News
2006.06.26–Alfred, Ohio. Steve and Mary Ellen should be at the Akron airport as I write this heading back to Boston. It wasn’t my first thought to get up this morning. Can’t imagine how it was for them at 3 or 4 when they had to leave.
2006.06.25–Zanesville, Ohio. Joe, Angie, Jeanie, and I drove up to Zanesville to visit with Steve and Mary Ellen. Our original plan was to meet and go to Adornetto’s. We ended up at Ellen’s house because one of Joe’s old college buddies and his parents was there. He had adopted one of the pups from one of the dogs that Joe and Angie has. I’ll admit, it was a good looking, well mannered dog.
We had pizza on the patio. Tasty! It was good to see everyone again. I think everyone had a nice time. Annie was bugging Steve and two very well behaved tykes we had met at their wedding were staying there as well. Man, have they grown. Thanks Ellen for having us over. We stayed longer than we expected so it was a late night getting in. We are all sure to have a grumpy Monday.
2006.06.24–Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie were over today helping us get ready to get ready to build our garage. We all work pretty well together. I’m hoping that we can return the favor soon when it comes time to paint their house.
Joe and I were discussing problems with my plans for a garage I’m getting ready to build. I had always imagined that the doors would open to the West. We have cleared the area and placed concrete blocks at the corners to visualize where it would sit and realize that it doesn’t really provide a sufficient turning radius to comfortably get the vehicles in and out. I told Joe that I was thinking of turning the whole thing 90 degrees and having the doors open to the South and position it at the end of the driveway. I’m not crazy about that idea as it would cut off easy access to the barn area but don’t see another viable option at the moment.
Joe looked at me and said, “You are planning on building a rectangular garage”. I replied, “Yep, just not certain which direction it should face.” Joe: “That is pretty out of character for you isn’t it dad?“ I’ll admit that hit me like a ton of bricks. That would be way out of character for me. When we got home we were drawing all sorts of designs. It may still be a saltbox when I’m done but it will only be after I’ve given ample thought to it. Want to try your hand at being an architect? Send me your designs and I may just build it. Here are my requirements and constraints:
- room for two cars
- room for a small workbench
- room for additional storage (thinking about a second floor or attic)
- room for a bathroom (optional, still thinking about this)
- building materials will likely be all masonry
2006.06.23–Alfred, Ohio. Jeanie and I went to the movies tonight and saw The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. It was good to get out.
This has been a very busy summer so far and I really welcome a day without many demands on my time. Perhaps I will be able to get caught up on some of my readings.
2006.06.22–Alfred, Ohio. We had a few thunderstorms roll through this evening. Jeanie and I both noted that we don’t seem to have so many nor so violent thunderstorms as in years past.
2006.06.21–Alfred, Ohio. Today is the summer solstice. Enjoy!
2006.06.20–Alfred, Ohio. We signed the papers with the State of Ohio today. Our settlement date should be August 1. We have to pay property taxes up to that day. Jeanie went to the Athens County Auditor to ask them how much our taxes to that point would be. They could not give an exact figure because there is an election this year. Let me state that again. The county auditor does not know what our taxes will be as of August 1 because there will be an election in November. There may be a levy on the ballot… it may pass. If so, the taxes are collected from the beginning of the calendar year. It is true, you know I couldn’t make that up.
Installed the drivers and associated software on my neighbors computer.
2006.06.19–Alfred, Ohio. Happy Birthday Kate!
“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it”– Aung San Suu Kyi. Happy Birthday Lady!
Formatted and installed Windows on my neighbors machine that was brand new back on September 21, 2005 due to a virus.
2006.06.18–Alfred, Ohio. Oh boy, oh joy! I was talking with Doug today on the phone trying to help get some photos of his to a blog he has. That ended in abject failure because I’ve not used blogger forever and couldn’t tell him how to do it. However, we were talking a little off topic and found out that he has an old Troy-Bilt tiller that he is willing to sell. That is EXACTLY what I’ve been needing. Perfect!
Why so happy? Well, Troy-Bilt no longer builds Troy-Bilt. Troy-Bilt machines these days are built by M-T-D products. In fact, most small engine consumer products are built by M-T-D. They buy well known quality brands and continue selling them (at premium prices of course) even though they are now being built by M-T-D. Kind of like paying full price for a Rolex knock off. No thanks!
2006.06.17–Alfred, Ohio. After our chores were done for the day we headed over to Joe and Laurie’s house. Joe bough a PT cruiser convertible and we took a ride up to Marietta in style. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant they like and had a really good time. It has been far to long since we had seen them. We sat out in their yard and talked until the bugs chased us indoors. Indoors we continued our discussions for a bit and then showed them the forum. I hope that they will join us.
