Odd things

It is very odd. Currently have three vehicles (because I haven't sold the truck yet). All three of them have similar problems. 

On each one, the fuel gauge does not work properly. 

On all three, there is an issue with the speedometer. Probably the cable on the car and truck. On the bike, the analog speedometer works but the digital burned out. That's okay, I only need one. 

Both the car and truck have cooling system issues. (Or had, until I fixed the freeze plug on the car.) 

Can't help but feel like there is a message in this for me. Not sure what it is. Maybe just watch my reserves? 

Some progress

Got the freeze plug installed. Quite an effort to get it done. Not much installing the new one but removing the old one was a real task. Put detergent in the cooling system, ran the engine for a while. Let it sit overnight. Flush the system, recheck the plug and put in antifreeze tomorrow. 

Haven't gotten any further on the solarium. Tried to get a little of it done during lunch today. Then, the same minute my lunch break began, so did rain. Had to let it go. Try again tomorrow. 

Going to get to bed at a decent time. That's getting easier to do. 

The one thing about all these tasks is that I haven't been able to continue running for several weeks now. Want to get these things done and get back to it. 

Figured something out this week. Once I go to being paid per case, if I can manage to average 90 cases per day, that will earn an extra $1200 per month before taxes. If I can maintain that for long enough, I can use that money to completely pay off the student loan which has been a drain on my finances for far too many years. And I can get it paid off in under a year. If I push hard enough, maybe as little as 6-8 months. After that is paid off, that money will go directly into savings and I will simply act as though it isn't there at all. 

Bad day for progress

Today was a bad day for progress. 

For work, the network locked up twice, reducing my case count. I managed 62 cases and didn't make 70. 

Got the car up on ramps but tried replacing the freeze plug and failed this evening. Weather changed, wind picked up and got colder. Then I got completely soaked on top by radiator fluid and wound up lying in a pool underneath. Couldn't reach the freeze plug from the top well enough to remove it. So, had to let the fluid dry out and work on it more tomorrow. The freeze plug is hard to reach because it's roughly behind and above the oil filter housing. Just barely enough room to remove it without pulling the oil filter housing. 

Figured out that replacing the hydraulic lifters is going to be a much bigger job than I thought. I was thinking this engine had overhead cam, which it does not. Instead, I'll have to remove the intake manifold and everything attached to it. In short, it's at least two days of work. Not going to finish it this week. May have to wait until I can move my schedule back another hour or two. If I'm going to go that far with it, I'll replace all of them to avoid having to take the engine apart again at any later date. What I will do this week is replace all of the push rods, in case any of them are severely bent or overly worn. Who knows? Maybe that will fix the problem. (Not counting on it.) Can also check the springs and retainers. 

Bark collars

I am happy. The dogs are not. The dog bark collars finally came in today. The dogs are now quiet and looking rather cowed. They'll get over it with time. Learn they do not have to bark in the middle of the night to be happy and play. 

I didn't feel much like working underneath the car this evening. Felt like crap all day. I'll put it up on the ramps in the morning and work on it tomorrow evening. I did go get the valve cover gaskets and enough lifter rods for the entire passenger side of the engine. Just in case any of them are bent. Then try and get all the work done in one night. If all goes well, I can finish all of it in 2-3 hours.

I am glad to find out that the car doesn't have an overhead camshaft. Means less problem changing the lifters and rods. 

I'm still hoping to finish both the car and the solarium this week. Got started on part of the solarium tonight. Put up a couple of the external sheaths. They don't match but I am testing different materials in this case. I am going to need more reinforcing wood, maybe 1x3's, to anchor the sheathing solidly against wind and dogs. Hard to do with only the car but think I can strap more sheathing on top of the car and let the end of some lumber stick out the rear hatch. Of course that has to wait until the car is fixed. The only part I may not finish is the doors but I'm planning on placing those on the side away from the wind. I have to build a full size door and a dog door. Maybe build them both into one unit. 

Not sure the ex is planning on taking daughter trick-or-treating. I do know my daughter is developing a mild melancholy side regarding time with her mother. She loves her mother but doesn't expect much from her mother besides responsibility. I could tell she's not expecting her mother to take her out for Halloween. So I'm going to check on that. If her mother does not plan anything, I will plan something. 

