PRACTICAL ADVICE FROM A BLOGGER?

Practical advice in terms of usable information usually comes from a pro in the field.

From a blogger? Not so much.

You need a trusted source, not some yahoo on a keyboard.

But here we are.

What you’ll never hear on boomerpdx: Take a cold shower in the morning to jump start your day.

You’ve heard this? I call bullshit unless it’s a cold shower after half an hour in a hot sauna.

Even better if it’s hot enough to make you think your hair is on fire and your face is melting.

You’re gonna need a nice cold shower unless you want to sweat it out and keep it pouring out for the next hour.

Besides, after a sauna session you might need a ‘bower’ too.

What’s a bower? A beer in the shower with you. Ummm mmm.

Now that’s a cool down worth cooking for.

Remember, keep it practical. Two bowers.

But why take that sauna?

Well, if you’re experienced like me, there’s nothing quite like a good lift day pumping it up, getting into a good lather, then cold water drinks and a sauna.

Oh, let’s go.

 

Call The Professionals When Needed

Many of us enjoy building small things from birdhouses to slack lines.

Birds don’t complain if you nail or screw a wooden box together and use a hole saw in front for the opening.

Six pieces of scrap wood, four sides, a top and bottom, should do it, unless you’re building a Street of Dreams birdhouse.

But why would you do that?

Screw them all together, hang it up, and the birds will take if from there.

 

A slack line is another level of ‘What’s next?’

I’ve never built a slack line, but I’ve seen YouTube instructions.

Today is slack line day, but for who?

The link shows a process to build one out of existing materials like tow lines rated at 2000 lbs, and the sort of strap truckers use to secure their load on a flat bed trailer.

If you don’t weigh over 2000 lbs this is looking good.

If you have kids in your life, then you have the answer for ‘who is it for?’

It’s for kids, moms and dads, grandparents, and maybe a circus dog.

Sounds like fun so far?

I’ve never walked a slack line, but I’ve done a zip line obstacle course in Thetford, England, which was educational.

The line was not built for a big-ass like me, so the landings were rough.

I carried more speed down the lines, and there were a lot of them up in the trees, and crashed hard each time.

My kids thought it was the funniest thing.

The other adults in the group were not very encouraging with, “David, come down, you don’t have to do it.”

Or did I?

Someone had to show the kids how to have fun. It was painful fun.

 

When To Call The Real Professionals 

If you get into a remodel, thinking about remodeling, plan for problems if you’ve never done one.

Like most over-confident guys who think nothing is beyond them, you can learn a lot by listening to professional builders.

My wife is a big planner, list maker, and coordinator.

Instead of being a butt-hurt hubby who thinks the wife is undermining them, I let her co0k.

I listened to the contractor’s tools whine and grind.

Yesterday the electrician was here and I heard five different tools going at it.

The day before the plumber was here with a few more interesting tool sounds.

Drills, grinders, saws, and more.

Me: What’s the worst situation you’ve seen in a house?

Contractor: It’s usually some Dad or Granddad rigging a temporary fix that ends up permanent.

Me: Hmm, permanent?

Contractor: Like the pipes under your kitchen sink.

Me:

Contractor: It’s waiting to fail and flood.

Me:

Contractor: Whoever did that work didn’t consider the angle of flow. You can’t have adequate draining on level pipes.

Me: Whoever that moron was.

Contractor: It’s a common mistake.

Me: Like hooking a 110 outlet to a 220 wire?

Contractor: That’s a problem.

Me: Like leaving the water on and flooding the ceiling underneath the second floor?

Contractor: Those are both good examples.

Me: I’m glad you’re here.

Contractor: Knowledge, experience, and the right tools for the right job make the work last.

 

The Professional Fix

A week ago one of my tree roots broke my neighbor’s irrigation pipe.

He dug it up and fixed it. Twice.

On the second time he accidentally cut a wire buried in the ground.

It happens, I’ve done it.

The wire he cut was my Ziply fiber internet connection.

I was left without TV, Internet, or wifi.

I missed posting on boomerpdx, something I take personally.

As a persistent poster, I felt abandoned.

But it worked out. My tree broke his pipe; his shovel broke my internet.

Two days later the man from Ziply strung a temporary line from the sidewalk to my router on the side of my house. Or is it a modem?

My neighbor wondered why they didn’t leave any slack in the wire to hide it better.

So did I.

This was a fiber cable, not something fixed with wire nuts and electrician tape.

As an aspiring good neighbor, I’m hoping the same accident doesn’t happen again.

Now I’ve got a trip line where if someone accidentally kicks it, I’m down again.

Practical advice is to secure the line.

I used metal hooks driven into the ground to trap the wire.

My neighbor used a hose clamp to secure his water system.

We’d make a good team, a good example of why practical advice says call the pro.

I enjoy smart people doing innovative things.

To me, a contractor is just this side of holy.

The problem is too many of them see themselves the same way.

If you live beyond your skill level to make the right fix on a complicated problem, take a breath.

Always turn the water off for a plumbing project; always turn the power off with an electrical project.

Do that and you’re on your way.

Live and learn is what I say, which goes along with screw up and die.

You probably won’t die, but something inside you might feel dead.

That’s when you need to embrace the new reality.

Either move to a simpler house, or write the checks.