It's been an odd week. Though last weekend was a four day weekend, I only slept well Friday night, and for some reason, short work weeks always feel longer than normal ones. That plus the multiple meetings on Thursday really wore my a$$ out. Spent most of Friday trying desperately to focus on the work at hand.
Wasn't easy.
Had a bizarre dream Thursday night. I was sitting in some sort of vehicle, in the back seat, when another guy opens the door opposite me and gets in. Dear Lord if it ain't Bernie Sanders and he's mad as Hell. Then he starts shaking his finger at me and bitching about not running for President. All I could say was, "Wasn't my fault dude, you quit. Not that I would have voted for you, but..."
Still trying to remember what triggered that!
We've had a lot of cloud and bleh this week, The Missus Herself and I were trying to figure out whether or not we had had a sunny day all week. Neither of us was sure, the days are starting to all run together. I have two days on the calendar now, shave day, no shave day. The only way I can tell what day it is is to rub my face when I get up. Really scruffy, shave day, semi-scruffy, no shave day. Bleh.
Had Mississippi pot roast for dinner Friday night (love that stuff, The Missus Herself likes it too). Just as we were sitting down for dinner, The Nuke called. Friday was the day the roofers were coming to replace the roof on her house in Alexandria. She and the next door neighbor went in together as they got a pretty good deal.
She's renting that place out to an Air Force captain and her husband, so she's not there usually. She got a phone call from the roofing crew supervisor saying that they were going to have to replace most of the plywood underneath the shingles, so it was going to cost extra. At some point the roofing guy had a revelation. They were at the wrong address. Same house number, but a different street, not far from The Nuke's house, but different. (It's mostly town houses in that area of Alexandria. Easy to get confused.)
Bottom line is that two families in Alexandria got free new roofs on Friday. As they also had the wrong color shingles, the unsuspecting homeowners were hopping mad as their houses now had gray shingles, every other house had brown, so they wound up shingling those two roofs twice. They also pretty much completely replaced the plywood on both houses. One of the places the rainwater was actually leaking into the guy's attic.
No, the roofing company owners were not real happy with that supervisor. They'll be at The Nuke's place on Monday to "try, try again."
Anyhoo, after spending time "at work" researching stuff for my current task, I didn't feel much like researching stuff for a Friday Flyby nor give you an historical post. Slacking, that's what I did Friday night.
I'm a slacker.
Now I think I'll go walk in the garden, the fog is already rolling in from the sea, looks pretty cool. (And feels pretty cool as well.) That too has been going on all week.
Off to walk, come along if you will, the first few pictures are the sea fog. (Maybe it's bay fog, I dunno.)
I tried to get a picture of the fish for Virgil, but they've heard of him. So they retreated back to the deep end.
No, those are not opium poppies.
Looks like it's time to paint the fence again.
"See" you Sunday.
I'll be right here, slacking...
Those are really beautiful gardens. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDreams I remember puzzle me greatly, especially the ones that I cannot figure out where they came from.
Your comment made me realize that I had the wrong date when I scheduled the post. So if you came back and the post was gone, that's why.
DeleteDreams can be most puzzling!
Now there's a well-ordered yard/garden, one neighbor has a huge clump of ferns like those. Nice mix of colors among the green Sarge. Waiting here for the seed potatoes and onions to arrive, local places were out of stock or closed.
ReplyDeleteThe Missus Herself really outdid herself when she set up the gardens.
DeleteI think I just broke three commandments looking at those gardens!
ReplyDeleteHahaha!
DeleteThose photographs suggest possible retirement income. Would the Mrs. consider launching a business as a "Horticultural Architect" with you being responsible for publicity? Old Guns
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, her own garden keeps her busy enough. She's had that suggested to her a couple of times, both times she said, "No way!"
DeleteYeah, just because you like to cook and are good at it doesn't mean you want to open a restaurant!
DeleteHahaha!
DeleteThere is that.
Your oasis is breathtaking Sarge! And sea fog... I miss sea fog. Perhaps not enough to risk the Da Bern invading my dreams though!
ReplyDeleteYes, that was a bit disconcerting.
DeleteBut the sea fog is amazing. One of the first things I noticed when we moved to Little Rhody. The place we were staying was in Middletown, which is much closer to the Atlantic. We had some impressive fogs in late-August.
Growing up in Vandenberg AFB from 68-70, we got some impressive sea fogs. Very nice. Miss fogs.
DeleteVandenberg is right there on the coast, just looked at a map, kinda surprised me.
DeleteMust have been spectacular!
With the added joy of an occasional launch of ICBMs westwardly. Very nice. Very cool as in weather. Very interesting place to grow up.
DeleteI've seen photos of those ICBMs outbound. Kinda cool when it's a single launch, when a bunch of them are lifting off? Bad juju.
DeleteICBMs are fine when pitching. Receiving? Not so much.
DeleteTrue dat.
