This week is the calm before the storm, my last normal week for the next month. Every morning I start by looking at my Google Calendar page to make sure I know what's coming and don't miss something on the schedule. The next seven days include only my normal mentor meetings (starting at 7 a.m. this morning), and church responsibilities. Next week I go up to Seattle to deliver a goat kid to a gal I'm meeting at the Tacoma Mall, see mom and my brother, and then hustle back for the weekend's activities. Those include a men's b'fast on Saturday and a Volunteer Thank You BBQ on Sunday afternoon. I leave for Brazil on Wednesday, the 7th.
So this week is about preparing to be gone. I'll get the barn and coop stocked with enough hay and grain so Pam doesn't have to worry about getting any while I'm away. And I'll clean the barn and coop. And make a dump run so all the trash is gone. And.... still thinking through life here on Baker Rd. so I don't miss anything.
Yesterday the husband/dad and two of their four kids came and picked up the two pygmy goats we've been taking care of while they went on vacation. Except they didn't go because the day before leaving mom fell and broke two bones in her leg, had surgery, and is getting around on crutches and a knee scooter. Bummer! Especially because vacation included a trip to Hawaii. He said the airline was very nice and has extended their tickets for use any time within the next 12 months.
It's 6:20 a.m. and I'm sitting in Starbucks waiting for Derek. It REEKS in here. There are three homeless guys within 30' of me and one or all of them is way overdue for a shower.
Yesterday afternoon I set the fenders in place. FAIL.
Moving them from the sawhorses where I did the painting to the car allowed me to sight down the surfaces in a way I couldn't before and the results are bad. I have runs and blemishes in the finish that are way too bad to be tolerated. The only option is to sand it down to smooth - through to primer if necessary - and lay on more paint. I hope that wet sanding will get rid of the problems and one more coat of paint will fix it. UPS will deliver another quart this afternoon so it's just a case of time and effort. I'll do the work to get the results I want.
The hood has one bad spot and the doors look good, so that's a plus.
Home now, early afternoon. I had a terrible time staying awake at the office and had to take frequent breaks - another cup of coffee from the kitchen, a bathroom trip because of another cup of coffee, a trip to Molly's desk to go over calendar details - lest I doze off in the middle of Brazil prep. But I made progress on that and a couple of other fronts.
Soon I'll go out to start wet sanding Sally.
Just had dinner. That chicken cacciatore was very good the first night. The next night as leftovers it was good, too. On the third night I'm talking with my hands in constant motion and singing Verdi arias.
Pam says that's the end of it. Just in time. I was about to convert to Catholicism.
I experimented with Sally. I wet sanded the top (the worst area) of the left fender down to the point that almost all runs and orange peel were gone. In some places that meant sanding through to primer, but I wanted to see how much it was going to take. A: a lot.
Then I wet sanded the left side of the hood with 1500 grit - it was much better - and applied some wax. Yes!! So, I'll do more sanding on bad surfaces with a grit appropriate to the degree of imperfections, repaint those that need it, and hope that I can get the whole car to the level I can live with.
According to USAToday.com some female celebrity came out as pansexual. I had to look that term up. Near as I can tell it means she's sexually attracted to anyone and everyone.
I can think of other descriptive words but this is a pastor's blog.
I ordered a used copy of J. Sidlow Baxter's "Explore the Book" to take to Brazil. it was delivered today and is as described - very good condition. If I could give one book to the untrained pastor this would be it. (Which is why I'm taking it.) I recommended it to my class as "If you're going to buy one book..." It really is that good for the average layperson.
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