As mentioned in an earlier post, we’ll soon begin building a new home for one of our friends and current homeowners, Dr. & Ms. M.  So far we’ve spent several months with the architect and the M’s finally getting all the details just like they want.  Now we’re out getting bids:  lumber, roofing, concrete, arborist, masonry….about 50 different trades total.  The M’s are on vacation next week, but when they get back we should be able to sit down with them and quote them a firm bottom-line fixed price.  If they give us the OK we’ll prepare paperwork and get started.

Meanwhile, with their permission, we have brought in about 20 dump-truck loads of dirt to spread out and build up the elevation.  (It was sloping down towards a small creek at the back.)

Because it’s so dry, we’ll need to put LOTS of water on the entire lot to get it to swell, otherwise in our heavy clay soil we’ll risk foundation failure in the future.  We do that by putting a water meter on a fire hydrant and watering with a fire hose:

Not too glamorous, is it?

In a few weeks I hope to be back with photos of a smooth building pad, ready for form boards.  I like to think of this as the calm before the storm.

S

By now you’ve probably heard all about the Cambridge, Mass policeman who responded to a call about a black man attempting to break into a home.  Turns out the black guy was a Harvard “black studies” professor (whatever that is) and the house was his own.  When ordered to show his ID the guy goes off, accusing the cop of racial profiling.  The cop finally arrested him for…I dunno…

That’s my point….I DON’T KNOW what took place there.  It’s too soon to have an opinion as we, the public, don’t have the facts yet nor have we heard the statements of any of the witnesses who WERE there.

At a press conference the Prez first said he didn’t have the facts, then went on to say the Cambridge cops acted “stupidly”.

Huh?

Like him or not, you must admit Brick is a smart man.  What was he thinking?  Now we’ll have to listen to all that “racist” stuff for the foreseeable future.  Gag!  How about we talk about something meaningful instead, like Rolling Stone’s story that Michael Jackson didn’t have a nose.  Haha!

S

Two Hezbollah terrorists are sitting in a bar chatting over a pint of fermented goat’s milk.  The first terrorist pulls his wallet out and starts flipping through photographs.

“This is my oldest son.  He’s a martyr. Praise Allah.”

“You must be so proud” says his friend.

“Yes, and this is my second son.  He’s a martyr, too.  Praise Allah.”

“A fine looking man…Praise Allah” says his friend.

After a pause and a deep sigh, the friend says, “I can remember when they were both still in diapers.  They blow up so fast, don’t they?”

S