Hi everybody. It looks like Dad & I will be Keywaybeeking in late August, plus a few days in early September. The exact dates aren't picked yet, but that's the plan. I still have to confirm with my cat sitters and get some plane & bus tickets. UPDATE 7/23/16: We'll get there on Sat. 8/27, and leave Mon. 9/5.
Here's the unofficial list of projects I have in the works for this year:
1) Raise the bed in the middle bedroom. I've figured out three different approaches I could take to get this done. Which one's best depends on how the legs attach to the bed frame. I meant to take some pictures of them last summer, but unfortunately I forgot, so I'll have to figure out he best method when I get there. The gap between the bed and the floor is about 5 inches now. If I raise it to ten or eleven inches, there'll be 33% more usable under-bed storage space. The electrical outlet & shelf at the head of the bed might also need to go up a little. Since I don't know which method I'll use, I won't bother explaining all of them here. Cost: $0 to $20.
If someone who's there earlier in August than Dad & I could email me some pictures of one of the legs of the bed frame (well lit, from multiple angles, including from above with the mattress pulled up), that would help out a ton.
Also, if someone has easy access to four #10 cans (opened on one end only), and room to pack them in their vehicle, that would help too. They would help make the raised legs super-stable. If I use them, I'll be sure to pretty them up with some paint or wallpaper. I can get the cans in Michigan, but it's usually a pretty tight fit in Dad's Prius on the way up. UPDATE 8/6/16: Toni took care of the bed raising so, nevermind.
2) Fix the living room radio. I recently restored an old amplifier & equalizer, using something called contact cleaner. They both sound great now, and all the switches work. I could do the same for the old-timey radio on the dish bureau. It would get rid of the crackle when turning the knobs and keep the volume consistent. I'd bring the aerosol spray can I bought, but those aren't allowed on passenger planes. A can on eBay is $8.36, and could be delivered to Dad & Eileen's house. The rubber parts in the radio's cassette player (belt & pinch roller) have likely deteriorated, so that isn't worth restoring. I think I saw external antenna connections on the back of the radio. If so, reception could also be upgraded, possibly to the point of being able to get Tiger games on it (AM only, after dark).
3) Bulletin Board Area De-Uglification. This has been an eyesore for quite some time. Doug said he'd take some measurements this month, and email them to me. The styrofoam will likely be replaced with a real corkboard, and a few things will be moved around and updated. The dump info will be confined to a small folder thing I'm making, so it doesn't take up so much room. If anyone has an extra clipboard they don't need, that would be a welcome addition. Writing cottage notes by hand could get easier. (I have one somewhere, but haven't been able to find it.) It would hang on the wall either underneath the bulletin board or near the porch door when it's open. An emailed picture of the bulletin board area in its current state might also help with planning. Price: Depends on measurements I don't have.
4) Biffy Shed Light Fixture Upgrade. The bulb cage I put out there last year doesn't fit the cheap plastic light fixture that was already installed, so it needs an upgrade to a decent porcelain fixture, for $4 or $5.
5) Office Supply Upgrades. Now that there's more room in the card drawer, some office-supply stuff might make a few things easier. A small stapler would help consolidate the lists, ideas, reminders, receipts & measurements that tend to accumulate in multiple pockets, then disappear as soon as they're needed. (Paperclips are the devil's vacuum food.) A healthy supply of 3x3 sticky notes might help with the Keywaybeek kommunication gap. (As in, "Your useless crap has been moved from X to Y".) I could easily track down that stuff, and a new pencil sharpener, at a dollar store during my pre-Keywaybeek provisioning frenzy. Are there more office supply necessities anyone can think of? A ruler with inches and centimetres maybe? Cost: Not much.
6) Main Shed Light. The only item above that might be time consuming is the bed-raising. As long as there aren't too many rainy days, I could also put a pull-chain light fixture in the main shed. There's no good place to put a switch, and it'd be good to keep the wiring to a minimum with all the sharp & pointy metal in there. The "hydro" would be branched from the CQ or Mid BR plugs. Some of the materials are already there (wire, wirenuts, junction box, etc.). I'd need to get a pull-chain fixture, maybe a little bit of conduit for the in-shed part of the wiring, plus a few other things. Best Guess: <$20. If there's a need, I could also put an outdoor floodlight on the side of the shed, for the parking area. I think it should remain flashlight territory, but it's a possible upgrade.
7) Bridge. I heard that the bridge to the rock dock went missing over the winter, and that there's a temporary replacement for now. Toni's the expert with that kind of stuff, and I wouldn't want to overlook something that could result in someone getting hurt. If a permanent replacement isn't built by the time I get there, I'll give it a shot, but only if Toni supervises.
I took care of the squaredrive screwdriver deficiency with a great deal on eBay. They're not here yet, but it should be five good used screwdrivers for $4.15. UPDATE 7/23/16: They finally showed up yesterday. They cover all the different screw sizes and should be all we'll need.
As I was looking for more flags to add to my collection, I came across this one for $7.99:
Should I get one to leave up there? It could be shipped to someone who's driving up early in August, for use this year. (I'd need a confirmed current address.)