Little by little, my work is paying off. So far this year, my energy bills are lower than any previous year in this house for this time of year. (Well, that I had power, that is.) 

If I get the car fixed, then I'm going to pull the radiator on the truck. Replace that and then try to sell the truck for $300. If I can get that much, that will finance insulating the main house ceiling. That will control costs and preserve comfort more than anything else I can do. Especially knowing this is going to be a very cold winter. (Forecasters haven't said that but I feel it coming.)

Autumn moods

Every year around this time, my mood takes a swing. That's when I am most likely to take a tentative look at dating and relationships. Very tentative. However, sanity and being busy with other things takes precedence and it never works out. Too many people want instant relationships, not friendships first.

It's funny that women say they don;t want a man who is only interested in sex. However, suggest a relationship which actually begins platonically and they shun that concept. 

In all cases, I refused to be rushed into something I could later regret. 

Okay, I'm going to put the car up on ramps so I can work on it this evening. 

Few minutes later- Seems the ramps are too short and steep for the front shrouds on the car. So, going to try placing some 2x4's from the ramp to the tires and extend the ramp more gradually. Only lacking about 1" clearance. If that doesn't work, I'll have to jack each tire up and slide the ramps under the tires. There are other options but they involve working in the dirt, which I'm trying to avoid.

Corrales Harvest Fest

Daughter and I made it out to the Corrales Harvest Festival today. With a bit of anxiety involved on my part.

Some radiator sealant slowed the freeze plug leak but didn't stop it. Car made it going over normal temperature a bit but no running problems. It did start overheating on the way back. Seems the overflow tank needs to be flushed. Tube got plugged, so the engine and radiator ran dry. It will make it across town all the way to Corrales filling engine and radiator only once.

The sad thing is that, while the Corrales Harvest Festival says online that it is all weekend, virtually nothing was going on today. Except the corn maze. For that, most of the corn was so short that my daughter could look over the top of the dry corn plants. Streets were largely empty. Hay ride which was all the way through town on Saturday only goes around the one corn field on Sunday.

However, good part is that she likes picking left over ears. There was no shortage of those and no problem knowing they wouldn't miss any we picked. 

We made it all the way through the entire maze this year. Rode the hay ride twice. She loved watching a small dog parade which happened while we were there. 

We played games, tossing corn kernels at each other. Had a caramel apple and some french fries in town before the corn field. Were at the corn field for several hours. Then had dinner at her favorite Chinese buffet.

Stopped at Harbor Freight and picked up some car ramps. Pure steel, combined weight capacity over six tons. And on sale for $10 off. Couldn't find ramps for a decent price any place else and even the expensive ones weren't in stock at most places. That's okay, these will probably last me the rest of my life. 

Got all the parts needed to fix the car, except the valve cover gaskets, which had to be ordered and will come in tomorrow. I have the lifters soaking in oil right now, so they'll be ready to install. Have an expansion freeze plug, which is easier to install than the standard solid type and less likely to leak. So, hoping to have this thing in much better condition in a day or two.

Leaking freeze plug

The car developed a leak from a freeze plug this afternoon, after daughter and I came home from the Zoo Boo. I walked outside and saw water on the ground. Had to fill the engine and run it to see where it was coming from.

Crappy timing. Sunday is her birthday and I promised to take her to the Corrales Harvest Festival. So, I'll have to try using some radiator sealant for the day. Carry extra water with us. Get an expansion plug and install it this week. 

I need to buy some ramps for this car because there's so little space underneath it to work on things. 

I gave her her birthday presents this evening, so we can go early tomorrow. However, we may not have to go quite as early as originally planned. Thought ex's new family would be doing something for her birthday but seems they're not. 

We also made a cake together this evening. I hadn't had time to make one before this and she wanted to help me make it. I offered to buy a regular small cake or something but she wanted it to be gluten free, so she could share it with me. She also wanted one candle on each slice of cake, so she shared her wishes with me.

I love this kid!

Bed completed

Finally got daughter's bed completed this evening after work. Took about 2 hours. Very sturdy and should last a number of years. The drawers aren't installed yet. Those will come later.

