We kicked off Thunder in the Valley by going to see Mini Kiss on Thursday night. They pretty much sucked, but I guess it's the novelty of the thing that's supposed to get you--Brian loved it. There were so many people packed into Central Park--I could not believe how many people were there.
Friday, we took the afternoon off of work. While we usually go downtown to walk around, this year we took a different approach and just rode our bikes around the area (including downtown). It's kind of neat seeing all of the bikers riding around.
We had to go to a 40th birthday party for one of our friends on Saturday afternoon so we took the bikes for that. We dropped Jake off at my grandmother's in Windber and then went to the party in Westmont. I was hoping to check out the activities in Windber, but we just didn't have time this year.
After the party the three of us went downtown to walk around. I don't know why, but I really enjoy walking around down there at night.
It seemed like they had a pretty good crowd this year. I'm not sure how they guesstimate how many people attended, but it seemed at least as big as last year, if not bigger.
That's two fun weekends in a row and a holiday weekend coming up for a third!
Monday, June 28
Thursday, June 24
pond=fixed
The pond has been running for a few days with no loss of water, so I'm proclaiming it fixed! In addition to fixing numerous leaks in the stream, I also had to rebuild the spillway for the waterfall. Somehow, the spillway rock got tilted backwards so the water was ending up in the ground. The pond liner under the waterfall should have collected the water and taken it back to the pond, but it, too, was tilted back. I guess we must have had some major ground movement back there.
The funny thing is that Jake pointed out the fact that the water was going backwards there. I should have listened to him earlier in the process, but the other problems needed fixed, too, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Of course, since fixing the pond took so long, the weeds have once again taken over the yard. So much for being caught up.
The funny thing is that Jake pointed out the fact that the water was going backwards there. I should have listened to him earlier in the process, but the other problems needed fixed, too, so I guess it doesn't really matter.
Of course, since fixing the pond took so long, the weeds have once again taken over the yard. So much for being caught up.
Wednesday, June 23
the weekend and beyond
Jake went to the beach last week, which coincided with tattoo appointments Brian made for the two of us. The appointments were in Virginia, so we turned the trip into a motorcycle getaway. We left town on Thursday and headed for Berkeley Springs, WV. The ride was nice--my new bike is so much fun to ride. Friday, Brian had his appointment, so we headed for Winchester, VA in the morning. We had to stop for gas on the way and hooked up with another 5 bikers for much of the rest of the trip. We made quite the spectacle going down the highway--people were waving and such.
My appointment was on Saturday. We had some time to kill beforehand, so we went to the local Harley Davidson dealership to pick up something for Jake. After that, we rode on Route 50 for a bit before heading back to town. The ride home was uneventful, but we had to take a few breaks because my bike is not built for long-distance riding and my butt was sore!
On Sunday, we went to my parents' for a Father's Day cookout and to pick up Jake. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice dinner on the deck. Jake is attending Kids' College at Saint Francis University this week so he's staying at my parent's for a few days again. I can hardly wait to get him back tomorrow.
Thunder also starts tomorrow, so it looks like it's going to be another motorcycle weekend!
My appointment was on Saturday. We had some time to kill beforehand, so we went to the local Harley Davidson dealership to pick up something for Jake. After that, we rode on Route 50 for a bit before heading back to town. The ride home was uneventful, but we had to take a few breaks because my bike is not built for long-distance riding and my butt was sore!
On Sunday, we went to my parents' for a Father's Day cookout and to pick up Jake. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice dinner on the deck. Jake is attending Kids' College at Saint Francis University this week so he's staying at my parent's for a few days again. I can hardly wait to get him back tomorrow.
Thunder also starts tomorrow, so it looks like it's going to be another motorcycle weekend!
Saturday, June 19
horseradish
It's not like we eat a ton of horseradish, but we do go through a few jars a year. I've read some interesting things about the processing of the horseradish roots, so that should be a fun adventure this fall.
Horseradish is very invasive, so that is why it is in a pot and not in the vegetable or herb garden. Basically, I don't do anything to it but water it once in a while (and I haven't had to do much of that with all the rain we have been getting. Too bad all of my plants don't grow like this.
herbs
This whole area is in need of a weeding, as is much of the rest of the yard.
Friday, June 18
jake's birthday part 2
Jake wanted to have a pool party for his birthday this year, but since
his birthday is in May, we had to put it off for a month. The party
was held last Saturday at my in-laws.
He invited 5 of his best friends, but unfortunately only 2 showed up
(as for the others, thanks for the RSVP--you know who you are). Even
so, the kids had a great time and we're planning an even bigger and
better party for next year.
his birthday is in May, we had to put it off for a month. The party
was held last Saturday at my in-laws.
He invited 5 of his best friends, but unfortunately only 2 showed up
(as for the others, thanks for the RSVP--you know who you are). Even
so, the kids had a great time and we're planning an even bigger and
better party for next year.
Wednesday, June 16
blueberry
And, from the looks of things, I need to weed the blueberry area.
the garden
I think the peas will be next. I noticed a bunch of small pods out there today and there are plenty of flowers. I have a feeling we're going to be eating a lot of peas soon.
Sunday, June 13
blockade billy/morality
I received this mini-book in the mail a few weeks ago, thanks to the Stephen King Library. I've been a member of the SKL for so long I can't even remember when I joined. It's always nice to be surprised with a new Stephen King book, even if it's just a short story or two.
The first story in this book, "Blockade Billy" was told in a narrative style, which was kind of interesting, but there was a lot of baseball stuff thrown in and I don't give a squat about baseball. The story was about a baseball player with a hidden past.
