I can see the finish line!

 Photo of the day:

This is the first house I ever built. It was 800sqft and sold for $30,000. Smaller than todays apartment I have built. LOL. I dug the dirt mixed the mortar drove every nail. The pictures are my sisters, they brought their husbands over to see this great creation.  LOL

So for today:

In the next few days I should be making an end to a long process of creating a 900 sqft 2 bedroom apartment in the basement next door.  We all have things we just don’t like or maybe do not understand.  Me?  One thing is I will NEVER understand why anyone would pay to have bricks laid for a house or business and then Paint them! I remember long ago I watched a church being built. They used some beautiful brick and when completed, they painted them?  WHAT?  Brick are maintenance free, if painted in 20-30 years someone is going to have to have it repainted. I drive by a brick home I built for us once, I loved it, it even had an indoor pool. Big beautiful brick chimney also, the new owner has painted it. OUCH!

All that said, all the painted brick I talk about were perfectly laid brick laid by the best of masons, no need to paint their beautiful skilled work.  NOW today I just went against my own feelings, my brickwork,  as small as it is on this apartment, looks terrible. I was messy with the mortar and I could not get them cleaned, TODAY I did something I have never done.  I painted those terribly laid brick, and they do look better.  So maybe there is a reason some paint brick. LOL

Yep I am on the downhill run. I must add two more heat/A/C vents, seam some carpets and spiffy up the storage area, it will be ready.  I am so glad to wrap this one up.

Sherry is right,  this is the LAST big undertaking for me….

Take care and enjoy the heat, it ain’t long ‘til Christmas….

 

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

How do you feel about Electric Cars?

 Photo of the day:

Above is the 1934 Ford with a rumble seat. It was new 5 years before I was born. It was a favorite of mine. I could have bought one for $50 in 1955, but didn't have the $50  LOL

So for today:

Cars have improved so much  since my first car. The dimmer switch was on the floor. Trouble was the master brake cylinder was under the front floor board also and It was a pain to add brake fluid, many of us had leaky brake cylinders back then, A/C was a good add also. Bad thing was the engines needed over-hauling around 60,000 miles. Now we actually seldom have a break-down of any kind if the cars are maintained; Son Jack just said good by to a Honda van with over 300,000 miles on it.  Yes cars are much better today. Jack also has an older electric car.  He likes it.

I am not so sure they are good for the environment, I mean that is a lot of battery acid that will go to the land fills over the years.. OUCH

Oh, and those wind turbines, WOW do you know one of the newer ones can furnish power for 460 homes? That is amazing.  We know a man in Maine who has his own personal turbine and it serves his home and he sells some to the Maine Power companies. NICE, our power bill is usually over $100 a month in the summer.  We don’t have the wind here so that idea is out.

I cannot find definite output from  those solar panels I see.  I am always concerned then may cause the roof to leak at times.

How do you feel about electric stuff nowadays? i.e. wind mills, solar panel and cars?

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  thinking of you……. jack

Sorry ‘bout that!

 Photo of the day:

                                My daddy and Mama in 1924

For now:

 I enjoy reading blogs,  I am finally finding the ‘gumption’ (mama's word) to TRY to get back ‘IN STEP’ and even comment a little.

Today I read more about SMALL (BIG) problems of getting older.  If you had a good home life growing up it is hard to put yourself in the situation some kids found themselves in with no loving parents and being dropped into an older grandma’s lap, or the home of a stranger..

I have said it here before, once in the USMC chow hall I commented, ‘this sure isn’t my mama’s cooking’. From Down the table  came the comment, “YOU got that right, this stuff is great!”  So I learned every boy’s mama wasn’t a cook. LOL

BTW, chow hall cooking was good, it just wasn’t mama’s.  Foods I had never seen before leaving home and eating in a mess hall were: Cauliflower, broccoli, Asparagus, ‘sweet cornbread’, Brussel sprouts and a few more I am sure. LOL

I ate good growing up anyway!

 

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

Okay, if I were a real conversationalist, I would have said…

Sherry, ahead of me, somewhere in the North East on the Appalachian Trail.  we loved scenes such as this. I have told you many times My idea was to sell around the world, She come up with the idea of hiking the AT. Actually one of the better ideas we have had.

