Day 209, Truck shopping

I went to bed last night and forgot to turn down the thermostat, so I woke up at 2am roasting and I had to get up and turn the heat down.  I like a cool room to sleep in and I usually set the heat to 65, but I left it at 70.  You wouldn't think 5 degrees would make that big of deal but it does.   Needles to say I didn't have a great night sleep.
 

2010 F150 Lariat



It was actually warm enough to wash the truck this morning I managed to get it done before going to church at 11am.  After church I went to lunch with my good friend Doug.  We went to Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant for our usual and of course it was excellent and fast.



With a clean truck, I thought it would be interesting to go back into Bend and see exactly how far apart my 05 King Ranch is from a new 2010 Lariat.  Anyone can pay full price any day of the week, but what I'm looking for is a deal.  The 2010 is now a year old, with the 2011 out and just 6 months until the release of the 2012 models.   At some point they have to have some incentives to sell the last of the 2010 models.  With just one more day in the month, dealers are usually are anxious to get vehicles off the lot.   After about 30 minutes it came down to $14,000 difference between my truck and new one.  I didn't feel that was that great of deal and my truck is still a great truck so I think I'll keep it.  At least now I know.

Tonight it's the Oscars and then to bed.

Day 208, -8 for the low.

WOW, did it get cold.  Several times during the night I woke up  and could tell the house was fighting off the cold.  The furnace ran non-stop trying to keep the house warmed to 65 degrees and loud pops and cracks would ring out from time to time as the extremes tugged at the house.

I got out of bed around 7:20am, got dressed and took fresh water out for the chickens.  Sure enough, their water was frozen solid.  The girls were all up and about walking around the pen and scratching in the feed.  They were very happy to have the fresh water and they drank up quickly.  It was now, -1 and climbing.

I had a number of chores to do, including picking up more feed at the feed store, running in to Bend to go to Costco and getting the changed. in the truck.  When I get my oil changed it gives me the opportunity to check out the new trucks.  To my surprise they still had a F150 long box, 2010 Lariat on the lot.  The full retail price was nearing $50,000.  I figured they would have some huge rebates on the 2010, however in true car dealer fashion, there really was nothing special and the best they could do is about $45,000.  My truck is a 2005 F150 King Ranch with 38,860 miles.  I didn't even want to know what they would offer me for a trade-in, but I wondered if $14k and my truck would get me into the 2010????  I just needed to walk away and forget all about it.  My truck is paid for and I don't need a new one.


22' 1950 Spartanette


I did text with the trailer restoration guy and he's going to get my triler into his shop the second week in March .  He wants to take a good look at it and give me his thoughts.  He say's it has had a lot of damage and the restoration might exceed the value of the trailer.  I told him I would go off his findings and if I need to let it go and find something elese I would do that.  I have actually found a 1950 22' Spartanette that could be an excellent trailer if the Traveleze needs to go down the road.

The temperature managed to climb up to 31 degrees for a high.  It was already warmer than yesterday and the low for tonight was expected to be in the teens.  The chickens survived the cold and really didn't seem to bother by the cold,  they even laid 5 eggs.

Day 207, So Cold

We didn't get much snow on Thursday, but the cold weather sure showed up.  As I drove to work my truck was reading 17 degrees.  It was so cold, the streets had that frozen look with snow blowing across the pavement. 

It was your typical Friday at work, Coffee Clatter from 8:30am to 9:30am, lunch at 1pm and then home at 5pm.  I did manage to come home at lunch and let the chickens out.  I even open the pen door to see what they would do.  I needed to refresh their water, because their water was frozen.  As I walked back to the house one of hens followed me and then the rest followed.  Once they realized that the snow was cold they walked up on the rock wall and stayed there, they seemed to be in shock.  I don't know if they would find their way back or not, so I picked each one back up and put them in the pen.  I was freezing and I worried about them freezing as the temp dropped even more tonight.

By the time I got home at 5:30pm the Chicken's water had started to freeze again.  The water sits on a heater, but it was just too cold to keep it from freezing.  It was now 15 degrees and the weather predictions was for -1 tonight.  BURR.  I decided to changed the light bulb in the coop to a Heat lamp and I hopped that would keep the chickens warm.

It was so nice to be home and to have the weekend in front of me.

Day 206, No Snow

After all the hype about a big snow storm coming our way, we got a dusting of new snow.  Throughout the day it snowed off an on, but nothing of any significances.  They did get correct that the temperature would drop, but even that didn't seem to dramatic with a high of near 30 and a low around 15.

The day was pretty average as Thursdays go and at 4pm I left for my workout.  I brought three dozen eggs with me, two for my trainer and one for the owner of the gym.  I swapped the two dozen eggs for two loafs of bread from Great Harvest with my trainer and gave the other dozen away.  Great Harvest bread is amazing so I was really happy.

That was about it for my day.  I came home and did 2 loads of laundry to get a jump on my weekend chores.  I was feeling beat so I was going to turn in early.

The forecast is for more snow, we'll see if they get it right tonight.

Day 205, Wednesday

This was a very ordinary Wednesday and the only big news was the pending winter storm that was heading our way.  It snowed off and on lightly all day and every time it would snow a little harder, we all wondered if this was the start of the big snow storm.

This is with a nighttime setting, when it's completely dark out.

I came home for lunch at noon and checked on the chickens.  I had some leftover potatoes from dinner, which I figured the chickens would like and they did.  They only laid 3 eggs, but after yesterdays 6, I figured they deserved a break. 

