Odds and Ends

Today's the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Eiffel Tower. Truly a beautiful structure. 

The weather yesterday was actually like Spring. Not quite as warm as they had forecast but if you were out of the wind all you needed was a sweatshirt to be quite comfortable. Hallelujah, and pass the ammunition. It's about damn time. Supposed to be warm again today as well.

Started the chore list by hanging the harness brackets on the front of the barn. I installed a pair of  backer boards prior to sheeting the barn so all it really took was to get out the tools and have at it. I still need to close in around the door openings. That's going to require getting some more aluminum and renting the brake again but that will just about finish up the barn. That and replacing one of the roof sheets that got damaged when it blew down.  

Drug out the old Peugeot mountain bike and my one road bike and aired up the tires. The mountain bike was my winter commuter when I was at the high school. It's all geeked out so I could take the back roads and ride home in the dark. 

The big headlight is a cheap Wal-Mart light designed for a big six volt battery. I chopped the back end off the thing and made up an aluminum adapter to fit the bracket I had made for a regular flashlight. I've a similar bracket on the road bike that holds a small flashlight in place with a couple of "O" rings. It puts out about as much light as a cheap bicycle headlight but is handy if you need a flashlight for a breakdown or as a back up light around camp at night. The mountain bike has a cheap bicycle headlight as the back up that you can sort of see in the photo. Anyway, I took a little spin and both of them seem to be road ready. I'll give them a closer look before venturing out too far but it's time to ride.

Did a bunch of other little chores yesterday, as well. I sewed up a boxing glove for the gym in the morning while waiting for it to warm up a little, put a new sparkplug and changed the oil in the snowblower, put a screen in the bedroom window before "Little Miss Hot Flash" goes into meltdown, and took the fork brace in the photo off the old race bike so I could pass it along to Surly for his Sportster project. I measured up for the dog fence in the backyard and did a little piddlin' around the barn and yard. All in all, both a productive and enjoyable day. 

Man it felt good to be outside with out a snow shovel in my hands. I know we've got a few chilly days left yet but I needed the one yesterday. It's amazing how much a little warmth and sunshine can improve the mental health. 

Have a good week.