Party Feets 1

Here's
a
few
feet
from
Young
Granddaughter's
Birthday
Party!

Another One Bites The Dust

The weather has been getting warmer. But there is still the need for that little bit of extra warmth, and hence, Firewood.
We have been getting by all winter, by cutting some of the dead trees still standing around here. Well, we have pretty much got the easy stuff already.
This was one The Fuzz had had his eye on for some time. It was at the edge of the woods, along the road. But there was a bit of a complication involved. The tree was quite dead, and really needed to be taken down. But it was not quite vertical. It did have a bit of a lean to it. And that lean, would bring it down, right on top of the power lines.
This can be seen at the arrow in the pix at the right*.
And so, that resourceful Fuzz got out his 100 ft rope, and his trusty Comealong. His Sweetie helped out there, at the critical moment, and the tree was dropped where desired, thus sparing those important power lines.

*As always, Click on the Pix for an even better look!

Tarped Up

The winter had been hard on our Patio Tarp. But really, it was already old and quite warn out. But, we would be wanting one before long. So The Fuzz stopped in at the local Cheap Surplus Tool Etc. Place, and grabbed a few cheap ones.It turned out that "Cheap" was certainly the correct description. They are about as heavy duty as toilet paper. But since we already had them, The Fuzz put them up anyway. He and His Sweetie put their heads together, and came up with this confusing arrangement of tarps and ropes. It was in part inspired by something seen on a visit to one of those Big Cities, the Home of a Famous University.
The theory being, that 3 smaller tarps would catch less wind. Thus, being less likely to be torn to shreds. Well, time will tell. The Fuzz figured that even if these flimsy things tear up, it will be a relatively simple matter to replace them with some similar sized ones of better quality.

Sign of Spring

Friday and More

It's a rainy weekend here in the woods. And, one would suppose, on the road. But The Fuzz and His Sweetie did enjoy another Free Friday with the new work schedule and all.
They wanted to find a place where they could enjoy a small "Second Breakfast" and some coffee. They like to just hang out a bit for some sketching and perhaps a bit of writing.
In an effort to find a new place and a change of scene, they stepped into the local IHOP. As they were seated, and scanned the high priced menu, they realized this was not what they were looking for, and cut a trail out of there.
Their next attempt worked out a little better at Jack In The Box. It seems to be more their speed. The Fuzz's Sweetie even had a "buy one, get one free" coupon that came in the mail! And, they had Kona Coffee! So they did get to enjoy their Friday Coffee Outing after all.
The picture here, has nothing to do with that, of course. This is The Fuzz's Brother, and Family's little home away from home. We were pleased to enjoy a visit from them this weekend. It was a bit wet out here in the woods, but we had a good time, and were glad to see them.

Effore

By the time it was getting light, he had found some canned ravioli in a cupboard, and managed to open it somehow with a kitchen knife. He only cut himself once, and that wasn't too bad. He was hungry enough that even the cold ravioli tasted good. And he couldn't see the blood in the dark.

He still didn't know where everyone had gone. Even if the power was out, there should still be people out and about. The quiet was starting to get to him. And where was Jeffry, his roommate?

He found him in his bed, stone cold, with Cheryl beside him. Finster's blood ran cold. He backed out of the room. He needed to get out, but was afraid of what he might find in the passage outside. It seemed empty, looking though the peephole, so he got his nerve up and opened the door.

It was empty. He walked to the stairwell, and down the flight of stairs to the ground. Outside was empty silence. He walked to the strip mall at the end of the block. The stores were all locked. But it was still early, he reasoned. Crossing the street, he entered the Quickie Mart on the corner. The door had been open, but still, he saw no one. Then, in the back, he saw Raffi, the owner, asleep, sitting with his head on his desk. When Finster went to wake him, he found that he was dead too.

He began to panic. Running back to his apartment building he began pounding on the doors. No one answered. Finally, he used a cement block to break down one of the doors. Inside, he found nothing but corpses. Now he was sure he was mad.

In March

In March
the wind
blows down
the door
and spills
my soup
upon the floor
it laps it up and
roars for more
blowing once
blowing twice
chicken
soup and
rice!

Thank you, Maurice Sendak

Efthree

The next time he woke, all was quiet. It was dark, there was no TV. There was some light from the window. It must be the moon, he thought. But why were there no streetlights? And why was it so quiet?

He found that he could move again. And he was thirsty. He got weakly to his feet and stumbled toward the kitchen. The apartment was dark. When he tried the lights, nothing, but he found the refrigerator in the dim light from the window. The bottled water inside was warm, but he drank it thirstily. The power must have been off for a long time already.

He wanted something to eat and found some bread. But he was afraid of the ham he found in there. There was no telling just how old it was, and it was warm too. At least his appetite was returning. He found some cheese, and gave it the sniff test. It passed, barely.