The day was very uneventful, and I had brought my camera to work to show them my pictures.   We have the same camera in the office, so we are all learning how to use it.  I've been very impressed with it, if I can make a bird house look good, than we should be able to get some great shots at work.

I was home by 5:30pm and it started snowing around 8:30pm with a constant light snowfall.  The weatherman said we could expect up to 6" by morning.  It will be interesting to see if he is correct

Day 204, Tuesday / Monday






House at night

Starting the work week off on a Tuesday is a great feeling and after having a 3 day weekend I feel rested and ready to go.  Of course this also means I was a day behind and I had a lot of work to do to get caught up and this means I was really busy, which made the day pass very quickly.



I had my workout at 4:15pm and following that, I had a meeting with the Sons of Norway Lodge to review the financial and hopefully get our taxes ready to go.  The one thing I really do not like to do is the paper work for paying taxes.  It's all a foreign language to me and that's what accountants are for.



The potting shed and Venus.

I got home around 6:30pm and I was eager to play with my camera again.  It was really dark, but I wanted to see what the camera could do.  I did manage to capture some neat shots and push the camera to it's night time limits.  The snow really reflects the light and made for some great pictures.  When these photos are enlarge you can really see the stars in the night sky. 

Day 203, President's Day

Having an extra day off was a wonderful treat.  I slept into 7:45am and enjoyed every extra minute just laying in bed.  I really didn't have much planed for the day, just a few chores in the morning and then return a DVD that I bought to Costco.


The 2011 KIA Optima



It was another sunny morning, albeit, cold.  I checked on the chickens to make sure they had fresh water and plenty of feed, which they did.  I left the coop door open or a while to see what would happen, but they would not venture out onto the snow.  They seem to be doing fine in their confinement and don't seem to have any issues with being cooped up.

Around noon, I ran to Costco and returned the DVD (I didn't pay attention when I bought it, that it was a Blue Ray disk).  With the disk returned, I grabbed a cart and of course I could leave with out spending more money and buying a few things that I couldn't live without.  I actually just ended up buying food, which will last a long time.


My home at night, as captured by my new Nikon D5000.



After Costco I wanted to stop off at the KIA dealer across the street and check out the new Optima.  I keep seeing the commercials and thought it was a pretty sharp looking car.  I wondered if they would sound solid or like it a tin can.  To my surprise, it looks and feels like a very sold car.  I decided that I need to drive it to see how it sounded and even here the road noise was way less than I imagined.   For the money it is a really sharp looking car, full of options, with the feel of a car that is much more expensive.

After KIA looking I headed down to the Old Mill District to check out the winter sale at REI.  I actually found a few Christmas gifts for next year at a third of their original price.  So with my items purchased it time to back home. 

As the sun went down I grabbed my camera and tripod and snapped a few pictures of the house.  I am amazed at what this camera can do and that "I" can actually take some great pictures.   With the camera set on "Dusk/Dawn" I was snapping pictures long after I thought it would be possible.

I am really impressed with this camera and I am excited to learn more about how to use it.

Tonight I have no plans, so I'm just going to kick back and enjoy the eventing.  Happy President's Day.

Day 202, Sunday, Sun and Snow



A sunny Sunday.

Wow, did I sleep good and I didn't wake up for anything; the cat didn't have a midnight hairball, the wind didn't blow, nothing, it was just a great night sleep.  I then woke up to sunshine, which was totally unexpected after yesterday's all day snow storm.  It was a perfect morning.

I got up and fed the animals, checked on the chickens and then it started to snow again.  I thought, ahhh, here we go again, but it only lasted about 20 minutes and then the sun came out again.   The only thing I had on my agenda today was  going to church and then playing with my new camera.  I love the snow and I figured it would be perfect for taking pictures.  There is something about snow that makes everything seem to stand out.  It was going to be great for testing out the many settings on the camera.

Church was excellent as usual, motivational, thought provoking, inspiring and uplifting.  I'm always so glad I go and I take away a stronger understanding and greater appreciation for how we should treat one another.



Harris, my 20 lbs cat, taken with the new zoom lens.

 After church, I was excited to get my camera and go take some pictures.  I walked around the yard snapping pictures and I was pretty pleased with what I was seeing, but then I thought I should go try out the zoom lens.  The official name of the lens is AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm, I just call it the zoom lens.  With the lens attached, back out in the yard I went and wow, what fun.  The camera did what it was supposed to do and it seemed like every picture was a work of art.  I snapped pictures of bird houses, the old field rake, icicles, chickens and lots of my cat Harris.  I'll have to see if I can shrink the resolution down and put some on here, right now they two big to load.

It was a great day and I had a blast playing with the camera.  For dinner I went to Tracy's for asparagus, she's on a diet so I brought Mac and Cheese.  We watched the very funny movie, Hitch on TV and then it was back home.  Tracy gets up at the crack of dawn for work, so I needed to git.

Tomorrow is Presidents and I don't have to work!  YEAAA!

Day 201, Snowing sideways all day.



More snow bowing in.



I woke up to the wind blowing and when I put on my glasses, I could see that it was snowing sideways.  I was surprised at how much snow was coming down and the strength of the wind.   This is the kind of snow storm where you get big snow drifts, because the snow was extremely dry and powdery.  When I checked the temperature at 7am it was reading 25 degrees.  I figured the snow would stop eventually and I would be able to do a few things outdoors, but it just kept snowing.



