Dan Antion

D-I-Y Spillover – #SoCS

In honor of Barb

It’s Saturday, time to gather at No Facilities bar, treat ourselves to an adult beverage and a little prompt-driven dialog. Linda G. Hill has given us an opportunity for bonus points with her Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt:

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘where.’ Start your post with the word ‘where’ and write whatever comes to you. Bonus points if you end your post with ‘where’ too. Enjoy!”

In order to get those bonus points, I need to park the preamble above the line. If we were having a beer, I’d be late and you’d be annoyed.

“Where have you been, Dan?”

“I’m sorry I’m late, but I was finishing some work on my workshop.”

“The dog’s porch?”

“I am not deeding the structure to Maddie.”

“But why didn’t you just wrap-it-up and get your butt over here?”

“I was installing the soffit.”

“So?”

“Sew buttons, guys. Is anyone going to order something to drink?”

“Sew buttons? Cheryl, I haven’t heard that expression in ages.”

“And I haven’t heard ‘I’ll have a Corona’ or ‘John Howell’s Bourbon for me’ – so…”

“That Corona sounds good, Cheryl.”

“OK, Dan is set. How about you, David?”

“Bourbon – standard setup, if you please.”

“Thank you. I’ll get these drinks. You can go back to harassing Dan.”

“I don’t think I’m harassing, but how does ‘installing soffit’ justify your being late?”

“I had to set up some staging to work. If I left before I finished the whole ceiling, I’d have to take that down and set it up again tomorrow.”

“Why not just leave it up, Dan. It’s in your back yard, no one is going to bother it.”

“Maddie can’t sit unless the ‘deck’ is clear.”

“I’m being inconvenienced by your dog?”

“Welcome to my world. I’ll tell you what, I’ll make it up to you, I’ll let you pick up the tab today.”

“Thanks. Hey, wait a min…”

“One Corona, lime smushed in. One bourbon, a snifter of seltzer, a glass of ice, all on David’s tab. Thanks guys, you made this easy.”

“Cheryl, wait a sec…”

“I gotta run, lots of people on the patio today.”

“I’m surprised your dog isn’t out there, Dan.”

“Don’t give her any ideas. I don’t want to be serving her food outside.”

“If you’ve been putting soffit up, does that mean you finished the siding?”

“Yep. I took Thursday and Friday off and finished that.”

“Well, now that the soffit is up, are you done?”

“No, I still have to install some soffit.”

“What??? You just said…”

“There’s a support beam that runs the length of the overhang. I installed the soffit on the inside of that beam, but I have to install some on the outside.”

“There are only thirteen weeks until winter. Are you going to be finished before it snows?”

“Ha ha – yes.”

“Are you boys interested in some food? The special today is Fish and Chips.”

“No thanks, Cheryl. I had fish and chips yesterday.”

“Here? I didn’t see you yesterday, Dan.”

“Not here, Scooter’s”

“Ahhh. Don’t tell the boss, but I like their fish and chips better, too.”

“Fish and chips is not something a ‘chef’ should ever make.”

“Dan, that strikes me as being absurd. Why would you say that?”

“Because, David, chefs, especially this one, want everything to be a signature item with some fancy twist or weird ingredient.”

“Creative chefs bring a richness to our dining experience.”

“Said the man with a snifter full of seltzer and his ice in a separate glass. Some things are fine, just the plain, simple way they have always been.”

“Says the man with a bottle of beer.”

“You boys want any food? You’re both getting to the bottom of those drinks.”

“I’ll spring for another round, Cheryl. No food for here, though, I need to take a pizza home.”

“OK, David. I’ll get the drinks. But we’re getting to the end of my shift, you may need to order with the next guy.”

“Guy?”

“Brad.”

“Put in a large pizza – pepperoni, mushrooms and onions. And let me settle up with you. I’m not giving Skippy your tip.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Dan – drink up, my pizza in in the oven, cheers.”

“Cheers, but what do I care about your pizza? You got here before me, you can leave before me.”

“That’s true, but that’s the last beer I’m buying.”

“I understand, but I don’t think your pizza is going to be ready in time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think I see Skippy coming.”

“Where?”

Errata: There are 19 weeks until winter. Sorry if I startled you.

For those following my WordPress editor battle, today’s post was composed with the Classic editor. In addition to the problems I’ve had working with the editor, I’ve received some complaints about the screen appearing to flicker or move while being viewed. I have noticed this problem myself. I assume this is related to my theme not being compatible with the new editor. More to come. Today’s “classic” gallery includes progress pictures from Maddie’s deck (click anywhere to start a slide show and reveal the captions).