Joe and Angie stopped in to help with some chores. We are getting ready to build a garage and I needed some help moving an old riding mower to the dump. Joe really cleaned up some old weeds and brush to make it much easier on me. Angie meanwhile was helping us clean up the inside of the house. In all, it was a very productive day. Thanks Joe and Angie!
2006.06.16–Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie were here when I got in from working on the neighbors computer with get well balloons. We invited them to go white water rafting with us in August. Joe is excited, Angie wants to say yes but has a few reservations. I’m sure in the end they will go. That will make a full boat. Perfect!
My surgery went fine this morning. Everything is OK. It was just the worst diagnostic test you can imagine.
2006.06.15–Alfred, Ohio. Jeanie and the girls went out to a movie. I stayed home and got myself prepped for a minor surgery in the morning.
Jeanie called me at work today with some good news. The State of Ohio coughed up a couple thousand more. She was right! She agreed to sign now so it will soon be totally out of our name. What a long sad saga it has been. Fortunately, the ending will have a bit of a silver lining for us.
2006.06.14–Alfred, Ohio. Worked on the neighbors computer tonight until late. Not much luck.
2006.06.13–Alfred, Ohio. A neighbor stopped by tonight while I was working in the garden and asked if I could help straighten out his computer. He thinks it may have been infected with a virus. These are never fun. :(
2006.06.12–Alfred, Ohio. Took off work early to meet with the State of Ohio again about our property in Coolville. They agree to buy it all. Now all we have to do is settle on a price. They are getting close. Jeanie thinks we can get a little more out of them. We will see.
2006.06.11–Cincinnati, Ohio. Aunt Pat, Dad, and I went to Brotherton’s in Mt. Healthy for breakfast. That is the only place I know that you can order Guetta off the menu. I’ve really come to look forward to having it. They must eat there quite frequently. Dad didn’t have to order, they already knew what he wanted.
How hard can a tree stump be to remove? Dad cut down a large tree in Grandma’s yard a good 10-15 years ago. I’ve been chipping away at it for the last couple of years but just playing with it. Dad asked that I take it out so he can mow a little easier. I went at it seriously today for several hours. A chip here, a chip there. We ended up with a lot of wood removed but the stump is still there and it is hard. Dad has a six foot steel bar with a chisel tip. I can still jab that into places of the stump and it sounds like I’m hitting an iron girder.
2006.06.10–Cincinnati, Ohio. I had a nice evening in Cincinnati today. Dad had bought a new couch and it must have arrived shortly before I did. He was out on the porch waiting on me and looked very good.
Dennis and Kim stopped by later in the evening. It was nice to meet Kim and it is always good to see Dennis. Samwise was playing that night and they invited me to go see him. I would have loved to have gone had Dad been willing to go but it was clear that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Dad has a form from Walgreen’s that was all screwed up. Medicare must suddenly need some additional info (Dad is 77). The government could certainly treat our seniors better. I can understand giving the health care providers a hard time to make certain they are fulfilling their end before providing payment but, trying to stiff the elderly (or make it so difficult for them that they give up trying) seems unbelievable callous to me.
2006.06.09–Alfred, Ohio. Called St. Joseph to schedule some tests and found out that I needed to come in for a preliminary exam to take the tests. Fortunately, they were able to see me today. When I got there, they needed the orders from the doc. Again, I was fortunate that I had them out in the car. You can not imagine how angry I would have been had they made me drive all the way in and sent me back home. The whole medical profession could do a lot better.
2006.06.07–Alfred, Ohio. Happy 3rd Anniversary Joe and Angie!
2006.06.06–Alfred, Ohio. Took today off for a mini vacation. Actually, I just don’t like the date. It is not the wrath of God I fear. Thinking about it for a moment, it occurs to me that I have very few fears anymore. Life has been very good to me. I enjoy my days and look for ways to make things a little better than they were yesterday.
2006.06.03–Alfred, Ohio. I was pulling weeds from our flower garden and saw them pull in. Angie walked up dressed in a bathrobe, Joe got out of the car in a shirt and tie. My head is spinning at this point wondering what exactly is going on. It turned out that they were on their way to a wedding and Angie didn’t want to get anything on her dress.
2006.06.02–Alfred, Ohio. Joe, Angie, Jeanie, and I met after work for dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s. Afterwards we went to the Athena Grande and watched The DaVinci Code. My expectations were pretty low. The book had not impressed me and the reviews have not been all that hot. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to watch and enjoy the movie.
Of course the real treat for me was just spending a little time with everyone. It is always nice to go out on a Friday night with people you enjoy being with.
2006.06.01–Alfred, Ohio. A unexpected package was sitting on the doorstep. I realize that my feelings of innocence are lost. Rather than having an immediate sense of joy, I take a moment to reflect and examine the package before reaching for it. I see it is from Doug, so the joyous feeling now comes easily. Sad that it could be any other way.