At 10am I needed to run to my folks house, then to my office and then to the Post Office.  I also needed to stop and get gas, which had climbed to $3.31 a gallon for regular.  $75 later my truck was full and my wallet was empty.  Next on my list was groceries and then home.

Nikon D5000 from Costco.



Back at home I checked on the chickens, which were doing fine and not seeming to be bothered by the cold and snow.  They only laid 3 eggs, which is probably from them being cooped up for 4 days.  They probably wouldn't come out even if the door is open.  Last time I let them out they just stood in the snow and couldn't figure out what to do until I picked them up and put them back in the pen.

It was cold and snow and was to head in and play with my camera.  Once, back inside, I got out the camera and the instructional DVD and put in the DVD player.  I figured this would be a good place to start and maybe I would learn something.  The instructions were way too fast, but I still managed to learn a few things.  I figured at some point I can get out the manual and just start reading from page one.  The video, did teach me enough to not be afraid of camera and it did explain  many of the features.  The problem with this camera is that there are just way too many features - literally hundreds of choices and options.

After dinner I went over to Tracy's to play Donky Kong.  We had only made it to level two last week and we thought we would try a little more tonight.  There is just something a bit ridiculous about two adults playing a video game, but it is entertaining and I think is actually good for memory and hand, eye coordination.  After several hours of playing we conquered 3 levels.    We almost finished a fourth but at some point we just had to say enough is enough.  It was a fun evening.

Day 200, Friday of President's weekend

Not much to report on the work front.  The day ran smooth and I think everyone was looking forward to the 5 o'clock whistle to blow.  We actually have President's Day off, so this is going to be a 3 day weekend for all of us.

The Costco BMW



After work, I wanted to run into Costco and look at a Nikon D5000 camera that they have on sale.  We bought one for the office and there is $200 manufacturers rebate which runs until February 28th.  I think with the rebate it makes the camera one heck of a buy.  It comes with two  lenses, camera bag, and everything you need to get started.  I have always enjoyed photography, but have never gotten serious about it.  I think I have a good eye, so this camera for the price should be a good place to start.

Of course walking the isles of Costco always leads to a full cart.  I bought everything, pants, bread, cereal, cat food, Cliff Bars, chicken pot pies, socks and laundry soap.  Costco has it all, they even had a new BMW out front!  I was surprised to see it had cloth seats, I didn't think BMW even offered them anymore.

Back home I parked the truck at the back door so I could bring could bring everything into the house.  It took several trips but I got it all  and put away and put the truck in the shop.  I then went inside to un-box my camera and put it together.  I needed to plug in the battery to charge it up which will take a couple hours.  By morning I should be all set to go.

Day 199, Leadership Day



Chicken of the snow.

Today I was up early to run some last minute errands for my Leadership Redmond program.  The program is held on the third Thursday of the month and last all day from 8am to 5pm.  This is the 6th year that I have facilitated the program and I still enjoy it.  The days always fly by and it is fun to see the class respond to the speakers and learn something new. 

After work I came home about 5:50pm and there was still enough day light to let the chickens out and see if they would adventure out into the snow.  For the most part they stayed close to the pen, but peaked out to eat a bit of snow and then ran back into the coop.

I still had several bushes flattened with snow, so I took a broom stick and freed them from their heavy load.  They all sprang back up and look like they will make a full recovery.  It was a beautiful night with a nearly full moon and a few snow flakes falling.  The remaining snow on the ground is crunchy under foot, which I have always loved ever since I was a kid.  A lot of people don't like snow, but I think it is awesome. 


Waiting its day to be restored.

I walked around the car barn and looked at the Traveleze.  It has been waiting now for months.  I'm hoping that March will be the month that the restoration shops calls and they start work on it.  They still need to go to Washington to get the donor trailer and I just hope that it is still there.  Until then, the little trailer will just wait undercover for its day to come.

Back inside I was able to install new water lines to my washer and I tossed the old ones out.  I was surprised that they only lasted 3 years before failing.  I'm just glad I saw the water on the floor before there was a huge mess and some damage.

Day 198 Still snowing



A snowy drivewa

Around 12:20am the power came back on.  I got up and turned off the bathroom light and the light in the closet.  I went out and got the milk jug off the back deck and put it back in the refrigerator (I had figured outside was colder than in the refrigerator so I had put the milk on the deck).  I tested the faucet and there was water.  I was  happy, knowing that the water heater would have plenty of time to heat the water by the time I need a shower in the morning.

I woke up around 6:30am and it was snowing lightly.  It hadn't snowed that much during the night and I think the temperatures were actually above freezing most of the night. 

To get my truck out of the garage, I had to re-latch the garage door opener and then all was back to normal.  I left for work a little bit early just in case I encountered more traffic delays, but as it turned out I made it to work with no problems.

After work I had a reception to go to with the Port of Portland in Bend.  It was up on Awbrey Butte and the road up the hill was very icy.  The weather had started to snow again and the temperature was dropping well below freezing.  By the time I got home it was snowing a little and it was 24 degrees.

I went out to check on the chickens and it started to snowing  heavily.  I brought the usual layer feed and cracked corn and fresh water to top off the feeder and water containers.  Chickens are actually very smart and extremely curious birds.  I gave them some attention and then collected their 4 eggs and went back inside.

It was nice to have power and to be able to flip on a switch and have light on demand.  I was in the mood for a hot meal and then turn in early. 