Work kind of sucked today. Had a lot of rude people on the phone all day. Only had about 65 cases. Though that does balance out, having over 70 the previous 2 days. The 2 days before that both were held back by IT issues. Still hoping to average above 70 all next week. The sooner that happens, the sooner I can request an earlier shift and go to case rate, which has the potential for higher pay in the same time frame.

I went illegal on the license plate for the weekend. Made a forged sticker and have the plate from the truck on the car. Going to see if I can get the emissions and a legal plate this coming week. For the weekend, the police have announced their fund drive for the holidays. Allegedly watching for drunk drivers but that's always an announcement they'll stop you for anything, long as there's profit in it. My forgery won't stand up to close scrutiny but will hold up from a distance. Hate to do things like this but I'd hate getting pulled over and getting a ticket while doing nothing else but having no or an expired plate even more.

Of course, I need to fix that lifter. If it doesn't pass emissions, have to fix it that much sooner. Maybe best to just fix it before trying the emissions. See if I can do it Sunday or Monday evening. Get the parts this weekend. Try to make things legal as fast as possible.

Daughter was looking forward to the Corrales Harvest Festival this year. However, that is this weekend only. So is the Zoo Boo. Not sure we can make it to both but will try. Maybe do Corrales on Sunday. 

Because it's so difficult to drive screws into the cinder block and stucco walls and have them remain, I have to take a different approach to mounting curtain or drapery rods. I'm going to mount wooden blocks above the windows and mount the rods to the blocks. It's easier to secure the wooden blocks with larger bolts and construction adhesive. Then curtain or drapery rods can be attached with regular screws. 

Dumb dogs

I'm pretty sure I have 3 of the dumbest dogs on the planet. 

I put up a tarp over a large shelf outside a few days ago, so the dogs can stay dry when it rains. They pulled the tarp down.

I put carpet over a smaller shelf, giving them an alcove where they can stay warm when it's cold. They pulled the carpet down.

Many attempts to paper train them failed. They won't even restrain their potty habits to one area of the yard. 

I previously had a dog house in the back yard but they refused to enter it.

Between the destructive behavior, potty habits, how noisy they are, daughter's asthma and my own allergies, no way they're getting in the house. Interesting thing is how they whine and scratch to get inside after they destroy all the shelters I've provided. 

Woke up at a decent time this morning but can't talk myself into getting covered with sawdust and such before working all day. Going to get daughter's bed put together tonight. With all the pieces cut, I'm thinking it will take about an hour. I do still have to drill holes for screws but that won't take long. 

Not much done

Didn't get much done today besides work. Had to go shopping after work because there wasn't enough dog food for the morning. Needed a few other items.

Learned that Melatonin definitely becomes weaker with age. Bought some cheap melatonin at Walmart and took some earlier. Rather powerful compared to the stuff I've been taking, which is kind of old now.

Managed to do 74 cases for work today. So I'm on a roll! Could have done over 80 but had an amazing number of people on the phone who were not very clear on information. I also had a headache much of the day.

Guess the car engine doesn't sound much better, after all. So, going to have to replace that lifter sometime soon. Only part I mind is the time required, which takes away from other things I need to do. It still runs pretty well. 

Okay, getting to bed and hoping to rise early.

Temperature control

Finally ordered a programmable thermostat for the furnace. I sleep better when it's cold and function better when it's warm. At least this will let me set it to start warming the house before waking and let the house cool down before bed. I'm not very much trusting of the accuracy of the old manual thermostat, any way.

Not sure but it may be January before I get the ceiling insulation installed. Between now and January, I have to save up a lot of money which will be due in a lump sum for the mortgage plan I've been on. Not complaining because it has allowed me to get other things brought current. Would have gotten them current but more slowly and with more sacrifice. (Which I'm not averse to but really tired of.) 

Woke up earlier this morning but still not early enough. Keep trying to move my rise time back. As it is, when I start working, I keep a space heater next to my chair. 

Success!!

I finally got 75 cases done today!! It was also the first day this week my computer didn't lock up for more than an hour at the end of my shift. That made most of the difference. 

