Day 12 on Champix and my Wife’s progress

This is a two for one blog entry, just a quick one at that as it is getting late here at ye olde homestead.

Well it’s day 12 on Champix and it sure has helped me to quit smoking , I was doing good I had quit on day 9, but today at day 12 I had 2 smokes, why I don’t know,I never had the urge to smoke, I didn’t want one, yet I had 2, oh well tomorrow will be better.

The side effects of Champix are not very pleasant, it has given me a serious case of the screaming shit weasels (runs), and I get minor head aches, but the dreams are wickedly vivid, not nightmares, just very realistic odd dreams, other than that I’m all good, I think the screaming shit weasels are going away! (at least I hope)

Anyway, let’s switch gears a bit and talk about my Wife, she finished her 7th round of Chemo Friday and I brought her home Saturday, she is really tired, and her chest hurts a little, I have increased her pain meds dosage as per Doctors permission, and she has been on her oxygen machine since Sunday afternoon, she has about 20 feet of hose so she can get around the house as she needs.

She goes for at least 1 more round of Chemo in the next 2 or 3 weeks, after that they want to CT scan her again to see if there has been any improvement. She is is fairly good spirits and remains positive , which is very important. I am back to hiding my fears worries and sorrow and back to being the physical and emotional rock that she needs, I will grieve again when she goes into the hospital for the next round of Chemo.

So that’s it for tonight folks, y’all have a good night and remember : express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted,and be kind to others.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Ketchup or Catch up

Sorry for being away for so long but as you all know our 11 year old son “Hammy” was diagnosed with a brain tumour November 5th 2012, and had surgery to remove it January 7th 2013, he is recovering nicely, to look and talk to him you would never know that he had recently under gone major surgery, the only effect left from the surgery is the fact that he is partially blind in his right eye. Its his peripheral vision that is affected at the moment, he is in therapy for that and his surgeon says that his vision should improve if not return.

To say things have been chaotic and frantic around here the last few months would be a drastic under statement to say the least. Things like getting wifi or wireless internet out here have been put on the back burner and had fallen into the “things that are not important category” as has repairing the car and van, repairing the house etc, but as the days go by I am slowly catching up on the not important file and getting things done such as home repairs, acquiring a reliable vehicle, getting internet access, catching up on bills etc.

Yesterday I borrowed a friends car and took our son to the city of Regina for a day out together, we went on a small shopping spree , he had saved up enough money to buy a couple games for his PS3, he wanted Black Ops 2 but E-B Games was sold out of that, so he bought himself Modern Warfare 3 and Battle Ship, we forgot to buy a keyboard for my Wifes PC and a battery for her DS thing, ah well next week. We also went to Visions (major electronics store) and I bought a wireless internet stick through Bell and a router so we can run more than 1 computer at the same time online, not that there will be more than 1 online often.

I also went and looked at another car , a 1998 Chevrolet , it only has 78,000kms ( about 60,000 miles) on the motor, the guy wants $1500, I didnt buy it yet, but have been emailing back and forth finding out why he wants to sell it.

I will get my trusty red DORF repaired, its the exhaust manifold that cracked, I have the new one and the gaskets for it but more or less have to wait for spring to install it as it has been minus 45C ( minus 49 F ) just a tad too dang cold to be working on a motor. So the plan is buy another car, repair the red DORF and use it as a spare car.

We have 6+ feet of snow on the ground, and the snow banks that make up the wind rows are almost 12+ feet high, some of the snow drifts in are yard are in excess of 8 feet, it has been a cold snowy winter and when spring arrives the village of Pense is going to flood for sure, I know that our property will be under at least 2 feet of water for sure, thats okay though, I am ready for that, I have spent the winter shovelling a 4 foot path around the house and have a couple sump pumps on stand by, no water will get in the house or the crawl space, the house itself is perched on a foundation that lifts the house a good 4 feet off the ground, the crawl space itself is all concrete and sand, even if water breached the foundation walls, there is nothing in the crawl space that could be harmed, there is no electrical wires there, no furnace, just plumbing and sewer pipes. All I would do is simply pump it out then spread lye across the sandy floor to prevent any mildew or smells, open the outside access doors, put a screen and chicken wire across the opening and let it air out all summer, be good as new when done.

The Sundown Optimist Club of Regina is having its 33rd annual classic car draw, this year they are raffling off a 1968 Ford Mustang, so I bought 50 of them, the money goes to support youth programs so I figured it was money well spent, I dont have a snow balls chance in hell of actually winning the car, my chances are 20 in 46,000 , but hey thats alright. Last year I entered for a 1974 Corvette Stingray ...didnt win that one either lol its like the lottery, I never win but play each week, cant win if you dont have a ticket, its more of a waste of money but its only $6 per week. Chances are slim to non that I will ever hit the jackpots, but through the years I have won $50 here and $1500 there and loads of free tickets but never the “big one” I just play for the fun of it and never expect to win, if I win something , even a free ticket, then bonus, if not, oh well nothing ventured nothing gained play again. I enter pretty much every draw that the village of Pense rec board hosts, and have won various things, from candles to custom pedal bikes and a small sculpture from local artist Joe FaFar.

Well guess thats about all for now , yall have a good day

Butch


easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Life goes on and other Ramblings from the prairies

Lately Mother Nature has been trying to Kill me again , it’s an ongoing battle between her and I , she calls it my come uppance, I call it Karma …. see I used to drive a huge behemoth of a Ford Bronco 4X4 ( full size not the pansy little one ) , yep it was a BEAST , had a 8 inch lift ( which was funny watching my wife trying to climb in to it , I had to lift Hammy in to it ) and had monster 32’s (wheels) on it, Mud Boggin tires not really suited for the highway, anyway it had an Ozone frying 351 Cleveland done to the nuts power plant, and it got a whopping 11 miles to the gallon highway and about 5 miles to the gallon in the city…. yep it was my TOY, my BABY, I had it for 7 years and had about 10 grand in upgrades into it, never thought twice about burning up the Ozone, and I am sure that while goofing off in Jenkins mud pit I contributed heavily to Global warming…. which is why Mother Nature is p!ssed at me and out to kill me!