DeleteNeat pix. I remember those foggy mornings from my Newport days. Our house was in Portsmouth, just off Turnpike Avenue, so we got fog rolling in from both sides.
ReplyDeleteI've probably driven near your old house over a hundred times. To get to East Main we drive down Turnpike Avenue.
DeleteSmall world!
@CaptainSteve I read that soggy mornings... Slack away Sarge, you've put in a long shift, and I like pretty pictures.
ReplyDeleteI reroofed this place when we bought it in '12. It was leaking into the back room and the front room. Turned into a 3 month marathon of new plywood before the tin, and a bulged disk. I was stubborn enough to finish it off, and I have never been so happy to come to the end of a project. I just got tired remembering all that work....
Well, it has been a bit foggy AND soggy the last couple of days. Saturday dawned bright and sunny.
DeleteMy only roofing experience was our backyard shed, the roof didn't leak but the shingles were red and the house roof (which used to be red) was redone in grey, so the shed followed suit. I knocked that out in a couple of days. Would have been faster if I had done a roof before, but that was my first time. Fairly easy but still...
(Don McCollor)...reroofed my house in GF in the early 1980s. My dad was a carpenter (he could [and did] spot a botched roofing job a block away). Eventually, he would come to visit and check my work. I spent more time measuring and double checking than I did shingling...
DeleteI'm a big adherent of measure 38 thousand times, then cut.
DeleteAnd The Missus Herself wonders why I'm so slow!
Really a nice tour of beautiful gardens. Thanks! You're lucky to have all of that dirt to fool around with. I miss that the most living here in the condo. I had developed over 25 years an extensive Asian-styled garden in our backyard in Santa Cruz. It got to where I could not move the rocks around as easily as I used to. Go figure. Yes, even after that long, you have to adjust some rocks!
ReplyDeleteI tried to grow some basil, thyme, etc., and they all did well. Until the movement of the sun came around to shining directly on them, and ZAP! Instant dried herbs.
Enjoy your dirt while you can. Sometimes it seems like a burden, but in the end it's a blessing.
'Tis good to have a little piece of land where you can grow things.
DeleteNever owned a house until we retired from the Air Force, while homeownership CAN be burden at times, overall it's well worth it.
I hate it when I write a comment and it gets lost in the ozone.
ReplyDeleteEven in the fog (it has a name in the SF Bay Area), the colors in your yard stand out.
You can tell it’s a labor of love.
So, yeah, It’s Kark the Fog, even has a Twitter account with lots of followers.
Actually, the Twitter account came first.
I knew the fog was named Karl.
My curiosity taught me the rest of the story yesterday.
Re-roofing is not on any of my favorites lists, having had the experience two different times at the same house, albeit 23 years apart.
Blogger will eat the occasional comment, annoying as Hell when that happens.
DeleteThe fog in the bay area is impressive, only saw it once, from the air. Pretty cool.
Re-roofing is annoying, paid to have it done twice, decided to be cheap the second time. The results were startling!
Yep. YUUUGGGE Storm blew through night before last. First clue was this morning when Mrs J was mowing (she likes her riding mower, she's happy, I'm happy), and came across a tile from the roof. Went around the house and big section of the back is gone. So...Come Monday...Hello Roofers! (and insurance company)
DeleteDo your free roofers travel, Sarge?
;-)
I thought you had a metal roof?
Deletejuvat - I don't know if they travel, but there's always the chance they'll do someone else's roof!
DeleteI'm guessing the tiles came off the current residence?
The first roofers we used were a disaster, two weeks after the roof went on, a big storm blew through and I found shingles all over the yard. The second roofers we used, it was like night and day, one week after the new roof went on, big storm moved in, hung around, then moved on. Both storms brought lots of wind and rain. The second roof, not a thing came off. Solid as a rock.
Second guy was more expensive by couple of thousand, it was well worth it as he knew what he was doing.
Beans - What if it's the current casa?
DeleteCheap roofers don't use as many nails to hold the shingles on. More nails, more stable, more money.
DeleteMy son is in the roofing business, he learned that same lesson from another fellow's mistake. Told me "Mom, after what Bob did, I ALWAYS double check the address, and try to talk with the folks who live there to be sure I have the right place before we start ripping off roof".
Good rule of thumb for sure, check that you're in the right place!
DeleteI can't blame Booger this time.
DeleteMy first mistake was trying to comment from the iPad; the second, not looking at the reply as.
Yeah, it is the current house. We've had a couple of big storms over the last couple of weeks. My rain gauge says 7+ each, (a bear says that means 2, who knows, all I know is my two stock ponds are FULL :-) ) Did the walkthrough after each and not even a damp spot inside.
DeleteSkip - Been there, done that.
Deletejuvat - Still have to fix the current casa right? I recall you plan on keeping it in service.
DeleteTwo full stock ponds indicate a crap ton of rain!
