The Final Screw!

That post title sounds a bit like a porno flick, doesn't it?
The picture is of L putting the final screw in the garage ceiling! Yeehaw!

We had 9 pieces of OSB to hang yesterday. The first 5 pieces and the final piece hung like a charm. The middle 3 pieces were a NIGHTMARE! All 3 pieces needed to be trimmed, ever so slightly, to fit properly. It took us 2 hours to hang 6 pieces, and 3 hours to hang the problem pieces.

That 3 hours also counts the disaster we had when L knocked MY drill-driver off the ladder, onto the concrete floor....not a pretty sight! We have 3 drill-drivers and, of course, the one that broke is the only driver we have with an extra battery.

THEN the table saw quit working properly. This turned out to be a dull blade. Sooooo, we trimmed the final pieces with the jigsaw. Very time consuming.

Today went much better. We went to Menards to buy our final 10 sheets of OSB for the walls, AND a new blade for the table saw. Then we cut and hung 4 wall sheets. The walls are now, officially, half completed! Next weekend we SHOULD be able to complete the walls.

I'm Still Here....Sort of...

Sorry I haven't been around much, but we've been busy.

We decided to wait until fall to insulate and sheet our garage. This summer was just too hot to try to work in an uninsulated building with a metal roof! On the weekends, all 3 of us have been working on screwing sheets of 1/4" OSB to the ceiling. During the week, after work, Z and I have been insulating the walls and hanging sheets of 7/16" OSB. We SHOULD be able to complete the ceiling this weekend, and the final wall sometime next week.

Last year we were painting our garage, house, and shed. Painting is pretty mindless work. You just grab a brush, paint, and ladder and do it! Carpentry takes a lot more brainpower. I have to figure how many sheets of OSB we need, and how to cut and hang them with the least amount of waste. Insulation is even trickier. We're using thicker insulation for the attic, so I have to know how much we need of each kind. Insulation comes in many different sized packages, so I have to figure how much each kind is per square foot, to see which is the better buy.

Then there's the constant measuring around outlets, doors, windows, garage door tracks, and garage door openers. I've always been a proponent of "measuring TWICE and cutting ONCE". Mis-measuring can get expensive very quickly!

By the time we quit working for the night, it's time to make dinner and go to bed. Posting to my blog at that time of night has been out of the question! I couldn't put a coherent thought together to save my soul! I tried posting when I got up Sunday morning, but Blogger wouldn't let me sign in.

Today, I'm playing catch-up with a little housework and paperwork.

In case anybody is interested, it took:

28-4x8 sheets of 1/4" OSB, 896 sq ft of insulation, and 7 lbs of 1" pole barn screws, for the garage ceiling.

AND 28 sheets of 7/16" OSB, 816 sq ft of insulation, 816 sq ft of plastic vapor barrier, 1/2 box of 1/4" staples, and 20 lbs of nails for the garage walls.

I get tired just looking at that list.

BAH HUMBUG!

Much to my surprise, I received this award from Monica (grizzlymama.blogspot.com), and again from my lovely daughter SME(blueapples85.blogspot.com).

When I received this award yesterday, I didn't feel particularly "nice". I had just had one of the worst days, at work, that I've ever had in 30 years of waitressing. After receiving this award, and a good night's sleep, I feel much "nicer" today.


"I get to have the fun of passing this along to 7 more women bloggers who write about subjects that are often not very nice at all, but try to maintain a courteous and friendly tone at their blogs. As one lady put it, “It just shows that we can get our message across without turning into crass and rude people.”


All of my blog friends are nice people. They wouldn't be my friends if they weren't.
Most of you have already been honored with this award. So here are 6 more all-around nice people....and a rock.

Cherie(cherieswebwanderings.blogspot.com ) Cherie's blog is full of deep thoughts and family fun. She always manages to soothe my soul!

Vancouver Voyeur(vancouvercalling.blogspot.com ) This lady burns the candle at both ends, trying to make our world a better place to live.

Gardenia(herloftyperch.blogspot.com ) A wonderful artist, and all-around nice person!

Squirl(squirl1.blogspot.com ) Her upbeat attitude on life is infectious. Squirl's beautiful photography is always a treat!

Pam(greeneggsandpam.blogspot.com ) This lady always makes me laugh. Pam's in Hawaii right now, but she deserves it after the recent upheavals in her life.

Sonja(girlwithgreencard.blogspot.com ) Sonja is starting her first year as a full-time teacher. Despite her angst, I know she'll be a terrific teacher.

Romero(romerotherock.blogspot.com ) Our kidnapped yard rock, always complains about not being tagged. Now quit whining!

I LOVE Menards!

I hate to endorse any huge chain store, but, I have to admit I'd be LOST without our local Menards. Before Menards came to our little town, 15 years ago, we were limited to our 2 local lumber yards and 2 hardware stores. You may ask why a town of 8,000 would need a Menards, when we already had these other stores. I'll tell you why.

