Work- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Well...Another work week in the History Books!

Wait! Aren't you retired, juvat?

Yes, Beans, for three years now from a paying, scheduled, regimented job.  That having been said, retirement requires a bit of work in and of itself. More to follow.

Sarge yesterday was musing about retirement or staying on the job but cutting back.  I'm glad he has that additional choice in his decision making in that he likes his job and the people he works with.  Had I been presented with the opportunity to have returned to  my next to next to next to last job (AKA flying an F-15), is there any doubt in anyone's mind that I'd have jumped at it.  Even if it were the job that followed that one (training and deploying a Joint Task Force team where needed in the Pacific while stationed at Camp Smith HI), I'd also probably be still at it. 

Pretty much the same view I had from my desk at Camp Smith
Source

However, my last job in the Air Force, managing a multi-billion dollar information technology development budget with every Tom, dick (descriptor not a name) and Joe congressman saying they needed me to find $X followed by several zeros for them to give to the "Pick your favorite vote generation" organization frankly made the job...well...SUCK! No way on Earth I was going to stay there.

Followed that up with a teaching job at the local High School after USAF retirement.  Loved the working with the kids.  Since Computer programming wasn't a required course, the kids were interested and therefore fairly well behaved. Were that my sole responsibility, again, I probably would still be there.  However, the powers that be slowly moved me out of the classroom and into fixing, installing and training the Staff and their computers.  

"I don't want to know what went wrong, just fix it!"  

"Dear, what went wrong happened between your ears!"  never made it to my lips, at least during school hours.

So,  I retired retired.  Now, my Boss (AKA Mrs J) is quite pleasant to work for, gives me plenty of time for woodworking and other activities.  She realizes that me sitting on my fat A...(donkey) will do my longevity no good whatsoever.

As an example, this past week, MBD and The Rev asked if Mrs J and I could come visit them in College Station.  They're in the final stages of renovating their new house and needed some help.  

A chance to visit them and our granddaughter, and all it'll take is a little manual labor?

But...Of Course!

So, we're off to CStat, with the 3 Old Dogs in tow.  (Future post to follow on the New Dogs/Old Dogs adventure).

Up early the morning after arrival. First assignment, fix the old fence that keeps the dogs in the yard and out of the muddy creek that runs behind the house. This Old Fart is well aware that it's still Summertime in Texas.  Hot and Humid is the standard forecast.  Get out and rip out the old rotted staves.  That was kinda fun actually, but required a bit of physical activity.  Then started cutting the staves and screwing them into  position.  A couple of them had some small cracks in them so required a nail or two to prevent further cracking.  

Unfortunately, my vision, assisted by an excess amount of a fluid running off my forehead and into my eyes, made hitting the nail... well...difficult!

Bent a nail or two, then, while still leaning over the stave and looking at things, all of a sudden, I noticed not only could I see the nail clearly, but it was magnified.

Seems this watery substance had flowed into my glasses and being clear and fluid, changed the magnification on them.  I was quick to take advantage of this phenomenon and tried to keep my head as steady as I could.  Didn't want this miracle to be spilled.

Got the job finished, then went inside where I consumed at least two quarts of water. Went to take a shower and after stripping down, I came to the realization, that had I jumped into a swimming pool with all my clothes on, they wouldn't be any wetter that they were that morning.

Next project was to rework the living room book shelf.  The house had been a college student rental before they bought it.  Apparently the students themselves had installed the book shelf as very little was square, or vertical in either axis or level.  In addition, MBD wanted the top to be arched.  On a previous visit, I had taken measurements and had cut most of the lumber to those measurements.

There was a moment of trepidation as I approached the target with the first upright piece to install.

First upright is on the left

Stood it up under the top horizontal, gave it a light tap with the palm of my hand....

Great success! While not all the other pieces were quite as good (no two existing shelves were the same size, remember?), all were within acceptable tolerance. Project was handed over to MBD and The Rev for mudding in.

Final project for the week was the mantel.  I had been pondering (AKA thinking at 0300 instead of sleeping) about how to line up the support posts and the holes drilled into the mantle with any accuracy.  Then a moment of brilliance (no doubt brought on by lack of sleep) came to me.  I cut a sheet of the plywood (1/4" thick) the length and width of the mantle.  Double sided taped it to the wall edge of the mantle and measured, marked and drilled the post holes through the plywood into the mantle itself.  Then took the plywood off, taped it in place on the fireplace and drilled corresponding holes into it.

Two guys lifting and me underneath guiding the supports into the holes and voila'.

 

Thank you, Saint Joseph (patron saint of woodworkers) for that flash of insight.

RTB was uneventful, well except for the usual "not safe for family ears" commentary Mrs J informed me I had used as we transited Austin. Both sets of Dogs were happy we were all reunited.  A considerable amount of Ben-Gay has been used to ease my muscles into cooperation, but, once again, all is right in the world.

Now that we've RTB'd, the rest of this year is Birthday, Anniversaries and holiday season.  Which means I'm gonna be in my workshop doing a lot of conversion of good wood into sawdust, with a faint hope of some usable gift coming out of it.

Should be fun.

Peace out y'all!