I've Been Floored!

Well Merry Super Happy Snow Day, to all! We have had snowy weather here for the last week, and its starting to pile up!(at least its not -35 any more, our water froze for a few days,(like 6!)but after chain sawing a hole in the skirting, we realilized the heater under the trailer was broke, so my brother replaced the heater, and presto! an hour later we had water!)(Its kind of wierd how some things are just taken forgranted, untill they don't work!)

So its now offically winter!(so its ok to be cold right? before was just pratice winter,)and soon the days willl start to get longer. Im starting to go a little batty, no golf will do that to me after a while!(not quite ready to run screaming into the desert of my mind yet,("we can't stop here, this is Bat Country!")but lets just say, the kitty litter is starting to look like a sand trap to me!)(you know, I think I could make that shot!...just open up the face, sharp angled swing, hit behind the ball,(miss the turd,)short follow through,(to avoid the lip of the litter box!)but this might really piss off the kitties, and they are terrors enough when thier happy, so...I'll just wait for spring.)
Here is a sneak peek of my waynes coating, with one coat of spar varnish on,(and a peek of the green wall behind, but dont look at that, its dusty, and not looking its best.) Its sitting on my new puter desk,(I got to chain saw apart a old teachers desk, yes it was fun!, and mounted the frount half to my floor/wall. Installing things saves space. Because I removed the back legs and the back of the desk, I could move it 4inches closer to the wall, over the pipe cover I had to build to encase the water pipes from the kitchen to the bathroom!)(this pipe cover will make a nice foot rest when I'm on the computer, or just watching the snow pile up out the window, nice!)

Now that its warmed up some,(strange how -10 feels warm to me now! although today is -25) the kitties have started to go back out side. I think they like the snow a little bit, as long as they can run back inside as soon as the little toes start to get cold! They are starting to learn some cat balance, and of course like to show it off. Here is Bunker sitting on a little post, and Hazzard had to one up her! A few weeks ago, right before the snow, and -35 spell,(a spell is a measure of time, some where between a little while, and like forever,)our little kitty Putter went missing.(Putter used to be called Grey Ghost, and was the fat little two tone grey one.) I had held out hope, but with all the snow, and super cold weather, not to mention the hawks,(sharp eyed and ever hungry)Putter would have really stood out agienst the white world background, so now we only have 5.(but they play extra hard, as if to fill the void, 5 destoying as much as 6 ever did!)

Out on back deck,(by where my brothers pad is,)there is this bird feeder, and as the kitties have started to balance, they figured out how to get up to the feeder. The logic is simple, birds go to the feeder, kitties want birds, so kitties wait by/on the feeder for birds!

One of them was even in the feeder, waiting to ambush an unwarry little birdie, swooping in for breakfest, and getting a face full of furry hell instead! They seamed surprized the birds didn't come back, so they ate some bird seed and came back inside, to sit by the warm fire.(some times when I come in, the kitties are all lined up around the fire, sort of semi circle, like they are all as close as they can be, with out melting whiskers anyways, and some times even a dog lying some where close by as well.



Ok, on to the reno part of the story. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnle,(or the on coming train, some sort of light anyways.) Not the end yet, but...well Winstin Churchill, a wise,(and drunk!)man, said it best, when he said,"This is not the end, nor the begining of the end...but this is the end of the begining!"Brillient! keep it vague, like a weather man, or a good politition. As a first time home owner, I had questions I have never thought of before. Like, how much closet space do I need? Do I even really need a mirror?(if I ever forget what I look like, I have a drivers licence, I could just look at that.)And my new favorite, what type of wax to use on a no wax floor?(and here I thought, no wax was the right choice!) I got my floor done! and here it is, I like it, very simple/cheap, and reminds me of a 50's dinner, or old barbers shop, or somthing other then a 40 year old trailer any ways.

This is the No-Wax floor, with 2 coats of wax for No-Wax on it. I am now worried about covering it with stuff,(another thing I never thought of before,)First two shots are of the bedroom/bathroom, and then the puter room/office. I also used the left over scraps of floor tile to line the drawers of my dresser.(waste not, want less!)