He seemed to be getting his strength back, somewhat, and made his way to the window. The whole neighborhood was dark, and the street was empty. It was like the whole town was deserted. He wondered what time it was, or even what day it was. He looked at the clock on the TV, but with the power out, it was dead too. His cell phone was dead also.

He would just have to wait it out until morning. In the distance he heard a dog barking. At least there was something alive, somewhere.

Eftue

He became aware of the TV first. It was still on, but there was nothing but white noise and a blank screen. He was still on the couch. Indeed, he couldn't move at all. He wasn't even sure if he was still breathing. But he must be, assuming he was still alive. And he thought he was, even if he didn't feel like it.

Then, he became aware of the voices in the other room.
"A man and woman in here"
"And?"
"They're gone."
He heard someone enter the room, but the door was behind him and he couldn't see.
"And one in here."
The voice seemed familiar somehow.
"He's about gone too. Let's go."
Two men walked around the couch and toward the door. As they passed in front of the TV, Finster was shocked to recognize Mr. Porter. He wanted to call out, but even his voice was paralyzed. But in a moment he was glad for his silence, as he heard the men in the hallway.
"It's all going according to plan. Let's check the other apartments."
I must be delirious, he thought.

Efwon

No, he was not Ok. He woke with a nauseous feeling. His breathing was shallow. He was afraid to move, sure that he'd vomit if he tried. Lying on the couch, he could hear the TV newscast. It made no sense to him, but he didn't care anymore.

He heard a woman's voice though the ringing in his ears. It was Cheryl, his roommate's girlfriend. "Here, drink this she said". He opened his eyes slowly, and she handed him a glass. It was orange juice. Finster's hand shook so bad that he spilled half of it out, trying to reach his mouth. The TV droned on.

He had called in sick, yesterday, but couldn't even use the phone today. It must be that "Bug" that was going around. It seemed like half his coworkers were out with it already. Whatever it was, it was no joke. The supervisor was worried. They were already down to a skeleton crew, and somebody had to run the water plant. But the department head, Mr, Porter, seemed unconcerned.

He managed to catch a few words of the newscast. People were being advised to stay home if they were ill. The hospital was already becoming over crowded. It seemed like everybody was catching it. It had happened so suddenly. You had to wonder if it was a terrorist attack or something.

But the talking heads had assured all, that it was just a simple flu outbreak. The government was working on a vaccine which would be ready soon. There were rummers of some fatalities, but these were being blown all out of proportion it was said. Finster didn't know about that, but he did feel like he'd have to die, to feel better, himself. He drifted off again.

Motorcycle Repairs

The Fuzz's motorcycle has been off the road for a few months now. About the time the weather turned for the winter, his tag went dead. There were some issues involving State mandated inspections and such. He had a new tire waiting under the trailer. We hate to admit it here, but That Fuzz actually went outlaw for a bit and rode with a dead tag! Finally, one chilly morning, his clutch lever tore up. At that point, he gave up and parked the thing.With the new work schedule, and warmer weather, it is making more sense to get this machine back up and running, even legally.
And so, he went on over to the Motorcycle Dealer's Place, and ordered a Brand New Clutch Lever! Today, whilst enjoying his new Three Day Weekend*, he picked up his new lever, and made the swap.
There were some other issues to be dealt with also. I'm sorry to relate, that this time That Lazy Fuzz, elected to take it over to the shop. This required another "outlaw" ride. But the weather was beautiful, and he was able to avoid any unfortunate legal issues. It was a nice ride. Now all that remains is a wait. And no doubt a bill to pay. We'll let y'all know how this comes out.

*The Fuzz's Department is now working 4, 10 hour days, with Fridays off!

Still Here

Yes, The Old Fuzz is still living. But his health hasn't been quite 100% this past week.
He did manage to make it into work though. He's still fighting this cough though.
Last weekend he wasn't really up to working on the firewood situation. Fortunately, we were far enough ahead that that was not an issue. But that sort of thing doesn't last for ever. So, he did have to go out and work a bit on that this week.
This week we go onto a new schedule, 4 10 hour days. The Fuzz will have to get up a little earlier. And he will be later getting home. But those 3 day weekends should make up for it.
Here's a pix of the moon the other morning. The Fuzz keeps trying to make pix of it. It is a bit frustrating.

