My neighbor calls our chicken coop building endeavor the 'ChickDominium.' I thought I would offer some pictures of how we have progressed. I know. It is just a chicken coop. However, it has been a good vehicle for figuring out what my capabilities are. I am fairly pleased, but realize this could not be a career option if I am part of the 6,000 people being let go from my company.

The walls are as straight and plumb as crappy, twisted lumber would allow, and I am not displeased. The chickens are always watching us work, and offering suggestions for amenities. However, they are not going to have a hot tub, nor are they going to have a worm-dispensing machine.

I hope we are able to finish the outside before the rains begin…

Master of the ChickDominium...

As John McCain just did, I concede the the election to Barry Obama. I have sincere hope in him. I believe that he has been very non-committal in his allegiances with so many of his early supporters, and maybe he will leave them all behind and become a great American president. Please, President Obama, hold people responsible... do not expect those who can or have been successful to hold up those who can't or refuse to be. I will not reference Ayn Rand's works, but will simply rely on the words of Rush, which created one of my favorite songs:

The Trees

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

Please, do not use the saw. Let the oaks thrive and create life for the whole forest...

Bracing my Self for the Legislative and Executive Branch's Liberal Domination... Next? Judicial, and then Reverend Wright is correct about what will happen to America...

Well, Halloween has come and gone for another year. Halloween was ushered in this year with our first storm of the season. The wind and rain are politely scouring the trees to remove the parts that are no longer needed, and the detritus covers the road, driveway and my deck. Unfortunately, it has put a damper on my weekend chicken coop plans...

At any rate, for the first time in years, Annie was not with me for Halloween night trick-or-treating. Nonetheless, we had our traditional getting up early and costuming. Annie was very pleased with the result:



For some reason, she really likes having black hair...

Left to my own devices, I decided to finally eat the rattlesnake. I fried it in a little oil with garlic, dried hot peppers, and lemon. I made a hollandaise sauce and served it over a bed of rice. Frankly, I think it looked quite good.



Unfortunately, it turned out there really was not a lot of meat there! It was really good, though. I wouldn't say it tasted like chicken. I can not describe it. I guess it tasted like rattlesnake!

Moodless

The diminishing daylight hours have not made it easy, but Annie and I are making progress on the chicken coop. Last weekend we finished assembling the timber for the foundation super structure. We leveled all the beams, mounted the front and back 2x8s, and it was beautiful. She checked the level many, many times. The center beam has a bow, and she kept going back to it with a shake of her head, telling me that it was not level. I picked up a bunch of pre-mixed concrete last Tuesday, and we mixed and filled half the concrete tubes until it got dark. We poured a half-ton of concrete. We finished our last tube with the headlights from the truck. The next day I finished the work, taking breaks from work for 20 minutes at a time. I was a sweaty nightmare, but I did not let anything from work slip. The end result was this beautiful picture of almost one ton of concrete in the piers. I know that they are not all centered but before you say anything, you can go screw yourself!



No, it is not crooked, it is just the way I took the picture. Annie was at her mother's when I did the next step. I put in the crossmembers to help support the floor. It came out ok, but I have some concerns.




I was careful to take the picture such that you can not see where I made mistakes. That is the art and craft of carpentry. It does not have to be perfect. Everything can be fixed. Yes, I know that the picture shows how out of alignment the right most pier is with the post, but it will be ok. Don't argue with me!

Today, I put the sub-floor on the structure. Holy crap. 4x8 tongue-in-groove plywood is not meant to be installed by a single person. I aligned and whacked as much as I could, but could not get the pieces to fit together. I was only off by a little more than an eighth of an inch, but it added up. I just abandoned the fitting on the last piece and turned it around. My neck hurts from balancing the pieces, and I am fine with the results. I can smooth it out later.



I have made the drawings for the walls, and am quite comfortable with constructing those. I do not know what I will do with the roof, though. I drew it, but am unsure how I will build it. Maybe Annie knows...

Turtle, not the Hare...

