Above 1200 Sq/FT Smart *** Garage, aka: It's finally going to happen

[NakeDiesel]

Been hotter than a 3 dollar bill here in God's country for the last few weeks. Do a little, then go in and cool down, dry off and guzzle more water.

Just had my buddy out that does HVAC and started out as a plumber and he got the new pump put into my aerobic system so I can finally stop using my trash pump to keep it drained out. Been waiting on the pump to come in and him to have time to install it.

The new propane tank was brought out today and setup with a main 10lb regulator then split out and through another regulator for the house. He'll install the generators regulator when I get it in place. Now just waiting on the truck to fill it out. It had some dregs left in the refurb tank and so I was able to get the stove bled and where it will now light.

We can now cook on the stove... been a month or more since we've been able to use it.

Leading up to this point I've gotten the lines both tested holding 6psi for over an hour each and then started work on filling in the trenches for both lines. Hauled a bucket of dirt in to help fill back in and then also used it to fill in the damn holes the dog's dug as well in his pen and yard....

Also put the brush hog to use and mowed along our drive up to the gate on the south side of the road. Worked real well and looks decent with all the weeds and blackberries cut down

MIL update: She's improving each day. Able to talk some, still struggles but getting better each day. Also able to move her right arm now, but still really weak. But doing good in Rehab.

 

[NakeDiesel]

when it rains it pours, dad is now in the hospital as well... Took him to ER on Sunday, wasn't feeling good and very weak. Ended up admitting him to the hospital and pulled 1.5 liters of fluid off his lung Monday, another 650ml today. He tested positive for covid as well, but seems to be feeling better as he goes. But because he was positive for covid, the wife and I've kept separate and she's just staying with her mom at night in Rehab in her room and I've been bringing her stuff and dropping them off at the desk to keep me away from her and her mom in case i'm carrying covid... So this week has sucked ***. MIL is supposed to get out of rehab friday.

Around the farm, not accomplished much other than moving old hay into 3 rows in prep for this years hay to be baled. Took the tractor Monday night and cut a path round my field we cut and bale for my brother as a guide. Probably cut hay Saturday if the weather cooperates, then I need to get it all hauled down. I'll probably sell all by 10 bales of it since I have 35 bales left from last year.

 

[NakeDiesel]

Nothing accomplished this weekend other than some house cleaning and sitting at the hospital with Dad. He had an interesting time Saturday, evidently his pain patch ended it's use and the hospital gave him a dose of pain meds and it knocked him for a loop, he didn't even know me and my brother were there during the day as he was completely out of it. Started coming around in the evening and freaked out and ended up getting sick due to the meds. They have since adjusted the pain med to a much smaller dose. Hopefully he will get out of the hospital today or tomorrow.

Mother in Law was release from Rehab on Friday and is home now. The sisters are staying with her, the wife will stay with her on Thurs and Friday this week, then she is coming to our house for a full week the next week. Not sure the rota after that.

My headers and trusses should be delivered this week. Just waiting for the actual day and hopefully it's one of the days I'll actually be home.

Edited:
Well, dad was released today and is home now

 

[NakeDiesel]

Where has time gone...

Latest update is it's been hot hot hot... we finally got 1/2 an inch of rain late last week and that greened up the grass again, so we were able to cut the hay Saturday while dodging sprinkles and baled it on Sunday. Ended up making 47 1/4 bales of hay.





Mother in law is doing better, she's staying with us during the week, so I'm fixing her meals during the day and making sure she's doing good. Can't leave or go do things so I'm doing a few things after the wife gets home.

Dad is doing ok, still very weak and not sure if he's going to gain his strength back again. His sister died a little over a week ago and we went to her funeral last Thursday, she was a year older than dad and had cancer.

Still waiting on my trusses and headers to be delivered. They are built now, just waiting on them to be painted and shipped out.

We did get to go on the pub crawl with the Scotting clan group in Tulsa and had a blast. I finally had an opportunity to wear my kilt... Was a great time and will do it again next year.

Had another Tattoo session and the sleeve is getting closer to being done. Have another appt in Sept and hope we finish it up that day.

 

[NakeDiesel]

Another busy week, Dad's AC quit working again this week when it was 100+ outside, was 92 inside his house. Brother was gone cutting hay so I ran over Tues evening when I got back from my dental appointment at the VA and did some checking. Pointed to a bad capacitor. Called my hvac buddy and we were both out there an hour later putting a new capacitor on his system. That got him back up and running and cooling his house back down.

Never seen a capacitor bit the dust like this:


Spent most of Saturday out in the shop, cleaned it up some and put tools away, then started working on the bike now that I had the parts in to fix the air ride. Replaced the pressure switch and that started working again. Then I soldered the trigger power wire back into the rear tail light wire and fixed that issue. I then disassembled the air switches that raise and lower the bike based on the switch position. Replaced the two air switches and got it back into the bike with the wires soldered together and heat shrink covering them. Cleaned up the wiring inside there and got it all put back together. It's ready to roll now. Have another VA appointment on the 11th so might take the bike to it since I've not gotten to ride it at all this summer.



Bought the wife a shoe storage system for the bedroom, cleaned up all her dress shoes she now owns due to her new position. Also bought a hall tree for the front room and got it put together and in place. Looks pretty good there by the front door and cleaned up the area pretty good.

 

[NakeDiesel]

Worked on a few things over the long weekend. Finished mowing the rest of the yard, large parts didn't need the mower ran over it. Weedeated some and specifically around the bee patio and some of my fruit trees.

Checked the hives, looks like a little progress on some of the supers, but still nothing ready to harvest yet. Think I made the mistake of starting with all new frames on each of the hives for the supers instead of putting on the ones built out previously for them to start filling. Was just a bad year for building comb I guess. I had another deadout hive, so I've broken it down and need to go through the hive parts in the freezer and clean them up and then I can move this hives boxes into it. Will try to get that done today.

I did get the last of the frames from the first batch of 100 done finally after I picked up some more fishing line Sunday. So I have quite the stock of finished deep frames now. This spring, I need to go through my established hives and start removing older frames as over time the comb openings get smaller and smaller. I'll replace half the frames in each this spring and put the year on them while I'm at it. Then replace the other half the next spring. I'll do that cycle every couple of years. Think this will help my existing hives out quite a bit.



It's wild that these covers I bought for these baking storage racks actually still fit after I widened them 3". Fit like a glove.

Drained and refilled the hot tub sunday, turned it back on at the breaker. Checked it sunday while I was smoking boloney and bacon and it was erroring saying the heater was dry. Finally figured out the issue and it wasn't getting enough flow through the filters. I replaced the small one as I had a spare for it and that got it back up and going. Ordering a couple of large ones now to replace the 2nd filter.

The wife and I started filling up our suitcases for our trip to Greece in less than a month now to make sure we have enough clothes for the whole trip (I finally talked her out of wanting to wash clothes several times on the trip). I've got all my clothes packed just need toiletries packed then I'm ready, she's still got a ton of things to pack up. 24 days till we fly out.