Jul 19 - old news, new news

First the old news -- that's the only reason that I'm starting this today vs the usual retrospective.

When I went down to set my minnow trap yesterday I passed by the dump and a guy was just opening the gate to take his garbage in. Personally I'd have turned around, even if I wasn't riding the 4-wheeler. You see the BIG bear was standing (on all fours) about 30 feet away from the gate. Would I go in with that kind of welcoming committee ? nooooooo

When I was out at the barbie last night Abby was beside me and started barking towards the bush. These days that behaviour always makes me wonder if a bear is close and then I heard some sounds and suddenly I saw a tree go down. It was just within my range of vision into the bush and I didn't check it out last night, but today I went over and saw that a very large popular had fallen. That's quite unusual, since they usually fall in pieces from the top. This one came out right at the roots -- even though there was no wind. It was a healthy tree too ... too bad their wood is useless as firewood.

When a tree falls down in the forest and there's no one to hear it, does it make a sound ? Oh -- I was around and I did hear it.

Today I took two minnow traps back to that pond. I'll pick them, and hopefully some minnows, up later. Then, since it hasn't rained yet only threatened, I mowed the lawn. Yes, I still hate mowing the lawn. I wish that it would stop raining / start snowing or something so that the grass (weeds) wouldn't grow. I'm getting tired of both the rain and the grass. We needed it to hold the soil in place. Would astro-turf have worked ?

The TdF is over for the day. There isn't more tomorrow (rest day). Contador won; Lance didn't. Perhaps he should switch to long distance cycling and come out with me -- a better sport for us old folk although I guess running second in the TdF is nothing to sneeze at.

More later ...

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It's morning again -- funny how that happens.

Update on the lake -- Jason & Lorraine arrived last night; Deloris Robinson & Lynn (I think) are up in separate cars. I had sent Jason an email yesterday afternoon asking him about their plans and he responded from here around 1am -- duh.

I got out fishing last night and caught 9 crappie, a small perch and a catfish. Some of the crappie were quite small, probably should have thrown them back, so the total haul from this was only 13 oz cleaned, not enough for a meal for four yet, but enough for a meal for two. I may go out for an hour shortly and see if there is anything biting in the a.m. but won't go so far. I forgot my fish basket last night so I was using the stringer again.

Oh -- we had crappie for dinner last night and it seemed that Kylie and Kat liked it -- they both went back for seconds.

Today ... I'll go for a bike ride. I did some more fiddling with my crankset yesterday, trying, with a tighter fitting allen bit, to get that pinch bolt tighter than 10 NM. I couldn't, but ended up using the Dura-ace bolt, which, when tightened, is one thread or so less insertion. I don't think that it will fail me. It will stay that way until I get the new bolts in the mail.

I've got the 600km ride this weekend and it looks like I'll be getting rain, surprise, surprise. The headcount is climbing -- looks like 5 now, with Henk riding. Henk is very fast so I expect that I'll only see him at the beginning of the ride !

I did some looking and thinking regarding trimming out those windows downstairs. It's going to be a fiddly exercise shimming the sides and top. The bottom will be even worse, since I either have to chip out some concrete or plane the 1x8 ... I think that I'll plane the 1x8. There, one decision made -- and easy one ! The top will require about 1/4" shim; the sides 1 1/4" (these are approximate). I made my life more difficult by doing the ceiling first, but I knew that. I was going for the quick return, but also the trimming could always wait if I didn't get to it.

It's sunny out -- supposed to be this way today and tomorrow and then rain for four days. Joy.

Sandy's garden is really coming in spite of the rain. We're eating zucchini, lettuce, I had a cucumber yesterday, we've had broccoli, asparagus, she had one raspberry :), the beans are developing -- and I'm harvesting from the lake -- we're living off the land. Well, not quite, although I suppose that our fish meals have made a dent in the Tarini's bill ... but have probably gone to Daryl in gas for the boat.

That's it.

Oh -- bats -- there was only one hole with cotton disturbed and that might have been bats leaving. I'll check again today and monitor. I put the ladder up high and put some screen at the peak at the back, where bats might be going in and out. The hole is probably large enough. At the kitchen peak, the crack is only about 1/8" -- too small for bats. I cannot get to the peak at the front with the medium ladder so I'll wait for David to help.

Jason says that Moose and his handler (Gavin and Kyle) are due up tomorrow, so later in the week I'll get their help to move that fridge to the basement. As I told Jason, if that doesn't work, it will have a permanent home in the laundry room, which would require some significant re-organization. It's too bad there is a window in that room.

That's really it.