Day 197, Waking up to snow



Big snow on February 15, 2011

Around 4:30am I awoke to the sound of one of my cats starting to hack up a hair ball.  If you have a cat, you know what that sounds like.  He was standing by the cat door in the window, hacking, but not going outside.  I opened the cat door and pushed him out just in time for the hair ball to go flying onto the deck. What a lovely way to wake up. 

I then noticed that it was awfully bright out, so I put my glasses on to see that it was snowing.  There was already about 2" and it was really dumping.  I laid back in bed and just watch the snow fall and then noticed flashes in the sky, like lightening.  I wondered if someone had hit a power pole and a transformer blew?   I then noticed several more and I wasn't exactly sure what was causing them.  Around 5am, I texted Tracy, knowing that she gets up just before 5am to get ready for work.  She texted back that her power was flickering on and off.  My power cut out twice, but came back on each time, I guessed transformers were blowing but at least the power was still working.



About 8" of new snow and still falling.

 I went back to sleep and woke up around 6:45am to get ready for work.  Around 7:20am, my power finally went out.  Usually when the power goes out they get it fixed pretty quick, so I wasn't to concerned.  I looked outside and realized the snow was still falling and there was between 8" and 10" on the ground.  The trees were covered and straining from the weight of the heavy snow.  It was beautiful, but I had to head to work.  Getting the truck out of the garage required disconnecting the electric garage door opening and then closing it once the truck was out.  I had to put the truck into 4 wheel drive just to get down my driveway and to make it into town.

It took me over 25 minutes to get work, instead of the usual 10.  Power was out all over town and the traffic light by the High School was out, so the traffic was backed up several blocks.  We had no problems at work with our power even though most of Bend was without. 



Collecting eggs by lantern light.



At 3:45pm I went off to my workout appointment in Bend.  It had really warmed up and a lot of snow had melted but there was still nearly 6" on the ground.  The workout was great and afterward I went to Costco to get a refund on a camera we had bought for the office, saving us $50.  Then I went to Lowe's to get a new hot and cold water lines for my washing machines.  I had sprung a leak in the cold line and I need to replace it so I can do laundry.  By the time I left Lowe's it had started to snow again, so I wondered how much we would get tonight. 

 By the time I got home it was close to 7:30pm.  The power was still out and I figured it might be a long cold night ahead.  Surprisingly the house stayed very warm and the temperature was around 65 degrees (which is the temperature I set the house to when I go to bed).    I figured I better start a fire in the fireplace and see if I could bring the temperature up a bit so it wouldn't cool down too much during the night.  Within minutes I had a roaring fire going thanks to the help of a gas stater.



5 eggs for the day.

 I really needed to go out and check on the chickens since I hadn't seen them since morning.  I lit an old lantern and went out for look.  I took food and clean water and they were happy to see me.  It was kind of nostalgic checking on the hens and collecting 5 eggs by lantern light.  I had the feeling of stepping back in time and wondered if this is how they did it in the old days?

Back inside, the house had warmed up to 69 with the fire blazing in the fireplace.  I closed the back bedrooms and closed blinds in an effort to not have to heat so much house and to help hold the heat in.  It was actually kind of a fun evening.

Living in the county and having a well, means you have no water when the electricity goes out.    Luckily I have a large pressure tank it provided enough water for me to do a few things in the kitchen before shutting off.  If the power doesn't come back on by morning, I wont be having a shower and I'll have to go to my folks in  early in the morning.

With nothing much to do but watch the fire, I decided to go to bed around 9:45pm.  I was exhausted from being up early the night before.  My bedroom was a little cooler than normal, but I was warm and comfortable.

Day 196, Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day always makes me chuckle.  Have you ever noticed that the holiday dedicated to "Love" has the initials of VD?!

Work was the typical Monday, catching up on emails, reviewing the news papers and getting the week started.  The office had appreciated the chocolates and Valentine candy that I had put out the night before.  We all seemed to snack on it throughout the day and we complained about needing to stop, but we couldn't.

I was able to run home at lunch to check on the chickens and let them out.  It was windy again today, but I figured they could find enough shelter from the wind, so they wouldn't get blown away.

After work, in observance of Valentines Day Tracy and I were going to have dinner at her place, chicken and asparagus and then play the new Donkey Kong game.  Dinner was great and we played Donkey Kong for about an hour and half.  It's actually pretty hilarious and I'm not a video gamer, but you sure can see how you can get hooked on playing.  It's all about getting to the next level and we couldn't even get past level 2.  We were really bad.

Being that it was a work night I left at 8:20pm.  Another holiday over and tomorrow's another day.

Day 195, A beautiful Sunday morning.



Snapped 30' Juniper

 What a difference a day makes.   I woke up around 7:30am and the sun was shining, the skys were blue and there was no wind. 

New shed under construction blown off its pads.

It was a perfect morning for run, so I put on my shoes and headed for my short 2 mile loop.  As I ran down my driveway which is one tenth of mile I noticed that the tree across the street at the gate to my parents property was down.  The wind had snapped it off at the trunk.  It once had been about a 30 foot Juniper, but now it was kindling.  Then I looked at the roof the shed my brother is building on the property and noticed that about a 5 foot section was blown.  Then I realized that the entire structure had been blown off its footings about 2 feet.  I figured that there must have been one heck of a wind or funnel cloud that struck the area.  The she is 12' x 16', made of 2x4 construction and must weigh 1,500 to 2,000 pounds.


 I made several phone calls to my father, and then brother and then went  on my run.  By the time I had finished my run 20 minutes later my brother and sister in law there looking at the shed.  It can be fixed and I guess we are lucky that it didn't blow completely over.



