We are planning on going to the Topsfield Fair tomorrow. It runs for the next week. Sheep shearing, 4H genetically mutated animals, Canadian Mounted Police, and the Bee Queen are all waiting for us. I have been once before, but although Joni has lived in the vicinity most of her life, is a first timer. The gate charge is $12/person and parking is $8. And no, kids do not get in free.
There are 2 people who have booked viewings of the condo tonight. I had predicted last weekend that this would be the week we get the offer. Still have a day and a half left to prove my intuition was right.
I bought floor tile, cement, and a spankin' new bucket today. Even though it is only about 20 square feet of flooring, the tiles and cement add up to about 100 lbs of load to the back end of the little Mitsu. I had a special guest during my lunchtime shopping outing - Naked Karl. He called me while I was heading over to Home Dep*t and met me there. Unfortunately I still had to carry the boxes of tile and bag of cement. He has lost about 30 pounds. Good job, Karl!
I started soldering the shower valve and connections together last night. I have the riser to the shower head, the shower head connector, and the connectors for the hot-cold pipes in place. Still need the down-pipe and connector for the tub filler. Then I have to add the framing to support it all, shut off the water, cut out the old one, fit in the new one, and solder the hot-cold pipes. Piece o' cake.
Here are the Henry's. I added a modesty blur to one of the naked photos. The dog pictures were taken at Jordan's Furniture a couple weeks ago (not from the visit last weekend when he got sick Saturday and tossed up the ice cream and pickles I had fed him. Oh, did I forget to mention that story? He was sick over the weekend with a cold that started out with a massive up-chuck on the bed, Joni, the floor, and a trial to the bath tub. Poor guy [and gal]).
Every work day I spend 2 to 4 hours in the car, mostly parked on Rte 128. To keep from becoming a road rage nutbag, I listen to books on CD. This has the added benefit of making up for the time I used to have for pleasure reading. I have listened to a number of good books lately that I recommend:
- Jasper Fforde, The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
The first in a series of "Nursery Crime" books. The premise is that characters from nursery rhymes are real and have their own lives in Reading, UK. They also have all the hardships of real life including crime. Detective Jack Spratt and Det Sgt Mary Mary investigate the murder of Humpty Dumpty (he did fall, but he was not pushed). Other characters that appear include Old Mother Hubbard, Wee Willy Winky, The Three Pigs (who off'ed the Wolf), and the Gingerbread Man (a psychotic serial killer). I will be reading the 2nd book in the series called The Fourth Bear soon.
- Linda Greenlaw, All Fishermen are Liars: True Tales from The Dry Dock Bar
I have read all but one of her books. You may know her as the swordfish captain from "The Perfect Storm" who ran the last boat to talk with the ill fated crew. This is a good collection of stories told during one night at a bar in Portsmouth. The book is non-fiction; the tales may or may not be! I especially remember the 'ghost' story about the day fishing vessel that sailed from Long Island in the 50's and sunk in a storm.
- Doug Stanton, In Harms Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors
Everyone who has seen "Jaws" remembers the scene in Quint's boat where the men swap their sea stories until Quint talks about the USS Indianapolis. This book starts with the suicide of the ship's captain in 1968 and then goes back to follow the history of the ship and crew. The author has interviewed many of the survivors and the real stories are riveting. Capt. McVay remains the only officer in the history of the Navy court martialed for the loss of a ship as a result of enemy actions. The book makes a compelling case why this ruling should be overturned.
- Will Clarke, Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Story (Sort Of)
Soon to be a major motion picture, or so it states on the back cover. A fanciful story of an average guy with a small company in Texas, a wife and 2 year old son, nice house in suburbia, golf, cookouts and troubling visions of past, present, and future events. Found by a rogue branch of the CIA, he is recruited to join others with similar talents to locate missing people. Along the way he is taught by a Hindu god, troubled by visions of vampires, haunted by the ghost of a pink-haired woman, and counseled by a psychiatrist with a pronounced lisp. A dark comedy adventure.
- Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair
The series started prior to Nursery Crimes. In a similar plot to the subsequent series, characters from classic literature are brought to life in the England of 1985. Special Ops officer Thursday Next is the main character who must track down the thief of a rare first edition novel before the thief can change literary history. Rich character development and a fanciful view of a different England make this more than a crime adventure book. The "Thursday Next" series includes "Something Rotten", "The Well of Lost Plots" (NY Times best seller), and soon "First Among Sequels".