So today, I'll do the last coat of varnish on the waynecoating, and if its dry enough, install them. then all I'll have left is the trim. So I hope to build my bed stand as well, so, should be moved in before my next blog. Any ways, I should be out there doing things, instead of writing this, and hiding from the cold, cold, reality, waiting to attack me, just inches away through the door, creeping up the windows, infultrating our world, growing through the glass, like a crystle mold...bye. Have a great Super Happy Snow Day, every one! latter DufferKev!

BBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Well hello world! Seams I'm a week behind writing this blog again, you people really need to read faster, your a week behind already, I can only write these as fast as you read them you know, so keep up! hehehe. Speaking of a week ago, last blog, some jackass(most likely me!) was saying if only we had a foot of snow, he could stop thinking of golf all the time!(idiot!)Well he,(me), got his stupid wish, and we got it!(the snow that is, not the other wish, of the beer truck filled with dancing girls, and cheese products!)(hes a strange one that jackass!)Unfortunatly, the snow dose little to calm my unrulely golf desires,(espicelly with the every day Tiger Woods gossip, on every station, bombarding me with endless reminders that the worlds luckiest man will soon be able to play even more golf,(when hes single again that is!)) Around here, when it snows, there is usally a hard wind with it, so a few inches of snow will pile up to 3foot drifts over night!(and other spots are still bare ground, wierd.)

Here is a week old shot,(as this is last weeks blog, all news and pics. are a week old!)(read faster!)taken out my back door,(dew dew dew, snow drift out my back door!)as you can see, there is a 3ft. drift, next to the bare ground.

And a nice frosty tree shot!(with the bright, clear blue,(cold!)Alberta sky as the backdrop.)

Thankfully, I got most of the outside work done before"winter"hit.(wew!)I have been working mostly on the inside of the DufferDen, so have more stuff finished(and as youre still a week behind, even more stuff is done! boy you really got to keep up, I mean, Im writing as slow as I can!)I have finished the drywall,(in the back 2/3 of the trailer that is, Im doing it in chunks)(more affordable that way,)and have got the primer coat on, also have the first coat of white done on the wood parts. The more astute of you will notice the ugly color of the walls,(those of you with color monitors anyways,)and you might be thinkin"what kind of a moron would go through all of this trouble, just to paint it a crappy teal, off aqua puke kind of color like this?" Well, me thats who! oh, and this is only a half strengh primer coat, the real color is dark green, like it is now, but since your still a week behind, I guess you'll have to wait for next weeks blog to see the real color!)(Sorry for you!) The first two shots are of my puter room/office,(sounds better then the videogame/life wasting room, dosent it?)
And the next two are of my bedroom, and part of the hallway, on the right, you'll notice my new/newly installed back door,(dew dew dew...STOP IT! Freak! You dont have to sing CCR every time you say back door you know!)
Funny thing about the back door, it was too big for my(door)hole, I guess people have gotten bigger in the last 40 years. I had to cut off the bottem to make it fit, and it dose, but the problem is, now the handle is low. I guess I should have trimed off the top, or both, because I hate being too tall to reach my own knob!(hehehe! maybe thats just funny to my own brain!) Its no problem from the out side, cause I'll just open the door from the stairs, but I find myself bending to reach the knob,(still funny to me!)from the inside. Oh well, I'll just count it as excerise,(like if I do a sit up, in bed, then a bend, knob reach,(hehe!)to get outside, and a squat to pull my boots on, well that should keep me out of the gym, for like ever!)

Remember last blog, I said I'd show you all the Woodie shed, with its armor coating? Well the pictures pasted the censorship board, and here they are. The one on the right is a older shot, of warmer days, when the Woodie shed was wood!(and a shed.)

