I took a day off Friday to try to get a few things done around the house. In my case, ‘around the house' usually means doing the things I want to do, rather than those things that really need to be done.

If you have to do something, it can't be considered recreation. It's only fun if you can choose not to do it.

That having been said, I opted to put in the attic staircase in my building, finally sealing off the giant hole in the floor that had been there since I constructed it. I had once thought I might put a lift in there, but thought better of it after trying to design one on my own. A set of those pull-down stairs was a better option, since I could do it in a day and the stairs basically would be out of the way when not in use. Besides, the lift didn't seem worth the time and money.

After finishing up that job in about three or four hours, I then moved to the outside of the building, where I put up the remainder of the rake boards and installed the J channel on the edges of the soffit on one side. I had run out of J channel while building the soffit the first time last year and had to wait until the bank accounts built back up so I could afford to go back and buy more metal. Now I just lack the rake metal to finish up the ladder work, something for which I am most thankful. I've never minded heights, really, but I don't fancy the idea of falling. Of course, as the old saying goes, it isn't the falling that bothers me so much as the sudden stop at the end.

Since the roof of the building would be the equivalent of a fall from three stories and I tend to be clumsy, it's best that I stay low.

Later that evening, my family helped me get the building in better order, including throwing out some of the things I had accumulated unnecessarily, like a collection of old refrigerator shelves and door bins (although I kept a few back just in case), some broken things, small pieces of lumber, old computers and computer parts and assorted garbage.

The remainder of the stuff was organized somewhat neatly around the edges, leaving me with a nearly empty room in which to work. That was a first for my building, since the floor and most of the free space have basically been cluttered from the get-go until now.

As I went along, I managed to ‘find' many of the things that have been missing for many moons. Drill bits, allen wrenches, screwdrivers, rolls of tape, rope, wires, plugs, bolts, nuts and nails were all just packed into the building in no particular order. Often things were coming in from different places and had similar contents, but had just been stored in different areas.

As of this weekend, I'd say 90 percent has been sorted and most of the problems rectified. I've even spent several hours trying to sort out several buckets of mystery parts which have been accumulating over the years. These have been catch-alls that end up holding water fittings, bolts, electrical switches, pieces of chains, braces, brackets and a few things that I can't identify but held on to "just in case I ever need them."

After going through four five-gallon buckets, I noted that I may never have to purchase another bolt for the rest of my life. I then wondered why I had been buying bolts and things for the past couple of years in spite of having such a collection. Stymied, I moved on to other questions.

The following day, I started off around 8 a.m. running the tiller through the garden for the first time this year. After making what seemed like an incalculable number of passes, I finally managed to get that chore finished and then made a few trips around the county to take pictures for the newspaper. On the way home, I stopped by a local hardware store and bought a few bags of concrete. Later that evening, I decided mix concrete in my wheelbarrow and finally finish that walk I built outside the building steps. After laying the surrounding foundation from cinder blocks and stepping stones, I shoveled concrete into the frame and laid a hodgepodge of stepping stones.

My elder daughter helped mix the concrete with a hoe and also sprayed it with water, both tasks that she seemed to enjoy. My younger daughter shoveled the dirt out of the form into a pile, which she proceed to play in with relish. I managed to get concrete all over my hands, which obviously dried out my skin nearly to the point of feeling like an old piece of leather. After I finished that job, which required some 320 pounds of concrete mix and several hours of work, I decided to sort out a few more things in the building. I'm planning to get everything organized before I get too old to actually use the building. I'll let you know how that goes As a person with a somewhat manic personality, I tend to get in these situations where I want to work without ceasing. Of course, people like me also can have periods of ceasing without working, so I try to make the most of it once I get going. Now that the sun is coming up earlier and going to bed later, I feel energized and interested in working again.

The entire family took a day out on the New River on Sunday. I had been promising the girls a boat ride for several weeks, so the trip was one to which they had been looking forward. With the temperatures in the upper 70s, the sun was hot enough to give me a slight burn despite the sunscreen. The kids were so covered with SPF 6,000 that their skin didn't even realize the sun was shining. After hitting my propeller on a rock and breaking the shear pin, I figured it was a good time to head back down stream. That's why I always head upstream first-you can always float back down. I anchored near the bank and they got out to play in the water while I fished. They had fishing poles, but both are afraid of worms and fish, a hard problem to overcome and still fish. I caught four small bass and they ended up catching a bag full of rocks and shells, along with a snail, an old can and some old nut shells. Everybody seemed satisfied with the results.
 

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