Dismantled parts of the roof beams for the solarium from last year for use this year. They're ready to put up now. They had 1x3's attached to attach the plastic sheeting. However, I am changing the direction I'm putting them up and I would have to remove them to attach the new sheeting, any way.

Put the outer insulation on the water heater to help keep the gas bill down. 

Somehow, I can't manage to drag myself out of bed early enough to get much done before work. I could probably finish daughter's bed frame in less than 2 hours if I just got to it. 

I do admit I could have gotten it done tonight but much of Wed night I do have shows on TV I like to watch. 

Going to get to bed soon and try to get up early enough to get a few things done. 

Last posts set

Got the final two posts set this evening for the initial phase of the solarium. That means I can start putting up the roof beams. 

Think my best bet is to work on daughter's bed when it's too cold or too dark and the solarium while there's enough light and warmth. 

Same thing happened with work again today. Just before the last hour of my shift everything locked up. I gave up on trying to keep both written and telephone cases open at the same time. So, still haven't made it to 70 cases because of the tech problems. At this point, I'm just expecting it to happen again tomorrow. I have no understanding why this keep happening around the same time every day. Especially when that time is when the phone cases all die down. I have a feeling it has to do with something IT is doing which should be done later. 

Getting to bed soon. I'm tired.  

Task 1 of 3

So, of the three major tasks I planned for the week, one is basically done. 

After flushing the engine last night, running it then and again this morning, I let it sit until after work this evening. Did the oil change tonight, which was quite a task in itself for various reasons.

The engine knocking is now relegated to a noticeable tapping. Much less pronounced. Hoping with a few days it will decrease and maybe even stop. If not, I'll still replace the lifter. For now, it's a lot better. 

Still daughter's bed and the solarium to go.

Work started off really well today. Then, the last hour of the day, the whole system crashed. Seems everyone was apparently knocked off the network. I did not get one single case completed in the last hour. I went into that hour at 60 cases and was certain I would be able to hit 70. I stayed at 60. I am so pissed!

Lazy Sunday

Daughter rather rarely wants to do much on Sunday. I don't blame her. She needs a day of rest. So, we played some games and just hung around home today. She played Club Penguin a lot.

I was going to assembler her bed today but it turned out all the screws I had were either too long or too short. So, got some the right size on the way home after dropping her off.

So, between the car, her bed, the solarium and work, I'm going to have a busy week this week. 

I had one bag of concrete mix left, got one more along with the screws. Get those last two posts set and can start covering the solarium this week.

Pissed off at the dogs again. A neighbor's chicken got in the yard this afternoon. They jumped through the fence and attacked it. I caught them before it was dead and chased them off. Then, either the chicken was too injured to fly out of the yard and just hid or it came back. Found feathers when I got home. Then saw one of the dogs walking away while I was putting their food out. The dog picked up something black and I knew what it was. When I approached the dog, she dropped it. Turned out the chicken was alive but hurt rather badly. Brought it in. It laid it's head down and looked like it was dying. However, last time I looked in it raised it's head a little. Maybe I got home just in time. 

No midlife crisis

So I'm posting on the iPad I won. 

Realized someone looking at my driveway could assume I'm having a midlife crisis. Motor bike and a sports car. However, both we're very practical decisions. Bike has high gas mileage and low insurance cost. Sports car cost $650 and may need work but we'll worth that price.

Once I stuck my head under the hood figured out it's a lifter stuck open.

Daughter loves the car!

Nobody showed up for daughter's party today. Told her just too soon for Halloween and it looked like nobody was home that she invited. We had our own little party instead.

Finished the flooring in her main room. Just the closet to go.

Set three more posts in concrete today. That finishes the posts I need for the first section but I'll set two more to extend it further for better solar function and to have separate sections for dogs and plants.

Have supplies to complete daughter's bed. Probably assemble it tomorrow. 

These projects are finally eliminating some clutter from the house. That feels good. Once I get these projects done not going to stockpile any more full size lumber and such any more.

Posts set

Got up early this morning and set two of the posts for the solarium in concrete. Biggest fear was that the dogs would slam into them and knock them akilter before they set properly. However, I got them set just early enough that I could keep an eye on them, so the posts are now set and completely straight. 

