The Garage

1. The new drywall is up, taped, and compound applied -- all in just over a year!!!2. The workshop side needs pegboard on the left wall but that will be after we paint.

3. The back wall was never finished so that was finally done. You can see it beyond the stuff piled in the center of the garage floor. New cabinets are still in boxes.

4. We are hoping to prime the walls in the next couple days. Then paint after that.
I'm glad I did my first drywall job on the garage. Not many people will see my mistakes. I learned much, made many mistakes, and finally finished it.

Hats Off

Last weekend Kathy co-captained a team that participated in the Relay for Life Troy event.

She spent the entire 24 hours at the event, walking many hours to ensure someone from team was on the track at all times -- a feat not many of us could have accomplished, especially me. The walk was interrupted about an hour and a half by a thunder and lightening storm; teams took shelter in the Troy Community Center adjacent to the site and returned to rain-soaked tents and soggy grass. And they persevered

In addition Kathy devoted hours planning and organizing her team, attending orientation and update meetings, and preparing for the event. Especially impressive was their team sign that held pictures of loved ones affected by cancer, both survivors and not.

Her team raised nearly $5000 for the American Cancer Society. And the 33 teams combined for over $160 000.


Kathy and her team have my admiration and respect.

An Empty Nest Again

Mother raccoon and her tribe have finally left. They lived in our fireplace chimney for about six weeks. We first noticed them because of the little ones' "barking" that must have been shortly after birth. Leo volunteered to help us get rid of them, but with the babies it was more difficult. We did not want to do anything to endanger them.

Kathy kept climbing up on the roof at night when mother goes out to feed and with flashlight in hand peered down the flue to see how the little ones were doing. "They're still there and growing." She would also check by rattling the fireplace screen and would get a noisy response and that also clued us they were still around.

Yesterday Kathy rattled the screen again to get their response and there was none. Up on the roof to check. This time no baby raccoons.

Kathy capped the fireplace flue and cleaned up the mess in the fireplace that fell through the damper.

Now for the state bird of Michigan. A couple robins are trying to build nests on beams extending over the outside decks. But we keep knocking down the nesting material because we do not want to deal with any more little ones.

De ja vu

Another double loss to Cleveland teams by Tigers and Pistons--they also did this previously, last weekend.

First the Tigers go down to the Indians. Four losses in a row to the Tribe in seven days. Tiger injuries are mounting and so are critical losses. We now see how important few injuries was to the Tiger team of 2006 compared to the number of injuries this year: starting pitching (3 at one time or other), relief pitching (3), left side of infield (2). On a positive note they are still second place in the division and Magglio is having a great season.

Then the Pistons drop critical game five at home to go down three games to two to the Cavaliers. Quite a show by LaBron James. Are we seeing the officiating begin shade their calls in his favor? If he did not have a technical foul from earlier in the game, would he have been given a technical late in the game for bumping a Piston after a foul call? When a player bumps him slightly on a drive, why is that a foul when it isn't for other players? The inconsistency in calls makes one wonder. (Of course, Pistons winning makes the inconsistencies moot.)

Emerald Lake

still has the same number of fish it did last week. Kelvin took me out for a half day of fishing, and showed me new techniques and lures. I learned a lot but caught little. If we learn so much by our failures, why am I not a great fisherman by now? But I had a great time nonetheless.


We spent five days visiting, fixing, reading, cleaning.


Saw Addison--Lee and Carrie's new baby girl. She is really cute, slept the whole time we visited (she's only a few weeks old), and has just about the puffiest cheeks ever.


Kathy worked inside while I got equipment going after it sat all winter. Everything started surprisingly easy. One battery needed charging but it is nearly 10 years old. Lee fixed a tire (thanks Lee) so Kathy could mow--Lee had mowed once earlier (thanks Lee).


As we cleared some brush near the entrance to the drive, we came across a woodcock, probably disturbed her nest. We found out later they are not usually seen because of their coloring so we feel fortunate.

We are looking forward to our next trip.

Finally

the Pistons got rid of the pesky Bulls. Have to hand it to the Bulls. They won two more games than I thought after game three. They shot well in those two games but in game six they seemed to come back down to earth. Kudos to their team, Scott Skiles, and their management. They will have to be reckoned with over the next few years.

Why do Chicago fans permit Detroit teams and fans to get under their skins, to become so irritated that they chant obscenities and insults? And why couldn't you stay in the arena and give your team a hand for a terrific season and playoff. Arrogant and spoiled, perhaps.

And Rasheed, sometimes you just have to suck it up, recognize that some calls are going to go the other way and will even out over time, and quit putting pressure on your team to make up for the points you give away.

My sense is the winner of Cavs/Nets series will not fair as well as Chicago did. Both teams are slower, worse long-range shooters, and worse defenders. Pistons in five.

Weathering the storms

Quite a storm last night. Winds blew rain and hail horizontal--warnings of 70 mph winds were on target. I left a couple door walls open and the winds blew in so strong that rain sprayed onto the top of the kitchen counter getting salt and pepper shakers sitting there wet up to their tops. Leaves are stuck to the door wall windows up to the top and on the siding. Only one large branch came down. Now for a little cleanup.

The Chicago Bulls stormed into the Palace making it interesting against the Pistons by winning two straight after the Pistons won the first three. I was wrong about the Pistons sweeping if they won the third game--so much for my picks.

Pistons did something similar to this last year against Cleveland Cavaliers--got off to great start and then had to struggle to win the series. That seemed to take something out of them and they lost to Miami in the conference championship--perhaps they were just not as good as Miami last year.

We shall see what happens Thursday as they return to Chicago for game six.

On the other hand the Red Wings blasted the Ducks 5-0 Tuesday in a surprising offensive show. They now have home ice back in their favor.

And the Tigers showed they can play with anyone as they beat up on the Boston Red Sox Tuesday. After giving up a first inning run, Justin Verlander shut the Sox down until the eighth inning while Ordonez supplied all the runs they would need with a 3-run homer in the third. Still atop the Central Division.