So: it's been a while.  I won't bother with getting you caught up on stuff.  Lets talk a lil' bout what's going on now.  Got ten chickens.  Built them a Taj of a coop and they repay by laying about .9 eggs per lady per day.
Troy says that our lil chicken friends are elemental.  So the thought process goes; man can stare at earth (think mountains), fire, and the sea.  These building blocks are massively simple enough to capture our imagination.  He's right.  The ladies are just about the coolest distraction you can imagine.

These are 8/10ths of the crew.  Grandpa and Grandma Kwick contributed two "Bettys" to the crew.  Two feisty leghorns that jumped in and started laying on day one.  We call them Betty bcuz they are pretty like Betty Page.

Well, maybe not that pretty.

Brendan broke the school record in the pole vault.  It was really cool.

Bunric did real good too.  We had fun breaking through barriers.  I believe that she should focus on the 800, but ultimately it's up to her.

Took a quick look back on last years posts and here's a quick update.  I have read a bunch of books (all of them total crap from a critical perspective) that have been a total pleasure.  We took a trip across America.  Saw some awe inspiring stuff out there my friends.  Flipped a house with my Sis.  Started baking bread.  Won the GQ award for beard growth at work.  

I'll be back sooner this time, I promise.  Here are a couple of pic's that will bridge the gap.

Spring?

Thought I was busy, but when I take stock of the last month or so, not much to say for myself.  First thing was biodiesel.  Got a couple of big 250+ gallon IBC's from a local benefactor.  Just need to find a reliable source of waste oil and we will ramp up.

Made a bee hive.  Too late for bee's.  Need to find a swarm.

Went to the local sheet metal shop and had them bend this little beauty up for a mere $30.  Got a $17, four foot long, twin bulb fluorescent light and attached it to the inside.  Next trick was to take some 3/8" flex and run an electrical feed to an appliance switch.  Got a local class company to cut piece of glass to the correct size, then I sprayed it with glass frosting paint from Menards.  Poof; pool table light.

House needs more art.  Too plain.  

Peyton did a makeover thing where they treated her to the whole model treatment.  Lookin' good Rick.  

I still prefer to think of the old days when she wore pink jeans from Target and just thought about flowers and candy and Barbies and was scared of  monsters that you could vanquish by snuggling together tight in bed.  The inexorable flow of time has killed those monsters but bred new ones not so easily destroyed.  

 Made a drawing table to do the work that needs doing.  Bud said my chair needed another set of supports on the bottom.  So that happened too.







We had a good time at both of the Easter celebrations.  Felt like this picture of Grandma Pat and Auntie Tricia doting on Kinley was too good to pass up.  They really love the little ones.

I always feel a little guilty when I get carried away and cuss out Mark Holley or something stupid like that.  No one likes a cusser on Easter Sunday.

Decided to grow a mustache.  I feel as though the green beer that I drank on St. Patty's day may have affected the color.  Also, it came in very "felty".  Not a bad thing; just weird.

Trailer

OK.  So I managed to brew one batch of basic biodiesel and it seems to be running fine.  I used fresh canola  oil and its running in the MB right now.  Bud and Pat have like 10 gallons of waste oil that will be help me make the next step.

I rebuilt Bud and Pats trailer that they were nice enough to let me borrow for the duration of our building process.  I fear that I held onto it too long; they purchased a new aluminum trailer in the interim.  We children are a blessing and a curse. We shot over to Colfax to pick up some steel after work one afternoon.  I think it looks good.

My cousin Marty has moved to Arbor Vitae.  I really envy him.  I used to deliver there and its a cool little community where a great number of diversions exist.  Can't wait to run up there and hang out.  Should probably let him know first.

Train Wreck

 Spent a ton of time rearranging the workbench.  Once done I have a talk with myself and we agree to keep it clean.  It worked in EC, lets see if I can do it here.

Round two of the biodiesel is done and this is what 1.2 liters of Bio looks like after a few hours of settling.  The stuff on the bottom is the glycerin molecule that is heavier and drops away.  the next day I managed to spill half it on the floor when I tried to siphon off the bio.  It seems to be going OK so far.  Gonna try to do a couple of liters of waste oil next.  That's a little of a step up from a chemistry standpoint.  We'll see if I'm up to the task.

Took a couple of minutes to build a stool that seats you at the right height for my bench.  I screwed up the design on the base.  It is pretty sturdy though.  Figured I could work on some timber framing skills for the woodshed/coop that we hope to erect this spring or summer.





Did a little bit of online genealogy and found that everything costs something.  Took a quick look at a scan of the 1940 census saw what must have been my Grandma's handwriting outlining her family members.  Cool to think that she was pregnant with my mom when she wrote that.  Either that or Grandpa Hauser had some really good handwriting.  And. check it out, the Abnet's are right above.

Not Much

Tried to stop a pretty good drip that I thought was coming from the Mercedes' oil pan.  Peeled it off and am convinced that it was sealed pretty good.  Might be dripping from up higher and splashing off of the moving parts and getting everywhere.  Better wait til summer, degrease it and try to figure out whats up.

Brendan went to a one day pole vaulting camp in Madison at the U.  Never too early to start working on your craft.

Meanwhile, back in EC Peyton and I made a beer run.  The side by side blind taste test resulted in a very narrow win by..........

Old Mil!!

Congrats to OM.  Keep up the good work.