Plum trees starting to bud, February 13, 2011.

I had just enough time to run down my driveway and take a quick shower and head off to church.  I figured since the sun was shinning, I would take the Caddi.  Nothing says "old man going to church" than a big Cadillac, even if I am only 45. Church was great as usual, although the hymns were not my favorite, to many syllables crammed into to few of words, but it was still enjoyable.



Harris the cat and the chickens enjoying the evening before turning in.



Back home I let the chickens out to enjoy the day and I started puttering in the yard, cleaning up wind debris and dozens of tumble weeds that had blown in.  I also, got the hose and lawn sprinkler out and I ran the sprinkler all day, in an effort to put some water into the dry yard.  I was shocked to see that the plum trees were starting to bud out.  I guess spring really is on it's way.

At about 5pm I ran down to my office to put candy on all my co-workers desks.  It has been a tradition over the last 12 years that I cover their desk with candy of all kinds, for both Valentines Day and Easter.  It will be a nice way to start the day and a new week.

It was nice to have a lazy evening and watch some TV.

Day 194, Saturday and Windy

The wind started blowing during the night and pretty much blew all day.  The gusts were very strong and I figured I had better leave the chickens inside today, or they would get blown away.

I started doing my morning chores first thing and I planned on cleaning most of the day.  I wanted to sort through my closet and take some old clothes to Goodwill.  I cleaned out 3 bags of socks, shirts and pants that I hadn't warn in years.  I then cleaned out all the bathroom draws and my least favorite thing to do, I scrubbed the shower.  Luckily I don't ever let it get bad, so it's not that big of a project.


A windy sky



Around 1pm I decided to let the chickens out.  The wind had been blowing all day and the chicken pen needed some attention.  The plastic was staring to pull loose, so I went and got my screwdriver, some long boards and a carton of screws.  With a few carefully placed boards and lots of screws I was able to secure the plastic from the wind.

With the chicken coop and pen put back together, I needed to run into town and run some errands.  I needed to run out to my folks house and check on a few things.  It was so windy it was blowing my truck all over the road.  The sky had a funny look to it and the clouds were really moving.  You could tell another storm was blowing in.  The prediction for tomorrow is rain, which is good, because the ground is really get dry.

It really wasn't too exciting of a Saturday, but it felt good to get my closet and bathroom cleaned out.  I need to systematically go through each room and toss.  I have so much "stuff" it's ridiculous.

Day 193, TGIF

I don't care how great a week might have been, it's always better when Friday rolls around.  I got up feeling good, and stripped the bed and tossed the sheets in the washer.  I had tossed in two loads before I went to bed, so I folded the pile of clothes before I got ready to leave for work.

The day was pretty typical and I was able to run home for lunch and let the chickens out.  I also put the sheets in the dryer, so they would be ready for me to put on the bed when I got home.  On my way back to the office I stopped off at a fresh produce store and picked up some "Dandy" Oranges.  The are like eating candy, they are so sweet.   I bought 4 and took them to office and we proceeded to eat them all.

On the way home after work, I stopped and picked up a few more oranges, so I would have them for the weekend. 

When I got home I texted Tracy and she cam over, so we could for a walk.  She had already walked 3 miles on the treadmill, but was up for another 2 miles.  Following the walk, we went to Sonics and I got a plain burger.   Following Sonics we went to the store to buy Donkey Kong for Tracy's Wii.  I had told her how much fun Bruce and I had, had playing it, so she wanted it.  Of course we had to try it out when we got home.  After about an hour it was time for me to go home and go to bed.  Ahh fresh sheets awaited.

Day 192, New running shoes and the Lodge

I must admit as I packed my gym bag this morning and I put my new running shoes in the bag, I was a little excited to try them out.  I had been running a few days a week just using my cross-trainer shoes and running really wasn't that much fun.  I had been impressed that my lungs were no longer the reason I couldn't run any distance, but my feet, ankles and legs now didn't like it and were complaining, so I would slowdown and walk a while.  I wondered if these new shoes would make as great difference as my trainer said they would.  I guess I will find out this afternoon.

Work was great and there was lots to do.  I worked on next weeks Leadership program and next months, getting everything pretty much set to go.  I  was also able to send out a proposal for an event that we would like bring here and hopefully we will have some success with.  I'm now eager to hear back and see if they will come to the area for a site visit.

I left work a little earlier than normal, so I could make an appointment and then it was off to the gym to try out my new shoes.  My trainer was ready and waiting and soon as I could get changed we were off on  run.  The day was beautiful, with full sun and the temp around 54.  With in a few feet of the building I could immediately tell a tremendous difference in the shoes.  There was no impact to my feet, at least not like my old shoes.  My shoes supported my feet and ankles and I was ready to run.  Our run takes takes us down along the Deschutes river along a spectacular trail.  I was amazed at the difference and I just kept running.  Nothing seemed to hurt, I didn't seem to have any trouble moving at all and I just kept running.  We got to apart of the trail where normally I would be having to take a short walk, but not today.  My trainer was amazed and we just kept running.  In all we ran for a little over 30 minutes, which for me was amazing.  I was out of breath, but after a minute I had recovered.  I was blown away at my recovery time and the fact that I could breath and run with out discomfort.  I was very excited to see how my progress goes now that there is really nothing holding me back.

