Driving and More Driving

The things that parents do, though it's really a situation of self-imposed suffering because as parents we have the right, and if anything the duty, to say no. Then again, it's not always easy to say no to your kids, especially in this age of indulgence that we live in. This past weekend mom and I had to do some major driving all over the area so that the kids could enjoy themselves. N had a LAX tournament in M'bury, for which we made the commute both Sat and Sun. A went to visit friends down in Connecticut and mom drove her down to that. It's a good thing I changed the oil and rotated the tires on both cars.

A has a fairly big social circle and several of her friends via camp live down around Boston, some as far as Connecticut. Many live around us but she only gets to see her camp friends once, maybe twice, a year. They seem to like to have social gatherings with each other down there, and they always invite her but the distance makes it difficult. We've driven her down in the past to the southern parts of New England but this was the farthest. We probably should have just said no but we set things in motion and she was really excited about it. As always, we'll be sure to be more firm the next time around... yeah, right. To add to the fun, A had band practice on Sunday afternoon so mom had to take her to that upon returning from Conn. Talk about a long day.

For N, his team has an annual tournament in M'bury and while it's not as far as Conn, it's still a bit of a jaunt. We thought about staying overnight but it's alumni weekend at M'bury College so it's hard to find a room. Plus, there's the issue of cost. So we drove back and forth both days. It's a lot or road time and can be exhausting, but in the end you just stop complaining (sort of) and just do it. The tournament was fun, though on the last day several of the key players did not show up, which I thought was surprising, especially since two of them are the coaches.

In the end we survived, and since things are winding down on several fronts we were able to sit down to supper together Sunday evening, which is always nice. Sundays seem to be these crazy days where we're pulled in several different directions, which was the case this Sunday though things seemed to finally calm down at the end of the day. I'll take it. Now LAX is over, A's band practice schedule is shifting, school is winding down, and we are ready to tackle summer. The fun just never stops.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to John Westrock for the pic.

Filling The Hole

After all that I've been through with this septic tank (poor little me), the story continues. I mentioned that it was a complete nightmare trying to find the septic hatch while digging up the backyard, and that I had decided to take the septic guy's advice and modify the access hatch by installing chimney blocks that elevate the opening, which for the record scared me. I had no clue what I was doing. I went and purchased the chimney blocks, which were surprisingly cheap ($5/each), and cleaned up the area around the opening in anticipation of the septic guy's arrival. The plan was for him to pump the tank and then help me put the blocks over the opening.

Well, in typical fashion as to how my life seems to transpire, it turns out that I ended up digging to the wrong opening. How can that possibly be? The septic guy, who was the same guy who came last time (6 years ago), said that there were three openings on the tank and that I need to put the blocks over the first opening. I ended up accessing the second, or middle, opening, though I couldn't quite understand why we couldn't just use that one. Not feeling like I was in any sort of position to argue, I begrudgingly went in search of the proper door. At that point I felt that if it was too hard to find I was going to give up on the whole endeavor and simply fill in the hole like I did last time. I figured it would be another 5 years before I had to deal with it again, and by then, the bad memories would have dissolved.

As it turns out it wasn't that hard to find, and it was easy to open, to boot. In fact, I realized that when the septic guy came last time we had in fact used the first opening. This time around I dug up the second opening, not realizing what was going on. I think this time I'll keep some notes. Either way, I opened the hatch, placed the blocks over it, and then positioned the lid on top. Then, with the assistance of N, we proceeded to fill the hole back in. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. There was a lot of dirt and a lot of rocks, and by the end of it both he and I were pretty much over all that shoveling. You realize how much machines have changed how hard labor gets done.

Now the hole is filled, much to the delight of mom, and after I clear out all the rocks, I'm hoping (really hoping) that I won't have to deal with it for another 5 years. One thing I will say about all this is that when you have a septic system, you put a lot more thought into what you flush down your toilet, not to mention how often you do it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Fresh Start

I have to admit that I was a little concerned about having our septic pumped because I waited a little longer than usual this time around, though I don't quite know what "usual" actually is. I still don't have a definitive answer as to the proper interval between septic evacuations, with some people saying every few years and others preaching longer intervals. I get a sense the previous owners had long in-betweens, though I can't say for sure. I know the last time we did it we waited 3 years and it seemed fine. This time around it was more like 6 years, and I was expecting a scolding from the septic guy. I was even a little pensive of seeing what was going on inside that tank.

As usual, my concerns were unfounded, and even Mr. Septic said it looked fine, whatever fine means for a septic tank. As long as there were no problems, that's fine with me. He pumped the tank and sealed the lid and was off. I'm much relieved to have a fresh start, and can stop thinking about it for another few years. I'm thinking that 5 years might be a good interval, but we'll see how it goes.

The big question is, will I take the long view and modify the latch to make it easier to find and open the next time, or will I take the short-sighted approach and simply fill the darn hole back in and be done with it? We shall see.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Chris for the pic.

Art Show

There was an end of the year art show at A's school and it was cool to see her work in the flesh, not to mention meet her art teacher (finally), who A has a really good relationship with. The art show displayed what the students had worked on throughout the year and A had several things out there. The pieces covered several genres, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. It was cool to see all the stuff that she is doing because I for one don't always get to see it in real time. A lot of it seems to stay at the school, and kids tend to keep to themselves when it comes to school work, or at least they don't share it with their boring old dad.

