Next month, my dad and I are tackling a home remodeling project where we'll replace two old windows and re-side a portion of the house. The windows are different sizes from what is currently in place, so we have to create new rough openings, make some minor repairs inside the house where the new windows will be installed and then eventually re-side two portions of the front of the house. This type of construction is what we've done on our house in the past - but dealing with vinyl siding is something we both have never dealt with before. My dad is more familiar with installing new windows more than I, but it has been years since he's done such work. So we're going to be a little rusty when it comes to actually performing the work in the new month. But I must admit, doing these kinds of projects really gets me worked up and it's something I enjoy doing.
We've made big improvements to the house over the years. Probably the biggest project we've ever finished was an addition to our garage. I can't remember the exact dimensions - but it was somewhere around a 24' x 18' addition. We had an old storage shed where the new addition currently sits and it sat atop a small embankment. It was an older building - if I was to guess when it was constructed, I'd say the 1950's or '60's at least. The timbers supporting the structure were beginning to rot and the embankment was slowly starting to erode away. We were running the risk of having the building slide into our existing garage, so we decided to make the move and demolish the old shed. It was something I really looked forward to doing, that I ended up tearing the entire shed down by myself. I was probably 15 or 16 years old then. It only took me a couple of days to bring the structure down, too. It wasn't a huge building by no means, but it probably was something that should've been handled with two people. But I was so eager and anxious to get the structure down - I didn't need any help. And I took the building down piece by piece. There were no backhoes, power tools, or other heavy machinery used to bring it down. All I needed was a crowbar or two and a hammer. I actually enjoyed it.
Once I had everything cleared from the old building site, my dad decided that he wanted something to replace the old shed. And seeing that the old building sat directly behind the garage, the piece of land would be perfect for an addition. The only trouble was, the building site was built up some six to ten feet above the existing garage structure, so we had to have the area dug out. What made it even worse was that the area could not be accessed with a backhoe because of terrain and building issues. My dad and I had to dig the entire area out by hand in order for any thoughts of an addition being built there could happen. So that's what we did. We hauled load after load of soil over to my uncle's property where we helped him build a new road on the backside of his property to access one of his buildings. Eventually the digging got even tougher as we got into some bedrock. I remember my dad and I swinging a big sledge hammer to break up many different slabs. We eventually hauled this gravel-like material over to my uncles and laid that ontop of the soil we previously put down on the new road. Heck, we became road builders, too!
I think it took us two years before the area was finally dug out enough to where construction could finally take place. However, we had to have some material brought in - sand to be specific, so a cement floor could be laid. Also, since the south end of the new addition would actually be built into the ground, much of the walls on the south and west side had to be constructed of cement block. Neither one of us had ever dealt with laying cement walls, so we had that and the pouring of the cement floor contracted out with a couple of local guys. They did a decent job and I know they were much quicker with it than both my dad and I ever could've been. So we let the cement cure for a good few weeks at least before we purchased lumber and started building walls. And really, we didn't have too many walls to build since a lot of the structure would already be cement. That part was probably the easiest. Once the walls were completed, our biggest challenge would be setting the roof trusses. My dad ended up recruiting my uncle and his son to help us out. And with those two extra helpers, it really went fast! Before we knew it, we were able to start tacking down some plywood. I do remember my dad becoming very frustrated in building new valleys for the addition connecting to the house - which he needed my uncle to come back and help us with. So with that out of the way, we were able to put on a roof. We went with a metal roof for the addition, which I think looking back, my dad probably wished he went with shingles. But nontheless, what's done is done. He's now looking to put metal roofing on the rest of the garage as the old portion of the garage is shingled.
Eventually we'd get the metal roof installed, have the windows and doors installed, put up the siding, and the structure would finally be all-weather proof. Our work would now be focused on the interior, where we'd make the new addition more of a work shop and portion to the east side set aside for a sauna. The sauna took us some time to complete as we had to construct it with cedar paneling and make it moisture resistant. When it was done, it was certainly worth the wait. Heck, after nearly 10 years later, our sauna is still often used. And our new garage workshop gave us much more room for storage. We really ended up doing a good job with the project which is why it's one of our most memorable home remodeling projects ever.
My dad and I probably are not done with the home remodeling work on the house yet. Just this afternoon, he was discussing with me his plans to buy two more windows and replace them in his bedroom. I know we were looking at doing this next year - but he may be seriously considering doing this fairly soon. Whatever the case, it needs to be done. The house isn't getting any younger and he really needs to get it fixed up before he retires. Then, he won't have to worry about any major improvements to the house for the rest of his life. Whether we do that this summer or next, I know it won't be the end of our construction work. And I'm not afraid to admit that I certainly don't mind.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Roadgeek
So, are you a roadgeek? I admit that I qualify under that term. And there's a majority of people out there who probably don't know what a roadgeek is. Well simply put, the definition of "roadgeek" as found on Wikipedia is this: "an individual involved in "roadgeeking" or "road enthusiasm" - an interest in roads as a hobby." As far as I can remember, I've always been interested in roads and road construction. Now there are such people out there who are hardcore roadgeeks where they travel hundreds if not thousands of miles across a particular region just to see what the particular numbered state route or freeway looks like. Take for example in Michigan, where hardcore roadgeeks travel all across the state to "clinch" their trips to see all of the M-numbered highways, US-numbered highways, and Interstate highways in the state. Some even take pictures of the designated highway shield as proof they've been there. Now I don't take it that far and if I happen to be traveling through a particular area that I've never driven or haven't visited in awhile, then I take notice but always focus on the roadways. I admit, seeing the discrepancies in highway construction and planning can be quite fascinating.
