A bonus visit

Some unforeseen time off for health issues allowed me an unscheduled visit to the lake; two weeks by myself with the dogs then joined for the final week by DS and DD.

Two weeks alone...absolutely wonderful.  I missed DS terribly, but loved the solitude.  I got out snowshoeing nearly every day, usually for an hour.  Got more than 18" of snow in three days the first week.  Snowblower and I do not get along.  After repair of one part just recently, a whole new part broke during it's third go.  At least the drive was quite negotiable by that time.

Weather was absolutely awesome during week 2 and 3:  mild, and sunny.  The snow would soften and compact during the day, and re-freeze overnight.  When I would go out snowshoeing the next morning, it would be hard and I could walk pretty much anywhere I wanted without sinking in at all.  The dogs loved it:  the lake became one huge level, solid field on which to run and play.

Haven't seen the otter yet, but we did come across some tracks and scat that we believe are from a lynx that has been seen locally.  Of course Duster had to roll in it :rolleyes:  Good thing it was frozen.

Although I had a long list of little things I could do, I didn't have the energy/drive to do more than just take care of myself and the dogs until the very end of the second week.  By then, I decided to tackle removing the box around the beam in the LR.  It did take me three days to do it, even though it was something I ought to have been able to do in a few hours.  The beam itself, at least the part that shows in the LR, is only about 8" x 8", but the box was 12"+ wide and jutted down almost as much.  Because it was made of the shame ship-lap paneling as the walls, there were a lot of lines that made it look very busy, so visually, it was huge. 

When DS arrived, we ran expanding foam along it on both sides to seal it.  No more moist house air getting into the attic space, and no more mice getting from the attic to the living space.  I'm fairly certain the spring water leakage has been from the house air forming frost and then melting, as there has been no problem at all this year, and it's the first year that the hole left by the fireplace has been sealed up and taped/mudded.

Now, the ceiling looks higher and the whole room airier.

The other thing I did was to remove the front wall on the large (8'+) closet in BR2, and move almost all of the tools into it.  Our bedroom is now the size it ought to be.  It feels so much better to sleep in there now.  Almost the same as sleeping in the LR the first year.  The shelves and rolling tool boxes/tables all fit into the width of the closet, and the shower curtains I was using to divide our room hides the tools.  Perfect solution.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

We've been working on the upstairs bath.  I really want ceramic tile for the backsplash and landing space and wall to the left of the vanity.  Ceramic is often costly, the budget is tight, and besides, we don't want to spend more money than absolutely necessary on a bathroom that is going to get very occasional use.  I've been checking the home improvement circulars we've been getting, but haven't seen any appropriate tile on sale at ridiculously low prices.

We have a fair bit of tile leftover from the main bath reno in the city house, but it's grey, so doesn't fit into the color scheme chosen for the second bath.

Then I got the idea to paint the grey tiles with ceramic paint, using earthtones.  A trip to Michael's netted me what I needed for less than $30.  Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Paint it on, let it dry 24 hours, then bake it for 35 minutes.  The result is tough enough to withstand a dishwasher.

Now, I just have to do some trials and decide the paint method I will use.

From an iPod nano to an iPod Touch...

...all in the name of health, believe it or not!

Like many, I have waged a life-long battle with excess weight.  It's not an information issue.  I know what it is I need to do to get and keep my weight down.  It's an emotional energy/emotion/energy issue.

A number years back, I discovered Keyoe's Diet and Exercise Assistant software for the Palm OS.    I had a Visor, and began using it.  It is the single most useful and user-friendly tool I have found for managing my weight, and I have tried a lot of them.  Then my Visor died.  The software is available for desktop PC, but by then, I had already switched to Mac.  And, the mobility was an important factor in the usefulness of the software:  being able to make accurate informed choices on-the-go was a snap.

I resigned myself to living without the software for the foreseeable future.  In January, once again having the desire and energy to attack my weight, I popped over to Keyoe's website to learn with delight that their software had been re-written for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  Yippee!

After a morning of research, I listed my old iPod Nano and went out and bought an 8GB iPod Touch.  I would have bought a 32GB if I had known my old Nano would sell so fast, but no matter.  The first thing I did was load the Keyoe app onto it and start using it.  That was nearly a month ago, and so far, so good.  My weight is down, and that's what is important.

I highly recommend the software for anyone serious about managing their weight for their lifetime.

Tech time in the city

So, the hard drive on my laptop was more than 2/3 full, even after the Snow Leopard upgrade that freed up about 10 GB of space.  I tried using an external NAS drive for my music, but the problem with that is if it is not actually spinning when I open iTunes, then the software creates a new directory on my internal HD and any music I buy ends up there if I don't notice (which I didn't).