Got the car towed to the house this afternoon. Very happy about it! I think the knock has something to do with the oil pump or oil pressure regulator. It builds and holds pressure but fluctuates a lot. So, have to check into it further. One hope is that I can do a flush on the engine and that will fix the issue. I'll try it. If not, have to replace them both and see how that works. The pressure evens out a bit and the knock becomes less pronounced as the engine warms up. That may be a really good sign that the pump isn't shot but just needs a flush. 

The car definitely needs some work but well worth the $650 I paid. 

Other than that, been a frustrating day at the end of a frustrating week. Like people have been stoned on bad drugs. Tech issues with work make me want to throw the computer against a wall at times. Getting thrown out of calls and cases before they're finished. Means I have to go back to them (and remember to go back to them). However, I had 60 cases today. I'm hoping for 70 on Monday, when the earlier shift starts. (If I can do that, I'll be able to blow right past 70 if I can get an even earlier shift after my 90 days.) 

Going to finish this beer and go to bed. Would like to set 2-3 more posts in the morning before picking daughter up. 

A good week!

Turning out to be a rather good week!

Bought a car yesterday. A '91 Camaro for only $650! It runs. It does have a knock which the previous owner could not figure out. Neither could I but doesn't seem to be a bearing or valve. I'll figure it out eventually. 

The car would have sold long before I even got to see it but all the New Mexicans that went to see it wanted a perfect vehicle for that price. At that price, I'm happy it runs! It also has good tires which will last a long time, a recently replaced alternator and a new $130 battery. Looks decent. In short, I was the only one not seeking a handout.

The woman who sold it to me said I was also the only person she spoke with about it that had manners. However, she and her husband are Texans and our idea of manners are a much higher standard than here. It felt really good talking with a Texan!

Sent the mattress pad back and Amazon is refunding the money. Plus they paid for return shipping. Means I should be able to get a different mattress pad soon. 

Was offered and accepted a shift which starts an hour earlier. That means an hour of sunlight after work, so I should be able to complete the entire solarium within one week or less. Just in time for colder weather! It also gives me a greater chance of hitting 70 cases per day soon.

However, I hit 62 cases today. Learned a few tricks which help. All completely honest and ethical, doing things properly. It does help that my typing speed has improved. I may hit 70 cases tomorrow if calls come in fast enough early in the day. 

Regaining my energy and getting back to normal. Cut wood for daughter's bed. Because I changed the design a little bit, I ran short of wood. So can't assemble it yet. Get the remaining wood this weekend and build it. Shouldn't take too long. Cut the wood before work this morning.

This morning, I also cut some stakes. Then measured and laid out dimensions for the solarium. During lunch, I used the tiller and dug post holes for supports. Still a few to go but can start mixing concrete and setting posts in the morning. 

So, when adding in the floor in daughter's room, this has been a really productive week. I'm really happy about it!

Returns

I am returning the mattress pad. Never expanded to more than 3/4" thick and expanded unevenly. Supposed to be 2 1/2" thick. I'll order or buy something else after Amazon gives me refund or credit.

So, still messing with things I thought were improved or repaired, only to go back to work on the same issues again. 

Woke up with an extreme sore spot in my throat. Now having massive sinus drainage and coughing like crazy from that. Not going to take anything to stop it. It's my body trying to get rid of the dust I inhaled from the carpet this weekend. Same dust caused a raging headache and inflammation of my left ear and a scalp nerve yesterday, with blood seeping from my sinuses. 

Sounds gross but point is you should not always treat symptoms. Sometimes symptoms are the body trying to regain balance. 

Failed attempt

Went and took a look at a truck tonight. Had a couple of small issues which I could deal with. However, had one issue I could not deal with right now. It had a blown master cylinder. Not expensive and lot severely time consuming. However, that meant I could not drive it home. Had to pass on it. 

So, the vehicle problems are taking away from time needed for other projects again.

Guess I'll pull the radiator and take it for exchange tomorrow. It will probably be a few days for the new one to come in. 

I'm still checking on various vehicles which I can afford on CL. 