Take for example here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As many of you may know, the U.P. is pretty isolated with miles of trees taking up a lot of the acreage up here. Most of the highways here are two-laned, except when you hit the bigger towns and cities where they tend to be four-laned. The U.P. is home to only one Interstate highway and that's I-75 that starts at the Mackinac Bridge in the Southeastern corner of the U.P. and heads north to Sault Ste. Marie where the highway heads up into Canada. I live in the central portion of the peninsula and it's pretty rare for me and my family to see that end of the U.P. since it's a couple of hours away. If we go anywhere out of the area, usually it's to the south and west. We have at least five US-numbered highways with the majority of them being two-laned (but four-laned in bigger towns and cities). And then of course the state routes, which have the letter "M" in front of the route numbers, like M-28 which is the longest route in the Upper Peninsula. These are very similiar to the US routes up here. There's not a lot of major road building that takes place up here. The population generally stays pretty flat from year to year, so the state department of transportation doesn't feel the need to upgrade the routes to freeway standards. And for the most part, I agree with their decision making. However, they could stand to invest a little more money in the highway transportation needs up here.
You take for example the state of Wisconsin. US-41, the major north to south route up here, makes it's way south through eastern Wisconsin, beyond Milwaukee and heads out of state. Wisconsin is currently undertaking a major upgrade to the final segment of the highway that's two-laned between the communities of Oconto and Peshtigo. Currently it's a busy stretch of road with many vehicles traveling north or south on just two lanes. Traffic accidents have been more frequent as well, so Wisconsin stepped up the plate and began upgrading the route. So the need to upgrade that strech of roadway makes sense. So what are they doing here in Michigan on US-41? Not much of anything. But then again, the state of Michigan is hurting financially as it is. So it's not really much of a surprise that the state is laying low in expanding their routes. They're having a hard enough time as it is maintaining good pavement quality on their roads statewide as it is. But here in the central and western Upper Peninsula, a major north to south four-laned divided highway is sorely needed. Heck, we don't even have a divided highway that goes east and west along the entire length of the peninsula. And I know what the traditionalists and preservationists are gonna say - if you want to keep the U.P. scenic and natural as it is now, don't build major highways. But goods and services need better means of getting across the U.P. than on two-laned highways. Also, if we're to have more higher paying jobs come to our area, we need the bigger highways. It's as simple as that. Marquette, the largest city in the Upper Peninsula, is not served well by our current highway system. Major development is occuring along the highway through the city already and it's causing the roadway to become very congested. So there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to transportation issues here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
I could go on and on about roadway issues up here, but I'm probably boring a lot of people out there on this topic. It's a topic I am passionate about and hopefully someday the traffic issues up here will begin to be improved. Obviously it's not going to happen overnight and with the way our economy is these days, it may be years and years before we finally see something evolve. Like I said earlier, it's not like our roadways up here are congested beyond belief and there's no relief in sight. Most of the highways up here are adequate but there are areas needing improvement. I see how much more aggressive the state of Wisconsin is when it comes to repairing and doing major construction on their highways and it's often like night and day between the two states. Then again, they pay more for their gasoline taxes to repair their highways. They say the state of Michigan's roadway system is crumbling with each passing day. And with an antiquated funding system currently in place for our roads, they'll only get worse before they get better. That's a pretty scary thought. Before you know it, we'll be driving on gravel roads more than paved roads soon enough (locally, at least).
Take for example here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As many of you may know, the U.P. is pretty isolated with miles of trees taking up a lot of the acreage up here. Most of the highways here are two-laned, except when you hit the bigger towns and cities where they tend to be four-laned. The U.P. is home to only one Interstate highway and that's I-75 that starts at the Mackinac Bridge in the Southeastern corner of the U.P. and heads north to Sault Ste. Marie where the highway heads up into Canada. I live in the central portion of the peninsula and it's pretty rare for me and my family to see that end of the U.P. since it's a couple of hours away. If we go anywhere out of the area, usually it's to the south and west. We have at least five US-numbered highways with the majority of them being two-laned (but four-laned in bigger towns and cities). And then of course the state routes, which have the letter "M" in front of the route numbers, like M-28 which is the longest route in the Upper Peninsula. These are very similiar to the US routes up here. There's not a lot of major road building that takes place up here. The population generally stays pretty flat from year to year, so the state department of transportation doesn't feel the need to upgrade the routes to freeway standards. And for the most part, I agree with their decision making. However, they could stand to invest a little more money in the highway transportation needs up here.
You take for example the state of Wisconsin. US-41, the major north to south route up here, makes it's way south through eastern Wisconsin, beyond Milwaukee and heads out of state. Wisconsin is currently undertaking a major upgrade to the final segment of the highway that's two-laned between the communities of Oconto and Peshtigo. Currently it's a busy stretch of road with many vehicles traveling north or south on just two lanes. Traffic accidents have been more frequent as well, so Wisconsin stepped up the plate and began upgrading the route. So the need to upgrade that strech of roadway makes sense. So what are they doing here in Michigan on US-41? Not much of anything. But then again, the state of Michigan is hurting financially as it is. So it's not really much of a surprise that the state is laying low in expanding their routes. They're having a hard enough time as it is maintaining good pavement quality on their roads statewide as it is. But here in the central and western Upper Peninsula, a major north to south four-laned divided highway is sorely needed. Heck, we don't even have a divided highway that goes east and west along the entire length of the peninsula. And I know what the traditionalists and preservationists are gonna say - if you want to keep the U.P. scenic and natural as it is now, don't build major highways. But goods and services need better means of getting across the U.P. than on two-laned highways. Also, if we're to have more higher paying jobs come to our area, we need the bigger highways. It's as simple as that. Marquette, the largest city in the Upper Peninsula, is not served well by our current highway system. Major development is occuring along the highway through the city already and it's causing the roadway to become very congested. So there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to transportation issues here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
I could go on and on about roadway issues up here, but I'm probably boring a lot of people out there on this topic. It's a topic I am passionate about and hopefully someday the traffic issues up here will begin to be improved. Obviously it's not going to happen overnight and with the way our economy is these days, it may be years and years before we finally see something evolve. Like I said earlier, it's not like our roadways up here are congested beyond belief and there's no relief in sight. Most of the highways up here are adequate but there are areas needing improvement. I see how much more aggressive the state of Wisconsin is when it comes to repairing and doing major construction on their highways and it's often like night and day between the two states. Then again, they pay more for their gasoline taxes to repair their highways. They say the state of Michigan's roadway system is crumbling with each passing day. And with an antiquated funding system currently in place for our roads, they'll only get worse before they get better. That's a pretty scary thought. Before you know it, we'll be driving on gravel roads more than paved roads soon enough (locally, at least).
