Check out this video

Thinking of Bandito

http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

Red Lion Man

Snow, Snow, Snow

It is now Thursday afternoon. It has been snowing here in Spokane, Washington since early yesterday morning. I have 29 inches of snow in my yard. We broke the all time record for largest snow storm in our area.
The snow is beautiful. I love it, Bandit loves it and Allie hates it. Allie has an inside litter box, so she does not have to go out into the snow. I do not think she could get anywhere if she did go outside. It has finally gotten so deep that Bandit stays on the paths I have shoveled.
Earlier this morning, I watched bandit go outside for his usual outing to relieve himself. He ran back and forth on the trails and then leaped up over the pile beside the trail into show so deep that he disappeared. His nose pops up above the snow and he leaps ahead looking for an appropriate spot to poop.
Pretty soon his back arches and this causes his butt to be plunged into the snow. He leaps a few more times and tries again with the same result. On the third time he apparently could hold it no longer.
I may set up a camera and take some video of him cavorting in the snow. He went to work with me until they sent us home. He got cursed out for not being on a leash. I was at fault. I thought it would be okay since it is so hard to walk beside each other.
I told everyone that his name is Bandito the Mexican sled dog.
Well, I think I will go rest before doing some more snow management
Kayak Bandito

Where's the new post?

Steve

Haven't seen any thing new for a few days.

Got Shot

I have allergies. They are a problem. Allergies prevent enjoying the special time known as spring. I love spring even with allergies.
I love getting the kayaks out for the first time. I love going for long leisurly walks in warming weather. I love the smell of earth as I prepare a garden. I love watching the transformation of trees from skeletins to fluffy orbs. Spring is great, even with the negative part of pollen.
I used to get shots for my allergies, but decided to get off the shots a few years ago. Gradually, my allergies worsened util last year when they were intollerable. I went back to my allergist and am now working my way back up to the maintenance dosage that I will need to combat allergies in the coming years. Whenever you go in for a shot, you have to wait in the waiting room for one half hour after the shot. This is because there is a slight chance that you may have a reaction and go into anaphalactic shock (spelling?).
Oops, I just now posted this blog before I was done with it.
While I wait, I use my laptop to come to this site and write to you. My time is up and I am off to other things. See ya later!
Kayak Bandit

Grocery Shopping

A new supermarket opened near my house.

It has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh.

Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain.

When you pass the milk cases, you hear cows mooing
And you experience the scent of fresh mown hay.

In the meat department there is the aroma of charcoal grilled steaks with onions.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle,
And the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of Bacon and eggs frying.

The bread department features the tantalizing smell of fresh baked bread & cookies.

I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

To Fish or Not To Fish

Saturday morning, my friend, Sam, got up early, dressed quietly, made a lunch, called his dog, slipped quietly into the garage to hook the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.

The wind was blowing 50 mph. Sam pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad throughout the whole day.

Sam went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. There he cuddled up to his wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, 'The weather out there is terrible.'

His loving wife of 20 yrs replied, 'Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that terrible weather?'

I still don't know to this day if she was joking, but my friend has stopped fishing.

Kayak Bandit

Another Mouse

Last night, about one in the morning, Bandit woke me. He was making a fuss. He usually can go all night before needing to go outside. I cannot go all night without visiting the bathroom, so I got up and let him outside. He was happy to go outside. While he was checking out the back yard, I did my business in the bathroom.
My cat, Allie, eats her cat food on the back of the toilet tank. She was up there munching and crunching away. Shortly after sitting myself down, Allie jumps down and immediately jumps into the bathtub. I never noticed her go into the bathtub before.
It became instantly apparent why she jumped into the bathtub. There was a mouse in the tub. Sure enough. I assume the mouse climbed the cloth, outer shower curtain and into the tub, but could not get back out because the inner shower curtain was plastic and the mouse could not get enough traction to climb back up.
Well, Allie would go up to the mouse and the mouse would run for his life. When the mouse had no other option, he would just sit there in desperation. Allie would sit near the mouse and bat the mouse with her paw. The mouse would take off again, only to get tired and have to sit for the cat to again torment him. After a little while, the cat just laid down. The mouse sat in terror for a little bit and then ran to the cat and dove under the back end of Allie. Allie tried scratching it out while laying down, without success. Eventually Allie would get up and start a new cycle of terrorism.
I could not take it any more. I put the mouse out of it's misery and flushed it down the toilet. Allie jumped out of the tub as though it was just another day at the office. Nothing can be as nonchalant as a cat!

Post Election

As for me, I am relieved that the election is over. Now we can spend a lot of time listening to news about how poorly run the McCain campaign was managed. Let's face reality. My president, Barac Obama, organized and ran an amazing campaign.
There were factors that neither camp had any control over:
1) McCain is old.
2) Barac Obama is bi-racial.
3) Biden talks before he thinks.
4) Our economy was headed for a melt down for many years because of risky loans.
5) When things are tough, the public only blames the President's political party.
6) Palin is real.
7) McCain has principals that he refused to compromise.
8) Bi-racial in this case was perceived as black.
9) Obama is a great orator.
10) Young voters are influenced more by hyperbola than by contemplation.
I admit that even though these things were beyond their control, the campaigns could, and in some cases, exploited these phenomena to their advantage.
Now, how do we move forward? Let's all agree to get behind our new president. Let's pray for his success. Let's, constructively, suggest the ideas that will give him success. The only way that our country can be successful, is for our leadership to consolidate us behind a plan that can succeed. My role is to work as a team member of the greatest team ever formed. That team is the United States of America.
GO TEAM!

Halloween

I have to say, that Halloween and Trick or Treat is getting better. Some will say that it is dieing out. Well, last night, I completely forgot about Halloween until my neighbor came over. Barb, you know this neighbor. He is the one that has epilepsy, caused by a high fever when he was a child. He is now about twenty-six.
Yep, Dave rung my doorbell even though the porch light was not on. Dave got into his sasquatch costume specifically to come to my house and show me. Dave does not have many friends because of his learning disability. But we are friends because of his learning ability. You see, Dave and I became friends when I had a rather new Dodge Truck that impressed him. Dave and I would wave to each other as he passed by, with Dave always pulling a wagon. If I were out near the sidewalk, Dave would ask how many miles on my Dodge. I would go and read the odometer and he would almost instantly say how many exact miles I had driven since the last time he had asked.
One day, Dave pointed out that I had allowed my licence plate to expire on my fifth wheel. Sure enough, it was expired. Since then, Dave lets me know well in advance when one of my vehicles is about to expire. Last night, he reminded me that my Jeep is due in two months.
By the way, Dave says hi to you Barb. He is certain that you want to know that he is okay. I told him you were headed to Branson today.
Well, back to Halloween. After Dave reminded me of Halloween, I turned on my light. Right away the grandkids of my neighbors, Joe and Terry, came over. I like how the parents come up within view of the house to keep their younsters safe. This year, every trickster that came to my home was a small tike and their parent was with them. Most even had both parents.
Happy Halloween
Kayak Bandit

Eleven Boxes

Last night, Stormcrow hosted a letterboxing party. It used some of the methods used at Live and Breathe.
I snagged all eleven boxes and had a great time.
Thanks Stormcrow.
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy 3

How does your picture look? Mine looks a little old fashioned. You can add a nice looking hair cut, or a nose ring, or ear rings or whatever. I think he needs a neck.
When you get yours all done, be sure to send me a copy. I will post it on this site if you do.
On a side note, Allie is really stressed out. She is sitting on my desk while I am writing this blog. The sun is shinning through the trees and casting a shadow onto the window in my computer room. There are a lot of birds in that tree. They fly around and Allie can see their shadow. It is driving her nuts.
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy, 2

I bet your picture of a boy looks better than my picture of a boy. Oh, wait, we are not done yet. Can you see the basis for a picture of a boy? If, you have done what I wanted you to do, your boy picture should be looking to the side. The stem of the b is one side of his head and the stem of the y is the other side of his head.
If you want to see what my picture looks like at this point, go back to yesterday's post and look. I added a picture to let you see what I meant.
Well, now it is time to finish the boy's face. To make a nose for your boy, just set your crayon down between the two eyes. Go down the page and to the left for a short distance and then go to the right. He needs a mouth. A simple curved line makes his mouth appear closed. Remember, this is your picture and you can make his mouth open or closed. Don't forget to add eyebrows, lashes, ear rings, nose rings, or whatever else you think he needs.
Oh, we forgot to fill in his eyes. Now, this is a little harder than the rest of the picture. You can make his eyes look to the side or up or down. With some practice you will get pretty good at it.
Here is what my picture looks like. I bet yours is even better!
Kayak Bandit

How to draw a boy

Okay, all of you artists out there, this is a series of lessons on how to draw the face of a boy. My granddaughter, Sophia, and I were discussing her art class. Sophia loves to draw cats and frogs. She has tried to draw horses and dogs, but admittedly they could have been better. When I asked her if she can draw a boy from the word boy, she said I had never shown her before. So, I said I would post it on this site.
So, today, class, start with a clean sheet of paper and write the word "boy". Be sure to use a small letter "b". Now draw a small letter "o" without crowding the o next to the b. Now, again without crowding, draw a "y". But, I want you to draw the y by starting out with a curved bottom u. Yes, begin with a u and add the downward stem to make it a y.
Well, gather all your stuff together so when I write the next installment of the series you can keep up. You are going to love the picture you create.
Kayak Bandit

I hit a moose

Have you ever noticed how a once in a million chance happens at just the wrong time? Well, I had gone up into the woods for a load of firewood. As I remember it, it was Penny, Stevie Joe, Gary and myself. We had my big Dodge one ton and my big trailer. With all the help, we had loaded the old girl pretty heavy. It had been raining and the roads were very muddy.
We were coming out of the mountains, following a creek. We came to this spot that I especially liked to look at. It was where the creek sprawled out into several ponds. The grass was tall on the edges of the ponds and there was a mossy bottom. We always had seen moose tracks in the area. Well, this time the tracks still had moose standing in the tracks.
There was a cow and two calves. I guess they are called calves. Anyway, they were youngsters. We sat with the truck running and watched. It seemed the mom told the youngsters to head for the hills, as they rambled up into the brush on the far side of the creek. The cow continued to stand in the pond and lower her head under water to come back up with a mouth full of the mossy stuff from the bottom of the pond.
I got out on the far side of the truck and clapped my hands to try to get the moose to move around. I was hoping to show the others how tall a moose is when not in the water. It seemed to me that moose look very low to the ground unless on solid ground. On solid ground they look more like a horse, because of their long legs. Well, clapping my hands meant nothing to this moose. She did not even turn to look at us. It was frustrating.
So, I picked out a rock smaller than a baseball. I planned to splash the rock near her. I reared back and threw the rock. Oh, no! It headed straight as could be, right for the moose. It hit the moose right on the ear. I about crapped my pants. I had no intention to hit the moose, I only wanted to make it move around. Well, it moved. It moved about ten leaps and went back to eating moss.
I swear it is true. Especially the part that I did not mean to hurt the poor thing.
Kayak Bandit

Introducing Allie

Drum roll please!
Here is Allie!
Allie is the greatest cat ever. She was never trained to stay off a table, yet, is accepting my efforts to keep off the table. I get up each time I see her get up on the table. I usually just sweep her off the edge and let her jump down to the floor. If she is not prepared to make a safe landing, I pick her up and turn her loose on the floor or a chair. She, already notices me heading for her and jumps down, rather than being forced to get down. I think, too, that she gets up less often with each removal.
The funniest thing is that Bandit realized that I will remove the cat from the table, when caught. So, last night, Bandit came to me and nudged my hand. I petted Bandit and returned to the computer. Bandit immediately nudged my hand again. I looked at Bandit and he turns from the room and leads me into the dinning room to where Allie was sitting on the table. Bandit and Allie lock eyes and I remove Allie from the table. The exchanged looks between Allie and Bandit were priceless. Yes, Bandit is a tattle tale.
Kayak Bandit

Running over a deer

As many of you know, I used to live near Green Bluff, Washington. Green Bluff is an agricultural town and a suburb of Spokane. It is well known for it's fruit and vegetables. My home was one of the farthest up the hill toward Mount Spokane. I had a garden and fruit trees, but mostly I raised alfalfa. The deer loved all of these crops, especially the alfalfa. It was fun to sit out in the evening and watch the deer arrive in the field. One evening I counted over sixty deer in the fields I farmed.
There were so many deer in our area that this truism was coined: There are two types of people that live in Green Bluff - - - people that HAVE hit deer with their car and people that have NOT hit deer - - - YET!
I have to say that I was pretty lucky in that regard. One deer was pretty traumatized though. You see, one morning on my way to work a deer bounded up over the bank from a neighbors field. I slammed the brakes and slid to a screeching stop after tipping the deer over. I could hear and feel the deer under my pickup. Apparently his hooves were thrashing for traction to get out from underneath. I got out of the pickup, just as this scared and humiliated deer bounded back into the field it had come from. I watched it as it ran to the trees on the far side. I am pretty sure it was okay.
Kayak Bandit

Good Kitty

I think all of my problems in life have now been solved. I got a cat. So, Sharon, I followed your advice. Thanks.
Sophia and Shirley M, I am sorry that you have cat allergies. I hope we can figure out how you can safely visit here without suffering too much.
Allie is proving to be very smart, confident, warm and brave. Bandit is very curious about this new "friend". He wants to investigate Allie, but Allie wants to set the terms of when they are near each other. If Bandit come toward Allie, Allie will start this low growling. It does not sound very menacing to me, but Bandit gets the message real clear to stay back. But when Allie is walking around the house, she always goes very near to Bandit as long as Allie has a quick escape in mind. She likes to keep a chair or something in between herself and Bandit. Her favorite trick is to walk straight toward Bandit and then spring up high above his reach. It appears to me to be a show of superiority.
And, we made it through our first night without any disturbance. I do not know where Allie slept last night, but this morning, Bandit was not beside my bed. He apparently wanted to be near his new friend. Who care? Oh, yeah, I do.
Kayak Bandit

Yum

Tonight, after work, I took my friend Jim out to eat at the casino in Worley. Yum! All the seafood you can eat. Monster king crab legs! If you bump into Jim, be sure to mention that you are aware he is now older than Kayak Bandit. Happy Birthday, Jim! Actually, it is in two days on Monday.
I am bugged, are you?
Sorry, I could not resist.
Kayak Bandit

Cat?

