Best/Worst Of Times

     Wonderful Eugene warm Indian summer, Swett Lodge progress - good times.  Mom temporarily suspends difficult treatments - worst times.  Post above Public Library fountain cites/reminds Dickens: 'twas the best of times, the worst of times.

     Realize four wood frame freebie windows collected for spare glass, front room west window storm size appropriate, trim tops/bottoms, clean well, pair, nail hold in place.

 

Front/back freebie storm doors on hand: install.  Fall sun drench front porch: guess remove porch ceiling/gable worthwhile. 

 

No back storm knob/latch, depend on hydraulic closer.  Small plywood triangle corner upper pane acts push bar.  Now all but one (kitchen window) living area openings double covered - Swett Lodge much more comfortable this winter than last.

      Swett Lodge west half beam stabilized, wake, decide can remove kitchen/front room wall.  Most have folk in their lives not particularly sure why: they're there.  Married no doubt understand.  LA 1000 miles behind, LA friend continues presence.  Wall demolition first step remove trim - back first piece find long hand scrawl: 'McDougal'.  Don't know how or if even relates to Swett Lodge: there 'twas.  Same spelling, could be his hand: unshakable.

Trim/door off, wonder bar pry plaster/cement off wooden lath.  Fortunate no horse hair plaster matrix as in the mid west: would have rendered job undoable.  Leave short wall door west (left) intact, soon

 

realize plaster/cement retains huge amount cat piss odor - resolve remove as much as practical. 

 

Bucket haul plaster/cement behind garage, carport 'floor' repurpose.

 

Wonder bar remove individually hand nailed lath strips one by one.  Full length strips (4') no splits 

 

either end 'lumberyard' set aside for denail, reuse.  Search cook stove propane tank find barbecue with larger tank near full, cheap: Coos Bay - 100 miles away.  Saturday Gertie first coast road trip collect junk barbecue,

tank (here tucked behind stove in kitchen beside sink),

 

lunch water side outside Coos Bay,

Powers continue, join Kate & Spud for Ducks Arizona victory, next day load up beam pier cement blocks/pads, home grown apples, roll home.  Great little car handles curvy OR roads, load admirably; sips petrol - pleasure drive.

     Disconnect Earth stove pipe; remove chimney bottom soot - full to stove pipe/one year; reposition stove chimney closer, final angled living area presentation; trim dry wall stove pad. 

Cook stove aside east kitchen stenchy plaster/cement stripped wall awaits LP tank, mimics Earth stove.

Jack chimney, notch substantial 4x4, replace wormy, not vertical 2x4 main support (nearest), add 2x4 support next to wall: beef up heavy masonry chimney supports no longer wall structure aided.  May further plywood stabilize.  Much better for now.

 

Stench war continues: remove living room side plaster/lath short kitchen door west wall - corner cats favored,

remove plaster/lath kitchen side.  All vacuumed; coats/hats, hot plate, amp back where they belong; electrical wires out of harms way temporarily stud stapled.

 

Reuse unsuitable lath circle saw dice, front porch wood pile grow.

Wall gone expands, enhances Swett Lodge livability - none kitchen recused while front room life goes on: won't miss vital TV programming garlic peeling.  Unexpected direction this week manageable now west side well supported will improve Swett Lodge winter life quality - more even heat, broader vistas, significantly reduce cat odor.   

 

     Sunday eve home from Powers, rubber hose/clamps hook LP tank/stove; remove front stove knob panel for natural gas/LP conversion.  Think: be fancy use shiny screws panel reattach, find unwashered screws cause panel enamel chip.  Kick myself, ultimately realize:

God's Swett Lodge fingerprint - reminder, as Hopis leave error in meticulous otherwise perfect sand paintings, perfect world this ain't.

     Be well, your blessings as abundant as here.  Peace.

First Things First

     MLK park trees know season.

      Most SwettLodge.blogspot.com readers come this far understand posts chronicle life events while chipping away at renovating Swett Lodge - hell bent for leather no costs barred renovation won't be found here.  Swett Lodge requires much systemic; results incremental, progress evident only to careful eyes.  Fresh paint, new roof will come but down the list.

      Mentally Swett Lodge raise prepped, Craigslist freebie windows distract.  Toyo wagon town edge journey; sift small pile old windows; return five wood frame windows home: four stand by glass replacements; one west kitchen window storm suitable.  Circle saw trim sash, leave slivers top/bottom.  Bottom sliver falls away installing, large glass pane rests on sill, sash couple nails held in storm's location.  Crude, cheap, effective weatherization.

  

      Answer second freebie ad; come away few cement block, few 4x4, large plate window strapped atop Gertie.  Home intact, relieved, find fits front window.  Clean, circle saw trim sash, muscle, screw in place.  Save bit o' wood.

     Inevitably hit nail sash trimming, beam fabrication ahead; warmed by sun through new front double window, file sharpen couple dull circle saw blades.  (New second sash visible behind blades.)

     'Lumberyard' layout Swett Lodge west side raise beam.  Nail together in three sections, shove under house.  (Far section hammer right nailed up; middle/near sections await.)

Union suit up; add knee/elbow pads, tools, radio, lamp: house under.  Hands/knees final locale drag beam sections, nail up as per layout, muscle end onto cement block.  Eight feet over 20 ton jack raise beam, as good beam should entire 30' length raises into place, cement block support.  Had planned raise beams temporary, decide now make 'em permanent: second freebie cement block for piers trip, 

collect aluminum frame front west fixed window storm suitable (nearly).  Cut/fit half inch gap closing wood strip exterior window opening top, clean scummy window, fit aluminum frame: voila - three of six living area windows stormed.