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Steel
It's amazing how quickly things can change in a matter of years; especially if you look at the steel industry in the United States. Earlier this decade, the steel mills and iron ore mines across this nation were struggling big time. Many were closing up completely or companies were consolidating. When I was a summer student were I currently work in 2003, we were amongst a large group of our fellow hourly workers where a group of management told us how bleak things looked for the future and how we'd probably only sustain another five years of operations. Now fast forward to today - where we can't make enough steel for demand. Prices for steel are through the roof and continue to go higher. Look at scrap iron across this nation, the money for such commodities is incredible. And guess who we have to thank for this? The Chinese, of course!
The mine where I work has always been targeted for closure even when I was a summer student. When the steel industry was going through a rough patch in 2001, the company made numerous cutbacks and nearly shuttered the mine completely. You can bet they're glad they didn't. Now, old grinding mills that haven't ran for close to two years are being brought back to life. Basically when they were shut down for mechanical problems, they were deemed too unimportant to fix and re-start. We were doing just as good focusing on the grinding lines we had running and repairing those on a timely basis. Now it appears we need every grinding line we can get. The company has contracted out the work on these two particular lines and contractors are all over the place repairing corroded structural steel, installing new equipement, and basically making these grinding lines like brand new. It's an amazing transformation to the old mill and I kind of find myself in amazement to see it all happen. Additional grinding lines are also being looked at to see if they can be brought back into the system as well; but those require much more extensive repairs since they've been down much longer than a couple of years. In addition, our plant has two filter bays - an old side and a new side. On the old side, several of the old filters have been shut down for years because the tank that holds the slurry before it gets dried had become too corroded and were rusted out very badly. The company is installing three new filter tanks, allowing us to filter much more dirt. We also need vacuum in order to dry out the dirt as they are filtered in the filter bay. One of the components that allows us to do this is running vacuum pumps. Many of the vacuum pumps on the old side are old - circa 1950's and 1960's and when they break down, parts end up being hard to come by because those pieces of equipment are basically obsolete. So the company has purchased a brand new vacuum parp - a much more modern version that's over twice the size of our older pumps which should increase our vacuum capacity greatly. It's so great to see this much work being completed in the old mill. Heck, in three short years, we were scheduled to close. Now would the company be putting this much money into the plant if we were going to close then?
But of course, the company did hold an important news conference about a month back annoucing the expansion at our mine. The life of the mine has been extended until at least 2018 - and I've got to believe it'll be longer than that. And it's also rather hard to believe that in almost a month, our current labor contract will expire. As of now, a new contract has not been reached but probably the most suprising thing of all - none of us have heard a thing about how contract negotiations are going, whether it looks like we're going to strike or not, or if the company plans on hiring scabs to run the facilities if we go on strike. Because the way it looks right now, all indications are that management will run the two mines in our area with scabs or salary personnel. It's actually amazing how different the mood of the employees is between 2004, when the last contract was hammered out to now. I mean, the company is making billions of dollars and the morale of the employees, for the most part, is good. Now, that's not to say that things could change very quickly in just a matter of days. That's the funny part about where I work - one day things are so positive and everyone's sprits are high, then the next day everyone is down in the dumps because of some negative rumors. It's like a rollercoaster ride; you never know which part of the track you'll be on from day to day.
So needless to say, things at work right now are quite positive. I know I've discussed the contract situation in this blog in the past and the uncertainty that awaits everyone working in the mines. I wouldn't say the uncertainty has diminished completely; but it's diminished a lot. I would be quite surprised if we end up on strike considering how well the company is doing and the amount of work that is occuring within the plant itself. But in this day of shrinking pensions and eliminated health care plans, you never know. I know we're looking at the opposite end of the spectrum with this comparison, but look at GM. They were once the pride of America. Now they are struggling to stay afloat and are taking the medical coverage away from their retirees. The company that I work for just might follow that trend despite the good times that we're currently in. But that's what we have a union for; to fight to save those important issues. Do I expect to have a pension when I retire in 2030 or beyond? Probably not; but that's what my 401K is for. Always expect the unexpected in the steel industry.
The mine where I work has always been targeted for closure even when I was a summer student. When the steel industry was going through a rough patch in 2001, the company made numerous cutbacks and nearly shuttered the mine completely. You can bet they're glad they didn't. Now, old grinding mills that haven't ran for close to two years are being brought back to life. Basically when they were shut down for mechanical problems, they were deemed too unimportant to fix and re-start. We were doing just as good focusing on the grinding lines we had running and repairing those on a timely basis. Now it appears we need every grinding line we can get. The company has contracted out the work on these two particular lines and contractors are all over the place repairing corroded structural steel, installing new equipement, and basically making these grinding lines like brand new. It's an amazing transformation to the old mill and I kind of find myself in amazement to see it all happen. Additional grinding lines are also being looked at to see if they can be brought back into the system as well; but those require much more extensive repairs since they've been down much longer than a couple of years. In addition, our plant has two filter bays - an old side and a new side. On the old side, several of the old filters have been shut down for years because the tank that holds the slurry before it gets dried had become too corroded and were rusted out very badly. The company is installing three new filter tanks, allowing us to filter much more dirt. We also need vacuum in order to dry out the dirt as they are filtered in the filter bay. One of the components that allows us to do this is running vacuum pumps. Many of the vacuum pumps on the old side are old - circa 1950's and 1960's and when they break down, parts end up being hard to come by because those pieces of equipment are basically obsolete. So the company has purchased a brand new vacuum parp - a much more modern version that's over twice the size of our older pumps which should increase our vacuum capacity greatly. It's so great to see this much work being completed in the old mill. Heck, in three short years, we were scheduled to close. Now would the company be putting this much money into the plant if we were going to close then?
