Sheds Finished

Monday: (10/12)  Finally, the new shop and storage shed are mostly finished. It took a while. I started it in April. There was time thinking, plan changes, a couple of trips, some unexpected additional work but it's finally done. We're expecting a really heavy storm tonight so it was just in time. Today we installed the siding and rain gutter.

Breakfast was left over quiche. A bologna and longhorn cheese sandwich for lunch. Ernie fixed corned beef hash and a carrot apple and raisin salad for dinner.

Tuesday: (10/13) A busy wet day. Ernie and I assembled some industrial shelf units and moved much of the shop contents from the temporary tent into the new sheds. Our severe storm had started heave rain by 5am and hasn't slowed by 6pm.

Breakfast was oatmeal. Lunch was Jack In The Box burgers. Lou fixed artichoke chicken with rice and steamed vegetables for dinner.

Wednesday: (10/14) I finished move the rest of the stuff into the shop from the tent. It takes forever to move a pile of junk.

Ernie and Lou erected a temporary fence on the patio area so the dogs can be outside during the day. Dawn is allergic to them and having them in the house all day is to much. The back yard turned to mud with all the rain so they have been inside and walked on leash in the front yard since the rain came. Poor dogs, but the house doesn't need more mud.

Today, fortunately, was not raining. The weather predictions said two days of heavy rain but we only had the one day storm giving  us at least 2 inches of rain. While it was overcast, it didn't leak all day.

The contractor doing the gas line on our street hasn't worked all week. Monday was a holiday, Tuesday it rained and Wednesday it was supposed to rain and they relieved the weatherman.

Breakfast was eggs, bacon and some of Dawn's homemade sourdough toast. Lunch was leftover chicken with artichoke and rice with steamed vegetables. Dinner tri-tip roast, rice, and a green salad.

Thursday: (10/15) Another overcast but nice day.The contractor was out working on the gas line, first time since last Friday.


Ernie and I removed the tent that was my shop for this past year. The walls were garbage, the top blew apart a couple of weeks ago. That tent didn't last as well as the other tent that we've had for several years. I spent the rest of the day tidying my junk and cleaning up the deck and yard. Lou's been busy potting some of the plants from around our big fountain that we're removing. We'll also be removing our detached wooden deck soon.

Breakfast was maple bars thanks to Ernie's morning walk by the donut shop. I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Dawn and Courtney fixed dinner.

Friday: (10/16) The morning was wasted watching the contractors pull in our new gas main. I loaded the car with all the concrete debris, used forms and other junk from the yard and delivered it to the dump. Lou and Dawn went to a craft fair in Los Altos. Ernie and Walter, his dog, went to the vet. Walter hasn't been eating in his usual ravenous style.

Sourdough egg, cheese and bologna breakfast sandwiches. PBJ sandwich for lunch. We went up to Menlo Park to the British Bankers Club for dinner. They had a prime rib special which Lou and Dawn enjoyed. Ernie and I had shepherds pie while Courtney had fish and chips. All very good.


Saturday: (10/17) While enjoying breakfast Dawn spotted a rather long worm. It turns out it's a shovel headed garden worm. Dawn and Lou set up a terrarium for it. Poor thing got caught.


I hiked the Windy Hill Preserve from Portola Valley up to Skyline Road (the top of the mountain). I looks like they lost a lot of trees in our last storm. The tree above split and fell both directions.


The 3 plus miles up on the Hamms Gulch Trail were mostly tree covered, still moist from the recent rain. The smell of eucalyptus and bay leaves was quite aromatic. The group of trees by the Corte Madera Creek were interesting. The view at the top looking out over the Southern bay and Palo Alto was good since the air was nice and clear. The hike down was via the Spring Ridge Trail (mostly a sunny fire road) and Meadow Trail. Coming down was much quicker than the struggle going up.

My camera failed just before I got all the way to the top so I didn't get all the pictures I wanted. I have to get a new camera!

Breakfast of Ernie's apple pie. Pie didn't last so brunch of toasted English muffins. Lunch was a peanut energy bar (for Don). Dinner is refrigerator findings.

Sunday: (10/18) Ernie moved a lot of Lou's molds from her storage shed. Her shed is going to be relocated and has to be emptied first.

I tinkered with my new table saw using it for the first time since I bought it a couple of months ago. My dinosaur huge table saw will be disposed of by sale of give-away soon. I ripped some 2x2's and built one of the shed doors. The return of some rain cut that effort short. Our weather report calls for a good rain tomorrow but if it happens to be clear, I'll get the second door built.

Lou and Dawn started the day with a visit to a rummage sale. They then packed up and headed over to Reno for a girls weekend off.

Breakfast was my usual breakfast sandwich. Lunch was chicken soup and Parmesan French toast. Ernie fixed pork chops, sauerkraut and potatoes in the crock pot for dinner.