After the gym there was a lodge meeting from 6:30pm to 9pm to welcome 17 new members.  My friend Tracy was going to meet me at the Lodge and she is one of the 17 new members.  She really wasn't too sure about this event, but I assured her it would be fun.  The dinner was a pot luck and needed to go to the store and find something to bring.  I ran to the local grocery store and found deviled eggs and carrot cake that I thought would work well as a side dish and desert.  My gym, the grocery store and lodge are all within 4 blocks of each of each other so it was a quick trip.  I was about an hour early but I figured I could changed my cloths and help set up. 

Welcoming 17 new member to the Sons of Norway lodge.

The evening was very fun and even Tracy had a good time.  The food was very good and the initiation ceremony was kind of fun.  Its interesting to see just how entertaining a bunch of Norwegians can be.  I stayed and helped clean up and by 9:30pm I was heading home.  It had been a long day and was ready to call it day.

Once home I checked on the chickens.  They had spent the entire day in the coop and only laid 3 eggs.  I think they really like being let out in the yard which makes them lay more eggs. 

Even though it was now 10pm, I tossed in two loads of laundry and figured in the morning I could fold the clean clothes.  This would give me a jump on the weekend chores and when I get up tomorrow I will strip the bed and toss the sheets in.  I love clean sheets for the weekend.

Day 191, Midweek already

Have you ever had one of those nights where you feel well, but you don't sleep at all.  I seemed to have watch the clock all night.  I remember looking at the clock at 4:30am thinking why am I wide awake.  The next thing I knew I received a text at 7:30am, my alarm had not gone off.   Luckily I had plenty of time to still get to work on time.

Work was pretty typical and on my lunch hour I ran home and let the chickens out and then ran to the store to buy my Valentine cards.  I wanted to get all my cards out to my Nieces and nephews and my friends.  Not having kids means I need to spoil my brothers kids so they will take of me of me when I'm old.  I like to remind them that when I die, someone has to get everything I own, so they better be nice to me.  This always gets a chuckle out of my old nephews and niece.

New running shoes

After work I drove into Bend to shop for new running shoes.  The Foot Zone has a yearly sale and today was the day.  They not only sell shoes but they help you find the right ones.  They have run on a treadmill and film your how your run.  They can then determine how each shoe supports your foot and how your feet track.  I tried on 3 pairs, the first were not right the second were great and the third were just ok.  I went with shoe number two.    Tomorrow at the gym we are going to go running and my trainer wanted me to have the correct shoes.  My form is really poor, so I have a lot of work to do.

The evening was pretty uneventful.  I closed the chickens in for the night and made myself some dinner.  Tonight I'm going to bed at 10pm.  I hope I sleep better than last night.

Day 190, Time for the Dentist



Sitting in the dentist chair.

I woke up to snowfall and white flakes floating  in all directions just like in a snow globe.  The snow was beautiful and it really put me in a great mood.  I have a really full day, so I knew need to get up and get going.  Today at 9am I have my twice yearly visit to the dentist so I needed to spend a little time with the tooth brush and floss. 

As I was walking to my truck I received a text that my 9am dental appointment was canceled due the hygienist being ill.  I was kind of bummed, but realized I could now eat.  I keep Cliff Bars in my truck, so I was going to have one.   By the time I got work I had eaten my Cliff Bar and the dentist office had called and said they had an 8am appointment open if I could make it in.  I immediately turned around and head to the dentist.

Today I needed my normal cleaning and x-rays, which they now only do ever two years on me.  I keep really good care of my teeth, so I'm never concerned when I go, and I do enjoy the feeling clean teeth.



From the book Keeping Chickens

Back at the Office I needed to get ready for a Board meeting at noon.  The day flew by and the meeting went great.  We had lunch brought in from a new restaurant in town and the lunch (lasagna) was excellent.  The best part, was there was lots leftover, so all of us will be taking some home for dinner.



At 3:45pm I needed to leave for Bend to drop some papers off at the bank and then head to my workout.  The workout was 13 minutes on the treadmill running 6.6., which doesn't sound like much, but compared to last year when my asthma kept me shuffling at slow walk.  This is quite impressive for me.   The most exciting part is that my lungs are no longer the part of my body that holds me back.  Now my ankles, legs and hips, just don't like to move that fast for that long.  Eventually I think I will be able to run long distance again without any issues.  The rest of the workout was focused on upper body and some core work. 



A girl collecting eggs from the book
 Keeping Chickens

After the workout I went to Costco to buy M&Ms for the Office.  I keep a candy jar on the book case in my office and everyone expects the jar to have some kind of treat, especially my co-workers 4 year old daughter.  Of course, I can't go to Costco with out looking around and I ended up looking at the books.  I couldn't help but look at a book called "Keeping Chickens" by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis.  I thumbed through the book and realized I had to buy it and one for my friend Ann in Oklahoma.  It is a iconic look at Chickens reminiscent of Norman Rockwell and true slice of Americana.  The pictures are spectacular, showing classic photos of people and there chickens, coops that invoke coop envy and of course beautiful chickens.

By the time I got home it was dark and the chickens had all gone back to the coop.  I had to run home on my way to the gym to pick up my gym bag, as I had forgot to bring with me when I left for work, so I had let the chickens out.   I went out a checked on the hens, gave them fresh water and some more feed.   They had been very productive and laid 6 eggs.  The temperature was hovering around 29 and the stars were shining brightly.  It was a beautiful night, but it was too cold for me to be out in just my gym shorts and t-shirt.

Day 189, A cold Monday

It was a windy morning and even though the sun was shining it had that look and feel, like it could snow.   I laid in bed as long as I could and then jumped into the shower at 7:30.

