Tristan and the little baby Elliott are chillaxin' and having a great time together.
2015/12/22 15:00 Today is the day they are putting the insulation into the attics.
2015/12/05 23:00 Karen and I went to the BEA (Bristol Employees Association) Christmas party. It was Karen's first time attending the party as a retiree.
Karen says buh-bye.
2015/12/09 14:00
I had a custom header done for over the garage doors. It came out very sweet.
We went to Tristan's Christmas concert.
It is a holiday tradition for us. We go every year.
2015/12/23 23:30 Michael and I went to see the new Star Wars movie today. It has been out for over a week. We caught the early show around six. It was still pretty well attended and there were even more people waiting for the later show. I have to say it was worth the hype. I will probably go to see it again.
2015/11/28 20:00 I cooked my Thanksgiving turkey today instead of on Thanksgiving proper. I did the turkey from a Julia Child recipe. I removed the legs and the backbone. For the legs I removed the thigh bone and spread spices inside and then trussed up the legs. Started cooking the breast first and then added the legs later. I really liked how the legs turned out.
Zoo camp and a hedgehog. This hedgehog is no relation to Spiny Norman. Spiny Norman is the most famous hedgehog that I know of. Spiny Norman is in fact probably the most famous hedgehog in the world. The Piranha brothers, Doug and Dinsdale, were career criminals in London. They were born, on probation, in 1929. They formed a gang, which they called “The Gang”, and began their reign of terror with extortion, violence, and the use of sarcasm. They were very fond of nailing people’s heads to the floor or sometimes to coffee tables. They were also known to screw people’s pelvises to cake-stands. Dinsdale was very frightened of Spiny Norman an (apparently) imaginary hedgehog that lived in a hangar at Luton airport. Spiny Norman was said to be twelve feet from the tip of his snout to his anus.
"Light the tree already!!"
Tristan is a huge Minecraft fan. I got him a creeper sweatshirt at Target today.
The kids were hard workers and tenacious when it came to removing nails.
Selfie stick fun on a Christmas day.
2015/12/15 19:30
2015/11/29 17:00 There was more construction today with a break taken at McDonalds.
Soffit and fascia installed over the garden window.
We got our Christmas tree at Home Depot again this year.
The old clapboard on the back addition has been removed including from the gable and the plywood installed.
2015/12/04 18:00 Comfort Windows is the company doing the new siding for the house. It is a big job that has just gotten bigger. When the shingles were removed we discovered that there was no plywood sheathing. The only thing under the shingles was what they call brown board. It is a pressed product that is basically just heavy duty cardboard. I am having the brown board removed. Where there was old blown in insulation it had settled and that is being removed. In most places we are going right down to the studs and putting in new insulation and new plywood. The contractors started on Wednesday and by Friday had finished most of the tear off. I went to pick up my grandkids, Tristan and Alice, who haven’t seen the house since the re-construction started. The house looks a little rough. Tristan, who is 8, is very very protective of his little sister Alice, who is 4. When he saw the house he told Alice to wait by the van. He walked to the front of the house and walked along the front wall placing his hands here and there and pushing this and that. Once he determined the house was structurally sound he gave the ‘all clear’ and told Alice it was safe to enter.
Alice sat with us during the concert.
Poor Brego. She can't go outside because of the construction. There are people all around the house banging on the walls. What's a dog to do?
Tristan and Michael dressed alike for the holiday. I don't think they planned it.
The little baby Elliott is still really enjoying grandpa daycare.
Karen is less than enthused about the time I am spending working on the new wall. She has named it the ‘project from Hell’.
The whole house will be wrapped, taped, and sealed with foam board or the house wrap.
2015/12/07 16:00
2015/12/08 16:00
There was a Christmas on the Death Star gingerbread house.
Even the octopus got to play with a pumpkin.