So is The Nuke getting any sort of discount on her end for said roofing mixup?
ReplyDeleteAs to the next time you need something to do to wear you out and make you sleep well, just look at the status of your picket fence. Shambles. Not strack at all. And, no, I read "Tom Sawyer" and saw some of the movies made out of the story (including one that Disneyed the characters (The names are the same but the plot has been changed to protect the innocent...) which peeved me off to no end) so I won't fall for that whole paintbrush thing. I don't even think juvat would.
Your world is very nice looking, very peaceful. The Missus has done a wonderful job. Nice to be in one place long enough to make long-term changes, isn't it?
As to weather, let us hope the weather at the Cape holds out so we can watch some space launch! Me want space launch!
And, seriously, are you physically tiring yourself out during the day? It may be your body is not liking being not active enough. Before you had two commutes a day, and running around at work. Now you have... your compound. Unless you are more active now, your body won't be physically tired enough and enough good rest when not tired enough equals restless nights.
Thus... painting the fence. Or other semi-mindless activity where you burn some calories and tire out your muscles. Something to think about.
No, she doesn't get a discount, they will be a couple of days late, that happens all the time.
DeleteAs to being tired, my brain just won't shut down, I don't have the cool-off period on the way home and the ramp-up period on the way in. As work is just down the hallway, there isn't enough separation.
Definitely hope the weather behaves down there today. I too want to see a launch!
I had the same thought as Beans - when I got to periods when I can't get to sleep, it reminds me to get more exercise, that usually calms the mind and lets the body go to sleep. As far as a ramp up and ramp down time, since you realize that's an issue, with ramp down probably being more of one, take a walk around the neighborhood for the length of time your commute takes. Let your mind wander a bit as you walk around. It should help a bit.
ReplyDeleteAnd as I've said before, your yard is Gorgeous, and yes, that's with a capital "G". The resident landscape architect and helper have done a terrific job!
I've always found fog to be soothing as long as I don't have to be out in it, especially if flying. The landings in UK fog I've had were startling and jarring at times when looking out and not getting any warning the ground was right there as the wheels touched down - at least I was just a passenger and not the pilot!
Flying in fog? No, no thank you, not even with a good ILS.
DeleteAAAAH, ya get used to it. It doesn't get exciting until it's make the landing or eject. Other than that, it's keep the cross hairs centered and airspeed stable. Glance up every couple of seconds to see if you see the lights, if not, head back down and continue. If you feel a thump and rattle, pull the power to idle and press on the brakes.
DeleteBut there is something positively joyful about taking off when the weather is Delta Sierra below, but the tops are about 1000' AGL and clear above. Right after Daybreak accentuates that feeling.
I'll take your word for that.
DeleteLifting out of drizzle and muck shortly after sunrise, then breaking out of the layer? Yes, it's awesome. Experienced that a few times on our early morning flights to DC. Really spectacular!
Many of my most memorable flying moments is landing the Deuce on the wing of somebody in close to zero weather. The surprise of touchdown when you're tucked in tight was always something. Didn't do that much in the Phantom or 727's for that matter.
DeleteGrammar alert!
DeleteSorry.
Dave #1 - Not sure I could get used to that. THUMP! "Oh, we've landed!"
DeleteDave #2 - What's a little grammar between friends?
DeleteOr... go play croquet with The Missus.
ReplyDeleteHow very English.
DeleteSo how are the newlyweds doing anyway? Did Tuttle become gainfully employed or is the Nuke keeping him in the life he's grown accustomed to? I just realized how expansive your lawns are. Do you have either a service or a riding mower? I had a powered push mower in Tampa which did the job well. If, that is, I mowed about every 6 days. It was a new lawn with lots of fertilizer put in by the developer (we bought the model home) so in the Tampa rains, it grew fast. Doing it in the heat and humidity got old very fast, and I was traveling to the mid-east a lot so I broke down and got a service. Very wise investment. Kept my obscenities to a minimum.
ReplyDeleteTuttle works for Johns Hopkins, Applied Physics Lab I believe.
DeleteI have two guys who do my lawn, I guess you'd call them a service. After all, they do provide me a service.
I used to do it myself, could take up to four hours. It was irksome to do that, week after week. So we hired these guys. Had them for a dew years now, they do a good job at a reasonable price.
Need to get one of those robot lawnmowers and mount a fake tank turret on it. Or a real one with a paintball gun and remote net connections for fun and fun.
DeleteThat would be fun.
DeleteDuring the drought here in Cali a few years ago, many shifted to lawns without grass, going with rocks, succulents, etc. Easier to care for, but never as pretty and welcoming as ones like yours. Now we've had a couple years of average rainfall so no drought and fewer lawns.
DeleteIt wasn't real obvious in the photos but in the past couple of years The Missus Herself has picked up a LOT of succulents. A lot of them around the pond area and a bunch out front. I'll have to get pictures.
Delete