Work was one of  those busy kind of days and with a blink of an eye it was 1:30pm.  I desperately needed to get my hair cut, so that was the first thing on my list during my lunch break.  As I drove into the parking lot of my barber, I could see that someone had just sat down.  I figured I could run home grab a bite, let the chickens out and then come back and then hopefully I wouldn't  have to wait.  Sure enough it worked perfectly and within 10 minutes my hair was cut and I was back in the office.

The rest of the after noon went just as fast as the first part of the day and soon I was heading home.  Tonight my exciting evening was going to be working on tax preparation stuff for my accountant.  Oh how fun can one's night be.  I had all my tax work done by 10pm just in time to watch Castle.

Bed was going to feel good.

Day 188, Super Bowl Sunday

Wow, did I sleep great, I was feeling a little full when I went to bed, having ate, and I kid you not, an entire bag of Cheetos at the movie.  How many calories is that, something like 3,800.  I can't eat popcorn because of the oil and my missing gallbladder, so I smuggled in Cheetos and after a 2 hour movie they were gone.  I will have to eat a lot more respectfully, today and that will start with breakfast, a Cliff Bar.

First thing on the agenda was Church at 11am.  I texted Doug and scheduled to pick him up at the usual time.  It was so sunny I decided to take the Packard.  We arrived at Church with 4 minutes to spare and we were actually in our seats before the choir came singing in.  Church was great and before we all knew it the hour had passed.

After I dropped Doug off I took the Packard to fill up he tank and to stop by the store to get whipping cream for the Super Bowl party at Bruce and Mary Ann's house.  I still had a pumpkin and pecan pie in the freeze from the holidays and that was what I planned on taking.  I had to have fresh whipped cream of course.



Even the Johnny Jump Ups were jumping for Spring.

Once home I had several hours before I had to head to the party and I let the chickens out to enjoy the sun.  They have been digging up the yard, so I had to spend some time with a rake smoothing out the holes and making the yard look presentable.  Chickens love bugs and from what I can tell they have been eating a ton of them.  They have left no, wood chip unturned and not no piece of moss alone.  It will be interesting to see if they have taken care of my slug problem come summer.  It was an awesome afternoon, with warm sunshine and the temp in the mid 50's.  I was surprised to see that even the flowers were starting to bloom.

The party started around 3pm and with a house full of people and tons of food.  No one really cared who was going to win so the focus was foot ball and food in no particular order.   We all kind of wanted to Green Bay to win so the room really cheered whenever they made a touchdown, but what really paid attention to, were the commercials.  In true super bowl style, they were hilarious.  With Green Bay winning the Super Bowl, and all of us stuffing ourselves with food it was a very fun time.

After the game Bruce and I once again tryied our  hand at Donkey Kong on the Wii.  I am so horrible at video games and to see two 40+ year old plan a game was very amusing.   We actually did manage to make it passed one level and start the next, but after an hour of trying I final said it was time to go home. 

I arrived home a little after 10pm and went and checked on the chickens.  They were all back in the coop.  I put out fresh layer feed, cracked corn and water.  I had changed the coop papers and they had fresh shredded paper in each box.  They really seemed to be enjoying the warmer weather and clean surroundings and they laid 6 eggs today.

Another weekend has come to and end and a new work week is just about to begin - life is good.

Day 187, A restful saturday

With nothing on the agenda for the day I was able to start out slow and just enjoy the morning.  I had done most of the laundry Thursday night and the house was still pretty clean.  I cleaned off the counter in the kitchen which seems to collect all kinds of stuff throughout the week, clean the bathroom and vacuum the house and that was really about all I need to do.


Spring has sprung


I let the chickens out around noon and they had laid 5 eggs.  They are making one heck of a mess in the yard digging and rooting up bugs.  I'll have to do a lot work to get the yard ready come spring.  The one thing the chickens like to do is go in the front entry and dig in the dry flower beds.  They toss dirt and bark all over the patio so I needed to clean that mess up and put some water back in the ground.  I was surprised to see that Spring is tring to sprout out of the ground already.  There are daffodils and tulips popping up everywhere.  The forecast is for temperatures in the 60's next week and if that happens they will really leap from the ground.  We all know however that we still have lots more winter weather to come.

At 4:30pm I went over to my friend's Bruce and Mary Ann's to see if Bruce and I could get to the next level in Donkey Kong on the Wii.  I am horrible at video games, so the success was not so good and we never made it through one level before I had to leave.

At 6:30pm I picked up Tracy and we went to see the movie The Green Hornet.  It was hilarious and we were both entertained.  It was nice to see a film that put a smile on your face and didn't have a bunch of garbage in it.  Of course I loved the car and all the gadgets that went along with it.

Day 186, Another wonderful Friday

Another work week is coming to an end the weekend is about to begin.  Work was the usual, Coffee Clatter in the morning, lunch at 1pm to let the chickens out, and a ribbon cutting for a new business at 4pm.  The roofers worked steady all day and the process of putting down the new roof, while still loud, was a lot quieter than taking up the old one.

At 6pm I had a retirement party for a highly respected and personal mentor of mine at Eagle Crest, so I just had enough time to get home put the chickens away and to the event.  Their were probably close to 150 people there for a wonderful prime rib dinner.  It was nice to see some old friends and to honor someone who I so greatly admire.