I don't truly believe that Annie remembers the time that her mom and I split much at all. She has vague recollections that spark certain feelings in her, but I do not think she remembers the details. Nonetheless, it was with a certain amount of pain that I read her latest assignment for a personal narrative, and the topic she chose. She had already edited the piece several times at school, and I was not allowed to correct or edit anything in her work...

Parents Split,
by Annie Hockanson

Once a long time ago my parents got divorced. They were in a room arguing. I was sitting in the living room listening. I cried a lot. I took the news very hard. My dad and I were very scared and worried. I felt bad for my dad and I think he felt bad for me too.

Later on my mom was gone. My dad and I were crying by the time she was gone. The next day I had to go to Pre-school. I was still crying. My dad dropped me off. When he got into the gray truck and drove away I waved goodbye while tears were going down my cheek. He waved back to me. I felt sad because my dad was leaving me at school.

Finally, it was nap time and I went to go get my special Snow White pillow out of my cubby. I still was crying. I wasn't so sure about dad but I think he was probably crying also. Dad was calling a lot to see if I was ok at times but usually I wasn't. Then Pre-school was over. I was happy when my dad came to pick me up. I wasn't crying because he was with me. I will never forget that time because that was the time my mom left.

Some of the details are wrong. Annie's mother and I did not get divorced right away, and Annie was not aware of our argument on the day her mother left. She was sleeping in her crib, which had been converted into a 'daybed.' In fact, we didn't even really argue. I had woken early and made a big breakfast, which she climbed out of bed long enough to eat, and then went back to bed. I cleared the table (wow, I forgot that we actually used to eat at the dining room table!), and brought in the tools and lumber for our project that we had both agreed would be tackled on that Saturday, with the expectation that the following day would be a 'play day.' I sat on the side of the bed and told her that I didn't think she really wanted to be there, or with us as a family, and maybe she should go stay with her parents. To my stupid surprise, she agreed.

Sorry, my memory ran away with me. At any rate, when I called the pre-school during the day after our typical horrible morning separations, which left both of us in tears, and I waved to her until I couldn't see her any more, narrowly missing parked cars, she was fine. She was laughing and playing with everyone. I admit that her personality changed significantly during that time, but it is what it is.

She has pieced this together from her own recollection of feelings, and I am surprised that she even chose this as her topic. I also worry that her mother is painted in sort of an bad light in this narrative. I have never suggested to her that her mother did anything wrong, but rather that this is just what happened. I have even told her I think I am better off in some ways with her mother having left. Still, she seems to have this feeling of... what? Betrayal? Abandonment? I don't know... I hope she does not truly remember the pain she describes.



Confused...

I am not really good at dedicating lengths of time towards play. Annie and I play in between activities that are more like work, but I have never been really good about taking a large block of time (days) and just playing. I constantly think about the work that has to be done. When I picked up Annie today, her maternal grandparents asked if I had made any progress on the bathroom. I responded with the fact that the bathroom is on hold until the chicken coop is done. Annie commented that we have a lot of projects to do around the house. She is not wrong...

I have wondered at times if I am negatively impacting her with all the work we have to do. At times like today, I do not think so. We moved the beams for the chicken coop up today, and leveled one into place. She was a great help sliding pieces of wood under the beam and checking the level for accuracy. Afterward, she drilled the holes for the bolts in the boards that will form the end caps. Annie and I share a lot of learning traits. She watches, then she does, and figures out the nuances that way. The 2x8s were on saw horses, which were a bit tall for her to get her muscle on the drill, so I had to help push, but she was all over it. I had her choose the bit, and went through how to choose the bit so this bolt would slide through the board. With help, she picked the bit, and I put it in the drill. I drilled the first one, and she watched me with an expression of complete absorption. The first six holes, I cleaned out the hole with the bit, and she always checked the holes to make sure the bolt slid through properly. After that, she said she wanted to do 'that part,' too. 'That part' being the cleaning of the hole. So, from that point on, she finished out the holes, and did a spectacular job.