A little bit of research online revealed that swapping out the HD on a MacBook is easy-peasy.  Some very nice folks (on Instructables) have done some great step-by-step instructions.  So I started shopping and learned that just over $100 could get me a 640 GB HD...wow. WD Scorpio Blue, a well-reviewed drive with a good reputation.  I opted for more space rather than going with a 7200 RPM drive. 

Right about the same time, DD discussed with me some plans she had for getting an external drive and a tablet.  So we decided on some swapping.  I would get the new drive for my MacBook.  She gets my old 250 GB, my 1TB external NAS drive and our old wireless router that has been sitting unused for two years.  I get her old 120 GB drive (which I would put in an enclosure), her BlueTooth keyboard and some cash.  Everybody's happy.

So, some online research reveals that my best deal for the HD is NewEgg.  By the time we got back to the city after our cottage visit, it was waiting for me.   A few more days of research, to make sure I was all ready, then I started.  That's when I learned the smallest Phillips screwdriver we have (size 0)was one size too big to do the job.  Off to Canadian Tire to buy one the next day.  I get the drive out only to learn that the smallest Torx we have (9) is also one size too big.  Back to CT again.

Finally get the new drive in...works like a charm.   Over 300 GB of empty spac :-))))  Wait a few days to make sure all is well...yup.  Do the process all over again for DD.  She's happy too.

So finally, I buy a copy of XP and load it onto BootCamp.  It takes me a couple days to get Myst (Masterpiece) running, but I do.  That was my primary goal for loading XP:  being able to play the entire Myst series.  Uru is iffy, though:  my on-board video may or may not be supported.  Depends on who you talk to.  More on that later, though.

So then I start looking into upgrading the HD on the iMac.  It's a little more complicated, but not rocket science by any stretch.  I also start thinking about increasing the RAM on my MacBook.  Although not at their lowest, prices are quite good.

'Round about the same time, DD asks me to make another CD for her.  A couple years ago, I did up a collection of songs that I found inspiring and contained messages that I wanted to pass on to her.  The idea was triggered by the song 'I hope you dance' by Lee Ann Womack She loved it and later told me she played it a lot when she and her beau broke up.  Now, she wants another one.

I start thinking about what songs I might put on it, and don't really have any inspiration.  One day, while following a link from one of the blogs I read regularly, I find a song that I had never heard before and I know that it will be on the CD:  Do I Make You Proud by Taylor Hicks.  A couple days later, while driving, I hear another:  Second Chance by Shinedown.  Same thing.  From no inspiration to two pivotal songs without any effort at all on my part.  Life is serendipitous.

So, the CD gets burned onto a LightScribe disc, but it's not ready yet.  I want the disc to be a total package, great graphics included.  Problem is, DS and I have been without home 'fun' publishing software for several years now.  We had really enjoyed having PrintArtist when we first got our first PC, so I start looking into that again.  I found a very reasonably priced one, fully loaded, able to do CD labels and family trees, two projects that are important to me right now.

Then, out of the blue, DS starts talking about upgrading our Bell receiver to an HD dual-receiver PVR.  A few clicks later and voila!  It's on sale at BB and they're offering a year interest-free.  Well, while we're at it, why don't I just buy my RAM and get it done?

So I start shopping.  Out of curiosity, I ask DS to check the iMac's RAM situation.  It has 1GB, as a single stick, which I find odd.  But it's the same RAM as my MacBook uses.  Which means that I can take one of the sticks out of my MacBook and slap it into the iMac, doubling the RAM.  DD also wants to upgrade, but she has two 512MB sticks.  So I can sell her one of my used sticks and she can buy one new.  A little research shows 1GB sticks are....$30!!??? WTF?  Then again, 2GB sticks are about $50 to $60, so that's right.  My problem is that I need 2 x 2GB which I must buy new.  Everyone else benefits from my tech addiction. Though well under control, it's still an addiction.

Some on-line searching says there's some to be had at FS and BB, but it'll cost me more than if I order it online.  I was ready to pay the higher price in the interests of having it now, though.  Luckily, despite the website inventory, there is none to be had.  We get the dual PVR receiver, and the publishing software.  The other software that I have been wanting to get for quite some time is Adobe PhotoShop Elements 8 for Mac.  Seems it's hard to find in stock, and neither BB nor FS have it.

