12.31.2023

 

Happy New Year's Eve!  It seems impossible that 2023 is almost over.  We plan on a quiet evening at home - appetizers and giant chocolate chip cookies for dinner.  Jim will be the only one with any possibility of seeing the new year come in!

Jim did computer work this morning and worked on cutting more steel this afternoon.

High 32.2/Low 29.4

12.30.2023

Jim did computer work this morning (including more fire school work!).  Then he started prepping to put on the new bottom garage door seal.  He first took off the old one...

He made a quick jig to hold everything in place because it was a tedious operation - Jim had to ensure that the edges were tucked in place when it was pulled onto the frame...

So I pulled the end while Jim made sure things were lined up...

You can see how everything had to fit, and it's not like it just slipped on easily.  Jim used a squirt bottle with soapy water to help it slide on.  But we got it!

Then he went outside and installed it back onto the bottom of the door...

A great fit - no mice will be able to get in here!

High 38.6/Low 30.2

12.29.2023

Yikes - another no picture day!  Both Jim and I spent a ton of time on our computers today.  In fact, Jim spent time helping me with my work, doing some scenario drawings for an upcoming fire school class.

Jim did do some steel work today on the air conditioning cage.  He can get pieces cut but he also needs to wait for his steel delivery, which is set for Wednesday.

High 45/Low 40 - light rain on/off

12.28.2023

 No pictures today but we were all busy nonetheless!  Jim had computer work to do this morning, plus he figured out what steel he needs to complete the air conditioner cage and got that ordered.  In the afternoon, he headed to the Drywall Center to see his rep and friend who is retiring.  

Jim and I had an appointment to give blood this evening, so we took my car back on the road and headed into Saratoga for that.  Then we ended the evening with dinner at The Local.

High 44/Low 39

12.27.2023

Jim was able to disconnect and remove the canister from underneath the car today.  One of the things that was so challenging is that this canister bolts to the pan from the top down, which was why he had to take everything apart to get at it.

He got the canister all cleaned up and ready to start attaching...

He replaced bolts when he could but the one on the right was so corroded that he was stressing the plastic connection on the canister trying to get it off.  That part is $950 so definitely don't want to mess it up!  He's leaving the corroded bolt on.

Canister back in place and new cover on!

Putting wheels back on.  This job is basically done - Jim is ordering that end cap, but that should be straightforward to attach once that comes in.  So my car is down from the lift and ready to go!

I had to run to the post office and little store in town this afternoon, so I took Jim's 4Runner.  The last two days have been so incredibly foggy.  Yesterday, there were fog warnings out saying there was less than 1/4 mile visibility.  Today was much better but the lake down the road had such a peaceful, serene look to it.

High 43.5/Low 38.5

12.26.2023

Jim worked on my car today, trying to figure out the best way to get the old cover off the car... 

He had to drill a couple of bolts out but he got it out!  The new one definitely looks better...

You can see he had to tie up these parts to get at it.  To do the job right, he needs to take this canister off and replace bolts - that's on the agenda for tomorrow...

Kyle and Hope came to celebrate Christmas with us - it was fun and good to see them!

Kyle helped Jim move the giant barn door...

Taking it outside and storing in the pole barn until spring.  I know Jim is glad to have that out of the shop.

High 38.3/Low 32.3 - very foggy!

12.25.2023

Hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas!

We can officially say we had a white Christmas - well, sort of.  There was a little residual snow left on the ground from yesterday but it didn't last long.  Still - perfect.

We had a nice, quiet day.  We started with cranberry almond coffee cake for a festive breakfast.  Then we relaxed in the morning.

Jim headed down to the auto bay and got my car up on the lift...

This is the old very rusty part that he needs to get off to replace it with the brand new one.  But it's not as straightforward as he hoped, plus there's a part on this piece that wasn't included with the new one.  Things are never as easy as you hope when you're working with an older car.

We're going to top off the day with a ham dinner and Christmas movies!  

High 40.6/Low 32.2

12.24.2023

Merry Christmas Eve!  Hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

We had a magical start to the day - snow for Christmas Eve day!  It was really pretty and for awhile came down steady with big flakes.  If it can manage to hang around until the morning, we'll call it a White Christmas!  Mom is our official snow tracker and we checked the log for this time last year - we had already had 27" of snow - this year only 7"!

Jim actually painted the car part yesterday with its coat of paint (he used primer first).  It looks too pretty to go underneath the car!

He did the underside this morning...

More cleanup and organizing tasks...

Continuing to cut steel pieces for the AC cage...

Time to get ready for church!

High 33.7/Low 29.2 - dusting of snow

12.23.2023

Jim continued to do computer work in the morning, transitioning down to the metal shop this afternoon.  He has designed a cage for the outside air conditioning unit, so he started cutting the steel for that...

It was a busy kitchen day, so I didn't get down to take many pictures - now it's time for church!

High 30.4/Low 16.2

12.22.2023

 A chilly day as we get closer to Christmas, but still no snow on the ground.  Jim did computer work in the morning, put another coat of paint on the car part, and then headed out in the afternoon for some errands.

Mom and I made our second batch of Christmas cookies, so a good way to spend a chilly day!

High 29/Low 13.6

12.21.2023

It felt like winter today - chilly and breezy.  But no snow.

We all had dentist appointments this morning.  Jim came home after his, and Mom and I headed into town to do some grocery errands.

Jim is making good process on his organization project - his drawers are looking so good! 

The new garage door seal for the pole barn door came today - Jim has it unrolled to flatten it out before he installs it...

Also in the mail was the replacement cover pan for underneath my car - it was supposed to take 12 weeks but came quickly! 

The first coat of rustoleum on the part for extra protection before he installs it...

Jim really likes his car lift, but the handle that he uses to control the manual locks for the lift is very sloppy.  He took it apart and used the Shopsmith with a sanding attachment to open up the hole a bit...

Then he fit in a much sturdier pin...

You can't tell, but the old pin was so wobbly.  Jim got it all reattached to the lift.  He won't be able to tell if it improved how it works until a car is on the lift, but the handle is much, much better.

High 30.5/Low 17.7

12.20.2023

 Mom had an eye doctor appointment this morning, so we headed out for that.  Jim did more computer work in the morning, then did more housekeeping in the afternoon...

Putting the cover on the MINI...

All covered and the tarp is back in place for protection...

High 34.2/Low 20.3