This is not a chef’s kitchen. This is a diner.
Fish & Chips with a side of cole slaw.
Once the door was moved out from the wall, there was room to install the siding. It starts with a wrap, a starter strip and some J-channel.
Once all the pieces are in place, the siding goes up fast.
One side done, second side being prepped.
Ready for siding. Except for the number of nails, it goes up as fast as the shorter pieces.
The key measurement is to make sure the decking will fit under the siding. That piece of decking was trimmed to allow for the thickness of the plywood.
That is a full-thickness piece of decking. I like that it fits under the siding.
The siding is up. The door passes easily over the new service.
Now it’s time to move to the ceiling. The staging lets me walk the length of the deck without moving ladders.
I need a single center support for the soffit panels. They are 32″(81cm) long – the support is centered at 16″.
The soffit will sit below the top course of siding, but I need a flat base for the support channel.
The PVC trim strips will support the J-Channel for the soffit.
Maddie is not happy about all this activity on her deck.
The soffit fits between the barn door rail and the original soffit.
“He didn’t wash this. I can still smell his sweat.”
The inner soffit is done. The support beam will be wrapped in vinyl fascia strips and then soffit will be in stalled in that dark gap.
The inspector seems pleased with the work and especially the clean-up.

79 comments

  2. The project is looking great and is done right. That’s extremely hard to find these days. I know Maddie will be happy, and I hope the Editor is liking it as well. Up here in our part of the country, I think in a lot of cases, the best fish and chips come in those paper dishes because they prepare so many they don’t have time to wash dishes. So many = so good. :-)

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    • Thanks Judy. It feels good to get close to the finish line. I still have to add a stair, here, at the other door and I have to rebuild two sets of steps before I can order the decking. Maddie doesn’t seem to mind the plywood 😏

      We can get good fish & chips in a bunch of places around here, but I think you’re right, when they pump out a lot, it’s bound to be good.

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    • It’s funny that you ask, Pam. When we built our porch, I framed a door and 5 windows. Our first Irish Setter wouldn’t use the door – she jumped in and out of one of the window openings. I moved the door.

      Because of that history, we will let Maddie decide where the cot goes and how big to make the stair. I never planned for this to be a deck, do I might as well let her decide.

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  6. “Creative chefs bring a richness to our dining experience.”

    And therein is why I’m reluctant to dine out at some restaurants. Hope your project continues smoothly and that Maddie is happy with her spot. Of course if she isn’t I’m sure she’ll let you know about it.

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    • Thanks Ally. I know that chefs like to make things their own creations, but there really are only so many ways you can prepare food and still have it taste like the food people want. I avoid the restaurants where the chefs are making an artistic statement.

      We are moving forward at a good pace, now. Maddie is happy, as long as I clean up before 5:00. She really does inspect the surface, so I’m sure she’ll let me know.

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  9. You’ve served up today’s prompt very well, Dan, with fish and chips and Brad on the side. Nice! You should get some good bonus points for that and another round from Cheryl.

    Maddie is no different than most of our furry friends who train us to do their bidding and get unnerved when we don’t. I hope she gets many more days of garage porch time before the snow flies.

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    • Thanks Mary. We have already resigned ourselves to the fact that I will be shoveling snow off that deck. Maddie likes to sit in the winter. I was planning to use the deck for somewhat-protected storage, but I doubt that’s going to happen.

      You’re right, we have been trained well.

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    • Thanks Shelley. The project is moving along. Not a fast pace, but a steady one for now.

      As for Gutenberg, I dread the thought of searching for a new theme, but there do seem to be some issues regarding screen flicker. I hope it’s the theme, because visual issues are not fun to deal with.

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  11. Well done, Dan! You got your bonus points! As for being inconvenienced by Maddie, that’s called being a Fur Parent. Some people just don’t get it, but I do. Recently I tried to explain to someone at the gym I go to why I only have certain windows of time. I know the “message” wasn’t received. And you guessed it. It’s because of my cats.
    And, my goodness! You are always doing something. I’m really searching to find a project for myself before this Winter descends. *clears throat* Speaking of which there are signs of Autumn in the air. I believe I’ve said this …. What I’m trying to say, Winter may be here before we would like it to be. *sighs* Loved your gallery. I’m sticking with classic. (smile)

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    • Thanks Amy. I know you understand. They have their quirks, needs and their schedule. Woe be unto us if we forget. I have lots of vacation time to burn through before I retire, so I should be able to get these projects finished, or at least into a good place before winter arrives.The good news is that before winter arrives, we have autumn!