A very good friend of mine once asked me why I put time in to a vegetable garden. Granted, we have not done that in two years, but we are very skilled at horticulture. My friend suggested that for many of our vegetables it would be probably cheaper to buy them when the time involved was considered. I was in shock. For me, there are few things more personally encouraging than seeing something I have worked on come to fruition, and even conclusion. His response to that answer was that I would be one of the few that would survive if everything went to heck, and we had to rely on that sort of function to survive. Well, in light of recent events in our economy, I think we might be really close to that. I have watched Annie's college fund dwindle to nothing. I do not know if my retirement fund will recover. That said, I have a phenomenal job. I make a good living, and we can do the things we need to. We just have to work hard to make things happen the way we want.

Annie will grow up knowing how to do everything necessary to manage a home. She will never look at tools with trepidation. If it has to be done, she'll do it. That is my gift to her. She will be one of the most independent women I have ever met. I am sure of it. Her choices will be made strictly from her heart with the requisite balance of the mind. I am so proud of my little girl.

Thank you, God. You may have crapped on me at times, but you managed to get one thing right...

I have a lot to go with this, but I am tired. I spent the day working with the tractor trying to level out the area for the new chicken coop. It was awesome. I did a much better job than I had ever done with leveling.



On the left is the ledge from what I sculpted out of the hillside. It is about three feet tall, so yes, I moved a lot of freakin' dirt. It looks grey because it was late, and the flash makes it look that way. The soil is actually very dark... Anyway, we are very close. I'll probably expound about this tomorrow!



John Deere in person...

I woke up at 2:00 am last Saturday realizing that I had lost the microbiological battle with the cold virus. I didn't go back to sleep as a result, and then I discovered one of those things that I think only happens because I am getting older. I decided to go to the bathroom to clean the drainage from my nose, and use the facility. That was when I stepped out of the bed, and felt the spear of pain from my foot. Apparently, I had twisted/sprained my ankle while asleep. Well, I am better now. I am young, and I recover. Screw you, you entities that enjoy inflicting random troubles on people...

That is my excuse for not writing in a while, but not the reason I am writing. At the end of last week, I told Annie that I did not like the fact that I find myself working longer hours into the evening, while she busies herself alone. She agreed, and I have made a concerted effort this week. She has been as happy as the proverbial clam as we worked on things around the house this week, and I am practically bursting with pride. We have cleaned out the area where we hope to put the new chicken coop, and she was absolutely stellar. She cut branches with the shears, she hauled huge branches on her own, and all with a smile. She was proud of the accomplishment. If I do nothing else, that is something I want to instill in her. Work hard. Be proud of what you have done.

Yesterday, we hauled the firewood platform up the hill from where it was originally built. She was not really that much help, but she tried, and she was proud. She realized that she could not do much, so she placed herself where she could help direct me. "Daddy, there is a branch over there... Watch out for that stump..." She was dismayed when we had to stop, and frustrated when we did not get as far as she wanted.

Today was the culmination of my pride. I had finished work (for a couple hours, anyway), and we went to borrow the neighbor's tractor. Annie steered it home, but I had her get off while I tried to move the dirt to level the area for the new chicken coop. Did she stand there and twiddle her thumbs? No. If I left an area for any length of time, she attacked it, and started throwing the clods down the hill side. I broke a stump, and she went at it whole-heartedly. She used her hands and feet to finish moving it out of the way. At one point, I told her that I was not very good at the leveling thing. She looked at the area I was working, and said, 'Daddy, just go to where the bumps are, and put the shovel down there.' Good advice. After doing that for a while, she said, 'Maybe now you should use the thing (the blade) on the back.' She was completely right. We made good progress, and she was very proud. In fact, she is a little upset that she will not be here when I finish the job.

She has no problem getting her hands dirty, and she has my face when we start. Stern. Determined. Calculating. Then we do it.

Thank you, God. Your plans may look like screwing me most of the time, but You provided me with the most marvelous daughter. I could not imagine anything better. I'm still ticked at You, but thank You for that one...

Cock-a-doodle-doo...

We have returned from our great adventure aboard the Sea Odyssey. It was a blast!!! I think the kids' (and my) favorite part was the net. The 'net' stretches across the two pontoons at the front of the boat, and that is where the kids all flopped as we went in and out of the harbor. They could look down and see the water and kelp beds as we went, and they thought it was incredible.



