Month: April 2025

There are two major stories for this post. First, we had the Heart House water service line replaced. Second, I took a trip to visit Felicity and Peter in New York and worked on a number of projects for them. Here are *many* photos of these events and narrative about the projects.

We had planned to get our water service line replaced as the old line may have been lead-lined or galvanized with a high lead content. Two reasons for the replacement: Make the house more attractive (in a future sales scenario) to families with children by having lead-free water lines, and proactive replacement of the line before it ruptured.

Given the age of the lines, many of our neighbors have had leaks in their supply lines. We decided to be proactive and replace ours, knowing the insurance would not cover any cost of the project.

Pam took a few photos of the men replacing the line.

The city does not assume the responsibility of sidewalk repair, so we have asked our concrete man, who did the walk between the garage and house, to stop and give us a quote. In the short term I will see what I can do to make the walk passable.

The other “big” story was my trip to New York to visit Felicity and Peter and work on projects they wanted done. Projects included: 1. Amish-style clothesline installed. 2. Insulate floor under kitchen. 3. Build an “ice house” around incoming water pipe to keep it from freezing in the winter. 4. Repair and upgrade broken front door and convert screen door into a storm door. 5. Build a “firewood deck” where they could stack wood off the ground. 6. Cut and split some of their wood pile. 7. Try to level out ruts in yard made by construction machinery.

All this in 10 days. I did put Felicity and Peter to work where they could help.

1. Clothesline construction was straight forward. Two 4×8″ poles, set about 32 feet apart, buried 2 feet deep in an 8-inch diameter hole. I used 300 pounds of Quickrete to set the poles. Once set I attached the crossbars and hung the pulleys and lines to complete this project.

The new Gorilla cart was a gift from Pam and me. Other small tools were also provided by me to be added to the tool collection.

Other projects were accomplished, most with the goal of making the house more livable. I won’t go into detail on all of them; suffice to say the home has been improved a bit. Two other projects I will mention include the door upgrades and the firewood platform.

The main door had broken glass in it, and the matching screen door had broken screening and trim. Felicity wanted me to convert the screen door to a storm door and do what I could with the main door by replacing the broken glass with plexiglass. Both doors turned out well and are much improved from the time I arrived.

The other major project was building a firewood platform where wood could be stacked to keep it off the ground. There was a fair amount of lumber on the lot, including several pieces of plywood in various states of usefulness.

I put together an 8′ x 16′ frame and used the solid plywood to make the floor. T-posts provide end points to keep the firewood from falling off the deck. In retrospect I might have done things a bit differently and used more lumber instead of the T-posts, but that may be a future upgrade.

Here the deck is finished and some wood already stacked on it.

The wood you see is mostly cord wood they bought. I did have access to a splitter and managed to process some of their wood pile, but I ran out of time and did not get all the wood split. Peter was introduced to basic chainsaw techniques and cut several longer chunks of wood into shorter pieces. For a beginner he did pretty well.

I did not get to filling the ruts left by construction equipment, but I did talk to a neighbor who has a tractor and rock rake. He will come over with the tractor and work the ruts out, so in a way I did give that project some attention.

One the way home Pam had me swing by a couple properties in southern Michigan. The most attractive was this old church and house next to it.

I don’t know what we would do with a church, but it was in an attractive area. Drawback: It is on a dirt road about a mile or so off the paved road. Very quiet neighborhood!

Also worth noting: Prior to my departure, we celebrated Becky’s birthday with a candle, pie, and gift.

Taken together, it has been a very busy and event filled few weeks since my last post. The next weeks should be somewhat calmer!

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Busy with puppy training. Incremental progress!

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

Generally I stay away from politics in these posts as there are many other places where political commentary can be found. Today I am going to make an exception.

On April 5th I attended one of the Hands Off rallies that took place across America. Mine was in Decorah. Here are a few photos and some thoughts about the event and the reasons for attending.

I have been sending emails to my Federal representatives and getting very unsatisfying answers, mostly form replies thanking me for my contact and little else. It was time to take stronger actions such as appearing in person at a rally.

Pam found a “Hands Off” rally scheduled for Decorah, one of around 1,500 such rallies organized across the country, and I decided to attend. These were organized for people to come out and express displeasure at what is going on with this administration on many levels, concerns Pam and I share.

Pam decided to make a sign for me to carry.

The Decorah organizers announced attendance of around 500 people, this in a state that has been solidly Republican for decades. Other news outlets report that thousands of people took part in other Iowa rallies and tens of thousands did so nation wide.

