December 29, 2021

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 29, 2020, after Xmas doldrums.
Five years ago today: December 29, 2016, a long day, I’d say.
Nine years ago today: December 29, 2012, a generic day.
Random years ago today: December 29, 2010, Titusville, FL is a rip-off.

           My helper didn’t show until late again, so this video clip lets you know I was into the heavy labor work myself. These treated 2x6” joists don’t lift themselves into place, you know. Sorry for the day’s delay if you noticed, it took all day to get the ledger board into place, lumber these days seems to warp more quickly. Shown here, I used a drill to attach the lag bolts, which really have to sink into the old lumber to bite adequately. These expensive bolts broke easily upon hitting a nail head or a knot. Most of the deck is done, if there’s time you’ll see a photo below. I ran out of the correct screws. More than once I’ve not allowed for the decking to be 5/4” inches thick and my standard screw size around here is 1-5/8ths.

           The hillbilly finally showed with only Cash, the big doggie, who promptly ate both dishes of food and fell over to sleep on the deck. We went back to the van to get the rest of the lumber and on return, Bruno and Kepps, two other neighborhood hounds found the shady deck was an excellent spot for a noon nap. Until a drill fell of the ladder and nearly beaned Cash.

           Enter Lunabelle, the new doggie you’ve heard about but not met. Her actual name is just Luna, but that would never do for any animal that achieves the status of pet around here. I’ve not fully decided yet, but the story is she was abandoned by a ten year old girl and found dodging cars in the street. She got taken in by the hillbilly’s girlfriend and promptly got pregnant by Cash. She is now apparently in a very weakened condition long after the puppies are all gone. The reason for hesitating with Lady Girl is because of her attachment to Cash, she pines when he’s not around. We shall see.

Picture of the day.
A view of the Outback.
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           Here is the deck and the ledger. This really took a long time, the ledger I mean. The hillbilly is shown here pointing out a spot where a lag bolt missed the stud. I knew it was a two man job, but even sigh the most careful measurements I still had to make some of the cuts twice. Then we had to use the car jack to bend one end into place due to a slight warp that would not cooperate. The photo belies the amount of work on this piece. Worse, Cash developed a case of the poops and what a smell. He’s trained to go in the bushes, this time he went right in the foot path. That’s what you get when he eats Lady Girl’s dish plus his own.

           Later, I went for a well-deserved beer. The hillbilly is more Florida, he’ll sit in the back yard and drink beer from the fridge. For me, I prefer to go downtown, even though I don’t mingle much. Never had to. Sure enough, I mentioned did I how the staff at the pub on the highway all quit at the same time? Well, the family that owns the place, and by the way, all the surrounding property, had to tend the bar themselves. In this process, I finally met the lady fiddle player, girlfriend of the son of one of the ladies that quit.

           She’s maybe 21 and as does happen folks, she took an immediately liking to me. I have zero intentions, so it’s futile to say I’m bragging. Nope, but what she said got my attention instantly. She noticed I had some musical notation scribbled down and mentioned she plays the fiddle. I put two and two together, that drummer in the failed band two years ago must be the same guy, so I asked if he could play guitar. Yes, she says, but only strumming. I recall that band, calling it overkill at the time. If he can strum guitar with anything like the tight timing he could drum, that would be something.
           Having her complete attention every break she got, I did not get my homework done. I closed my scribbler and thought this through. When asked, she said he prefers to play drums, but will do whatever it takes to get back into a band. Right there, he’s smarter than most musicians in this vicinity. I gave her my contact info with instructions to call if he is serious about that. That band had an old rock style set list, but close enough to contemporary and classic country that we would not be long to stage. Because he also sings.

           A quick tally of my deck shows the mark of inflation. Shown here, the finished deck cost nearly $340, a lot more than the original $141. It is built to spec, you can see the workmanship and it is solid, around 400 screws just on the decking part. The nearest to bottom of this picture is a small landing before entering the shed. This is in case I decide to add a small set of stairs later. Still to go is the canopy to keep my valuable appliances out of the rain. I’ve never built a deck before.
           Trust the neighborhood dogs, who again found the shady spot. They have to enter the yard from the vacant lot on one side, where there is plenty of shade, but my guess is the solid shade of the house and the boards, which even on a day like this, remained cool to the touch. I only stepped on doggie tails four or five times in last minute news, tomorrow, Lunabelle may drop by for introductions. We’ll see about this wonderful personality she has and probably get you more pictures.

Last Laugh