Once we cleared the harbor and picked up speed, they all went to the front. We saw sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, a variety of birds, and talked about marine biology. It really was a great field trip. All the students got a turn at 'driving' the boat. Several of them were chosen to hoist the sail, but I think that turned out to be more work than they had anticipated, and the instructors ended up doing it by themselves, but the students didn't know it.

They learned about navigation, ecology, and the food chain. They took compass readings to triangulate their location, and looked at plankton samples under a microscope that they collected. I really enjoyed the microscope work, and want to buy a microscope for us that we can hook to the computer (Christmas).

My only possible faux pas was when I lost it when a boy decided that he didn't want to do what he was told and ran out in the sand for the second time. I used my fatherly baritone to bark instructions at him that left no doubt as to the need for compliance. As he sprinted back in to position, I turned to see his mother. Apparently, she was not angry with me, though because we talked many times after that. I don't like directing kids when their parent is there, but I was at my wit's end (not with him, just in general as we milled around in 'waiting' mode). I don't know, maybe some parents like having someone that can play the bad guy, so they don't have to. Annie's fourth grade teacher told me she liked me on the field trips because some kids simply respond better to commands from a male. It probably doesn't hurt that I am rather tall, and my 'command' voice is deep and punchy. I am not loud, and it is one of the few times I am not verbose...

Anyway, we all had a blast. Right when we arrived, the fog burned off, the sun warmed us, and there was just enough breeze to make the water agreeably choppy, and the sail full. I might get sick of the liberalism, but California has incredible adventures around every corner, hill, and tree.

Almost a Californian...

My only four-wheeled vehicle is pushing 100K miles. A month ago I took it in for the 95k service, and I told my service manager that I was concerned about the number of oil spots that I was seeing on my driveway. They could see the oil on the engine, and in fact had reported this practically every service that I had. Well, they didn't have time (nor did I) to dig into it during service, so I took it back when Annie was not here. They steam-cleaned the engine, and kept it for about four days. Unfortunately, they didn't drive it anywhere. So, they could never find the leak. I only paid $50 for that visit, but I was a bit steamed that I had to pay anything. I had even put a big sheet of cardboard under the truck to make sure it was really coming from the truck, and the cardboard ended up with big spots of oil on it.

To make matters worse, the truck has started to smell a lot. I can smell diesel when I start it... in the cab. So, this morning, I scheduled a maintenance, and dropped the truck off this morning. My service manager was busy, and after about ten minutes I was able to talk to him. He immediately told me that he could smell raw fuel, and we looked at the truck, and there was a spot of oil on the floor already. I assured him that I had not run the defroster or air-conditioner, so it had to be from the engine. He told me that was good, but I didn't feel quite the same way. Granted, I saw his point: it is blatantly obvious, so there is definitely something wrong, and they will fix it.

They took me to a car rental that was covered by my extended warranty, and the people were very nice. They were last time as well. This oil leak problem was handled once before, but I think it was a different problem. At any rate, last time I was put in a piece of crap, which required me to make an accordion out of my body so that I could fit in the seat. I expected the same. I saw this small PoS model sitting in the lot, and was sure that was what they were going to give me. As I walked out to the car with the rental agent, he suddenly crossed in front of me. Confused, I asked what they were giving me. He pointed to the F150 sitting next to the PoS. I was shocked. It is actually a nice truck. I stumbled getting out of it the first time because it is closer to the ground than I am used to, but it is not a crappy rental.

That said, I am always amazed at the insurance thing with rentals. I am fairly certain that my insurance does not cover rentals that are not required from insurance-covered demands. So, why does my warranty not cover that as well? I always decline, and then drive in fear that some dumb-ass is going to be texting while driving and run into me. Don't laugh. I see people driving and texting all the time. I saw it yesterday on a major freeway.

At any rate, I am quite pleased with this rental vehicle. It doesn't happen very often, and I wanted to say Yippee!

Happy, happy, joy, joy...