Saturday, October 31st... We Hit The Roof A Runnin' And Didn't Do Too Bad......

We got up this morning and turned the critters loose to run and be happy, made some French toast for breakfast and then went out to the gift shop to try to accomplish a head start for tomorrow. Colleen and JD are supposed to come around ten in the morning to help get the rest of the purlings and roof on. If they do, we will also install the windows and door and it will then be closed in for the winter and we can work inside in any weather. Today we hit the front half of the roof with purlings and completed half of the front before my knees started to protest that, (and I was even wearing good knee pads) so I got down and we went to the other side and started installing the drip edge. We then started throwing the steel roofing sheets up. We almost finished the steep angled side, but I think there might be two more sheets to go. We are installing the inside foam sealers which will not allow any air or bees to enter the attic area by going up under the roofing ribs. They are now all filled with rubber filler strips and we have the others for the top which the ridge cap seals on too. I believe this is going to be a really nice application which will help to enhance the overall look of the gift shop and keep it extremely quaint and high class all the way. Below are the pictures of today's progress. Keep watching to see this project as it starts to really blossom.

Looking pretty good back here.....

We also got half the purlings on the front before my knees gave out...

Colleen and JD can finish them tomorrow...

Joe, our barn hand was here today and cleaned every one of the barns out and even under the bunny cages in the Brothel. He is a God send right now with the building we are doing. I took a few pictures of the Alpaca door where I placed a heavy cotton blanket we bought at the horseshoe guys place, just for the job of closing off the winter breezes and still allow the Alpacas to pass freely. We started about a month ago with the blanket mounted half on one side and the other half on the other with a five inch gap in between so the Alpacas would get used to going through it. THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT AT ALL!!!!!!!!! But they soon got used to it and we have been narrowing the gap ever since. Today we placed the two sides completely together. NOPE! DIDN'T LIKE IT AGAIN!!!!!! We came up with the idea to use a large safety pin and leave just a little opening pinned and again, let them get used to it being closed everywhere except a baseball sized spot in the middle. They are now working with it... not liking it, but working with it! Check out the facial features and contortions Iggy is going through. The one says "I Freakin' Hate You Bastard.... Leave Us ALONE!" Can you guess which picture that one would be? They make me laugh..... All the time. Just like the pictures below..... It's as if Iggy, (on the right) just noticed I changed the door opening. Just imagine the following......

Hey, what'd ya do to the damned door?

I really freakin' hate you buddy.... You're the freakin' pits to us Pal.....

I'd really love to plant my foot where you have your head half the time.....

You know....the thought of that just makes me laugh...Hahahahahaha...

You know.... I imagine he is saying all this stuff, just from the expression on his face.....

Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight.... The spooks and goblins need that extra hour to wreak their havoc.

Friday Evening, October 30th... What a Beautiful Evening...Love Those SHOTS!!

It's great to work and feel ok afterwards, so you can enjoy your progress. Today we decided I had rested enough to try performing a little work on the hospice gift shop. I haven't done anything but rest since the 28th when I got the shots. Well, we worked on the collar ties inside the roof so we had a horizontal ceiling in the center and angled on the outer ends...kind of like a barn roof. After setting all the collar ties, we moved to the purlings on the steep side of the roof. It is now ready for the steel roofing. Even after doing the collar ties and purlings, my knees and legs feel fine...something I haven't been able to say in a long, long time.

We were to go to Tannersville tomorrow to help our friend Jimmy, move a wood burner that is too small out of his house and help get a bigger one he purchased, moved back into the house and into position. Unfortunately, he was notified that his niece passed away and he called off the stove replacement tomorrow, so we'll have the entire day to work on the gift shop. We'll get the purlings on the front side and probably start the steel roofing. That's fine, because we want to get this puppy done. If we get the drip edge, roofing, end caps and ridge vent on, we will be ready to set the door and windows. I really don't care if we finish everything before our weekend help arrives. If so, we'll just visit and have fun. At least the brute will be finished! Below are some pictures of today's headway. We only worked from about twelve noon til about five this evening to accomplish this before going to Hollowbrook Farm Restaurant for a nice dinner. How nice.......