More MAINT REQ'D

It may be recalled, from our previous post, how That Industrious Fuzz revived from the depths of disease to preform that dreaded "Required Maintenance". It was also hinted that there was a bit more to this tale.
After his success at the oil change, he stepped inside to wash his greasy old hands.
Not having that fancy waterless hand cleaner, The Fuzz relies on that old standby, Dish Detergent. One drawback to this method is, that as a general rule, it requires water. As our hero was about to apply the stuff, he had a sudden flash of insight, and decided to see if there was any of that water available first. When he discovered a deficiency in this area, he slipped down under the house to investigate. It is not uncommon at this time of year, to turn off the pump, as a precaution against freezes.
The pump was, indeed cut off. But it had also, somehow, lost it's prime. Since The Fuzz's Sweetie has plans to use the house this week, he thought it best to address this situation as well. As he drew some water from the well, he discovered that there was a hole in the bucket. But since Eliza wasn't there, he said nothing about it. It was only a small one, and he was able to easily draw the necessary water to prime the pump.Happily, it only took a few tries to get things right. He was finally able to wash his hands, and His Sweetie will have water this week!

And don't forget about
Your Sweetie
today!

MAINT REQ'D

That dreaded moment had arrived. The Fuzz had ignored that little light long enough. Actually, he had been planning to take care of things this weekend. But then, he was struck down by disease. And it kicked his ass.
But, even an expert procrastinator, like The Fuzz, eventually has to face up to things like this.
He was beginning to feel like he had a bit of life in him again. So he headed off to town for the necessary supplies, oil, and a filter.
The Fuzz prefers to do this sort of thing back at the Old Home Place. Most of the appropriate equipment is there. And the ground is packed solid enough to support the necessary ramps. Out here in the woods, they would slowly sink down into the soft earth, lowering the vehicle on top of The Fuzz. This would make it difficult for him to breath. Perhaps, in his younger days, The Fuzz could have simply picked the car up and tossed it away in annoyance. But he has had to finally face the reality, that those days are gone.
The actual oil change went off without a hitch.
There is a bit more to this story, but we'll get into that later. Suffice it to say, that The Fuzz made it home intact. And with enough energy left for this post.
It looks like it's back to work tomorrow. There has been talk of switching to a 4/10 schedule here. But they keep putting it off. We'll just have to wait and see how that comes out.

Sickie

The Fuzz has been feeling a bit puny lately.
But this has given His Sweetie an opportunity to take on the roll of Nurse Stimpy.
It began at the start of the week with a scratchy throat. Tough guy that he is, he decided to just, "tough it out".
Even though he was starting to feel like crap, that loyal Fuzz still went in to work on Thursday.
But by Thursday evening, he felt more like this little guy.
We did feel it best to cancel our planned family gathering for tonight.
It was out of the desire to not pass this around any more.
We are glad to report, that as a result of this TLC, he is feeling a little better now.
He even felt up to this brief post.

Tequila

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Slow Day

A gloomy day.

The Fuzz is having just a bit of trouble with the old back again. Nothing serious, but he requested a day off to give it a bit of a rest. So here he is at home in the woods just keeping the fire going so it will be warm when His Sweetie gets home. He's mostly OK. But if he's up for long, he gets a bit sore.
He walked up to the Mailbox, but the flag was still up. So it looks like he'll have to try again later. Not a real exciting day. And it's only the First of February.

Hang it Up

Ever since we had moved into this trailer, The Fuzz had plans to hang one of his rifles on the wall. But the old gun racks from the old place were unsuitable. He had something in mind, but even though we were out here in the woods, he never seemed to find that just right piece of wood. Then, he found this one, at work. It sat in his closet for a long time. But today, he finally pulled it out.
The weather has been really nice out here today. The fuzz sharpened up his chainsaw, and took down a couple dead trees. Even That Young Daughter got in on it, helping to get the wood into the wood stack. Then, after a snack, it was time to work on this long delayed gun rack.And here it is. Nice, ain't it.

Flick-Of-The-Week

The Fuzz can't re- member just how this thing got on our Netflix cue, but it was the Flick-Of-The-Week for us.
Micmacs
But it was pretty good. A little strange, but good. In fact, The Fuzz kept it an extra day, just so he could watch it again. But he does seem to like weird stuff sometimes. He liked City of the Lost Children too. But then,
The Fuzz has his weird side as well.

A-Maze-Ing

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had to take care of some business regarding the government. Since this could only be done between 9 am and 3 pm (with an hour off for lunch), and in another city, The Fuzz found it necessary to take a day off from work. So he and His Sweetie dropped the young'un off at the School House, and headed out of town.
They located the location, and since they were still a good bit early, headed over to a local Bojangles for a Hobbit style "Second Breakfast". The good news is that this business was concluded with out any unnecessary ugliness, and they could move on to bigger and better things.
One of those said things, involved dropping a tire off in another city. To get there, they had to pass though that other city, The Big City. One of the many attractions of this other Big City, is a brand new IKEA Store!
Now neither The Fuzz, nor His Sweetie, had ever had the IKEA Experience. So, being in an adventurous mood, they pulled into the parking lot, looking for an adventure. And there it was. A maze of amazing furniture with that Scandinavian touch. It is nice stuff. But this is where the "maze" comes into "amazing". There seemed to be No Way Out! And The Poor Fuzz and His Sweetie wandered though that amazing maze of home furnishings for what seemed like forever. Of course it wasn't, or else we wouldn't be writing this, would we.
But in preparing this post, The Fuzz took a quick look at Wikipedia. And having recently read "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", let's just say, he found it interesting*.
Well the rest of the trip went well. The tire was dropped where required, and The Fuzz and His Sweetie stopped for a great Chinese dinner on the way back to their own little town.

