This Way And That

All I can say is, "Wow what a weekend." I was all over the place.

I crammed in so many things in such a short amount of time this weekend even I am amazed. I won't go into everything because you will just get bored, but I will hit the highlights.

Yesterday the "Junkin" did not go as planned. Fist off I did not have any money to do anything too serious even if I wanted to. I did find a old wire vegetable holder for a dollar I hung up in the bathhouse for the soaps and shampoos.

I also finished decorating around the sink area. The one thing I was looking for yesterday was antique signs that promoted bathroom products. I did not find even one. I never do find what I am looking for when I am looking for it. I am not worried, I will run across some one of these days.

After all the running around we ended up over a guy's house that thinks along the same lines as I do. I got to tour his facilities taking many notes and pictures. I do not want to say too much about it because I am going to do a piece solely about what he is doing but I will say this is some really cool stuff. 
We spent the remainder of Saturday night visiting friends that we have not seen in a while and enjoying good company. It was fun.

Today did not look like is was going to turn out with drizzling rain, high winds and cold temps. As a matter of fact I almost turned around and went back in the house saying just to heck with it, but was met at the door by the youngest. She said before I got busy she needed me for an hour in the rabbit area, so that is just what I did. She has some rabbits fixin to have babies and we had to move some around and hang more cages. I took the opportunity to reorganize the area and do some cleaning. I could not pass it up.

The sun finally broke out and then it was the wife's turn. I got the youngest started on the bathhouse signs and helped the wife plant all the onions.
"It is good to finally see some green out there", she said smiling at me.
We planted enough onions to do several cases of salsa this year. I also got her herb beds ready for planting in March.
After I was done with the herb beds I told her, "See what a little smile will do"

I stuck my foot in my mouth because she reminded me a promise is a promise while still smiling so I got busy on her screen door. It is not pretty but it's up.
The sliding door still shuts and now during the day she can open it and leave the screen door closed keeping the flies out.
This is the door I got from a Lowe's sidewalk sale a few months back. It was listed for I think $80.00 but I am not sure (I can't remember) and I got it for $7.00
While I worked on the door, I got the youngest started on the art work for the North side of the bath house. I ain't gunna show it till she is done, but it is really looking good so far.
I picked up the lumber for her from a friend of mine last night who was just storing it and not using it. He said he did not need it but did not want it going to waste. I told him I had the perfect project for it.

There are many more little details I could add but you would just get bored so I will save you from having to make that face and the signing sound as you hit the little X in the upper corner just to shut me up.  
         

Weekend Adventures

Come to think of it, I can't remember when it was 80 degrees in January. I know Texas weather has it's own mind but wow. I am thinking on turning the AC on tonight, how crazy is that. 

The good thing about all this sun is I am having some really good FREE showers at night.
Come on, be honest. I bet you have never read a blog where anyone else tells you when they shower. I'm just saying, there is something special about it when it's free.
It seams like the water is better, the heat soothes these sore muscles better, the oil lamp lighting is better, it makes me in a better mood and I can't stop grinning the whole time I am lathering up. I know it is all in my head but I'm telling ya, there might be something to this.  

Another busy weekend is in store for the next two days. I have to find time for the kids, the animals, the projects and the wife, with all four being very demanding.

Tomorrow morning me and the wife are doing "Junkin". That is where we hit salvage places, antique malls and every place else that might look like they are willing to deal. I also have to stop by the lumber store for a couple of things for Sunday.
After our running around most of the day we are scheduled to meet with a guy who I will do a post on in the near future. I kinda invited myself to his place to take a tour and interview him and his projects. I think y'all will enjoy it.

Sunday is of course church and then that leaves only six hours left in the weekend for everything else.
While the youngest and middle girls are working on the bathhouse signs, I will be hanging the screen door. Normally just hanging the door is not at all hard, but this one needs to be framed in and installed over the sliding glass door. It will take some engineering to get this right.

I might not post till Sunday night, so y'all have a great weekend and be safe out there.

I wonder how hot my water is right now.  

Solar Bathhouse Continued

 This weekend I got most of what was planned accomplished.
The focus was all on the Solar Bathhouse and getting it so close to being done I could almost stick a fork in it.


The first and most important thing to do was pressurize the system and check for leaks. Being that I am a better plumber than I thought, no leaks were found and we were good to go. 

 The bathhouse was already close to being done but the weather and work has kept me from doing the finishing touches to it I was wanting.








I finally got the sink all finished and it works like a dream. Yes that is a salad bowl I am using for a sink.

The two lanterns were hung and the toilet paper holder was built.
The composting toilet to done and ready to be used.

After this picture I also hung the mirror and put up the curtains. 

I could not find any re-bar to make a shower curtain with so the youngest suggested we use the last stick of PVC and some left over fittings. It worked great and now she is going around bragging that she is smarter than me.
It took three shower curtains but that baby is now wrapped and ready for use.

After the picture I installed towel and cloths hangers using old horse shoes and placed towels on the shelves. It looks better than the bathroom that is in the house now.

