happenings...
This is for our family's events, and interesting tidbits of info. Below, you will find a varied gathering of information.
do you read me???
Three-fourths of the school year has flown by. Lincoln has been very diligent in his kinder studies which has netted him a few skills. Lincoln's new-found abilities are quite impressive. He can count to nine-hundred ninety-nine if prodded properly. He can virtually read anything put in front of him phonetically, if he tries. He has been receiving gold stars for his homework. He has also been receiving hugs from the little girls that chase him everyday at recess. (The jury is still out on whether this is a good or a bad thing.) He has so many new friends his mother and I are unable to keep them all straight in the nightly stories. Of course, the list of skills he has amassed doesn't end with just the stars and hugs. The little guy has a whole list of his own accomplishments that he finds more impressive. He can blow huge bubbles with bubble gum. He can transform any transformer. He can... Well as you can see the list is just endless.
Sydney has added some of her own milestones to the list. She uses the toilet for all major transactions. (No more diapers, yee-haa!) She has also found an affinity for bubble gum, but her bubbles have not quite taken shape. She is trying though, a lot. She can chew a pack of grape Bubblicious in about an hour and a half. Impossible you say? Not for her. She also got a new "big girl" bike with training wheels, lots of Barbie, and even more pink and tassels. She can ride it, but doesn't for very long. She seems to prefer the battery-powered jeep to huffing it on a bike. With all luck I will be required to make the jeep pink and tassely, to better suit her tastes. At least she still needs me for that kind of stuff. Reaching high objects, opening bottles and jars, and pinking and tasseling things. I wonder how long that need will be there?
how to make a deck...
Or maybe it should be "How to build deck by not making the same mistakes I did...". I don't really mean that. I think the deck is turning out nicely. I have had some mixed reviews about the appearance of the deck, but I like it. I think where the problem lies is in the materials that I used. We wanted a deck, but materials are just too darn expensive. So I did some salvaging. I scrounged most of the framing materials from stuff that my dad found. My grandmother was also very helpful. She allowed me to use the deck that my dad and grandfather built twenty years ago to go around their swimming pool. The decking was very weathered, but still sturdy. I am very pleased that I was able to put that stuff to use. That old deck had many memories associated with it, and to now have it at my house makes me happy.
I did have to buy some new materials. I purchased new pressure treated 2x6x12 boards for the outside of the structure and the main joists. I thought that it made sense to use some fresh materials mixed in with the older stuff to help insure strength. I had to buy some lag screws which Phil and I used to secure our starting boards to the house. I had to buy a dozen or so pier blocks which we used as footings for the deck. I didn't concrete the vertical posts because I needed to keep this a temporary structure, because I did not acquire a permit. Shame on me, and shame on them for making me have to pay them to better my property. I also had bought a box of 16 penny nails and a few small boxes of hanger nails. I also bought forty hanging brackets. I used more than that, but luckily I had a ton of them salvaged from my grandmother's deck. I bought fifty 2x4x8 pine studs of which I used forty-seven to fill in the gap that the older redwood decking did not cover. And finally I bought three 2x12x8 cedar boards for the stringers to the main stairs.
Most of the framing was in reality done by Phil. The guy is a machine. I was more of the gopher, and the holder. Which was probably for the best, considering that I had no knowledge of framing what so ever. About half-way through the framing, my mom's husband Bob stopped by to snicker at what Phil and I had done, but he threw himself in to helping. I figure that if he thought that the deck was a disaster waiting to happen, he wouldn't have had his name associated with it. His help was greatly appreciated. After about six hours the first day, the deck was framed and ready to be decked.
The decking was mostly a solo mission for two and a half days. I laid the decking by intermixing the new pine boards with the older redwood boards. I wasn't going for any particular pattern, and it quite obvious that that was accomplished. The lack of pattern or the new/old mix is what I find attractive about it, and might be what some find unattractive about it. But using the old boards I had to predrill every screw hole. It was very time consuming, but I was able to make better use of the older stuff.
We only spent about $600 to get to where we are. We could have spent $1800 or more to get there with all new stuff. So over all, I feel like we accomplished quite a lot. For some reason I got it into my head to make some stationary furniture for the deck. I now have two chairs and am making a table that can house a cooler, as well as my various barbecue stuffs.
how to make a pinata...
For Lincoln's birthday we (Sarah and Lincoln) decided to have a pinata. We (Sarah and Lincoln) found a nice little pinata in a birthday catalog. Unfortunately we (Sarah and Chris) decided that it might just be a little too spendy for something that will be completely demolished in twenty minutes. So we (Sarah) decided that we should make Lincoln a pinata. This is how we (Chris) went about making one.
