The Kenosha Firecracker 5K!

 Yesterday, I volunteered for the Firecracker run in Kenosha.  This is the second time I did it and this  they actually handed me a position of "responsibility." You see,   Last time I did this, they had an overwhelming number of Volunteers. (Uline had a huge group of people sign up  at the last second.) So they offered a number of us to stay or go after the gun.   Asside from helping with a few lifting and reaching tasks, I decided to exit early. 

But not this time!   This time,  they actually called me to see if I was available.   This year they were short a number of Volunteers and needed help.   So I raised my hand ans got the assignment of "Barricade Guard!"    

Sounds fancy.  But basically, my task was to keep cars off the race course.   Fairly easy for the two of us to do. 
  
They even handed us day passes to give to people if they got too angry about being stuck in their neighborhood for an unscripted three hours! 

You meet wonderful people at these races.   The guy I was volunteering with was named "Dave."  And he was an actor!   

It's not every day you get to have a chat with an actual "I'm getting paid to do this." Actor!  He did small bits mostly as supporting roles...  But in some fairly well known movies.   He also said commercials and shorts for small productions. He met a few actors and drove around locally.  It was pretty cool talking to him.  He even produced a few short films and sent them to the various film festivals.   

While cheering on the runners.   I knew that inevitably, I was going to recognize someone... and I did!   

Maddy Bandes (Last name spelling?)  and her sister were running the race.   Maddy was in Cross Country, so that made sense that she would run a 5K  for the 4th.  Cheering for her was the perfect opportunity to embarrass her in front of her sister.   

After the race was over,  we loaded up on the bus back to the finish line.  (Library Park)  We arrived just in time to watch the Age Group Award Ceremony.  And grab a water or snack....)  

I'm not sure if Maddy or her mother got an age group award... but they stuck around and  I was able to chat with them briefly before the event wrapped up.   

Overall,  It was a good time..  Mostly because I did not have to run it. (It was pretty hot yesterday.  72 degrees and humid.)   I could have stayed in the area (only three miles from where I currently reside...) to watch the parade, but I figured I would catch the one at Sommers... which is now my tradition.   AND  I might see a Lidia...

I spent the rest of the day on a nature walk ( Spreading the golden Oyster mushrooms that I found with Cheryl.)  AND helping move in the new teacher for KLA.  

Billy Hinz ( Last hope I got the last name right)   Moved in next doo until they are able to secure an apartment for his family.   So, essentially,  his residence in temporary as well.    But no matter!     We moved in as much stuff as we could and everything else went into one of the classrooms for a temporary storage area.   If I'm lucky, I will be available to help them move  again to the permanent address!  

So now my new challenge is the hot water heater here in this house.   Last night it  died and I was forced to take a COLD shower after all that manual labor.   (Moving furniture is sweaty work!)  I lit the pilot light three times before giving up.  It appears to me (novice plumber here....)  that the heater is leaking and flooding out the burner plate.   There is a puddle of water under the heater as well...  Which just seemed to begin two days ago.  (Hey! I'm new to the house.. I don't know how long it has been like this.)   

I figured I had better call the professional for this one.   I know when I'm outside my skill set.   But hey!   If I'm lucky,  he will allow me to help and I might be better equipped to handle more in the future.   We shall see.  

So now,  Time to hurry up and wait.   I may have to take another nature walk later today.   I keep getting these mushroom reports and they constantly tempt me to go out and search for my next cache! If nothing else,  I can maybe help spread a few more of those Goldens around  for next year.    And try to make every second count. 

A Very Busy Week!

 The week is over and there is SO much to blog about!  And I was so busy that the week flew by and I did not have any time to "Write as I went!"   So to say.    So now I have to post everything in a single blog post.    And hopefully it will not be so long no one will want to read it.  (Even I get bored over really really long blog posts...   from other people!   Of course....) 

So first things first:   Christina bailed on me at the last second for the IKEA trip.   Meaning, I had to go it alone!  (I'm being overly harsh with Christina...  She had to work overtime.)    But doing things alone is my specialty!   So I jumped in my trusted Silver Bear Subie and headed to the IKEA!

I needed some furniture for my clothes.  (Living out of a bag might be ok for a racoon or soldier, but not for  civilized human being!)   And being who I am... I wanted it to be affordable.   

BOOM!   IKEA comes through!   Two small dressers for under $150!   And they are both solid pine!  I can paint them if I do not like the color, but the bare pine look works with the bed at the moment.   So I'll keep it! 

I found a really nice chair!   It swivels!  And I had to wait until Thursday for the ottoman to arrive, but it did!    

I found several other items that I had to have right away and purchased them all.   A couple fo the big things would have been easier to handle with a second person, but I managed to get it all in by myself.  And to throw a little more stress onto the situation,  it began to rain HEAVILY just as I was preparing to load things up.   Good thing I had lots of time, because I simply waited the storm out while eating an Ice cream cone.   (Sometimes, you have to sit back and enjoy the moment rather than fight against it....) 