And now for the pictures. These are some more swinging photos from Memorial Park in Reading plus a special Mick Jagger:
OK, so we have been a bit busy and its past time to post something. The house closing went smoothly last Friday morning. I only had to write one more check for the oil remaining in the tank. We got the keys and promptly went out to breakfast with Paul at our (now) local breakfast place, Aroma Cafe.
We went picked up new lock sets for the front door, kitchen door, and a charley bar for the slider. TRIVIA: The "Charley" bar was named for the Uncle Charley character in "My Three Sons". As a joke, the kids used to wedge a stick in the back door to lock Uncle Charlie out. We were a little surprised to find that they only had two keys to the house; one for the back door which did not latch, and one for the deadbolt in the kitchen door. They did not have keys for the passage sets for the front door or kitchen door - lost over the passing of 32 years. Apparently they seldom locked the house.
I put in the new passage set and deadbolt in the kitchen door. I have to bore a hole for the deadbolt on the front door. And I never could figure out how to properly disassemble the old passage set. I mangled the kitchen door set with a screw driver until it came apart. Somewhere in the future renovation work both the front and kitchen doors will be replaced, so even though I have not scratched them, I could.
We tried out the extra large capacity washer and dryer. They are better than the ones we have in Ashland so the Ashland ones will be sold along with the house. Speaking of selling Ashland, I had a friend come by today at lunch to look at the oriental dresser, oriental bureau, and flowery couch to see if they wanted them. I like to think I was just ahead of my time when it comes to decorating. That is easier to swallow than the truth. No matter what, they are not coming to Reading with us.
OK, here are more Henry pics. The cow pictures are at Richardson's Dairy Farm from 2 weeks ago. The other pictures are showing his mastery of the spoon (or "Poon" as he calls it). After studying our quaint use of utensils, he has figured out that the spoon is an excellent tool for scooping more food into your hand. Love that last picture. House pictures and more coming soon.
Two more days until closing. I am waiting for the attorney's office to call with the closing amounts. Since the closing is at 8:00 AM, they have to call before the bank closes tomorrow so I can get the checks.
We had a fun weekend out and about. Went up to Portsmouth and stopped in Newburyport along the way. There was definitely a Fall chill in the air, which is why I now own a fine "Newburyport" hooded sweatshirt. Navy. I bought it at the convenience store next to Steven's restaurant. Steven had already left for the day.
Our reason for going to Portsmouth was dinner. We ate on the waterfront at the Blue Claw. Although I've had enough lobster over the years to make it a rather plain meal (grilled lobster, lobster salad, lobster pasta, baked, steamed, boiled, lasagna) we were both in the mood and curious how Henry would take to it. Joni and I both ordered lobster, along with shrimp-corn chowder, mussels, pasta salad, potato salad, and corn on the cob. He chowed on everything. His favorites were the pasta salad (which had a tangy Italian dressing) and the chowder.
He amused the table next to us with his mis-pronounciation of "Truck". Who doesn't have problems with T's and F's?
As we were leaving, a couple of guys from the kitchen stopped by with a bucket of live lobsters. They took one out for Henry to see and he reached right over and touched the (banded) claw. I had a flashback to the 20 pounder that Stevie James caught while diving off Plymouth years ago. While crawling around on the boat deck, it grabbed one of the metal outrigger poles in one of its giant claws and casually crushed it. Destroyed.
Here are the recent Henry's:
The closing on the Reading house is next Friday. Not sure where or when, but next Friday is sure. I feel like something needs to be done, something has been forgotten. Oh sure, there are some tasks like setting up the electric, phone, cable, and oil services. Not those. I feel like there is something required for the closing that no one has mentioned and then POOF! it is needed NOW.
The asking price for the condo has been lowered. We are hoping the price change notification will stir up some interest and we will have a good turn-out for our 3rd open house on Sunday. Here is the listing with the new price.
Joni picked out colors for the 3 rooms in Ashland that need to be painted. They would be the bathroom (when the walls are up and ready to paint), the study, and the kitchen. This reminds me, I have to mail the rebate form for the paint - $5/gallon from Lowes. I just fished it out of the tote bag.
We did some travel over the long weekend including visits to Newburyport, Topsfield, and Richardson's Dairy Farm. Pictures to be posted soon. Speaking of pictures, here are some more.
