Backed Off

Well the hope for the "new me" runner has been dashed at the point of my first race. last weekend mindy and i replaced the fence we share to the east with a new one. in texas you have to use a jack hammer to dig holes. there is so much rock in the ground that a shovel will go in about an inch. so after replacing 9 post holes, a full days work and building the fence (day 2 ) my back was rightfully sore. i was wearing my back brace but think its a little loose so it may not have functioned the way it should. struggling through the first part of the week, thursday i was crouching down in an attic to investigate why someone put some plastic pans in their attic, there had been a roof leak, and tore something in my lower back. spent the afternoon at the e.r. and the night on some pain pills. i got a massage, been using the heating pad, stretching, and aspirin- i'm not so fond of the pain pills, things are getting back to normal.

soooooo, long story short. i didn't run my race because i messed up my back. and before that it was my foot. i'm thinking running may not be my sport. is there a group that meets for beer drinking and hell raising- if so, sign me up!

hope you're well.
slp

Sunny Times

well after some "seattle" type-weather the sun is back and its 80F today. just great. we needed the rain but 4 days is plenty. the wet weather and some mechanical problems have put the backyard project on a slight hold. i tried to empty the "pool we always wanted" this weekend but there was way too much water. however as i type this i can hear the bobcat running, so hopefully we'll have some progress this week. mindy and i are going to replace the fence on the east side of the property this weekend, unless someone calls me to work. the old fence materials we are going to recycle as above ground planter boxes and some siding for the shed i am going to build. whatever is left over i may cut up to use for fire wood as the backyard will be finished and sitting outdoors this fall should be great. wow, i'm talking about fall already and it hasn't even started to get hot.

we were thinking about going to mexico for mindy's 40th birthday, but with all the "drug war" related activities and the mexican government's inability to control their own country, i've decided that i'll spend my tourist dollars elsewhere. i'm open to suggestions if anyone has them.

we have started to play tennis again. we'll be back at it tonight. last night this lady and her teener kid were playing next to us and all we heard was, "james....this.... james....that.... no james.....you can't do that james.....what's the score james..... how many points have we payed james...." SHUT UP!!!!! i wanted to yell directly in her face. jesus! there are other people here. we couldn't get out of there fast enough. i mean this lady didn't stop yelling at this poor kid the entire time. when her husband showed up with the girl and the dog, he said "jeez, i could heard you guys all the way back at the house". no shit! i was standing on the same court as her! i can judge people pretty well and she is definitely a "run a red light on a left turn cause i'm in a hurry" kinda person. the worst.

Pace Bend Park

Spent the weekend at a local park camping with friends. Got out there Friday afternoon with Ced and Char in the borrowed RV. If you have never RV'd, like me, its like taking your living room and putting it on wheels. Nice to have the comforts of home but also hard to leave at the end of the night and head back to my tent. The wind was blowing for almost the whole weekend and the we didn't see the sun until Sunday afternoon. But it was still good to get out in the woods. Mindy wasn't feeling well so she held down the fort with the natives. Spent some time on the boat, rode my bike, had steak for two dinners and one lunch, and drank me some beer. On and some Maker's of course. Looking forward to returning with Mindy and the dogs soon.      

This week, the password is.... work.

Framed

So as a cost cutting measure lately, I have been framing my own art work. Over the years i have collected many posters and prints, usually of the rock and the roll, and kept them in a long square box. The example above is the holy grail of my poster collection. This poster used to hang on my bedroom wall in Roswell, GA when i was 16. Purchased at Fantasyland Records in Atlanta, I have held on to this poster for over 20 years. From move to move, from coast to coast. Always thinking i would frame it. Well today is that day my friends. I'm sure you can see from the scale, its huge. Almost 6 feet tall and over 3 feet wide. All i need now is a heavy duty bracket and hanger and she's on the wall. Next piece up for framing is a Russian flag that my brother brought back from one of his trips to Russia. I am going to make a shadow box with an interior light and inside I am going to hang a Russian infantry rifle.