Cactus Cowboy
Well-Known Member
Okay, I'm done for the day, got another 25'-30' of skirting work done, moving along at my own pace... lower back started to get a bit stiff with all the stoop labor, particularly getting those 'bottom rails' level & tacked into the ground, so I called it a day. No point in rushing the job when I have nothing but time, and I should be finished soon anyway... another day or two and I can put this task behind me. Dunno why it's so hard to get motivated for this work, it's not really difficult, but as long as I keep chipping away at the stone, so to speak, I'll git 'er done.
I just want the skirting to be nice & neat, the way it should be in any home I own. All I'm doing is leveling the ground where the skirting is MIA, setting the 'bottom rails' with long nails designed to go into the ground, lining up the panels and tacking those in place, then tacking on the upper trim strip before filling the gap below with white marble chips. When I say "tacking" I mean drilling holes and using self-tapping screws, that way everything is buttoned up tight. The marble chips help hold the panels in place in each bottom rail, and they look nice too.
Funny thing, I randomly chose those white marble chips to fill the gaps between slabs & skirting, but an old school local told me one day (while we were partying on the view deck) that marble chips are a good choice here in southeastern Arizona. Turns out the lime in the marble acts as a deterrent to certain bugs or critters, a natural way of keeping those bugs or critters out from under your home. So I don't even waste the dust in the marble chip bags, everything gets distributed in the gap, LOL. I figure, why NOT use it, I paid for it, and y'all know I'm a cheap b@stard, AYE?
Anyway, I already grabbed a second shower, now it's BEER-THIRTY & relaxation time, LOL. Tomorrow's another day, and I'll get as much of the skirting done as possible before it gets too warm. I'm actually under the full-length metal awning now as far as the skirting work goes, and the breeze helps as it blows though the carport, but this is Arizona and ya gotta know when to knock off voluntary home rehab work like this---no point in pushing yourself when time is really not a factor, and I reckon I have till the end of the month before I hear anything about my HazMat endorsement, PFFFFFT.
I'm trying to put the endorsement BACK onto my CDL-A so I can haul chemicals to the nearby mines, working out of a local trucking yard minutes from my home. That outfit already knows I have heaps of prior experience hauling HazMat, but it's one of those things, courtesy of the so-called 'Patriot Act' (which had nothing to do with actual patriots, except to rob them of constitutional rights). Now ya need a 'fingerprint clearance card' to put the endorsement on your license, so even though I already HAD the endorsement in Kalifornia for 10 or 15 years, I have to jump through the idiotic gubmint hoops... sound familiar?
Meh, I have enough money set aside to last for months, and my home is well-stocked in every possible way... property taxes are already paid, utility bills are being paid out of my initial deposits made roughly one year ago, life is good here in sunny & scenic southeastern Arizona. I also had an ADOT interview 2 or 3 weeks ago, but I have higher hopes for the local trucking gig, it would actually be BETTER than the ADOT job, go figure. Higher pay, and cruising in Max Cool A/C & 'air-ride' comfort while running these scenic highways & byways of southeastern Arizona & southwestern New Mexico.
Alright, I suppose that's enough rambling for now by this old school lifelong small craft sailor... 'bout time to grab another cold beer outta the fridge, LOL. Later, I sit on deck under the metal awning on the east side of my home and enjoy my view of the Dragoons & the Stronghold. Got plenty of leftover BBQ in the fridge, but it'll keep... I might cook this big ol' tray of ready-made chicken enchiladas, LOL, for some reason I'm in the mood for those, and I have extra guacamole, sour cream & cilantro salsa, not to mention heaps of cold beer.
HERE'S A PIC OF THE SKIRTING WORK, TAKEN BEFORE I BUTTONED UP THE TRIM STRIP WITH MORE SELF-TAPPERS... NOTHING FANCY, JUST WANT MY HOME TO BE NEAT, YA KNOW? GOT SOME KITTEH PICS TOO: CRACKHEAD THROWIN' A HEADLOCK ON TIGER, AND TIGER HAVIN' A CONVO WITH A NEIGHBOR CAT WHO COMES HERE FOR THE CATNIP, LOL... CHEERS!!!
