Still Fixing Mowers

Long time readers will remember the story of me taking my old mower apart on the garage floor Well that old thing has been getting harder and harder to start so when I saw a lightly used electric mower at a garage sale for $35 I jumped on it. Seemed like a good deal for what usually goes for about $250. I used it twice and then neglected the lawn until last weekend when the foot tall weeds embarrassed me into action.



I learned a few things about electric mowers that day. They don't have the torque of a gas one and they can blow out your breakers and then melt down. I took the thing apart, of course, and there really are only three pieces to the thing 1) the switch on the handle 2) a small bridge capacitor and 3) the electric motor. So the switch was fine and the engine seemed OK when I threw some juice at it on the work bench so I ordered a $2.50 capacitor on the internet and I'm back in business.

I feel so 21st century

Floor Show

Vegas Photo Spread

Las Vegas Getaway

This is exactly the view that I was looking forward to. I had been busting my hump on the house and need some R and R and so J and I headed to Las Vegas for some time by the Mandalay Bay pools. We got back this afternoon and I headed right to work so this is just a teaser of the photos coming up. I'll post more after a good night's rest, to recover from the vacation.

Rockin!

Wow, what a bunch of work to rip out the old plaster, lathe, crappy wiring just to stick new stuff in and nail up some new dry wall. Whew. Anyway, here are a few shots of it going up. No mud and tape yet but that is happening this week.

Leftover Photos from this Week

Here is the magnetic cat flap that is going in. It isn't deep enough (4 inch exterior walls) so I framed a space in and will recess the flap. Hope the cats don't get any bigger or they won't fit through it!


and the first take at moving the attic entrance. I put some 2 x 6 framing in place but need to fab up a hatch cover so all the blow in insulation stays up there. Yuck that stuff tastes terrible.

Hope I don't get any bigger or I won't fit through the opening!

Here Comes the Drywall!

This has been a long week for sure. My camera broke first off, so these two photos are from my Black Berry. The Casio z100 (don't ever buy a Casio BTW) seems to turn off every minute or so and doesn't want to turn back on.

Anyway, I committed to the dry wall guy to be ready the morning of April 4th and it has been a long week of sometimes till midnight work:

1) making a new attic hatch and framing it in
2) running the wiring for the ceiling lights
3) finishing the trim around the pocket door
4) building a new cat door
5) pulling all the random nails out
6) installing the 240 volt / 40 amp surface mount plug (thank god for 3/4 inch flex conduit!!!!)
7) finishing the wiring around the sink
8) stapling the insulation in

and tomorrow night's mission is to generally clean up and have the 24 sheets of 5/8 inch dry wall ready for a 9 am Saturday start.