Labor Day Weekend - What Did You Do?

Labor Day – What Did You Do? Here is what I did this weekend:

Well even though Labor Day was initiated as a day off for the working man (in NY City of all places), I did not get off today. Sure I had off from work, but I also had chores around the house and the garden. I’ll admit though, these chores sure beat working for someone else.

I primed and painted a closet this weekend. The first coat was applied Saturday, the rest today. I also did some light gardening, nothing back breaking for sure. I am also supposed to stain the front door, but am not too sure I can get back into the work mode. I’ll know soon after the Paulaner Hefe Weissbier I am about to imbibe. If it is quickly followed by a second, well work around the house is on hold indefinitely, or at least until next week. Of course I may get the front door done regardless, it may just be a good bier I need to get going with it. Staining fiberglass with gel stain is a royal pain in the arse. A wood or steel door will replace the one I have if I live that long. No more fiberglass, unless it gets painted, and even then I would prefer the others.

As for the gardening, I got a bunch of jalapenos and tomatoes today. It looks as if just about the last batch of tomatoes that will ripen on the vine are starting to do so. I have a lot of very green tomatoes left over, and if they do not appear to be getting either red or yellow (dependent on the type) by next week, off the vine with them, and into little paper bags in which they will ripen they will go. All of the hot peppers have been picked, the butternut squash looks about ready for picking – sadly only three fruits this year as all the others rotted for some reason. There is a good batch of spearmint to be picked. The basil also needs picking before it dies off. I don’t think anything else, except for a small Broccoli plant, has anything left worth picking. That has about three mouthfuls of broccoli on it. Oh well, all good things come to an end sort of. The garden has not ended – just this season for it has ended. Soon the plants will be uprooted and put into the compost pile to make fertilizer and earthworms for next season.

Did I forget to mention, yesterday I visited my mom out east on Long Island. Quite the drive going there, it took over 2 hours for about 85 miles. The drive back only took about 90 minutes. We had a nice day together. We went into Sag harbor for a walk – all of about 75 yards round trip from car to dock to car. Halfway through the walk we sat on a dockside bench and my mom got to watch the antics of the boaters, the gulls, and the killie fish. It was a nice breezy warm day with blue skies, so this was picture perfect. Then back to the car, a we took short drive of about a block and a half to a local restaurant/bar, where we had a good meal, and I had a couple of pints of Stella Artois. Then back to my sister’s house (where my mom lives). You maybe wondering why such a short walk for me and my mom – she has had hip replacement twice on one side, knee replacement on the other side, and a wired hip on the same side as the knee only because with the fake knee they could not also put in a fake hip. Add to that the fact she will be 84 in December, and you get the picture I am sure. All in all it was the nicest day I have spent with my mother in decades.

On Saturday we had a barbecue, that is after I primed the closet. My mother-in-law and brothers-in-law came by, as did Celina and Kevin her beau. Brendan and Julia were upstate fishing and having fun. The BBQ was pretty good, just burgers, franks, and Bratwursts (none of those prepackaged television commercial 'brats' for us, we had real Bratwurst made at a really ethnic German butcher, and fresh at that). Washed it all down with Paulaner Weissbier. Hmm, that reminds me, wasn’t I about to have a cold one?

Now, for me anyhow, I am going to go to get that bier – a nice cold one at that. Let me know what you did for your Labor Day weekend.

All the best,
Glenn B

Oh Joy - Its Gonna Be A Hot One

Yep, and it's sort of hot already, somewhere in the mid eighties with lots of sultry added on (that would translate to a lot of humidity for you desert dwellers). The garden is well watered, and even the bean plants that looked wilted yesterday look ready to face the heat today; and it is expected to get pretty hot - up to the mid nineties. With that humidity that should make it feel in the hundreds as the sweat pours out of one's pores and sticks to one's body. As for Brendan and I that should not present too much of a problem - we are heading east on a trip to visit my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my nephew.