Either way, it was nice to see her work, and the timing worked out well because N had a LAX game in the neighboring town so we were literally 5 minutes away. In fact, A and mom met us at the game and we headed over together, grabbing a bite to eat along the way. As I mentioned A had a few pieces of her stuff out there, including her sculpture, pottery, photographs, and drawings. I think she got a kick out of us seeing her work, and it was a nice way to showcase what the students had done over the year.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Marsha S. for the pic.

One Thing Leads To Another

What started out as simple maintenance, albeit long overdue maintenance, has become quite a production in our lives. Then again, what else is new when it comes to house upkeep? I had put off painting the house for years and in fact didn't do it right the first time way back when and paid for my insolence. This time around I needed to re-paint the back section of the house, hopefully doing it right, and ended up replacing a bunch of clapboards. This has led me tot he decision to paint the entire house, which is a pretty ambitious task when you really get down to it. Plus, as I make my around the house, I find plenty of other clapboards that need replacing, and as we all know, fixing one clapboard means fixing three.

This is a job that is long overdue. When we first bought the house, the inspector said to paint the two sides that get the most sun every two years and the other two sides every four years. That's a lot of painting, and being the lazy slob that I am, I didn't follow his advice. Over the years I ended up painting the north and south faces, neglecting the gable ends, which present some significant challenges because they go up so high. Now that I'm finally doing it, it has become very clear to me how much a fresh coat of paint not only makes the house look nice, but it protects the wood from the elements, as well. The two sort of go hand in hand, don't you think?

My plan is to paint the bottom half of the house first, then when I've gone all the around, make my way up. Part of the reason for this is because the bottom half is in greater need of repair being closer to the ground. It's also more accessible and doesn't require the use of our massive 30 foot ladder, which is scary to use. Finally, as you go higher up on the house, you run into more and more hornets' nests, which are a complete bummer, especially when you're balancing precariously on a ladder holding a can of paint.

Needless to say, this should be interesting. As of now the improvement in the appearance of the house is marked, and it's always nice to get immediate results from your work.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Chimney Blocks

We are finally getting around to pumping our septic tank and it was a complete nightmare trying to find that darn access hatch. After all the blood, sweat, and tears in finding it, I decided that it was time to do things differently, as per the recommendations of the septic guy. Now I'm not sure why the previous owners didn't do this, but since they really knew what they were doing I mindlessly followed in line with their M.O., leaving me to scratch my head and wonder why. The access hatch is about 2 feet down in the ground and the biggest issue was locating it. Foolishly I didn't mark the location properly and started in the wrong place, forcing me to search for it with a shovel. The situation was compounded by the enormous number of sizable rocks that litter the soil, not to mention the hot sun beating down on me. Boy, it's a wonder I make it through the day.

Last time he came the septic guy urged me to get these chimney blocks and use them to elevate the access hatch. The way it works is you stack the blocks, which are hollow, on top of the opening, thus raising it and making it easier to get to the next time you dig. I disregarded his suggestion at the time because I didn't know what the heck chimney blocks were and figured it would just mean more money. Plus, the previous owners didn't do it, why should I?

This time around I realize the folly of my ways and decided to get the darn blocks. When I called to schedule the pumping I inquired about said blocks and they told me to go to this place in West Leb to get them. It wasn't easy to find but I managed to locate it and get the blocks, which weigh about 75 lbs each. I now have them out back and awaiting the septic guy to pump the tank and then revise the access point. Somehow I get the feeling that it won't be as straightforward as I hope it will be, but what else is new in the life of a RMIT (real man in training - I just came up with that acronym, isn't that clever?)?

Until then, thanks for reading.

Family Hike

Last week there was a lot on our schedule, including work, LAX practice, and domestic duties, but for various reasons things started to drop off the map. For whatever reason his LAX practice was canceled, and I was off the hook for work. That left making supper, but when mom learned that LAX was canceled, she suggested a family hike and picnic supper at the summit. We were all for it, and instead of cooking supper, I ran to the store and got picnic supplies.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and the hike was awesome. A brought her camera along and she and mom stopped along the way to take pics while N and I walked ahead of them. It was a really nice impromptu hike and we made the most of our time off. I love when that happens. For the record, the kids are incredibly fast walkers and usually leave the slower old people in their wake. I don't even try to keep up, but this time around A was slower because she was stopping for photo ops with mom. I had the task of trying to keep up with N, which basically meant he was not only going slow, but was taking intermittent stops to let me catch up. So thoughtful.

Once at the summit, it was time to unpack our picnic and chow down. I was hungry and we had quite a nice feast. Somehow context can change everything when it comes to a meal. Food that taste awesome in one location might not be as appealing in another. When we picnic on the hill, we eat simple foods like bread, hummus, olives, tomatoes, sausage, and cheese. Normally I probably wouldn't consider this a meal, but when we're hiking/picnicking, it's just right. Funny how that works.

On the way down the young folks were once again united and took off ahead of the geriatric crowd, which suited mom and dad just fine. When we arrived back at the car, the kids were sitting on the rocks with a look in their eyes that screamed, "What took you so long?" The crazy thing is, it didn't seem that long to me.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to edwademd for the pic.