The shot on the left is the after shot, with the metal on,(and a coulpe of windows in,) Behind the shed is one of the Atco trailers, whitch was used as a dornor,(where we stoled the metal from!) The ground isnt that slopy, I just shot this leaning out my front door, holding the camera at arms lenth, to shoot around the door,(I think I'll count that as excerise too!) We still call it the Woodie shed,(the Steally shed sounds stupid!)because after its warmer,(insulated,etc.)we'll do wood work stuff in there, and thats where the wood is stored.(Luckly, I didn't change the door here, so I don't have to reach for the Woodie knob!)(Ok, thats the last one, I promise!) Here are three shots of the trees, just to finish us off. This is an afternoon shot of the hor(?) frost coverd branches,(not sure if its hor frost, or horror frost, or whore frost? ethier way it'd work!) the same thing happens to my beard, after about 30 seconds out side. I end up looking like poor Chewie here,(sure wish I had a lazer crossbow though, that would be cool!)(Then I could bullseye wamp rats, or somthing, Chewies even kind of got my haircut here too, although more(I hope,)back hair, I bet thats warm though huh? ummmmm, warm back hair, and a lazer cross bow? that sure is one lucky wookie!) Thats all for last weeks blog, see you next(this)week, try to keep up eh? Hope your all warm and happy! have a great week. Latter, FrozenKev!

Grey Be Gone!

Well good day all, told you I'd be back soon! Been busy working on my place, and not sleeping quite enough due to increased night time kitty activity! Added the banner above just to remind myself(and of course you,)that I used to golf, saddly, even though it was +9 today again, every night it is well below freezing, and the courses are all closed.(I kind of wish it would just snow a foot and then I would stop thinking about it so much, like I'm ready to set a basket in the bush and just start chippin, I mean I got lots of old balls,(yes more then just two!)) And to make my suffering even worse, about 5 miles from my home, a brand new, top notch looking, golf course is being built!

Coal Creek is being built on an old coal mine, and has old equipment laying around the course. Some of the slag heaps, and dredge mine scrap hole, are left to enhance the playing fun!(nothin says fun like losing you ball down a bottemless pit!) On one of my drive passed, I saw what looked like coal black bunkers, witch would really make the ball stand out, if I was ever to be in one.(but why I'd ever be in a bunker, I dont know...maybe I'll just throw a ball in to see how cool it looks!) As I said, this is the old coal mine, the new one is only 2 miles from here, and a winters worth of coal, is about $30!(depending of course, on the weather, and how warm a person needs to be.)This winter has been warmer then normal, so that might be a high estimate.

My Brother Carlin has come to the Commpomfarms for a while, and is fixxing up his own old dog trailer to live in,(mines bigger! but also older, and so far about 100x more work, so I guess it must about even out.) together we sided the woodie shed, with some metal siding we found just laying around,(after we peeled it off the side of a couple of Atco trailers, that is, theres more trailers around here then I could shake a stick at...although why I'd be wastng time standing around shaking sticks at old trailers is beyond me!) pictures of that project are being saved for the next blog.(have to clear the trailer park censor board first!)
Ok, on to the Grey Be Gone bit. Remember a few blogs back, Grey Power, in witch I give several reasons why having a grey beard was good? Well two times in the last month, people have mistaked my Mom, for my wife! So I decided to get the Grey be Gone! On my Moms next hairdresser visit, I tag along. This first shot is of the "old grey" me.( My brother Carlin use to shot weddings, not like me who just shot at weddings! hehehe! and He came along for the fun, and took these shots of my ordeal.) Norma, the hairdresser, whips out this paintbrush looking thing, and just starts swabbing it on, then sends me into the bleachers to wait it out. While in limbo, I had plenty of time to ponder things, like why are cows so funny to me? and do deaf cows mooo differently? and of coruse, how whould you tell if a cow is deaf, or just ignoring you?
This is my cow pondering look...oh and thats my mom in the background, the one wareing the same stylish brown reverse cape,(and the same hair varnish eating into the brain glaze! Bleary eyed indeed!)

A few minutes latter, it was time to kneel at the rince alter, and low and behold, Grey Be Gone!(and as I feared, instantly people started to expect more from me!, naw, just kidding...no one expects anything from me!) After the rince, the hairdresser decidied to shave my head for me, its been a long time since I got a pro haircut.(only 1 time since the biker chick redid my dreads, and that was over 15yrs. ago! she was funny, her card said," Cut-Kurl up&Dye!" I wasn't sure if she was a hairdresser or maybe a part time assassin!) Apparently, my last shave was alittle crooked/ragged/uneven, so Norma took it "down to the wood", as she would say. Its a very sliming type of haircut, like now Im more steamline or something. Good thing its not -40,(yet). So these next two shots are ones I took myself, note the bags under the eyes, and extreme onset of bleary eyes, must have been after my bed time.(I only look younger, Im still the same old fart I always was!)

