July 6, 2010

• Burn Barrels, CLR And More Gun Crap!

  
  TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

  Today was one of those strange days.  I went to bed early so I would wake up early and I did.  I think it was about 7:30am. when I got up and made some fresh coffee.  Shortly thereafter, the Beast dragged his sorry butt out of bed.  He looked like hell.    I don’t think he had a good night.

  I was reading emails and deleting spam while drinking my coffee when the Princess called me.  She and I hadn’t thought about the fact that the preschool would be closed today like many other businesses.  She was on her way to drop off Chewlee for the day.  Oh well.  I’m just glad my doctors appointment was for tomorrow and not today.  Tuesday is the Princess’s day off so I don’t even have to pick Chewlee up from school. 

  Since the Beast felt as bad as he looked, I gather, he decided he was going to clean the guest bathtub with CLR.  We discovered that, since it is a *green* product, it was safe to use on any surface.  Which kind of amazes me since it works as well as it does.  He had used it on our bathtub and discovered that it made our tub enclosure look like it was brand new.  It did the same thing for the guest bathtub.  Both are fiberglas units.

  The big problem he had with it was the best way to clean the sides is to be naked in the tub with the shower on.  This is kind of chancey with Chewlee around.  So he hedged his bet and kept his underwear on and, sure enough, Chewlee had to see what Papa was doing in there with the water running.  She was puzzled why he would take a shower in his *clothes* AND when it smelled so *nasty*, as she put it.  I told her it was the cleaner he was using and she then looked at me and said, *Gross!*  Cracked me up!!!

  After cleaning the toilet and the top of the sink, he took a short nap.  Then he took a REAL shower in our room (with the door locked  ) and got dressed.  His other big job of the day was to try to find a burn barrel.  They are used here by most people to burn leaves, cardboard boxes and small branches.  The problem is finding one.  Some of them are just 55 gallon drums and others look like they were pressed by a waffle iron for better circulation of air (and better burning but lots and lots of sparks flying everywhere!).  He checked at Lowe’s and at Tractor Supply but was told his best chance was at a garbage dump.    No one sells them???  Wow.  I found that hard to believe.

  He did, while he was at Lowe’s, buy a new faucet for the guest bathroom.  It’s really pretty with white china handles.  The (cheap) one that was put in the house when it was built has started making all kinds of nasty noises when you turn on the hot water.  That will be one of his projects for another day, however.

  Chewlee and I had a dinosaur and monster day today when she wasn’t eating and watching Sponge Bob or Dora.  It went from Prehistoric Planet to Godzilla to Jurassic Park and then back to a different Godzilla movie.  She is starting to watch different Godzilla movies lately, which I appreciate.  I am really tired of watching the two I have with *baby ‘Zilla* in them.

  A couple times, the Beast disappeared on me.  It just struck me as unusual because he usually tells me if he’s going to be outside doing something or if he’s running to the store.  First he was gone, then the truck was back but he wasn’t anywhere in the house.  He was out in the garage, with the light out, working on something with his back to the door into the house. 

  Since he was sitting down, I couldn’t imagine what it was he was doing so I opened the door and asked him.  He was very quiet for a few minutes and then said, *I’m putting together this gun sight aligner*.  I raised my eyebrow and just said, *I see!* and he had the courtesy to look a bit embarrassed.  It was another piece of gun equipment he had purchased without mentioning it to me.  And, after I saw what it was and how it was made, I KNEW it had been expensive.  That was why he hoped I didn’t catch him at it because he could then say he had it for a while.  But, since I caught him assembling it, that possibility was out the window. 

  Once Chewlee left with her mother to go walk for a while (the Princess has started running a couple miles every day and then finishes with a walk for her cool down), I halfway expected to just fall over, exhausted.  But, I found myself actually feeling pretty good.  I managed to straighten up some of her things she hadn’t had a chance to put away and I straightened out the guest bed that she had *tried out* as she told me.    This will be another evening she goes to bed early for her mother since she never napped, just stayed quiet for about an hour or so.

  The reason the Princess is running and walking is to get in shape for a trip to Las Vegas as a birthday present from Chewlee’s paternal grandfather.  She got a heck of a deal on the flight and hotel.  She is bound and determined to go up and down the strip and play at least one game in every hotel and casino there.  I wished her luck on that one.    I’ve been there and that was before the town about doubled in size.  Plus, some of the hotels are such works of art and have so much to see, she will end up losing time looking around.  Watch and see. 

  It’s had a couple good effects on the Princess.  She is losing the little bulge she had at her waistline and her calves have more shape to them.  Her legs have tightened up, too.  She made me start working on my exercises just from seeing the positive results she has gotten.  Mine have nothing to do with running or walking but, done regularly, they are just as helpful on an old fart like me. 

  Time to get this ready for you all to read later.  We have some clouds moving in and I have lost my internet (briefly) a couple times already.  I need to get this posted while I can.  Love you all and I hope your day is a good one. 
  

  • 12:02 am
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