The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 1

It's about time for a post regarding The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure!

For some time, The Fuzz had been thinking of a motorcycle trip.  But there had been some problems with his bike.  On an earlier trip, the temperature gauge had quit.  By now he had determined that the motor was fine, he just didn't have a gauge to watch.  Then more recently, the tach quit.  Since both of these were in the same instrument, he figured that it was at fault, and the bike was basically sound.  But winter was approaching and soon it would be out of the question.  It was now, or never.
So he decided to try for a ride up through the mountains, to Virginia, to visit his sister.  He was just a little unsure about the bike, with the way things were quitting on him.  But hey, an adventure is supposed to be an adventure, isn't it?
So plans were made.  
The Fuzz got his stuff packed, there wasn't much.  One travels light by Motorcycle. He was up and ready to leave only a few minutes behind the target of 06:00.  With the bike packed, he fired it up and hit the breaks, only to find that there were no break lights... or tail lights!
This was not good, and of course it would have to be addressed.
So he unloaded the bike and discovered that both bulbs were burned out.  And in testing the circuit, he also blew out the fuse.  He had a spare fuse, but no bulbs.  So it was off in the car to find new bulbs.

He found some in a country store and made the repairs.

It was 2 hours late, but The Fuzz was finally on the road.

Near Disaster Cont.

Here's the latest on The Fuzz's Near Disaster.

The hand is still not quite back to 100% of course.  But it is healing nicely.  It was initially dressed with Honey.  The bandage is soaked off and changed every day.  The wound is treated daily with His Sweetie's Special Blend of Healing Oil, which works wonders.  We anticipate a full recovery, although there will likely be an ugly scar.  But, so what.
Another result of this Near Disaster has been the replacement of the crummy come-a-long, with a first rate model from the Tractor Supply.

Here's a look at the old, and the new.

The Fuzz's spiffy new come-a-long is loaded with features.

This is a heavier duty job all around.  The Hooks and cable are stronger.  And the sprocket should be as well.  It has a more positive locking mechanism, working on both sides of the spool. And the block will double the capacity, in this instance , up to 2 tons!
The fuzz scrapped the old one, saving the useful stuff, and throwing the rest where it belongs - the scrap bin.

Daniel Stowe: The Orchid House

The Orchid House

The Fuzz's Sweetie had been here before, but Our Fuzz hadn't yet.  So they opted for a quick stop before leaving.

Actually, they spent some time there.

It was impressive.

One of the workers there saw The Fuzz making some pix, and pointed out this one.

It might not look like much at first, but he told The Fuzz to get a closeup, and then blow it up.

Here's that closer look.

It's Hundreds of tiny Orchids!

Wow.

And here's just a couple more.

If you are ever in the Charlotte-Gastonia area, you should check it out.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had been planning a trip down to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens for a while now.  With The Fuzz not in much shape for much of anything else, and the promise of good weather, this was a good opportunity.

If you are ever in the area and are into this stuff, The Fuzz highly recommends it.

One thing that The Fuzz really likes about this place is the fountains.

And there are a bunch of 'em.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie strolled around the grounds enjoying the various plants.
There are a succession of gardens, with brick pathways connecting them.
In the back there is a nature trail of sorts, showing a North Carolinian Piedmont Meadow environment.  This also has a woodland loop overlooking a bit of Lake Wylie.
And of course there are more fountains.

And lots of photo opportunities!

Some folks like to take advantage of all this beauty for a bit of sketching.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie were thinking about leaving, and getting a bite to eat. when they came upon the Orchid House.

This was too good to pass up.

Driveway Clear!

We would like to report that the driveway is now clear, and The Fuzz's little paw is healing nicely.
Of course it will still be a while before he is 100% back in business.

In the meantime, he was determined to get those logs out of the way.  He found that he could manage to hold on to the saw.  He had to hold it with his foot in order to crank the thing.  It was a bit painful, but once it was running, with His Sweetie's help, they were able to saw up enough of the trees to at least clear a path for the car.  The rest will just have to wait a bit longer.

Near Disaster

The Fuzz admits that it has been a while since he posted here at Kinda Fuzzy.  But he has not been just sitting on his hands all this time.
There was The Great Motorcycle Adventure of course.  Hopefully there will be more on that later.  This post concerns trees, and near disaster.
Not long before the previously mentioned Motorcycle Adventure, The Fuzz and His Sweetie ordered one of those metal carports.  