Did I mention that having a Subaru Forester is AWESOME!   I was able to fit EVERYTHING in on the first go....  NO strapping  things onto the roof and hoping they don't blow off or get wet.  ( Which happened twice  when we lived in Iowa) It looks like it was made for it!  A perfect fit!

Now that I got things home,  the long process of assembly begins.   Thankfully the house was cool enough for me to regain my patience and I took my time.  In fact,  to keep the challenge going,  I once again did not use the instructions!   At all! (Well, not until the end to see if I had actually done all of the steps correctly...)   The key to IKEA furniture is to set things up and organize.   You know there are 6 drawers... so find the items that have 6 or 12 of everything and set them aside.   It also helps to have a little spacial recognition to understand what the dimensions  of the drawers should look like.  

Set those aside and solve each small task one at a time.   And then repeat it 6 times. 

IN the end, you should have 6 drawers lined up and ready.   Now just build around it.  

Honestly,  IKEA has actually made the items EASIER to assemble now.  Back in the day,  the hardware was rather confusing on which direction it should face or how it was to be inserted.   But now it is a plastic mount with a groove that fits only one way.   Easy!  And surprisingly durable!  

And so I finished the "Furniture that holds Clothes" and was able to move on to one of my next projects:   Small House repairs!   The hinges and locks in this building were in desperate need of attention.   It is amazing what a little WD40 can do.   The locks actually work now without breaking the key off inside them! 

Also,  Many of the outlets are only a 2 prong fitting.   That is fine... except when you have a three prong extension cord or AC unit.   Time to get those things updated!  

I have done this before in our last apartment in Iowa.   With a little advice from Dad the Union Electrician, you simply have to make sure the ground is properly placed and the breaker is tripped so you don't shock yourself.   Easy!  

The bathroom lights were also in need of attention.   In fact,  several things about the bathroom seemed a little "off".    There is no ventilation!   And the steam from the bathroom shower quickly condenses on the walls.   No one wants black mold or mildew growing in their house, so it is time to figure something out.   

Also,  the lights were BLINDING if you turned them on.   I solved this by installing a couple sections of sheet metal to deflect the light back onto the walls.    It WORKS!   And almost looks like it was intentional.   

There are no outlets inside the bathroom,  so I took one of the lights out and replaced it with a plug.   From that plug, I installed a small set of fans that blow air OUTSIDE,  creating a small exhaust port so the humid air can escape and not condense on the walls.   So far,  things are working perfectly.   I know that it will have to be revisited in the winter though....

One of the things about the windows was that the sun was coming in and heating up the air faster than the AC units could cool things down.   To combat this, ( and to give us a little privacy...)  I installed some blinds that allows a little bit of filtered light through.   The blinds were so easy to install!   Compared to the hoops I had to jump through in the past,  They now have only two brackets and they snap into place.   Also... No dangly strings!

 On Thursday,   Cheryl came up from Grand Rapids Michigan.   She had been visiting her family and getting the"Bean" Subie fixed and decided to join me afterwards in my House renovation.   ( That is to say,  she accompanied me to IKEA...) On this third trip to IKEA  I was able to pick up my missing Ottoman for my chair and several small things for the kitchen, bathroom, and my bedroom.  Most of the things were simply utensils, dishes and glasses so Dave and I will have something to eat on and drink from....  It was a fun trip and I think it was the first time we went to IKEA and had nothing to eat in the cafeteria.  

We Visited the PETS beer garden and had a walk through the forest where I have my secret mushroom spots.   After that serious rain on Tuesday,  I figured some of the mushrooms had to be poking out.  

And they WERE!   Finally   Chicken of the woods!

I was So EXCITED!  (And a little tipsy from the Beer Garden) That I was cheering loudly. We harvested all that we could. 

Not only that, but the Golden Oysters has a second blooming in a new location.   I harvested what I could carry and had to leave the rest.   I simply could not carry ( or deal with...) any more mushrooms.  

Once we got home,  we did a tick check. ( Ticks are so disgusting.!   And Cheryl found a micro-Tick on her arm!)   And cooked up some of the chickens.   

We made sandwiches with mayo and tomato.   They were awesome!   

I Still have a lot left, so I might offer some to some people who have enjoyed them in the past.  It is a wonderfully delicious  mushroom to enjoy! 

As I wrap up this post,   I just wanted to say that It was a busy week and I had fun. Fun assembling the furniture and fixing the little odds and ends that needed a little attention.   I think Dave should be coming back from his Alaska vacation soon, and when he does,  I'm hoping he will find the place to his liking as well.   He will have to work on his own room, as I do not know what he wants to spend money on at this moment in time.   But I'm sure he will figure things out as each challenge comes along.  

Tomorrow, I have to help out at the Firecracker 5k in Kenosha.   It should be a good time as I helped out  years past.   This time!  I get to be a crossing guard!  (They specifically asked for help in this area...) So I may be there longer than I was last time.   Either way, it should be fun and I think I get a Tshirt for my efforts.   I'll have to take pics of that so I can blog about it. 

