The Year I Became a Teenager

Much is being said about 1969, with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, and a multimedia offering on the NY Times focusing on the culture from that year was a reminder for me that although I spent most of that year being 12, it was also the year I became a teen.

The moon landing was much on my mind that summer, as I had followed the earlier Apollo launches and built models of the Mercury and Apollo vehicles. My aunt Jan and her husband were in Florida working for NASA, and they sent me, just another kid far from the action, posters, articles, and even a NASA pocketknife. I had a poster of the Saturn rocket on my wall; my friend Randy Schumacher wanted it badly. He too was an avid fan of the space missions.

It's a long time ago now, but 1969 was a big year.

Gustav Marzion's Signature

I'm still thinking that the signature on the board found in our old porch is Gustav Marzion (or Murzion, perhaps more likely). I found a reference to Emma Marzion in our own Smith-Zimmerman Museum site; she's buried in Graceland Cemetary here in Lake County, SD. She died in 1910. No Gustav, though; perhaps he moved on. A search for his name exactly, however, turns up nothing but this humble blogger's reference to him.

The name Marzion is common; Murzion, not so much. JB wants to know more about the signed S-L-K crossways on the board. Who's SLK? Gustav's more reticent partner? Every carpenter needs a partner.

Winless to Wanless

I enjoyed this song, sent by LB, about the triumph of the Wanless guy from Winner who won the big lottery prize.

Climbing Down

JB says most accidents happen on Mt. Everest when climbers are coming down rather than going up. I can see how that could happen, oxygen deprived, tired, anxious, dragging their nail guns. But the big boom boom boom truck left today and so far nobody's taken the quick route off the roof. There's still some shingling to be done--the front porch is ready for new shingles and the back entry and the widow's walk (I'm gonna keep calling it that though the wife says that's not what it is) still await.

Today I found something I hoped might appear--a signed board by a person I'll take to be the original carpenter. But who is it? My guess is Gustav Marzion, though I could well be wrong. It's dated--2 August 1901. I found it under the roof boards (I was replacing the first rotten boards I've found) and hope to get a good pic of it to post here. Wherever you are, Gustav, here's to you and the house you built!

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

Seemed like it was time for a new post on ole' Horseshoe Seven, so the wife has hijacked the site to offer a little dedication to her hardworking roof cowboy.

Roofin’, Roofin’, Roofin’

Keep roofin', roofin', roofin',
Though Mother Nature’s disapprovin',
Keep them shingles movin', Rawhide!
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just nail and throw and grab 'em,
Soon we'll be living warm and dry.
Boy my heart's calculatin'
My true love will be waitin', be waiting at the end of my ride.
Tear 'em off, nail 'em up,
Nail 'em up, goop 'em down,
Tear 'em off, nail 'em down, Rawhide!

John is tearing off the last of the old stuff as I type, so with some luck (and a couple dry days), John should be back soon.

The Old Girl's Makeup

My sister indicated that I had not yet put up a photo that shows some of the color we're adding to the house, so here's one. Sorry, it's a photo with my phone, not so great. Note that I'm about ready to shingle the roof to the right of the dormer pictured here.

Top, fish-scales, are a dark grey, along with the brackets below the eaves and the panels above the upstairs windows. Diamond shapes on each side of the window are a lighter grey, and the window crowns and inner grooves on the brackets are a kind of orange. It's going to look good!

Rain, Yes, But Also Progress

Help yesterday from JB and TR got the roofing project moved along well enough to actually move the lift, so there are signs of progress. Here is a pic of me and TR tearing off the shingles on the "eyebrow" of the dormer so we can put the first new shingles ever on it. The other is of the wife adding some makeup to the old girl, putting a little dash back into her look, showing off some of her best features. I'll add later a picture of what she's done to the dormer--a look that adds some subtle touches that will change the look of the house entirely.

Today's forcast is for hot and humid, so I guess I'll get back up on the roof.

One Good Day, More Rain Delays

It was supposed to be hot today, but with some isolated showers. So far it's been rainy, delaying the completion of this one section. Right now the wife is painting--touching up the paint on some repairs and trying out some accents on the windows and the fancy little brackets under the eaves. We'll see how that looks and post a picture.

Yesterday got a fair amount done. I fixed the eaves and the fascia boards on this section after having removed the gutters, which we're going to dispense with. There's no water problems and the gutters don't seem to do anything anyway.

Adam arrived late in the morning and we got started on putting shingles up, getting this much up before night came on. No more shingles yet today, though I did get paper up and over most of the roof. The very peak is still naked.

Mitch Hansen and Eric Nigg Make Funny

My kids' former classmate from Browns Valley, MN, Mitch Hansen and his partner Eric Nigg are apparently making waves with a comedy routine and some short humorous films he's put on the Youtube. Check them out here: "8 Glasses of Water" and "Heaven is a Rainbow".

Day Three on the Roofing Project

We got through two days of our roofing project without too much of an incident. The big thing today is the rain, which we weren't as prepared for as we would have liked. Things are buttoned up well enough now to allow us to relax a bit as the rain comes down.

Day one saw the wife and I on the roof as the father in law ran the forklift. We got some shingle-stripping done and put the show on the road.

Day two put the sripping in high gear, as Joe and Adam appeared from one area and TQ appeared from another. We got one whole section stripped by about 3:00, but then identified some real problems with the eaves, which stopped us, since the lumber yard in town had just closed. A trip to Menards in SF got the supplies needed. Thanks, Joe! Thanks, Adam! Thanks, Todd!

