What lies under your seat

I saw a YouTube video about a woman who was updating her 1954 Chevy truck - what I realized is that the bottom seat cushion is not attached - it basically sits in the frame and is removable. Underneath is a tool or other compartment. Although I didn't have any tool in it... What was found was a 1 ft in diameter by 6" high mouse nest (dormant, no mice) on top of old carpet. I pulled it all out and used the Shop-Vac to remove any last trace. The truck is starting to smell just a bit better!

Blog Trifecta

A couple random pictures from our trip to San Francisco over Fourth of July weekend, just to make a trifecta blog post. [Marc]

Tomatoes

And here's another summer project ... tomatoes! Back in early June I put out a few tomato plants in the planter on the southwest corner of the house. Because of the Seattle climate, you really can't put them out very early, and you need to keep them protected from chilly weather even then. (I learned this from a tomato growing class at the local garden club.) I put out a couple heirloom beefsteak varieties, a red grape tomato variety, and tried an 'ivory' colored variety just for fun.





I designed my cover/trellis to expand up once the plants got bigger. (Yes, that's sun tea on the corner.)





Now the plants are almost as tall as the trellis!







Lots of fruit, but nothing has ripened yet. Hopefully we'll see some delicious results before the end of the growing season. Will let you know how it goes. [Marc]

We're going to be so rich!

In case you've been wondering what Marc's been up to while Mike is working on the truck ... Here's a little project I did a couple weekends ago. New drawer boxes and runners on the built-in unit in the hallway!

First, I removed the existing runner-less drawer boxes and installed new high-tech Austrian gliders in the wall unit (only the best materials, you know me).



I had ordered new, pre-assembled drawer boxes on-line. Special locking devices that fit with the gliders go underneath the boxes. (Note how they have a cedar plywood base, nice for storing linens.)



Then, I installed the new drawer boxes in the wall unit.





Finally, I tore apart the original boxes and re-installed the front panels onto the new boxes.





Voila! No more squeaky, creaky, askew drawers. They now glide in and out quietly with a nifty soft-close motion. (Cue oohs and aahs from audience.) Now I know how Nadine from the television show Twin Peaks felt. [Marc]

Small dogs fit in many places

Hi all - we've been busy with fun activity this summer, and I confess, working on that truck has been the highlight of my free time! I really enjoy troubleshooting all the problems to get it to a place where it is a reliable weekend driver. There will be a separate post on that. Anyway, as above, Sprout "jumped" in the laundry basket (or was placed there... before washing, of course). Bailey is used to clean up after the mess - Marc spilled couscous in the refrigerator, and Bailey wanted to clean up the dust at the bottom of the dog food bag. They're great for crumbs!

A Trip Home

Last week I went to Minneapolis, then on to Wisconsin. I took a red-eye on Saturday am. I arrived, went to Katie's house, then got ready for Jack's birthday. Jack turned 4, and his birthday party was at the Hopkins Fire Department. Then it was a round of visiting - I saw Paula, Connie, Theresa, Dottie, etc. before traveling to Shell Lake. While in WI I saw Erin and Terry, having a chance to dine at the new brew pub in Eau Claire. Then Jack and Emilie returned to Shell Lake; we spent a good deal of time in the water. Going back to Minneapolis, I caught up with Anne, Khanh, JT, and Jane/Chris/Andrew and Chris' folks. I returned to Seattle for a bit of rest on Sunday before returning to work. All in all, it was a great week and a nice chance to get away! Now it's back to work this AM - after 9 days away. Enjoy the pics of the Hopkins fire truck, and a sunset (typical) at Shell Lake. Mike

Emilie and her favorite dog

This year I was lucky to have so much family visit - my dad in Feb, Jane (with Andrew) in May, and Katie and Emilie in June. Emilie really likes the dachshunds, especially Bailey. She had a great time walking and feeding "her" dog. And when she and Jack pretend to be dogs, Emilie chooses to be Bailey, and Jack Sprout. I feed them each carrot sticks, as part of this little game. Katie and Emilie also took a Seattle bus tour this time, taking the monorail, and also going up the Space Needle. It's always great to have family visit and get so much time together 1:1. Mike