What did you do today?

[Zanne]

I'll have to dig up the pics, but my sister's fireplace in her first home didn't even have a mantle. My dad built one for her. She now has tenants living there and made it clear that the mantle is not to be messed with.

In her current house the fireplace is in a corner so the TV is off to the side instead of on top. The corner is too small for the TV anyway.. No real mantle there either. It has a weird spot where it goes in.

My brother asked me to get his RX yesterday while he went to work. I grabbed a few more groceries and popped by to help my friend assemble the bed for his daughter. She's ecstatic at having a bed again and loves the new one.

Mom woke me up just before midnight-- 11:57pm to cook for her again. As I walked through the kitchen I nearly hit my face on a wooden piece of trim that fell off the ceiling. It fell and landed on a shelf and the fridge. I put one end on a higher shelf so it wouldn't be in my way. The ceiling in that area is falling down.
View attachment fallingceiling.mp4
I suck at holding a camera steady.

Not sure what is going on. No water leaks. But I thought I detected a faint smell of dead animal. Not sure if it was from the trash or the attic though and my nose is often too stuffy to tell. I really need to clean that ceiling fan.
Stains in the other part of the kitchen are from a previous leak before we had the roof replaced.

So far today I've taken allergy meds and vitamins. Trying to wake myself up to eat breakfast and do some cleaning. Had a little trouble getting to sleep last night bc Princess couldn't move where she wanted to bc Fippy was being a jerk so she ended up sticking her butt in my face and kicking me in her sleep. She's bigger than Fippy but lets him boss her around.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Two thumbs enthusiastically way up!

That was a massive project. When we bought that home, on a lake in central Michigan in 1996, it had a gas fireplace in the corner. It had a cheap drywall and wood mantle, a surround made of the same plain white floor tile as the bathroom. But, the fireplace! Didn't make much heat, didn't make a pretty flame, and sounded like a jet engine when on. I think we used it a couple of times that first winter of 1996-1997, then never again. Then in 2016, the wife and kid fell in love with a "linear" fireplace. So we got one of those. Problem was, it didn't fit into that corner wall; insufficient clearances. So, I removed the wall and rebuilt a new wall about 6" further out from the corner. Set the fireplace into position, then sheathed the studs with Hardibacker, and installed stacked-stone slate. Then went to the Amish woodworkers nearby, got some hickory wood and mounted the mantle. Built a heatproof trough for the TV cables to go as well as a tied the enclosed space into the furnace vent system (basically turned it into a little room with its own return) Used it for two winters before we moved south.

 

[sawsaw]

I'll have to dig up the pics, but my sister's fireplace in her first home didn't even have a mantle. My dad built one for her. She now has tenants living there and made it clear that the mantle is not to be messed with.

In her current house the fireplace is in a corner so the TV is off to the side instead of on top. The corner is too small for the TV anyway.. No real mantle there either. It has a weird spot where it goes in.

My brother asked me to get his RX yesterday while he went to work. I grabbed a few more groceries and popped by to help my friend assemble the bed for his daughter. She's ecstatic at having a bed again and loves the new one.

Mom woke me up just before midnight-- 11:57pm to cook for her again. As I walked through the kitchen I nearly hit my face on a wooden piece of trim that fell off the ceiling. It fell and landed on a shelf and the fridge. I put one end on a higher shelf so it wouldn't be in my way. The ceiling in that area is falling down.
View attachment 38611
I suck at holding a camera steady.

Not sure what is going on. No water leaks. But I thought I detected a faint smell of dead animal. Not sure if it was from the trash or the attic though and my nose is often too stuffy to tell. I really need to clean that ceiling fan.
Stains in the other part of the kitchen are from a previous leak before we had the roof replaced.

So far today I've taken allergy meds and vitamins. Trying to wake myself up to eat breakfast and do some cleaning. Had a little trouble getting to sleep last night bc Princess couldn't move where she wanted to bc Fippy was being a jerk so she ended up sticking her butt in my face and kicking me in her sleep. She's bigger than Fippy but lets him boss her around.

 

[sawsaw]

Sounds like a reality show waiting to happen!!!

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Then went to the Amish woodworkers nearby, got some hickory wood and mounted the mantle.

Speaking of the Amish, we are in Lancaster/Strasburg, PA, for the long weekend. Almost ruined it by running up on the backside of a horse and buggy! Thank goodness for a car full of nanny safety devices including front collision detection and automatic panic braking!

 

[Zanne]

I've got friends in the Lancaster area. They moved there from Singapore.

Speaking of reality TV-- more drama ensues in redneckville. Friend's gf's ex continues to cause problems. He's telling them that everyone is taking his side (not sure who "everyone" is but all the people we know think he's a jerk). I think "everyone" is him, his mom, and his dope fiend brother.

Anyway, aside from quoting my friend verbatim about how he felt when being cheated on (which did not happen to this dude bc his gf ended the relationship before dating my friend & would have dumped him regardless of having someone else to date) he remembered how his gf got so frustrated w/ him that she punched a mirror and injured her hand. She got sympathy for it from others (not him). So he decided to punch the mirror- intending to just bruise his knuckles a bit to get sympathy. But this idiot somehow held his pinky out and broke his pinky. He has the lowest pain threshold of anyone I've ever met. So after sobbing for awhile he called his ex up-- still sobbing-- and pleading with her to come bandage it. She went over, slapped a bandage on it, told him to go to the hospital, and left asap. He's now messaging her wanting her to come take care of him and do things for him bc his hand hurts oh so much. Self-inflicted injury and he thinks she's actually going to take care of him and that there is a chance. He's insisting they can be "just friends" but only if she dumps my friend. I'm hoping we can get her cat and the rest of the stuff from over there so she never has to see him again. Although, he'll probably use the dogs (he's not letting her take them) to keep some connection.