For day three, this morning we scrambled to put on as much underlayment as we could, got some tarps to cover the rest, and watched in the attic for significant leaks. This afternoon should let us get back on track, fix the eaves and start putting shingles on.

In the meantime, we've had a chance to visit with the B's for supper, with TQ and LB who stayed overnight, and with the Ryans, who had us and the Moose couple out for supper last night, where the sunset shone and the lake was pleasant. Life is good.

Check out photos of the roofing project here.

Other (Donut-Shaped) Roofing Supplies

The wife and the mother-in-law took their own trip to Sioux Falls yesterday, unloading after they arrived. How is it that this box of four donuts ended up in our car? M-I-L says that since donuts have such a short shelf-life, they should not be returned to her, but rather consumed at our house, advice that should not be ignored, in my opinion. What else to do when you're waiting for a boom truck delivery?

My Heart is Going Boom-Boom-Boom-Truck

Airlift support is on the way. I went down to United Rental in Sioux Falls yesterday and made the call, bringing this big unit to Madison to assist in the aerial support of the war on bad shingles. It's supposed to arrive this morning early. Not here yet. The peonies have been warned; civilian casualties are expected.

A Pile of Shingles, a Roof in Need

It's time to make good on the promise to shingle the roof. I've got the shingles and the roof, and now I just need to put a plan into action. Now if I could just decide on a plan. Whichever action I devise, it will have to accomodate the significant height of the roof, a height that my hunky ladder cannot attain. Extended out to its full length, my big ladder will get me up to where I can reach the gutters (full of gunk and plants as you can see in the roof photo), but I'm looking at a big boom or fork lift to put me up where I need to be. More later.

Casey Gets the Job Done

Youngest son Casey graduated from Rosemount High School Friday among 545 others, which led to celebrations by friends and family. Here's a picture of David, Casey, and April with their dad. Good deal!

Their Grandma Rosemary also was in attendance and shows her happy face here.

More photos are available online here.

Running Photos

Deadwood Mickelson Trail Half Marathon photos are available. I'm here. The wife is here. There's no blood!

Medals for Madison

We've been busy the past week or so, doing yard work, working on machinery and houses, and getting ready to run the 2009 Deadwood-Mickelson Trail Half Marathon. It's a done deal, and we brought back two medals to add a little bling to the closet.

The wife was a little fearful of this, her first big race, and first half-marathon to boot. It was her longest run ever, and she faced it with aplomb, picking up speed throughout the race, finishing with the fastest mile of the 13. She wanted to finish under 2:30, but her pace brought her in over a minute per mile faster--2:14. She's ready to try it again! She's looking at the Leading Ladies Half Marathon in Spearfish Canyon. There may be some takers, now that we've got a growing group of runners. Congratulations Wife!

I did fine, not quite what I had hoped for, but about what I expected, same as what I did two years ago, about 1:41 for the half. I'll get better as the summer goes on (I hope).

We enjoyed staying in the Ryan cabin up near Terry Peak, especially the hot tub after the race. Sunday night, though, it snowed! Brother Jess and wife Rena showed up and we enjoyed lunch with them. Saturday we visited sister Renee and her son Dillon and the bunch at her house, who all went up Crazy Horse Monument for the Volksmarch.

I wonder if they're all still as sore as we are!

Happy Anniversary to Us

First we went to Spain, then to Kansas City, then to Sioux Falls (twice? three times?).  Today we went for a short run in Lake Herman State Park, then went to Howard, where we enjoyed lunch at Higher Grounds and then off to the Bechen farm.  It was also a good day for garage sales, and we picked up a little music box (pictured here), a 1963 model Wonderland Music Company radio-type thing that plays "It's a Small World" and has a little rotary-dial and a strap.  It works great!  A search of the internet didn't show me anything similar.  I hope nobody realizes it's the holy grail of Disney memoriablila and raids our house!  We'll entertain offers.  Send me a note if you find something, will you?  

Then we ate at our favorite Madison restaraunt, El Vaquero, to include a jumbo sangria which we shared, and then went to Pixar's new movie, "Up," a big pleasant surprise to both of us.  It was a great ending to our anniversary day.  

Thanks, Pixar!  Thanks too to the wife for six good years of married life.  

Thomas Jefferson Comes to Town

Friends the B's visited Monticello this spring and brought back some of Thomas Jefferson's legacy, a packet of corn poppy seeds (papaver rhoeas) that we're planting in our new flower beds in the back yard.  Thanks, Thomas.  Thanks, B's.  

Laying Tree Fabric

Last Thursday Joe B. called and asked if I'd like to lay tree fabric with them, so we set out with Wayne M. at 9:00 am and just 14 hours later we were heading home, the day done and gone.  

It was a good day; here's a photo of late afternoon, just south of Madison, with the fabric laid, the newly-planted trees in place with their protective barrier ready.  A dozen years from now these trees will probably be fifteen feet high.  

It might be the fabric day, or it might be the days moving sod in the yard, but I'm still sore.  Now for a long run!  

New Back Yard

Several days of effort have resulted in a new look for the back yard.  The dedicated rose gardens are gone, though most of the rose bushes are thriving in their new spots further north in the yard.  We took up the sod from the north side, where the old willow fell, and moved it to where the angular gardent was.  We took out two of the biggest, oldest apple trees; it was sad to see them go.  We've got one struggling survivor replacement apple tree from last year still hanging in there, and one new Honey Crisp sapling to augment our apple situation.  

Several of the lilacs I planted last summer along the east side are blooming this year, an amazing thing to me.  Today the lilacs are beginning to fade, but as you can see in the slide show here, the yard is looking healthy!  

Happy Memorial Day!