Back to NewEgg.  This is a good thing, my impatience must be tamed.  Two sticks of Corsair RAM ordered, total cost $110, taxes and shipping all in.  I would have paid $131 had I bought it locally, either from BB or FS, or even the local computer shop.  The bigger shop downtown, 'though they had better prices, didn't have it in stock.

First visit of 2010

Arrived late evening, as usual.  Usually, we loll around a bit, then go to bed, tossing and turning until fatigue gets the best of freezing in an icy bed.

This time was different.  On our last visit, a friend had told us he uses an electric blanket to heat his bed every evening.  One of those 'why didn't we think of that?' moments.  We had considered a heated mattress pad, but they are expensive, and since we won't have a double for very much longer, it seemed an unwise purchase.  Timing was perfect, we caught a sale back in the city.

While DS started the woodstove, I opened up the travel bin that rides on the hitchrack.  The first thing out was the electric blanket, and in less than 5 minutes, our bed was made, and heating up.  We opted for leaving it on the bed, and left it running very low.  I woke up and turned if off around 2 AM.  It was absolutely wonderful, and we used it every night.

We treated Keith, our buddy, to a nice home-cooked meal as a thank you.

This was another very laid-back visit.  I spent some time stripping the old desk.  I got the first pedestal finished and the second one started.  Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  DS tidied up the attic loft and did some airbrush practice work.  Learning the dual-action is tougher than the single-action.

We also went snowshoeing every day.  It was terrific.

Two weeks of absolute rest

Just back from the holiday break.  The trip up this time was a bit different:  we made a stop-over in Montreal to see the Cirque du Soleil.  First time ever for us.  Definitely not the last.  It was absotively a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  We arranged for the dogs to spend time getting bathed and in doggie daycare at Montreal Dogs while we were at the show.  We were able to leave the car there, walk 5 minutes to the Metro, and with no transfers, straight to the Bell Centre.  Everything worked out perfectly.  We were very pleased with Montreal Dogs and it was inexpensive, compared to what we usually pay.  $100 had both dogs taken care of from 2:30 to 6:30 PM, with playtime with other dogs, and both bathed.  Usually, a bath alone for the big guy would be $70.

DS had requested a R&R vacation.  So, no work was done on the upstairs bath.  I, on the other hand, got a lot of little things done:  The 'wagon wheel chandelier' is down, and has been replaced by a ceiling fan that pretty much matches the light fixture family we have chosen.  Luckily, the plug box was easily replaced with a fixture box, and was sited directly below a truss, so with 4 screws into the joist, it is very firmly attached.

The wheel itself was hung by some fairly substantial chains and eye-hooks.  Problem is, we learned once we removed the first of them that all but one of them were only long enough to pierce the drywall.  What were they thinking?  This thing could have come crashing down at any moment!  Not to mention, we just happened to leave the only solidly attached hook to last, by sheer luck.  Had we worked in any other order, the whole freakin' thing would have just fallen onto our heada.  And it is a 52" diameter solid oak 8-spoked wheel, not a lightweight!

I also changed the ceiling light in the hallway to a semi-flushmount like those that replaced the LR chandeliers.  I tidied the tool area and compressed it a bit, so got 6" more space in the bedroom half of our room.  Doesn't sound like much, but it makes it a lot easier for the dogs to turn around on my side of the bed.

I also moved the cable running from the satellite to the decoder to the attic.  No  more worries of it falling down onto the baseboard heater and starting a fire.  And no more unsightly wire.  This, along with the wagon wheel, were both bugging the crap out of me.

Since the septic system had been installed, the lights on the lake side of the attic had not worked.  DS and I assumed that the electrician, in doing his wiring, had simply cut the wiring going over there.  I got around to testing and futzing in the attic to see if I could rectify the problem.  After an hour of turning off breakers, re-connecting disconnected wires, testing, with no luck, I solved the problem:  the bulbs were burned out.  Occams Razor at its best!

Let's see, what else got done...I removed a baseboard heater in the hallway just outside the kitchen that did absolutely nothing except collect dog hair.

I put a second coat of drywall mud on the old fireplace ceiling patch, and patched the ceiling where we removed all the paint when we pulled tape off.  I patched and mudded the tiny miscalculation in the ceiling drywall when we built our bedroom last year.  And I patched the holes left by the wagon wheel we took down.

We realized we had some more rodent visitors, and that they were accessing the house through a couple holes in the ceiling of our bedroom, so DS foamed those and I set out traps.  We got two mice on each of the first two nights, then nothing, so I guess that's that.