 And that is all for now.   Cheryl is safely home and mentioned that she wished she could have stayed longer.    

So do I....   

But such is Life!   And part of life is doing your best to make every second count.  

The New Place!

 I have been slowly moving into the new place for the last two days.  It's an older house with lots of Character!   (Wood floors, wood flooring,  old style windows....  etc.)    Actually, the windows are exactly like the ones we had in Iowa back in the day.    So they are not as foreign to me as you would think...

That being said, I have spent the majority of the last two days combating the HEAT WAVE that has beset the Midwest.  You know that the heat is bad when you are OBVIOUSLY aware on how the hot weather is effecting your personality.    

Example:   I find myself to have zero patience!  And I seem to be uncomfortable any time I am not in some form of indoor air conditioning.  I can only imagine how it is affecting people who are not me! 

If only it were that BIG!

So the first night here, I realized I would have to make AC a priority.    I spent the first night setting up a newly purchased AC unit.  And it was worth every penny!    Sure it is small, but so is my room...   And that means less cubic feet to cool down.  It all worked out. 

But then there is the rest of the place.    I asked Christina what it was like for her when she lived here. (This was her first place in Kenosha when she moved here..)   And she said you will probably need 3 units to keep the house cool.   I figured I would have to buy another one anyway, but wouldn't you know it... there was someone selling one at a "moving sale" just three houses down.   

It was a big one, and I figured it would work in the living room  perfectly.  And the price was substantially less than a new one from the store...   So I got it. 

But there is a risk in all bargains.    And for this one,   the unit seems to be low on Freon gas.  Everything works on it....  but it is old, and older units eventually lose the Freon and need to be recharged.   But "small" units like this do not have a recharging port....   So it now is pretty much useless.  

(That is not exactly true!  I know how to add Refrigerant, but the gas is EPA regulated.    I have read that you can purchase it easily on Ebay,   And you need a splicing bracket and some hoses and meters.   But that will take too long.    And by the time I am able to do it,  I will die of heat exhaustion and not save as much as I wanted....)  

Regardless,  I finally feel like I have reached my "Midway Moment"  in fighting the heat.  For those of you who are not into History,   the battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific during World War 2.  (And I just watched the movie on Peacock... so the reference was fresh in my brain...) 

I ended up purchasing another unit from Sam's and it is already making a HUGE difference!  I would walk out of my small bedroom into a sauna... But now, with each passing minute,  the air is slowly cooling down to an acceptable level of comfort.  Whew!  

As for Dave,   I have closed off his room as he is not here.   He is off in ALASKA enjoying the cool temps and fresh air that only God's Country can provide.  
  When he eventually gets back, he will have to make the decision if he wants a small AC unit in his bedroom.    Who knows!   Maybe the two AC units that are currently working will be enough for the entire house and no additional units will be required.  

In addition to the war on Heat..   I have been working on gathering up some odds and ends to make the place livable.   ( Now that the environment has been taken care of...) I recently went to IKEA to buy a bed for myself.  

I LOVE IKEA!   Not only because of the Swedish nature of the brand... (And my family tree....)  That is to say: Simple, compact, AFFORDABLE!    But also because the furniture comes with "Some assembly required!"   

And I LOVE assembling stuff!

And to make it even more challenging..  IKEA usually adds instructions that are vague or confusing.     And have NO written instructions.    

Now I know that they do this because most of the world is illiterate. (That is the snobby teacher in me...   or maybe it's the heat again...) But the pictures could use a sentence of two to clarify some things.  I'm just saying. 

None of that matters for me, because I never use the instructions anyway.   Even with the pictures, I treat it more like a puzzle:   Trying out each piece until I get something to looks right.   This usually means that I have to disassemble and reassemble it several times to get the results that look like the finished picture.   But hey!  It's the Journey, not the destination, right?   And I enjoy the process. 

So now I have a really cool bed that fits neatly in one corner of my small room.   I can take it apart and set the bottom half next to the top for a larger bed if I eventually choose to upgrade.   (IKEA is so thoughtful in their engineering and design!)  Or I can split the bed and share it with someone if we have company come over!   Like one of those Futons or Hide-a-beds! 

That has not left much time for anything else.  I have not been able to do any nature walks this weekend.   I did manage to capture a Tiger Swallowtail and find some old Woodear mushrooms.   I have been looking for Wood Ear for a while now, and was so excited to finally find some.   Too bad it was old and dry.   I ended up spreading it around to other logs in the hopes that it will take root and bear fruit next year.  

Tonight,  Christina has offered her services for another IKEA visit.   She will help me by providing an additional perspective on the things I may need for the new place.   Mostly kitchen stuff, as I currently am not cooking in the kitchen.   But I know I will eventually need some utensils and plates for food and stuff.  And I'm sure there are other things I am missing, and will not realize it until I need it.  

That all being said,   This week is filling up with things I must do.   And I can't afford to waste time.. because every second counts.