He is the only thing causing her stress these days.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Made minor repair to toilet in our room at the Holiday Inn Express.

 

[havasu]

Made minor repair to toilet in our room at the Holiday Inn Express.

OMG, you are OCD! I too have made toilet adjustments at the Holiday Inn Expresses on our travels. And no, I am not knocking Holiday Inn Express, or its parent company, IHG, since I have been a faithful member with them for the last 15 years. Their hotels are always clean, the staff is friendly, and are safe hotel destinations.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

OMG, you are OCD! I too have made toilet adjustments at the Holiday Inn Expresses on our travels. And no, I am not knocking Holiday Inn Express, or its parent company, IHG, since I have been a faithful member with them for the last 15 years. Their hotels are always clean, the staff is friendly, and are safe hotel destinations.

Guilty as charged! Having beers on the Strasburg Railroad as we speak. Enjoy your Sunday!

 

[havasu]

Guilt as charged! Having beers on the Strasburg Railroad as we speak. Enjoy your Sunday!

No pictures? Man, you're killing me!

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

No pictures? Man, you're killing me!

Tomorrow for sure! AT&T is not 5G and is very slow.

 

[Zanne]

I will tighten the nuts on seat bolts in public restrooms if the seats are loose. I also keep tightening the screws on this one handle of the cold/dairy section at walmart bc the handle keeps coming loose. My swiss army knife has screwdrivers on it.

Today I cooked for mom, carried in a heavy case of water (that hurt my arm/shoulder), took my truck over to my friend's house to get some maintenance-- he put in the new spark plugs & ignition coils. Could not find where the PCV valve goes though. It wasn't where the diagrams said it should be. Found another diagram on my phone while waiting at doctor's office & tried to send it to my friend but the phone shut off and wouldn't turn back on. 30% battery & it acted like it was at 0. Charging it now.

While friend was working on my car the cops rolled up. Apparently when he was tearing open the walls of his daughter's closet, a 22 rifle fell out. He has no idea where it came from, how it got there, or who put it there. So he called the cops to take it away. He explained what happened and they said they would put it in storage.

Went to the doctor and he said my problem is my deltoid muscle from when I got zapped by the induction cooktop. The electrocution caused the muscle to tense up too much and pulled it. Said I still have good blood flow and nerve reaction but that it will take months to heal and I will have to refrain from heavy lifting & anything that strains it for that duration. He prescribed muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory meds. I already have naproxyn so I won't need pain meds.

As an aside, I think I didn't mention more drama with friend's new gf's ex. He keeps giving her problems when she's trying to get her stuff and she ends up not getting everything bc he stresses her out. But this time he upped the ante by blocking the door and not letting her leave. He refused to move out of her way and she asked him repeatedly. I was over at my friend's house drying off from a shower when she messaged him that her ex wouldn't let her out of the trailer. He headed over there. By the time he got there, the ex had let her out of the trailer but had immediately jumped in her car and was refusing to get out. She was afraid he would attack her if she tried to call the police. So, friend got there and jerk got out of her vehicle. Lied about what happened and then went back inside. I highly suspect that at some point he & his brother will come do my friend's house to start trouble.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Strasburg Railway stuff (I have a nice video but the server balked because it was too big):

Some serious plumbing going on on these old locomotives!

 

[havasu]

I don't know what it is, but it seems everyone is amazed at these big locomotives.

Me as well!

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

On my short list of things to do before I get the call to go home, I want to see the Union Pacific #4014 Big Boy 4-8-8-4 that was put back into service a year or so ago. I guess it's the sounds, sights and smells of a steam locomotive and the fact that the drive wheels are taller than I am. (PS. I improperly named #611 the "Spirit of Norfolk" when it is actually the "Spirit of Roanoke".

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Resized the video and hope the server likes it:
View attachment Strasburg 90 Approach.mp4

 

[Zanne]

I've always liked trains-- although they can get very loud.
My brother woke me up early because he needed to go to urgent care. His toe is severely infected. He was supposed to have surgery but the podiatrist he was referred to would not even see him bc of his insurance (well, her staff wouldn't let her see him). He tried to get an appointment with our doctor but he's booked up for the next month. We were the only people at the urgent care clinic. They have comfy chairs and were very nice. Saw him quickly & told him where he could find a new local podiatrist that would take his insurance. So, after going to Walmart to check on RX status and grab a few things, we went to the other medical office. It still has the names of doctors on the front that are no longer even alive & does not mention it has a podiatrist. Brother went in and they said he needed a referral & would be able to see him in 2 weeks after the referral. He called our doctor's office and the clerks took a note to ask for a referral. Might have to follow up on it to make sure he got the message.

Grabbed mail & some food and I went back into Walmart while my brother ate so I could pick up RXs (they weren't ready right away so I figured we could do other stuff and come back). I think the muscle relaxant worked a tiny bit but not much. I have a high resistance to stuff. There is a nice young man who works at the pharmacy who is always very friendly and kind.

I ate my burger while the dog sat on the back of the couch whining in my ear and the cat howled at me wanting some of my food. I saved a little bit of the meat for them.

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Guilty as charged! Having beers on the Strasburg Railroad as we speak. Enjoy your Sunday!

Strasburg? Not far from where I work.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Good people up there!

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Good people up there!

I live in Augusta Wv. My son lives in Middletown. We are both on different rivers.