Who's Counting

There are some things that you shouldn't keep track of, like how much you spend on a hobby. Or in my case, the number of days I've been working on taking down this building in Round Grove.

Sometimes something takes as long as it takes, cost as much as it costs. You can't do anything to change how long it takes or what something costs. You just have to take things as they come. Focus on the task at hand. Maybe I need to reword this...  OK how about - Roll will the punches or go with the flow, and focus on the current problem that is in front of you. One thing at a time. That way I keep moving forward getting things done. I don't get as discouraged and I focus on what I am doing. If I'm at a meeting, I don't think about the work I'm not getting done. If I am working I don't think about an upcoming meeting or where I have to be later. But strange enough, I do think about the blogs I read and the people who write them. I think about all of you. OK so that is weird but it passes the time.

Time, I was getting to work about 6 plus hours at a time when I started this Round Grove Project. Now with the warmer weather and other things, that I don't want to go into at this time, you know keep it simple, I get about 2 to 3 hours of work before I am exhausted. It makes it a lot harder to get this building down. But I have mad some progress this last week.

BTW...How do you tell your doctor that the change in your meds has caused you to gain 20 lbs after losing 40, and make you want to sleep all of the time. It's like "Oh that's too bad, we should try something else." If I didn't wand to have a life so bad and be able to get some work done, I would tell him he is out of his frecken mind. If any of you know about a drug called Lamictal, I'd like to know more. Said the ginny pig.

Now only is the back wall down to the foundation, but the east and west walls are also. It took about 2 hours to do each one. You can see the ends of the floor joists, It is starting to look like a big deck.

Thursday, June 24th, took down North East corner.

Friday, June 25th, did the East wall.

Saturday, June 26th, did the West wall.

That would be 60 to 90 blocks per day. I know that doesn't sound like much but that is what I can do in about 2 hours each day. Tomorrow I should work on the front wall and clean up.

So you might wonder what does he do with the rest of the day. Well several hours were spent watching Fringe season 1, working on season 2 now. And then there is Dr. Who, I've missed a season of that. The Dr. Who series used to be better. And of course Merlin both seasons. Its ok but I like the old StarGate series better. Something to pass the time, so I don't get too bored. We've had a lot of rain and can't work outside in the yard or garden. I hope things will dry up a little now.

And I been catching up on my blog reading. JJ of course and T-mans, Gabe, Rowan, DJ among others.

Until next time...

There is Some Good People Out There

I have been impressed time and again with the young men and the people who post on their blogs. These young men are going though some pretty rough times and show great courage in the way they handle things and the decisions they make. There is some really great advice give them by the people who post on their blogs. I have learned many things from all of them.

Although it is sometimes hard to read all of their blogs it makes me happy that they are out there. That there are such good people out there will to help others. And I have the privilege to peek in on their lives and see what they are doing. I miss not have children or teens in my life and I guess this helps to fill the hole a little.

I really had a good laugh the other day when Gabe said that I didn't like the different food to touch on the plate. It really made my day. I know it is a little thing but it still made me laugh.

It is getting late but I want to express how proud I am of these young men, and the joy they give me as they grow and accomplish things in their lives. Also there are some really good people commenting on there blogs. I hope I can get to know all of them better.

Round Grove Project

I managed to get several hours of work in this morning on the project. I am happy to say I got the back wall down. It was about 90 block and it went pretty fast.

Today 21 June 2010

Before

3 May 2010

I feel good about getting the wall down and every day more like I did when I started this project. A few more days like today and I will have all the block down. The there is only the floor. :-)

A Few More Hours and Rain Storm

It took about an hour and a half, but we got the front doorway down. The header above the door was about 9 feet long and made by putting a peace of railroad track through the middle of 7 blocks and filling them with concrete. We were able to safely push it off and break the concrete off the rail with a sludge hammer.

All that you can see now of the doorway is the gap in the wall.We are hoping for good weather next week so we can finish up the block and get the floor up. There are a few piles of 2x6's we have to move to ...... details, details, we'll work it out.

And here is what the other end is looking like.

There was a bit of a storm that blew through this afternoon. There were some trees down and a ranch style house that is in need of a roof. The wind took it clean off. Sorry no pic but I thought it would be in bad taste to stop for pictures with all of the firemen and police stiff trying to get things under control. You could see all of the inside walls and the roof was 50 feet behind the house in a creek.

I did get a pic of a tree that was snapped off. This is a mile from my house. I do love the storms but feel bad for the people with the roofless house.

A Little at a Time.

This is very frustrating. Not being able to do what work that I want to do. And making so little progress each time I am there. Here is how it looked today, when I was finished.

I need more space to stack the block, I have over 20 pallets and very little room to add more. The weeds and brush has grown up around the building and is getting in the way. The wood and rubble around the building is being cleaned up a little bit at a time.