I just want the skirting to be nice & neat, the way it should be in any home I own. All I'm doing is leveling the ground where the skirting is MIA, setting the 'bottom rails' with long nails designed to go into the ground, lining up the panels and tacking those in place, then tacking on the upper trim strip before filling the gap below with white marble chips. When I say "tacking" I mean drilling holes and using self-tapping screws, that way everything is buttoned up tight. The marble chips help hold the panels in place in each bottom rail, and they look nice too.
Funny thing, I randomly chose those white marble chips to fill the gaps between slabs & skirting, but an old school local told me one day (while we were partying on the view deck) that marble chips are a good choice here in southeastern Arizona. Turns out the lime in the marble acts as a deterrent to certain bugs or critters, a natural way of keeping those bugs or critters out from under your home. So I don't even waste the dust in the marble chip bags, everything gets distributed in the gap, LOL. I figure, why NOT use it, I paid for it, and y'all know I'm a cheap b@stard, AYE?
Anyway, I already grabbed a second shower, now it's BEER-THIRTY & relaxation time, LOL. Tomorrow's another day, and I'll get as much of the skirting done as possible before it gets too warm. I'm actually under the full-length metal awning now as far as the skirting work goes, and the breeze helps as it blows though the carport, but this is Arizona and ya gotta know when to knock off voluntary home rehab work like this---no point in pushing yourself when time is really not a factor, and I reckon I have till the end of the month before I hear anything about my HazMat endorsement, PFFFFFT.
I'm trying to put the endorsement BACK onto my CDL-A so I can haul chemicals to the nearby mines, working out of a local trucking yard minutes from my home. That outfit already knows I have heaps of prior experience hauling HazMat, but it's one of those things, courtesy of the so-called 'Patriot Act' (which had nothing to do with actual patriots, except to rob them of constitutional rights). Now ya need a 'fingerprint clearance card' to put the endorsement on your license, so even though I already HAD the endorsement in Kalifornia for 10 or 15 years, I have to jump through the idiotic gubmint hoops... sound familiar?
Meh, I have enough money set aside to last for months, and my home is well-stocked in every possible way... property taxes are already paid, utility bills are being paid out of my initial deposits made roughly one year ago, life is good here in sunny & scenic southeastern Arizona. I also had an ADOT interview 2 or 3 weeks ago, but I have higher hopes for the local trucking gig, it would actually be BETTER than the ADOT job, go figure. Higher pay, and cruising in Max Cool A/C & 'air-ride' comfort while running these scenic highways & byways of southeastern Arizona & southwestern New Mexico.
Alright, I suppose that's enough rambling for now by this old school lifelong small craft sailor... 'bout time to grab another cold beer outta the fridge, LOL. Later, I sit on deck under the metal awning on the east side of my home and enjoy my view of the Dragoons & the Stronghold. Got plenty of leftover BBQ in the fridge, but it'll keep... I might cook this big ol' tray of ready-made chicken enchiladas, LOL, for some reason I'm in the mood for those, and I have extra guacamole, sour cream & cilantro salsa, not to mention heaps of cold beer.
HERE'S A PIC OF THE SKIRTING WORK, TAKEN BEFORE I BUTTONED UP THE TRIM STRIP WITH MORE SELF-TAPPERS... NOTHING FANCY, JUST WANT MY HOME TO BE NEAT, YA KNOW? GOT SOME KITTEH PICS TOO: CRACKHEAD THROWIN' A HEADLOCK ON TIGER, AND TIGER HAVIN' A CONVO WITH A NEIGHBOR CAT WHO COMES HERE FOR THE CATNIP, LOL... CHEERS!!!
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