But of course, the company did hold an important news conference about a month back annoucing the expansion at our mine. The life of the mine has been extended until at least 2018 - and I've got to believe it'll be longer than that. And it's also rather hard to believe that in almost a month, our current labor contract will expire. As of now, a new contract has not been reached but probably the most suprising thing of all - none of us have heard a thing about how contract negotiations are going, whether it looks like we're going to strike or not, or if the company plans on hiring scabs to run the facilities if we go on strike. Because the way it looks right now, all indications are that management will run the two mines in our area with scabs or salary personnel. It's actually amazing how different the mood of the employees is between 2004, when the last contract was hammered out to now. I mean, the company is making billions of dollars and the morale of the employees, for the most part, is good. Now, that's not to say that things could change very quickly in just a matter of days. That's the funny part about where I work - one day things are so positive and everyone's sprits are high, then the next day everyone is down in the dumps because of some negative rumors. It's like a rollercoaster ride; you never know which part of the track you'll be on from day to day.
So needless to say, things at work right now are quite positive. I know I've discussed the contract situation in this blog in the past and the uncertainty that awaits everyone working in the mines. I wouldn't say the uncertainty has diminished completely; but it's diminished a lot. I would be quite surprised if we end up on strike considering how well the company is doing and the amount of work that is occuring within the plant itself. But in this day of shrinking pensions and eliminated health care plans, you never know. I know we're looking at the opposite end of the spectrum with this comparison, but look at GM. They were once the pride of America. Now they are struggling to stay afloat and are taking the medical coverage away from their retirees. The company that I work for just might follow that trend despite the good times that we're currently in. But that's what we have a union for; to fight to save those important issues. Do I expect to have a pension when I retire in 2030 or beyond? Probably not; but that's what my 401K is for. Always expect the unexpected in the steel industry.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Neighbor Troubles
Once upon a time, we had a wonderful neighbor that lived next to us. She was elderly but minded her own business. Actually a lot of times, she wasn't even around because she'd be galavanting with her two sisters. She kept her property in good shape; always mowed her lawn when it started getting long and did the usual maintenance to the house and other out-buildings when they needed it. In fact, upon our suggestion that she have two maple trees on her property cut down because they were beginning to rot, she did so. We even made the slight suggestion that she cut down a large white pine tree nearest to our house but actually on her property because it could pose a hazard to our house if it were to fall; and she granted our wishes and had it cut down. It was often thought that she had the nicest home in the entire community. She even went out and bought very beautiful and extravagant hanging baskets to hang up along her sidewalk. I mean, there was no denying it, she really kept her home in nice shape and it certainly didn't go unnoticed, especially by us. And we'd even help her out on occasion and we definitely didn't mind.
But then she began ailing. She had surgery done on her back and ever since that point, she was never the same. Gradually her health had gotten worse and worse. By that point in time, we had taken over the lawn mowing duties at her place and still managed to keep the grass in tip-top shape. By the next spring, she was gone. She had succumbed to whatever disease was ailing her and it was actually quite sad to know we'd never see her around. It's funny; even though we have new neighbors own the property (whom I will be discussing as we go along), we still refer to it as her property. I don't think that'll ever change because we're so accumstomed to her owning it. And even though we didn't know her really close, I certainly couldn't help but feel a sense of loss when she was gone. It just felt weird that we wouldn't see her walk around and make her precense known. I am sure you know how hard it is to accept change whenever something is different for the first time in years. This was one of those situations for us.
Her house would be vacant for a few years and during those two summers, we continued to keep the lawn in good shape. Her daughter would check in on the place every now and again and would pay us for taking care of the lawn. But other than that, there it sat. Then came word late in the winter that there was someone interested in the place. They were very serious in buying the house and the daughter was a very motivated seller (y0u can understand after it sat for two years). We knew the inevitable situation of someone else owning the property was coming; it was still rather hard accepting it. But knowing it was someone I knew from high school made that fact a little easier to take. Recalling from memory what he was like in high school, I thought he would do a really good job of maintaining the property from falling into disrepair. I couldn't believe how wrong I ended up being.
First of all, even though the chances are pretty slim that the people I am talking about in this blog ever catch wind of this; there's always that chance. So let me say that I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings by writing about this situation. In fact, I think it's best to leave out names to keep this annonymous as possible. But the reason I am bringing this up is to let out some of my family's and my own frustrations. It really is a nice way to vent about something and that is what I am doing in this blog. Anways, during the first summer they starting living next door, we noticed that the lawn was being seldom mowed. Every two to three weeks, he'd end up mowing. By the time we got into late summer, they were pretty much saved by the fact that it didn't rain for some 70 plus days so the grass basically dried up and died. Once we got rain into early fall - the grass did start growing again, but it wasn't mowed again the rest of the season. Now let's jump ahead to this summer. It ended up being a very cool spring and the grass was late in growing. Finally by the last week in May, we started mowing our lawn because it had gotten long enough. You know how long it took the neighbors? About three weeks after we mowed ours. It was like a hay field it was so long. My mom was beginning to get very frustrated with the lawn situation that she was going to talk with someone involved with the village council. It never did get that far as they finally had some motivation and started mowing the long grass. From what I understand, people out in the community were discussing the neighbor's lawn. I have a feeling someone from the village council gave them a warning about their lawn or they were hearing so many negative comments "out there" that they felt they should do something about it. Ever since then, they've had a teenage boy come over every Monday and mow it.
Then late last fall, they were having trouble with their septic tank. Sewage was starting to back up into their basement, so they decided to have it pumped out. Not knowing where it was, they had someone with a back-hoe try to "poke" around and see if they could find it. The back-hoe operator ended up breaking a sewer line near the tank itself. So they had to get that fixed and also had the septic tank pumped out. You can't blame any of this on them because it was the previous "owners" that left them to deal with this. It was getting very late in the season and we were in and out of freezing temperatures. They had everything set in place; all they had to do was put the dirt back in around the broken pipe and ontop of the tank and they'd be in good shape for the winter. Well, they never got around to it and that big mound of dirt and uncovered septic tank cover remained during the freezing cold months. They were lucky to have a back-up septic system; otherwise there'd be no way they could live there without an adequate septic system. So this spring, the mound of dirt stood there until at least mid-May before the neighbor finally borrowed his father's tractor and pushed it all into the hole that was dug for the septic tank. Not only did the tractor create rut marks in the lawn that still exist, he didn't bother removing the large boulders that came out of the hole and pushed those in along with the rest of the mound. So needless to say, the dirt was never properly smoothed out and even at this point, that area of the lawn isn't even being mowed because it's so uneven and jagged with rocks. They've even had to dig up the septic tank cover one additional time recently to get the tank pumped out again. If they continue to have problems with it, they just might need a new septic system; something they can't exactly afford at this point in time.
