday, 10/12.  Then we were told that they were coming on Wednesday, 10/16.  The OSB was coming up and there was mold starting to grow on the walls from being wetted so much.  I called Chris Gunn and told him that I was very disappointed with his inability to get a roof on the house, but I had to leave this message in a voice mail.  He never called me back.

Mark and Aaron caulk the chimney flange.

Mark Geering and his assistant, Aaron, arrived at 11:00 in a pick up truck towing a tool trailer.  They got right to work putting in the roof penetration and chimney.  It took them about 5 hours, but they did a great job.  Mark said that he will come back and install the black stovepipe for us when we are ready for it!
 
When we returned to Powell I stopped at First Bank of Wyoming and ran inside to briefly speak with Greg Borcher, loan officer about this problem.  Greg said that we could either 1.  Fire Gunn and get another contractor to come in and finish the job, 2.  Hire a roofer ourselves to get the house dried in, or 3.  File suit, which would be expensive and make everyone unhappy.  He said that he would talk to our Construction Loan Manager, Trace Paul, about this in the morning and ask Trace to call me.


This morning Trace Paul called and I explained our situation to him.  I told him that we were frustrated by the fact that the house has been standing for over 80 days and the roof is not completed.  I explained that we are seeing water damage inside, and mold inside.  I asked Trace if he would call Chris Gunn.  I told him that he was not returning my call, but maybe Trace could reach him and find out something that Bob and I have not been able to learn.

Trace is a very mild-mannered banker.  Sort of like a Mister Rogers.  He did reach Chris, and Chris was very surprised to hear from the banker.  Trace told him that he had no choice but to take an interest when the customer is reporting that the project is falling behind schedule and that there was water damage and mold.  Trace set up a meeting for Chris, me, and himself at my property in Clark for next Wednesday at 9:00 AM.

I told Bob that they effect of this will likely spur Chris to lean on the roofing contractor.  Also, I was willing to bet that Chris would have most of the siding on the house before this meeting so that he could save face with the banker.  The banker, you see, has the ability to deny him future work by refusing to finance projects that he is involved in.

Bob inspects the EPDM roofing.

After this we drove to Cody.  I picked up my first pay check at Cody Labs.  Then we took Bobby to the barber shop for a haircut.

We left Cody around 9:30 and headed to our house in Clark.  We arrived a little after 10:00 AM and found a truck from Redd Roofing at the house and two men up on the roof working on putting our EPDM membrane roof out on the decking.  They screwed an underlayment down first, then applied an industrial strength rubber cement to the top of it, applied cement to the membrane, and then rolled the thick, black pond liner out on the roof.

Laura Gunn came out while we were there to answer questions the roofers had.  She told us that Chris was in South Dakota working on a house project.  She acknowledged that we were frustrated about the situation with the roof.

We showed her the roof penetration, and she asked who did it.  We told her Geering did it.  She said, "Geering doesn't offer installation."  I quickly replied, "Mark Geering himself was here yesterday putting this in, and he's coming in back to install the black stovepipe."  Her jaw dropped open upon hearing that.

When they were in the Geering showroom, it is my suspicion that Chris somehow pissed them off and they simply said they would not come down to Wyoming to install their stove.

I guess I was right about Chris getting on the phone and begging or threatening the roofer.  Chris just wasn't motivated enough.  He could blow me off when I complained, and believe me, Bob and I have complained about this damned roof, but he couldn't blow off the banker!

We are relieved to have the roofing completed and the siding will very likely be put up in the very near future.

So many things are happening right now and I don't seem to have time to write about all of them.

I am starting nights again tomorrow.  I will work Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, and then I will be off Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Tired

I slept 4  hours in the past 36.  On Monday morning I was scheduled to have my respirator physical with Dr. Trotter at Billings Clinic.  This was after I got off of my 7pm to 7am shift on Sunday night. 

After I clocked out I tried to sleep in the truck for a little while, but it was not successful.  The snow was really coming down and the wind was blowing.  At 10:15 I clocked in, and went over to the clinic to follow the little process.  This basically consisted of filling out a questionnaire and letting the doctor look at my eyes, throat, ears, and listen to my breathing.  Verdict:  I am the sunny picture of health.

I took the little clearance slip back to the plant and gave it to Justin Crawford, the ESH (Environment, Safety & Health) guy.  I told him, "Tim Hadaway said that I have to have my respirator when I come back to work tonight."  So, he found a respirator for me and did a fit test with it using a Stannous Cloride candle.