 Photo of the day:

For now

Three days or three hours later, have you ever thought, “I should have said ( some cool or cutting answer?) in a conversation. That has been  and is  a problem of mine. I have opinions like everyone else, of course they may not correspond with yours and many others, but they still have merit or I would not have them.

As I get older my abilities and talents are still admired (it seems) by many folks.  In my life and even lately I have solved lots of problems.

I mentally draw back when I state my opinion, and all of a sudden I am am idiot, in a friend or family member’s opinion. Yep, all of a sudden my opinion is ignorant, out dated or plain stupid. It is obvious I have no idea of what I am saying. LOL

Shucks, just this evening I broke my watch band.  It is of course a $16 Casio, no longer the solid gold Bulova I once wore, and I like the Casio even better. (The expensive watch is in a drawer somewhere)   But I did fix the old Casio.. I am pretty danged resourceful, along with being cheap. LOL

I have found that I am the smartest man in the world, when I am needed.  Otherwise I am just that old man who THINKS  he can do stuff.

I just wanted to bitch a little.  Love you guys who read, yeah you too Buddy (love you dude). We heard from our friends Dallas and Marion (I forget if that is supposed to be Marian or Marion) Sherry is asleep or she would tell me. Anyway Dal reminded me I had not blogged much lately.

I am supposed to be in bed. I am old you know…. It is after 11 pm

More in the next day or two.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

 

PS 2: Not sure if that is a Boliva or not, I think Sherry bought it for me I do know it was a good watch.

A cup of coffee

 Unless I forget, I get the coffee ready for each morning the evening before. I make what they call 8 cups.  I never thought of it as 8 measured cups, I just knew by making what Mr. Coffee calls 8 cups, actually gives us two mugs. My mind reads 8 cups as 8 mugs, but of course it is not!

I shot a couple more pictures of the apartment. This is the entrance door. I cut thru the 12" blocks to get it.  I laid some brick and it is ready for the small deck to be put in.

That door is a steel entry door.  It was being thrown away in a remodel in front of us. Offered $50 for it and they said no, it is trash and free. This door new is right at $200.

Just inside the door is the foyer, straight ahead is the living room those bi-fold doors to the right enters a large storage area.  Those doors were free also, friend Bobby Franklin gave them to us. 

Below is the kitchen sink & cabinet, Now finished also.

WE have a very depressing story next door. I have mentioned Jim Arp, locally very famous, at one time was lead singer and spokesman for some of the largest rock and roll bands.  After his time of fame as an actor and disk Jockey Jim passed away over a year ago and his home has fell apart. Jim had become a hoarder.

The front door is open, this is looking in the front door.

Buzzards actually live inside the house.  It was surveyed a week or so ago, so maybe someone is gonna tear it down and build.  It sure will improve our neighborhood.

Jim was a great guy, his mind slipped away. 

You all take care, I will try to do better. I do enjoy reading your stuff also.

Nite Shipslog

Yep I am cheap,  much of the materials I used in the apartment came from gifts and off FB Market place and Ebay

The Apartment, coming to a close in a couple weeks

 I am hoping I have some pictures.  I feel so dumb at times just trying to use a phone, PC or my simple camera.  I ordered a simple camera (I THOUGHT).  I am only a point and shoot kind of guy. But I do not know when I am taking  a movie or snap shots.  OUCH!

Some pictures, methinkss...

Above  is what I started with..

This is the main open area, living room, kitchen, dining areas. That ceiling was tough. I have a rough time working over my head. A contractor came thru once as I worked on the ceiling and asked where was my help, you  certainly cannot do a suspended ceiling by yourself? I pointed out my two 'dead men' (A term used for extra supports as I work) I move them around to hold up the 12 foot stuff while I level and tie it to the floor above. LOL

Kitchen stove to be added later of course.

looking into bedroom #1

This is the china hutch with the doll I saved from the trash. That doll waS OWNED BY OUR NEIGHBOR for over 50 years. (Long story there)

above ios Bedroom 2 according door on closet.