The trip was going to include a stop at the rifle range in Brookhaven, but alas other things have interfered. We need to make a stop for washing machine parts at a Sears service center. No, thank the gods, not for my washing machine; enough has gone wrong in my house, but for my sister's. Heck it may just be too hot for a fun day at the range anyhow; and we are also taking Mimi along with us, and we could not leave her in the car while we would have been out shooting in the expected heat. I have another thing or three up my sleeve. I figure to remember my fishing pole this time, the surf caster. My bet is that the bluefish are running, and maybe to too are the stripers and weakfish. A nice striped bass would be delicious! We are also taking Mimi along with us, and we could not leave her in the car while we would have been out shooting in the expected heat.

I guess I should also grab a small shovel, the screen sifter, and the metal detector. Who knows, maybe we will get a chance to look for Blackbeard's treasure while we are out east. One never knows, now does one. Yeah - I know - my luck stinks, so the most I'll find is a metal slug. Then again, with Brendan along, we make get lucky, he has much better luck than me - no black clouds following him around. If you don't ever see more written on this blog after today, you can figure either we struck it rich or that I hooked a big one, got pulled into the drink, and was eaten by sharks.

Of course I am also taking a frisbee. It just seems like a good day for it. Maybe if I stick to throwing the old flying disc around I can avoid the shark thing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Whoopee, it's Saturday...

...and I am going to have fun somehow. I spent most of yesterday morning waiting for the oil company man to come over and fix my hot water heater. Then I spent almost the rest of the day online window shopping, so to speak, for a new washing machine. Looks like a new decent one will cost right about what I had expected at about $449, that is unless we decide on the one other model that seemed decent, and that was $600 (both prices before taxes, and before extended warranty plan). I hope whatever we buy lasts longer than 10 years this time around. Last night I went to the laundromat to do the family wash. That wasn't bad but I wish someone in the place besides me, and one other customer, would have been speaking English.

So my oil burner broke but is now fixed. My washing machine broke, but will soon be either fixed by me (yeah right) or replaced (much more likely). Since bad things come in threes, something else is broke now too, or is about to be broke - that would be me! Still though, before I shell out the bucks for that washing machine, I am going to have some fun this weekend. I was planning to go to the range with Brendan today. He badly wanted to go because we have not been there together in months. The thing is it looks as if I may have to go alone, he has a bit of a sore throat strep throat and mononucleosis, and his throat really got raw again last night, so off to the doctor my wife will drag him screaming take him today. As a matter of fact I think he wants to go because his throat is bothering him so much. He knows that means he will miss the range day, so that also means I know he is really feeling poorly.

Egads, I just added stuff up. It is now 4 things that are proverbially broke if I include Brendan's tonsils. If that is right, and if it is true that bad things come in threes, that means that there are still two more things to go wrong this weekend for me! I had best be careful in whatever I do lest I break from the strain of all this and bring something nasty upon myself. To heck with worrying, I am going to have a good time this weekend even if it kills me it means there is a chance of something else going wrong. What is life without a little risk now and then. Heck life is full of risks, so why worry overly about them; I am going to have a good time.

As a matter of fact, I plan to go to the range where I will shoot up a storm. I'll bring at least two rifles, a shotgun, and a few pistols (I love variety while shooting). After that I will drive out to my sister's house for a visit with here, my brother-in-law, my nephew and my mom. Then on the way back, I may stop somewhere and wet a line to see if I can catch a striped bass. Now the way my luck has been going these past few days, I sort of half expect that I'll get all the way out there and my car will explode and strand me there (of course while at the range, who knows, maybe someone will shoot my car).

