Of Mice and Meal

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Acorns and turds on the truck's dash say it's time to set traps in the barn. 
Last fall's count totaled 44. 

This year's first set went 3 for 4.  Fifty is the goal.

Pigs-in-a blanket and Kool-Aid for the kids' supper tonight.
 For me it's Frosted Flakes, pickled beans and Blatz.
(Did you really think I cooked the mice?)

This week at a glance...or blur.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

First band practice in two weeks and half-dozenth of the summer.  Very rusty, but we added Carrie Underwood's Undo It to our set list.  A Grand Canyon trip, Little League, Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons, church camp and football practice, along with a similar schedule for our band mates left us with no dates for practice or gigs.


Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A morning's picking of tomatoes, along with the ones from the window sill, add 11 quarts of spaghetti sauce to our canning shelves.  Except for the garlic, all the ingredients (onions, peppers, celery, cilantro) come from our garden. With the number of tomatoes still on the vine we'll do this at least four more times.

Thirty-two pounds of recycled aluminum cans and two, car batteries bring only $20.04.  I spend $85.00 on morning errands.

Surprisingly, the dog remains upright after lapping up nearly a quart of hot cooking oil from the pan I left on the outdoor stove after frying fish.  Good thing she's an outdoor dog or we'd probably need new carpet.

Thursday, August, 26, 2010

Made sauerkraut today.  Good friend Andy and I shred four of his volleyball-size cabbages into 40 lbs of raw kraut.  Used a wooden baseball bat to pack it into a five gallon pail.  Should be ready for canning in a couple months.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Finished sawing, splitting, hauling and piling the last of a semi load of wood given to me last year. Popple and basswood make marginal quality firewood in prime condition - but these logs are several years past. I should be able to squeeze a few BTUs from them before the really cold weather hits.

Had a nice evening of drinks and buffet dinner with some of  co-workers.  Enjoyed watching two math teachers, two English teachers and and a science teacher trying to play the dice games 6-5-4 and 7-14-21. Losers drank shots of tequila, blackberry brandy, cinnamon schnapps or butterscotch schnapps.  There were several hungover nerds this morning.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Realizing summer vacation is a week from over the kids want to "do something" today. Choices are bowling, hit golf balls at a driving range or visit the Pioneer Village museum in Cameron.  We tour Pioneer Village and go for ice cream after.  Watching the rest of his family order at Dairy Queen, 6-year-old Jack tearfully regrets choosing the immediate gratification of an over-priced Popsicle at the museum rather than wait a half-hour for his treat.  ~L

Abandoned 1952 Dodge dump truck barn find

For years I've seen glimpses of this old truck hiding in the woods near my home.  I decided to check it out. ~L

Indian in the Barn

It's every gearhead's dream to discover a vintage car, truck or motorcycle that's been stored away and forgotten about for decades.  These vehicles are called barn finds, or referred to as barn fresh because many are found covered in dust in derelict barns across the country.

I stumbled upon my own barn find (machine shed actually - but close enough) last summer while responding to a Craiglist ad with dirt bikes for sale.  The seller (a former acquaintance coincedently) told me the bikes were sold, but indicated he had an old, fixer-upper bike I was welcome to have.

What I got was a rare 1972 Indian JC-5A.  This is the same Indian family of bikes that competed with Harley-Davidson from the turn of the century until the early 1950's.  The short-lived era of Indian off-road bikes lasted from approximately 1971 to 1976.

This JC-5A was bought new in '71 or '72 and ridden occasionally for 3-4 years before being outgrown and forgotten about for the last 30+ years.

My plans to get the bike running have gone no further than for it to gather dust in the back of my shed while waiting to be someone else's barn find.