To say the last couple days have been hot is a drastic understatement !! keep in mind I am from the great white north where it gets cold enough to kill penguins ! … this heat wave is absolutely killing me!! it’s been so hot the Devil himself stuck his head out of a gopher hole and said D@mn ! it’s hotter than Hades up here!! …. I can handle 20 to 23 degrees Celsius with just a mild case of the sweats and about a gallon of ice water every 20 minutes or so , but this!! THIS!! 31.4 Celsius !! (88.52 Fahrenheit) is gonna be the absolute death of me!! too hot too too hot!! and it will eventually get to 35 – 38 – 40 Celsius by mid July ( about 104 Fahrenheit), I am sure Mother Nature is enjoying watching me nearly pass out working in this heat! it’s payback for driving that ozone frying global warming Bronco !!

I’ve been busy outdoors helping a friend get his yard fixed up the way his wife wants it, that right there is a comedy of errors, he has MS and is slower than molasses in January, but I admire him because he doesn’t let it stop him from doing what needs to be done. I have a bad back that likes to crap out at the worst possible moments , that and fibromyalgia makes for a lovely day at the best of times, the 2 of us are in great shape! (NOT) lol , but we muddle through helping each other and we get things done eventually.

So anyway , we are almost done his yard, when I am done at his house, I come home and work in my own yard, usually in my veggie garden, I am at war with the weeds, and I fear the weeds are currently winning , everything is coming up now except my corn, cucumbers, and pumpkins , hopefully those start popping up in the next week or so.

I am seriously toying with the idea of leaving my part time job at my other friends bar/hotel, heck I only make $10 an hour there and only work on average 4 hours a night 3 or 4 nights per week, the tips are good though, not often a Cook gets tips but I do, $50 here $50 there , but it’s not really the money that’s an issue ( I still run my yard maintenance business, and haul scrap so it ain’t like I’m sitting on my @ss doing nothing) I am semi retired…. by that I mean I only work as much as I want/need too, and I always have a couple irons in the fire, the only time I actually sit on my @ss and do next to nothing is winter ( at minus 45 I ain’t stepping out for nothing or nobody) …. why would i be entertaining the idea of leaving the bar/hotel….. because it’s summer and that kitchen is wicked hot, and it’s not so fun anymore, my friend keeps adding to my job list and those 4 hours are starting to stretch into 5 and 6 hours , it’s just not worth it to me to be away from my son for that long almost every night now, so i haven’t been answering my phone when my friend calls, and I won’t until I decide 1 way or the other what it is I want to do.

I got into the scrap business with another friend, he has a 5 ton tilt deck truck, so I invested and became a partner , I don’t own half of his business, but enough to earn a 6040 split ( he gets 60 I get 40) it generates a nice little income for me and I am learning new things so it is fun for me.

perhaps my greatest iron in the fire is , and this is so simple it’s ridiculous, I build large wooden construction waste bins , and rent them out to the local construction companies that come out here to build/renovate houses ( way cheaper than renting a big metal loras bin) and I haul it away with my friends 5 ton truck , and replace it with an empty one, the scrap wood they throw into it , I take out and what I can’t use for various small projects, I cut up into 1 foot lengths and sell it off for firewood! very little ends up in the landfill, most of it ends up in the village folks fire pits , I don’t just supply this village, I also supply 4 others , same goes with my yard maintenance business, I do 4 other communities not just my own.

I like being my own boss, I pick and choose my hours, work at my own pace and am always keeping a weathered eye on the horizon for new ventures . I am by no means rich and at times live paycheck to paycheck, most times with all my irons in the fires, I generate enough to take the winter off and enjoy my days at home.

I save money where I can , I bought an old 100+ year old home that was a fixer upper for less money than most spent on a down payment for a new huge Mcmansion home , I drive older cars, and do a lot of horse trading ( bartering) for things I need or want , my furniture is used , but nice, and I have some antiques as well as home made stuff , I chose quite simply to pursue life and personal happiness over monetary gain , I do plan on eventually going completely off the grid, I want to install solar panels and 2 small wind turbines on my house and generate my own power, I will stay hooked to the corporate power for only one reason…. to put electricity back onto the grid ( they actually pay you for doing that) I won’t make millions or even thousands doing that, but even if I get a check for $50 or $100 per month from the power company…. well thats $50 or $100 extra a month I didn’t have before!

I know I have a nice shiney new high efficiency furnace , but eventually i want to turn that off too for good, just keep it as a back up, I’d like to upgrade my little wood burning fireplace to a high efficiency pellet fireplace, heat the whole house with that ( my house is under 900 square feet split level) replace the gas water heater ( it’s a rental) with an electric which will be powered via solar/wind … most likely a rental again, because if it craps out it gets replaced free and is not my problem. The only area I’d have trouble stepping off the grid is the water supply, yes I have about a 20,000 gallon cistern , but that hasn’t been used for anything in about 50 years , except for spuds, I put potatoes down there for cold storage , I would have to make sure it didn’t leak before even attempting to use it for water, then there’s the issue of …where do i get the water? …. digging a well in the village is frowned upon big time. course I could fill it with rainwater and meltwater and use it for the toilet , run it through some filters and it could be hooked up to supply the entire bathroom , the garden and for watering the lawn etc. and just use the village water for drinking that would cut my water bill down to next to nothing. ( I will have to ponder this awhile)

So anyway my kidlet is off on a 3 day camping trip with his school , so it is just me , the 4 cats and the dog for the next few days, which means for 3 days I don’t have to wait for him to get off the computer , I have a laptop up in my bedroom, but we only have 1 wireless turbo stick .