Parking a white car under the trees (and birdies) gets a bit messy.  And of course there is the potential for falling limbs.  But a place would have to be prepared for it.
So a spot was selected near the Shed, where the car is usually parked.

But since we are in the woods here, it would be necessary to remove a few small trees, and one larger one (X).  Not wanting to drop this thing on the shed, and hoping to avoid getting it hung up in the woods, Our Fuzz resorted to a previously successful method, employing rope and his ragged old "come along".

Things started out well enough.  With His Sweetie's assistance, the tree was cut and started to fall in the chosen direction.
But there was a problem.  The tree hung up in another large tree across the driveway.
The Fuzz thought that a bit more tension on the rope should pull this stubborn thing free and onto the ground in the desired place.
Now came the 2nd hitch.
The Fuzz tightened this rig up about as much as he dared, with no success.  So he decided to move the rope and all, to another tree, so to get a better angle for dislodging this stubborn thing.

But as he was slowly easing the tension off, the gears in this ragged piece of equipment slipped, tearing open Our Poor Fuzz's hand!
At this point, The (now) Safety Minded Fuzz would like to point out that gloves would be a good idea for anyone involved in a similar project.

With this tree still hung up like this, The Fuzz felt that leaving it in this condition could be dangerous.  So His Sweetie wrapped up his mangled paw, and he went back to work.
By moving this rig to various anchor points, and finally even using that poor little Accord, they managed to finally get the tree unhung from where it was - And into another tree!

In the end The Fuzz was forced to cut this 2nd tree as well.
This resulted in both trees now blocking the driveway.
Well, at least they were on the ground.
Now it was time to have a look at the hand.
The squeamish may want to skip this part.

Showering

With the Family growing, it was time for another Baby Sower.  The Fuzz isn't sure why, but lately the Guys have been brought into these things.  But, it is an excuse to get the family and friends together.  And of course there was food and drinks.

One of the activities was to decorate up these "Onezies".

Here's a look at the collection.

The Fuzz has had a bit of experience, and is sure these things will come in handy.
Modern technology is amazing sometimes.

With Skype, this became an International Baby Shower!
Here's a look at the presents being opened.
Now we'll just have to wait to meet our newest family member.

Flowers

Fall Mornings

It looks like Fall is finally here.

There are some leaves beginning to fall, although they are not very colorful.

But the mornings are cool.

The Fuzz has made a fire a few times already.

He has been cutting a bit of wood off and on.

His shoulder is still an issue, but he is taking it slowly.

It's always nice to have some cooler days after the Summer.

Soon the Winter will be here, but there's no use rushing things... is there.

Late Summer Blooms 3

The Fuzz has  always been fond of Morning Glories.
These are over at the Old Place.

New Cover

A number of years ago- quite a number in fact, The Fuzz's Sweetie made him a present of this little Bible.  Well, The Fuzz has used it for years now and it had gotten to the place where the cover was pretty much worn out.  
The original cover (which we regret not to have a pix of) was blue leather and had a flap which snapped over it to keep it closed.  This was a nice arrangement and The Fuzz liked it.  But it was history.
Well, The Fuzz and his Sweetie have been looking into bookbinding some in the last year or so, and this looked like a prime candidate for a new cover.
Fortunately, the binding itself was intact.  All that was needed was a replacement cover.  The Fuzz is fond of leather and over the years has collected a bit of scraps and samples*.  So he pulled out a piece of a convenient size and went to work.
The first thing was to remove the old cover without ruining the binding.  This was a slow go, but eventually (with some good advice from His Sweetie) it was accomplished.
Then, the end papers were cleaned up and any damage repaired.
A piece of leather was selected, and trimmed to fit.  Since The Fuzz prefers a soft cover for this "Carry Bible", no additional stiffening was needed.  But this leather was much too thick to fold over the edges and was left as it was.  He simply glued it together, and left it pressed under a weight overnight.

Rather than trying to mount a snap, The Fuzz opted for a leather lace.  It holds the book closed nicely and is not really too much trouble to fasten with a simple knot.

The Fuzz is considering running a line of stitching around the edges.  But at this time it does not seem necessary.  It is holding up fine so far, and The Fuzz is quite pleased with it.


*One of the perks of the trash profession!

Late Summer Blooms 2

The Fuzz has  always been fond of Morning Glories.
These are over at the Old Place.

Magnetic Therapy

Ever since Our Fuzz's trip down the stairs, he has been having a bit of trouble with his shoulder and arm.  Things are getting so he can do pretty much what he wants to these days.  But there is still some discomfort in the old joints.