Well as for the trailer restore, I got the bathroom all hooked up, and the wall behind the shower boarded, still have to varnish it though. Also got my computer room drywalled, and tonight my bro and I did the subfloor in that room.


I found out that the old window I changed from my bed room is the same size as the puter room window, so did a double window,(hope two old windows are almost as good as one new one.) And dont worry, soon the flower print wallpaper will be gone!

Well the hell kittins are quite for the moment, so should off to bed be gone,(no telling how many will wake up in the middle of the night for a game of jump on the sleepin duffer!) will update the trailer status as things get done, Carlins trailer is done enough that he will try sleeping in it tonight, although I think its because little Muligan the kat took his dead mouse in to Carlins room to enjoy, and some times they dont quite finish them. Oh well another week shot to hell, golfless! Have a good one, DufferKev!

"I HAVE THE POWER!"

Hey hey, every one, sorry its been so long since my last blog,(like almost a month!)but I have been busy!(like keeping 6 kittins off the table isnt a busy enough life!) This weekend promises to be justs as busy, so thought I'd at least start writing this morning. So, what have I been doing? whats up with the kitties? whats with the weird He-Man referneces? All will be told! O.k., as for the He-Man thing, I hooked up my power! so indeed "I have the Power!"(and of course with this victory, I assumed the classic He-Man pose, thrust my screwdriver high into the sky, and by the power of grey skull, I looked just like the hero of old!(except for the thinning hair, grey beard,& beer belly, of course, but its been like 30 yrs, I'll bet prince Adams traded in his six-pack for a keg by now too!)and turning to find mighty Battle-Cat...gone, all six kittins choose this moment to run away, quickly!(cowards!))
So in order to have power at my trailer, I had to run a trench to the dog house,(witch use to have power,)then hook my trailer into a splitter, then trench to the side of moms trailer, crawl underneith,(i got the privilege of crawling under all three trailers in the park, and my moms was the worsed! the axles are removed, sand piled under to reduce the cold, and tons of bugs!)and stick a fat wire through her floor, cut her main power, hook another splitter,(from her house to the dog house, from the dog house to my house,) turn on the main power and pray it all works!(witch it did!) Here is a shot of the inside of her wall, with a thisle plant growing
up through the hole in the floor, and up past the main power box.(had to have been at least 9 feet long, and never saw the sun in its whole life! weird!)

Here is a couple of almost finished shots, after the hooking up work was done!(ever try to stick a quarter into a dime slot? this was about as hard! the bigger the wire the harder it is to bend/stuff into the holeBut at the end of the day, all was working! On the left is a shot of the main power cable into my trailer.(Some of you may notice the trench, its suposed to be almost 3ft. deep, and it may not look like it is, but as any man will tell you, things look smaller when its cold out!)(thats my story and Im sticking to it!)

After I had power/lights/heat, I started the drywall prosess, witch really helps to make things feel like a house, instead of a 40yr. old trailer! Also helps drive home the fact that I've still got a long ways to go! I also hooked up my sewer, and water system. Here at the CommPomFarms trailer park, there is a well, but the water is too salty, so its undrinkable,(also the well is right next to the barnyard, so its doublely undrinkable now.) I burried a 240gal. tank, that is filled from a system in town that pipes fresh water out from Edmonton. After the tank is filled, the insulated line runs under my trailer to a jet pump, that presserizes the water before it gets into the trailer.
Here is the tank before it was buried, and the jet pump under the trailer, notice also the very sturdy skirting, with 2inch styro foam and 4x4's/landscape ties etc. in event of tornado, I'll be under my trailer, it'll be the last thing standing!

