Just Cause

Just ’cause I wanted to…

Sorry, that was what a comedian remarked, so many many years ago when George H. W. Bush invaded Panama and called it Operation: Just Cause. I have no problem with the mission or the results: Noriega had to go, but who was it that helped him get where he was? Oh yeah, we did, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Same thing with the Taliban: someone in the late 80’s decided we’d rather have them in charge than the Soviets, and now look at the mess we’re in. And the Shah of Iran too. Khomeini was just a misunderstood preacher, he’d do much better with the people of Iran than the Shah did. Ooops. Prime Directive people. Read it, learn it, live it.

Wow. I don’t normally reference Wikipedia that much in one entry, much less one paragraph. It’s late, I’m tired, there’s not much of a filter left between the brain and the keyboard. Sorry.

Sent Happy Mother’s Day wishes to my own mom and Critter. Sent Critter a text later in the day asking if she was having a good Mother’s Day, and she said yes. It was also OtherGuy’s birthday, so I told her she was welcome to call if she wanted to talk but I’d leave her alone until Monday so as not to interfere in any plans they had.

Got almost all of my laundry done last night and today. I had to leave two sheet sets unwashed, and two sheet sets in the dryer because it was getting late and I wanted to come home. Everything else was washed, so the musty smell of the old apartment is gone from my clothes and linens now. Yay!

I completely forgot to take the stuff up to the cabin I was supposed to take with me. All the empty crates, some pieces of trim for my BMW, my dad’s compound miter saw, etc. My place would open up so much if I got rid of all that crap. I think I’d really be able to see the progress I’ve made at that point. I’m sure I’ll end up going back at some point during their stay, even if it is only for four days, so I can probably take it then.

The desk I was going to donate to charity got rained on, and if it had only been once I might have been OK, but it got rained on several times and water finally hit the MDF under the laminate and it’s started to swell like one of those sponges you get at the fair. You know, the ones that start off about 1/16th of an inch thick then swell up to 1.5 inches when they get wet? Yeah. I’m going to have to cut it up now so I can throw it away. I really don’t have fifty bucks to spend on a circular saw right now but I’m not spending a week on it using a hand saw, so….

Been thinking some about Critter’s trailer. There are some things she wants to do and some things I want to check on and my brain hasn’t been busy with anything else. Her aunt should just let her buy it and fix it since she won’t do it for her. It might actually be cheaper to buy the one that’s sitting there, have it pulled out and then buy another new one to replace it than do what really needs doing to it.

First off, I need to crawl under the thing and see what’s going on beneath her bathroom (I suspect failing structure) and while I’m under there I can re-do the heat tape on her pipes since it’s started to fail. I figure shoring up failing structure shouldn’t be that hard, as long as it’s an isolated area. I saw it done on a home improvement show once where they leveled the surface beneath it, poured a proper concrete slab, then put up a small (two or three feet high) stud wall to hold it up. The tape’s a no-brainer, it’s just convincing her to buy it that’s the issue there, and truthfully her aunt, as the owner, should be paying for it but when it comes down to it who’s borrowing my shower when the pipes freeze? Exactly.

Second, the steps need to be re-done before the end of the summer, they won’t last another rainy season. I knew this would happen when I fixed them last time, I just thought that her aunt would have done it for her. Guess not. That’s actually a very easy fix: Lowe’s sells pre-cut stringers, and with the circular saw that I may be buying or with my dad’s radial arm saw I can make quick work of the treads. A few pieces of 2×6 and 4×4 to make the steps a structural unit all their own, a small bag of quickrete for footers and there won’t be a rot problem with those steps again for a very long time. That’s part of the problem now, there’s wood on dirt, and even pressure treated lumber can’t take that forever.

Third, all the windows and both doors need to be replaced. There’s only so much duct tape and plastic sheeting (her aunt’s solution) can do for you. Some of those are louvered windows which were never meant to be used in a climate controlled space. That’s where most of her propane went this past winter: heating the air before it bled out the windows.

Fourth, the water heater needs to be replaced. I’m thinking a propane powered pilotless tankless unit. Those are really nifty and would help a lot with both the power bill and the whole five people living there needing showers thing.

Fifth, and this is where buying another trailer would be a better idea, D needs his own room. He’s getting old enough now that it will soon be a bit of an issue. For him anyway. That way B and K could have their own room and everyone’s happy happy. There’s enough room for them to add a 10×10 wood frame addition, and if it was spray-foamed and properly caulked it wouldn’t be a problem to keep warm/cool with the rest of the trailer, it’s just that seems an awful lot of trouble to go to for a trailer that’s at least as old as I am. All in all, most likely the only thing that will get done is the stairs, and they probably won’t be done they way I’d like them done, so who knows how long they’ll last this time.

So pretty much I need to win the lottery and get promoted so I can buy two houses: one for me and one for them. I’ll still charge her the $350/month in rent she’s paying now, but it’d be a better place.

Again, tired, no filter. Not to worry, I’m not spending any of my money on these improvements with the possible exception of the stairs, and probably not even those. I will crawl up under the trailer and take a look at the bathroom floor though, that needs to be done before the tub falls through with her or one of the kids in it.

Good night!