So when His Sweetie found these hematite beads* over at Sandy's, He decided to give it a shot.  It must be confessed that The Fuzz is  skeptical type.  But these things do seem to help a bit.  It may just be his imagination, but don't be surprised if you run into the old guy and he is wearing them.


*At one time- "Medical textbooks ... included magnetism as a therapeutic alternative for treating insomnia, migraine, fatigue, arthritis, and pain."

Late Summer Blooms 1

The Fuzz has  always been fond of Morning Glories.
These are over at the Old Place.

A Bit of Color

So, what else has been going on out here in the woods?

Well, painting for one thing. The Fuzz and all have finally gotten around to slapping some fresh paint on their Home in the Woods.

Once we got our new/old trailer out here, The Fuzz's Sweetie managed to slap a bit of paint on things.  But this was just a temporary measure.  Of course we are well aware of how those "temporary" things can turn out to be not quite as temporary as planned.

But The Fuzz and his Sweetie finally went over to the Home Improvement Store and had a few gallons mixed up.

Then, the Not So Young Anymore Daughter and her Friend got some rollers and went to work on it.

But there was still a bit of touchup brush work to do.  The Fuzz has been working on that some lately.

And here's a look at Our Now Colorful Home in the Woods!

Henna at Art Blooms

Well, it's been what?  10 days!

Is The Fuzz just lazy... or busy?

Well, we won't get into that right now.  But there has been a lot of stuff going on.  And one thing was a Henna Night at the Art Blooms.

The Fuzz actually has little to do with this, other than being along for the ride.  

Here at the Art Blooms they seem to be into a bit of everything.  The Fuzz and (more so) His Sweetie have gotten involved in a couple of these things.  Where else can you do Art Journaling with a bottle of wine?

But, this henna stuff really involves His Sweetie.

Here's a couple of pix.

Feet Pix

Actually, it was a pretty quiet night.  But we did have fun.  And these sort of things do give The Fuzz an excuse to get out of the woods on occasion.

Headliner

Wow, it's September already!  And a week since our last post.  Oh well.  But The Fuzz and His Sweetie have not been idle here in the woods.
A while back, whilst on a trip to party with the young'uns, The Fuzz and his Sweetie noticed a disturbing trend in their Luxury Vehicle.  A glance in the rearview mirror reveled that what had been a minor case of sagging headliner had become a major case of sagging headliner, and worse.

A quick stop was made at one of the many convenient Auto Parts Stores for some supper spray adhesive.  Having arrived at the destination, The Fuzz and His Sweetie proceeded to shoot a lot of glue up in there.  Then they pushed the fabric back where it was supposed to be.  It was a little wrinkled, but hey, it was up there again.
Unfortunately this fix was only temporary.  With another trip on the agenda, another quick fix was made.  This time Gorilla Tape did the trick.  (The Fuzz strongly recommends this product)  And it did hold.  But the center was still saggy, held only by the dome light and other fixtures.
The Fuzz thought briefly about seeking professional help for this, as it appeared to be rather intimidating.  But a visit to YouTube produced a helpful video of a man performing this very operation on an almost duplicate of this very vehicel!  So The Fuzz And His Sweetie figured that they would remove the headliner, and paint it, thus removing any chance of this occurring in the future.
Since many of these newfangled cars are equipped with airbags, The Fuzz thought it would be prudent to disable this safety feature, which can kill you, by disconnecting the battery.

He had lots of help*.

Next, The Fuzz and His Sweetie went to work removing the various fixtures that held the headliner in place.

This operation went surprisingly well.

The fabric is glued onto a plastic (The Fuzz guesses - all this stuff seems the same to him) form, which can be removed in one piece.

Here is a look at the headlinerless passenger compartment of said Luxury Vehicle.

The headliner was cleaned with wire brushes, and painted with Kilz.  This stuff is great.  The Fuzz's Sweetie even used it to paint over vinyl wallpaper in the Not-so-new Trailer.
The main challange here was to keep those "helpers" off of it until it dried.  The Fuzz had to finally stand it up on edge.  (Fortunately the little paw prints didn't show through on the finished project.)

Next the color was added.  This turned out pretty well also.

And here is a look at the headliner, reinstalled.  Total cost- less than 10 bucks for paint!  Let's see that come loose.

*A Techno-Tip - These guys come in handy when you need something to wipe your hands on!