Memorial

Typically one series photo stands out: clear choice -

four equally commanding uniquely nuanced

kitchen window evening art shots: you choose!

     Eyes months peeled, St. Vinnie's find 10"x14" mirror.  Extract from mistakenly identified thrown in fire faux wood plastic frame - stinky! - original bath medicine box install.  New hinges; circle saw fit; await knob, putty, paint - quaint, useful, probably make final cut.

     Safely, successfully prune third up tree right

backyard limb.  Chain saw dice; pile brush high on two rows logs chain saw stove length mince - no saw/dirt contact, chain stays sharp through entire prune/dice/mince.

Tree distinctly leans away from house/car port - old man trim big limb over new metal roof no issue -

continues attractive street countenance, year or two: refoliate. 

Stack logs behind garage corner, pile minced brush next pallet surround, circle saw dice pallets pile on logs, four nail - three pallets, one log center top - cat piss luan plywood 'roof',

pallet chunks fill in the blanks - next winter wood, plenty kindling.

Pallets gone, truck on extended clan move loan allows car/truck park grade - entire behind garage area future: vehicle enter behind garage to be carport from either alley or yard.

Dozen wheelbarrow loads final grade behind back porch.  Remainder backyard fill will go between house/garden post foundation work.  Judiciously scatter sod on fill: do Eugene thing grass: grow!

Garden from the north: radish near, rutabaga far, current big winners; Russian kale left, corn right.

Culinary newbie: rutabaga greens - yum!  Eat radish, kale, mustard, turnip, kohlrabi greens too.

Transplant four Grapette, four Cordova hothouse tomato plants front of strawberries/garlic - hope they do OK in heavy post stump removal disrupted subsoil/topsoil; mound lemon cucumbers, sweet potatoes house front corner.  Squash, cukes, beans happy - gonna need some heat.

Peas continue exuberant - tasty flat eaten pod peas.

Few house shots record house raise eve appearance

include rebuild requiring chimney, fairly straight house east roof line - believe it's all settled equally,

clearly sagged house west roof line.

     One day Gateway Mall hike, Sizzler dine, 'Sucker Punch' - dark, fantastic, psycho journey - view, get away from home a bit.  Outside house work complete, garden on its own: time to get under.  Been at it pretty good six months now - results show - recognize long way to go.  Car at hand might travel - separate, here task immediateness engendered, put head down, break another time.  Camera, screwdriver (rot checker), tape measure, lamp in hand: forward into the bowels......     Peace    

Visitation

     Front window, 'ventilated' porch full moon magic.

   
     Good friend takes care of Alzheimer's failing mom prompts 'Service seems later life's focus.' comment.  Chinese astrological sign is Horse - Kate quips: mule?, ass? - put head down, get on with it.  Figure one way or 'nother serve: might's well enjoy.  Swett Lodge work tough, dirty - fortunately not sad situation friend faces - benefit body, challenge mind.  Demeanor undoubtedly House like - dour, curmudgeonly, usually own favorite company, practical - some convoluted way rest assured: happy guy.
     Minimally party prep - build window screen frame/cupboard shelves, end 'banquet' table;

sort garaged metal pile scrapper's Toyota pickup send away enhance garage access/storage;

scrub/wash wood TV tables, plastic chairs, Weber grill Kate loans; hang clip lamp/make bench in carport potential rain party location.  Country friend dinner visit with Kate, Eugene airport retrieve Char & Fred Walter - Glen Ellyn, IL mom, dad - fresh from Missoula MT visit.  Shutterbug ma in town handling photography neglect picture record.

Wednesday visit, explore Kate's yard - garden, bees, bushtit/starling - eventually ascertained - nests, perennials, chickens, shop: adult playground! - drive to ridge top park enjoy views, azaleas, rhododendrons, bleeding hearts.  Attempt early cash in after Kate's yummy home dinner, neighbors fete 'til midnight. 
     Aware more settling back porch area fill necessary line level scope behind garage car park.  Brush pile branch nubbin attach one end string; eyeball level wrap around cement drain pipe other end; level check - nearly perfect: good eye!

Both end of string areas 'bout right grade, grassy middle 2 - 4 inches high: dig fill here.

     Leisurely beautiful Thursday am join parents, Kate Lane Community College motor.  Kate goes to work, we tour campus quad: enjoy sculpture/birds/plantings - Fred continually tree moss curious/frisbeeing, hula hooping coeds/sun soaked student center atrium bench snooze - yeah ALL of us/cafeteria kefir.  Rejoin Kate video monitoring students during simulated dummy (forget his name) - Kate's bailiwick at Lane - Code Blue.  Chauffeur Char & Fred 'round springy bungalowed Eugene's Whiteaker arts district, retrieve Kate for late Thai dinner. 
    Garden coming on well: few anomalous purple - usually white - sweet pea flowers;

squash.

Friday am - party day - beans push up:

nothing Thursday evening to - not 'field of dreams': field of beans - Saturday am.  Beans just want to have fun!  Corn, okra showing.

Kate's for shower, mom notes wobbly chair, turns out dangerously so, steam - least once per visit: another bulging list add on, chair repair, shower, drive Kate's Suby to Winco, party procure.  Home, unload, return car to Kate's, home again adjust, clean grill 'til Mom, Fred, Kate arrive 'bout five pm Swett Lodge bestowing Kate chosen sole scouring house warming gift.

