Clean Genes

I had this vision that somewhere in the back of my mind that it was possible that I had a few cleaning genes.  Well, good luck on that...    It seems that we can clean up the joint fairly quickly if pressed, but the button that we need to press doesn't seem to be pressed often.  I should have started in the garage when the weather was nice but now it will have to wait for spring, or at least a lot warmer weather.   

In my perfect world, the yard around the house would look like one of those German forests where all the dead branches are picked up.  Heck, I have dead trees down in the yard and would be miles ahead by just having a fire move through.  Might consider that  if it were not for the fact the house has wood siding and I just don't want it to burn with the much needed forest debris.  

Yesterday I went over to the media blaster's place to see how the bike is doing.  The powder coating guy is in the Air Guard and he got deployed to California until Christmas.   The guy was kind of fearful that I might be upset about the delay.  We had talked about getting the bike back by the middle of December but I reassured him that it was way too darned cold to ride and after New Years will be OK.  We discussed how the powder coating guy might keep the stuff our of some of the critical places where there needs to be threads for bolts.   He assured me that his powder coating guy had a lot of experience and would be careful.  I am sure that if I get the bike to the bike shop sometime between New years and Spring they can put it all back together and working.  I would do a lot of the work if I had all the specialized little tools.  Just removing the pedals on a bike is hard if you don't want to ruin the bearings.

Once upon a time, I had visions of having all my property paid off and life would be a breeze.  Then I woke up to the fact that there was no escrow account collecting the taxes and come December each year they strike with a combined force.   Throw in the insurance climbing each year and it just piles on.  The good news is that Barbara has always raided the minimum balance she wants in the checking account and it so far has not exceeded our ability to pay.  If the income taxes go up by the proposed amount, it will seem like we are making regular house payments again.

I think today may be the day I drag Barb out to look at the Christmas trees.  I think that last year we found the right tree at Home Depot.  We have this great big high ceiling in the dinning room and tall and big are ways to describe what she will want.  Remember that we have this rule, I do structural and Barb does pretty.  It is my job to ensure that the tree stands up and doesn't fall over, and decorate where she wants decorated.  I will carry the boxes up from the basement and hang lights but the finishing touches will be at her direction.   

The other day I went to the store to buy some peanut butter for cookies.  I found some "Turbinado" sugar and used it in the cookies.  It is a rough grainy sugar and just didn't dissolve in the mix.  It was kind of like eating cookies with sand in them.  I also didn't put the sugar and butter together in the mixer so it didn't dissolve well.  Today I will go get some more shortening and this time use real sugar and the mixer.  Oh well, I am the cook not the baker.  

For some reason my blog page has been under attack by some porno sites.  What ever you do, don't click on the links that show up in the comments.  I promise you that the title nakedyoungteens means it.

MUD