End of September already?


Last week, someone said that they would see me at Christmas.  I was thinking it was still a ways away.  Not!  How could it be the end of September already?  I just went on vacation (back in May) and we just had the pig roast (back in June).  I know, I know.  Only an old person says that time flies by.  I’m not old!

Rich and Sascha have been taking advantage of the nice weather to go biking with the Walky Dog this week.  That came to a scary halt on Saturday.  They broke the Walky Dog!  Luckily, Sascha didn’t have a chance to take off.  While riding on the first half of the circle, one side of the dual strings broke all the way through.  Rich managed to get back to the house with Sascha before the other side gave way.

Because Sascha constantly pulls on the strings and compresses the springs inside to their maximum, Rich thought Sascha had broken the Walky Dog.  Turns out, the connector had a bur on the inside that rubbed the strings and that’s what really broke the strings.  I’m sure it doesn’t help that Sascha is trying to run at her 20+ MPH and stresses the device to its max.

Rich smoothed the bur off the connector.  We went to the hardware store for string as strong as we could get.  The strings on the device were for 550 lbs of dead weight.  We got a similar strength, but it just didn’t seem that strong.  Rich added the new strings and then took it out for a test run.  Sascha didn’t snap it yet.

After some research, Rich found that he could get parachute cord at the sporting goods store.  Hopefully, that will come with a higher rating.  I just don’t want to chase down a Siberian Collie again.  She’s fast.

Rich got a call from the contractor with an update on the garage.  They were able to reach the building inspector for the village and start working with him on the plans and permits.  They are looking into some variances that we need to do the garage just like we want.  So far, we are moving forward.  With some luck, we can build like we want.  If not, we’ll have to see what happens.  It might be Plan B then for the car situation here.  Stay tuned for more updates.

Rick came in from work.  He got a job working at Stades Farms, which is a local pumpkin farm.  They have rides and activities and use the local kids to man each of them.  This was Rick’s first full weekend.  He was hired as backup and fill in or if someone quits on them.  Today, he manned the big slide and the pedal cars.  As he says, he gets to yell at the kids to knock it off and quit horsing around.  At least, he has a little spending money.

It was quiet and I didn’t do much.  I created pictures from some Yosemite and Sequoia National Park postcards and hung them in the living room to go with the outdoors and fishing theme.  They look nice.

Next weekend is Iron Invasion.  This is a huge car show and demonstration.  It’s the first annual, so I don’t really know what will go on.  Rich is volunteering and driving Sally up to put her on display with the other hundreds of cars expected.  I’ll be sure to take pictures.  I’m just hoping for nice weather.

Now it is October

So I decided not to post this blog.  Now I have more to add.

Today, Rich took the day off to brew beer.  This was an absolute necessity since there was no beer in the house.  Also, this is the beer that needs to be on tap for Thanksgiving.  Rich decided on a Zombie Dust clone.

For those who don’t know, Three Floyds is a microbrewery in the Chicagoland area with a knack for brewing some great beers.  One of these is Zombie Dust.  It is a citrus-based, hoppy beer that hits your taste buds and lingers on into the back of the throat with a bright, hoppy flavor.

After sleeping in for an hour or two, Rich got started with the brewing process.  Of course, I was inside at my desk slaving away over a document that needs to be ready yesterday.  I did venture out a couple of times to check on the progress.  Progress went well.  This was a small batch though.  Since it was an experiment, Rich only did 5 gallons instead of the usual 10 gallons.  Less painful if you have to throw it out in disgust.

Finally, the batch was done and transferred to the fermenter.  As usual, Rich took a sample to test for gravity and alcohol content.  It looked to be about 6% alcohol.  We then tasted the raw beer.  Even without fermentation, it was pretty good.  It tasted a little like grapefruit when it first hits your mouth and then turns mellow as you push it to the back of the throat.  It was very, very good.  I can’t wait for the finished product!

While cleaning up, Rich had a beer on the table so he could drink as he went.   However, he wasn’t really watching the glass closely.  He took a drink and got more than he could drink.  There was a bee enjoying the nectar as well.  Unfortunately, the bee stung Rich inside of his mouth.  There was beer all over the garage where Rich had spit it out to get rid of the bee!  Don’t worry, Rich and the bee are okay.

Carolyn at work said that Rich was torturing Sascha by making her run alongside the bike.  I assure you that Sascha is only tortured while she has to wait for Rich to get things set up to take her running!  As soon as she thinks Rich is even thinking about touching the bike, Sascha is all over the door.  This is one of the few times that she actually barks!

 

Can't stand still
Sascha is a ball of energy while she waits for Rich to get the bike ready.

 

Excited husky
That’s one excited Husky waiting for Rich. He has to lock the door to keep her under control.

 

Getting ready to roll
Looks like we are getting ready to roll now.

 

Boy and his dog
There they go down the road for a nice run.

 

Brewer at work
Starting up a small batch of Husky Paws (Zombie Dust clone).

 

Good stuff in that pot
A peek at the brew as it brews. Smells good!

 

Putting the jacket on the pot
Almost like getting ready for dinner. Gotta put on the jacket.
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