I don't care much about the couch replacement, but if it happens, let's keep the back cushions -- both of 'em. They make great sit-up-in-bed-reading pillows. Also, long story, they help keep me from mildly spraining my left knee while I sleep. For now, the cushions could be thrown up into the attic until I can come up with a storage solution. I have a simple two-birds-one-rock idea for this, but I'll 'splain that in my 2016 cottage notes, if it works. The plywood board under the couch's butt cushions should also be saved.
Once the middle BR bed is raised, it'd be good to make use of the back of the new space under the bed -- the part that's not easy to get at. If I found an appropriately sized box, the board games could be moved out of the orange bureau (which would open up space for some of the swim & floaty stuff cluttering the front porch). The box o' board games would be attached to a short rope tied to the bed frame, so it would be easy to pull out from under the bed. It would leave plenty of room for suitcases in front of the box. What else could be stored way in the back of that space? I volunteer my "Jim's Crap" box.
Do the board games even get used much? I have a 6" lazy-susan I'll donate to the game collection. There are three of them here for some reason, and Scrabble sucks without one. The Trivial Pursuit Q&A cards are unfairly out of date when playing anyone under 30. I'm lifetime-undefeated at Trivial Pursuit, but that ain't why.
I'm also planning to donate a small cooler, for use on the lake, to be kept with the fishing stuff in the biffy shed. Doug wondered if there are more live fish buckets than necessary in there. I have no idea. ("Live fish bucket" might not be the right term -- the big metal cylindrical things.) If an active fisherperson could check them out and rank them or something, that might help.
Reminder: The pot and pan hanger in the kitchen shouldn't be used for cast iron skillets. They're too heavy, and should hang on the wall by the stove.
I've had a ton of computer problems since last summer, so I won't be updating the jukebox. There isn't much new stuff in my collection to add. We'll have to get by with the 36,615 tunes that are already on it. I'm not bringing back the "Older'n Dirt" CDs. From the lack of scratches & fingerprints, it's obvious they weren't played much. If anyone liked them, I can recreate them as playlists on the iTunes jukebox, but I won't unless they're requested.
If there are any ideas, suggestions, objections or obfuscations regarding any of the above, let me know in a comment below, or at yeemøutwest at ¥ahØØ dot com. Please don't write to my gmail address. I don't check it much anymore. My phone number is 8l8=4Øone*four7l8. Fair warning -- because of the heat, I tend to keep vampire hours in the summer.
(Sorry about the hard to read phone number and email. It's a necessary evil to keep internet trolls and marketers away.)
-¥eem
Here's the unofficial list of projects I have in the works for this year:
1) Raise the bed in the middle bedroom. I've figured out three different approaches I could take to get this done. Which one's best depends on how the legs attach to the bed frame. I meant to take some pictures of them last summer, but unfortunately I forgot, so I'll have to figure out he best method when I get there. The gap between the bed and the floor is about 5 inches now. If I raise it to ten or eleven inches, there'll be 33% more usable under-bed storage space. The electrical outlet & shelf at the head of the bed might also need to go up a little. Since I don't know which method I'll use, I won't bother explaining all of them here. Cost: $0 to $20.
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| #10 can dimensions |
Also, if someone has easy access to four #10 cans (opened on one end only), and room to pack them in their vehicle, that would help too. They would help make the raised legs super-stable. If I use them, I'll be sure to pretty them up with some paint or wallpaper. I can get the cans in Michigan, but it's usually a pretty tight fit in Dad's Prius on the way up. UPDATE 8/6/16: Toni took care of the bed raising so, nevermind.
2) Fix the living room radio. I recently restored an old amplifier & equalizer, using something called contact cleaner. They both sound great now, and all the switches work. I could do the same for the old-timey radio on the dish bureau. It would get rid of the crackle when turning the knobs and keep the volume consistent. I'd bring the aerosol spray can I bought, but those aren't allowed on passenger planes. A can on eBay is $8.36, and could be delivered to Dad & Eileen's house. The rubber parts in the radio's cassette player (belt & pinch roller) have likely deteriorated, so that isn't worth restoring. I think I saw external antenna connections on the back of the radio. If so, reception could also be upgraded, possibly to the point of being able to get Tiger games on it (AM only, after dark).
3) Bulletin Board Area De-Uglification. This has been an eyesore for quite some time. Doug said he'd take some measurements this month, and email them to me. The styrofoam will likely be replaced with a real corkboard, and a few things will be moved around and updated. The dump info will be confined to a small folder thing I'm making, so it doesn't take up so much room. If anyone has an extra clipboard they don't need, that would be a welcome addition. Writing cottage notes by hand could get easier. (I have one somewhere, but haven't been able to find it.) It would hang on the wall either underneath the bulletin board or near the porch door when it's open. An emailed picture of the bulletin board area in its current state might also help with planning. Price: Depends on measurements I don't have.
4) Biffy Shed Light Fixture Upgrade. The bulb cage I put out there last year doesn't fit the cheap plastic light fixture that was already installed, so it needs an upgrade to a decent porcelain fixture, for $4 or $5.