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      • LOL Got it. Woe is right IF we forget! And how could we forget when our fur kids do have a way of letting us know what they need and when. Keeping my fingers crossed you get done. I’m starting my Fall work on my gardens early this year …. I’m going slow due to a very hectic schedule I’m in right now versus rushing and overdoing. Hubby’s ecstatic! That means he can close up the barn early. LOL

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  12. Wow. Impressive work, as always. I can’t help it but no matter what Maddie is doing it makes me chuckle. That fish looks so crispy and good. Yes, there are things that diners do best. Like breakfast. Some of the new fancy breakfast Chef’s creations make my stomach hurl. Poached eggs over duck confit? 😱To each his own but he’s going to have to eat that stuff at another table. Lol Give me a nice veggie and cheese omelet with some salsa and a nice side of bacon. If I’m being frivolous that goes with buttered toast or a biscuit. And I won’t say the ‘g’ word but you know what I mean. 😉Quick. Run…Skippy is here!

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  13. Great job on the prompt!! That’s one spiffy looking diner.

    Maddie’s Deck is coming along nicely. I’m volunteering to come there and sit with Maddie all day because it looks so inviting! This is turning out to be one of the best projects ever…..because its made Maddie so happy. Yep, you and the Editor and Maddie are going to spend many winter hours sitting on that deck counting snowflakes as they fall!! Love it!
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • Thanks Ginger…I think. Maddie has already pointed to the deck when we’ve been out in the rain. “See, it’s not raining on the deck…we could sit…” She does like to sit in the winter. We even bought her a vest. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be shoveling that space. Yet another project co-opted by Maddie. It’s a good think we love her.

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    • Thanks Maggie. The fish & chips were very good, and I love that diner’s cole slaw. Maddie is OK, as long as we sit for a bit before I get started and I clean up well before 5:00. As far as bosses go, she’s easy to work for,

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  16. A full bag of bonus points, Dan. Amazed at the siding and the accommodation steps that you needed to take for the door and decking. I loved the photo of the diner with the fryers all digitally controlled. I think the organization that brought temperature control and timing to the deep fry process was McDonald’s which allowed the rest of the world to order the equipment. Maddie is going to love the deck when done.

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    • Thanks John. McDonald’s has ushered in so much change to that industry. My goal with these projects is to have an interior I can enjoy for years without worrying about the exterior.

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  17. You know I had to run right to the bottom of the post to see if you used ‘where.’ You did! ‘Sew buttons’….oh, it has been ages. Some sayings never go out of style. I don’t understand a word of what you are doing with your shed, Dan, but all I know is you are saving a bundle! And getting quality work, to boot. We have to have a tree taken down in our backyard. Huge water oak, smack in the middle of a backyard with no room for one of those lift things to cut it down to size. I am looking at 4 figures….. I wish we could do this ourselves…..

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  19. Maddies’ deck is looking good, Dan. I’m sure she approves. :-) We had a lovely place for amazing fish and chips nearby and met friends there regularly, but the whole store closed and we haven’t found anywhere to replace it. Sigh. Sorry about your ongoing struggles with WP. I’ve had a few issues with it myself and I really hate that the new block editor doesn’t show which days you already have posts scheduled as you get ready to schedule a new post. They’ve also switched to the European Sunday at the end of the week calendar which had gotten me at least once. Change for changes sake perhaps.

    Is that the evil twin Skippy???

    janet

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    • Ha ha, thanks Janet – Skippy is the evil bartender, but he has his fans.

      I hate it when a regular place closes. I try to visit them regularly.

      I was burned so many times by schedule snafus that I almost never schedule more than one post.

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  25. “I’m being inconvenienced by your dog?” Yes, David. Dogs have their own individual wants and needs completely independent of our schedules. They are not always convenient. But “Welcome to my world” and letting him pick up the tab are probably better out loud responses.

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  28. I agree with you about fish n chips and I further agree with you that dogs are inconvenient — and worth it! <3 Maddie's such a doll. I'm sure she'll enjoy a sit on the finished product, even sans deed, haha!

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    • Dog and cats fall into that “inconvenient but worth it” category. We love ’em all, but geeeeeze louise, gimmie a break. Maddie just loves sitting out there. I think she gets nervous when she sees stuff in the way. I feel like I’m crazy, trying to explain the construction process to a dog.

      I hope you can always find good fish & chips.

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  29. I have a theory, Dan. Maddie is interested in the area that has been the site of your recent attention. First the patio, now the deck. “When” you start a new project, I’m predicting she will want to change her sitting location. Pick your next outdoor project carefully 😉

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    • It’s funny that you say that Joanne. My next project is a small step/deck outside the garage side entrance. It will be big enough to sig on but only half is covered. I think she likes this space because it’s protected on two sides. She has a very good view of both approach vectors. And, as we now know, it’s big enough for her cot. She also enjoys sitting on the steps off the porch. Those will be getting a little bit bigger as we finish this project. There will be more places to sit. We need to wait and see which one wins.

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