So that’s all for tonight, Remember Folks:express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Then and now just thoughts on life

I have been reading a few blogs, actually many blogs from around the world, it really hits home when I read that LGBTQ folks in places outside Canada do not have the same rights and freedoms that I now take for granted.
We didn’t always have equality here, back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s I was there marching along side everyone else striving for equality and justice for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender.

It truly saddens me when I read of other countries that deny basic human rights and freedoms to LGBTQ folks, it saddens me even more when they use Religion as an excuse to discriminate against others, they can hide behind their Bibles, but it is just a front for Homophobia.

All this makes me glad to be a Canadian, my generation and those before me do know and understand the fight it took to get us to where we are at now, sadly the younger generations have no idea about their history, ask any youngun about Stone Wall and most will gaze back at you blankly (yes even up in Canada we know about Stone Wall)

So anyway our collective histories from around the globe, those who still struggle and fight for equality and those who are blessed to have found their equality kind of made me start thinking of my life, not just the distant past , but currently and a wee bit into the future, it got me thinking about how I view others and how we are viewed, about how we live our lives now.

Back in the day when I was still fighting for my rights and wanting to be treated as an equal to everyone else, I was “out and proud” I mean I pretty much advertised my sexuality, I showed disdain for anyone who objected to me being queer, I owned the word queer and every time someone yelled Queer at me , I’d yell Damn Right and Proud right back, I made no bones about it at work either, personally I think my employers were both amused and frightened of me hahaha

Now I am here , 2014, I have my rights freedoms and equality, I am legally married to the woman of my dreams, together we are raising a kid, and really my life has become for the lack of a better term…. normal!
My life and family quite literally mirror your average heterosexual family and I am not sure if I should be happy about that or worried? I mean I and millions of others got exactly what we fought for…. equality, now what?

I mean 10 to 15 years ago I took nothing for granted and I always stood out from the crowds, now I blend in and pretty much take everything in life for granted, I live in a country where being anything other than heterosexual is considered perfectly normal, we are your typical family next door and people in this village of 500 folks treat us as such, I wonder if they would have done the same oh let’s say 20 years ago?

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the country I live in , but I wonder is this it? all that fighting and protesting and educating for this? what was I expecting? I got exactly what I wanted and still wonder …is this it?

My fight is pretty much over, I fit in now and have all my human rights and equality, however that doesn’t mean I can stop being active and grow complacent, the LGB folks may have won, but the Trans gendered folks haven’t yet won, are we as a society just going to leave these folks to fight on their own? or are we all willing to take a stand and fight for EVERYONE, no person left behind.

The suicide attempts and successes are among the highest in the Trans gendered community, a staggering 46% will attempt to end their lives, and even if just one succeeds, that’s too many, everyone straight and gay, feminist or not must rally and come together to help the Transgendered community gain their rights and freedoms.
if we sit back and do nothing to help, we are then by our very nature no better than those who objectify and oppress the Transgendered community.

for those of you who now take your rights and freedoms for granted, don’t ever forget your roots, and do not allow the trans gendered to be oppressed, we are all one , united we stand and united we fall , just think about it sometime, your actions and words may just mean the difference between life and death for someone else, like wise, your inaction may have dire consequences for someone.

I’ll step off my soap box now, I didn’t mean to have the blog post turn out the way it did, it started off as a simple way back when and now post , then sort of took on a life of it’s own.

Remember folks, express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted and be kind to others

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Updates on our Son

Our 11 year old son Hammy was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in Novemeber 5th of 2012, fast forward to January 2013 and he is being admitted to the Regina General Hospital for brain surgery to remove the tumor, the bright side of this is that the tumor is NOT cancer, the down side is it is pressing up against his optic nerve causing occasional vision loss in his right eye and causing him to have seizures. January 7th is the surgery date.

Not much left to say at this point except thank you for the prayers and thoughts, we are praying daily that he comes through this and makes a speedy recovery.

guess thats it for now

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Woodworking projects on a lathe

Get Woodworking projects on a lathe

Lathe wood projects | ehow - ehow | how to videos, Lathe wood projects. you can make a number of wood projects while turning a wooden workpiece on a lathe. the machine holds the wood tightly at both ends and spins it. Wood lathe small projects | ehow - ehow | how to videos, A wood lathe is a machine used for turning, carving, or facing wood blocks and pieces. there are different sizes of wood lathes available. small or mini.

Homemade wood lathe plans | how to build a easy diy, Homemade wood lathe plans | how to build a easy diy woodworking projects. Wood lathe projects « wonder how to, How to cut beads and coves using your wood lathe its time to get down and dirty in this next tutorial. if you own a lathe, you may already know that there is a.

Wood lathe projects « wonder how to, How to cut beads and coves using your wood lathe its time to get down and dirty in this next tutorial. if you own a lathe, you may already know that there is a. How to use a wood lathe - chucking block with wood, How to use a wood lathe - chucking block with wood - woodworking tips - wood working projects. Wood lathes - sawdust making, A good starting out lathe, fits into limited space, extension to lengthen bed is available. floor lathe. Woodworking lathes | ebay - electronics, cars, fashion, Visit ebay for great deals in woodworking lathes. shop ebay!. Wood lathe project- peppermill - youtube, Sign in with your google account (youtube, google+, gmail, orkut, picasa, or chrome) to add mdcd2370 s video to your playlist.. Wood lathe resource | the wood guide | a true wood, A wood lathe resource: information on types of wood lathes, turning tools, brands, techniques and safety..

from TurnedTreasures - free woodworking plans projects turnings lathe

Wood Projects Ideas – Easy DIY Woodworking Projects Step by Step How

Thread: Busy Bee

easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Updates on my wife

My Wife has a month or less to live, they have a shunt in her right lung to drain the fluid, she has a massive embolism in her lung caused by a massive blood clot, yesterday while she was coherent and able she signed the DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) I also signed as I am the one who shall speak for her when she can not.

