Saturday was a marathon! It turns out, Youngest is a slavedriver 
So Youngest texted me Friday and asked me if I wanted more rock to fill the frame of the deck before he laid the redwood planks down. I said yes (it’s better for drainage and keep critters out), and then I made the mistake — I told Youngest that his dad and I would be home all day to help him. Then he made us help. All day long! But the deck is done! And I learned a new-to-me skill in using a cordless screwdriver. I got pretty good at it too after Youngest drilled enough holes to use up a 5lb box of screws. That deck is solid.
So once the deck was done and we were all sitting around with cold drinks, Wizard says…”I think we need a cover (like a patio cover) for the deck.” Because that is the slippery slope of home improvement projects, one ideas becomes an expensive, time-sucking, landslide of chores. But for now, I’m thrilled to have the deck done. Today Wizard and I will seal it, but that shouldn’t be too hard.
Also I have to note, Maggie was right smack in the middle of all this work. She’s scared of phone chimes, but power tools? Not a bit scared and decided to curl up under the table that youngest was cutting some wood on with a power saw. When I told her to move (safety and all that), she went and curled up on the thick mat we were using for kneeling and watched us wield noisy power tools. Then my phone dinged a text message and she ran to the door to escape the terror. She’s a strange critter sometimes.
Sunday, I ended up staying home because my lucky grandson got to go to Disneyland. I’ll see him another time. It worked out nice though as I got all my floors cleaned and the furniture dusted after all that digging and sawing that somehow migrates to my floors. Then I made some sourdough bread that I’ll bake today.
How was your weekend?
July 14th, 2025 at 8:05 am · Link
Wow! You had a crazy-busy weekend! Kudos to Youngest! He is all kinds of awesome. Wiz, just say no! Dude. Really? Or at least wait 6 months.
Maggie is Maggie. Who knows what goes on inside her head… Yay for the deck and getting the cleaning done. Sorry no Turbo Time™ but hey, Disney!
You make me feel like a slug. We had some rain. Okay, our little area got almost 6″ in about an hour. All the warnings were out. We live in a spot that isn’t susceptible though nearby areas are. An hour after the storm, Jake and I were in the backyard. There was no standing water. Ah, the joys of sandy loam soil.
Speaking of dog quirks. Jake freaks over fireworks, car backfires, transformers blowing. Thunder? Lightning striking nearby causes thunder that rattles the windows and electrical spikes? Snores. I mean, really?!? 🤷🏼♀️
I did get a chapter written, ie. the *new* chapter 1. I’m really tired of the characters interferring with this thing. If they keep it up, I’ll stick it in a file and write something else!
Dull weekend. Ready for a productive week. Have a good one, all!
July 14th, 2025 at 12:43 pm · Link
Silver, LOL, yeah, we will likely wait…but the deck is so pretty. I’m sealing it today. Also, what’s that rule about comparing ourselves to others???? Don’t do it! You get a ton accomplished! And you write a heck of a lot faster than me, so there’s that!
Whoa, that’s a lot of rain in an hour! I’m worried about Texas these days, they have enough going on without more misery piled on. And I’m hoping OK isn’t experiencing any flood issues. Yay for no standing water in the back yard. That’s always a win.
Dogs! But I hate when they’re scared of something and we can’t make them understand why it’s really not threatening.
You know it’s a good sign when the characters are controlling the book, right? I mean, yeah, it sucks for the author constantly rewriting or restructuring to keep up, but it makes for a really good book
Hopefully you and the characters can come to an acceptable compromise? Or at least a working relationship? Or you can shove them in a file until they behave…good luck!
Hope your Monday is being good to you and things are getting done!
July 14th, 2025 at 2:14 pm · Link
Congratulations on having the deck done. I bet BLB was very happy for the help from you and Wizard. I bet you were all very tired, except for the supervisor aka Maggie. It must have felt good to relax with a cold drink when you were done.
I hope sealing it went well today. Sometimes the heat and humidity can cause issues.
You even had a busy day Sunday. Good for you. Sorry you didn’t get to see Turbo. He will probably fill you in on Disney and all the stuff he did.
I had a normal weekend.
Have a great afternoon!
July 14th, 2025 at 3:05 pm · Link
Viki, BLB was so happy to be done! Maggie just enjoyed having everyone in her backyard
I don’t mind being busy, but sometimes, I think we just try to do too much. I doubt it’s going to change anytime soon, though.
Sealing it is going well so far. I have three coats on, and plan one more if possible. Tomorrow I’ll work on the edges of it, which will go much faster.
Turbo always has stuff to chat about, LOL!! Seven year old boys are (usually) bundles of energy and endless details.
Hope your normal weekend was relaxing for you.
Happy Monday!