I took advantage of the oldest being here one more day before she went back to college and put the stain sprayer in her hand. I think she enjoyed it and I know I sure enjoyed working side beside all three of my girls.
The wall that BEB is staining right there is the wall where the middle girl is going to do her art work for me (I think it has something to do with a Rattle snake).

I put a new pane of glass in the window and scraped off all the over spray so now it is a real pretty window looking out over the gardens.

The youngest painted the solar water heater box black for me to help adsorb some more heat.
The high for the day was 65 and I measured the temp on the water at 115 degrees.  

The signs for all who helped sponsor the bathhouse  will be going to the right of the door. Those will start being made next weekend.

Tonight I lit the lanterns and tested the water for my first shower. It was cloudy all day in the upper 50's and the water temp was only 90 degrees. I was a little disappointed but I will get plenty of use out of it this summer.

Weekend Adventures

First off I want to say thank you to all who supported and left comments on DFW's guest post. It was fun and I have invited her to do it again anytime. 

This last month the oldest has been home from college and it has gone by really quick. We were so busy with work and living we did not get the chance to hang out have fun together as much as I wanted. Plus the weather was really bad for most of the month making it where we couldn't do anything even if we wanted to.  
Several times we did get to sit down at the supper table together as a family and once or twice she did get the chance to come outside and help me on the projects. She even completed one of my projects herself while I worked beside her on another. That's good memories right there.
I think it will be just as hard to say goodby this Sunday as it was the first time I did it a few months ago, but she will be back for the summer and I already have some fun things planned (I've got a few camping sites and fishing holes I have been wanting to try out).
Anyway I am sure your tired of hearing about it so I will get off the pity bus and pull my big girl panties up and get on with the post.

If the weather holds and the wind dies down I plan to stain the Bathhouse Saturday afternoon.
I am also wanting to plumb in the sink and pressurize the system so I can check for any mishaps I might have done.
I still need to paint the water heater box, hang the lanterns, install the solar lighting, make a round curtain rod, make the name plates, fix the window and a few more other things I hope to get to this weekend. I also have a little added something the middle girl is going to paint for me on one of the outside walls, I think y'all will really like it.  
I still have a lot to do on it before I can call it complete but maybe, just maybe I can take my first shower in it Sunday night depending on if it is sunny or not.    

     

Solar Water Heater Build

Operation "Clean Up" has taken a back seat at the moment.

This morning started off with my Pops bringing over a load of compost and I had all intentions to finish filling the gardens with this, but I got side tracked again.
At least it's here and I can do it at my leisure   

With the newly obtained sheet of OSB, I was able to finish the housing for the water heater and get it mounted on the Bathhouse wall.

I made sure and calked every seem to keep the heat in. (That's the white stuff)

 After the chalking had dried, I started to fit the reflective back insulation board.
My buddy Dave had three badly beaten up sheets of this stuff that he was going to throw away and I told him I wanted them. I was able to piece all the good pieces together and it looks new.

I did not use any other insulation in the box because the only reason you would do that is if you planned on taking your showers in the morning. I would also have had to build a insulated cover for that.

I plan to use the shower in the evenings and being in Texas, the water will be plenty hot.

I fitted the glass just to see if it would fit and it fit great.
If I did not tell you, I picked up this piece of glass at a Lowe's sidewalk sell a couple of weeks back. It was priced $68.00
This is how the conversation went,

Me: "I am not paying that for a piece of glass".

Sells guy: "Then make me an offer".
  
Me: "I will give you a five dollar bill for it"

Sells guy: "No way! 10% off is all I can do"

Me: "Why not? You know if you don't sell it you will have to cart it back in and restock it tonight, plus you know nobody is going to pay that much for a piece of glass"

Sells Guy after much thought: "Give me $10.00 for it".

Me: "Meet me in the middle at $7.50"

Sells guy: Deal

More On The Solar Bathroom

 I built a little sitting bench near the bathtub. This will come in handy when I am trying to put my socks back on.

And got the composting toilet finished. The bucket to the right holds saw dust to scoop over the stuff that is left in the bucket. All it needs now is a toilet paper roll holder.





I changed up the sink design. Instead of using the big fiberglass sink I showed in earlier posts, I am going to use a steel bowl.
I punched out the drain hole today and I am in the process of building the cabinet it will sit on.
I figured if those big fancy houses have those high dollar glass bowls as sinks, then my Bath House will be just as fancy with a metal one.

I Found It On The Bathroom Wall

It's back to work today just like every Monday and while I was doing my very important work (pulling the weekend splinters from my hands) A thought hit me.

On a recent post of mine, Kymber commented about starting a new Occupy Movement in my 3/4 built Solar Bath House. At the time I thought it was funny and gave the thought a nice chuckle. A while later I was in deep concentration on my work (the splinter was really deep) and thought why not. Why not have an Occupy The Bath House Movement.

I called up my good friend and fellow blogger Stephen to bounce the idea off him and to see what he thought. With all his stored up wisdom he responded with "Why not". That was good enough for me.