She want’s a Death with Dignity and Grace, not kept alive with machines and tubes and wires hanging out of her, I respect and understand that, I wouldn’t want that either.

She wanted to die at home and I wanted that as well as I have always found a way to grant her wishes However I talked with her sister and brother about this and they brought up hospice care, at first I was against it as this is not what my wife wanted, but I thought about it and finally admitted to myself that I just can not look after my wife’s health needs at this point, so I asked them to come talk to the in hospital social worker about it with me.

So tonight my Beautiful Wife was moved to the Palliative Care unit , it’s like a Hospice center only in Hospital, she now has a very large private room, she has a flat screen tv with 600 channels , a stereo, phone sofa big comfy bed and a nice view, I am bringing her -her teddy bear favourite blanket some pictures and music tomorrow and on Sunday I will bring her Cat to visit .

She has not been at the hospital alone, for the last 2 nights my sister has stayed with her during the night so I could come home and look after our son Hammy and our animals, I have been there every day from 7 am until 9 or 10 pm , tonight my wife’s sister is with her, and tomorrow both her brother and sister will be there at night with her, then Monday night I will spend 24 hours there , I will have my friend Wayne and his family look after our son Hammy , Hammy can come home and look after the animals then go back to Wayne’s.

I am so heart broken and I am NOT alright, I grieve hard and know only sorrow now, my Wife is dying, She asked me why God did this to her, I told her that I believed that before she was born she was an Angel in Heaven, I told her I believe God gave her charge over a very special boy (her son) so she came to earth, was born and grew up and gave birth to this very special child, along the way she was to find me and teach me how to Love, how to Trust, to teach me Compassion and Kindness and above all teach me how to parent her very special child, she did all this and so much more, she also taught me how to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life, she taught me to gaze in wonder at the stars, she taught me to thank God every day for sending me an angel, she taught me how to believe in an unseen God with all my heart and soul , she did her job that God asked her to do and she did it very well, now her work is done and God wants his Angel home as he only takes the very Best.

I also reassured her that Hammy and I would be alright that we would live each day of our lives in her memory and honour her , I told her I would talk and pray to her always, that our love is so strong that even in Death can not stop that love that I will continue to love her right up to my own death and beyond, we WILL be together again for all Eternity just right now I can not join her no matter how much my heart aches to do so for now I have to pick up and finish raising our Son to be the man she always dreamed he’d be.

I am comforted in the knowledge that she feels no pain now as they keep her comfortable and I’m comforted to know that soon my Darling wife will once again be an ANGEL, my heart breaks but I know I can live on and raise our son and he will be a great man who will one day have a wife and oh how he will love and cherish her, he WILL have what I had and so much more.

I have to stop now but I thought I should let you all know what’s going on and how things are going, thank you all for letting me talk/write about this and thank you for all your kindness and thoughtful replies I do read them I just can’t respond to you all right now, everytime I try I just break down.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

On the lighter side of life…

Everyone has coping methods when dealing with stress, life,illness,etc. Me I tend to build things and tinker a lot, people say I am creative, but to be honest I really don’t know if I am really creative or just a bumbling idiot who just happens to know a thing or two about wood and various metals . so okay maybe I do have some skills but I seldom acknowledge that.

Another thing I do is use humour, sometimes one liners or jokes, but mostly things that I find funny , for instance , every third sunday of each month the village church holds a service, yes I attend even though I am more spiritual than anything, I figure it can’t hurt and I am generally intrigued and interested by the true believers, I mean the ones who “feel” the spirit and cry or whoop it up in the isles, this fascinates me to no end, but what I do in church , other than observe others, is find a pew with an elderly man or woman sitting alone, I sit at the far end so as not to disturb their worship, then , when the time is right, Rip a Hippo ! (Pass gas/fart), it rumbles down the pew nice and loud, then I fake a startled look and stare right at the elderly person at the far end !….. okay so it’s a bit mean but it is funnier than hell to watch everyone try to maintain their composure , and I come away looking innocent as all hell while trying not to piss myself laughing. I have done this only once, you don’t wanna do it more than once or they will figure out who the gasser truly is, meanwhile my poor wife is shooting daggers out her eyes at me and looks mortified and our son is on the floor with his fist in his mouth trying not to laugh his piddly ass off, as the poor reverend tries in vain to carry on as normal.

My best stuff comes at the hospital though, thankfully the nurses and staff at the Cancer center are quite used to me now, I used humor to put them at ease when it comes to physical appearance , the first time my wife was in the hospital the poor staff on the first day didn’t know how to address me, are you the husband?? I I I mean wife?? oh hell are you her partner? ( this alone was amusing to me watching them squirm trying to identify me), so I replied I would be her hersband, or husband if it is easier for you , so that is what I am listed as at the hospital, her husband.

The following day when I went to visit my wife, I dressed up as cousin IT from the addams family and gave the nurses and staff a good laugh, and to show them that yes the whole situation the previous day neither offended or hurt me, and that it is okay to laugh at the situation, now the staff just call me by name, and I always make sure to have a corny joke to tell them , I figure the cancer ward has got to be a stressful place to work and I know it’s stressful for my wife to be there during chemo so I always try to cheer her and the staff up.

