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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Quiet Day at the Farm

After last night's marathon driving session due to following Gertie, I slept late this morning and did not get Carol up in time to have breakfast together before our work day started. Carol had cat duty this morning and I worked on the deck project. My helper TJ was observing surgeries in the Kindness Clinic today. 

Cat duty starts by feeding the cats in Trump 1, Trump 2, and on the back porch of the Cat Center. There are some cats who are kept in cages over night in the Cat Center. They get fed, their cages are cleaned. Buttercup is the Persian that Carol shaved down yesterday. She was not happy to see Carol this morning. She literally kept her back to Carol while Carol was cleaning the cages. Since Trump 1 and Trump 2 are open air condos, the bedding needs to be changed periodically. Carol also freshened up some of the condo bedding.

Next, Carol grabbed the pooper scooper and hit the yard in front of the Cat Center. It is amazing how much poop those little fur balls can create. Carol had been working on a project making cat bedding our fleece fabric. After her cat duty, she came back to the RV and finished making the bedding. Maybe Buttercup will be in a better mood tomorrow after she sees her new bedding.

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After all that hard work, it was time for a break. So Carol grabbed her iPad and a glass of ice tea, found a spot on our front porch not taken over by a cat, and finished reading The Hunger Games. We are planning to see the movie on Sunday. Carol wanted to get up to speed on the story line before seeing the movie.

In the mean while, I was flying solo on the deck project. Today, the plan was to get the railing posts attached to the deck frame so I can get the railing installed on Thursday. How hard can that be? Well the deck overhangs the frame by about an inch. Each 4x4 post needs a 1-1/4" x 1" dado (slot) cut into the side so the posts sits plumb to the deck. (FYI - "plumb" means straight up and down.) Then each post is attached to the deck frame by two 1/2" carriage bolts. The deck frame is bolted together with 1/2" carriage bolts. It is highly probable that I will hit one of these bolts when drilling the holes needed to mount the rail posts. Sure enough, that happened on more than one occasion. I just happen to have a 1/2" metal drill bit so I was able to drill through existing hardware. In a couple of cases, I had to cut a bolt or two.

Around 1:30, afternoon showers showed up. I scurried to get the tools put up, grabbed Cody and headed for the RV. Time for a snack. Carol was working on the bedding for the cats about that time. The shower did not last nor was it heavy enough to create mud. I left Cody in the RV so he could take a nap while I went back to finish the work. It is good to end the day with a sense of completion. I have one post that will require a special bracket for mounting because there is a joist in the spot where the two bolts should go.
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It was time to pick up all the cut-off scrap. Remember that photo of the truck loaded with all the deck material? Well so far this is all that is headed for the trash can. Looks like I managed to make efficient use of material.
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I sat on the front porch for a bit to enjoy the cooler weather. Juliette, one of the cats here, jumped in my lap and gave me a look that said, "Hey, you are in my chair." She likes our porch chairs and can be found there most of the time. I am sure she will be moody after we pull out of here at the end of the month. Carol fixed spaghetti while I cleaned up. It is always good to enjoy a meal on our RV, just the two of us. 

Thanks for stopping by.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, you two accomplished alot today. The deck looks great and I am sure the cats will appreciate the nice bedding.

    Russ and I have read all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy and enjoyed them very much. Hope you post your review of the movie.

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