2015/12/21 21:00 There has been a lot of stuff going on at the old homestead. We had the electric upgraded from 100 amp fuses to 200 amp breakers. We had a new pool put in. We had a new furnace installed and added central air. My Dad and I put a new wall on the addition on the back of the house and now we are having the whole house sided. When the shingles came off I found out there was no sheathing on the house. So, we had the brown board removed. The old blown in insulation had settled and so we had that removed We added new pink fiberglass insulation and new plywood sheathing. Since we had the gables off I decided to have the attics done. They are removing the old matted down insulation from the attic. They are sealing up everything in the attic and then putting in new blown in insulation with an R50 value. Because the house is being sealed up so tight the contractor did a health and wellness inspection testing the air quality. They didn't really like some of the numbers from the hot water heater. I had Holbrook Heating, the company that installed the new furnace and central air, come back out. They changed the vent and intake for the furnace - shortened the PVC pipes. I decided to go with a new high efficiency hot water tank. It is a direct vent. That means the exhaust from the combustion is vented out the side of the house not through the chimney. The furnace was already vented out the side of the house. The furnace and the hot water heater used to share the chimney. Now there is nothing using that chimney and so it was sealed off.
New vent for the hot water heater is the one next to the dryer vent.
Turkey time Jenga.
The kids really loved the climbing wall.
2015/11/14 23:00 We went to Chili’s for dinner tonight.
New plywood installed.
2015/11/23 22:00 There was more construction done today. My Dad, Robert, and I worked on the ‘project from Hell’ as Karen refers to it. While we did construction stuff Karen gave the little baby Elliott a bath in the sink.
Rants, Rambles, and Ravings. I start a new page here. In this country we love new beginnings and fresh starts. After all that’s why the pilgrims came here; looking for a fresh start. You can start over anytime you like. Write a new chapter. Or even toss the old book completely and reinvent and re-imagine everything.
America's next top model.
Alice was not bashful when it came time to load up on the appetizers.
No lights yet.
They started siding the wall that my Dad and I built today.
We like zoo camp.
This latest iteration of my rants and rambles will still be much like past versions. I will continue to share way too much information. I will continue to be as weird as always. I am most likely still incredibly boring.
2015/11/20 17:30 Today was Karen’s last day at work. Karen’s co-workers came out for lunch to see her off. The little baby Elliott and I went to Rico’s and met everyone there.
2015/12/11 15:45
More sheathing done. The contractors are due here in a few days.
We celebrated Robert's birthday later that afternoon after our trip to the Erie Canal Museum. My first born son is now thirty years old.
Some new wrap around Karen's garden window. Because of the side hinges the J-channel can't go directly against the window.
2015/12/01 13:00
When we got back from the mall the new electric had been secured to the new plywood.
New pink fiberglass insulation.
2015/11/11 20:00 I am still doing the grandpa daycare thing. Watching the little baby Elliott really puts a dent in the amount of time I can spend on my construction projects. Plus with the time change for Daylight Savings Time I get about 30 to 45 minutes of sunlight after my daughter picks up Elliott.
2015/12/10 15:30
2015/11/17 23:30 Is it too soon to be suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)? I am trying to get some construction done before the contractors come to side the house. It gets dark so early now. I get no sunlight to work in.
Down to the brown board.
The bears smashed the pumpkins and ate them.
Front of the house wrapped and sealed.
Elliott got to sit with the guest of honor.
The framing is done.
Back of the house wrapped and sealed.
2015/12/03 20:00 The materials for the siding job were delivered yesterday. The contractors started the tear off today.
That old air conditioner has to go.
On this side of the house the siding is complete.
2015/12/19 20:00
The rear of the house, including the addition and the new wall that my Dad and I built is wrapped, sealed, and ready for siding.
2015/11/07 23:00 The big project continued today. Previous owners had put an addition to the garage on the back of the house. I am putting a new wall up that will be sided by the contractors when they side the house. I have to get the new wall done before they come to side the house. I am in the demolition phase now. We are tearing off the shingles on the back part of the house. On the opposite side of the addition the existing wall will remain. I had the grandkids stripping the old shingles off that wall to expose the clapboard siding beneath.
Elliott and I were first to arrive.
Sheathing done on the new wall we added.
Elliott enjoyed 'Art Gone Wild'.
2015/12/31 17:00 Shopping at Wegmans on New Years Eve. Grabbing some provisions to watch the ball drop and usher in the new year.
The tree is lit. Hooray.
Soffit and fascia installed over the wall that my Dad and I built.