Speaking of hospitals , the cancer ward is on the third floor, so I like to head to the top floor 6th , then push all the buttons and jump off as everyone is piling on , then I run down the stairs take my ball cap off and put on some shades , beat the elevator to the next floor and stand in front of the door with my arms crossed, I do this on every floor, by the time the people get to the second floor they’re all like wtf!! and hammering on the elevator buttons , when it finally gets to the cafeteria in the basement, I am sitting in a chair no shades and wearing my ball cap , looking as innocent as can be .

I have also been known to toss random stuff in other people’s shopping carts, sure theres the old condoms in the elderly ladies shopping cart gag, but that’s pretty old, still funny but old, no I like to mess with vegetarians, I am a people watcher so it’s pretty easy to spot the vegetarians in the grocery store, they can usually be found grazing the organic isles and no meat of any kind in their carts, I have noticed that tofu bacon packaging is similar to regular bacon brands, both can have the bright blue markers or red or yellow etc, so I swap em out when the person isn’t looking, I’ll take their tofu and replace it with meat, then replace someones meat with the tofu and cause total chaos and mayhem at the tills .



It is pretty common for me to wear a sponge clown nose, when I am in the city, if I pull up beside another car I will stick on the nose and look at the car beside me and wave, it usually gets a laugh or s snicker from the passengers, and kids start pointing and carrying on, so I look away and take the nose off then look back at them with a puzzled look, they are usually perplexed so I look away again and put the nose back on and wave , smile and drive away .

I know it may seem childish or downright jerkish to some, but humour even at the expense of myself or others helps me cope with all the hurt and suffering of my wifes cancer, it often brightens another persons day just to see some silliness in an otherwise hectic day.

Here is a corny joke you can do with your friends or kids, it’s family friendly and so corny that you will get a laugh out of someone, simply proclaim loudly to who ever that you can breathe under water, then prove it by standing under a glass of water and take a deep breath, see you did breathe under water!

Guess that’s all for now , remember folks, express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted and be kind to others .

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Wood Duck House Plans 9 Steps on How to Build a Duck House Using Wood!

Wood Duck House Plans - 9 Steps that You Can Save Money and Provide Care For Your Ducks!

Ducks need houses just as humans do. Unfortunately, not all people know how to build a duck house. So, they buy expensive duck houses from stores instead. In reality, a duck will not care if its house costs ten dollars or a few hundred dollars. What it needs is protection and not some fancy lair. Anyway, if you want to learn how to build a wood duck house plans, you can read these steps:

     1. First, you need to get a housing plan. If you do not know how to build a duck house, chances are you do not know how to design one either. So, it is advisable that you purchase one from a reliable seller or you get a free one from the Internet.

>> The Complete Guide of Wood Duck House Plans <<

     2. Next, you have to gather the necessary tools. You have to go to the hardware store to buy the needed materials for the duck house.

     3. Lay out the duck house design and pencil draw the various pieces onto the wood. Remember the importance of cutting once and measuring twice.

     4. Cut the materials to their proper sizes. Follow the cutting instructions on your wood duck house plans. Make sure that you cut carefully so as not to encounter any accident. Once the wood is cut, you should end up with a roof, a back, a floor, two sides, and a front.

     5. Then, you have to dry fit all the parts. Make sure that you check the angles and dimensions. Also, you must not be in a hurry to use the screws. Now is not yet the time for them. You have to fit all parts together and double-check before you drill and fast.

     6. Make a hole for entrance. Actually, it is easier to drill the hole prior to assembling the box. The hole would be cleaner if it is drilled from both sides of the wooden board. You can use something such as a rasp to smoothen the opening.

     7. Create traction and begin assembling. When you assemble the parts, it is better if you will use exterior deck screws since they can create better designs that can withstand various elements.

     8. Create drainage and an access point. These will enable you to access the interior of the house and clean it.

     9. Check if the duck house is ready to be used. Well, this is the final step on how to build a duck house. If you think that the house is ready, you can bring it outdoors to test.

Are you looking for more tips on how to build a wood duck house plans? If you think you still need guidance on where to start, consulting existing duck owners and farmers will certainly be a big help. If you would like to learn more about raising ducks correctly, please visit: Wood Duck House Plans!

>>> Tips, Tools And Tactics for Wood Duck House Plans!

easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Still Here Updates on where Ive been

Sorry for the absence folks! holy moly it has been awhile since my last post!

To catch you up on where Ive been and what Ive been up too, basically I have been crazy busy at work.

My yard maintenance business took off a lot faster than I expected! so much so that I am in the process of registering it and going legit.

"Git R Done Yard Maintenance" is my business name ( yes I ripped that prize winning name off of Larry the Cable Guy) but no worries hes American and I am way up north in Canukistan.

Also been busy building a deck onto the back of our house, no big deal really except that I built the entire thing from wood pallets (skids) which I got for free from Geoff Fafard (yes the famous artist) who happens to live and do his artsy work here in the little village of Pense.

Also took my family up north to Hudson Bay Saskatchewan ( a different Hudson Bay than the one that connects to the ocean) more specifically we went to Ruby lake, great fishing! our son "Hammy" caught 6 good sized jacks (northern pike) all I caught was 3!!

I also bought an air conditioner for the house, and a 2002 Ford E350 van and have my mighty Ford Bronco up for sale, selling it for 1500 OBO or for trade, Im looking for a large snow blower, or a 14 ft aluminum fishhing boat, or a mid 80s 175 enduro (on/off road motor bike)

My wireless internet crashed also, hence the extended vacation from the cyber world, right now I am on my laptop at the STC bus terminal stealling their free wife lol, Ill have to find time to use the villages free computer (which is slower than all git out) at least once per week to keep on top of this blog, I dont like being gone for so long.

Anywho, thats about all I have for now, if I think of anything else Ill come back and post it.

Cheerios

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Cancer its devastating effects on loved ones

My wife has stage 4 lung cancer and it has spread to her lymph nodes and I fear beyond as she has great difficulty swallowing liquids, she can swallow solid food but has to use a teaspoon to sip water,juice,milk,etc.