I got the horseshoe I bought spray-painted.  I chose a brown hammered finish and it looks great.  Also, I finished painting the old kettle, pot, and two lids, so they're back in their proper places near the woodstove, and the effect is exactly what I was seeking.

And, I finished reinstalling the heat-shrink plastic on the four windows from which it had been removed over the course of the summer.

Snow conditions were absolutely perfect, so we went snowshoeing a few times, including a night-time trek with friends by the light of kerosene lanterns just before midnight on New Year's Eve.  The weather was great, and it was something I had always wanted to do.  Definitely a do-again.

We snowblowed on the second Monday.  DS did the drive, and I did the parking area.  We've been having problems with the snowblower since last winter.  I suggested we bring it in in the early fall, but DS said it was fine.  Well, after my little wrestling match with the thing on the Monday afternoon, I issued DS an ultimatum:  bring it in for repairs (the transmission is f*cked, I'm sure), or else she'll be clearing the snow on her own or paying the guy to do it out of her own pocket.  I think I got through this time :-)

The weather played us a bit of a trick, though.  Right up through New Year's day, the forecast was for a trace of snow on the Sunday of departure.  It began snowing on the Friday, and didn't stop 'til some time on Sunday night.  Between Sunday morning and Saturday afternoon, we didn't check the weather station.  Saturday afternoon, all of a sudden, there's this heavy snowfall/weather warning.  We ended up having to call our plow guy to clear the drive before we could get out.  Thank goodness he is responsive!

The sugarbush beside us is still for sale.  The price is now $209,000.  We have decided we are going to find a way to acquire it.  Somehow.   Land beside and behind us, and across the road, 156 acres all told.  A couple shacks, the sugar shack, and a 4-season cottage.

More bath work, the Olympic Torch and some help from Mother Nature

This most recent visit saw the continuation of the bathroom renos.  We got the build-out of the back wall (to hide the supply lines) done, and drywalled.  We also got the side wall for the shower up, and dry-fitted the shower - it fit!

The vanity is centered on the tall section of built-out wall, and we left space in the upper part of that section for a medicine chest we had removed from the powder room of our city house.  I had kept it, knowing it would be useful some day.  A little bit of sanding and routing on the frame around the mirror, and a new coat of paint inside and out, and it will look as if it was made to match the vanity.

The supply line sections for the shower control are laid out and ready for soldering.  We need to buy a new drain for the shower.  And we realized there's another problem to solve.  The vent connection for the sink is below the P-trap, and does not run uphill.  A bit of research has led me to an an air admittance valve (AAV) which may be a solution.  Placed after the P but before the turn to the vertical, and as high as possible, it allows air into the fixture drain when the fixture is used, without having to connect to the house's vent stack.  Probably the best solution in our situation.

We did a bit of running around this time, as well.  In fact, we went out every day, which is very unusual for us.  One of the outings was to watch the Olympic Torch run through one of the neighbouring villages.  We got up at 5:30 AM for that, and stood out in the cold air, along with almost every resident of the village, for an event that lasted about 5 minutes.  Very much worth it.  I caught video of the torch, the crowd, everything.  Should be fun to edit it.

Another little job I got done was to run a cable from the satellite box to a second TV in our bedroom.  We won't be able to watch a different channel, but we will be able to watch the end of a hockey game, say, or I'll be able to watch some of my later shows with DS snoring beside me.

So, I know I have mentioned in previous posts that there was originally a hydro line running from the house to the sugar shack, and that it was removed just before we took possession.  Most of the poles were cut down, but one, not far from the stream, remained.  It was going to be tricky, because there was a second pole helping to support it, attached at an angle by a long bolt through the top of the second pole and through the main pole.  I wanted it down this summer, but we just didn't get around to it. Friday night, we're watching the hockey game when we hear a fairly loud thump.  We did the rounds of the shed, the house and the second floor, but found nothing.

Today on our morning walk, we checked out the falls and the stream.  The dogs were sniffing like crazy at the lakeshore a bit further on, so we went to see what tracks were there, if any.  Sure enough, the otter had come out of the lake there.  When we turned around to head back to the house, there on the ground was the hydro pole.  It had rotted through at ground level, and had come crashing down, bringing the secondary pole with it.  Thank you, Mother Nature!  Hopefully we'll be able to get it raised off the ground before the snow covers it so it doesn't rot through.  We hope to use it for the new footbridge over the creek.

It rained a lot Thursday and Friday.  The lake is now iced over relatively smoothly with only a bit of snow dusted across it here and there.  We're hoping to be able to skate over the holidays.  And, the driveway is bare along the tire tracks.  So far, so good.