This side is ready for the steel roofing.....









The collar ties are now in place to form the ceiling too.....





Looking the other way at the ceiling....



This is the bundle of steel roofing, drip edge, end caps and vent cap.... ready to go on....

Friday, October 30th... Tomorrow is Halloween and The End OF October......

Now I've been spouting off about this for the last few months and I don't really like it, but again... we are barreling down the highway of life at breakneck speeds. (even me on worn out knees) I no more than mention Labor Day, than before you know it, it's Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years.... Then the long, cold winter! My how times is flying and taking our lives with it! Somehow, we need to find a way to slow the progression of life to a more enjoyable speed...one where you can relish each and every day, hour and minute we breath. I hate missing this for that... and doing this means I can't do that, etc. We should be able to be productive, enjoy our lives and contribute to others care and enjoyment of their lives by helping them, without missing our own enjoyment to do so. It seems that to complete the hospice gift shop, we must forfeit our own schedule for enjoyment and labor each day at the building site. If that is what it takes, I guess my commitment to giving back in this way will take priority over my own desires to do other things related to the season, because I made a solemn promise to provide a viable way to solicit funding for the hospice program and the folks who need it. Their immediate needs could be so much better if only the program had more funding to provide more extensive services and had more volunteers that could tend to patients. Both Vicki and I feel that our contribution and the support and monetary contributions of local people and visiting, vacationers or travelers will help to provide that boost in funding needed to supply increased services. Both Vick and I will continue to bust our butts to finish this project and provide a quaint little shop to bolster the hospice program of the future. We will accept help from anyone wishing to contribute. We have installed a "Donate" button on the blog page which allows anyone to contribute funding Via Pay-Pal, which is quick easy and safe to use. Best of all, it can be performed on-line from the comfort of you own home.

I think we will work on the gift shop today. I'll never be any better than now, and we need to install purlins on the roof. They need installed, then the steel drip edge, the roofing, end caps and ridge caps...everything that is here to go on. The sooner we get that finished, we can install the door and windows, closing it up for winter and clear out of the tractor shed, where the windows and door are now stored. If we get past the roof, doors and windows, we can also work comfortably inside during the winter to finish it inside. We'll just take our time and we'll do just fine. Maybe I'll even get some roofing on today too. We'll see.

Thursday, Oct. 29th... The Knees Are Good... For Now Anyway...Later, Who Knows?

We got back from the Bone and Joint Center late yesterday, because we stopped at Buca di Beppo in Albany for lunch. That is quite a place to eat a great Italian dinner, in a quaint Italian setting, with splendid food and music. You are served soft bread with oil and Balsamic vinegar, along with your drink and when you order your dinner, you can order a small, which will feed you and your wife, or a large which will feed a family of five to six. It is truly original Italian cuisine at its best.

Once home, we decided I not do anything, because the guy that shot my knees wanted me to sit around and take it easy and apply ice to my left knee. I sat, but didn't do the ice bit. I hate ice therapy. After feeding the birds for the evening, we went to grab a quick burger at McDonalds. (yes we even stoop that low sometimes) Came home and be-bopped around until time to go upstairs. Vick did her artwork and I lounged around watching TV until time to go to sleep. WOW, the first night I can remember not being awakened with knee pain. GREAT!! Vick paid the price for the McDonald suicide trip though, for the biggest part of the night anyway, with indigestion and reflux (I think). Anyway, even if the reflux didn't occur, it was really, really close. She finally got to sleep at around five this morning. I have to awaken her at 8:30, so we can be ready to meet our friend Lee at the Villa Vosilla this morning at 10:30, to help him resolve a few electrical issues at the resort. I don't do any of the work, just consultation to help him out. Seems they were renovating a few rooms and lost phone and TV reception in three rooms. He had a repair man there yesterday for five hours and he just couldn't resolve the issue for Lee, so we're going up for me to lend a hand. After leaving there with Lee's problems resolved, we'll go to Lowe's for Vick's counter top for the bar area downstairs. Then we will have a sink installation and that will be done, as was planned for quite sometime.
The steel roof was to be in yesterday and delivered today. We'll see. Colleen and JD are coming Sunday to install purlins and the roofing. (If all goes well) We'll then be under roof and we can install the porch roofing and soffit venting to close it up with the in stallation of the door and winrows. I'll then install Gable end venting too. Since we will have heat in there, I want good ventilation upstairs so we do not have condensation issues. My knees are much better this morning. The muscle ache has diminished too. Now all I have to do is take it easy when we build, so I don't overdo it and really injure my joints, which are shot anyway, but will then wreak havoc on my joint tendons and muscles, remembering that the Cortisone doesn't do anything but hide the hurt and fool the body. Since that is the case, I need to police the abuse and keep it within reason. We'll see how long the shots work and if I can get the series of three before scheduling the leg chop and knee replacement.

