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Happy Canada Day everyone. We spent it as quiet woodland creatures walking our paths. A momma grouse tried to distract from our walk and lead us away from her babies. She succeeded. Found neither her nor the chicks. We briefly considered driving the ten miles into town to watch the fireworks at dusk. Nah. We’re good. I hope your Canada Day celebration was as appropriate to your temperament for you as was ours was for us.
I did venture into town on the second for a replacement faucet for the kitchen sink. It finally did in front of me what it had occasionally been doing in front of Juanita. Once you knew where it was leaking the results were consistently reproducible. If you pressed the fixture just a certain way, water would leak onto the faucet deck. After thirteen years that would not be covered by warranty. Moen has a lifetime replacement for valve cartridges, but this wasn’t a cartridge problem. It’s either a bad internal O-ring or corrosion on the surface where the O-ring seals. Maybe repairable, but who has the time to remove, disassemble, diagnose and shop for just the right O-ring in a small town. The new faucet mounted differently than the old one so that took a while on my back, under the kitchen sink. The old one is in a pile of stuff concealing my work bench. Perhaps I will disassemble and diagnose one day.
On the third we went to Meadow Lake Provincial Park in the late afternoon for one of the Wednesday weekly church picnics. These are held each week during the summer, hosted by various congregants of the church we attend. We have been feeling like takers, not hosting one ourselves before this summer. This summer was going to be different. Then we considered the young children that attend. We realized that our home for bloodthirsty flying insects is no place for warm blooded creatures who can’t be slathered in bug juice. Death of a vision.
Our son-in-law, Nick, called and asked what my plans were with respect to a roof on the sea can (deep sea shipping container) and would Ezekial’s assistance be wanted for a certain week in August. Otherwise, he would go help at a Christian camp. I said I hadn’t decided if I was going ahead with the project or the timing. He might as well plan on camp. With such inspiration I dug out the quote with lumber prices from June. (That’s a handy feature. You just make up a list of everything you might use in terms of building supplies and the service counter at the lumberyard gives you a quote price for one of each.)
Using those numbers, I figured out a rough cost and said it was in the ballpark. I know it will always be more, but it gives an order of magnitude good enough for a decision on a personal project. I estimated the difference between a metal and shingled roof. Metal is somewhat more but less work and more durable. Decision made I blew off the roof of our sea can. No, not with explosives. With a leaf blower. Then off to town to order the tin and pick up the first load of lumber. That kept me out of mischief for most of the rest of the month. Pictures and more verbiage will be in a section below.
After four days of working on the sea can roof, we went to Edmonton on Friday the 19th. My gluts were making their unhappiness known, but by Monday they were fine. They adapted to the sea can work and never bothered me again during the project.
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