PUTZING AROUND OUTDOORS
A good rainy day project
Editor’s note: To keep track of what he is doing and where, to see his photos and read some of his other writings, including his book, “Tales of The Peshtigo Putzer,” check out his website: www.jerrykiesowoc.com.
I traveled alone on this trip, but my wife and number 1 daughter, age-wise, not preference, would follow the next day. I arrived about 11 a.m., unloaded the truck, and organized things inside the cabin. Then I slipped the canoe into the river along with paddles, PDF jacket and cushion, and secured it to the pier for use later that evening. As I did so, I noted that I had still not replaced the extension to the pier piping that helps us get in and out of the canoe. It is a simple thing to do, just a piece of wood that fits into the pipe so we have something taller to grab and pull ourselves up and out.
“I should really replace that one of these days,” I said to myself as I walked up the hill to make lunch.
Lunch that day consisted of Braunschweiger liver sausage topped with a thick slice of sweet onion and just a sprinkle of lemon pepper, on rye bread. Added to the plate were chips, a dill pickle, and two chocolate chip cookies. All this was accompanied by a Moose Drool and taken out on the deck.
For the uneducated, the only way to finish off a lunch, properly, if you are having a beer, is with two chocolate chip cookies washed down with the last swallow or two of beer. Trust me on this if you have never tried it - you will find that beer and chocolate go together like bluegills and Woolly Worms.
While carrying things into the cottage earlier, I noticed that all the acorns from last year’s bumper crop were sprouting in our backyard. We had little oaks all over the place. This showed me that nature will have no problem reclaiming the property if anything happens to it. Either that, or the squirrels had been working overtime burying, but forgetting where they put everything.
After the aforementioned amber and cookies, it was time to cut the grass. It hadn’t been attended to for several weeks. First I trimmed. Now, you should know that most of our small yard is on a hill. Therefore, much of the grass is easier to cut with a good trimmer than it is with a mower, so when I say I trimmed ... I really trimmmmmed - a lot!
After trimming, I cut the remaining front and side yard and half of the back with the mower. I finished the job, which included the driveway, using the old tractor.
Three and a half hours later I sat on the deck in my swimsuit - cooling down a bit. I was hot, sweaty, and dusty dirty. I could not wait to get into the river.
The water was great! I swam, washed, and raked the river bottom; then toasted the day while the sun and light breeze dried my body.
After supper, I put together the little three weight fly rod and paddled upriver. A light rain returned and fell gently along the way. I trolled my #6 Squirrel Tail streamer as I paddled. The rain stopped as I turned the canoe around, clipped the streamer off, and attached a little yellow popper. I cast and worked the popper on the drift back. I caught four bluegills, one rock bass, and three crappies. All were returned. Nothing was over eight inches. Close, but not close enough to hang on a stringer.
When I slid next to the pier and tied up for the night, it was almost 9 o’clock.
“I’ll do the dishes in the morning,” I told myself, as I climbed the hill.
It rained most of the night. The soft pitter patter on the metal roof and stovepipe woke me, momentarily, just enough so I could close the one window that had a wet sill.
Dark, heavy clouds, but no rain, greeted me in the morning. Radar showed a colorful line of more weather coming our way.
I went down to the pier, emptied the canoe of the inch or so of water it had caught over night and turned it over. “No sense having it fill up with more rain,” I reasoned.
It was time for breakfast - tea and cookies. It was a perfect morning for Lapsang souchong - trappers tea. As I sat sipping, not a leaf in a tree moved. The calm before the storm.
The morning grew darker as I took care of the dishes from last night. All the neighbors had their lights on. I didn’t. I preferred to watch the storm approach without any distraction.
After putting the last dish away, I went to the garage.
The rain started about 8 o’clock, while I was cleaning the mowers. Not a hard rain, but steady. There was no wind, so I could leave the overhead door open.
When I got done cleaning, I thought, “What a great day to do that little project I thought about yesterday. That extension of the pier pipe.” I had put that job off for a year or more.
I looked for a scrap of wood. This project was only 16 inches long and a few inches wide. A piece of 2x4 would work well. I found what I needed.
If I were to make this at home, where I have a woodworking shop, I would make the part that fits into the pipe by turning it on my lathe. But, I am not home, so I did it the old fashion way - using a drawknife, hand saw, and sandpaper. (See the photos.)
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| Hand tools were all that were required for this small project. Hand tools and a rainy day. |
The size of the pipe was marked on the base of the new pipe extension. |
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| A drawknife took the place of a lathe | Sandpaper smoothened off the edges. |
I shaped it as best as I could without going out into the rain and getting wet. Waiting for the rain to stop or at least lesson, I started cleaning up the area. The vacuum didn’t seem to be working correctly, so I took it apart and cleaned it. Now, with everything, “honky dory,” as Col. Sherman T. Potter would say, (he’s from “Mash”) the cleaning went much better.
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| The most difficult part of the project became removing the old wood. | The new one is now in place and in use. |
The rain stopped about 11ish. I did the final fitting on the new “post.”
Now I had to get the old broken section of wood out of the pipe, That was not so easy. Eventually, with a hammer, long screw driver and patience, I chipped away at it, getting little pieces out every now and again. Finally, I broke through the bottom of the old wood and slid what was left down the pipe.
The new extension fit like it was custom made -which of course it was - custom hand made.
“One of these days,” I thought as I was picking up the tools, “I suppose the other, older post will break. But ... well ... that can be another rainy day project - some other year.”
Until next time, keep a good thought!
Jerry
P.S. My wife and daughter did arrive, and we all got in a good swim before supper.