Wed. Oct. 28th... We're Off to See the Needle... The wonderful Needle of All...

Wahooooo... Shot's in the knees for Meeeeeee... Shortly, and I can't wait, BUT...
Several Taliban militants wearing suicide vests stormed a guest house used by U.N. staff in the heart of the Afghan capital early Wednesday, killing 12 people. The dead included six U.N. staff. This attack was the biggest in a series of attacks intended to undermine next month's presidential runoff election. These unscrupulous villains of religious lunacy believe that they will deter the political process of electing a president by their intimidation and also find favor with God for killing these people. How can we ever win a war with such people or concede to their constant threat to kill all Americans in any manner they can use to do so?
One of the six U.N. dead was an American, the U.S. Embassy said. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the early morning assaults, which also included rocket attacks at the presidential palace and the city's main luxury hotel.
Once again, these attacks are planned to destroy political agendas and kill political leaders, but the Taliban insurgents will target innocent crowds, killing many women and children in places, trying to kill one official or military leader. One of their rockets hit the outer area of the presidential palace and another slammed into a Hotel where foreign travelers frequent. The one hitting near the presidential palace caused no injuries and the one in the hotel, failed to detonate, but filled the area with smoke, causing people to flee to the basement. I fear this is a situation we have where we are damned if we do and damned if we don't continue. Get ready to back peddle some more Mr. Obama.... If you're not Muslim, you better not pull those troops you promised to pull. (right after these thousands you're going to send over shortly anyway.....)

This war is a lost cause we can't give up on!!!!!

Will we ever learn anything about foreign countries?

Target is now recalling Halloween packaged flashlights made in China, that will overheat and melt. There are two different kinds as the pictures below show. Both will overheat and melt, possibly causing burns to the little kids carrying them. Hopefully if they get burned, they will not stick their fingers into their mouth and get lead poisoning or poisoned by Melamine. Won't we ever learn? How many times must this crap happen before we shut the Chinese off for their brazen disregard for public safety...even their own?

We go to The Bone and Joint Center in Albany today for the ol' shots in the knees trick, which I am actually looking forward to receiving. Maybe I'll be able to function with some normality in the next few weeks, while the Cortisone fools my body and brain into believing my knees are normal and not grinding, bone on bone. I think I need to finish up on the buildings and desired things we wanted to accomplish and just have these old knees cut off and new ones stuck on. (I always wanted to be a Bionic Dude anyway, ever since I watched the Ten Million Dollar Man on TV) We'll probably spend this rainy day running all over the place, getting things done that we have been putting off. Vick wants a counter top on the counter cupboards in the bar area in the basement anyway, so today might just be the day. We'll see.

Tues. Oct 27th... We're On the Downhill Side of Going to Print In the Spring...

The Next Book is Written & Has Gone to a Second Writing

　
Next out in paperback will be the biography about a man and a woman from different states and different walks of life, telling how they both shared the same dream to own and run a little farm up north somewhere....How they got together and how they did it... A source of hope and inspiration for anyone who dreams of a different life and how quickly the tables turn and can thrust you into that very dream. For this couple many strange, earth shattering and yet magnificent things happened on the heals of shear tragedy and heartache. Come along and watch as our new life unfolds into today's paradise.

It All Began With a Puppy - Our Uncommon Journey.