      Break fast couple mornings garden grown Crenshaw (local long tooth avers) melons - orange flesh honeydew reminiscent.  Cantaloupe next year.

      Under Swett Lodge, level five cement block beam piers.

 

Each joist different depth - deepest 9 3/8", shallowest 7 1/2": measure, record each; calculate necessary shims, 'lumberyard' cut/number shims, crawl under, nail in place atop beam.  Decide stiffening/unifying blocking desirable above beam, crawl space throw fifteen or so short square end 2x4s, follow with circle saw, cut/fit/nail blocks between joists above beam (yellow 2/12 wire supplying Swett Lodge's single circuit visible coming through perimeter joist from external circuit box).

 

Hundred year old fir knots caused more than one 'porcupine' nailing blocks solid - almost had to drill.

Everything set, jack beam snug under joists, stretch line half inch above beam bottom end to end.  Level cement block pier, various thickness shims under joists, 2x4 block between joists evident here.  Yellow stretched string reveals almost 2 inch deflection near Swett Lodge middle,

yet is nearly level, bubble between lines visible here.  Front (left) needs to come up a bit. 

      Another day jack house to nearly original west side level - makes center/west couple additional inch raise ready; allow new treated sill plate, rotted joist end reconstruction.  Next step: repeat beam/raise process Swett Lodge east side.  Next: whole house couple inches more up by increments.  Then: repair rot.  Excitement never dies!  Glad heavy yard work, cement moving done: winter's work less strenuous, more time consuming than last year's.  With luck accomplish fair amount this fall: interior rework antsy.  Meantime Swett Lodge firmer, flatter place.  First things first.  

      Peace

Seed

Test....test....

    Camera inactive two week visit Wisconsin friends, few more assist mom's med issues, return Eugene ten days ago: have Swett Lodge news/photos.
     Evening PDX to Chicago flight, Craigslist student car share Eugene/downtown Portland, PDX light rail.  O'Hare/Chicago train, Megabus - $10 Chicago/Minneapolis RT - Minneapolis good friend met, Philly cheese steak dine atop retro filling station through Minnesota monsoon.  Enjoy friends, Wisconsin country.  Chore help 'round couple places, maintain safe level self medication.  Move some dirt; tractor mow trails, yard - tractor hit same poor birch daughter Tia little Toyota hit score ago learning driving; install window air con including circuit.  Dismayed learn fracking sand - with water, pressures oil out of wells - constitutes beautiful glacial run off Western Wisconsin rills.  800 surface mines leveling sand hills planned next few years - to date only two in place - will lower water table: best, flatten/uglify whole area; worst, desertify.  Very unfortunate.
     Reluctant Chicago return; accompany mom, dad family reunion/mom's birthday party Galena, IL.  Cook meals, doctor visit drive; update mom's house: clean garage; repair remaining bike, photo consider selling; ditto lawn mower - decide keep both;

clean basement; update yard work.  Mom's condition prompts extended stay, recruit eight string friend keep me through.  Fortunate five siblings share mom's care load through treatment: fingers cross for good outcome, signs hopeful.

     Pass baton to sister Kate who spends a week with mom: Chicago Midway/PDX flight, PDX/Eugene Amtrak, jungle garden, Swett Lodge return.  Midwest hot humid summer weather, quickly rolling into cool fall reminds: Eugene's climate grow/dry crops, sweet.  Numerous neighbors greet; inquire about trip, ma's health within hours of return: feels like, good to be home.

Find all in good order: harvest, thin time. 

Mow lawn after dust suppressing rain, chop various opportunistic weeds/saplings.

August departure prior plant turnip, radish, rutabaga, beet midst one another: pull radishes (check out monster upper right) allow beets underneath mature;

thin turnips; cut Russian kale, collards way back, bundle/hang best leaves - soup/stew crumbles?

Bring in all Hubbard squash/few turbans one day (scissors upper center/ toes lower left: scale), garage store;

realize remaining done too, bring in another day.  30 one to twenty pound squash - good haul!

     Local wag avers sensed my return 'cause fall rains begin.  Nice weather in between yet: beautiful fall day enjoy mall hike, movie, Sizzler dinner.  Pull corn, shuck ears, kitchen table dry (few beans dry foreground), shell,

put aside 'bout three gallons shelled stew/soup corn.  Save little money, may not use much: connect handling/shelling beautiful golden kernels as ancestors have for millennia.  Many believe we quickly approach Mayan long count calendar node.  Begs question: in times when we can't achieve cohesive plans one Congress session to next, let alone one generation to next, the profundity of what occurred 26000 years ago to cause a whole civilization generation after generation after generation to devote immense focused effort recording, boggles today's freewheeling individualistic mind set.  Thought/dry kernel digest slowly.

Uncharacteristically spring for good as new six quart Emeril cast dutch oven (pd 35 USD, new 50 USD): wood stove top stew here we come!

Feel squirrel like: stash food, winter prepare.  Email about Cslist gas range; ascertain natural/LP fuel convertible; finally get call Saturday; Toyo wagon retrieve: 60 USD; partial disassemble, clean, reassemble - nice!  To do list: get LP tanks, hook up range.

Final bare bulb pull string fixture above kitchen sink solution.

Garden going into winter mode;

still tomatoes, green beans, kale, couple melons,

turnips/rutabaga out there.  Soon free city delivered leaves layer, lime: cycle on. 

     Swett Lodge beam/raise brink, submit clearly non comprehensive 'back in the saddle' entry.  Trust finds you and yours well.  Blessed here for many reasons, entreat keep Char Walter's good health in mind.  Licorice root fern first transplanted from back porch eave to garage back corner, next to back step adjacent under porch roof thrives, neighbor Doc nurtured in my absence: life goes on! 

Peace