Sunday, 27 July 2008
 

An afternoon well spent

I'm tired from running around in the heat but Heather and Ryan now have (parts that can supposedly be assembled to create) one of these in their back yard.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 27, 2008 at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Saturday, 26 July 2008
 

They saved some hot weather for me.

Or maybe Ft Worth's just this hot all the time. I think that's it but I'd forgotten what it's like around here in the summer. It's 101 out right now and the lowest high they're predicting while I'm here is 98. Now I remember why I always did all of my shopping at night when I lived down here.

I guess we're going shopping for swingsets after it cools off a little. Heather thinks it will be best to get Ian something while I'm here, even if it's not as nice as what we might be able to order, to reinforce the notion in Ian's mind that I'm the one who got it for him. There are a couple I really like on Wal-Mart's web site that weren't there when I bought the one I bought to have in Lawrenceville; here's hoping by being near bigger stores we can find one in stock around here somewhere.

***

I mentioned before that Ryan got me tied into the network here OK but I didn't realize at the time he also  had a flat screen monitor that wasn't being used for anything critical. I'm sitting at a library table that was mine years back with my keyboard in front of me, the monitor Ryan had a little farther away, and my notebook on a filing cabinet nearby.

On the bad news side, I guess there's a chance of Ryan being transferred to Seattle sometime after the first of the year.  He and Heather are hoping he will be, I'm hoping he won't. If he is they'll still be in this area for my planned visit over the Christmas period.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 26, 2008 at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 25 July 2008
 

I made it to Texas OK

I'm too tired to have much to say right now. No problems getting here. Ryan got my notebook connected to their wireless network OK. Don't know how much blogging I'll do while I'm here. Tomorrow we go shopping for swingsets.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 25, 2008 at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Friday, 18 July 2008
 

Sorry I worried y'all

A quick note to those of you who worried about me when I quit blogging on this site every day:

It's too hot to spend much time sitting out back trying to figure out what's going on in that field behind us and until I get the rest of my Social Security money I can't do any more on the "Circle F" project. That takes away two of the main things I used to write a lot about on this site but I still post something nearly every day at http://www.oldwardogs.us/. I'll be leaving for Texas as soon as I'm up and around on the 24th and starting back on the 3rd. That means I won't be doing any blogging on the 24th, 25th, 3rd or 4th and may not do a whole lot in between. Don't worry about me.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 18, 2008 at 03:14 PM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Friday, 11 July 2008
 

Rodeo Day at The Circle F. Or not.

I figured it would be. That's the first time anyone's even tried to ride Sunshine in at least 15 years. I felt sure brother Bob was fixin' to get dumped on his butt (just as the batteries in my camera went dead so I wouldn't even have a record of it). Instead, behold:

That made it Vicki's turn:

Then Cordell's, the first second time he's ever been on a horse:

It turns out Sunshine's a lot easier to get along with without a bit in his mouth. He neck reins like he was born to it. We're guessing now that he was trained with a hackamore when he was young instead of a standard bridle. I'm not sure where the money's going to come from but we may have to see if we can find one somewhere:

At the end of a good days work: I wasn't close enough to hear but Vicki swears she asked Sunshine if he was ready to go get some corn and he nodded his head:

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 11, 2008 at 11:24 PM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Dude, I found your recession.

I saw this online shortly after my sister heard on the radio that Toyota was going to be shutting down its Princeton operation for a while. It's wonderful that Toyota is going to keep its direct employees employed during the three month shutdown the article mentions but that isn't going to help people in Lawrenceville a hell of a lot. My brother in law works for Automotive Technology Systems, whose only customer is Toyota's Princeton plant; he was informed yesterday afternoon that he's going to be unemployed for three months beginning August 9th, as are a lot of other people around Lawrenceville. Joy, joy!

If we cut luxuries to the bone -- Going to Texas to see my daughter and her family later this month is not a luxury -- and my brother in law gets as much Unemployment as my sister thinks he will we aren't in danger of the lights going out or anything, at least right away, but it's going to mean putting off some other things we had planned. I think what I have left of the first, partial, back settlement check I got from Social Security is enough to see us through the shutdown but it pisses me off having to use it for that.

Hey, Congress! Take your goddamned fucking "pristine wilderness," fold it a few times so it has lots of sharp corners, and shove it up your asses.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 11, 2008 at 01:38 AM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Sunday, 06 July 2008
 

Not as good as having Ian here ...

... but a whole lot better than just sitting around all day anyway. Kyle brought his sister's kids, Zack and Zoey, out to check out the swingset he helped put together last month:

I guess it works to Zoey's satisfaction, anyway:

That's the first time that little cat has so much as thought about letting anyone hold her:

Look ma, no hands:

Sunshine was even glad to see them:

More later. They wore me out.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 6, 2008 at 06:37 PM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wednesday, 02 July 2008
 

Thank you, Lord!

http://weblog.xanga.com/willowfae/664315264/preliminary-results-are-in.html

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 2, 2008 at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sittin' & watchin' at The Circle F

I woke up feeling worn out enough from yesterday's trip to Marion that if Kyle hadn't sounded really desperate for money when he called I'd have told him to just take another day off. As it was his cell phone was shut off and I loaned him enough to get it turned back on; I'll dock his pay a little at a time for a while until he doesn't owe me anything. Today he spent about three hours moving topsoil to fill in the trench where the ground settled over the water line for the freeze-proof hydrant when we got that big rain last month.

I still have pictures to post sometime but I'm too tired to mess with it tonight.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 2, 2008 at 10:15 PM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tuesday, 01 July 2008
 

Feelin' dumb at The Circle F

Would you believe I spent 3 weeks without my right hearing aid, including the time Ian was in Illinois, then invested 7 hours of my day today in a trip to Marion, over something I could have fixed myself? I still don't understand how a dirty screen over an input transducer can make a hearing aid shut down completely but apparently it can.

It took me a while to remember it but my sister also had her camera outside when I was taking pictures of Ian Sunday. I'll post some pictures she took when I have more energy.

Contributed by Bill Faith on July 1, 2008 at 10:58 PM in Around our place | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack