Fergit everthing you learned in gym class

Git ready for the best workout of you life!

 That's right, I have discovered a much better way to workout.  Just to give you an idea of how effective the workout is, I did it for about 5 hours yesterday and was in bed by 7 PM and I usually don't hit the sack before 10 or 11 PM. I woke up sore this morning but I liked the workout so much that I did it for about 4 more hours today.   I'm not quite as tard tonight, but believe me, it was a good workout.  To do this workout correctly you will need a little equipment.  The most expensive item you will need is a Little Giant ladder.  We actually had 2 ladders but my dad was working out too so we needed both.  You could save a little money by using a cheaper ladder (we had one cheap ladder) but the Little Giant is much heavier and that is a plus! The next step is to find a shed that needs a new roof.  You will also need some boards, tin, a hammer, tape measure, speed square,  circular saw (an extra one is nice to cut the tin, just reverse an old blade that does not have carbide tips)) a couple of cordless drills, assorted screws, nails etc.  Now comes the fun part.  I will assume you have measured everything and know what lengths the boards and tin will need to be.  We strapped our boards (lath) to the overhead poles (you most likely will be nailing to rafters) using conduit wall hangers. The poles were just under 2 inches and the straps we used were for 2 inch pipe but we got them to hold by stretching them out just a little.  We then added a row of bracing underneath. The real workout is all the trips up and down the ladder and then a lot of bending and twisting at the top  You climb up, measure something, drop hammer, climb back down, re-climb ladder and hammer or screw whatever it is into place. Repeat this over and over.  We used a combination of shanked nails and wood screws.  By the time you finish putting up the boards you have completed the workout for the day.

Day 2 is a little easier workout but it will still git your attention.  We cut the old tin into the proper lengths and had enough to do one side.  This took us about 2 and a half hours. We then made a trip to Arab and picked up the tin for the other side so we in effect had a pretty long break.  Since the new tin was already cut to length we made much faster progress finishing up the other side. However, my legs are just about wasted. I've ridden my bike 50 mile in a day pulling a trailer loaded with camping gear and not been as tard. I've hiked 20 miles on the AT trail in a day and my legs did not feel as tard.  In  other words, if you judge a workout by how tard you feel afterwards, this one will do the trick! PS I earned bonus points for getting a piece of steel stuck in my finger. It's too small to see to get it out but it is bugging the stew out of me.

John Brown Went to Town

Max about to be John Browned...

This is not really about John Brown going to town but there is a reason I chose it for the title.  You see, Max took his couch sitting game to whole nother level yesterday.  The wife was sitting on the couch with the foot rest extended (like a recliner) when Max decided that looked like a good place to sit.  I saw him pull the one leg up under him like he normally does but then saw he was struggling to get the other one up as well. He looked mighty proud of himself once he got situated but unfortunately, it did not last long.  The wife decided she needed up so, without warning Max, she dropped the foot rest.  He looked really surprised and bewildered but it reminded me of something from my childhood.  My mom and dad would play a little game in which they would sit us (me, my brother and two sisters) up on their  knees and bounce us (individually, not all at once) while singing this little rhyme.

John Brown 
went to town
riddin a goat 
and leadin a hound
hound give a yelp
goat give a jump
left John Brown
sittin on a stump.

But just as they sang the word stump, they would pull their knees apart and let us fall.  Of course they still had aholt of our hands and we were not harmed and pretty much turned out OK......  I did it with our kids too, wonder if they remember?

Forgetful day...literally

Not too bad for an iPhone

Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day but I did get several things accomplished.  The day started with a trip to town to pick up some lumber for my dad,  We also stooped at Wal-Mart and I intended to buy a new bell chain so that all the chain on the Bumble Beast would match.  However, I forgot the chain when we stopped.  That's kinda sad when you consider I told Dad the main reason I needed to stop at wally-world was for the bike chain.  

After we unloaded the groceries and lumber we picked up some tin at the chicken house but it was too windy to try and start putting the roof on his shed. He had bough one of those sheds that is covered by some kind of heavy duty tarp but some strong winds tore the top off about a week ago.

I then ordered a few things from Bacchetta that I needed to repair the Bumble Beast, namely a new derailleur hanger and rear derailleur. I also washed and dried three loads of clothes.  My wife will be glad to hear that it was so windy I dried all three loads (even the towels) in the dryer.  I was rummaging around in the garage and found two chains I had forgotten I had....anyone see a pattern developing here, my mind blocks out anything to do with bicycle chain... Anyways, I must have bought them on clearance a few years ago when ordering something I needed. I  looked online to order a matching chain, then called my LBS to see how much they could get it for.  I prefer to support them but I wont  hesitate to order something if I find a good enough sale online.  Their price was close enough so I will be picking it up the next time I'm in town, probably Friday.

I then went for a walk to the holler.  I really liked the Humvee vest but wore some Wolverine  boots I have been testing for BackpackGearTest instead of the new ones I just got from LAPoliceGear. They fit great and I'll be reporting on them later. By the time I finished my walk it was nearly time for church so I grabbed a quick shower and cooked supper (the wife is sick).  However, the most eventful happening was when Max took his couch sitting game to a whole nother level. But that deserves its own post so I will save it for later.