BIRTHDAY BASH

Yes, it's that time again when our chitlins have birthdays...both are October kids. Since they showed up last weekend, we had an impromptu party for them.

Susan is showing off her new top from Coldwater Creek...yes, they do have petites!

Now the "Doctor is in" in Chico, too, as Chris has his very own engine stethoscope!

Happy birthday to you! A triple chocolate loaf from Freddies made a good birthday cake.

FUNGUS AMUNG US!

Our 8' x 10' plastic storage building developed a severe case of floor rot, complete with mushrooms up to 10" across. We put off fixing this problem until the fall when the weather wasn't so hot and we weren't so beat up for all our other projects to rehab the house. Luckily this building is modular. so we were able to disassemble it quickly.

Rotted MDO floor

Mark & Jack taking down the roof in a large piece. We ripped up the floor and also the subfloor. Here Mr. A is spending some quality time re-leveling the whole damned frame...we splurged and treated ourselves to a real level from Harbor Freight.

Wall is behind Jack...they used duct tape to keep the plastic panels in one big piece. Here he is putting on the NEW plywood floor. It took 2-1/2 sheets of plywood which we sealed with good old Thompson's Water Seal.

Putting it all back together...ooh good, the doors will fit again! How lucky is that!

Yeah, for the first time ever, I have an indoor potting area. I'll be able to store all my stuff and pot up in style in the spring. Thanks, men!

ROWING MY ASS TO CHINA?

It's been 3 months that I've been rowing at Baxter Fitness. I've lost about 20 lbs and 2 pant sizes but I have some more to go...about 20 lbs more and 2 more pant sizes, I think...So I'm up to 4,000 meters x four times a week. As I face west whilst rowing, I've been looking for the coast of China...I wonder how many meters it is to say, Hawaii? I might make that at some point! Jack did his best with the camera angle, don't you think? Oye! A lighter load sure is easier on the body for dancing!

BURNT OFFERINGS

OR HOW TO MAKE YOUR WHOLE HOUSE SMELL LIKE THE INSIDE OF AN OLD SNEAKER!
I was half-paying attention to a Martha Stewart thing on The Hallmark Channel the other day...she had a lady on with a great My Cousin Vinny/ Marisa Tomei accent, so I was enjoying her. She did a Chicken Cacciatore recipe and also showed how to dry parsley in the oven. Hers was dark green and fine. She claimed that the dried parsley would stick to the chicken and not get all slimy. Sounded good to me, since I've never been a fan of parsley just floating around. She said that having this dried stuff was like having "gold in your house." No kidding.

So you get a big bunch of parsley, wash & dry it well, and cut it off the stems. So far so good.

Then you put it in the oven at... did she say 350 degrees? for a few minutes...how many minutes? I wasn't quite paying attention so I figured maybe 10 minutes.

Ooooppps...Euuwwww! After about 5 minutes I noticed a funny smell...sort of like burnt spinach..or decaying cut grass...coming from the kitchen. WHAT? Hummm. Not so good. Maybe she said 250 degrees? And maybe only a few minutes. Maybe I'll try it again sometime...or not.

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS!

We picked the first bunches of grapes...most are still ripening. They are large, juicy but still a bit tart because we just didn't have the usual hot summer this year. With cool weather and rain predicted from Friday to Monday, I decided to pick some anyway...



Here they are on the vine. Usually by now they're more purple with some wrinkled ones that are great on cereal. Not yet!

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

It's been a busy week at the old homestead! We finished the Fiberglass Guide and got it printed.

Doesn't it look good! A proud new papa shows his latest baby off. Nice tee shirt too!

Help in the studio always includes a certain black & white unit keeping tabs on Mr. A....

..l.when she isn't hanging out on the patio!

Plants are sooo much happier with the cooler weather! Us too!

BAD DOG! SHE COULDN'T MEAN ME!

By Chase Ashcraft
Some days are so boring for me, especially when my mom & dad are busy working on a manual...whatever that is! Nothing to do with fun stuff for me, that's for sure.

Before I knew it, Mom was saying, "Bad dog, Chase!"
What?

I figured she left these old slippers on the closet floor just for me. Suddenly I had this great taste in my mouth and funny, fuzzy stuff all over the rug. And I was just getting started!

Maybe Mom will leave something even tastier for me next time...maybe an old pair of underwear or some more socks. I keep forgetting to check the hamper...great smells in there after mom has been to Baxter Fitness!