We went to Peppino's after the tree lighting for pizza. They don't sell slices. I thought it would be okay since we could take the leftovers home. Well, there were no leftovers. Alice can put away some pizza when she is hungry.
2015/12/20 23:30
First day in the high chair for the little baby Elliott.
Air conditioner has got to go.
khan tiki mon's rants and rambles v.9.84
Elliott made a new friend.
2015/11/27 23:00 There was more construction done today and then Alice and I went to Clinton Square downtown for the lighting of the Syracuse City Christmas tree.
Karen and I went to do some Christmas shopping at the mall. The little baby Elliott on the mall bridge. Karen and I brought our own stroller to the mall. If you rent one you have to put the baby in the seat.
The happy couple.
My daughter got me a selfie stick for Christmas. We should all be very afraid.
Adison gets the little baby Elliott each day when she gets out of work. Today she stayed for a little while.
It was a nice Thanksgiving holiday.
2015/12/05 14:00
2015/11/24 19:30 More construction was done today.
Photo booth fun.
Tomorrow is Saturday. The contractors are working tomorrow. Alice has zoo camp in the morning and then Karen and I are going to the Bristol Christmas party at night.
Later at night we went to Lights on the Lake at Onondaga Lake Park.
2015/11/26 23:30 It was Thanksgiving today. More construction was done in the morning and then later in the afternoon we went to Ruby Tuesday for Thanksgiving dinner.
2015/11/21 20:00
High efficiency hot water heater with direct vent exhaust.
2015/12/27 21:00 Trip to the MOST today (Museum of Science and Technology).
Measuring wingspans.
Tearing off the brown board and removing the old blown in insulation.
2015/12/17 19:00
2015/12/30 19:00 The siding job on the house won't be done this year. Comfort Windows will be back in the new year to finish. A little siding on the gable, some door trim, installing the lights, and hanging the gutters. Almost there.
No babies in the stroller bag.
Alice wore her reindeer glasses to get the tree.
The rear of the house just the gable end needs to be sided.
2015/12/26 20:00 We celebrate our Christmas on the 26th - the day after - because that's when we get the kids.
2015/11/01 09:30 Today is the first day of November. November is the last of the months of Autumn. There are big changes ahead for me and mine. My wife of 32 years is going to join me in retirement. My youngest son came to the house on Friday to do laundry and to work on his car in my driveway. He asked me, “So, Mom is going to retire? You are going to be alone together here every day? Just the two of you all by yourselves? Do you think that’s a good idea?” He thinks Karen is not going to be able to put up with me in a large dose. Time will tell.
Warm for the season evening in Armory Square.
Started sheathing the new wall.
After the concert we went to Al's and there was a band playing.
Rear of the house is almost complete.
We built gingerbread houses today. Actually Alice and Adison built a house while Tristan built a bank that was being robbed.
The little baby Elliott eyeing my much deserved Margarita.
Brego is helping to babysit the little baby Elliott.
The construction continues.
2015/11/20 23:30 This evening we went to the fundraiser at the zoo. The event is called ‘Art Gone Wild’. The animals paint pictures and then their art work is auctioned or raffled off at the soiree. There are hors-d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This was the first year that Karen went with us. First year for the little baby Elliott too.
More sheathing and the door installed.
I took Tristan to get his haircut. There must be some pretty bad ass stuff going on at Supercuts. Maybe at times during the day they cut hair with Samurai swords.
Sean and I went to SubRosa session at SubCat.
2015/12/06 19:30 We removed both of the old room air conditioners today. Mark was over and he was a big help. Actually Mark and Robert did most of the work. The air conditioner in the dining room was probably 35 or 40 years old and the size and weight of a small refrigerator.
2015/11/01 22:00 We went to the Rosamund Gifford Burnet Park Zoo today for the annual Squish the Squash celebration. Every year the zoo lets the animals squash some pumpkins. It's great fun.
Mark removed the old electric service.
We saw an IMAX film at the MOST on butterflies. It was a nice day.
Down to the studs.
2015/12/13 18:30
2015/12/12 22:30 Every year we go to the Erie Canal Museum for the annual gingerbread house display.