By Gary Wamsley
Berthoud Recorder
We had a busy Fourth of July morning. There is nothing like having company coming to energize you into trying to make the place look presentable and doing all that repair work that you’ve been putting off. The repair work in question was the replacement of two cedar posts in our split rail fence. Even cedar doesn’t last forever. I think the posts in question were placed about 25 years ago. I have learned a lot about fencing since then and wanted to fill the hole with pea gravel for drainage. I am hoping this will make the posts last beyond my 100th birthday and replacing them will become someone else’s problem.
Pea gravel is one of those things that cost several dollars per bag when you buy it at the home improvement center. For the cost of two bags, enough for my project, I could buy a half-ton at the Pioneer Sand and Gravel, but I didn’t know if they dealt in such small amounts. The nice folks there assured me it was no problem and let me fill two five-gallon buckets and didn’t even charge me the five-dollar minimum.
Shar helped me set the posts and we had the job done by 8 a.m. I headed for the lawn mower while she returned to the garden. That pesky riding mower with the leaky gas tank wouldn’t start again, even after filling the tank. I decided to drain all the fuel and when I did, I noticed that the first gas out of the tank was cloudy, not clear, a sure sign of water in the gas tank. Sure enough, after draining enough gas out for it to run clear, the mower started and ran fine and I was able to get the lawn looking presentable enough for our guests. Apparently the leak not only allowed gas to run out, but allowed moist air to get into the tank, If anyone has experience sealing one of these plastic tanks, I would appreciate some advice.
I understand that a strong thunderstorm poured rain in town, but it was only sporadic sprinkles here in the country. That is the nature of thunderstorms. We were able to spend some time outside and I tried my hand at the gas grill again. I can see that cooking on the grill is something that can grow on you. I even cooked a whole chicken. I happened to see a device that held the chicken upright and had a place for flavoring and moisture; it recommended a can of beer, in the support shaft. It worked quite well but took longer than I anticipated. I am looking forward to trying it again.
We finished off the day with some hand cranked, homemade ice cream. After everyone left, Shar and I were too tired to fight the crowds to see any fireworks displays, so we spent a quiet evening at home.
If you missed the fireworks and like to be out after dark, there are two places to go on Friday night. Both the Bunyan observatory and the Wildfire movie begin at dusk and both have great viewing.
The last Coffee with Jim will be on Saturday morning at the Lighthouse Café. See you there.