X-mas

Me and Pops cuttin' the pig.  Montana, G-dub and Patty in the background.

 The pig roast that we had this year was lot of fun.  If finances allow, we will make it an annual event.  200# oinker and a quarter barrel of Lucette's Farmers Daughter.  Next time 100-150# and a half barrel.

 Couple of pics from Christmas.  Kwick lookin' SOB's, the lot.  A good bunch of people with bright happy futures.  Oh, how I hate them.












Had a split turbo hose on the Liberty.  Took about 20 minutes to swap them out.  Got some new, trick ass, Samco silicone hoses.  For a mere $290, my truck now runs exactly like it did before.  That seems like a very low bargain.

Finished up "The Wire" today.  Pretty good.  A lot like real life.  Is Baltimore really that messed up?  For their sake, I hope not.  Maybe they should just have Terrell Suggs walk around on his days off scaring the shit out of everybody.  Just spitballing.
Hope I can talk my family into watching "Game of Thrones" next.  So far, not much interest.  Being a fantasy nerd keeps me from understanding non-fiction types.

The new seat I got from Santa has been a godsend for my behind.  It got so cold before, that it went numb.  No kidding.

Bernie R. recommends Pabst Blue Ribbon.  I tried a half dozen tonight.  My recollections of PBR include good beer with a powerful headache the next day.  If the 2007 reformulation cured that, I'm in.  It was crisp light and flavorful.  Very good american lager.  I'll go head to head w/Old Mil and see who wins.  Stay tuned.

Got the radon vent in and just need to get the fan cut in the line and everything should be good to go.  Started the tear down on the old trailer that we have borrowed from Bud and Pat.  Updates to come.

Next big venture is biodiesel.  Gonna cook up a test batch from grocery store veggie oil, and if that goes good, ramp up.  Future postings will flesh all this out.

Chains

Did I short sell just how frustrating it was to be stuck at the bottom of the hill with a crapped out tractor in the last post?  I was ready to lose it.  That is an accomplishment in itself in the epoch of the blue pill (being pissed).  Very short bursts, quickly extinguishing themselves.  Not bad.  

After finding that the cheapest I could get tire chains new was $350 and used (if you can find them) was $200+, I got out the old calculator and figured we could make them ourselves for less than $200.  A quick trip to Menards for the chain and the to Farm & Fleet for the more fasteners, and it's true.   They will come in at around $175 and as soon as I got them on I drove up my ice covered driveway in 1st gear.  Nature can suck it; mans dominion continues.  

OK; so for all you kids out there that think that geometry is a waste of time, I am here to tell you that if you intend to be of any use to anyone in the building trades, you need to know what the helm is happening in that discipline.  As a plumber and in the many little things that I mess with living the shed lyf, it is a good thing to know.  Couple of simple calculations, but if you don't know Pi*d you are at a disadvantage.  In the end I was off by 2 links of the chain.  We made all of the cuts without a test fit and it snapped right into place.  SCIENCE!

The very acute observer may notice that I have yet to fix my PTO leak.  Soon my pets; soon.  Gotta shut the MB down for the month of January, it will be oil leak repair month in the shed.  

Shaved the majority of my facial hair off today.  Stood in front of the mirror in only a towel and felt like yelling out "Come up Kinch you fearful Jesuit, entroibo ad altere dei".  That is how plump I am.  Not stately though.

Continuing to fight through work issues.  I will settle into a more professional demeanor at work and explore life outside the CEC.  Going to get the radon vent up at home, get the weights out, do a little big brother work at Lakeshore, feed the hungry, cure cancer, and read a half dozen books this Jan, Feb.  

When the Joe and the boys came over on the 15th, I remembered what I missed about the boy.  He's one of the few that gets right down to it.  He talks about serious shit and expects that you have a response.  I have only him left that I can fall right into that immediate rapport, talking about everything from tits to infinity.  

Prone to that wintertime sadness.  Need to think about heading it off this year.  Always worried about stuff.  Like homework being due and not having anything done.  Crappy feeling to have for two months straight.  

  

39.99

Finished Product Pre-Snow

There are a couple of trim boards and the stone work left, but its mostly done.  The place looks a lot different after getting 15" of snow.  My turn to turn 40 this weekend.  That, coupled with challenges at work, is conspiring to destroy my recent good spirits.  Like Ron Burgandy said, "I am completely miserable, San Diego!"

Put the 7' blade on the back of the tractor and started moving snow.  It was going great and then I ran out of gas.  Filled it up and after it started, made one circuit around the place and it quit again.  It sits for a day or two and we run to Farm and Fleet to grab a 6v charger.  I charged it up and after I got it going I realized that the major issue was the throttle notches were so worn that it kept shutting back down to a super low idle.  Took a good two hours to work it back up the hill that was covered in snow.  Brendan tried pulling me with the Jeep and finally I got a run in 3rd gear and ran up the side hill.  B said it was swerving back and forth and looked a little out of control, but I made it.  Once up I cleared the top part pretty good.  Need chains for the tires before I get too brave and try to go down the hill again.


Joe and a ton of other boys are coming to town this weekend.  Going to see the Hobbit in 3D then home, then beer.  Firehouse better be ready.  If these fools want to go to Shenanigans or something like that I'll throw a tantrum.

Mr. Buckaroo

Couple of pics of our trip to the boundary waters with my cousin Marty.  A really good time with some very good fishing.  And yes, my northern was bigger than Brendan's.