The shovels, rakes, and various other tools they used to dig up the lawn and dirt around the septic tank prior to getting a back-hoe have remained near their front porch ever since last fall. They are still resting up against the house at this very time. They did have one of the boy's they regularly hire to mow the lawn try and clean up the area around the septic tank cover. They managed to fill up a wheel barrow full of weeds and rocks and left it near their main entry way for a good month at least before it was finally disposed of. A spare tire from the Toyota pick-up they often borrow from his father is sitting on the corner of their sidewalk near their main entryway to the house and it's sat there since early spring. A lot of good that's going to do when the truck gets a flat tire several miles away. Rugs they've brought to "air" out several months ago are still draped on the back fence or on the clothes line. I could go on and on regarding certain things but I'd be here all night and I've got to end this particular blog at some point.
So I guess you could say we have our challenges when dealing with our new neighbors. Obviously we knew things weren't going to be the same when they moved in, but we didn't expect things to be as bad as they are. But let me say something about them personally before I continue bashing on their upkeep; they are pretty decent when talking to them and it's not like they are nasty or rude. It's just they lack motivation when it comes to finishing jobs on their property or putting tools away. A lot of things sit for months and months before one of them does anything about it. And most of the time, it's the man of the household that does anything. I think I've only seen her lift a finger once since they've started living there. All she does is take care of her own "humane society" of pets. And she has a lot of them!
It's not like me to talk negatively about anybody but sometimes, it's justified. I am sure this isn't the end of our game of charades with the neighbors, but at least we're not involved in some nasty feud with them. It just gets rather tiresome seeing all of the junk laying out in the yard for months and months before something is ever done about it. I am sure this isn't my last blog talking about them either! Stay tuned...
But then she began ailing. She had surgery done on her back and ever since that point, she was never the same. Gradually her health had gotten worse and worse. By that point in time, we had taken over the lawn mowing duties at her place and still managed to keep the grass in tip-top shape. By the next spring, she was gone. She had succumbed to whatever disease was ailing her and it was actually quite sad to know we'd never see her around. It's funny; even though we have new neighbors own the property (whom I will be discussing as we go along), we still refer to it as her property. I don't think that'll ever change because we're so accumstomed to her owning it. And even though we didn't know her really close, I certainly couldn't help but feel a sense of loss when she was gone. It just felt weird that we wouldn't see her walk around and make her precense known. I am sure you know how hard it is to accept change whenever something is different for the first time in years. This was one of those situations for us.
Her house would be vacant for a few years and during those two summers, we continued to keep the lawn in good shape. Her daughter would check in on the place every now and again and would pay us for taking care of the lawn. But other than that, there it sat. Then came word late in the winter that there was someone interested in the place. They were very serious in buying the house and the daughter was a very motivated seller (y0u can understand after it sat for two years). We knew the inevitable situation of someone else owning the property was coming; it was still rather hard accepting it. But knowing it was someone I knew from high school made that fact a little easier to take. Recalling from memory what he was like in high school, I thought he would do a really good job of maintaining the property from falling into disrepair. I couldn't believe how wrong I ended up being.
First of all, even though the chances are pretty slim that the people I am talking about in this blog ever catch wind of this; there's always that chance. So let me say that I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings by writing about this situation. In fact, I think it's best to leave out names to keep this annonymous as possible. But the reason I am bringing this up is to let out some of my family's and my own frustrations. It really is a nice way to vent about something and that is what I am doing in this blog. Anways, during the first summer they starting living next door, we noticed that the lawn was being seldom mowed. Every two to three weeks, he'd end up mowing. By the time we got into late summer, they were pretty much saved by the fact that it didn't rain for some 70 plus days so the grass basically dried up and died. Once we got rain into early fall - the grass did start growing again, but it wasn't mowed again the rest of the season. Now let's jump ahead to this summer. It ended up being a very cool spring and the grass was late in growing. Finally by the last week in May, we started mowing our lawn because it had gotten long enough. You know how long it took the neighbors? About three weeks after we mowed ours. It was like a hay field it was so long. My mom was beginning to get very frustrated with the lawn situation that she was going to talk with someone involved with the village council. It never did get that far as they finally had some motivation and started mowing the long grass. From what I understand, people out in the community were discussing the neighbor's lawn. I have a feeling someone from the village council gave them a warning about their lawn or they were hearing so many negative comments "out there" that they felt they should do something about it. Ever since then, they've had a teenage boy come over every Monday and mow it.
Then late last fall, they were having trouble with their septic tank. Sewage was starting to back up into their basement, so they decided to have it pumped out. Not knowing where it was, they had someone with a back-hoe try to "poke" around and see if they could find it. The back-hoe operator ended up breaking a sewer line near the tank itself. So they had to get that fixed and also had the septic tank pumped out. You can't blame any of this on them because it was the previous "owners" that left them to deal with this. It was getting very late in the season and we were in and out of freezing temperatures. They had everything set in place; all they had to do was put the dirt back in around the broken pipe and ontop of the tank and they'd be in good shape for the winter. Well, they never got around to it and that big mound of dirt and uncovered septic tank cover remained during the freezing cold months. They were lucky to have a back-up septic system; otherwise there'd be no way they could live there without an adequate septic system. So this spring, the mound of dirt stood there until at least mid-May before the neighbor finally borrowed his father's tractor and pushed it all into the hole that was dug for the septic tank. Not only did the tractor create rut marks in the lawn that still exist, he didn't bother removing the large boulders that came out of the hole and pushed those in along with the rest of the mound. So needless to say, the dirt was never properly smoothed out and even at this point, that area of the lawn isn't even being mowed because it's so uneven and jagged with rocks. They've even had to dig up the septic tank cover one additional time recently to get the tank pumped out again. If they continue to have problems with it, they just might need a new septic system; something they can't exactly afford at this point in time.
