Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Busy day.

It rained all day yesterday, which didn't bother me because I was stuck all morning doing geiger counters. Figured it'd dry out a bit overnight, so I moved shit-shoveling back to this morning.

Then it rained all night. Got a late start because I really wasn't sure it was done raining, but when it cleared up I had no excuses. Oy, I hate shit-shoveling in the wet, that wagon gets filled with as much mud and water as horseshit, and hauling it up to the manure pile - over and over - is just no fun.

Normally that would have been all the work I cared for in a day, but today I had a couple of things I was anxious to get started on. So down to M's Dome I went.

Tractor started right up! Got some filling done - even at the shallow end that hole's deeper than it looks in the picture. Worked for a bit less than an hour, stopped for a ciggie and to check fluids...

And the tractor wouldn't start! Wouldn't even crank. WTF? I figured maybe a battery cable had worked loose...

What's going on with the positive post? I'm pretty sure that wasn't like that before...

Ah. Well, that's bad. We've been using two different batteries on the tractor, since we've been cranking it so much lately. This one is a bit too tall. I guess we're done with this for the day. Off to the Lair!

I laid out tiles for the counter before, but just to make sure I had enough tile. Now I had to figure out how this was really gonna work, and start cutting the edge tiles. After two hours I was finally convinced it was gonna work. I've still got some cutting to do, but the bigger edge tiles are cut. I'm ready to glue stuff down! I do wish I had one more big tile, it'd look better that way. But I don't, so this is the way it's gonna be.

Now I've got the second tractor battery on the charger, and the boys are out of Gitmo and taking themselves for a walk. They'll ... probably come back. They've been really good about that. But I'm never completely sure they will, till they do.

8 comments:

Mayberry said...

Ooooh... Arc welding on the hood es no bueno. Kitchen is looking good!

Claire said...

The countertops are going to be beautiful, Joel. I didn't realize you had so much creativity and design sense.

And IMHO, you're better off without one more big tile. The asymmetry is eye-pleasing!

LJH said...

Agree with Claire, lookin' good! You've got the asymmetrical thing going on anyway, run with it.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Defiantly the more difficult way, but the look you we always be pleased with.

You are not using that ole tile saw I gave Claire back in the Home Sweet Cabin days are you? ;-)

F42

Anonymous said...

Oops just read down a bit. Guess it isn't the same saw.

F42

Anonymous said...

Ditto the above.

KurtP said...

Just noticed something on M's dome-
Those wing walls in front, I'm assuming they're core filled?

I don't see anything that looks like anchors that will keep the dirt from cracking it and pushing it over in about 10-15 years.

Joel said...

Claire, you know me well enough to know that I don't have the artistic sense the gods gave a puppy. Fortunately it doesn't take a lot to line up tiles in some pattern that pleases you.

Kurt, yes. The walls on both sides of the dome are reinforced with much rebar, vertical and horizontal, up to and including 3/4", and filled with concrete. He may get some cracks, but the wall will hold the fill back.