Finally, I was able to drive home and get a precious few hours of sleep!

Last night was a particularly long night for me - trying to stay awake.  There were a few incidents that made the night less boring, but by morning I was exhausted and had trouble keeping awake on the drive back home.

I slept all day today.  I guess I am just glad to be working again.

Tonight is the last night of work until Saturday.

Tomorrow I am going by the house to check on the roofing.  Chris wrote to us to let us know that the house siding was not delivered because the lumber company said the ground was too muddy near the house for their truck.  Maybe if the siding were delivered weeks ago, they would have found much firmer ground to drive on!

Thursday we are going to the house to assist the chimney installer.  After that we will sweep and vacuum the house out.  I sure hope we don't find a bunch of water inside the house.

Night Shift

At 9:00 AM I had to be at the plant to get my urinalysis done.  With that out of the way we drove to Bank Of The West to make a deposit, pay our cable bill at TCT West, and get a tank of gas.  Then we headed up to Clark.

As we turned onto Brushland Drive we saw a big Ford truck coming down the lane - it was Chris Gunn.  I am not sure whether he was pleased to see us or not.  He told us that the tarp was installed over the bare roof, and the excavation was about to begin for the septic tank/drain field, and the cisterns.  He said that he was still working with the plumber to decide what to do about our hot water heater.

Back in Powell we had to stop at Basin Law Group, pay our utility bill at Powell City Hall, and get some things at the grocery store. 

We were home again shortly after noon and I had to get to bed to get some sleep because I had to work from 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM.

Bob made a pork roast with scalloped sweet potatoes for dinner.  Leftovers were put into a dish and I took them with me to work.

I clocked in at 6:45 and went to the Production Department cubicle to meet my new team.  There were two teams there, actually.  Two teams work nights and two teams work days.  On my team we had Lorie, who was filling in for Tim, our supervisor.  We had Joe and Arnie, and me.  The other team had two people, Nick and Jay.

My first four hours were probably the longest hours of the night.  Because my respirator fit test has not been done, and I was not qualified to do anything, Lorie used Post-It notes to mark the procedures she wanted me to read and do the knowledge checks on.  So, while everyone else went down the hall to the clean, controlled access area of Production, I sat at the desk working on SOPs.

Around 11:00 PM I had the procedures all done and I suited up in scrubs to go into the Production Hall with the others.  I got to mop the hallway and airlocks.  Also, I received training on reading temperature and humidity, and logging the differential pressures across all of the doors. 

Soon we took a break and we all left the Production Hall.  When you come out, all of your protective clothing has to come back off - jacket, trousers, hairnet, face net, and shoe covers.  I think we changed clothes six or seven times during our shirt!

Later I was taken into a production room to help clean it.  I started by "doing the dishes" - rinsing tools and labware with tap water while Arnie sterilized them by spraying isopropyl alcohol solution on them.  Lorie and Joe had to clean the big reactors in that room.

I really like my watchteam.  They didn't throw me to the wolves as the new guy and took some time to work with my training.  The qual card is an inch-thick binder, and while we got a lot of stuff covered last night, we have a whole lot more to go over!

To my surprise, I found out that this night was the last night for three days!  I thought they were just starting nights, but no, they had been on nights this week.  I do not have to go back to work until Sunday night!  Plus, it now looks like I will be able to attend my CADD class at Northwest College on Wednesday evening, and each Wednesday for the next three weeks!

I was back home this morning around 8:30.  After breakfast I went to bed and slept fairly solidly until 1:30 PM!

Chris Gunn wrote to us to tell us the plumber has decided that he can provide the on-demand hot water heater to us for no additional cost since he never deducted $2000 for the fixtures that Bob and I have purchased.  At least this way everyone will be happy.  We are glad that we get propane-heated water, the plumber is happy that he will install something that he feels confident providing warranty support for.

Another storm system is coming.  It rained and drizzled all afternoon.  Now temps are falling and it is cold and wet outside.  I just hope we don't get more snow yet!

Cody Labs

Yesterday was my first day at Cody Labs and it was very exciting! 

"The New Guys" are Chris Fields, and me - just two (2) of us.  We had a couple of hours of Orientation and HR stuff - I-9, W-2, benefits, etc with Beverly Teeter..  Then we had some Safety Training and we were taken on a complete tour of the building with Justin Crawford.  We met a lot of new people!

We were set free for lunch and I went to Bubba's for a Bubbadilla.