These rallies are in opposition to cuts in Social Security and other large programs (CDC, VA Affairs, EPA, NIH, USAIDS) but also to a range of smaller programs, many of them grants to cities and towns to help promote clean water, air, and energy diversification. In all, this administration is seen as incompetent, anti-science, and just plain stupid. The actions being taken will hurt us.

The First Amendment states, in part: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…”

People are social animals and have been gathering for various reasons, including political ones, since well back in history. That is why the right to assemble is the first right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

As for the Deborah rally, it was interesting. Only one of the speakers was an elected official; other officials opted to skip the rally. (The elected official attending was a member of the Decorah City Council.) The other speakers were locals, including a couple teachers, a farmer, a small business owner, and a guy that writes editorials. Quite the cross section of people.

There were songs as well, three in fact. I was standing next to a pair of younger girls, possible local Luther College students, who had very good voices. The music went down well. Selections including the first chorus of “America the Beautiful” and a couple other protest songs. The lady leading the singing had an excellent voice.

What are my takeaways?

First, I was reminded of how public gatherings are such a part of our American culture and how they are integrated into our political system. Alexis de Tocqueville once wrote “…the only guarantee of liberty is for everyone to combine forces…” in his 1835 two-book volume titled Democracy in America.

Second, it is good to be among people who share a common interest. This observation may seem to be self-evident, but in our modern post-Covid world, face to face meetings are getting lost. As one speaker said, “you can’t make changes with a comment” left on a YouTube video. In-person gatherings for a common cause are a powerful motivator.

Third, such gatherings reinforce the idea that you are not alone and are part of a larger movement. It is easy to stay at home and wonder if anyone else in your community feels the way you do. National reports are not the same as seeing your local neighbors standing up for the same causes. The feeling gives you motivation for doing more than sitting at home.

Lastly, non-violent rallies are kind of fun. You are standing with other people, holding up signs and singing, and being led in responses by the organizers. New information comes to light from people who follow specific parts of the government. Rallies are part of the American experience.

I have several photos from the event, and a couple sent from friends who attended other rallies, in my Gallery page. I encourage you to take a look. Some are funny, most are serious, and all express a point of view that may be different (or enhance) your own.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Prolonged walking and standing are no longer in the comfort range of my superpowers. However, sign making is in my wheelhouse.

My childhood girlfriend, Janean (Hurd) Lang texted me re: our plans to locate an Iowa event on “Hands Off” day. This motivated me to search for the Decorah rally, which motivated Himself to be in attendance. Janean attended the LaCrosse rally, where about 1,000 people gathered.

Rock on.

Today’s Humor:

I have a few minor updates to mention today. Let’s get into it!

My left foot is now out of the medical boot for good. The last doctor’s appointment cleared me from wearing it, and the doctor said the bone fractures have healed. The ankle is still swollen and will remain so for the next couple months, however. I am walking better but still limping a bit, but improving over time.

Some activity has occurred on the lot across Main Street from us. The foundation appears to be complete and the excavator has been removed. The last action was the installation of several round cement footers for – what looks to be – a front porch. Much of the ‘dirt wall’ has been backfilled around the foundation but a small pile remains.

Two of the cats, Elmo and Reese, took a trip to the vet for their annual checkups and shots. Both are in good shape and quite healthy. Elmo is a chunk, though, weighing in at 15.2 pounds. He may be the heaviest cat we have owned.

Grayce is doing well and growing, but she is still not quite used to letting us know when she needs to go outdoors to do her business. This frustrates Pam continually. Puppyhood…

Grayce likes to play with her new Frisbee. She’s getting long and leggy.

Flowers are growing and greening in the flower beds. Recent rains (and some short-lived snow) helped. NE Iowa area is still classified as being in a moderate drought, so rain is appreciated.

There was not much outside time this last week — there was a mix of rain and snow accompanied by colder weather, temps in the 30s and low 40s, not good for outside time. Next week promises to have improved weather and we can look forward to more outside tasks.

There’s a batch of newborn squirrels running around in our oak trees. Pam has counted 5 of them. It’s fun to watch them running and jumping, exploring their environment, and stretching and discovering the limits of their abilities. This stage does not last long.

A special note for the calendar date: I attended one of the April 5th “Hands Off” rallies today, this one in Decorah. I will have photos and thoughts on the event in my next post.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Well — turns out Grayce is a poop eater. And a digger. I pick up fecal output [from all three dogs] almost before it hits the ground these days. And throw rubber mats over active dig spots in the dog enclosure. Grayce can excavate an 8″ diameter hole in under two minutes. Hard to get outdoor projects done, as I must constantly watch Grayce when she’s outside. I was able to edge the planting bed under the oaks, that’s about it.

Happy Trails.

Today’s Humor