We're going to need a bigger backhoe...

It started so innocently, with a tiny backhoe

Uh oh. Words you never want to hear. Luckily, it wasn't on my dime. It all started last year (read this blog) when our sewer backed up. Read the details if you like but what is germane to this blog is that I was advised to call the city and tell them to check the main sewer in the street. They came, and did, but I never heard anything from them. Suddenly this summer, I see the water, sewer and gas lines marked on the street in front of the house. Every now and then I would see a city worker but none ever seemed to know what was going on. Well one day I saw a contractor out there and he informed me that they were replacing my sewer line, Later that day, a small backhoe and a few traffic cones arrived. They assured me it was a quick job and that they would be done in a couple hours. Well, the next day tiny backhoe made short work of he job, but the problem wasn't in my line, Mr.Rooter was right, it was indeed the main. Time to call in the big guns.

This shit just got serious.

Arriving later that day was a monster shovel and a medium front end loader/backhoe combination. As they excavated the line they found nothing. No sewage, just an empty line. Uh oh. After removing a section of the main they found the problem. A massive root plug. With some help from the backhoe, they attached a chain pulled out the root plug. Great, except that one of the poor workers was still down in the hole and hundreds of gallons of backed up sewage roared out of the line. He scrambled up the ladder just in time. I'm not sure what they pay him, but I AM sure it's not enough. In any event, after the sewage wave subsided they patched the line and filled up the hole. Ironically, the plug was upstream from us so we wouldn't have had a problem, but very soon many of our neighbors would have a rather messy problem in their basement. When they found this out, complaints about the noise, dust, and dug up street ended.

Dad awaits lunch and a cold Yuengling. Not in that order.

In other news, we have been traveling a bit since I'm off work, (as is Cindy) and we decided to head to the Jersey shore with my dad. Specifically we went to Wildwood Crest, but dad and I spent most afternoons down in Cape May at The Lobster House, specifically The Schooner American enjoying lunch, cold beer, and a parade of yachts, fishing boats and personal watercraft. I cannot recommend a better place to have lunch and unwind. Up next, Montana and a wedding in the mountains.

Screen door

Crack team of installers.

Work and social/family commitments have slowed progress on house projects this month but we did manage to find a morning to install our screen door in the front. It was clear from the door frame that a screen door of some type had been there before, probably and old fashioned type with a wooden frame. It might have been nice to restore the old door had it still been there, but only the old hinges remained. Anyway, like just about any project, there were obstacles to overcome. First, was the size of the door frame. Apparently, standard door frame size is either 32 or 36 inches by 80 inches. One thing I have learned is that our house is anything but standard and the door frame at our house is a lovely 34 and 5/8 inches. Of course, places will sell you a door of any size, custom made if need be, you just have to pay a considerable up charge for the privilege. However, I found one place that would sell a 34 inch width door at the price of a standard door, and that would be Home Depot. Now, sharp eyed readers will note that I mentioned the width of the door was 34 and 5/8 inches. The "standard" 34 inch door will accommodate a door frame opening up to 34 and 3/8 inches. DOH!

The finished job. Well...almost. 

Stepping up to the plate was Uncle Ed and his Yankee workshop in Apalachin. He had a piece of oak that he perfectly milled to 80 x 1 x 1/2 inches that filled the gap. He brought that oak furring strip pre-drilled and ready to mount. After that, it was a fairly simple job to mount the door in the frame and add the hardware.

The height of the door was about 81 inches, which was really perfect since I needed to add a threshold anyway. I ended up choosing an aluminum threshold and used a hacksaw to size it to the door frame. I then adjusted the rubber brush on the bottom of the door to close the gap.

The door is really nice and more practical that an old fashioned wooded screen door. The biggest advantage is the roll down screen that eliminates the need to store the screen for the winter. As you slide the upper glass down, the screen rolls down from the top. This will be convenient in the shoulder seasons when you want to get some air in the house on unseasonably warm days, or let the sun in but not the cold. I had wanted the door with a kick panel on the bottom but Cindy preferred the full glass door and, well, you can see who won the argument.

The Woods Inn. The weather was better than
 the picture shows,.

