Olio

That's a word that often appears in my crossword puzzles. It means a miscellaneous collection of things. (It's also a spicy stew from Spain, but that's a different blog...)

It's been a while since I've posted, so here's some olio for you.

Das Book

I guess the most exciting thing to me is that the novel I've been working on is finished and available on Amazon, paperback and Kindle versions.  It's an adventure story, so if you're adventurous, it's only three bucks.

 

The Shop

Not much has happened in the shop department since my last post.  Been trying to fatten up the building budget (good luck at Christmas time) and doing other things. I did manage to make myself a little drawing desk with clips to keep the drawings from flying all over the place when I blow sawdust off of things.

Arizona

In October I had a little trip to Arizona. Quick visit with my old pard Randy, a mini vacation in Sedona with Cousin Karen, and a working visit to Brother Fred's to install some pull-out shelves in their kitchen.

Old pal Randy

In Sedona with Cousin Karen

Sedona

New pull-outs at Fred and Gayle's house

The Van

Another project has been helping my buddy Brian convert his new Sprinter van into a mini motor home.  He's been here twice so far, about a week each time, and we're making progress, but he's gonna have to visit me a few more times for sure.

While Brian worked on the complicated wiring and installed a cute little diesel-powered heater, I worked on insulating the floor.

 

Then we built him a bed platform and a box for his four "house batteries."

A couple of cupboards and a bit more olio, and he had to get back to his life (which included some skiing in Mammoth in addition to his "pay the bills" job.) Stay tuned!

Firewood Season

There's a dead oak tree with four trunks that will heat my home this winter. 
The branch wood is ready to burn.

The woodshed used to have an open back but the roof overhang wasn't keeping
out the rain so today I put a back on it.

The big pieces will pile up here until all the trees are down, and then I'll rent or borrow a splitter.

Generator Blues

The old generator developed some heartburn this year, so I jacked it up
to work on it without breaking my back 

Those batteries need to be charged even when the sun doesn't shine, so good neighbor Bob
graciously lent me his spare until I could get mine fixed.

When you live alone and need to lift heavy things, it's nice to have some mechanical muscle.

That's olio for now!