Today, on the bus ride home, a good friend, and fellow kayaker, Barb, asked if anyone wanted a very nice cat. I explained that on the day Bandit got hurt, that I was planning to get a cat from the shelter, and had changed my mind because I did not want to introduce a cat when Bandit was in a weakened state.
So, should I get this cat? No one knows if it will be a mouser or not. It is free and very loving. It is used to sharing a home with a dog. What do you think?
Vote on my blogsite.
Kayak Bandit

Three Down

Okay, I have some good news for those cheering for me to rid this home of mice. As, you know, Bandit is on house arrest because of his leg problem, not because he is a poor watch dog. So, Bandit is watching out for the house, and I am watching TV. A mouse scampers across the living room and Bandit is all over the situation. He immediately corners (using three legs) the mouse in the fireplace. He looks over at me. I move a rack of TV trays and look for the mouse. No mouse. We both gave up.
Soon bandit is studying the new gas range. This range is stored in the living room until the new gas lines are installed. Yeah, he is studying the range. I turn off the TV. Now, I can hear what he heard. The clicking of tiny little mouse feet trying to climb up something under the range.
I opened the broiler drawer and rattled the broiler pan. Very noisy. Out ran this scared little mouse into the fireplace for one quick circle of the area and back under the range. I rattled the broiler pan again. Very, very noisy and obnoxious. Out ran this scared little mouse into the fireplace and into the hollow end of an andiron.
I immediately tipped the andiron up. I carried it to the kitchen, grabbed a set of serving tongs, turned on the water in the sink, turned on the disposer and turned the andiron's open end down into the sink. It worked. The mouse fell into the stream of water. But, it almost jumped out of the sink. I swatted it back into the sink, just in time. Then, I grabbed it with the tongs.
Eventually the mouse lost. I believe it was a quick painless death.
Good riddance!
Bandit and Kayak Bandit

My Job

Like a lot of folks, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it see fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their bum, doing drugs, while I work . . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

I guess we could title that program, ‘Urine or You’re Out.’

Kayak Bandit

Bandage Free

Well, Bandit is bandage free! We just got back from the vet. He is very confident the surgery and reattachment was successful. He said there is good tension at the affected tendon.
Bandit is still under house arrest for one week. After one week he will be allowed and encouraged to go for controlled walks. He will not be allowed to cavort on a long leash. He must stay calm on a short leash. Wish me success on that responsibility. If things seem normal to me, I will not have to return to the vet again on this issue.
Get well, soon Bandit,
Kayak Bandit

Beautiful North Idaho

Today was my first day back at work, as I wrote about yesterday. Well, it went pretty good. I was busy all day, and so the day went by quickly. I prefer it that way.
Some times my mind wandered away from work to wondering how Bandit was doing. You see, this is probably tougher on him than on me. He has to poop and pee on my schedule and not his. Let me tell you, I could not survive long if the shoe was on the other foot. Bandit has been used to living outside while I work. Despite the past, Bandit did fine.
At other times, I considered how nice it was to walk amongst trees on a ridge looking over the most beautiful lake in the world. My friend, Jeff, is fascinated by dead, gnarled stumps and trees. So, we took many pictures of those. Here is a sampling of some of the photos of our Saturday letterboxing.
I went to get the pictures of the gnarled trees and discovered that Jeff must have them on his camera. Maybe he will post them on his blog. I have a link to his blog, Stormcrow's Blog. The beauty of North Idaho is so amazing. Even with a cheap camera, the pictures are breathtaking.
I am going to watch some football and relax. I think I will hold Bandit on my lap. Have a great week,
Kayak Bandit

I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!

I have had a productive two weeks. I am using my kitchen. All my choices that I labored over seem to be the correct choices. I am very pleased with every aspect of the kitchen.
Today, I took on little tasks that needed to be done sometime. Today was the right day. I got a call from Home Depot that my special ordered storm door was in. While there picking it up, I bought the oak trim that I will use along the back of the counter top. I also bought a diamond blade for my four inch grinder to flush trim, in place, the tiles that were half exposed behind the microwave. That turned out very good.
Yesterday was a tremendous day. The weather was crisp, clear with a strong breeze. It was the perfect weather for a fat old man to go for a hike in the mountains. Jeff chose to letterbox atop Mineral Ridge. Mineral ridge is the divide between Wolf Bay and Beauty Bay on the East side of Lake Coeur d Alene. This was the first trip to this spot for me and the second for Jeff. Jeff was very patient with my rate of ascent, despite his much better shape and youth. I scored seven letterboxes. Thanks for the fun time, Jeff.
Back to work,
Kayak Bandit

Stocks

Normally I avoid discussing any advice regarding buying or selling of stocks, but I felt this is important enough to share and warn you since this explosive situation might prove to be yet another ENRON.

Please review any holdings you might have in the following stocks: American Can, Interstate Water, National Gas Company, Northern Tissue Company.

Due to uncertain market conditions, I advise you to sit tight on your American Can, hold your Water, and let go of your Gas. You may be interested to know that Northern Tissue touched a new bottom today, and millions were wiped clean.

It's a tough market out there. Be careful!

Kayak Bandit

Under Sink View

Here is a look at the space under my new sink. Notice that the disposer if closer to the front than anything else, and yet, there is enough room for the garbage can to fit.
Kayak Bandit

Painting

The sink sure looks nice. I mudded the sheetrock and while it was drying, mowed the lawn for the last time this year.
I had to make a custom piece of trim for under the window. It needed to be narrower than the old piece since I have the electric switch for the disposer under the window now. I'll nail it up in the morning. I cleaned up all the dust before painting under the sink and painting where the dishwasher goes. I think I will have a functioning sink and dishwasher tomorrow.
I cannot wait.

Sink is in!

Yesterday was fun. I finished the laminate and beveled the edges all the way around.
The most fun was lowering the sink into it's permanent home. My friends, Jim and Shirley, were nice enough to come over and help with that. We sat around and visited for quite a while. Shirley stamped her approval on the choice of hardware that I bought.
Shirley suggests not putting any backsplash on the walls at the bar. We discussed putting backsplash on the part that is above the cupboards, and not on the sides where you sit. I am leaning toward the latter. The laminate is close enough to the wall to just slightly cove a little painting caulk into the corner. Comment on this for me.
It froze last night. I am sure the dahlias are now done for the year.
Kayak Bandit

Hand and Foot(ball)

Yesterday was Monday. Yesterday was Monday Night Football. Last night, as on every Monday night, I hosted a get together with my friends. The game is on in the background and we visit, eat and play cards.
I call my weekly event Monday Night Games. I am thinking of renaming it Hand and Foot(ball).
Last night Joanne and I played Hand and Foot. This is a card game that everyone in my extended family knows and loves. Joanne played as though she had played this forever. The first hand she trounced me 1780 to 350. She caught me with a red three! The second hand I won, but she still was ahead 3355 to 2590. The last hand was so lopsided that we did not count it. I had not gotten to my foot, I had a red three and I threw her out on her nose. If you see Joanne, tell her to be more respectful of her host or she may get 86ed for life!
Kayak Bandit

Hard Part Done!

After I took bandit to the vet, I set about putting the laminate on my cupboards. Here is a look at what is done. I had to stop and clean up in time for Monday Night Football.
Kayak Bandit

Good Doggie

Well, I took bandit to the vet this morning, as planned. His swelling is down and he is doing great. The doctor told me that it is okay if he bends his knee as long as the ankle stays straight. The tendon does not get stretched to it's limit until both the ankle and the knee are bent.
You will notice that he now has a cone over his head to prevent him from messing with the injury. It is natural for a dog to lick at the wound, but with Bandit so bored, he is likely to take licking the wound to the limit. He had not licked at all until the bandage slipped down and exposed the stitches. The doctor recommended he keep the cone on since he is now somewhat adjusted to it. I feel so bad for his dignity!
In the video he is eating some Cheetos. I think he needs some wholesome food.
Kayak Bandit

Ready For Laminate

Here is what the kitchen looks like after all the countertops are installed. I am going to rest for today and install the laminate tomorrow. Notice that the sink hole is ready. It fits snuggly, but just fine.

I am taking Bandit to the Vet tomorrow because his bandage is slipping down his leg. I suppose it is because the swelling is going down and the bandage is not as tight as it used to be when first wrapped.
Kayak Bandit

Kitchen Update

Hi Everyone,
It is Sunday morning and I feel great! I survived the emotional trauma of my dog cutting his tendon in two. I made some great progress on my kitchen. And, I am taking next week off to nurse my doggie along toward full mobility.
I feel especially great because I am doing the fun part of the kitchen remodel. The nasty part of tearing out and breathing the remodel dust is in the past. I can now smell the new wood. I love building the cabinets. They are all roughed in and will get the laminate today.
The following video is from a couple days ago. Some of the cabinet face frames are not installed and the counter top is not on. If I get to work now, I may have video of that part by tonight.

Bandit is bored. As I take him for his potty breaks, he looks beyond the fence with longing. But no, the mean guy at the end of the leash just hauls him back to the house as soon as finished with his do do. Some times I take him to the shop with me and he lays on a pile of sawdust while I work. I chose times that I am not using the planer because that machine is what makes the big pile of sawdust that he likes to lay on. The planer is very noisy and he is spooked by it.
Next year, for our family vacation, we are planning to go to Fort Stevens. We have not chosen an exact date yet. If you would like to join with us, let us know your choice of date. We are looking at late July or August.
Back to work,
Kayak Bandit

Bandit - - - Before and After

Mice Look Out

A person that reads my blog sent me this following link in an effort to help me with my mouse problem. They claim it works great. We will see, because I am going to try it.

How to Build a Mouse Trap

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This is a way to build the best mouse trap. No more messy spring traps or sticky paper. This trap lasts for weeks.

Steps

1. Gather the necessary equipment (see "Things You'll Need").
   
2. Secure the coffee can lid on the empty coffee can with some sort of glue or contact cement.
   
3. Drill a hole large enough for the dowel rod in the center of coffee can lid as well as the center of the bottom of coffee can. This should allow the coffee can to spin freely once the Dowel Rod is inserted through the holes in the can.
   
4. Drill a hole in the side of the 5 gallon bucket a couple of inches from the rim.
   
5. Drill another hole in the 5 gallon bucket directly opposite the first.
   
6. Insert the Dowel Rod into one hole of the 5 gallon bucket, then through the hole in the lid of the coffee can, then out the bottom of the coffee can, then finally through the opposite hole on in the 5 gallon bucket.
   
7. Fill the 5 gallon bucket up with antifreeze so that there is about 5 to 6 inches of antifreeze in bottom.
   
8. Coat the outside of the coffee can with peanut butter.
   
9. Set the ramp up to the rim of the 5 gallon bucket.
   
10. Locate the coffee can so that it is in middle of the dowel rod in the center of the 5 gallon bucket.
    
11. Leave it and clean it out as necessary.
    

Tips

• The idea here is that the mice walk up the ramp and jump onto the coffee can in an attempt to get to the peanut butter. When they land on the coffee can, it spins and they fall into the bucket of antifreeze. The reason for the antifreeze is that it seems to preserve the mice so they don't smell. Works great in locations where you are not able to clean it out frequently.
  
• Be sure the holes in the coffee can are large enough to allow the coffee can to spin freely.
  
• Set the ramp in such a way that is no too steep for a mouse to walk up.
  
• If you're concerned about kids getting into the antifreeze, water works in place of the antifreeze.
  
• To make this a humane trap and avoid drowning the mouse you can also simply not put any liquid in the bucket. Be sure to check the bucket regularly so as not to starve the animal and to empty the bucket at a good distance from your house to avoid the mouse finding its way back.
  

Warnings

• Keep out of reach of children!
  
• Antifreeze is both attractive and toxic to most household pets. If you foresee this being a problem, substitute a different liquid.
  
• Use Plumbing or RV antifreeze. It's non-toxic and won't kill your kids and pets.
  

Things You'll Need

• 5 Gallon bucket
  
• Empty Coffee Can (with lid)
  
• Peanut Butter
  
• 1/4" Dowel Rod or something similar (a little longer than the diameter of the 5 Gallon Bucket)
  
• Antifreeze (get at any grocery or automotive store)
  
• Something to make a ramp that will reach the top of the 5 Gallon Bucket
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Build Your Own Small Mammal Trap
  
• How to Catch a Mouse
  
• How to Get a Mouse Out of the House
  
• How to Trap Cockroaches
  
• How to Make a Flea Trap
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Build a Mouse Trap. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I am very sad tonight because bandit hurt himself really bad. He cut his right rear leg tendon completely in two where it connects to the socket. This is the socket on us that we call knee. He is in the hospital tonight and they will try to reattach the tendon tomorrow. He will not get to chase around at all for a couple months. I sure hope he heals up without pain.
You find out how attached you are to your pet when he is absent. My house is not at all the same without him.
I was planning to go get a cat today. Now that Bandit is hurt, I dare not introduce a cat. Bandit might think the cat is his replacement. Bandit will be confused, as it is.
Kayak Bandit

Mouse Will NOT Win!

So, you read about my failure to catch the mouse. Yesterday, I would have pursued him with a chainsaw if one was nearby. I refuse to resort to poison since I have a dog. So I continue with traps that obviously do not work.
Yesterday, my dear sister, Sharon, wrote the following;

Why don't you get a cat?

So, I thought about Sharon's question. Here is my answer;

I did not think about getting a cat, okay?

But, I am thinking real hard now. I would love to have a cat. I just worry about the times that I will be away. And - - Litterboxes!
Kayak Bandit

The Mouse Is Winning

I do not know how many mice I have in my house. Any time that I have seen any it has been alone. Today I was eating lunch in the living room when a mouse came up the stairs and behind the old kitchen cabinet that is currently in the dining room. I will eventually get rid of it when the kitchen is done. Adjacent to the cabinet is the kitchen range.
I jumped up from my lunch and grabbed a broom. I was going to get the little shit. I was determined. I moved the stove and then the cabinet. As I moved the cabinet, out came the mouse. I grabbed for the broom, letting the cabinet fall and make a gouge in my new hardwood floor. I took a swing at the mouse and nearly knocked my new chandelier down. I regrouped and continued looking for him, but to no avail. As I moved the stuff back into position, I notice I scratched the floor. The mouse is winning.
Kayak Bandit

Gettin High

I used to install a lot of formica. I remember that formica used to cost a dollar per square foot. Today the going price is two dollars per foot. Formica has doubled in the last twenty five years. At first when I realized the price had doubled I thought that it was excessive. The salesman pointed out how much other things have gone up.
For instance, gas used to be 27.9 cents per gallon. Sugar was ten cents for five pounds. No one even considered paying for water. Have you seen any candy for a penny lately?
Kayak Bandit

Dock

Today I turned on my computer to discover that my friend, Jeff (Stormcrow to letterboxers) , had posted a new letterbox out past Tum Tum. I have always liked that area and chose to skip working on the kitchen long enough to go and get the box and hopefully be the first finder. I translated the clues to discover the spot is right across the highway from the DNR campground and boat ramp.
I was the superintendent for the project back in about 1990 when we build the dock, ramp and concrete walls that line the water's edge. The timing for the project was very critical because the park is next to Lake Spokane which is created by Long Lake Dam. There was going to be a large drawdown of the water for a brief time to do maintenance to the dam. This gave the DNR a chance to have the park redone. We bid the job with the understanding that the work had to get done in the drawdown period, PERIOD. I prebuilt all the forms for the walls and hired my brother Larry to be the lead carpenter for the wall while I worked principally on the dock and ramp.
Larry stayed in my trailer house at the site. One night a bunch of very intocicated locals came down there and started shooting guns and such. Larry was too petrified to confront them since he had no guns. The next night we locked the gate to keep out the problem. This worked very good for the most part. One evening Larry went to town to buy some groceries and when he returned, discovered his glasses were still in the trailer. He could not see well enough to work the combination. He had to walk the mile or so to the trailer and back up to get the gate open.
After we were done with the crane that drove the piling for the dock, they parked it up by the highway to be picked up the next day. Some people broke out all the windows in the crane.
So, back to today. After I found the letterbox, I walked into the park to see the place. It is beautiful. It was fun to sit high on the hill and look at the beauty of our world. Some of the beauty was with my families help.
Kayak Bandit

German

Well, when I last talked to you, I planned to go to the Greek Festival. I did not make it.
I had a crazy day trying to get some things for my kitchen. I spent a couple hours at Home Depot waiting for someone to help me with an exchange of my instahot. I never did exchange it because the difference between the in stock one that I bought and the special order one I want is double the price.
I did buy all my knobs, hinges and drawer pulls for the kitchen. I chose a stainless steel frame with a white porcelain inlay. Not exactly cheap. I also ordered a storm door for my back entry. I know I lost a bunch of heat out that door over the years. I cannot put off fixing that before this winter. I expect heating will cost double what it cost last year.
Home Depot is right next door to Costco. I went in and stocked up on all sorts of stuff. One thing that I bought that sounds good is the salmon patties. I will give them a try real soon. After I found every thing I needed, and more, I stopped at the deli for a German sausage. I do not think an entire Greek meal could have been as good as that German doggie. I ended up with the perfect blend of condiments on my meal in a bun. Yummie. As I drove past the Greek church on the way home, I somehow felt sorry for everyone that was spending more than the dollar sixty seven that I spent. And the soda is included!
Kayak Bandit

Greek

Every year, here in Spokane, the Greek Church puts on a nice festival. They open the Church to everyone to learn more about themselves. One thing I learned a long time ago is how delicious their food is. I was planning to keep working on my kitchen all day today, but every time I think of something that could take me away from home, such as needing some more nails or lumber, I immediately consider how far out of the way it would be to go by the festival. I seem to be obsessed about going and getting some baklava. I am always obsessing about something.
I think I might as well go down there and get it over with. Does anyone know the schedule? If I time it right, I could probably get a meal too. Great idea! Thanks for the suggestion.
Kayak Bandit

Smoothie

I have been frustrated for a long time about my table saw. It vibrates really bad when you first start to use it. After a while it gets a little better, but not great.
Another thing that frustrates me is not being able to see as good as I would like to see. I find that when I assemble pieces of my cabinets, I have to feel and double check myself to make sure the boards are lined up properly. And, reading a measurement is tough. I have to be very careful planing boards down to a certain thickness.
Well, I am able to report good progress on all of this. I got a flyer in the mail from Woodcrafters. They had a dial caliper on sale from over fifty dollars down to twenty nine ninety nine. So on my lunch break today, I stopped to buy the calipers. I looked it over and you can easily read accurately to one sixty forth of an inch. I mean to say that it is very easy to read.
While I was there I looked at the vee belts that they sell for my saw. They had this style that is modular. You just twist several links together to create a belt to the right length. The salesman said he installed it on his own Craftsman saw with good results. I could not resist.
I came home after work and installed the belt. Wow!!!!!!! I do not recognize the saw. It is perfectly smooth. It is a real smoothie!
Kayak Bandit

Still Alive

Well, anyone that is worried why I have not posted for a while, stop! I am fine. I have been busy and my mind has not been able to create the blog. Some days I sit down in front of the computer and the words just appear. Not lately.
I was talking to Dick, Red Lion Man, and he said Barb has mentioned most mornings that I did not post. She was a little worried. Speaking of them, be sure to go to the link and see what they are up to. They are on an extended working vacation that sounds like a lot of fun (and work).
Yesterday I took five newbies out kayaking. I am afraid they have the fever. They were talking about going shopping for kayaks and racks for atop their car. I warn you not to try it if you cannot afford to buy yourself a kayak. Almost everyone really likes kayaking. The day was cool until underway. Once you started paddling, you were just right.
I forgot the storage bags to carry the lunch in the kayaks, so we returned to Doug and Colleen's home to eat her fabulous lunch. The day was a perfect success. It may have been the last kayak outing until the eagles show up in December. I love to go out then and see them swooping down to pick kokanee trout from the water. Last year it was so cold that in quiet water there was a skim of ice. It is toasty inside the kayak. I can hardly wait.
My cabinets are progressing slowly. At times I am completely anal about getting them perfect. Where did that come from? At other times, I am down right lazy and slow. I have decided to take the week after next off to work on the kitchen. I want the kitchen off my back so I can play without feeling guilty.
Boy, that was not hard. I should blog every day.
Kayak Bandit

Furnace Repair

I have a furnace again. A kayak friend has a furnace business and he allowed me to buy from his wholesale account. I bought the part and when I went to install it, it was a little different than the old one. I took it back and to my surprise, the correct one was twenty five dollars cheaper. When does that ever happen?
I installed it after dinner and tested the furnace. Another surprise - it worked! Boy, that takes a lot off my mind.
Today, I worked on my custom cabinets. I am building the lazy susans. It is rather time consuming for me since I have not built cabinets for a long time, and never a lazy susan. I keep thinking I am past the slow tedious stuff, but everything is slow and tedious when all the units are unique. I cannot set up the saw and cut a whole stack of similar parts.
I am thinking about going for a bike ride tomorrow. The weather is perfect. My kitchen can wait. What to do?
Kayak Bandit

Last Work Day

Yipee!!
TGIF!!
I know I should not wish my life away, but it is great that friday has arrived. I look forward to the weekend. This is a wonderful time of year. There is the smell of fall, that smell reminds me of past hunting camps.
In the fall, the weather can avoid a hard freeze for a while, or it can freeze my dahlias early. They are looking mighty fine right now. Recently, I planted a letterbox in my garden to invite my letterboxing friends to come see the dahlias.
The smell of fall reminds me to get ready for winter. Last spring my furnace quit working. I used electric heaters until I did not need heat at all. So, I better get it fixed. Yesterday, I bought the part to fix it. It does not have the same number of places to connect wires as the old one. I will take it back today and see what they say. Isn't that the way repair projects often go?
I hope all of you have a great weekend.
Kayak Bandit

Mouse Opinion

My sister Sharon writes:

Yeah!! I'm glad you're clear over there, as I doubt you'll release it in a park by me. If it were me, I'd stomp its grimey little rodent head.

Sharon

As you can all see, there are others in my family that are mean like me!

Kayak Bandit

Mouse Photo

Okay, you can exhale. Kayak Bandit Caught the mouse.
The first thing I did was call Steph to tell the grandkids. Lily was very happy. Lily wants me to turn it loose in a park on the play structure. I am in favor of that. Do you want this mouse released in the park next to your home? You will never know. I am telling no one where I release the mouse.
The mouse has had no opportunity to groom himself since he was trapped in a small space with a lot of peanut butter. He is having a bad hair day.
May little mouse life long and happy.
Kayak Bandit

Runnin on Empty

What type of person are you? Do you let your gas tank get so low that the warning light comes on before you start looking for a gas station? Or, do you fill up every time you pass your favorite gas station even if you have plenty of gas?
I bet you are somewhere between those two scenarios. As for me, I have the mentality that my cars are out of gas if they get to one quarter tank. I get antsy if it gets close or below that level.
So, the next question is what to do about my low level in the "fuel tank" of life. You see, I am running on fumes in the energy, time, motivation and money department. I keep thinking about how easy tasks were when I was much younger. Why, I could cut a couple loads of firewood and deliver it to someone in the daytime and still have energy left to go to the archery range in the evening. I barely have enough energy to get the chainsaw sharpened before I am looking for a resting spot.
My motivation tank, energy tank and time tank are in direct conflict with the money tank. I could hire more of the work except that my money tank cannot stand for it. I have to say that I was mislead whenever I heard people talking fondly of the golden years. I think those people were duped into believing yellow snow is the gold they seek.
Kayak Bandit

Spokanites

Here is a little known secret that does not need to be kept secret anymore. Letterboxers from the Spokane area are the kindest, warmest and most hospitable people ever! Reinbow hosted an evening of conversation tonight. They have a lovely home and opened it up to the area letterboxers. What a fabulous time. The cheese assortment was wonderful. And, the ice cream with home made fudge was to die for.
I cannot say it adequately. It was great.
Kayak Bandit

Mouse

When the grandkids were here last week, we spotted a mouse in my house. Yes, a mouse in the house. A louse of a mouse in my house.
Yeah, I have my striped, cone shaped, flopped over hat on.
Anyway, there is this mouse. I know how to deal with mice. Get a good Victor mouse trap and "snap". Problem solved, right? Wrong. At least that is the wrong approach when grandkids are around. Nick and Lil insisted I not harm the mouse. Are you kidding me. How do you not harm something you want dead?
So I suggested poison. They asked how the poison worked. I told them that it makes them bleed internally and get very thirsty. I think I am right about that. I thought they would then relent and let me use the trap. I assured them the trap would be swift death. Hardly any suffering. Still wrong!
Okay, they are gone now. My grandkids are precious. I hoped to catch the mouse alive and carry it to the woods for release. So far I have caught nothing. Bandit seeks out the trap because he smells the peanut butter. I need to put them out of his reach. I think I will put it under the stove. Maybe, one behind the TV. I am going to give it a couple more days. I so very much want to be able to tell my grandkids I spared their mouse's life.
Vote in my poll. Victor, Poison, Live Trap or Leave Alone.
Kayak Bandit

Gulf

Boy, the Gulf dodged a bullet this time. Everything seems to be pretty good. What a difference from a few years ago.
Have you wondered why those idiot news people insist on standing out in the fierce wind to tell us that the wind is bad. I guess they want it to make a big impression. The thing that impresses me is that their mommy never taught them to come in out of the storm. I like it best when they show the view from a mounted camera. It is usually from a higher vantage point and tells me more than some bozo pretending to be tossed about by the wind. I saw one guy, dressed to the hilt with rain gear, hardly able to stand while he knew the camera was on him. As soon as he finished his spiel, and he thought the camera was off, he was able to walk around easily. How foolish do they think we are?
And, another thing, why does every network have to show the stuff 24/7? Golly, a few days ago everyone had to be talking about the gal that had a child go missing for a month before she reported it to the police. They were all clambering to get the best angle on that. Now that I am interested in that story, no one will tell me about it. Phooey.
Kayak Bandit

Too Quiet

I really got accustomed to sounds in the house. I do not mean the sound of the tv. I mean the sound of kids. Stephanie left this morning to return to Portland and took the sounds of kids working on their masterpieces of Legos and Beads.
Yesterday, Stephanie and Amy went letterboxing for the second straight day. Amy had most of the local boxes. Stephanie had only a few local boxes. Stephanie needed about twenty boxes to get to one hundred and Amy needed but three. They developed this scheme to let Stephanie catch up to Amy and both reach one hundred at the same time on the same box.
Stephanie called me when they were each at ninety eight. Both needed the two boxes they were headed to get. They were going to get one in the library and then another one that was outside. What they did not plan for was a bonus box in the library. So, when they opened that box, they were anti-climatically at one hundred and restrained from any celebration. They quietly took some pictures to record the moment.
If you know either one of these two, you know they do not restrain their emotion very well. I bet it almost killed them.
Congratulations to both of you two.
Kayak Bandit

Time

Where has the time gone?
It seems that Stephanie and the grandkids just arrived. We have had lots of fun, but tomorrow they plan to leave.
Stephanie has found a letterboxing fanatic like herself. Balladone Bunch (Stephanie) and American Boxer (Amy) hit it off from the first introduction to each other. Yesterday, after Amy got off work, Steph picked her up and they got about one dozen boxes for Stephanie. Amy had already gotten all of these for herself.
This morning I heard from both of them how much fun they had. They talked with so much animation about snakes, cows, people in the dark and more. Maybe I can get them to slow down long enough to write about it.
It is about noon and they are off letterboxing right now. They have a project that you will hear about real soon. I am watching the kids that prefer not to letterbox 24/7. We are having nearly as much fun here. Soon, I will fire up the old steam powered, steam roller.
Talk at ya later!
Kayak Bandit

Coolest House II

Stephanie reminded me that Nick was very much impressed with the swing in the basement. You see, a few years ago, I put a couple eye hooks in the ceiling. I can hang a swing from the eye hooks. He also likes getting on top of the defunct freezer while he waits his turn on the swing. He accesses the freezer from the steps to the basement.
But I am sure what he likes the best is the vast selection of soda pop. With today being a party, he got his fill. Stephanie counted at least five sodas. The usual limit is one soda per day while on vacation. Normally, no soda at all. I hope his little brain does not explode from sugar overload.
Kayak Bandit

Coolest House

My grandson gave me the biggest compliment possible. He said I had a very cool house. When queried, he pointed out that I have the coolest table in the world. It is a coffee table that the top lifts up and toward the couch while maintaining level. It is where I eat most of my meals when alone. Today Steph had the kids sit at the dining table and her & I sat at the coffee table.
Nick also mentioned the old tractor that runs on steam. He wants it down so very bad, but I will only get it down when I have time to supervise the solid alcohol fuel fire required to make it run.
He also like the room with the bunk beds near enough the queen bed and beside the queen bed is a single mattress on the floor. He enjoys jumping from one to the other. Both his mom and I are too tired to resist this antic.
He was saying how cool my house is when he was sitting on a rocking love seat. This was really amazing to him. When we pointed out that not only did the love seat rock, but each half is also a recliner. Boy, that dialed his amazement meter higher again. I let him play with that for a while and then I got his attention and pulled the back down to create a small table with cup holders in the middle of the big couch. I thought his eyes would bug out. We told him the couches were transformer couches.
Now, we had his full attention. We still had another surprise, though. I released the recliner on the end of the big couch and reared back. Yep, transformer couches. All the better to watch Harry Potter!
Kayak Bandit

Horseauger's Bridge

I was told that the old bridge we all knew as Horseauger's Bridge is no longer spanning the River. I guess it finally needed to be replaced. Rumor has it that the bridge is now in a nearby field.
Visiting that spot will not be the same. I remember making the turn as we head toward home and stopping in the middle of the bridge. Dad would get out and walk to the edge of the bridge and lean through the framework of the bridge to gaze into the water. He had to look for fish. Sometimes he would take but a few seconds, but lots of times he would take several minutes. When he was satisfied with looking at the spot where big fish were likely to be, he would walk to the other side of the bridge and look for sucker minnows. If he spotted a big school of minnows the right size, he would have to come back and seine for them. He used the minnows for bait. Eventually we would move on toward home.
In my youngest years, the bridge had planks that ran crosswise to the traffic. These planks were held in place on the ends of the planks, but the center of the planks were not fastened. This caused the boards to make a load noise as the weight of the tires moved along over the planks. It is a sound I can hear in my head as I write about it. I cannot explain it. Well, when I was about fifteen they added a few rows of planks on top of the old ones. These planks ran the same direction as traffic. It was probably necessary, but it ruined the nostalgia of the spot.
Kayak Bandit