So on the day I(and my Mom went to get water, it was a clear, cool day of about +2, and I got a little wet when we took the tank to a local car wash to clean before use, no big deal the old truck has a good heater, so we fill the neibours tank first,(I also burried/hooked up her water and sewer system, just cause Im soooo nice!)then back for the second trip to fill mine. The water fill station has a big pipe with a hose on the end, hanging about 15ft. up.(for trucks to pull up undernieth and fill from above.) There is a pipe to connect the hose to the top of your tank,(helps to keep the water goning where you want in, in your tank!) On this attemp the hose/pipe suddenly seperate, and about 30gal. of barley above freezing water pours directly onto my crotch! Stunning! The best part was my Mom, who instead of hitting the off button, just stands there and giggles at me!(she laughed for about an hour after too!) So by the time I realilize whats happening, and what to do about it, ie. put the hose and pipe back together, the water stops,(you only get about 80 gal. for a $1 token,) Luckly for me we're only about 7min. from home and a hot shower. After I fill the tank, and we are testing the system, I got a small amount of revenge. The old trailer water lines had a few leaks. I had moved the bathroom sink, so had shutoff valves on the pipes, and while I was checking out the leaky kitchen sink, both of the stoppers blew off!(jet pump kicks ass! indeed.) So Shes got a finger stuck in each pipe, and waters spraying all over my new bedroom! Mom is yelling,"shut it off! Shut It Off! SHUT IT OFF! And Im running around the out side of the trailer to unplug the jet pump, before my drywall gets totaled.(Oh yeah, and before my Mom gets too soaked,) Too bad I didn't have the time to really enjoy her soaking, the way she got to enjoy mine!

I fianlly got my shower installed and hooked up...wait for it..."I have the Shower!"(this time Im holding a rubber ducky skyward, waring a bathrobe, and shower cap on my beard!) Today I'll have my bathroom sink installed, and hopefully the kitchen sink repaired, so will try the water system again.(just have to wait for my mom to get home first, hehehe!) Well thats about it from the land of the Duffer, will really try to blog again before a month passes, there is always sooo much to do around here, but will try to share the fun with you all. Oh, yeah, the kitties are getting really big, they are almost the same size as "momma cat" now, Stripe face cat, was remamed "Slice", and grey ghost, renamed to "Putter", so we may have to keep all six, since they all have golfing names now. Have a great week,(or month, depends how busy I stay,) DufferKev.

Spiecal Report, Live from Kat-Man-Doo!

Hey all, Remember last weeks blog...there was a picture of 4 little kittiens sitting on a hay bale, out in the frount of the trailer? Any ways weds. about 1:30 am I wake up to doors slaming and dogs barking, and my Mom running around. About then I remembered the night before, about 11:30, I had to put out the momma cat, and just thought it had been hiding in the house, for the last 4 hrs. About the time I got to the door,(bleary eyed of course,) my mom was coming back in...with a little kitty in her arms,(one of the ones we'll likely keep,)she had saved it from the wild poms in the dog yard. Seems the momma cat was bringing the babies to my moms doggie door,(in her bedroom,)to get them near people, I guess.(I mean I dont speak kitty you know!) So one was already inside, and the one my mom saved, so thats only two, no problem I'll just take em back in the morning. Mom gets them some food and water, a little litter box, and we go back to bed. I wake up in the morning, and theres now four kitties in my room! About an hour latter I hear the out side dogs going nuts again, and sure enough, kitty #five is out on the hay bale, waiting to be rescued, and brought into the warm, fun house! #six I had to go get,(I lured it from its hiding hole in the wall of the other trailer, by offering my fingers as bait!)it made more sence to bring one here, then five to there. I now have all six of them,(plus the momma cat when ever she shows up,) and let me tell you...if ever your down, take six kittens and call me in the morning! Crazy, phyco little beasties! It would be hard to be sad with six little kitties playing on/around you!

So after the first morning, my slippers were across the room, and I suspected the kitties of course,(as my couch demon was left in Vancouver,) and I knew they were playing with them, so I left them out and snaped some shots of them. So lets have a contest...pick your favorite cute kitty in the slipper...and GO!

Ok first we have Mulligan, wareing the latest in the walmart slipper...and again with the off the shoulder look! very sheik.