The shovels, rakes, and various other tools they used to dig up the lawn and dirt around the septic tank prior to getting a back-hoe have remained near their front porch ever since last fall. They are still resting up against the house at this very time. They did have one of the boy's they regularly hire to mow the lawn try and clean up the area around the septic tank cover. They managed to fill up a wheel barrow full of weeds and rocks and left it near their main entry way for a good month at least before it was finally disposed of. A spare tire from the Toyota pick-up they often borrow from his father is sitting on the corner of their sidewalk near their main entryway to the house and it's sat there since early spring. A lot of good that's going to do when the truck gets a flat tire several miles away. Rugs they've brought to "air" out several months ago are still draped on the back fence or on the clothes line. I could go on and on regarding certain things but I'd be here all night and I've got to end this particular blog at some point.
So I guess you could say we have our challenges when dealing with our new neighbors. Obviously we knew things weren't going to be the same when they moved in, but we didn't expect things to be as bad as they are. But let me say something about them personally before I continue bashing on their upkeep; they are pretty decent when talking to them and it's not like they are nasty or rude. It's just they lack motivation when it comes to finishing jobs on their property or putting tools away. A lot of things sit for months and months before one of them does anything about it. And most of the time, it's the man of the household that does anything. I think I've only seen her lift a finger once since they've started living there. All she does is take care of her own "humane society" of pets. And she has a lot of them!
It's not like me to talk negatively about anybody but sometimes, it's justified. I am sure this isn't the end of our game of charades with the neighbors, but at least we're not involved in some nasty feud with them. It just gets rather tiresome seeing all of the junk laying out in the yard for months and months before something is ever done about it. I am sure this isn't my last blog talking about them either! Stay tuned...
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Work Can Be Dangerous
For those that may be unaware of what I do for a living, I work at an iron ore mining facility. It is one of two in the area that I live and is also one of the largest employers in the area. It's a modernized mining facility in that it's an above ground mine - where ore is extracted from an open pit, brought to a primary crusher, and is sent inside the concentrator where the ore is further ground down into a slurry. From that point, it is filtered and set to the pelletizing plant where it gets balled up into small pellets which then get shipped to various steel mills in the country. Obviously the process is a lot more detailed than that and it's actually quite an extraordinary process. I am amazed how complex it is and the fine tuning it must have gone through to get where we are today to make steel. I actually find it pretty cool to be able to work where I do and on most days, I enjoy it. I doubt that I would've stayed very long if I didn't find it satisfying. And although it is a modernized mining facility, it still can be a dangerous place. There are many moving pieces of machinery where any person can easily lose limbs or even their lives. We witnessed that back in 2005 where an individual lost his life in the pellet plant. It's easy to lose concentration while at work and it's particularly dangerous where I work. As long as a person stays level headed and focuses on the job, they won't get hurt. But even then, something can get you when you least expected it. That nearly happened to me this past Sunday morning.
Now keep in mind, I was at no risk in losing my life in this particular instance. It wasn't that serious, but it could've been a situation that sidelined me from work for awhile. We were preparing to shut down a grinding line for a maintenance repair. One of the things we do to grind down a line is to rake the apron feeders that dispense the dirt onto a conveyor belt that travels to a primary mill. The apron feeders need to be raked so that the maintenance personnel working inside the discharge chutes of the feeder and the conveyor belt below don't get seriously injured by falling material from above. So what we have to do is extend a rake inside the feeder to pull out any potentially dangerous falling material. I was doing this on early Sunday morning, midnight shift. I was raking a rather large boulder out of the apron feeder when it started to drop from the discharge chute. My right hand was clenched around the handle of the feeder and as I pulled back, my hand got wedged up against a pipe about five feet away from the discharge end of the feeder. As the rock fell, it pushed up my hand against the pipe and nearly crushed my hand. Thankfully it was only a near miss and not something more serious. I think my hand was positioned just enough that it didn't break and the force of the rock coming down against the rake was more of a glancing blow near my pinky finger knuckle. It didn't help that I nearly did the exact same thing shortly thereafter - as if I didn't learn my lesson once. Raking feeders is something I did not do a whole lot of but it's definitely not an easy job to do. The lighting back in that area is not very good, especially inside the feeder where lights cannot physically exist. It was just one of those situations that ended up being a lot better than what it could've been and I am thankful I am not nursing a broken right hand at this point. Otherwise, I couldn't be writing a blog to you right now!
That's not the first injury I encountered while working at the mine. Most of them have involved wounds to my fingers. There are a lot of pinch points, particularly inside apron feeders. A lot of times they get hung up - where rocks lock together just right and block the feeder. This is where we need to insert a thin steel rod inside the feed end of the apron feeder and knock down the blockage. When the rocks come down, it's loud and pretty dusty. If your hanging onto the rod, it'll jostle you around if you're not prepared. I have never been injured from knocking down a hung feeder, thank goodness. But I have gotten hurt fingers from unplugging the discharge end of a feeder before. We use this thick feeder bars to unblock feeders and sometimes you hit your fingers against the edges of the feeder doors. I did that a few months ago with my thumb and it hurt like crazy. Not only was my thumb sore for a couple of weeks, but it was bruised. They say you are supposed to report injuries even if they are minor, but this one I didn't feel the need because I knew if would heal in time. Sure enough, it's back to normal now. If I feel I've done something to myself that could require medical attention at some point, I'll report it. But that particular incident I felt I would be okay.
This next injury was one I felt pretty foolish doing then and now I just have to laugh at myself - and one I ended up reporting. We are able to drive these small electric carts inside the mill to get from one end of the plant to the other. They really save on the legs and feet, that's for sure. I was driving one of these carts when I made a right turn. The steering wheel on the cart was rather stiff and I took the corner too sharply. I ended up flying into a steel beam and hitting my right knee pretty hard on the dash edge of the cart. Needless to say, there wasn't any cushion on the dash and I was writhing in pain. I was able to walk it off and it felt pretty good, although my knee still felt pretty stiff. I didn't know if I ended up doing something serious to my knee that may need to be looked at down the road, so I reported it. I never did need to have it looked at and it heeled just fine in a week or two. But still, it is one of those incidents I won't quickly forget and it really reinforced my safety while driving a cart.