So here it is, Occupy The Bath House Wall Movement has begun.
For a small $10.00 donation to help with the completion of the Bath House, you can have your name on the bathroom wall.
What better way to promote your blog than to have your blogs name on the outside of a Bath House that has already had thousands of hits and for only $10.00
Of course space is limited and three have already said they wanted their names to go down in history. All you have to do is hit the little yellow Donate button in the right sidebar of this blog and when you order your name, put what you want it to say.

Note: The ten dollar donation will get you a 2" tall name. For every ten more dollars your name will grow an inch.

How fun is this? If you don't like it you can always blame Kymber.

 

Are You Talking To Me?

Don't you just hate those days at Church when the preacher is talking directly to you?

For the first part of the morning service it seamed the preacher was talking to the wife and I was elbowing her, snickering and saying "This is for you dear". Then all the sudden the tables tuned and then he started hitting on what I needed to hear. I felt her elbow in my side and heard the same thing back to me "Now this is for you".
The room was filled with about 60 people and the preacher was talking right to me. It would not have been so bad but he was pointing right at me. Weird huh, but it was just what I needed to hear.

Today was a slow day and all I got done on the the Solar Bath House was the little flower box in front of the window and......

 I Plumbed in the bath tub and got it set in place. Remember, this is an old horse trough so cutting in a drain took some thought and careful planning. One slip and the whole tank was ruined.

 I also plumbed in the drain pipes for the bathtub and sink. Being this is gray water I have it going over to some little trees I have in the garden area.








The evening ended with some family members coming over and sitting outside for a night cap. It was nice to sit down for a while and just be again.

Oh, check this out! Last night was the first time I had ever been in a Earthquake. It was awesome once I knew what it was, but at first I was scared. I thought someone was trying to get in the house and when all the kids came running I knew the end was near. I grabbed the pistol and headed outside. I am really glad nobody was standing on my front porch because at that time, I didn't know what was going on. After it all settled down I felt silly carrying around a firearm, but at least I was ready.   

Anyway, I enjoyed the thrill and stayed up waiting for the aftershocks, but ended up falling asleep. On the other hand, the wife said can do without them.

Now I can check and earthquake off my list.

Head Down And Focused

This Solar Bath House is eating me up. Every spare minute I have is going to it. It is not like I am in a hurry or anything, I just have a hard time leaving something unfinished.

Usually a project does not take me more than a couple of weeks once I start to build, but this one here seems like it has been going on for months now. I think it's because I am getting older. I don't move as fast as I once did and my focus has changed a little from "Got to git it done now" to "What's the hurry".

In my twenties I was able to cut free hand just by eye balling. Now I take the time to use squares, chalk lines and marks to guide my way.
I also find myself studying on a problem a little longer than before. Instead of, like in my youth, I would build it as I went now I work out every little detail before proceeding.

I do think the quality of the end product is much better now that some wisdom and knowledge has finally come into my life. As a matter of fact the wife mentioned it just today. She told me that if would have known what I know now back when I built our house on the old farm when I was just 18 years old, it would have been a palace. That made me grin.
I guess that was her way of saying she loved what I built for her back then and she also loves the way I am doing it now, maybe even a little more.

I door is made from an old fence panel beefed up some around the edges.
Oh, if you are wondering why there is no trim under the window it is because I am going to build a flower box there and if you look real close you can see I used some old fence gate hardware for the door handle and latching system.
Yes I still need to find a pane of glass for the window.

Tomorrow they are calling for rain. Now that I have a dry place to work I think I might start on the bathtub.       

It's Coming Together

I feel a little inadequate because I am not posting about politics, dooms day or the occupy movement. I have not posted about Israel and the Palestine problems nor have I posted about the candidates running for the Republican nomination. I have not posted about the control the Jews have over our money or the fact the rich keep getting richer.
I had an email today from a reader who asked why I have not given my Redneck point of view on any of these subjects.
It is not that I don't keep up with it all or I don't have an opinion. It is not because you can find the information plus other opinions on just about every other blog.
I just don't really care to listen to and read about it all day and then write about it. I have my own opinions on every subject listed plus some and plan to keep them to myself unless asked face to face over a cold beer.
That's all I got to say on that.

Now on with the post:
I guess the weather felt sorry for me yesterday by making me jump through hoops so it kindly cooperated with me today. After work the first thing I did was look to the sky. No clouds, so I knew I would be able to get something done on the Solar Bath House.

Per popular demand, I redesigned one of the walls and framed in a window. I did not want a window, but many of y'all did.
I found four of these windows at a junk sale a while back. They were leaning against the back wall of the building and I asked how much and he said $20 each. Of course I did not pay that much for them and as a matter of fact, the o'l boy finally gave in and just gave them to me.
I played dirty on this one. He had to move this huge dresser and could not do it by himself. He asked if I could help and then I asked how much for the windows again. I got the free windows and he got his dresser moved. (Don't judge, I would have helped him anyway)

For the siding I used 6" fence pickets. Yes they are new, but I did not buy them at retail. I got them at a little over half off by going to a wholesale outlet. I think they ended up being about $0.60 each.

I plan to finish the building completely before I install all the solar stuff and the furnishing. Plus I need to run the plumbing before I can finish the inside walls.
I should be able to get all the trim and the door done this weekend.

This little project is taking way too long. I should already be showering in it by now.