Watching my wife go through this is beyond heart breaking, I have no words to accurately describe just exactly what I am feeling, heart broken, scared, worried,numb all of that and a million more emotions that I can not describe.

Our son "Hammy" is just 12 years old, he is going through his own emotional hell, he is very angry at God, he is scared, angry, heart broken, panic stricken, he has always been his Mommas boy and the thought of losing her is killing him.

"Hammy" and I do our best to do all the house chores, look after her, fulfill her every wish,want,and need, our day begins around 6 am and usually ends around 11 pm , "Hammy" and I are both very stressed, "Hammy" has a school counselor he can talk to twice per week and his youth counselor in the city that he sees twice per month, it does help him some but no amount of talking or therapy can ease the pain he feels.

I do not have anyone to talk to at this point, I just dont have the time, between caring for my wife and making sure our son doesnt come unglued, yes I have friends, but it is a hell of a burden to put on them if I start talking about it with them, and I can only imagine how uncomfortable it would make them feel, so I try to cope by posting on this blog, I realize that this venue can not express the emotional hell I am in, but it does give me the chance to really think as I type, so in a sense anyone who reads this blog doubles as my therapist, at least my thoughts are out there in cyber space for anyone to read, I strangely find some small comfort in that.

I have subscribed to a couple Cancer blogs , to learn how others cope and deal with this nasty disease, there is always Hope right? writing is a form of therapy for me I guess, at the moment I have no more tears, I have cried them all out, I have been taking care of the nasty bits in life, setting aside money for her funeral if and when that day comes, making sure her living will is in order, making sure that the details are all taken care of, its a struggle at times, Ive gone so far as to refinance the land we purchased together to make the payments easier to handle alone.

anyway thats about all I have to say right now, except please give those you love an extra hug, express your love often to each other(s) , and spend more time in each others company.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Despite the Cancer life has to go on

My Wife has been feeling really good lately, all last week and this week so far she has been almost back to her happy former self, she can’t work or go for her long walks but she does go outside and sit on the deck we built together last summer, she putters around the house doing light house keeping, she is back to cooking suppers for Hammy (our son) and I, and gosh let me tell you….my Wife really knows her way around a kitchen! that girl can cook!

This may sound mundane to you the reader, but these simple things that we all take for granted are a very big accomplishment for my Wife, just 4 short months ago we found out she had stage 4 lung cancer, the prognosis wasn’t good, we were told to make final arrangements quickly as she only had 3 to 6 months to live.

We are now on the 4th month, and after 2 rounds of Chemo her health as improved….well okay I am sure her health hasn’t improved, it’s her quality of life that has improved, needless to say we do NOT take tomorrow for granted, we cherish each day, good or bad and pray for just 1 more day together.

Tomorrow she goes back to the Cancer center to be evaluated and booked in, by Friday they will have a bed ready and she will go in for her 3rd and final round of Chemo, after that they want to give her a CT Scan to see what the Chemo has done (if anything) , if it has done what they hope it has, the Doctors will figure out the next step, if that step is more Chemo or surgery we just don’t know yet, and we won’t know until after that CT Scan.

So now that my Wife has been feeling better and is able to be on her own for a couple hours, I have been playing catch up on my spring chores, such as digging my 1 ton work van out of my sisters yard where I parked it last fall, the ground went soft with the spring melt and hence, the van sank right up to it’s bumpers! I did get it out after a half day of digging and pulling with the Kubota (tractor), had to jump start the van as the winter killed the battery. After that I came home dusted off my Wife’s little red car and put the battery charger on it for a couple hours, battery is charged but the serpentine belt broke, so that is on my “to do” list, replace the belt.

Life has to go on despite the Cancer, I have been stealing an hour here and an hour there to putter in the flower gardens, I have been planting giant sunflowers (well hopefully they will be giants when they grow) , I have a great fondness for sunflowers, why I do not know, I have a wide variety of seeds to plant yet,

I enjoy gardening, both flower and veggie gardening, as does my Wife, this year it’s all me doing the seeding and her telling me what goes where exactly, I don’t mind, she always has been and always will be “The Boss” , I am not too prideful or too Butch to admit that my Wife is indeed the Boss, even while sick she runs the house, she manages the budgets and lets me know what bill needs to be paid, she makes out the shopping list and I follow it faithfully, she lets me know when Hammy needs new clothes etc, as I said she is the Boss, she is an organized person who likes lists and budgets, I am more of a just “wing it” kind of person.

I never once attempted to take any sort of control of the house away from her, even when she is so sick she can’t get out of bed, instead I just pick up where she left off and take care of things and when she starts feeling better I hand over the reigns back to her.

anyway, it is late, thank you for letting me ramble (blogging is therapy for me), remember to express your love often, and never take tomorrow for granted. Peace be with you all

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Day 4 on Champix …

So 4 days ago I had a long talk with my family Doctor, he gave me the results from a battery of tests he had put me through, it wasn’t exactly good news, my cholesterol is off the charts, he said I am a Heart attack waiting to happen, I am over weight, even for my height ( 5 foot 10), I tip the scale at 225.3 pounds, ( I love my wife’s cooking and always have seconds ) I will say I carry my weight fairly well, I don’t look over weight, I do however have a spare tire for a gut (images of Homer Simpson come to mind) however my weight puts me at risk of diabetes, my Doctor is very blunt, he simply stated clean up your act or die, the choice is yours.

Well I am also a smoker (gee go figure), I have been trying to quit since April but to no avail (no offence but it takes more than simple will power, nicotine is a drug and it’s harder to kick than heroin, doubt that? ask any doctor) , wanting to quit is half the battle, the other half is the hellish with drawls that can make you feel like your dying, and can make you ready to kill anyone who gets on your nerves, being that I WANT to quit and just can’t do it on my own no matter how hard I try, I asked my Doctor for help, he gave me Champix.