The second story, "Morality" reminded me of the movie "Indecent Proposal". It posed the same kind of moral questions. I liked this story much better than the first.
The first story in this book, "Blockade Billy" was told in a narrative style, which was kind of interesting, but there was a lot of baseball stuff thrown in and I don't give a squat about baseball. The story was about a baseball player with a hidden past.
The second story, "Morality" reminded me of the movie "Indecent Proposal". It posed the same kind of moral questions. I liked this story much better than the first.
Tuesday, June 8
seriously
We had a roof project scheduled for last weekend (putting a new roof on the office back porch). As if that wasn't enough, I was in the office basement last week and I heard something dripping. After a little investigation, I found that the leak was coming from the bathroom toilet--there's a crack in the cast iron pipe.
Since this is a bigger plumbing project than we'd like to take on, Brian called our usual plumber. But, he wasn't interested in the job because he does mostly heating and cooling nowadays. He wouldn't refer us to another plumber either, so Brian checked with our Moxham neighbor who does handyman work. He's probably going to take on the job, but is busy for the next few weeks.
I did a little research on cast iron pipes and found that a temporary repair can be made with fiberglass tape. So, while we were at Lowe's buying roofing supplies last week, I found some of said tape. Yesterday, while Brian continued to work on the roof, I decided to tackle the pipe. The pipe is near the ceiling and I noticed that the ceiling was all spongy. After ripping a few chunks of the ceiling out, I found that the toilet was also leaking at the flange. Great.
When we installed the toilet, we used one of those wax rings. We had an issue with one of them at our house, too, and ended up buying a waxless gasket. I bought the same thing for this toilet and we installed it this evening. The deluge of water seems to have stopped (at least from the flange area). The pipe might be leaking a little bit, but I won't know for sure until things dry out tomorrow, but I can live with that as it will all be replaced soon enough.
As for the roof, it's still in progress. Over half of it is shingled at this point. Unfortunately, we're going to get almost 2 inches of rain tomorrow. Fortunately, it's just a porch roof, so I think it will be ok. The roof is tarpapered, so that should keep things dry. If not, I won't stand on the porch tomorrow.
Since this is a bigger plumbing project than we'd like to take on, Brian called our usual plumber. But, he wasn't interested in the job because he does mostly heating and cooling nowadays. He wouldn't refer us to another plumber either, so Brian checked with our Moxham neighbor who does handyman work. He's probably going to take on the job, but is busy for the next few weeks.
I did a little research on cast iron pipes and found that a temporary repair can be made with fiberglass tape. So, while we were at Lowe's buying roofing supplies last week, I found some of said tape. Yesterday, while Brian continued to work on the roof, I decided to tackle the pipe. The pipe is near the ceiling and I noticed that the ceiling was all spongy. After ripping a few chunks of the ceiling out, I found that the toilet was also leaking at the flange. Great.
When we installed the toilet, we used one of those wax rings. We had an issue with one of them at our house, too, and ended up buying a waxless gasket. I bought the same thing for this toilet and we installed it this evening. The deluge of water seems to have stopped (at least from the flange area). The pipe might be leaking a little bit, but I won't know for sure until things dry out tomorrow, but I can live with that as it will all be replaced soon enough.
As for the roof, it's still in progress. Over half of it is shingled at this point. Unfortunately, we're going to get almost 2 inches of rain tomorrow. Fortunately, it's just a porch roof, so I think it will be ok. The roof is tarpapered, so that should keep things dry. If not, I won't stand on the porch tomorrow.
Saturday, June 5
40
Today was my birthday. I'm not one for pomp and circumstance, so the day was low-key. In fact, Brian spent the day tearing off the back porch roof at the office. After remodeling the office, I decided that I'm too old for this bullshit, but I do plan on helping him a bit tomorrow. Instead, I did my usual laundry today, but I gave myself the day off from all of my other chores.
Jake was nice and made me a delicious brunch of soft-boiled eggs, rye toast, and a glass of orange juice. He also made his dad a PB&J wrap, which we delivered in the afternoon. Jake made me a #1 Mom trophy and a paperclip necklace, as well. I also received some awesome gardening tools from the guys (even though they already bought me a new table and chairs for the back yard).
We did celebrate this evening, however. We went to Amici's in Ebensburg and had a nice dinner. This evening, I've pretty much been vegetating on the couch. I guess it won't kill me to sit around and do nothing for one day this year.
Jake was nice and made me a delicious brunch of soft-boiled eggs, rye toast, and a glass of orange juice. He also made his dad a PB&J wrap, which we delivered in the afternoon. Jake made me a #1 Mom trophy and a paperclip necklace, as well. I also received some awesome gardening tools from the guys (even though they already bought me a new table and chairs for the back yard).
We did celebrate this evening, however. We went to Amici's in Ebensburg and had a nice dinner. This evening, I've pretty much been vegetating on the couch. I guess it won't kill me to sit around and do nothing for one day this year.
tomatoes
Friday, June 4
more pics
still leaking
The pond is driving me insane. I thought I found the leak. When we set up the stream, we used two overlapping pieces of pond liner (a big no-no). I knew this wasn't a good idea, but it worked for a couple of years, so I figured it was ok. While trying to find the leak, I did find a potential leak in this area, so I shorted the stream by a foot or so and removed the extra liner. I thought this did the trick, but it did not. So, I'm still looking. I've had to turn off the pump for the most part, because the pond is too low on water and I don't want any more leaking out. I ordered an airstone and mini-pump that I'm going to start running as soon as it gets here. I'm not going to mess around with this any more until the water level comes back up.
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