This day in History August 13th 2013

               Where do I start? Two days ago my wife of 44 years noticed water dripping from the refrigerator (aka Ice Box). 

I am old enough to remember when men delivered ice to people’s homes. I do not actually remember the Ice Box but I do remember the delivery man would have a leather pad over their shoulder and a little way down their back. He would pick up the block of ice (ice was in blocks and not crushed in bags like today) with a set of ice tongs, lift the block of ice up to his shoulder laying it on the leather pad, which kept the cold and wet from his shoulder.

Back to yesterday;           when my present wife noticed the water dripping from the refrigerator I called for service. Having taken an extended warrantee on the unit I wanted them here quickly. I usually do not take extended warrantees but did this time. The lady at the warrantee company was friendly and scheduled a repairman for the morning of August 12^th. The repairman called to let me know he was on his way and he explained that I would have to pay for his visit since I had no warrantee. I responded very pleasantly to him explaining that I did have a warrantee. He said that he can’t change the work order and I should call the warrantee company again.

I talked to a different person who explained that there was an error made by the first person I had spoken too and that they could not reschedule the work in the same day. She scheduled me for the morning of the next day August 13^th.   She noted that I was very patient and she appreciated that since they had made the error. I said that things happen, and getting upset doesn’t help.

Mid-morning of the 13^th the repairman arrived and diagnosed the problem within 30 seconds. He explained that the unit was frozen and it would need to defrost before he could work on it. He explained that we should unplug the unit, take everything out of the fridge and let it defrost. He would return later I the day (after 5:00pm) and repair the unit.

I went to the shed and retrieved our coolers. That was when I realized that we did not have many coolers and most were small coolers that could be carried to work. I remembered getting rid of several thinking they were just taking up room. Not having enough coolers to put our items from the Ice Box in (road kill), I called my neighbor, “the one that is inconsiderate”, and he loaned me two coolers. He is only inconsiderate when cutting the tees. J

We were able to remove all the items from the fridge and put them in coolers. I also placed a fan on the floor in front of the fridge. The fan blowing into the fridge helped the unit to thaw and also pushed cool air into the house for a while.

It was about 5:30 pm when the repairman again arrived. It took him about 20 minutes to make the repair. He noted that there was a design flaw and he was able to redirect a drain which should take care of the concern. He suggested that we allow the unit to cool for about an hour prior to replacing the items.

My wife had suggested that we could go to George’s, if we wanted something for supper. I was in agreement and headed to the shower. We arrive at the restaurant a little before 6:30 and had to park about a mile away and walk. We were told the wait would be about 20 minutes. The wait turned into about 35 minutes.

We noticed that the coach of Baylor’s lady basketball team arrived after us.  The owner or manager was very friendly with the coach standing what I thought was uncomfortably close to her during their conversation. It seemed to be that the lady coach was trying to lean away from him but being in a corner she could not go far. Needless to say she was seated about 20 minutes earlier than my wife and I. I guess if I made a couple million a year, I might get preferential treatment.

Finally seated we order drinks and food. It took what seemed an eternity for the drinks to arrive. They were busy which made the service slow. The food arrived and it taste good but my salad was warm which I do not like.

After eating, it took possibly 10 minutes to get the check. Maybe we looked as if we needed the rest.

Arriving back home we had to replace all the items into the fridge. I removed the items from the coolers and dried them off (ice in the coolers was melting and made the items wet) and handed them to my present wife as she placed them in the proper location.

This morning as I was sipping my cup of coffee, I thought of yesterday as being a rough day. Poor us and all we had to go through yesterday. I then thought, “If that is the worst thing that happens to us, we don’t have it too bad”.

 

I forgot to say that we also had the fellow from the company that leveled our foundation a couple years ago out yesterday to see if our foundation needs some warrantee work; it does. 

 

From the Fords, we hope you have a nice day!

Don Ford

 

Inconsiderate

            Hello from “The Ford Homestead”, we are all doing well and hope you are also. The weather has been hot and dry so the forecast of possible rain over the next 3 days gives us cause to be hopeful.  A few days of rain would be the answer to many prayers.

            Each morning a little after 7:00am, my wife of 44 years and I venture out of the house to await the arrival of our grandchildren. We habitually sit in chairs just outside the garage door. I most often have a cup of coffee while my present wife has a cup of tea. For the last two mornings the sun has been in our eyes more than usual. Yes it is the time of day when the sun rises and we do somewhat face the east when sitting in our chairs on the drive way. 