If it comes down to it, may wait until this weekend. At that time, I can pay for a tow truck if I buy another vehicle. Or a uhaul and tow dolly. Though those can be in short supply on weekends. 

Not yet 90 days

I was trying to figure out when my day 90 point on the job is. I still have nearly another month. In some ways that's good, in some ways not so much. Good because I have not yet achieved 70 cases, which is the standard I must reach. Not so much because I want to request a schedule change as soon as I hit 90 days.

Radiator in the truck blew again. I'm so tired of working on this thing. Not much money on hand for another vehicle but I really need to get something which I can drive for at least 3 months without it breaking down. 

Logistics is still an issue. Think my best bet is to buy a cheap vehicle on CL, see if the seller will help me get it home (then drive them home). Failing that, get the keys and title from them. Leave the vehicle there, rent a uhaul and trailer, go back, tow it home. Or hire a tow truck. The only other option would be leap-frogging the vehicles home, which could take many hours if the vehicle is far away. Not fond of that one. 

Been looking for something smaller. However, I still need a truck. So maybe a larger vehicle will still have to do for now. Actually, that may be a better choice. Then when I find a smaller vehicle, I could use the large one to tow the small one. I'd prefer an open bed pickup but closed is all I can find at a decent price. 

Several projects in the works this week. Base for daughter's bed. Starting the solarium. (Which has to be done before freezing because of the concrete.) And, if enough wood left, adding another shelf in the pantry. Finishing daughter's floor will have to wait until this weekend, after I get paid. 

Flooring

Daughter helped me nearly finish her floor today. One strip along one side and the closet are all left to do. Ran out of tiles. (Didn't have the room dimensions with me when I bought the tiles, so just guessed. I was close.) 

It looks really good and she's excited. She likes the room as it's taking shape. Very happy with all aspects- the bed, the painting, the floor. She likes how easy the floor will be to keep clean.

One thing came to light while I was working on this. I have rather firmly established that the two rooms at that end of the house were built in the late 70's. While doing the floor, I found absolutely no evidence that previous flooring had been installed in there at any point. Which indicates that the same carpet has been in that room for nearly 40 years. That room has had an odor which I could not stand since we moved in. I think this explains it. 

So, I can get to work on the base for her bed now. Shouldn't take me more than 2-3 hours. Though I will add drawers and paint later. 

More vehicle problems

So, the radiator in the truck blew a seal at the bottom again. Had a small leak but today it blew completely. Won't hold any water at all.

I was going to Rio Rancho this morning to look at a vehicle but logistics were a problem. No way to bring two vehicles back with only myself driving. 

Worked on daughter's room today and got part of the carpet removed, carpet tack strips up and cleaned the floor. Found there was a gap between her floor and the cinder block wall. Looks like it was built that way. Sealed the gap with Great Stuff. Let it cure overnight, then cut off excess and start laying tiles tomorrow. She's going to help me with that.

Had to limit the work to one side of the room at a time because not enough space to move furniture and things into other rooms and still be able to walk. Be easier when I get to the other side and can completely remove the carpet and padding. 

She's happy with the paint job on her ceiling as is. I'm not. Still want to get more done. However, the messy part is over.

My new mattress pad isn't expanding as it should. It has a little. Hoping it expands more but it's not looking too likely. Still, it makes the bed more comfortable. Wait a couple more days and see. If it doesn't expand a lot more, going to send it back. 

Change of plans

Guess I'll get the painting done tonight instead of this morning. Slept through the alarm. Now not enough time to pain and clean up before work. 

There's not a lot of painting needed now, so it won't take long. However, it's going to take a spray gun and the air brush to finish. I don't want paint drying in them. 

I am hoping to reach the point where I can pull up the carpet tonight. 

Haven't been running this week. Still congested, though I feel much better. Get back to that soon. 

Mild progress

Some mild progress this week.

After trying out daughter's mattress a couple of nights while she's at her mother's, I ordered a memory foam mattress pad for my bed. 2 1/2" thick with 1/2" microfiber pad and washable cover. Good price from Amazon. Much less than anywhere else.

Painted more stars on daughter's ceiling today. Was going to finish the spray painting but wound up having to go get more paint, then come home and mix colors to get the right shade. It's all mixed up now and I'll do the painting in the morning before work.