I've strained my thumb, hurt an index finger, and strained my back a couple of different times at work. But it comes with the territory of working at such a place like a mine. The goal for every person there is to work injury free 365 days a year. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. But any injury that occurs, as long as it remains minor, then we're all better off. It's certainly pretty easy to take things for granted there. That's why it's always important to keep your head in the game and to perform all tasks as safe as possible.
Now keep in mind, I was at no risk in losing my life in this particular instance. It wasn't that serious, but it could've been a situation that sidelined me from work for awhile. We were preparing to shut down a grinding line for a maintenance repair. One of the things we do to grind down a line is to rake the apron feeders that dispense the dirt onto a conveyor belt that travels to a primary mill. The apron feeders need to be raked so that the maintenance personnel working inside the discharge chutes of the feeder and the conveyor belt below don't get seriously injured by falling material from above. So what we have to do is extend a rake inside the feeder to pull out any potentially dangerous falling material. I was doing this on early Sunday morning, midnight shift. I was raking a rather large boulder out of the apron feeder when it started to drop from the discharge chute. My right hand was clenched around the handle of the feeder and as I pulled back, my hand got wedged up against a pipe about five feet away from the discharge end of the feeder. As the rock fell, it pushed up my hand against the pipe and nearly crushed my hand. Thankfully it was only a near miss and not something more serious. I think my hand was positioned just enough that it didn't break and the force of the rock coming down against the rake was more of a glancing blow near my pinky finger knuckle. It didn't help that I nearly did the exact same thing shortly thereafter - as if I didn't learn my lesson once. Raking feeders is something I did not do a whole lot of but it's definitely not an easy job to do. The lighting back in that area is not very good, especially inside the feeder where lights cannot physically exist. It was just one of those situations that ended up being a lot better than what it could've been and I am thankful I am not nursing a broken right hand at this point. Otherwise, I couldn't be writing a blog to you right now!
That's not the first injury I encountered while working at the mine. Most of them have involved wounds to my fingers. There are a lot of pinch points, particularly inside apron feeders. A lot of times they get hung up - where rocks lock together just right and block the feeder. This is where we need to insert a thin steel rod inside the feed end of the apron feeder and knock down the blockage. When the rocks come down, it's loud and pretty dusty. If your hanging onto the rod, it'll jostle you around if you're not prepared. I have never been injured from knocking down a hung feeder, thank goodness. But I have gotten hurt fingers from unplugging the discharge end of a feeder before. We use this thick feeder bars to unblock feeders and sometimes you hit your fingers against the edges of the feeder doors. I did that a few months ago with my thumb and it hurt like crazy. Not only was my thumb sore for a couple of weeks, but it was bruised. They say you are supposed to report injuries even if they are minor, but this one I didn't feel the need because I knew if would heal in time. Sure enough, it's back to normal now. If I feel I've done something to myself that could require medical attention at some point, I'll report it. But that particular incident I felt I would be okay.
This next injury was one I felt pretty foolish doing then and now I just have to laugh at myself - and one I ended up reporting. We are able to drive these small electric carts inside the mill to get from one end of the plant to the other. They really save on the legs and feet, that's for sure. I was driving one of these carts when I made a right turn. The steering wheel on the cart was rather stiff and I took the corner too sharply. I ended up flying into a steel beam and hitting my right knee pretty hard on the dash edge of the cart. Needless to say, there wasn't any cushion on the dash and I was writhing in pain. I was able to walk it off and it felt pretty good, although my knee still felt pretty stiff. I didn't know if I ended up doing something serious to my knee that may need to be looked at down the road, so I reported it. I never did need to have it looked at and it heeled just fine in a week or two. But still, it is one of those incidents I won't quickly forget and it really reinforced my safety while driving a cart.
I've strained my thumb, hurt an index finger, and strained my back a couple of different times at work. But it comes with the territory of working at such a place like a mine. The goal for every person there is to work injury free 365 days a year. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. But any injury that occurs, as long as it remains minor, then we're all better off. It's certainly pretty easy to take things for granted there. That's why it's always important to keep your head in the game and to perform all tasks as safe as possible.
David Archuleta Update
It's been a couple of months now since American Idol ended and I know I said I wouldn't write anything more about it here anymore (since I will be creating a spin-off blog for it soon ... I hope). And technically, this blog won't be about American Idol - only about this season's runner-up and the variety of things he's been doing since the finale in May. The American Idol's Live Tour is well underway and the top ten Idols just finished up their tenth show of the tour last night in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is the "hometown" of David Archuleta and the fans went absolutely ballistic for him at the concert (and rightfully so). I have been following the stops along the tour since it began and by far, last night David received the largest ovation thus far. In some of the performances from the concert uploaded on YouTube, the screaming is so loud that you can barely make out what he is singing. He even got emotional at the end of his last performance and was wiping tears away even before the song ended. The outpouring of support from his home crowd really overwhelmed him and it truly humbled him. I am so happy for him; it seems like he is now able to do what he's always wanted and he definitely has the fans to back him up.One of the truly magical performances from David's American Idol run happened during Hollywood week but was one that nobody ever got to see. David's first audition that week had him performing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on the piano. Paula commented that it was awesome while Simon went all out and called it incredible. If Simon were to say that, you know it had to have been good. The only problem is, American Idol was never allowed to show it! Apparently those involved with Gnarls Barkley wouldn't allow the song to be cleared. Jason Castro also performed his own rendition of the song in Hollywood week and naturally, his version never aired, either. So for David Archuleta fans everywhere, "Crazy" was one song that we've all been craving to hear him sing. He received such glowing comments from the judges during Hollywood week and for Simon to say what he did about it; well you know he doesn't give that good of praise all that often. I am happy to say that David Archuleta fans everywhere finally got their wishes to hear this song as of yesterday. While in Salt Lake City, he stopped by the local FOX station and performed "Crazy" in front of a keyboard. And let me just say, it was worth the all the hype we had heard about during his prior version in Hollywood week. It's definitely slowed down quite a bit and very soulful. He does such an amazing job changing things up with all of his songs and "Crazy" is no exception. Check it out for yourself:
David was amazingly strong for someone 16 years old in Hollywood week and it was becoming clear that he was someone to be reckoned with. Although we never did get to see his first audition there, we did see him for his second audition. This time, David selected a Bryan Adams' classic, "Heaven." You could tell that Randy Jackson became a fan of Archie after this performance and the rest of the judges knew he would be in the competition for a long while. People watching on TV had already became familiar with his vocal cord problems and how well he was able to perform with that obstacle. For Archuleta fans, "Heaven" was another song they craved seeing again. That time we were able to see him sing the song, but it was only a very short snippet. The fans were wanting to hear the full version of the song. Well, we got our wishes granted during the finale - somewhat. "Heaven" and a few other of Bryan Adams' classics were performed as a medley by the top six guys during the finale. David did get to sing a portion of "Heaven" as a solo, but that wasn't good enough. We all wanted to hear him sing it by himself. And David did just that today, as a matter of fact, on another Salt Lake City local TV program. He sounded just as good, if not better that he did in Hollywood week singing this song. Check it out for yourself:
Now all we need is another rendition of "Shop Around" and we'll be all set - LOL. Somehow I don't think we'll be hearing that one from him for awhile - but I think a lot of people really do like his performance of that song since it's an upbeat song he was so successful with. I don't he personally thinks it was very good which is why he never could watch it back all the way through (but even he said he can never hear or watch his previous performances). Nontheless, it was another performance that really set the bar high and it was becoming clear he just might become the frontrunner of the competition. And the rest is history.
