I Take 11,000+ Steps Shoveling Snow, December 2, 2024

 

Clay St apartment house during lake effect snowstorm.

I shoveled snow at our Watertown apartment houses after the lake effect snowstorm dumped about 4 feet of the white stuff in the city. This would bee the big storm right after Thanksgiving Day. I spent three hours at Clay Street cutting through the snowbank and clearing section of te driveway. Then I went to our Franklin St place where I helped my daughter S shovel section of her driveway. I spent better than an hour there. It was satisfying work, great outdoor exercise. I truly enjoy it. My iPhone recorded that I walked 11,979 steps this day. 

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Clay St. snow shoveling Dec.2, 2024

Our Franklin St. house,  Dec.2, 2024

Daughter S shovels snow, Franklin St., Watertown, NY.

Highlights From The Past Week April 10-16, 2022

 

Sunday April 10:  Had dinner with H & D and their two sons in Brownville. H Made some really good chili along with some corn bread and rice. 

Monday April 11: The Better Half & I take a drive to Pennsylvania to buy some beer brewed by Yards Brewing Company of Philadelphia. The beer is not sold in NY State. Mostly bought Thomas Jefferson's Golden Ale.  We drove interstate RT 11 from Syracuse to Scranton. Had a good lunch at The Spot in Binghamton.  In Nicholson PA we came upon massive concrete railroad bridge. It towers 240 feet in the air. Was builtin 1915. 

Tuesday April 12: Took care of miscellaneous stuff and had guitar lessons in the afternoon.

Wednesday April 13: Thomas Jefferson's 279th Birthday (and my 68th!).  Rain alternated with Sun. Temperatures warm enough we sat outdoors asI grilled Hoffman hot dogs and drank some of the Thomas Jefferson Golden Ale.  

Thursday April 14: Spent a good portion of morning & afternoon cleaning up the garage at our Franklin St house. In the evening we went to the Tug Hill Winery in Lowville, NY. Went with both of Better Half's daughters and their husband. Arrived at 5:30, had dinner, stayed until 9:00 as we were entertained by singer/guitarist Phil Dumond. Stopped at Cottage Inn in Copenhagen way home and had another beer. Better Half was our driver, she wasn't drinking.

Friday April 15:  Good Friday.  My Celebrity Brother & I hauled a good load of trash and recyclables from my Franklin St garage to the transfer station.  Fee was $23.37. Went to Home Depot and ordered a shower door and a corded electric chain saw. Both items are not in stock at the Watertown store. It was extremely windy on this day.

Saturday April 16 (today): I was back at Franklin St. Blocked up some holes where starlings were trying to build nests. Repaired a clothes dryer vent. Did more cleaning & organizing in the garage. The Better Half made a coconut creme pie and some stuffing for Easter dinner tomorrow at B & M's house.  

April 9, 2022. More Work at Franklin St Apartment

 

5  gallon water cans left in our garage by a tenant. Put them on the curb and they're gone an hour later.

It was a sunny day here in Northern NY with high temperature about 45-47 degrees.  I spent most of the day cleaning out the garage at at our Franklin St, Watertown apartment house. For whatever reasons tenants over the years have been leaving behind a lot of odds and ends the garage. Many of them perfectly fine. Brand new tools, household items, toys many in original unopened packaging. Perfectly good  but outdated cathode ray tube televisions. One tenant left behind boxes of nails, caulk, electrical supplies. Lots of perfectly good used items too. They likewise run the gamut from tools to kitchen utensils and appliances, exercise equipment and furniture.  One hates to throw the good stuff away. But, eventually there gets to be too much. I've tried selling some of it on Craigs List, Facebook Market Place and E Bay. For the most part that hasn't worked out real well. So I've been hauling 95% of it to the transfer station and paying a fee to unload it. Today I took a good size pile of scrap metal there. Metal is free to drop off as it is valuable and very recyclable. 

Today I also put some five gallon US Army water cans out on the curb with a free sign. (These containers are also known as Jerry Cans.)They were gone an hour later. We have had a number of Fort Drum soldiers as tenants over the years so I'm sure one of them left the containers behind. I also placed 4 plastic gas cans out on the curb. They disappeared in short order too.

On another note I present this photo of dishes on a rack in front of a window. This was at my Celebrity Brother's place. It just caught my eye as I was going out the door. 

What caught my eye: Dishes at my Celebrity Brother's place. photo copyrightGary Walts 2022

Roof leaking and more painting

I use a 2"x12" pressure treated plank as a scaffold to work from. One must exercise caution when working in such a way.

Painting continues at the Franklin St. rental. I decided to rig up a scaffold to get at the side of the house where the electric service comes in. Those big electric wires make me nervous. Working off the plank I was able to get the area around those wires scraped and primed yesterday. This morning I was going to put a finish coatr on before I went to teach guitar. However, those plans were foiled because of a heavy rain and thunder storm last night. It was still raining heavily this morning. Most depressing. We have had a lot of rain this Summer. I am sick of it. On top of that a roof leak revealed itself in our Chaumont home. I know the roof is old where the leak showed up, but I inspected it earlier this year and thought it would be OK until I completed work on the Franklin St house. Now I have to do something quick about the roof.

Setting up this plank to work from made it easier to scrape and paint around electric service wires. 

Incidentally, look at the ladder in the upper photo. You can see I have laid a ten foot, 2 inch by 12 inch plank against the rungs. I then wrap a chain around the plank and ladder and pad lock it. I put it there before I leave for the day so as to deter any kids who might happen to wanna try and climb the ladder. It also makes it more difficult to steal the ladder which costs me $325.00 about 5 years or so ago. The alternative would be to take down the ladder and plank and set it up again when it's time for the next coat of paint. That ladder is heavy and cumbersome to handle. By the way, if you are interested, the plank, a ten foot 2 x 12 cost twenty bucks at White's Lumber in Watertown.

House painting continues

Yesterday I got the first coat of finish paint on the front lower section of our Franklin St. house. I also scraped and primed the side of the house with the electric meters. I spent seven hours on the job yesterday.

The Franklin St. house August 21rst at left, yesterday, September 8th on the right.

I  also scraped and primed this section that has the electric meters.

House painting continues

This morning I put in two hours if guitar practice. Then I went to my Franklin Street apartment house and put the final coat of paint on the upper front section. (All told it was scraped and caulked, some siding boards replaced then primed and two coats of paint. ) Next I took care of my mother's banking. All of that done by 12:30
Now I am off to photograph for the Post-StandArd and syracuse.com