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It's Summer Already

We blinked and it turned into summer.  Garden is coming up, grass is getting dry and needs watered and the weather is nice and hot.  Great time of the year to be outside and enjoying it. 

I have finished the high work on the roofing project for the front porch.  I am glad that is done because of the heat. As it got warmer , it was really tough to work on the new shiny metal roof--dehydration was pretty rapid.   So, the roof is finished, gutter installed and I can now work on the lower stuff that I can do in the rain or shade.  I need to rebuild the support columns and deco P's as I call them.   Our paint colors are selected and we will get on with the painting of the porch as the pieces are repaired and replaced.  It should pretty classy when done.  I looked like it was going to fall in earlier this year.  

One of the previous owners of the house stopped by last weekend and wanted to admire our work.  He was impressed by the improvements we have added.   He owned the house when the high school was built next door.  During the construction--which included a lot of limestone blasting-- the house sustained significant damage to the floor structure.  He had the floor replaced, including support beams-- in the lower bath and hall because of the floor was developing very wide cracks and the entire upper story.    He also improved the electric, water and added the present HVAC system which works quite well.   He spent a lot of money on the house interior, and he also financed the improvements by selling off several one acre building lots.  It was then purchased by the Peters family from whom we purchased the property. It must have been worth saving. 

I was been traveling quite a bit, although this week I am working at home, and have been getting in little real training.  I have been doing distance work twice a week and feel pretty good.  The local Fleet Feet is doing a fund raiser in a couple of weeks by holding some track events at a local high school.  I am going to run a couple events to see how I am doing with my speed.  I could run the 100, 200 and 400 if I like.  I will probably run a couple, all three may be too much.  I need less stuff to do while I am home, so I can get in some harder training on the track.   Whine Whine

May 4 was a major anniversary date for me.  I graduated from college May 4, 1980 and started full time employment in the paper business on May 4 , 1981.   34 years of the paper business and still counting.  Hopefully I can make it to 45 years before I step away!!  The new job with Kadant is going well.  I am getting to still see some familiar faces and my insights into the tissue making process appears to be helping the sales process for doctoring blades. 

Linda asked about why the doctor blades are named that, great question for Google.  According to Google, doctor blade comes from the word "ductor blade".  The ductor blade was used in early block style printing to remove excess ink from the block when prepping to print on paper.  Ductor turned into doctor and that term is used today in all types of printing, roll cleaning and tissue making.  Nothing to do with medicine, even though the words tissue and doctor may get the unsuspecting pointed in the wrong direction.    That is our little FYI for the day, now we all know.


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