Hot Rocks

Posted on June 29, 2021 by kimerer_brian

It is way too hot outside to move rocks. So I checked up on DG to find out what kind of progress he is making with his new woodworking hobby.

Ugly dovetails

Um. Well……. um.

Keep trying.

It’s not as easy as it looks.

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The Rock is done!…… er…

Posted on June 21, 2021 by kimerer_brian

Last time I posted, we left The Rock just short of its destination. Well this weekend we did the final move into the hole that will become the new garden. The hole is where a tree fell down a couple of years ago, and it is destined to become a new garden with that rock serving as a retaining wall.

Closer view of the rock

So, now we are done. Yay!

No, wait.

Oops. I forgot about Geraldine, still sitting up at the other hole.

Geraldine, the rock

You know the drill. Up on the dolly on the plywood.

Geraldine on the dolly

Move the rock; swap the plywood; move the rock; swap the plywood; move the rock……

And thusly, Geraldine made the journey down to the front yard.

In the front yard hole

Off the dolly.

In the hole

Joining her sister.

Both rocks.

Yay. And now we are truly done. Both rocks have been moved.

The kids went back up to continue digging the other hole.

“Hey!”, I heard, “Come look at this!”.

Another rock in the other hole

“Gunther”, they said.

NOOOOOOO!!!

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Moving Jennifred

Posted on June 14, 2021 by kimerer_brian

Moving Who?

Jennifred.

Remember back last fall, when the kids dug out a couple of boulders from under the garden?….. and gave them names?….. Here’s a pointer to remind you.

Another Boulder?

Well Jennifred and Geraldine sat outside the hole all winter, and now it is time to move them to the front yard to serve as a decorative centerpiece.

How do you move a rock that big?

First, you build a dolly that is specially designed and built to handle the weight. I helped with that part.

Then, you gently place the boulder onto the dolly on a sheet of plywood. I didn’t help with that part.

Boulder on cart

The plywood keeps the wheels from sinking into the dirt.

By the way, that plywood cost me 70 bucks! Thanks, Covid-19!

Then alternating between two pieces of plywood, you slowly move the dolly down the hill.

Moving

Down past the garden

Still moving

All the way down to the front yard.

Under the tent

Oh, and the tent is new too. It keeps the kids from sweltering in the hot sun.

The tent was expensive.

This project is costing me a bundle.

Did I mention that the tent was expensive?

OK. Around the corner.

Turning the corner

Across the yard.

Out from under tent.

And…… that is where everybody ran out of gas. Well, everybody but me. I felt fine. So I took the initiative to cover the rock with a tarp so that nobody will try to steal our rock. That would be awful.

Covered rock

The tarp was cheap.

And that is how we moved Jennifred from the back yard to the front yard.

Well, OK then, that is how they moved Jennifred from the back yard to the front yard. I got tired just taking these pictures.

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DG the Woodworker

Posted on June 5, 2021 by kimerer_brian

DG has decided that woodworking is going to be his “thing” now. So he rummaged through the tool chest and equipped himself to get started.

DG with sawzall

What….  are you going to build a shed? This is fine woodworking, not carpentry.

Here…. let’s adjust your choice of tools slightly.

swish swish

There ya go.

Foofy tools

Hey. We’re doing fine woodworking here, not splitting firewood. Get over it.

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Last Lockdown Project

Posted on May 31, 2021 by kimerer_brian

Now that the Covid-19 Lockdown is coming to an end, I have finished my last Lockdown Project.

A few years ago I found a spectacular curly maple board in the Big Box Home Improvement Store (BBHIS), and I bought it not knowing what I would use it for. Curly maple is my favorite.

While we have been locked down, I designed and built a small cabinet out of that board, and this is the result.

Cabinet

This was all done with hand tools, partly because I have no interest in monstrous, expensive, screaming power tools, but mostly to preserve all 10 fingers in their current condition.

It is only 15 1/2″ tall and 9″ wide because that is how much wood I had. So there isn’t much size to it, but it might be useful for storing curios and other small items.

The drawers are constructed using traditional techniques, such as solid wood bottom panels and half-blind dovetails on the fronts of the drawers.

Drawer showing dovetails

Of course, the whole carcass is dovetailed together. I dovetail everything.

The drawer knobs are made from the same fancy wood as the rest of the cabinet.

It is a sturdy little box, and the figure in the wood is striking.

It was a fun project, and now it is done, along with the Lockdown.

Yay.

DG thinking "woodworking"

No!

No no no no…. noooooo!

Broken tools! Sharp tools! Visits to the ER!

Nooooooo.

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Yo-Yo Man

Posted on May 27, 2021 by kimerer_brian

Remember the Yo-Yo Man, who showed up at schools and performed amazing things with a Yo-Yo….. and sold Yo-Yo’s? No? Hrmph. Young-uns!

DG has decided that his hobby is going to make him the Yo-Yo Man.

DG with Yo Yo

“Well, DG”, I said, “That is going to take a lot of practice.

DG Practicing

OK so far.

Fast Yo Yo

Careful. Don’t get too carried away.

YoYo off of head

Sore head

DG’s skills with a Yo-Yo seem to be similar to his skills shooting pool.

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A New Hobby

Posted on May 23, 2021 by kimerer_brian

We are running out of ideas for hobbies that DG can do.

He has already tried cartooning, DG – Cartoonist

That didn’t work out so well. So he ventured into Fine Art, We Need an Upside

We won’t comment on that effort.

He tried baking, Upside of the Lockdown, and more recently, yard work, Spring is Here!

Well he didn’t actually DO any yard work…..

So, hey, DG, how about dish washing? Dish washing could be a good hobby.

DG skeptical

OK then, how about vacuuming. Vacuuming the house would be a fine hobby.

DG Frown

Well, it was worth a try.

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Pool

Posted on May 13, 2021 by kimerer_brian

DG has decided that his new hobby will be playing pool.

“It challenges your intellect and improves your eye hand co-ordination”, he said.

Yeah, whatever.

setup

Cue ball off noggin

Sore head

OK maybe not so much pool after all.

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Icky

Posted on May 11, 2021 by kimerer_brian

“Icky”

That is the word that DG used to describe his fishing hobby.

“It’s icky”, he said.

He is no longer interested in fishing.

So he is on the prowl to find a different hobby.

“How about tatting?”, I said. “There is nothing icky about tatting.”

Tatting Tangle

Well OK then. Maybe tatting isn’t it.

Keep looking.

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Cleaning Fish

Posted on May 4, 2021 by kimerer_brian

DG was not happy when I reminded him that he needs to clean his fish. It needs to be scaled and gutted and skinned….

Urp

The fact that he has procrastinated for a few days doesn’t help.

It could be that he is rethinking his choice of hobby.

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