Our locally owned lumber yards won't let you pick your lumber. They insist on picking and loading it for you. The problem with this system is that you wind up with the scabbiest, crooked, knothole-laced lumber you've ever seen. Our lumber yards save the good stuff for their contractor clientele. I've bought seconds at Menards that are in better shape than the lumber I get from our local yards! Before Menards came to town, L and I would travel 3 hours to Duluth to shop at Knox lumber, whenever we did a big project. We actually saved money, and got better lumber this way.

Our lumber yards also didn't carry any molding or trim. If you wanted quarter-round, cove molding, or baseboard; you had to special order it. Menards carries a whole room FULL of pre-finished molding, in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. They have a second room FULL of unfinished wood trim.

Our local hardware stores, which have folded since Menards came to town, were also inept. Both of these stores quit carrying bulk screws and nails. EVERYTHING was sold in small blister packs. They also quit carrying basic wiring and plumbing supplies. We COULD place a special order for wire, pipe, electrical boxes, etc. BUT, we had to buy a whole case of anything that was ordered.

At Menards, I can pick my own lumber, buy ONE electrical box, ONE piece of PVC or 10 ft of flexpipe, buy nails or screws in a 5 lb box, find a replacement globe for ANY of my light fixtures, individual toilet replacement parts, wire, conduit, or choose from hundreds of wiring and plumbing doo-dads.

I can also buy sidewalk blocks, landscape timbers or stones, several types of mulch, paving sand, many varieties of fencing, toilets, sinks, faucets, light fixtures, ANY type of light bulb, range-hood filters, batteries, saw blades, drill bits, carpet, vinyl, wood, or laminate flooring, throw rugs, pet supplies, ductwork and registers, cleaning supplies, computer software, DVDs, snack food, and a fabulous array of holiday decorations.

And TOOLS! Don't get me started on the TOOLS! This summer, I bought a 19v cordless drill-driver, with a 500 piece accessory set and hardside case for $24.95! This was a no-name drill, but it was made in the USA!

Menards has a unique marketing hook, in the form of rebates. Every week, their flyer offers various items on sale with a rebate. Menards makes the rebate process quite easy. Your store receipt prints out individual proofs-of-purchase, with the rebate number printed on them. With rebate numbers in hand, you then go to the wall of rebate coupons and select the coupons you need. Within 3 weeks, you receive a Menards merchandise rebate check in the mail.

Many of the rebate items wind up costing NOTHING! Just a few of the items I've purchased this way are:
500 tealight candles:FREE
2-8x10 tarps:FREE
4-4oz scented jar candles:FREE
wooly car wash mitt:FREE
2 collapsible, insulated 6-pack coolers: $1/each
2 microfiber cleaning cloths: $.50/each
a set of 24 drill bits:$.88
2- 2ftx3ft anti-fatigue rubber floor mats: $1/each
numerous throw rugs, ranging from FREE-$5
dog biscuits:FREE
many light bulbs:FREE
32 AA alkaline batteries: $1.99
package of 4 paintbrushes: FREE

Menards also has fantastic sales on discontinued items. We got 2 boxes of self-stick floor tile, for our bathrooms, for $.12/sq ft.

This week, I bought 2-4 ft fluorescent shop light fixtures, for our garage, for $5.99/each. Now THAT'S a DEAL!

Like any store, you need to know your prices and the quality of certain items..."Let the buyer beware!", but all in all I'm extremely satisfied with my Menards shopping experiences.

They're Out to Get Us!

And we thought the idea of imbedded microchips was bad!

"Morgellons Disease appears to be a communicable nanotechnology invasion of human tissue in the form of self-assembling, self-replicating nanotubes, nanowires, and nanoarrays with sensors. Other nanoconfigurations associated with Morgellons Disease carry genetically-altered and spliced DNA or RNA. The nanomachines which precipitate Morgellons Disease use the human host's bio-electric energy as one of their power sources. There is evidence that certain of the tiny machines possess their own internal batteries as well. The Morgellons Disease nanomachines are configured to receive specific tuned microwave, EMF and ELF signals and radio data."

Apparently, according to a LOT of conspiracy theorists, we are being deliberately exposed to this communicable "nano disease". Some say we get infected by drinking tapwater, others say our immunization shots are laced with the disease.

Several web sites have pictures of people supposedly afflicted with Morgellons. To me, the "disease" looks like a bad case of eczema. The CDC actually looked into Morgellons, after being flooded with stories from the victims of this "disease". I haven't been able to find the results of the CDC's study. My guess is that they labeled it a mental disorder.

This is my final post in my series on whacky conspiracy theorists....for now. You never know when another conspiracy theory might tickle my funny bone.