Tuesday 070424 - Lunch; Tire Repair; Cleaning off the carport; Installing the carport blinds; "Details" and "Wired"; Raking

Lunch was the standard fare. That's all I remember (In - Tuesday - 20070424 - 1108: $7.29 - Bank Debit Card)

I took the phone book to lunch with me to search for a nearby Goodyear store. And I found one fairly close by. But when I drove by I couldn't find it. Then I realized it was on the other size of the highway. And it took about two minutes to drop off the tire.

After months of throwing and donating, I was down to two items: a monstrosity of a treadmill which about seven-feet long, about four-feet wide with a control section around four-feet tall; and a wooden chest.

Well, the treadmill does not lend itself to be tucked away in a closet. I remember when mother bought it, and I sorta wondered why at the time. She had become so afraid of falling that I'm sure she used it less than a dozen times. (She absolutely would not use a cane or a walker. She said she'd just get her feet tangled up in them. What do you do in a case like this? I just let her have her way, what else could I do?)

I decided I'd drag it out to the street and wait 15 or 20 minutes before someone picked it up. I made it about 40 feet down the drive before the woman next door ran over saying she wanted it. I told her she was becoming a terrible pack rat. Between the two of us we managed to push/pull it across the lawn.

Just then her husband pulled up in his drive, and I walked back out and said, "While we're on the topic, I have one item left - a wooden chest. Do you want it?" Took him about three minutes to pick it up with his dolly and cart it away.

I was amazed to finally see a clean, uncluttered carport. I got the ladder, scouring powder, a steel brush and the hose, and proceeded to spray water up and down the siding and the ceiling. A few places needed a brush or two, but that was easily done. Then I used a scouring pad to clean the doors and door frames.

Some months ago, I attempted to clean the shingles and discovered that what looked like dirt was a discoloration in the shingle itself. If you try to brush it out or off, it only becomes worse. I guess you could have the shingles painted, but I don't really like painted shingles, plus it would cost in the thousands. Just to have the wood trim cleaned and painted, would most likely cost between $1,500 - $2,000.

Now I was ready for the next step - the installation of the blinds.

Why is nothing simple? The blinds are 96-inches wide and 84-inches long. Unwieldy as hell. They have five very small metal triangle clips at the top for slipping over the wall supports.

I finally collected my tools: nail, hammer, pliers, pencil, screw supports and rulers. Oh, and step ladder. Fortunately the top clips can be positioned anywhere within a one-inch slot. I measured and got the first support in. Then the second. I was moving from left to right. Then I tried to attach the blinds. The blinds were too long and too flexible to position the clips over the supports.

So I measured some more, and installed two more supports, then tried again. But this time, I tried attaching the middle clips first. Much, much easier. Then all I had to do was install the last support.

Now the hard part: unraveling the chords. How do chords manage to get into tangles that would rival a Gordian Knot? It took me about 20 minutes of very patient manipulating to untangle them. I lowered the blinds, and it looked much nicer than I thought it would. It's a dark brown and closely woven, so it blocks out any view of next door.

I think my monthly copies of "Details" and "Wired" showed up in the mail box. "Details" has a truly magnificent photo of Clive Owen on the back in his role as model for Lancome. This is definitely on my list of things to scan and add to the collection.

I raked another small section of the back, enough for to fill two containers. I'm trying to approach this task very gingerly, so as not to trigger another sinus/allergy problem. I'm wearing gloves, a thick face mask and a cap. When I come in, I throw everything into the dirty clothes and take a shower. Also throwing the towels into the dirty clothes.