Sentry

I have talked about my dogs a lot. If you are tired of hearing about good dogs, turn your computer off now. If you want to hear another story of Bear, read on.
As you know, Bear went with me everywhere. He went with me to work nearly every day. I had this, used to be, Frito Lay step van. He would ride with me curled up on the floor beside me or he would jump up onto the motor cover and peer out the windshield. He had a sense of when we were almost at a destination and would be up looking out whenever we arrived someplace. The guys at the lumber store always had to pet Bear. He knew in an instant if someone belonged. I do not ever remember him barking at a co worker. He just knew.
When I would get to a job, I would leave him with the van with all the doors open. I had thousands of dollars of tools and supplies, yet I did not worry about theft. One look at Bear would send a would-be burglar away.
Well one day we were parked in front of the Postal Building in downtown Portland, Oregon. Bear was rather bored watching the van and had fallen asleep stretched out in the middle of the walkway in the back. I would come and go for tools and such and he would open one eye and go back to sleep.
As I was coming out of the Postal Building for something I noticed these two young boys walking along the street rubbing a stick on the side of each car as they came to it. They approached the van from the back end and rubbed the stick along the side of my van. They were met at the front door by Bear. He said one big Woof. That was enough for these nice young boys to fill their pants and run for their lives. Bear looked over at me, wagging his tail. All I could do was laugh as I told Bear he was a Good Dog.
I was convinced that I had the best sentry in the World.
Kayak Bandit

Makin' Hay

So here is the question. Do I make the beds for everyone, or do I let them make the beds for themselves? I tend to be lazy and want to find an excuse to not make the beds. I can legitimately claim that the bunk beds are hard to climb around on. But the real clincher is that I do not know what amount of covers each person wants.
All of the bedding is currently stacked up on one bed. You see, I stripped the beds and washed all the bedding after the last guests left. As each load of laundry was done, I just dumped it onto the largest bed. Yeah, I know, it has been several months!
Well, if I was to have enough time to make the beds, it would have been the time I took to write this blog. You folks needed to hear from me. When Steph shows up, I will tell her I ran out of time.
Kayak (Lazy) Bandit

Still Kickin'

You might like this:

A big city lawyer went duck hunting in rural Iowa. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence.

As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing.

The litigator responded, "I shot a duck and it fell in this field, and now I'm retrieving it." The old farmer replied, "This is my property, and you are not coming over here." The indignant lawyer said, "I am a trial attorney and the duck is my property, if you don't let me get the duck, you will be sued." The old farmer smiled and said, "Apparently, you don't know how we settle disputes in Iowa. We settle small disagreements with the "Three Kick Rule"."

The young lawyer asked, "What is the "Three Kick Rule"?"

The old farmer replied, "Well, because the dispute occurs on my land, I get to go first. I kick you three times and then you kick me three times and so on back and forth until someone gives up."

The attorney quickly decided that he could easily take the old codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom.

The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the attorney.

His first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel toed work boot into the lawyer's groin and dropped him to his knees.

His second kick to the midriff sent the lawyer's last meal gushing from his mouth.

The lawyer was on all four when the farmer's third kick to his rear end, sent him into a fresh cow pie.

The lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet.

Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he smiled and said, "Okay, you old fart. Now it's my turn."

The old farmer smiled and said, "Nah, I give up. you can have the duck."

Kayak (farmer) Bandit

Tile Floor

Today, I laid the tile floor in my kitchen. It came out quite nice, if I say so myself. Here are a couple pictures.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to the lumber store and buy a special piece of oak to make stair nosing for the top step coming in from the back door.

I need to stay after it, because Stephanie is coming to visit. I hope the weather is good, because we will not have all the appliances back into the kitchen. We will do just fine. Steph and her kids adapt well.

I sure enjoyed watching the interviews by Pastor Rick Warren. Did anyone else watch them?

Catch you tomorrow,
Kayak Bandit

Seeds

Recently, I got a nice compliment about my garden. I was flattered that others thought my garden looks nice.
After a while of thinking about giving credit for a good job, I felt in awe of God. All I did, was to plant the seed, and nurture it a little.
God, on the other hand, makes it possible to expect to harvest food for ourselves by merely planting a seed. Think about that. Inside this tiny little package is all the information and energy needed to replicate the plant that it grew from.
I have enough problem explaining to someone else what my thoughts are. But inside this capsule are perfect enough instructions to tell the seed what to do and precisely when to do it. Oh, and little seed, make more for next year!
Kayak Bandit

Drinking Too Much

I am really worried about me and my drinking problem. I came home after work and went straight to the fridge for a red beer. I like my red beer half tomato juice and half beer. The problem I have is not what you might imagine. You see, I like about twelve ounces of beverage. When you open a can of beer and mix it with a can of tomato juice, you end up with twenty-four ounces of beverage.
I do not like to waste anything, so I drink more than I need to. I eventually drink at least sixteen ounces before I give up. I do not see a solution to this problem. Beer comes in just one size can. So, if I open a can, I have to drink it all or it goes to waste.
It is truly my problem, since I am the one who likes such a small amount. So, tomorrow morning I will again have to dump a partial glass of red beer down the sink.
The good news is that tomorrow is Pay Day.
Kayak Bandit

Coffee

Are you like me? When I get up in the morning, the first thing I think about is a cup of coffee. Oh, so we are alike!
It is funny how the presence of the cup of coffee is enough. Some mornings, I am agitated until I pour the cup of coffee. But, once poured, I may carry the cup to my favorite chair and set it down. Yes, I said, set it down. I purposefully, did not say take a drink.
How can this be that just possessing the cup of coffee settles my nerves. Weird!
Kayak Bandit

Flag

I could not help but feel uplifted today. I was driving back to the office. I do not like going back to the office, as a rule. But, as I approached the office, I spotted a flag waving above a nearby building. I realized the flag was not on the building, but on top of a crane beyond the building. The breeze was quite strong, making the flag wave very nicely. I was swept with a real sense of pride and patriotism.
As I continued to the office, I was thinking about how nice it is for the workers to rig the flag onto their crane. I am sure every person on the job site is inspired like I am.
Then I looked up at the top of our courthouse. I was again swept with pride, because we are in the process of upgrading the flagpole atop our courthouse.
I hope we always have the freedom we currently have. I think we will if all of us stop once in a while and consider the wonder of freedom. Let's pray for peace around the World while resolving to stand up, when necessary, to the forces that want freedom destroyed.
God Bless America,
Kayak Bandit

Dahlias

Dahlias are a lot of work. Dahlias are beautiful.
Yesterday, I spent a couple hours tying up my dahlia plants. They outgrow their ability to hold themselves up. When planting in the spring, I drive a tall rebar into the ground before I bury the tuber. I make sure the sprouts of the tuber are near the rebar. About three times during the season, I have to tie the stalks to the stake.
To see many varieties of dahlias go to American Dahlia Society website. My all time favorite dahlia is April Dawn. It is much prettier when you see it in person. Photos are never as pretty as real life.
I do caution that you must still stop and smell the roses because dahlias are not known for their good smell. If you think dahlias smell good in a bouquet, it is because the florist sprayed them with a scent or there are other flowers in the bouquet that you are smelling.
I think I will go smell the roses now.
Kayak Bandit