Following the dinner I met up with some friends, Wanda, Conan, Dustin and Erica, who had been out dinner and were going to go to Wanda and Conan's to play Wii.  It was nice to spend the evening hanging out with friends and having a few laughs.  Wanda had to work in the morning so we had to let  her get to bed, so left shortly after 10p.

Dustin and Erica had missed the ribbon cutting event at the new Yogurt shop, so we went there to check it out.  Their hours are from 11am to11pm, so we figured we had some time.  Surprisingly there were a lot of people there at 10:30pm at night.  Dustin and Erica sampled the various flavors and I went straight for the vanilla and then covered it with hot fudge, crushed Heath Bars and cherry.  So much for the diet and working out, but it was the perfect way to end the week.

Day 185, Workout and Lodge Meeting

Thursdays are my workout days and today is also the first Thursday of the month, so that means I have a Sons of Norway meeting tonight after my workout.

I had nothing major on my calendar at work and next Monday we were scheduling to have our roof replaced on the building.  To our surprise, and the roofer, they were able to get the permits in minutes and not days and they decided to start today.  I had no idea how loud it was going to be when 4 guys start removing the roof - It was almost impossible to hear yourself think.  The only break we had all day, was when the crew went to lunch. 

At 4pm it was time for me to head to my workout.  It was actually a pretty nice day and my trainer was going to take me on a run down by the river again.  I was so surprised how far my lungs have recovered from just 6 months ago and the drastic improvement over the last year.  A year ago my asthma would have never let me run a block and now I was running several miles - it felt great.  Of course no workout is complete unless I do a little stretching and today, even that could be done without pain.  Even the hamstring stretching didn't hurt.

After the workout, I had a few minutes to kill before the Sons of Norway meeting.  The Board meeting was at 6pm and the Membership meeting was at 7:30pm.  There is a lot of work to do on this Board to get the lodge into compliance and running smoothly.  They were both long meetings, but there was a lot of progress made and we should have everything running smoothly no time.  The meeting ran until 8:40pm and then there was the clean up and recap of the meeting.  I didn't leave the lodge until 9:25pm.

I got home around 10pm and went out to check on the chickens.  They had spend the entire day in the pen and they only laid 1 egg.   They were not  happy with their confinement and let me know by their low production.

I was beat and tomorrow was going to be Friday.  I usually like to get a jump on my weekend chores, so I tossed in some laundry.  When the wash was done I was still awake, so I tossed it in the dryer and then put in a second load of laundry.  I'd surly be asleep when it was done and I could finish it in the morning.  As it turned I was still awake and was able to toss the final load in the dryer shortly after midnight.  Luckily I was asleep when the dryer finished.

Day 184, 6 months with the Trailer

Day 1 August 2, 2010

It's official, I have now had the Traveleze for 6 months.  It definitely looks better than when I bought it, but it still has a long ways to go.   It is so cold outside that camping in a trailer is a long ways from my thoughts, but I would like to have to all done and ready to go.  But until the weather warms up I'm really not going to worry about it.

Today was another busy day at work and I was able to come home for a late lunch and let the chickens out.  By the end of the day they would lay 5 eggs and be back in the coop by the time I got home.



After removing the paint

There really wasn't much on the agenda and there isn't much to report.  I am surprised that I have managed to keep jotting down little notes every day for half a year.  Hopefully in the end of the next six months I will have been able to report on the progress of the Traveleze and its restoration.  I hope to even be able to take it out for its first outing too.

With nothing more to report and TV not having much to offer I'm ready for bed at 10:15pm.

Day 183, work and workout.




Snow in Oklahoma

 

It was another cold start to the morning with the thermometer reading 16. I had kind of thought we might get some snow but there was just a heavy coating of frost instead.

I received two texts from my friend Robin in OKC and one from Ann.  The big storm hitting the Midwest had hit Oklahoma City during the night.  The temperature was 8 with 40 mph winds, creating huge snow drifts and a windchill of -14.  I really guess I'm not going to complain about our high of 30.

In the office I had a Executive Board meeting at noon, a meeting with a roofer to roof our building at 1:30pm and then I had to run a few errands in Bend and head to my workout.

My workout was exhausting but I felt great.  My lung capacity has increase significantly and I haven't had any problems with my asthma.  My trainer had me do up hill sprints on the treadmill for about 30 minutes, then pull ups, rowing, lunges, kettle bell lifts, core work and stretching.  I was beat, but felt good.  I'm just so amazed that I am able to do what I'm doing, as a year ago I wouldn't have been able to.



Ann all bundled up to get her eggs.

 On my way home from my workout I stopped off at Costco, for cereal, Laura Bars, tuna and razor blades. I then ran next door to Barns and Noble to pick of an extra copy of a book that I had previously purchased and mailed to my friend Ann in OKC.  She will probably get the book next week, so I don't want to go into too much detail.

By the time I got home it was dark.  The chickens were all in their coop and they had laid 5 eggs.  It was way too cold to stay outside I ran back inside for the night.

Day 182, Monday

Wow is it cold, the outside temp was right at about 17 when I got up and could tell by the house being really cold around the edges.  Even the cats didn't want to go outside for their breakfast.

Work was the usual and I had to play catch up on the email and phone message, from being gone most of Friday.  It always seems to make the day go fast when you are extra busy so the morning flew by.  At noon I ran home to let the chickens out.  They seemed to be happy to be out even if the temperature was around 26.  For the most part they don't seem to be bothered by the cold and they go about their business of digging up the yard.

The rest of the day went by pretty fast and before I knew I was back home, putting the chickens in for the night, figuring out what to eat and getting ready for bed.