            This morning I noticed in the yard of the house up the street there was old furniture and assorted junk. When my spouse came outside I jokingly said, “There is some furniture in the yard up the street and there may be something you need”.  The next thing I knew she was walking up the street to see what was in the yard. This activity was embarrassing to me, my first wife going through someone’s junk hoping to find something to bring home.

            Luckily she was unable to find anything that she needed. She returned home empty handed and somewhat discouraged. As she came into the driveway a trash truck pulled up to the house to pick up the junk. 

 

            I digress; I was going to comment on people who have no consideration for their retired neighbors who are living on a fixed income when I was side tracked bot the spouse and junk story. 

Our neighbor across the street has been in the process of trimming one of the two large trees in their front yard. The tree did need to be trimmed and I must say it does look better. The problem is our neighbor did not take into consideration that the sun would be shining directly in our eyes when we were sitting outside. I have spoken to them about our needs and as of now they have not offered any sanctuary from the harmful light of the sun. In addition, they are planning on making it even worse by trimming the second tree which will likely cause serious eye injuries to my spouse and I.

 

On a different subject; my spouse of 44 years and I have been looking at new vehicles and have found that retired people on a fixed income basically can’t afford to have a new SUV. We could possibly afford a small car with no options but my wife insists she needs a lot of room and she does not want to get down into a car and then back up and out of a car.

We have looked at several vehicles but have refused to drive any until we can narrow the list down to just a couple. I explained to one of the sales men that my first house with a full basement and an attached garage cost $27,000.00. I didn’t say that I thought $51,000.00 was a ridiculous amount to pay for a new Ford Expedition or a Buick Enclave, but it is.

We need to decide on which vehicles we want to consider (possibly afford) and then go drive them.

If you want to make a donation to “the new vehicle for the Ford Homestead” please do so by sending cash or checks to “The vehicle for the wife fund”, with a suggested minimum amount of $100.00 or more (donations are not tax deductible).

 

On a different subject, I am acquiring the needed supplies to add a top to the tree house/fort. It will be built using some PVC pipe and a tarp. Hopefully I can build and install said top without any injuries to me.

 

We hope you have a week filled with wonder and fun.

Take a couple naps; they do wonders for my attitude. 

 

Don Ford

How did he do that?

               Hello from the Ford Homestead of Hewitt.  We are doing ok even though it is too hot to do much of anything. This morning I went to the tree house/fort to add a step allowing the kids to more easily climb into and on the structure. I have also purchased a couple earth anchors to insure the structure stay upright and in place.

               I should note that David climbed onto the structure and hang off the side (250 lbs.) to see if it would tip over and it did not move. Being safety minded I still wanted to tie the structure down.

               Alex was helping me install the step this morning when I cut my little finger on the left hand. Alex had some band aids and he administered first aid by putting a band aid on my cut. Doctor Alex is a big help. We returned to the process of installing a step when Alex said, “papa don’t hurt yourself again”. Within 5 seconds of him telling me to be careful I had cut my thumb on the other hand. This cut was worse than the first cut. Alex went for his band aids and we went into the house to clean the cut and get some antibiotics on the cut.

               Doctor Alex placed his band aid on the cut and then my wife of 44 years put an additional band aid on to help hold the first in place. We went back to installing the step with no additional injuries.

 

The above two photos show before and after the step was installed. Alex and I used three shelf brackets to hold the step in place. It was tested by Gabi and the step works as expected.

Tejas, my constant companion and confidant is seen here in his usual pose sleeping while I work. I noticed the rock against his mouth but it did not seem to bother him.

Alex took a couple photos so I picked the best one to put in this posting. As you can plainly see I am just about ready to do some hard work. 

 

Now to my original thought, “how did he do that”?

Early this morning Tejas and I heard a squirrel making a noise in the back yard’, I went to the door to let Tejas out, and in doing so I looked at the structure and noticed something on the top of the umbrella. My first thought was a squirrel was laying on top the umbrella. Then I noticed it was a light color and it was a cat. Yes, a cat had somehow climbed on the umbrella and was taking it easy.

In this photo you can just see the top portion of the cat on the umbrella. This is the neighbor’s cat. How and why did this cat ascend to such heights for a nap?

Here is a closer shot of said cat. 

 

               That is all rom the Ford Homestead of Hewitt, Texas.

Have a nice weekend.

Don Ford

 

From the top down.

               I have been working hard today in an effort to clean and straighten the garage before it became too hot. Each day lately has been 100 plus and it is not very enjoyable. I needed to see that all tools had been replaced now that my projects are done and the area cleaned.

Yes, I have been successful in the cleaning process. I was also successful at taking a short nap after eating a light lunch.  