Bear Sliding

Bear would do anything for me and my two daughters. When we would go to the park, Stephanie and Jennifer, loved to play a few minutes on each of the structures. From our home, the closest structure was the slide. They would run ahead and crawl up the ladder and wait at the top. They would encourage their sister to climb. "One more, Jenny. You can do it."
Bear would follow to the structure and as they went up the slide ladder, he would stand on his hind legs and reach high with his front legs. It was as if he was cheering for them to make it on up. Just as one would start to slide, he would race to the end of the slide and greet them as they lit on the ground. He would escort them back to the ladder and it would start all over.
Eventually, the girls started coaxing him to climb up the ladder. I was fearful he would catch a leg as he was falling and be injured. To prevent this, I would stand behind my ninety pound pooch and make sure he did not fall. Little by little, I helped him learn to hook his front paws over the step instead of on the step. We all encouraged him. Soon he was able to make it all the way to the top, as long as I kept him corralled. After quite a while, with no mishaps, I started letting him climb the ladder without staying behind him.
The first few times that Bear made it to the top, he still had the mindset that it was his job to greet the girls as they slid. He seemed confused. One girl would slide to the bottom and the other would tell bear to go. The girl at the bottom would be coaxing him to "slide". With enough coaxing, Bear would run down the slope of the slide. Try as we might, we never taught him to slide by himself. I even tried holding him on my lap as I slid, but it did not work.
When we went to different parks, we had to assure him to climb up a different slide. The girls were good about asking if the slide ladders were safe for Bear to climb. If they were marginal, I would stay with Bear while he climbed. We sure miss Bear!
Kayak Bandit

Saw

Do you remember me talking about my freezer going bad? Well, I have a new one now and it is working just fine. So, all the stuff that Jim and Shirley stored for me until my freezer situation was resolved, needed to come back home. I took my ice chest over after lunch today. We got to talking about lots of fun stuff. I bet some of you reading this blog were talked about.
After a while, Jim suggests I look at his new Craftsman table saw. I am a sucker for new tools. I said "let's take a look". What a nice saw. It folds up into a compact package with wheels and handles like a wheelbarrow. You can wheel it wherever you want to go to use it. When you are done, you can wheel it back and lean it up against a wall. When leaned up like this, it takes up very little floor space.
You have to assemble some of the stuff when you take it out of the box. We found a nice shady spot, set up some chairs and a table, and went to making the saw ready to use. Shirley kept laughing at us men trying the hard way to assemble stuff when we could easily read the instructions. But, NO, we had to try without instructions a few times before we did it the easy way. We got it all assembled and adjusted.
Jim wheeled it back to the garage. We moved some other stuff around to make room for this saw. Only after we were all done parking the saw, did it dawn on us that we did not try it out. What were we thinking. I guess we were not thinking.
Shirley offered dinner. That sounded much better than fussing with a saw. We ate a nice meal of barbecued burgers and watermelon. Yum.
I hope you had as nice a day as I did.
Kayak Bandit

Great Buy

Today, I went to Home Depot to make use of a coupon for ten percent off my next purchase. I made a list of all the things I need to complete my kitchen.
I found all the items I needed in short order, including a new air compressor. The old air compressor gave up recently. Then, I decided to look at gas ranges. I have wanted a gas range for a long time. I like the idea that you can adjust the heat and it reacts right away. So, I go in with the idea that they would be outside my budget. There was this really nice lady named Ella, that showed me all the choices. The last choice was a close out, floor model. It's original price was over four hundred dollars, on sale for two hundred ninety seven. How could I resist. I bought it.
I did not plan to buy a stove, so I had to go home for my pickup. I am pleased with my selection. Jenny is troubled that it is a Maytag, but I am okay with it.
Hopefully, I finish my project and we all get together for a party.
Kayak Bandit

Chasing Seagulls

Digging for clams in Netarts Bay is a very fun way to spend an early morning. You see, you have to get up very early to get to the right spot before the tide has gone out. You have to be finding your way to the desired spot while the tide is still ebbing or the bay is too shallow to navigate your boat.
When Stephanie and Jennifer were young and Bear was a member of our family, we would make these early morning journeys. For me, it was fun in many ways. I could be the hero to my family by finding my way to a lesser known spot to dig monstrous Gapor Clams. Gapors are also known as Blue Necked Clams. Another fun thing was that it was okay with Kathy for her girls to get dirty. And we did, including Kathy.
But, the real highlight was the theatrics of Bear and company. Bear would run after the seagulls. The seagulls were hanging around us to find left behind pieces of clams or sand shrimp or other disturbed creatures. So, the closer the seagulls came to us looking for scraps, the more bear would chase after them. At first, I think the seagulls thought they were in peril, but as the day wore on, they realized it was just a lot of fun for Bear. The seagulls obliged by flying just a little higher than the highest that Bear could leap.
This happy time was limited to when the tide started back in. We would have to load up into our boat for the return trip. The seagulls were always sad to see their new friend leaving. Bear was sad to leave his new found playmates. The rest of us were glad that Bear's feet were bleeding no more than they were. You see, he would almost always run so much that his pads would be raw. He would rest up some through the rest of the day and night and be eager to do it all the next day.
Kayak Bandit

Oh Poop

If your dog needs to go out in the night, let him out!!!!
Last night, I went to bed a little earlier than normal. Routinely, I let Bandit outside as I head to bed. It was no different last night. I woke in the night to do some habitual things like looking out the windows for burglars and then visiting the porcelain throne. Bandit was not interested in going outside at that time, so I went back to sleep.
I suspect I made him stay inside too long by the time morning came along. You guessed it. A nice surprise for me at the back door. Yep, I stepped in it.
I am not angry. But, think about this. How does a dog do such a good job of holding himself. He does not get to schedule his poops. Nope, he has only the opportunity he is given. That is amazing to me. If I were asked to keep the schedule we give a dog, Heaven help us.
Kayak Bandit

Pictures

I should have included pictures with recent posts. Here are some of the pictures that I missed:

Picture of my rug from Sewing Rags


Picture of Bandit sleeping in a child lawn chair



Two grandsons fighting for glory

Good Dog

Don't ask me to be your huckleberry guide. I am a total failure. Joanne and I failed to find even one huckleberry. Some would say our day was a total flop. Okay, but let me tell you some of the offsets to it being a flop.
We had no more than started out when Joanne started pointing and getting very agitated as we approached this sign beside the road. It was a rather rude sign posted at the end of a driveway to a beautiful home behind a iron gate. Joanne announced that she had always wanted a closer look at this home and the "Garage Sale" would serve as a good excuse.
I had to turn around to get pointed into the driveway. It was no time at all before Joanne and the wonderful ladies hosting the garage sale were best buddies. Joanne negotiated a good deal on a horse themed trellis. Before we left, we were allowed to pet their horses. They were gentle and polite horses. I believe they are for sale, if you are interested.
We continued on. Bandit was, sort of, coughing enough to convince us that he was thirsty. We stopped beside the Ponderay River, north of Newport. I pointed to the river and Bandit ran about half way to the water and turned around, obviously looking for me to throw a toy to him. He would not go on to the water without assurance I would throw a toy. So, I threw his ball out into the water many times. He had a blast, but did not drink once. I think he intentionally misled us so he could play. What a manipulator!
We continued on to Marshall Lake where we enjoyed the view of the lake and several nice conversations with people there for recreation. It seemed to those we talked to that the berry picking was over. So, we decided to find a spot to have lunch. We chose the Newport City Park. Here we enjoyed a nice lunch prepared by Joanne as Bandit endeared himself to everyone else in the park. He would go to a different person and solicit them to throw his ball. It was fun to watch him convince the new person to throw it. He would run to them and drop the ball at their feet. If they did not reach for the ball, he would nudge it closer to them with his nose. This tactic always convinced them to throw the ball. Amazingly, he did get tired enough to lay down and drop the ball.
We found two more garage sales, Joanne made new friends, and traveled new roads on our return trip to Spokane. At every stop, I would open the back door of my Jeep, and ask Bandit to "Stay!" This impressed Joanne and others. I was likewise impressed. I think Bandit is a VERY "Good Dog".
Kayak Bandit