Well if that happens (my car exploding once I make it to my sisters, let alone it being shot at the range), so what! I can go fishing just a few blocks from their house, and chances are a striper will be lurking in those waters. I suppose though, if my car does explode, thereby becoming bad thing number 5 to have befallen me, that would mean that number 6 (the number that would complete the second set of three things going awry) would be looming over my head; but I wonder what could go wrong fishing. Sure I could hook myself in the eye (second highest cause of eye injuries in the USA is a fish hook to the eye or eyelid, or so I recently heard), or in the behind as I cast, but I usually get off some good casts, so I am none too worried about that. Now, I just bought some new lures yesterday, while I was returning home from a visit to a radiologist for an x-ray of a lump in my chest (and believe me I am very hopeful to get GOOD news back about that), and I figure I could lose all of the lures on snags. However, I think it is more likely that a really nice fish will grab hold of one of them; and that might be good. Thinking about worst possible scenarios though, hooking a fish could be number 6 in the line of bad things to have befallen me. Picture it: I cast into a surfacing school of bait fish, chased to the surface by a big fish, I get a strike, I set the hook hoping it to be a 30 pound striped bass. The way my luck has been going though it is more likely to be Jaws' mother (at about 2,500 pounds), and it pulls me into the briny deep only to become fish food. Oh well, maybe I'll go freshwater fishing.

I always could stay home and enjoy the weekend from the safety of my own home and yard. I could always have fun pulling weeds, cleaning the basement, doing some pointing work on the cracks in the mortar on my front stoop (but this could cause the whole house to collapse upon me), going shopping for the wife... Hell no - I am going to have fun! So I guess I will be taking some everyday risks, risks that maybe a bit enhanced with the rule of threes hanging over my head much like Damocles sword - but what the heck - you only live once. We were not put here for a long time, so it must have been for a good time; and I am going to have at least one good time this weekend. If I am still alive later today, I'll let you know how things turned out. Enjoy the weekend.

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: Thanks Jen for giving me the incentive (in a comment to one of my previous posts) to write this!

Weekend Projects

Besides having a nice family get together yesterday; I kept myself busy this weekend - so far - with a few small projects.

On Friday evening I picked up a pair of Fire bellied Newts from a young lady who was having some trouble caring for them. While one was plump and healthy, the other was on the skinny side and was not eating properly. The young gal who gave them up for adoption figured that this was due to heat stress, her apartment being too warm for them. I took them home and put them in the basement where the temp remains below 72 degree Fahrenheit almost all the time. The skinny one has been eating black worms (live fish food) like a champ, and I am hopeful he will put on weight right away.

While these newts may not look like much from above, but they do live up to their names when you see their undersides. Sorry the pic of the belly came out so blurry but the little booger was squirming wildly as I held it for the photo. Still though you can see why they have their name. Now one of my projects will be setting up a suitable tank for these guys, which is not all that much work, if I keep it simple, which is one of the easiest ways to keep these guys. A tank, some dechlorinated clean water,, a rock or two on which to climb out, and a tight fitting screen lid. I may also add a power filter, but I think not because these guys are not the most powerful swimmers; so that will require frequent water changes. No big deal. They will get fed whatever they will eat, from black worms to tubifex worms, to freshwater shrimp (which I will have to collect locally), to brine shrimp, to chopped up red worms. Bear in mind the food has to be on the smaller side for these newts since they are only about 3 inches long. I also have to do some in depth checking to see if I can determine which is the exact type of newt I now have. There are a few species with the same common name, and all look similar.

On Saturday, I took a drive up to Sleepy Hollow, of Headless Horseman fame, and I picked up a Ball Python from a couple who were moving and would no longer be able to care for it. Ball pythons are fairly easy to keep snakes, but not the best for the beginner snake fancier. This one was in the process of shedding and had patches of dried out skin stuck all over its back. Once I got it home, I gave it a soaking bath inside a large plastic jar (top screwed on tightly) for about an hour. All that dried on skin sloughed off nicely. It should have come off in one piece, but apparently this python was kept too dry before this shed. Last night I got around to setting up a tank for it, and I kept it simple as I almost always do for my snakes. A tank, some substrate, two hide boxes, a water bowl. a heat pad, a screen top, a branch for climbing, and a light (also for heat) these snakes are tropical need it warm (low to mid-eighties ambient temps with the heating pad spot up to 100 degree Fahrenheit). The light is hooked up to a timer, but the heat pad stays on 24/7. As you can see, I need to get some clips to secure the top, but tape will work for now.