Items you will need:
- newspaper - about two Yakima Herald-Sunday editions
- a bucket
- flour - just have a bag of it handy
- water - out of the tap
- glue - wood glue or white glue
- yard stick
- balloons
Inflate the balloons. Using the newspaper and the yard stick, rip the paper into 1" strips. Take the bucket and pour some warm water into it. I used a 12 quart pot, and filled it 1/2 of the way. Start adding and mixing flour until the water is opaque, and there is some "flour mud" at the bottom. Add some of the glue to the mixture. Add some of the paper strips to the mixture to moisten, and get some of the "mud" on them. Start applying strips of paper in criss-cross patterns across the surface of the inflated balloons.
As each balloon is completely covered in wet paper, place in a warm, dry area and move on to the next balloon. When the paper has completely dried on all of the balloons repeat the process. Repeat several times, like three or four. Now you need to devise a way to attach the separate pieces. I just hold two balloons in place and start adding more paper. It takes a delicate, steady hand but it can be done. A fan will aid in drying, but you will need to reinforce whatever attachments you make, so don't try to make a pinata in a weekend. And for those who aren't paying attention, reinforcing will take some more wet paper and some more drying. Now that you have the basic attaching process down, you can add all kinds of small or large attachments.
You should hopefully end with a close facsimile of what you are gunning for. There are numerous ways that you can decorate the specimen. You can buy a large quantity of crate paper and cover every square inch of the pinata with the glue dot, and 1" squares of paper. Or you can paint the pinata in a way that simulates what you are going for, and then use a minimum amount of paper to decorate. This is what was done on the three-horn.
The next move is to find an area that can hide an opening and then cut one. This is where you should cut a hole to fill with candy. Before you fill with candy, you will need to make some holes for string to hang the pinata. Just make sure that you are using a large area, or you will lose a chunk of pinata, and you will have another place to add candy. Once it is hung, invite some people, hang the pinata and start swinging.
Amendments:
- The extra reinforcing is good for older kids. Just remember that younger kids don't swing as hard, so they obviously inflict less damage. Just keep that in mind when you put ten layers of newspaper on your pinata and expect a four year old to bust it.
- When the main section has a few layers, you might wanna consider embedding string into, and under the next few layers. Referring to amendment #1, my pinata only broke where I had attached the string (pictured here).
- There are obviously a dozen ways that you can hang your creation. I personally went for a more active rigging. I had two strings tied at the pinata that separated and went in opposite directions through two islets in the ceiling about 1' apart. From the islets the two strings (really they were ropes, cause the damn thing weighed at least fifteen pounds) continued separated for about eight to ten feet. One string for each hand. This will give you above average lateral control. You will literally be able get that pinata swinging in a circle just by using the strings, very handy.
- If you are the operator, please remember all of those America's Funniest Nut-shot Videos, and make sure your operating from a goodly distance.
- However secure you are in the distance you have established, don't get too relaxed cause kids let go of things at the oddest times. Also, if you are too relaxed, you might get over-zealous with the extra action you are getting from the "double rigging" and send a three-pointed, fifteen pound spear hurtling into your five year old son's face and make him cry in front of all of his friends. Focus.
worth a thousand words, costs a couple hundred...
We have finally joined the masses. We got a digital camera, and are absolutely loving it. It is amazing what kind of pictures you can get when you can just start snapping and don't have to worry about wasting film. And the instant gratification, oh yeah, is great. No waiting, no screw-ups in the developing, it is magnificent. If you are one of the last ten people in the world that doesn't have a digital camera, we recommend you do what you can to get one. You'll not regret it.
older and wiser...
A fifth birthday is a big deal, and quite a milestone in a little man's life. Lincoln's fifth birthday is rapidly approaching. February 23. On the 25 of February, Sarah is planning on having a big party. I have heard through my sources that it is to be a fiesta, complete with pinata. Nothing sounds more like fun to me than a group of sugared-up young kids running around with blunt objects. If you haven't received an invitation, then it is because we don't like you. No, just kidding, we only sent out a few. The rest we are hoping to send via vocal chords. If you feel left out print out your own copy. We will not be checking for fraudulent invitations at the door, so no worries. Just swing by and fiesta with us.
ordained and ready to rock...
I have finally done something that I have wanted to do for years.