I set my quit date for 9 days after the first pill (that would be the 16th of August), how ever I just may be able to stop before that, I had 5 smokes today, and I must say I hated every one of them, I don’t really feel the need to light up, I don’t know why I had 5 , perhaps just to take the edge off? or habit? I don’t know, but I do know tomorrow will be better.

There are side effects with Champix, for me I don’t feel suicidal or depressed, I do feel tired and want to nap more than usual, I have little appetite which means instead of loading my plate as usual , I just take very small servings and pick at it, right now I can’t eat Tuna, it makes me gag which sucks because I am worse than a cat when it comes to tuna! I love tuna mayo and onion sandwiches!
Food tastes odd to me at the moment, partly due to the drug champix and partly due to not hardly smoking, when you smoke it makes food taste different, so not smoking also changes the taste of food.
I have wicked vivid dreams due to the anti smoking meds, they warned me of this, I don’t mind as I tend to enjoy my dreams no matter how bizarre or the contents etc. I have always really enjoyed my dreams, just for now they are wickedly vivid which makes them all the more exciting and entertaining . ( yes I can tell when I am dreaming)

I am calm and relaxed and the with drawls are manageable not physical or psychological pain, like I said just tired, oh and my ears are constantly ringing, I know this shall pass with time so I am okay with everything, this won’t last forever, it takes 3 full days for the nicotine to leave my system , so even though I am currently still smoking which I won’t be doing much longer, I know the amount of nicotine in my system has been drastically reduced, I went from 1 pack (25 smokes) per day down to just 5 smokes in 4 short days…. that’s pretty freaking AWESOME! tomorrow will be even better.

I am going to turn my health issues around, first step is quitting smoking, second step is to exercise more ( I already walk around 5 miles per day), I am going to put an ad up in the post office asking for a bike buddy, someone who wants to go pedal biking for a couple miles once or twice per week since my wife currently can not join me.
I am also planning on joining our local fitness center , I have set my goal realistically to reach 175 pounds, no time limit, just daily exercise, once I hit 175 I will ask my doctor if that’s enough, if not I will set another goal of 10 pounds and go from there.

Anyway that is all for tonight, remember folks, express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

woodworking plans karate belt holder

This woodworking plans karate belt holder must see

Where can i find woodworking plans to build a karate belt, Where can i find woodworking plans to build a karate belt display rack? 5 years ago; report abuse. Easy karate lesson plans | maximize profits | karate, Having good karate lesson plans can mean the difference between sucess and failure when you own your own karate school. as an martial arts teacher, it is my.

Dining plan contracts | ku memorial unions, About residential frequently searched topics: dining plans employment info catering net nutrition ‘feel better’ meals dietary accomodations we try to …. Diy: porch building plans | ehow - ehow | how to videos, When designing a porch, the goal is to make it look original to the homes construction. create a porch that harmonizes with the architectural style of the house in.

Diy: porch building plans | ehow - ehow | how to videos, When designing a porch, the goal is to make it look original to the homes construction. create a porch that harmonizes with the architectural style of the house in. Woodturning, Woodturning is read by turning enthusiasts in over 60 countries and is packed with projects, features on turners around the world, tests and reviews, news, letters. Thompson submachine gun - gun wiki, The thompson submachine gun is an american submachine gun that became infamous during the. Garages & sheds - fairfax county, virginia, Garages & sheds 3 february 8, 2012 site related plans to determine your project’s impact on your property, one of three types of site related plans must be submitted.. Decorative shadow boxes | ebay - electronics, cars, Visit ebay for great deals in decorative shadow boxes. shop ebay!. Disney at scratchpad, the home of temporary mini-wikis!, Disney was started in 1923 by walt disney and roy disney. at the time, it was known as disney.

Alright that’s all for now, in the next part I will explain on

Belt Display Racks/Holders > Ten Level Martial Arts Karate Taekwondo

Home / Martial Arts Belt Display with Picture Frames

easy wood projects to build

Read More..

on a more serious note…

So let’s be serious a moment, I am not the pillar of Health, but by the same token I am not a total train wreck either, I have very high cholesterol (the bad kind) and am what the Doc called pre diabetic …… meaning get your shit together or you’re gonna die pal.

So what have I been doing about this to help myself? well for the last month and a half I have been cutting the extra fat off the meats I eat , been eating rabbit food (salads) and doubled my intake of fresh vegetables, I also started eating more rice based foods and…… brace yourselves……I tried my neighbor’s Tofu and actually liked it!! (no worries I won’t be adding it to my regular diet), now I’ve had tofu before and quite frankly I’d rather eat shit than tofu, the texture alone makes me gag.

But my neighbor is a die hard vegetarian (her husband is not), I couldn’t begin to tell you how she prepared that tofu, or even how she cooked it….. but I do have to tell you that shit tasted great!

I’ve also been exercising my ass off, I am stuck at 225 pounds , the Risperidone (anti psycho drug) is preventing me from losing more weight, so I talked to my Shrink today about getting off the damn drug since I don’t think it’s actually doing anything (maybe it is and I’m just too loco to know it) << naw it ain’t doin shit! I was at 5mg’s last year, then 6 months ago she dropped it to 1mg and I’m doing just fine, so today she dropped it to .5mg’s , and if I do well on that for the next 6 months, she will take me off the Risperidone altogether, so that’s good news for me at least.