Fire up burger charcoal; group thoughtful neighbors - one Ruth's school chum, LA friend now in Portland (G&T house warmed, here on party clothed table)

come by, lawn chair congregate behind back porch.  Hands clearly overflowing Char takes co-host bull horns flits about connecting guests/food, drink like twenty something bar maid - what a gal!  Treon clan members - Dylan, Madeleine (that makes four generations present) sporting pipe banged well bruised foot ball, Judy, Jason, Ruth, Cory, Jesse, Marisha, friend Kelly - inundate, devour.  Dinner - Swett Lodge cheeseburgers, salad provided; beans, black eyed peas, few kinds chips including rice/bean, mango salsa, brownies, bunt cake, ice cream cake, donated - complete, younger set spirited hoops match on MLK park cross the street court.  Older folk retire - finally stuff my face -  front room cool evening mitigating red hot earth stove flue heated to 'bout ninety degrees all doors open: true house warming.  Backyard screams, commotion: Cory's big toe callus court exertion blister, peel off reveals toe bottom meat beneath.  Excitement, heat cooling, crowd thins, Fireworks Man makes himself known, buzz leans Fourth of July.  11pm: Swett Lodge mine again.  Successful evening.
     Fred, Char depart homeward Saturday; party clean; transplant kale, rutabaga; relax.  Sunday scrape three wheelbarrows behind garage car park fill;

distribute 'round back porch; return stainless monster salad/bread bowl to Kate's; pick up chain saw; successfully, safely - thanks! - sever three back porch/garage metal roof to be threatening backyard tree limbs;

dice up; garage north stack;

firewood to be brush, one limb left for another day.

Tree looks pretty good though 1/3 to half foliage removed - hopefully grow on: elsewhere.

Won't be able to postpone Swett Lodge underpinning look see much longer - house warming marks next construction phase.  Thanks to one and all who've made all possible 'til now, to come.  Be well, enjoy, hang in there.

Partee!

Item: Swett Lodge open house/party Friday May 20 5.30p 'til ?  Burgers, salad, cheap beer provided.  Bring something or don't; in the area? - come by or don't.  1793 West 10th Ave 97402.

Item: Kudos continuing readers - you build brain muscle.  Do all work, photography, writing not gonna silver platter serve: aerobic reading - enjoy.

     Planting trench warfare evolves to mother earth buddha belly mound hugs.
Cukes, squash, melon; bean field along walk.

     Undermined

back garage entry stoop relocate ready.

Back porch laundry steel drain circle saw masonry blade, hacksaw parse; file ends smooth three rollers

sandwich between 2x under stoop,

Total undermine stoop, 4x4 pry over 2x course, leap frog rollers

to final resting place.  Old porch crawl space wall bricks, masonry rubble - including 4x4 post chunk bottom left - fill.

Next: bottom back steps slab to garage entry.  Dig under slab edge; 4x6 fulcrum, 4x4 pry; 

4x4 shore;

2x, pipe, plywood sandwich:

underway.

Turn toward door at garage; short roller replace pipes to clear post; persuade into place; remove pipes, 2x;

level; backfill.  Plan Winco bulk foods trip, expect to quit work for the day, see front walk slab rubble filled hole adjacent, realize less wheelbarrowed from behind garage dirt if slab filled, muscle big slab into place, level, place/level smaller concrete chunks, complete back door/garage walk, bike off to Winco: finish dinner 'bout 3am - oh baby the jazz life!?

Big kahuna - nearly twice garage stoop size - time surprise: 4x4 budges!
Measure, dig level final rest spot; undermine back of steps to balance point; lay in duo 4x4 2x deck ramp; tip steps onto 1/4" luan plywood piece.

 

4x4 pry/shimmy steps, mosey down ramp; stop, clear gravel/dirt under step for better bite every six inches;

to final spot.  Miller time: jack ready, temporary block support under porch deck.  Tomorrow raise steps, clear gravel/earth, level soil to height; jack, 4x4 pry, lower steps.

Current Swett Lodge evening fare: handful diced - enjoying Tapatio dressed carrot - jalapeno peppers;

handful diced garlic; four handfuls each dry rice, lentils; teaspoon chili pepper powder; tablespoon salt; simmer; cool; eat - mmmm.  Caution: cast iron stomach required.  Next step: serranos - pleasure centers endangered, departed????

Projected stoop back resting place too low; dig even deeper, allow 20 ton jack insertion;

level - pump jack up, fill, lower, reposition jack, rejack 'bout forty times - to proper height; back fill with excavated dirt.  Cement all in position

burn Sunday's remainder leveling behind garage car park,

final fill back door area eight (?) wheelbarrow loads.

Randomly/functionally placed concrete

looks pretty good, serves though visualize larger back porch deck - we'll see.

Across corn, radish, carrot, turnip, Russian kale rows step placement created 'cave' may serve as root cellar.

Less scary full moon sight: nice hangin' out steps. 

The most physically demanding (read: no more digging for a while!) Swett Lodge tasks accomplished; bit of gardening, tree limbing to catch up on; clears house raising way - fun!  Party, parent visit slows house work coming week - will attempt to communicate flavors here.  Enjoy.