This is a necessary room, a pump room. the basement is below sewer level so waste must be ground and pumped up and out to city sewer. This was one of the hardest jobs I had to cut thru 4 inches of concrete. That container is buried 30 inches into the ground.

Bathroom of course.

Terrible shot of the shower; I had messed with this camera too much and the battery was dying.

This is looking from the pump room back to the entry way which houses a 8x10 storage room and a foyer.

My doll has kept me company as I worked.

My working and staging area. in the joining garage. The washer and dryer will be here in this area.

I hung 68 sheets of drywall and finished and painted it. added right at 900 sq ft of suspended ceiling. I plumbed and wired this place. I had help unloading one load of drywall.

Sherry hasn't fussed (much) but she has made it clear this is the last BIG job of an 86 year old man.  I am tending to agree with her.

I am trying to settle down and realize I cannot fix all family problems.  I  pictured retirement as having NO problems. I was once teaching a SS class and mention a friend in the audience. I said, "Wouldn't it be nice to be like the Rev.  QJ Cox. RETIRED and not a worry in the world.  He smiled really big and winked at me.  After class, he came up and said, "It may take a few years son, but you will learn a lot of things when you get OLD!"

Boy, was he right!  LOL

Sending love and good thoughts your way

Nite Shipslog

Trying, but not too much success, LOL

 Photo of the day:

This is the rear of the Duplex (condos). On the far left you can see the door to the basement apt on that side. Now I have cut a door into the grey concrete on the far right.

This is the front of the duplex. I am working under the left side.  We live in the far right (at present)

For now

In trying to keep my mind off ‘ current events’ (both family and national) I have lost myself in creating a 2 BR apartment in the basement of our ‘other’ condo.  Also in the planning stages is a move for us.

Above is the basement I am working on now.... This shot is just inside the open garage door on the right in the top picture.

Background: years ago we bought what we planned as our retirement home. An old house with several add on’s (LOL). We added a big carport for the motor home.  We actually never actually moved into the place but lived in our motor home in the back yard.  We finally sold it to our Granddaughter, and moved back here to our original condo. WE own the two condos (actually this is a glorified ‘duplex’ I built over 30 years ago), we traveled for years on the income from the two condos.

We approached Sherece our Granddaughter  about a trade.  We suggested  she move here into the Condo and we take her home back as our retirement home.  It is a little complicated, but she is agreeable to the trade. She lived here once as a teenager with her family for about a year while her dad (our son Mark) built their home.  She really likes the place and I think her daughter Stella is very happy with the possibility. Stella starts HS next year and this place is pretty close to the High School.  Stella is looking forward to claiming her mama’s old bedroom as her own.

The condo is valued a little more than the home.  The condo is in the city limits, the home is not. There are pros and cons about being in the city limits.

I have been trying to put this entry together for a few days. I will try to take some pictures of the bathroom, it is finished. The electrical is done, the drywall is hung finished and mostly painted. It needs flooring and a ceiling. Since I said that the ceiling is 90% in place.

I cut thru 12” concrete block to put an entry door in place.

More in the next day or two.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

God has allowed us to meet some of the best folk on the planet, in person. and here on the net, thank you for being here…  I have been trying to keep up and have enjoyed your blogs and comments….  Until later……. jack

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

               My mother,  Grace Missouri Loyd Darnell (Born 1905)

            Sherry's mother...Susie Geneva Hawes Harris (Born 1904)

The Best Mother's in the World... One of the Blessings of Life

(A few things in the world, we can all have the BEST)

 Today is special, so for all you MOTHERS out there we hope it is the Best.  In my opinion none of us men can EVER know the feelings of a Mother.  I have seen firsthand the closeness of girls with their mother's.  Only a girl can truly understand the position of a LIFE giver.  WE (everyone) can see the apparent problems in motherhood as she carries US.  We men can only imagine the conversations between a mother and that child she carried.

But no words could EVER explain the fullness of motherhood, no matter how hard we try.

LOVE YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS YOU ON YOUR DAY!

Night Shipslog