I also had to see my family Doc today and he put me on Crestor 10mgs (anti Cholesterol), he also has me taking Metamucil ,drinking Minute Made Heart Healthy Orange Juice, and instead of using my home made butter he has me using Becel pro activ margarine…ugh!!

so that’s that my diet is changing and I am on a mission to drop my cholesterol and lower my blood sugars so I don’t become diabetic , because honestly…..hell will freeze over before I jab myself with needles a couple times per day, I’d need one of those insulin pumps because I don’t do friggin needles! I can be tough and get my blood test and stuff…but no way could I handle multiple needles every day.

No needles won’t send me crying and screaming like a little bitch, I simply don’t like them!…but Spiders will!! (another story or two for another time)

Anyway it has been a long assed day, I was trapped in the city from 11 am until 5 pm , I swear I am gonna write a rant post one of these days about city drivers! anyway I’m gonna leave off here tonight, so y’all have a grand evening .

Remember folks: express your love often,never take tomorrow for granted,and be kind to others.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Our son is on the mend

Our son had surgery to remove the brain tumor Monday January 7th, I excluded photos of him in the ICU and all the tubes wires and machinery, instead I posted one of the back of his head 5 days after surgery, as you can see he is healing very well, and is due to be released from the hospital Monday January 14th ! he is up and about and happy, the only side effect from the surgery is his lack of balance and he is partially blind in his right eye.

The Dr. says that his balance and vision should come back over time, and will be sending him to the Wascana Rehabilitation Center for physio, all is well and getting better every day! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, they helped carry our son and our family through this difficult time.

Guess thats about it for now, Take care and God Bless

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

Winter’s on it’s way and other ramblings from the prairies

So for now we here in our little corner of Saskatchewan (Canada) have avoided the dreaded white stuff that falls from the sky (Snow) , (having said that I probably just jinxed myself and will wake up to 10 feet of the shit) but the temperatures have just screamed snow on the horizon hovering between 2 and 5 degrees celsius during the day and dropping as low as minus 7 at night, our saving grace? …. we keep getting a southern wind from our neighbours (Thank you USA) as long as they keep sending the winds our way we shall remain snow free.

cartoon31

I know that the snow isn’t far off now, the Blue Jays are setting up shop in our back yard, there is 5 or 6 of them so far, funny they only come in winter, don’t get me wrong I love the blue buggers, but what I really want to see is a Cardinal !! I have only seen 1 in my entire 47 years of existence and that was 40 friggin years ago! I really really want to see another one. The hawks and falcons have gone south for the winter and the great horned owls and snowy owls have taken their place and the Canadian Geese are staging in the fields for their journey south , the good thing about that is at least we won’t be stepping in Goose shit for the next 7 months, they will soon be the USA’s problem (you’re welcome)

cartoon32

Today I put up my snow fence along our driveway , all 100 feet of it, I have some left over snow fence (about 50 feet) so I gave it to our neighbour to help him out, this will be his second winter out here (he and his family are city folk), last winter his driveway blew in something fierce (got snowed in) and about that time his shiny new snowblower crapped out on him. He almost died last year with the amount of snow we got out here, nor could he believe how cold it can get, in the city he was sheltered from the winds by multiple buildings walls and such, he got a taste of minus 50 with a 40 mile an hour wind and blowing snow out here in the open prairie , to say he was a little freaked out was an understatement lol

cartoon33

I have had a pretty easy day over all, just winterizing the house and property, topping off all the fluids in my cars and dealing with a wicked weather induced migraine , always happens to me this time of year as the atmospheric pressure drops and it will happen again 7 months from now when spring hits and the pressure changes once again, this will be an ongoing saga for me for about 2 months until the atmospheric pressure stabilizes, it’s also that time of year when I really begin to feel my age (47) , my joints hurt and I’m stiff most of the winter, but you won’t hear me bitching about it often as it is merely a painful reminder of a very full and active life I have lived (so far) I’m not as crazy as I was 20 years ago , but I am still active and I will be kept busy all winter shovelling paths to and from the work shed and various other locations, as well as the driveway and helping the neighbours clear their drives.

cartoon34Of course I will be taking my wife to the city weekly for her doctor appointments keeping her alive and as healthy as possible despite her lung cancer is of utmost importance, hell keeping myself healthy is important now since I am the only person that drives, I can’t afford to be sick, my wife’s life depends on me looking after myself and staying healthy. Our son is as healthy and as strong as an ox so I don’t really have to worry about him much. So it’s month 2 for me on the crestor and metamucil ( anti cholesterol) and I have definitely noticed a change in my overall health, I feel better, I have more energy, and I’ve lost 5 pounds! I am now down to 220 pounds ( I carry the weight well , I’m 5ft 10), I have gotten used to the metamucil so I don’t feel like I’m dying every time I drink a glass of juice with it, so far so good, I am hoping to have lost another 5 pounds by the end of November, ideally I’d like to get down to 180 to 185 pounds , that is my goal and it’s realistic , if I just keep on doing what I’m doing I will eventually get there.

So I guess that’s it for tonight, remember folks : express your love often,never take tomorrow for granted,and be kind to others.

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..

The joys of selling a used vehicle

Well I sold the Mighty Bronco, did alright on the sale, I sold it as is where is, the guy who bought it, drove the hell out of it and of course it broke down, he has phoned me a half dozen times, why? its not my problem! I sold it as is! and it was in good running order when I sold it to him.

People seem to expect perfection when buying a used vehicle, especially a 20+ year old vehicle, jeez , general knowledge dictates when buying a used vehicle there are bound to be some glitches in it, dont drive the shit out of it and it should last you a year or two or three!

I now drive my work van, a 2002 Ford E350 cargo, it has 252,366 miles on it, yet it runs strong, I bought it used, I dont drive the shit out of it and hey whatta ya know? it still runs like new!

some people just rub me the wrong way! well the Bronco is his problem now, not mine,if he"d stop lead footing it, it will run forever and a day!

thats my vent for today

Butch
easy wood projects to build

Read More..