Deck needs staining

My next big project is to stain the deck. I have spend several hours doing research on what is the best product to use and how to actually do it. One site lists eleven (yes 11) steps and it warns that you should not rush any of them. It seems that I will need to strip the stain on the part of the deck that still has stain on it as it has the roof over it. The remainder is quite weather bleached, but should be stripped so it all looks the same. The railings will also get stripped. After stripping, you put on something that neutralizes the stripper, then stain. And of course you have to completely rinse it after each step. When I am working close to the house siding I will need to cover it with plastic or the stripper may splash up and remove paint from the house.

The next part is what will make Gerry's jaw drop. Since labor is such a big part of this, one should get the best stain available, which translates into $$. I am guessing between $200 and $300. But I am sure that if I hired someone it would be more than that, given the amount of labor involved. Guess I will sleep on it tonight and decide if it really needs it. But I already know the answer to that. It really does. So, words of encouragement are requested.

Why did a son disown his Mother at his birthday party

I have a story to tell. A mother invited her son (who will be 33 years old tomorrow), his wife and their two children, ages 1 and 4, to dinner. It was a special dinner to celebrate his upcoming birthday. She slaved in the kitchen all day making a special dinner of baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and tomatoes that she had raised in her own garden. The children were put to bed by their mother in the bedrooms that the grandmother had carefully set up for them. At this time a conversation was ensuing downstairs in the living room between the mother and her son. She asked him to look something up on his Blackberry. He shouted upstairs to his wife, "Get the children, we are leaving." What had the mother done to deserved this treatment?

The answer to this question is: She insulted his Google Android by calling it a Blackberry. So mothers around the world take note. There are certain things that are sacred and you had better know what they are.

Happy Birthday Son! :)

Pig Roast 2010 - Part One

The Pig Roast was a couple weeks ago. The last of the tables, paper plates and games have been put away. I decided to post pictures of just the pig roasting saga in this post. Pictures of the people attending will be the next post.

This is the "Pig in a Blanket". That is a bit of a play on words since "Pig in a Blanket" is a small hot dog rolled in a batter and baked. But this pig was rolled in ice, then plastic, and then in blankets so he stayed really cool all night.

The roaster is being prepared and moved close to the house. This took place at about 7:00 am. Helpers at this point did not include Andrew since he had a good excuse. He had arrived after midnight and needed his rest so he could preform his duties later in the day.

We learned in the past to get the coals hot while putting the pig on the spit. The trick here was to use compressed air to get it going.

Here we have men from three states up at the crack of dawn. Jonathan came from Pennsylvania, Harry from Illinois and of course Gerry from Ohio.

The cutting crew doing their thing. Hungry guests are standing around patiently waiting.