               The tree house or fort as it is also know has been enjoyed by both of the grandkids. I took a couple photos of the kids as they were doing their initial survey of the facility. 

                Possibly one of the best photos was taken from the top down. Gabi is becoming an “excellent photographer’, due mostly to my tutelage.

The word tutelage is a neat word that is seldom used.  

 

 

We hope your day is good and your week is even better.

 

Don Ford

 

Queen is finished

 

#13

#13     at this time the hutch is nothing more than several boards and pieces of molding. I have stained them and have started the varnishing process.

# 14

# 14    in this photo the hutch is mostly assembled (except for the back and some molding). I will take it apart and glue some of the parts together others will be fastened with screws.

 

My wife of 44 years has taken the doors to the glass company to have glass cut and put into the doors.

As you can see the glass has been installed and I have reinstalled both doors with the door knobs. The unit has been moved into the house and is considered complete. I will place these notes in a space under one of the draws. Possibly after we are gone someone will find the notes and understand all the effort that was out into the project.

 

The following were involved in some way constructing of the unit.

D. Patrick Ford donated the unit

Donna Ford senior supervisor and head critic

Donald Ford lead construction worker

Tejas Ford senior advisor and confidant

 

Don Ford

 

Queen what? continued part four

# 8

# 8      this photo is of the base, or what will be the base. You will notice that parts are stained. When I received the kit (AKA puzzle) there were a few parts that were stained. I assume that the first person who had this kit, started working on it and for some reason stopped (gave up).

 

 

# 9

# 9      In photo # 9 the base is assembled; it's all stained and is finished. The desk will be attached to the top of the base later and the hutch will be attached to the top of the desk.

 

 

#10

#10     now we are starting to see what the unit may look like if I am able to finish it.  The base and desk are starting to take shape.  As you can see there are clamps holding the desk together and to the base.  I will take it apart and then reassemble it with glue and other fasteners. The word “fasteners” sounds more professional than the words “screwed and glued”.

 

#11

#11     in the above photo, the base and desk has been completed and are now ready for the hutch to be placed on the top.

 

#12

#12     we see the unit with the desk door opened. There are three small draws and spaces for envelopes (aka pigeon holes).

 

Thank you for reviewing this posting; we hope you will have a very nice day.

 

Don Ford

 

Multitasking complete

 

               Hello from, “The Ford Homestead of Hewitt, TX.” All is well here as we continue to update you on the tree house/fort.

               I have worked on the structure alone for the last two days as David has been under the weather. Today is Saturday and Dave is feeling well enough to come over to help finish the structure. I have been able to complete the frame and we are now ready to install the floor. There are two floors, one is 4x4 foot and the other is 4x8 foot. Working together Dave and I installed the floor making them appear as if professionals had completed the task.

               I have a couple photos for your edification.

In this photo we see Dave installing the last screw into the floor boards.

A little later my wife of 44 years arrived with some Bushes tea, as all good Texans know, “it would be hard to live without Bushes Tea”. You may notice that they have found resting areas somewhat in the shade.

In the photo below we see the completed product standing ready to be used. The grand kids have not yet seen this outstanding structure. We are hoping that they will enjoy it and not destroy it.

Thank you for reading this posting, we hope all goes well for you this week.

Don Ford

Multitasking continued

               Today is Thursday, August 01, 2013 and I have been working outside attempting to begin the erection of the tree house/fort.  Dave had planned to come over today and we were going to work on the structure together. Dave and both kids had colds so they stay home today, possibly coming to help tomorrow.

               I had taken the wood and tools to the back yard yesterday afternoon so I decided to do what I could, working alone. I will attach a photo of the progress later in the article.

               You should know the temperature was predicted to hit 103 today so I knew I would not be outside working in the afternoon. I was able to assemble the front side but the problem I had was no one to keep it standing while I worked. Since I was in between to trees I decided to get a rope and tie it to one tree, then wrap the rope around the top board and tie the other end to the other tree. This would hold the one side in place so I could add to the structure.

               The rope actually worked and I was able to work around the first side without it falling on me. I will not go into the things I have discovered that were incorrect but I will say it was less embarrassing to be working alone.

               The structure will stand alone now but it is not nearly complete or strong enough to climb on.

               I stopped working about 1:15 because it was getting too hot and there was no shade in the work area. The frame is two thirds complete and there is flooring that will be installed.

               When I stopped working I came inside and took a nice shower followed by lunch and a nap. I am now going to get my hair cut.

 

Have a cool day.

Don Ford

 

 

 

                 Don Ford  

 

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