Natasha and Katia, our resident cats, also prefer the full glass model as they can lay on the rug, basking in the sun and see out the door. The kick panel would have blocked their view.

I mentioned commitments and I should mention that we had a great time over the weekend at the wedding of the son of our friends Joe and Angela. The ceremony took place in Old Forge NY at the The Woods Inn. The inn was a classic turn of the century hotel on a beautiful lake in the Adirondacks. We had quite an adventure the morning of the wedding when the hotel where we and much of the wedding guests and party were staying lost water. I was willing to go ahead and throw on my clothes and "forge" ahead (this is the mountains for crying out loud) but Cindy calmly and patiently explained (kidding - ha ha) how she needed a shower before the wedding. She actually considered jumping into the lake at one point but just in the nick of time the water came back on and we literally walked in for the "I do's" of the ceremony. Most importantly, we were there, well showered, for the reception.

My  spooky, deluxe suite.

A work commitment was our annual weather support for the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen. I spent two days sitting in the Emergency Operations Center waiting to give weather support for fire and law enforcement should things go bad. Luckily things stayed quiet through the race. Of interest however, is the the New York State Fire Academy where support personnel stay during the event. There may not be a spookier place to sleep anywhere and while nothing went bump in the night, walking around the place is unnerving. The faux marble floor hallways echo your footstep in the 5 story brick edifice. At the end of some of the halls are memorials to dead firefighters and rescued children including silent statues. Past students and officers stare at you from framed black and white pictures. If a couple of red haired little girls in pink dresses ever stepped out from around a corner I'd be out of there faster than a lightning bolt.

Lawnmowers are for short people

My el cheapo lawnmower.

I'm around 6'3", almost 6'4". Not a giant, but taller than most. I would imagine most people would see that being taller is an advantage, and it is usually, but not always. I'm not tall enough to worry about hitting my head on things (usually) and our new home has nice high ceilings, although there is that low part on the stairs (ouch!). Still, there are times that being tall is a real pain, and one of those times is when I'm forced to use "standard" sized equipment. What I mean is that most things can be fitted for size. Clothes, hats, car seats can all be purchased or adjusted to fit. Other things, like tables, chairs, and lawnmowers are pretty much used as is. Cindy and I bake bread (perhaps a future blog) and the job of kneading falls on me. I enjoy it, other than my back aches by the time I'm done because our kitchen table is too low and I have to bend over to work.  Other "too short" facilities and tools for tall people include most sinks, water fountains (I still use them, do you?), snow shovels, and, most importantly, airplane seats.

The north "forty" after a back breaker.

My silly cheap lawn mower is too short for me. I actually love the thing. I bought it for around $150 at Lowes ages ago and it just goes. I've never sharpened the blades, tuned it up, or even changed the oil. I have cleaned and replaced the air filter a couple times, and I check to be sure it HAS oil. Other than that I prime it three times and pull the cord once and off I go. Problem is, it is too short. As I walk back and forth for an hour or so, I'm bent over to reach the handle. My poor back aches. I have to stop a few times to stretch out and walk around to release the knot in my back. I have looked at push mowers double or triple the cost and they do not seem to be any better. If I do end up buying a riding mower, it will mostly be because my back cannot take it any longer.

A definite improvement.

We got a nice gift from Karen and Randy (Realtors Extraordinaire and Best Sister and Brother). Randy surreptitiously measured our fireplace and custom cut some birch logs for us. He carefully washed and dried them to Cindy's standard and approval. They fit perfectly look beautiful.

Of course, right after I wrote my last blog we got a real soaker and and the grass grew like crazy (prompting this post). While there was some relief, the drought continues and the forecast for the next week or so is more dry weather.

In other home improvement news, the ordered screen door has arrived and sits in the garage, hopefully installment will be this week. I installed a dimmer switch for our porch lights so we could sit out there and have them on without feeling like we are on a stage. The dimmer also allows us to have low level welcoming/security lighting for the front of our home. Otherwise progress on projects will be slow for the rest of the month. I'm currently on a 13 day work stretch and we have two weddings and a short vacation at the shore before the end of the month. All that fun and relaxing will be exhausting.