Watch For It This Spring! 2010

The above is a small review of the upcoming book I'm working on right now.
Anyway, I thought I would give everyone an update on the upcoming book entitled "It All Began With a Puppy, Our Uncommon Journey", which I plan to release it in the spring. This book just seriously entered the second writing last week. I am going over it with a fine tooth comb, rewriting and correcting some places and adding bits and pieces which I failed to include in the original transcript, as I blazed across the keys in a whirlwind of memory, trying to recall events in both Vicki and my lives several years ago. I am also doing the first line writings of my third book, entitled "Life in the Barren World", which is a biography of me as a twelve year old, growing up in central Pennsylvania, near and old strip mining area. It deals with the trials and tribulations of a young boy in a time when money was tight, the world was scared and many kids were alone to grow by themselves... Nothing like it is in today's world.
This writing and the second writing become very draining, because I blog in the present, do rewrites in the recent past and dive deeply into my memory with the first line biography. Sometimes I can't get my mind straight to concentrate on the one which I am presently working on. Things from my childhood pop into my mind as I work on Vicki and my story and I must stop top make a note to remember the incident for inclusion into that book, and then get back into the previous mindset, which sometimes is almost impossible, but I keep trying......

Our sunny start to the day ain't so sunny... and neither am I. I still have a lot of pain in my legs and knees today... almost as bad as yesterday, so I'm really looking forward to those Cortisone shots tomorrow! I am going to try to work out at the gift shop some today. Perhaps we can do the ground work, so I don't have to go up a ladder just yet. I suppose I will feel much better about the ladder after the Cortisone shots tomorrow, but will still be cautious not to hurt them since the Cortisone just hides the pain and makes the body think it isn't injured. I'll just have to be aware not to do too much knee bashing work, that's all.

Monday, October 26th... A beautiful Sunny Day... Doesn't Mean An Early Start...

Wow, Holloween is getting close... only five days away! Soon it will be November! Remember I told You? Time is flying.....

I'm about shot. I've been about laddered onto the disabled list... a habitual Ibuprofen addict to control the pain. Thank God I go to the Bone and Joint Center in Albany for a shot of Cortisone in each knee on the 28th. Perhaps that will buy me some days without acute pain in, on, about, near or referring to knees!

Yesterday, we were expecting Colleen and JD to show up to help install purlins on the roof so we were ready for the roofing which is supposed to come tomorrow, but they couldn't make it. They started a quick chimney project in the morning, expecting it to take them only a few hours, but by two PM, Colleen saw it wasn't gonna be completed in time to come to our house. Sounds like the simple, cake jobs I start that will only take two.......er......eh.....ten hours to finish, when it's finally said and done. My plans never work out like they are supposed to. Oh well, that's why one day stops....to allow a fresh start the next day. Otherwise a bad day would just never end!

In their absence, our friend Jimmy, showed up and helped us all day long. With his help, we knocked off the porch roof rafters, the batten strips on the back and gable end toward the house and installed all the remaining soffit, fascia and trim. Now it's simply installing the battens on the road side gable end and the front. We decided to not do anything around the window openings until the windows are installed, after the roof is done, then we can trim around the windows and install the battens around window trim then. When darkness stopped us, we put the tools away and took Jimmy to The Hollowbrook Inn Restaurant and Winery for dinner. Upon entering, I noticed a copy of my poetry book displayed on a small table under lights..... Wow, how distinguished it looked there in that setting, in a fine restaurant, with a quaint surrounding of jams and some decorations. We treated Jimmy to a good meal in exchange for his help and are scheduled to help at his house later this week with a wood burner exchange. A "too small" stove out and a bigger one back in and hooked up to replace it so it can produce enough heat for those cold Catskill Mountain winters. Jimmy lives in Hanes Falls, NY. That's pretty much at the top of the ol' mountain!

Today, we will probably work on the batten strips in the front if I'm up to it and if I feel much better... perhaps we'll tackle the gable end batten strips. We'll see. Look below at the progress and you can see, we're pretty close to having her closed up....... Kind of on schedule too.






Yikes, Frost on the windshield...






Steam rising from the Pupskill Bay Lake Pond..........





Here she is....Look at the headway.





The porch ceiling rafters are in place...






Purlins and roofing, with trim...then we can set the door and windows...

Frost on the house roof too.