So David will be on tour until the middle of September and then afterwards I'm sure he'll get a much needed break. In the midst of all these concerts, David is also currently working on his new album, which he's been doing his own song writing, collaborating, and recording. Whether or not his own songs will end up on the album remains to be seen. But whatever the case, I'm sure it'll be a truly epic album that'll sell millions of copies. David already has a huge fanbase and it continues to grow each and every day at the different tour spots. Even people who were never Archie fans originally are enjoying him now. That right there is a clear sign he'll be successful for a long while to come. And although his new album likely won't be released until sometime in November, the first single from it is rumored to be released in August and it titled "Crush." In the meantime, watch this blast from the past as David sings his very first song on American Idol "Waiting on the World to Change" during his hometown stop of the Idols Live tour. And it wouldn't be complete without a lyric flub, either! That's the David we all love, now isn't it? Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Summer is Almost Over (Apparently)
I just got back from a trip into a local discount store and did some browsing of a variety of different products. They've got some great deals going on - but I couldn't help but notice what the majority of those items had in common: they are all summer stocked items. So naturally, all of the shorts, tank-tops, flip-flops, garden supplies, plants, and summer-themed dishware all had discounts or were marked down on clearance. So what gives, is summer almost over? According to the national retailers it is.
What floored me the most is the beginnings of the back-to-school area of the store being set up. The signs were hung from the ceilings, backpacks are appearing on the shelves, and the looks on the faces of kids seeing this when it isn't even 4th of July yet is absolutely priceless. But let's be clear about something - didn't the grade schoolers just get out of school only a few weeks ago? And already we're ushering in the end of summer. Unreal.
It always makes me a little sad to see the greenhouses out in the parking lots of many different stores begin to come down. It really gives me a reality check in that summers are so short around here that we need to embrace how little of the season we have. That is especially true this year where it seemed spring lasted into part of June. Heck, the leaves on the trees didn't fully pop out intil the first of June and the lilacs weren't in full bloom until about a week later. Yet we're already starting to usher in the end of summer in stores. Where is the justice in that?
The good thing is that we don't have to pay any attention to what the national retailers are telling us. In our minds, summer is still alive and strong. Even though we'll start to see winter coats, boots, hats, mittens, and all of the other assorted winter gear slowly start to appear, we'll know that we still have many more days of glorious sunshine and warmth to enjoy. As I said, we haven't gotten to summer's official holiday and the celebration of our nation's birth, Independence Day. You can't get anymore summer than that.
And that leaves me with this final thought. This time of year when we are closing in on the 4th of July, I can't help but to think of the classic Chicago song "Saturday in the Park." It's another one of those great summer songs, similar to the Corrs "Summer Sunshine," although it's much more memorable to a wide variety of people. The lyrics, "Saturday in the park ... I think it was the Fourth of July ... People dancing, people laughing ... A man selling ice cream..." Now doesn't that make you smile? Get out there and enjoy the summer of '08!
What floored me the most is the beginnings of the back-to-school area of the store being set up. The signs were hung from the ceilings, backpacks are appearing on the shelves, and the looks on the faces of kids seeing this when it isn't even 4th of July yet is absolutely priceless. But let's be clear about something - didn't the grade schoolers just get out of school only a few weeks ago? And already we're ushering in the end of summer. Unreal.
It always makes me a little sad to see the greenhouses out in the parking lots of many different stores begin to come down. It really gives me a reality check in that summers are so short around here that we need to embrace how little of the season we have. That is especially true this year where it seemed spring lasted into part of June. Heck, the leaves on the trees didn't fully pop out intil the first of June and the lilacs weren't in full bloom until about a week later. Yet we're already starting to usher in the end of summer in stores. Where is the justice in that?
The good thing is that we don't have to pay any attention to what the national retailers are telling us. In our minds, summer is still alive and strong. Even though we'll start to see winter coats, boots, hats, mittens, and all of the other assorted winter gear slowly start to appear, we'll know that we still have many more days of glorious sunshine and warmth to enjoy. As I said, we haven't gotten to summer's official holiday and the celebration of our nation's birth, Independence Day. You can't get anymore summer than that.
And that leaves me with this final thought. This time of year when we are closing in on the 4th of July, I can't help but to think of the classic Chicago song "Saturday in the Park." It's another one of those great summer songs, similar to the Corrs "Summer Sunshine," although it's much more memorable to a wide variety of people. The lyrics, "Saturday in the park ... I think it was the Fourth of July ... People dancing, people laughing ... A man selling ice cream..." Now doesn't that make you smile? Get out there and enjoy the summer of '08!
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