The folks from whom I got the ball python told me it was sometimes a fussy eater, but it would eat thawed out rat pups. I fed it a mouse last night, and it took it immediately - no problems feeding this guy at all - so far. I imagine it will eat the rat pups they gave me along with the snake, but I wanted to see if it would eat mice too since I have a large supply of feeder mice on hand. It took the mouse as soon as it got close to it. Now it has a nice bulge in its midsection, and will be spending a lot of time under the hide that sits over the heat pad as it digests its weekly meal.

These animals will be used throughout the summer in exhibitions put on by the Long Island Herpetological Society. I may keep them beyond the summer, but if not I will adopt them out to another society member or someone else whom I know will take care of them properly. Chances are I will keep them though, I have, or had, a little extra space in the herp room.

All the best,

Glenn B

Plans For The Weekend...

...have been made and promise to keep me busy. Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, and being it was a Thursday, my wife and I decided to wait until tomorrow to go out for a little celebrating. Before our Saturday gets anywhere near to that stage though, there are other things to do. I have to work on getting my 2005 taxes straightened out; it seems the IRS thinks we owe them $4,000.00 which we do not; stupid mistake on their part but a bit of a pain to resolve. Then maybe a trip to COSTCO to pick up groceries and supplies. After that, I have to go out to Home Depot, or maybe a gardening center, to pick up plants for this year's gardening projects. That should be just loads of fun on Saturday in April, I figure it will be elbow to elbow in the gardening department. Truth is though I would like to get most of the planting done tomorrow, so who knows, maybe I will go tonight to pick up the plants. I am figuring on tomatoes, green peppers (bell and a variety of hot), strawberries, lettuce, cabbage (maybe too late already), spinach, herbs, maybe some radishes and carrots too. That is for our very small vegetable garden. We will also pick up a few flats of flowers for the wife's baskets and flower garden. Of course, i can't forget the bird seed. I keep em well fed so they don't have to eat my plants. besides that, they sing nicely and eat lots of bugs too.

Once I get that out of the way, it should be just about time for an early dinner with my darling bride. Maybe, if she is in the mood, we will even go out for a movie. We have not been out to a movie or any kind of show together in several months, I guess since December. It should make for a nice evening together, I am looking forward to it; I hope she is too!

As for tonight, I think once I get my butt into gear, I may stop by the range for a few hundred rounds of 9mm pistol shooting. That will put me into a bit less traffic for the ride home from Manhattan. It will probably also help me to relax quite a bit - not a bad thing after a day at work, and better than stopping off for a few high balls and then driving home. The booze can wait until dinner tomorrow night, then the wife can drive, or we can walk.

Yep, that sounds like a plan to me. I just happen to have thought about all of this before leaving the house this morning, so I have a range bag right next to me. Inside of it I have:

300 Rounds Federal 115 gr. 9mm JHP

50 rounds of GoldDot 124 gr. 9mm GDHP

100 rounds of Champion 22 Long Rifle solid point standard velocity

50 rounds of PMC 22LR Scoremaster 40 gr solid point standard velocity

Some other partial boxes of assorted .22LR ammunition

A Beretta 92SB 9mm pistol

Ears, eyes and anything else I need.

I also have my issued Gock 19 in its holster on my belt, and a Henry Survival rifle in my sport bag. I guess you could say I am ready to have at least a short, but yet good, time at the range this evening. Thank goodness that Home Depot near me is open 24/7, I may still make it there tonight; and if not then I'll have to face the mobs of wanna be farmers, lawn masters, and horticulturists other suburban gardeners tomorrow.

Okay, that's all set, time for me to stop jabbering via the Internet, and get my other end and the rest of me, to the range! So I am off to the Westside Rifle and Pistol Range for an hour of so of fun. Later for you, bye.

All the best,
Glenn B