Both Jim and I are being hindered by the weather and out heath problems. I have gained 20lbs in the last 3 weeks and and just getting things back under control. The drug Abilify that they have had me on, (also on Prozac), has brought back my cravings and has given me an almost uncontrollable appetite. I have stopped the Ability and am not just about back to normal. But the last month has had more ups and downs that I care for. I was down to a low of 240lbs I'm now at 260lbs. Abilify was putting me to sleep. I want to sleep all of the time. So then I get the energy drinks to balance it out. Well long story short, now it's no caffeine, no chocolate, no energy drinks, and no junk food. I try to only eat real food and keep the appetite under guard. I will see how thing next 7 days goes and will be seeing a doctor on Thursday.

Wednesday afternoon I took a drive. I was to relax and unwhine. It is so beautiful, all of the green and the corn and soybeans are growing so fast. We have had a lot of rain and it shows. As far as the eye could see.

Here are a few shots from the 6th.

I am hoping to get the rest of the front down tomorrow morning. No more doors or block sticking up. So to bed I go.

Hot & Humid

Yes it was a hot and humid few days. I have gotten a few more block down and removed the 2x6's that made up the stage. Here is a few pictures of what is left of the building.

As soon as health and the weather allows I will get the rest of the block down. Then I will get a simi trailer to load the 25 plus pallets of block on. I don't know if they will fit actually.

This morning I spent a hour removing the 2x6's and had had enough. So we loaded the truck up with scrap and took it in, it came to over $60, not bad. Then we went to Menards to get a small air conditioner for Jim. This weather, the humidity, really makes it hard for him to breath. And considering I was having a hard enough time I wanted to make sure he had an air conditioner.

I am starting to feel a bit more rested and hope to be stronger this summer. I have just got to get a bag of mortar mix and start to lay some block. And yes I will have pictures. After all of this time I think I almost need proof. It will get done, a little at a time.

Bonfire

I have been trying to get this clip uploaded since about the 2nd of June. Thanks Brian for the help.

Now I live here in Illinois and it has been raining several times a week. We cut the brush about 2 or 3 weeks before and I don't have to worry about starting the whole town on fire. I do have to be concerned that I don't melt the neighbors siding off their house though. I do have a hose there and I do wet the fire down when it gets going more that I like.

It took about 20 to 30 minutes to burn but I shorten it a bit. I know it is kind of fun watching a fire but not for 30 minutes. I guess there is a little pierow in all of us.

BTW take this stuff to the land fill is not even a consideration.

Bonfire in Illinois

Wind in the rafters

Just a test to see it I could get one to work. This is the way the wind was blowing and I had been taking down the roof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQht6MJqI50

New day New week

I haven't kept up my posts like I should have. I have gotten some more block down. But not a lot of time in. The weather has been hot and humid. The new air conditioner is working great and I am getting some better rest.

Its moving slower that I would like but I got 2 hours in tonight and about 40 block down and one less window.
this morning 10 until 2 this afternoon I was a the genealogical society in Dixon. Pat and I work on getting the basement setup. I wasn't their on Saturday so I really did need to do my part today. I took a picture of the basement but someone had his finger sticking up and I will get a better picture tomorrow. It is going to be a good work area.

Bad day - Wednesday 26 May

It is official, this has been a bad day. I guess I have reached the end of my leash. I dropped an air conditioner out a second story window. I might still work with a little body work. I have to have air conditioning when it gets hot like this. I knew today that I was going to have to cut back. It always happens when I get really tired. I make some mistake and something goes wrong. As I tried to get the air conditioner to fit in the opening, somehow, I lost grip and out it went. The cord with plug tried to take the nail of my little finger with it. It is all blue under the nail. It is so dumb, I have put the air conditioner in for years and never had a problem. Yes I am depressed about it. And I feel a little guilty because this is nothing compared to the problems of; Paul, Gabe, DJ and JJ.

And thanks JJ for the post it did help brighten my day. I hope to get more done around here the next week or so because I just bought a $200 air conditioner to replace the one I destroyed. I'm out of money, so I got to cut back until the new month when I get my check.

When I over do it, it takes me days to weeks to get back my strength. The meds help a lot but not as much as I want. When it gets hot and humid it also makes it harder on me. So I thought that I get this air conditioner in and I will get a lot better sleep. Well that didn't work out like I had planned. Yes I do have air conditioning tonight but it cost me a bit.

I seem to think that if I push myself hard enough I will get the job done. But I get less done and I screw something up, every time.

Now yesterday I did get some block down, about 40 or so. I took them home and finish the raised compost bin. I just have to get some worms for it now and make a cover. This kind of composting is called vermicomposting

Rock River and Prophetstown, Illinois - Tuesday 25th.

My new Vermicompost bin