*Click on IKEA above for a ride into Wikipedia land.

More Home Improvements

When we bought this trailer, one of the things we found out was how crummy the electrical outlets were.
They were just, flat out, wore out. We found that we had to bend the plugs on our light cords, just to make some kind of contact. And then, the plugs had a disturbing tendency to fall out.
The first time The Fuzz had to deal with these things, he found out that they were different than what he had always worked with before.
He slipped on over to the Home Improvement Store, but they had nothing like it. Apparently, he would have to replace them with the Normal kind.
Unfortunately, the normal kind requires a slightly larger hole.
It was time to break out that faithful Dremel Tool again. He chucked up one of those neat little cutting bits that look like drill bits, and went to work on the wall. He was careful not to cut the wires, which would have made this whole exercise pointless.
It might be worth mentioning at this point to any who might be involved in a similar situation, always remember to TURN OFF THE POWER*. This can easily be accomplished at the breaker box. I am happy to say that The Fuzz did not neglect this necessary step.
And of course, here is a look at one of the several replaced electrical outlets. And they work just fine.


*Another useful Techno-Tip!

A Seedy Bunch

With all this winter weather, it was time to give some thought to our little feathered friends. The Fuzz's Sweetie had procured a nice 25 lb sack of Sunflower Seeds.
Once the word got out, they swarmed the place.
These little fellows don't have very good table manners though. They tend to waste a lot, which ends up on the snow.
Fortunately, they provide their own Cleanup Crew. This is a rather lousy picture. It was made though the window screen.
And here's one last Birdie Pix.
We did have a time with all the snow. The Fuzz had 2 days off work. Of course when he did go back,There was a bit of a scramble to catch up. People don't stop eating, just because it snowed.

And here's a last shot of the doggies. That little one doesn't seem to want to come out and play.

Another Snow Day

With all this nice winter weather, our wood pile was getting a little low.
But since The Fuzz's day job was on hold, because of the snow and ice, he had time to break out that Little Green Chainsaw.
It was still a bit cold out there in the woods, but that dependable little machine cranked right up for him. There were a couple of dead trees near by that he had previously marked for the wood pile.And so he pulled on his bibs, and boots, and headed out into the snow.
This first one gave him just a little trouble, hanging up in one of it's neighbors. But that Skillful Fuzz was able to get it down without hurting himself.
Back in the Old Country, we used to have sleds and toboggans to use in these situations. But the snow wasn't really all that deep, and it was still cold enough to keep it from balling up on the wheel, so That Fuzz was able to use his faithful wheelbarrow to carry the wood back to the trailer. Now the Doggies are enjoying this nice warm place.
He does expect to make it back to work tomorrow. But it will be rather busy the rest of the week.

Snow Days

I think we may have mentioned something about a "chance of snow" in The Fuzz's last post. Well, when he got up this morning at around 5 am, this was the scene from the door. The school people here, have some kinda fancy new system that robo calls everyone to tell them "No School Today". But of course we already realized that. But, rather than drive 8 miles into town though the snow, The Fuzz had the sense to use the telephone this time. The garbage will have to wait today.And, this motor vehicle will just stay buried today.
Now, they're talking about Freezing Rain tonight. Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Winter & Middle Earth

The Fuzz realizes this will not impress any of y'all Yankees out there, but it was just a wee bit on the cool side this morning.
This is a look at The Fuzz's Brand New Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer.
But that's OK. The plan for today, is our Annual Movie Blowout. This started several years ago with the original Star Wars Trilogy. This Year we're going for the Lord of the Rings!
There does seem to be a chance of snow tonight. We'll just have to see how that turns out. It certainly is cold enough.
But for now, it's off to Middle Earth!

Snow Pix

The snow is pretty much gone now.
But-

Here's how things were in the morning on Boxing Day.
Days like this remind The Fuzz of the Old Country, so he couldn't resist the urge to take a walk down in the woods.
Here's a shot where two of the small creeks come together.But, as was said, the snow is gone now.
The Fuzz finally finished off "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", staying up to 01:00 (without coffee) to do so.
But now, it is getting late, so it is time to bid all, Goodnight.

Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2010

Hello 2011