Next we have Hazzard, also sporting the walmart slipper...and an action shot, cought in mid attack, watch out happless victom...your in hazzard!

Now a rare glimps of Grey Ghost, soon to vanish once again into the mist, enjoy the elegonce while you can...farewell ghosty, farewell!

Back once more, the most photographed kitty of all six, Bunker Kat! Today Bunker is showing off a slinky little slipper, from the walmart bargin line, and of course showing off those stunning blue eyes too...very nice Bunker, very nice!

And finally ladies and dudes, we have Divit, now Divit was aptly named, as its the only one who consistently leaves holes in me! hahaha...but really, Divit is seen here lounging in the comfortable, evening slipper, avaible now form your local walmart, and for those stiff upper lip, nights out, the slipper converts well for an night out on the town...not appearing in this fashin show was little Stripe Face Kat, who apperently dosent care for the slipper, but heres a shot of the after show party, when Stripe Face found out Bunker was dressed the same...I think it might have ruined the night for all! It was hard to break them up, as the secerity could not tell where one kitty started and the other ended, so saddly both had to be satdated.

Ok, did you pick your favorite? tough choice I know, but any help you could give would be great. On to the next problem, for many years now, kitty ranchers have been strugleling with the issue of getting the kitties to market, whats the best mode of transporting a frisky little fuzz ball to the auction? you tell me...If you can get it loaded, cruisin on the back of a big duelly pick up would do, heres Bunker showing us how.

Very nice Bunker, or whould you load them in a trailer? Heres two in, and a third on its way in. Door closed? No problem for little Hazzard here, or you, with these easy open doors, any one will feel like they have the strengh of a mighty kitty...And when its tiime to step out, you could do it in style with this kitty trailer. Or would you just pack them up in a big suitcase? All set for the big trip, kitties ready to travel in style! Nylon, with fake leather trim, holds all six kitties with room to spare, for your walmart slippers of course! At the time of this picture, two other kitties are still playing inside the spacious interior! Well thats it folks, pick your winner, whats your favorite way to get your fresh kitties to market?

The Banner shot is of the entire clan, with poor momma cat on the bottem, I think she was just trying to get a nap, and they all mauled her, sucked the poor thing dry in seconds! you think bountys super absorbent? its got nothing on six thirsty kitties. The next shot is of all the kittens, except Bunker Kat,(must have been off on another photo shoot, or something,) Hazzard has taken to sleeping on me, and meowing to be picked up, its soo cute, I almost forget the hellion it really is. Hazzy is the one who walks up to the dogs, and goes for a swipe! I'm not kidding, the others retreat, but not Haz, its crazy how the names worked out, the cats personality is starting to match the names I gave them before, weird! Well thats it for this edition of the Kat-Man-Do Express, Weekly, and just so you know, none of the photos were set up, or faked in any way, I just set toys out, and waited,(for about 2secs.) then shot away over the last two nights. No kitties were harmed in any of the previous documantation,(although my toes are getting sore, I dont move them much at all, it dosent matter, I think they've got a taste for my blood, oh well, its all for the betterment of mankind, right? If any of you are worried these cats will grow up indoor wussy cats, with no hunting skills, fear not, after watching them attack each other for the last few days, I know they'll do alright, plus the momma cat has started bringing in mice for them to eat! Its kind of funny to watch, one kitty will have the mouse like half down, and any other kitty who comes too close, get a very nasty growl, from a little kitty with a half mouse stuffed down its throught! Tonight Mulligan got a big mouse, and after it was down, Mulli just lays down, and any time a nother kitty bumps into it, it gave a sad little growl, and went back to sleep, mouse over load! Now some one tell me how a skinny little momma cat, can catch like 4-5mice a night, bring them through a doggie door,(past my sleeping mom!)walk past two inside dogs, and jump a 3 foot fence, all without dropping the mouse! Well its time to sleep, the ankle biters are sleeping for the moment, so should get some sleep while I can! Bunker, Grey Ghost, and Hazzard, are sleeping on my feet right now, so will try to slip out from under them with out waking them up, I think they dream of war, chaos, and biting my ankles! Have a great week, Latter ScratchPostKev!