Some final jobs before the fam's return
The last two days, despite being a holiday weekend, have been full of chores, but I've really enjoyed them. While I love youth ministry, I occasionally need something that I can start and finish in order to quench my thirst for feeling like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. This weekend, I've done a few of those things, though not without some hangups... or, as Patrick McManus would say, not without some sequences.
My first attempt at getting something done was to sand the porch. Shari's been wanting it repainted for quite a few months now, so I thought I'd surprise her by having it done. I borrowed a belt sander, and got to work. Within 10 minutes, I was backing the sander up a board, and proceeded to "eat" the power cord. I spent the next 45 minutes taking the sander apart, ripping my only belt of sandpaper in the process. Okay, I could go into town and get some other supplies, too... later. I moved on to the next project, which was more pressing, but not nearly as much fun.
The backyard water faucet needed replaced. This required me to cut into the sheetrock that was less than a year old. Bummer. I discovered, in that process, that the parts I had bought the day before for the job weren't sufficient, or they weren't the right ones. So, now I'm into two projects, and I not only can't finish them without a trip into Missoula (minimum 1 hour round trip, plus shopping), but I can't make the trip and even get started before Nate and Janna's wonderful wedding.
So, I showered and left early, making about 5 false starts before I remembered everything I needed (returns, lists, wedding gift, etc.). I made all my stops, then went to the wedding. It was gorgeous. It was outdoors at Gibson Mansion in Missoula. Nate and Janna are a great couple, and they pulled off the wedding w/o any problems. I didn't even see either of the moms cry, which was pretty amazing. It was windy, and kept threatening to rain, but, in the end, the weather cooperated, and they're married and off to Spokane for a mini-honeymoon. I enjoyed the tremendous food, then came back home to continue the water spigot project.
I bought a torch and tried to melt the solder off the old faucet. I found I couldn't make it happen w/o another pair of hands, so Bill and Kevin agreed to come over and help. Their help was greatly appreciated. First we discovered that the frost-free part wouldn't come off, so we had to back up a joint. That came off okay, but then, because of the new construction, it wouldn't come out the hole. I had to use a dull hacksaw to eventually cut it small enough outside so we could pull it out through the hole inside. Then we made an unpleasant discovery: There was a leak somewhere, and water was dripping out the end of the now open pipe. It's after 8:00 pm, and now that we're this far, we can't stop, or I'll be knocking on the neighbor's door for a bathroom. So, after more phone calls and trying of ideas, we finally got the drip to stop long enough to get the solder to work. It's not pretty, but it works. After that, it was simply putting the thing back together again. Finally, one project completed... at 10:00 pm. I watched a few fireworks, and went back to bed.
To be cont. tomorrow. Shari's home, so I'm going to spend time with my wife and put my boys to bed.
PS I found out afterwards that the best way to get the drip to stop is to shove a little bit of bread up the pipe. The bread will soak up and plug the water for long enough to stop the water so you can solder, but it will eventually wash away because that's what water does to bread, so no permanent plug. I'll remember that for next time.
My first attempt at getting something done was to sand the porch. Shari's been wanting it repainted for quite a few months now, so I thought I'd surprise her by having it done. I borrowed a belt sander, and got to work. Within 10 minutes, I was backing the sander up a board, and proceeded to "eat" the power cord. I spent the next 45 minutes taking the sander apart, ripping my only belt of sandpaper in the process. Okay, I could go into town and get some other supplies, too... later. I moved on to the next project, which was more pressing, but not nearly as much fun.
The backyard water faucet needed replaced. This required me to cut into the sheetrock that was less than a year old. Bummer. I discovered, in that process, that the parts I had bought the day before for the job weren't sufficient, or they weren't the right ones. So, now I'm into two projects, and I not only can't finish them without a trip into Missoula (minimum 1 hour round trip, plus shopping), but I can't make the trip and even get started before Nate and Janna's wonderful wedding.
So, I showered and left early, making about 5 false starts before I remembered everything I needed (returns, lists, wedding gift, etc.). I made all my stops, then went to the wedding. It was gorgeous. It was outdoors at Gibson Mansion in Missoula. Nate and Janna are a great couple, and they pulled off the wedding w/o any problems. I didn't even see either of the moms cry, which was pretty amazing. It was windy, and kept threatening to rain, but, in the end, the weather cooperated, and they're married and off to Spokane for a mini-honeymoon. I enjoyed the tremendous food, then came back home to continue the water spigot project.
I bought a torch and tried to melt the solder off the old faucet. I found I couldn't make it happen w/o another pair of hands, so Bill and Kevin agreed to come over and help. Their help was greatly appreciated. First we discovered that the frost-free part wouldn't come off, so we had to back up a joint. That came off okay, but then, because of the new construction, it wouldn't come out the hole. I had to use a dull hacksaw to eventually cut it small enough outside so we could pull it out through the hole inside. Then we made an unpleasant discovery: There was a leak somewhere, and water was dripping out the end of the now open pipe. It's after 8:00 pm, and now that we're this far, we can't stop, or I'll be knocking on the neighbor's door for a bathroom. So, after more phone calls and trying of ideas, we finally got the drip to stop long enough to get the solder to work. It's not pretty, but it works. After that, it was simply putting the thing back together again. Finally, one project completed... at 10:00 pm. I watched a few fireworks, and went back to bed.
To be cont. tomorrow. Shari's home, so I'm going to spend time with my wife and put my boys to bed.
PS I found out afterwards that the best way to get the drip to stop is to shove a little bit of bread up the pipe. The bread will soak up and plug the water for long enough to stop the water so you can solder, but it will eventually wash away because that's what water does to bread, so no permanent plug. I'll remember that for next time.
Labels: Miscellaneous, Personal
posted by Pastor Paul at
9:58 PM
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