After lunch Payroll got RFID cards for us, showed us how to work the time clock, and showed us how to review and approve our time cards online.

We were done at 3:45.  I was given a $125 voucher for steel-toed safety shoes good for use at Wayne's Boot Shop, so I went down there and got a nice pair of Redwings.  These boots have to stay in the plant, but that's okay because it prevents me from tracking nasty chemicals home.

Today I had to be there at 7:00 AM and we had training on SOP's for most of the day with Irena Cottrell.  I  think were were eight (8) big procedures we had to read and answer questions about.  We did not have to go out at lunch because pizzas were brought in and we ate with the on-shift teams. 

After lunch we finished up our SOP's and then went with Justin again for the last two safety videos and a forklift video.  We had our lockers assigned to us, and this is good because we have a very large pile of papers and binders that are not allowed to leave the plant.  We put this in the locker and I put my boots in there too.  Nobody puts a padlock on their locker - why would anybody steal when there are cameras watching all the time?

We've been assigned to our shift crews.  Chris will be working days starting on Thursday.  I will be working nights starting tomorrow night.  This would not be so bad, but I have to be at the plant at 9:00 AM for urinalysis, and then drive back for work in the evening.  Still,  I am excited to be joining my crew and getting started with my quals.

Justin will come in tomorrow evening to help with my forklift practical factors.  So, I might have forklift completed fairly quickly!

We will get paid next week, but it won't be a full pay check.  I really need the money badly - I am overdrawn severely!  Of course, if unemployment insurance would pay out just one time, I would be up in the black again.

So, I will work for the next three nights - Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Then I am off for three days, going back on Tuesday, but I have to go to Cody on Monday for my Respirator Fit Test.

Winter Storm

The first snow of the winter.

Oh boy we had quite an early winter storm!  Lots of broken tree limbs because the trees were loaded down with snow on limbs that still had their leaves!

I took the dog for his walk and after we came back home I cleared the sidewalk and threw salt down on it.

Today we drove to Clark to clean our house.  We drove up Brushland Drive and the road was still fairly full of snow, but there were tire tracks and we just faithfully followed them.  About 100 yards after passing the house of our neighbors, the Glicks, we became stuck - the snow was just too deep!

The tires just spun in the wet heavy snow.  It doesn't help that I have the new tires on the front and the worn old tires are on the back.  I will rotate them during the next oil change.  We got out and had to push the truck backwards by hand.  Once it was freed I backed down the hill and backed into the driveway of the Glicks hoping to get the truck turned around.  Here I became stuck again!

After a bunch of shoveling and applying a lot of salt, we got the truck freed again and I parked it on the side of the road at the Glick's house.  I left two wheels up on the graveled part so it would not get stuck again.

We walked back to the house carrying our lunches, the brooms, dustpan, radio, camera, etc.  I left the vacuum cleaner on the truck.

When we got to the house we found the driveway extremely soft and muddy.  All of the melting snow is making a huge muddy mess.  We also found a four-foot-tall snow drift in front of the house!

Inside the house Bob started sweeping up the floor.  I went upstairs with the shovel and began shoveling snow and ice off of the still exposed roof.  Chris Gunn said that the roofer will be out next Saturday to apply the membrane roof.  I called Chris and told him that I was unhappy about the roof and how we are having to de-water the house, yet again.  I told him that HE WILL put a tarp on that roof before the weather turns again.  He said that he would when he returns on Tuesday.

Anyway, I got all of the snow and ice cleared off and the water that remained started to quickly dry in the sunshine and dry cold air.

Bob leaving our house this afternoon.

We cleaned up everything downstairs as good as we could.  We plan to return tomorrow and vacuum the water out of the house again.  Hopefully this will be the last time we have to do this.

When we finished, around 3:00 PM, we hiked back down to the truck.  When I got in and turned the key it would not start!  I accidentally left the headlights on!  Man!  What a day.  We should have just stayed home!  Bob called Gordon Stoltz, a neighbor down the hill from us, and he came up in his big truck to jump start us.
The battery had a good hot charge in it again by the time we got back to Powell.

We had some rib steaks with green beans for dinner.  We are both tired after spending most of the day in the cold working.

Tomorrow we will go back and vacuum the water out of the house with the shop vac, but we aren't going to over do it - I certainly don't need to be sick for my first day at my new job!

Powell, WY

Bob talks with Jim the electrician.