5) Office Supply Upgrades. Now that there's more room in the card drawer, some office-supply stuff might make a few things easier. A small stapler would help consolidate the lists, ideas, reminders, receipts & measurements that tend to accumulate in multiple pockets, then disappear as soon as they're needed. (Paperclips are the devil's vacuum food.) A healthy supply of 3x3 sticky notes might help with the Keywaybeek kommunication gap. (As in, "Your useless crap has been moved from X to Y".) I could easily track down that stuff, and a new pencil sharpener, at a dollar store during my pre-Keywaybeek provisioning frenzy. Are there more office supply necessities anyone can think of? A ruler with inches and centimetres maybe? Cost: Not much.
6) Main Shed Light. The only item above that might be time consuming is the bed-raising. As long as there aren't too many rainy days, I could also put a pull-chain light fixture in the main shed. There's no good place to put a switch, and it'd be good to keep the wiring to a minimum with all the sharp & pointy metal in there. The "hydro" would be branched from the CQ or Mid BR plugs. Some of the materials are already there (wire, wirenuts, junction box, etc.). I'd need to get a pull-chain fixture, maybe a little bit of conduit for the in-shed part of the wiring, plus a few other things. Best Guess: <$20. If there's a need, I could also put an outdoor floodlight on the side of the shed, for the parking area. I think it should remain flashlight territory, but it's a possible upgrade.
7) Bridge. I heard that the bridge to the rock dock went missing over the winter, and that there's a temporary replacement for now. Toni's the expert with that kind of stuff, and I wouldn't want to overlook something that could result in someone getting hurt. If a permanent replacement isn't built by the time I get there, I'll give it a shot, but only if Toni supervises.
I took care of the squaredrive screwdriver deficiency with a great deal on eBay. They're not here yet, but it should be five good used screwdrivers for $4.15. UPDATE 7/23/16: They finally showed up yesterday. They cover all the different screw sizes and should be all we'll need.
As I was looking for more flags to add to my collection, I came across this one for $7.99:
I don't care much about the couch replacement, but if it happens, let's keep the back cushions -- both of 'em. They make great sit-up-in-bed-reading pillows. Also, long story, they help keep me from mildly spraining my left knee while I sleep. For now, the cushions could be thrown up into the attic until I can come up with a storage solution. I have a simple two-birds-one-rock idea for this, but I'll 'splain that in my 2016 cottage notes, if it works. The plywood board under the couch's butt cushions should also be saved.
Once the middle BR bed is raised, it'd be good to make use of the back of the new space under the bed -- the part that's not easy to get at. If I found an appropriately sized box, the board games could be moved out of the orange bureau (which would open up space for some of the swim & floaty stuff cluttering the front porch). The box o' board games would be attached to a short rope tied to the bed frame, so it would be easy to pull out from under the bed. It would leave plenty of room for suitcases in front of the box. What else could be stored way in the back of that space? I volunteer my "Jim's Crap" box.
Do the board games even get used much? I have a 6" lazy-susan I'll donate to the game collection. There are three of them here for some reason, and Scrabble sucks without one. The Trivial Pursuit Q&A cards are unfairly out of date when playing anyone under 30. I'm lifetime-undefeated at Trivial Pursuit, but that ain't why.
I'm also planning to donate a small cooler, for use on the lake, to be kept with the fishing stuff in the biffy shed. Doug wondered if there are more live fish buckets than necessary in there. I have no idea. ("Live fish bucket" might not be the right term -- the big metal cylindrical things.) If an active fisherperson could check them out and rank them or something, that might help.
Reminder: The pot and pan hanger in the kitchen shouldn't be used for cast iron skillets. They're too heavy, and should hang on the wall by the stove.
I've had a ton of computer problems since last summer, so I won't be updating the jukebox. There isn't much new stuff in my collection to add. We'll have to get by with the 36,615 tunes that are already on it. I'm not bringing back the "Older'n Dirt" CDs. From the lack of scratches & fingerprints, it's obvious they weren't played much. If anyone liked them, I can recreate them as playlists on the iTunes jukebox, but I won't unless they're requested.
If there are any ideas, suggestions, objections or obfuscations regarding any of the above, let me know in a comment below, or at yeemøutwest at ¥ahØØ dot com. Please don't write to my gmail address. I don't check it much anymore. My phone number is 8l8=4Øone*four7l8. Fair warning -- because of the heat, I tend to keep vampire hours in the summer.
(Sorry about the hard to read phone number and email. It's a necessary evil to keep internet trolls and marketers away.)
-¥eem
Hey Jimmy (will always call you by that name),
ReplyDeleteMom and Dad left today to go up, Dana and Dave going up Friday and Kip and I leaving next Tuesday. I can text a pic of the bed to you if you want to send me your #. Mine is 517-614-4430. Kip will know about the fish holders, he fishes quite a bit when we're there. I'll try to remember and print this list out and bring it with us. Safe travels to you and your dad! Would love to overlap with you guys some year. God bless, Holly
Also, Tom going up Friday as well!!
ReplyDelete