My best friend reminded me of my desire. I have become a legally ordained minister. I am not now, nor have I ever been interested in pursuing the tax exempt status allowed men such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Pat Robertson. I have undergone this transformation solely for the benefit of my fellow man. Well, actually I am doing this more for myself than anybody else. I have always wanted to have an official title, and this is the easiest way. I lack both the aptitude and the motivation for schooling. That closes the door to academic titles like Doctor, Professor, and Counselor. Nor do I have the lack of conscience needed to attain the title Fugitive or Inmate #. So I will just have to settle with Reverend Christopher W. Hakala. I quite like it. Click below to see for yourself.
I am available for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and boat christenings. Just remember to keep your expectations low. Please contact me at reverendhakala@ceremoniesforadime.org if you are at all interested in gaining my services. If you would like to join me in becoming a man/woman of 'a' cloth, this is where you need to go.
it is hard to keep up, but we try...
The date has been changed! Jerry and Tracey are now to be married in February. It seems that there is nothing people won't do when they are in love, and building a house. I am happy that they are so in love that they can't wait to be wed. I am also happy that there is a chance now that I will not have to wear a kilt. I say this not because I am insecure in my manhood. I am secure enough. I just had a bad experience wearing a kilt one time.
This one time on a band trip (all funny stories start with a variation of this), in the middle of summer, I was forced to march through the streets of downtown Tacoma wearing a kilt. On a side note, schools with less than adequate funding for band programs are forced to find creative ways to outfit their marching bands. Unfortunately our school was both lacking in funding and creative thought, which lead to them using the same uniforms purchased forty years prior to this story. I don't know if the washing of the uniforms over the previous thirty years was responsible for the shrinking (although the smell of them lead me to believe otherwise), or if people in the sixties were just smaller. There is of course evidence to support the latter thought. Back in the day, the common unit of measurement,in what is now the U.K., often changed according to the dimensions of the foot of the current ruling monarch. So a "foot" was not always a "foot". Likewise, I believe that an x-large in the sixties was not the same as an x-large in the nineties. Back to the story.
I was attempting to keep pace with my troop, at a break-neck pace while carrying a bass drum I believe was also constructed in the sixties out of cast-iron and petrified wood. To say it was heavy was not an exaggeration. And to say the air was just warm, would be an understatement. It was sweltering. Now picture in your minds eye, an x-large guy dressed in an "x-large" 1966 version of a Scottish highlands musician uniform with all the bells and whistles, swinging away at a bass drum while trying to remember the timing and beats of a song. Trying to keep in formation was another of my concerns, but for some reason the thought of the tiny garments bursting was what concerned me most. I was deathly afraid that one of the hundreds of safety pins holding the rags together would give. This certainly would cause a cascade effect, possibly endangering the lives of the dozens of people lining the streets. Tell me you wouldn't be sweating in these conditions. (On another side note, I am a profuse sweater.)
Now for the dramatic and traumatic ending.
Not even ten minutes of this torture had gone by before I was drenched, huffing, and red-faced. I was sweating enough to leave a trail of quarter-sized wet spots on the hot pavement that would not quickly evaporate. I was not in bad shape, but I looked horrible.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something else to be concerned about. This very nice little boy, possibly a little older than lincoln is now, parted from the crowd ahead of the band carrying a Styrofoam container. He ran through the speeding throng of flute toting bohemeths (Highland had a few big girls). He dashed between the stampeding clarinets, and he almost met his end in the brass. Mainly his momentum carried him through. But there was no reprieve. His gaze now met the onslaught of the certain whirling death that was percussion. (Determination, thy name is... uh, I never learned his name.) His face was set in concentration. His pace slowed. A few that were present would call it divine intervention. I don't know about all that, but I saw him pass through that line of spinning sticks like a emission of flatulence passes through a worn two-year-old's boxers. Untouched.
With a sudden realization, I knew he was headed for me. Of course I was in the very back of the line, almost isolated from the rest of the band. (Not fading, but in plain sight.) He strode confidently to me with his arm extended. I was about to warn him of the safety pins, when I realized that in his outstretched arm was that cup and he was speaking to me. His words carried over the pounding of the bass drum,"My mom said that if you didn't get this cup of water you probably wouldn't make it to the end!" (Yet another side note, three foot tall bass drums from the sixties are not exactly quiet.)
If the spectacle of a little man dodging rampaging musical doom hadn't drawn the attention of the entire crowd, then the sheer volume of his voice had gotten the remaining few to shape up. The color of my face had to go from the bright red indicating exertion in extreme conditions, instantly to the reddish purple of sheer embarrassment. I refused the beverage and cursed his house under my heavy breath.
So, my desire not to wear a kilt has nothing to do with being manly. And I really don't have a problem wearing one as long as it fits and the weather cooperates. Oh yeah, and there are no little damn blond boys with cups of water. Damn good samaritan.