We drove out to Clark yesterday morning because Laura Gunn told us she was consulting with the plumber.  Well, the plumber must have been at their house because we only found his sons out at the house trying to put our tub/shower into the bath.

On the way out there we hit a sage grouse.  It crossed the road in front of us.  I saw a spray of feathers in the rear view mirror, but no body.  I found the bird wedge into our grill when we arrived at the house.  Bob put on some gloves and pulled it out while I got a shovel and buried it.

Plumbers install the tub/shower.

We talked with the plumber's sons and the electrician while we were there.  I am glad because we helped avoid some misunderstandings.  One of the biggest controversies we are having right now is that the plumber is insisting on an electric hot water heater and we are dead-set against electric.  Beartooth Electric charges $0.18 per kilowatt-hour and it would be too expensive to operate.  We want a gas HWH, but the plumber says that the winds are just too high in Clark for it.

Bob found a hot water heater with electronic ignition and a forced draft exhaust, but the plumber still balked.  We are being offered either electric or a gas on-demand HWH that will cost almost $2,000.

But, you see, I have to pay for everything, and if they put something in that I do not want, I simply will not pay for it.  That's that.  We might have to provide the HWH and have a third-party install it just to get past this problem.

Today we had to drive to Cody and visit Billings Clinic.  I had blood drawn for a mercury baseline test.  This was paid for by Cody Labs.  I have to go back on October 14 for the respirator fit test, drug test, and physical.

We went to the grocery store while we were there, and then we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant.  We tried new things during our lunch! 

While we were at lunch the weather continued to deteriorate and we had a windy, snowy, hairy trip back to Powell.  I am sure the roads are going to be a mess tonight!  Old man winter is not wasting any time this year.  Fall hasn't even come yet - the trees still have their leaves!

Evicted!

Yesterday was Bob's birthday.  I got up early and made breakfast for us and took Buddy for his walk.  I put a personalized Swiss Army knife from Yellowstone Park on the table infront of his computer for him.

After breakfast we came into the living room to browse on the computers.  I went to the basement and retrieved the gift wrapped box with his birthday presents and put it on the kitchen counter.  I had a hard time getting him to go into the kitchen after that point!

In this box he found three books, Too Much Magic by James H Kunstler; Year-Round Vegetable Gardening by Miki Jabbour; and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfillippo.  He was pleased with these books and even used a recipe from the paleo diet book that afternoon!

I returned a phone call from Karen Sellers at the Real Estate Connection and found out that the owner of the house is giving us a 30-day notice to vacate.  I told Karen that we are about 6 weeks out from having our house in Clark finished and that we will likely remain here until then because we are not going to live in a hotel and nobody will rent to us for two weeks.

The reason we are being asked to move out is because we are month-to-month tenants and the home owner wants to renovate in order to help this house sell.

Because we have some pressure to finish the house up, I wrote to Chris and Laura and told them to lean on the contractors to move now.  The plumber will be in the house with our bath/shower this week.  Hopefully we can keep everyone moving forward, but it will be tough because a winter storm with snow is coming.

Another thing we are going to do to help get stuff moved is call to have a 40-foot shipping container for rent delivered to the house and will move everything from the garage to it, and everything we are storing for installation in the house (cabinets, toilets, countertops, lights, sinks, bar top, etc) will be put inside of it and held until we are ready for it.

In my email yesterday I got my formal job offer letter and job description from Beverly Teeter.  A paper copy will likely come in the mail today.  I have to sign it and bring it with me to orientation on Monday.  I will be getting notice from Safety Department soon on when I will go to Billings Clinic for my drug test, baseline mercury testing, and respirator fit test.  I am fairly excited about my new job!

Last night we went to Hansel & Gretel's Restaurant and had steaks with salad for dinner.  That was a birthday dinner for both of us.

Today Bob made breakfast and then I found some presents.  I got another rechargeable battery for my camera, a book - Barbed Wire, The Fence That Changed The West, by Joanne S Liu, and two pairs of Nomex gloves rated for 1000°F (to use when melting aluminum at my propane furnace).

The Facebook birthday wishes started rolling in around 5:00 AM and will continue all day  today.

Today I probably need to mow  the yard one last time and get the mower cleaned up and ready for winter storage.  I need to cut and install the plastic door flap on Daisy's dog house and hope she doesn't tear it down.  I need to get a file out and sharpen our broad axe to be used for splitting wood.  We are also debating sorting through all of our books again and making another trip to The Book Company.