By evening, the paint should be dry. So then I can move things out of her room, take up the carpet and start laying vinyl tiles. 

If all goes well, I can start building her bed frame this weekend. 

Next week I can get the solarium frame started, at least. If I try hard, I may be able to finish it next week, as well. 

Less than planned

Not getting as much done this week as originally planned. Had a sinus infection which has now moved into my chest. Not terrible but don't care to make it worse by breathing in a lot of dust and paint fumes.

It is minor enough that I'm hoping it will be gone by tonight or tomorrow morning.

There's also the fact that the sun goes down before I get off work. So, I'm trying to move back my schedule to wake up earlier. That does mean if I do things outside it will be when it's pretty cold out there. Glad I still have my insulated coveralls. Once again, the challenge will be keeping the dogs from slamming into wooden posts once I set them in concrete. Need to get that done before the ground freezes. Be really hard to dig once that happens. Plus the concrete won't set as well. 

I still need to finish the major painting in daughter's room. Then pull out the carpet. Then lay the new flooring. Only then can I build her bed frame. Building her bed frame is the easy part. 

If I get myself moving, I can finish her room and the solarium within two weeks. 

Expanding plans

I'm expanding plans for the solarium, once I get it expanded to 24 or 32 ft length. I estimate each 8 ft to cost about $45. More than any previous design but will be much more permanent.

The first 16 ft covers the kitchen and bathroom windows, along with the electrical entry panel. (While meeting electrical code.) Because the dogs will have the run of most of that area, there's not much I can do with plants there. They would be certain to destroy anything I attempt to place in there where they can reach. So, once I get the solarium extended is when I will involve plants. Which will mean I have to build an interior fence to keep them out of that section. Which, of course, increases the cost. 

For now, it's a benefit to use plastic sheeting as a cover and, while the outside sections will be set in concrete, the top section will hook over the roof but not be anchored to the roof permanently. This makes the entire structure still technically a temporary structure and not prone to building permits. 

Home improvement

Went to Home Depot today. Between there and Walmart, spent about $150 on home improvement supplies. More than I originally intended but very much worth it.

Got the supplies necessary to finish daughter's bed plus redo her floor. Should be able to get most of that done this week. 

Also got things necessary to build a more permanent version of the solarium. Not completely permanent because it still uses 4 mil plastic sheeting for the top section. Like I've written before, that will serve as a heat source in daytime and insulation at night. Plus act as a doghouse for all three dogs.

Also got external insulation for the water heater, to keep it warmer with less gas.

So, now all it takes is elbow grease.

Another half mile

Talked myself into running another half mile tonight. Did better than yesterday. Yesterday it was actually two 1/4 mile stints. (People got in the way for a while.) Today I ran later, nobody in the way. This time it was a solid half mile. Did better than I expected. It was my legs which started cramping up a bit which made me stop there. Still no urge to get too sore.

So, once I get used to running again, I'll start extending my run by 1/2 mile a week until I reach 5 miles. 

One good thing about running is that it helps me relax more, so I can sleep better. And maybe get to sleep earlier.

For work, I did 56 cases today. One thing holding me back is slow responses in the system. Slow responses and way, way, way too many pop-ups are a constant irritation and make cases take much longer than they should. 

 

Adapting

Took a while but I am adapting to the new schedule. For several weeks, I was too tired to get anything done after work. Can't really do much before work. 

Now I'm beginning to adapt. Slowly. One thing is that I started occasionally walking in the park after work. Last night, I started running for the first time in many years. Not far, total of about 1/2 mile. Probably could have gone a bit further but don't want to make myself sore. Besides, too many other people there getting in the way. However, I didn't die from it. Going to keep gradually extending my range until I can run maybe 5 miles. 

I've been so sedentary for so long this is definitely something to pace myself on. However, I feel pretty good today. I'm also lifting weights a little bit while sitting at the computer.

Main point is just getting myself back into shape for energy, clarity of mind and health. Not currently planning on body building or anything like that.

Want to use the increased energy to get other things done. Like work on the house. I have so much to do.

My motivation is coming back. Of course, large part of that is financial and the decreased emotional stress.