Creeker's Weekend Accomplishments

[Dennis Peacock]

13 Feb 2017

Good Morning Everyone,
First, a gentle reminder that tomorrow is Valentine's Day.
My biggest thing for this week is: I'm now ITIL Certified. My very first certification of any kind. Why is this a big deal? Because I've always been terrible at taking tests and this one I studied, crammed, and pushed really hard to learn the material and I passed the exam with an 83% (passing is 65%). I was really happy when I found out that I passed!!

Next, I'm learning how to cook. I cook a meal once a week for the LOML and so far, things have turned out well. I like this cooking stuff but I'm not overly in love with cooking. I have a totally new appreciation for all the meal that the LOML has cooked for our family over the years. She is passionate about cooking and I'm not....so good balance there.

That's it for me, so what did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

[John Towns]

Dennis, Congrats on your ITIL certified status. I am as well.

The most significant accomplishment, and by far the most rewarding, was having one of my grandsons (age 4) with me in the shop. I gave him a few nails, a small hammer, a few screws and a small screwdriver and some soft wood and after I started the nails and screws, let him make something. Not too sure what it is, he calls it a house, but tonight he wants to paint it. Can't wait.

John

[Jay Larson]

Well, after being down with a bug that put me to sleep for about 17 hours, I got the drawers under my window seat in the office adjusted and the handles applied. All that is left is applying the molding around the bookshelves and two pieces of baseboard.

Sunday I took the day and cleaned up the shop and sharpened my planes. I also put together a #5 and a #4 for a coworker. I had to fix a cracked handle for the #4, and then I got them both fettled and sharpened. He is getting his shop together after building a house and having a hard time finding some good planes. I told him I had a couple extra and offered them to him.

[Mike Ontko]

Congrats on your certification, Dennis. Working in any industry can be a continuous learning process, and IT is certainly no exception!

John, it sounds like you've been planting seeds in your shop. The world can always use more makers, WW or otherwise!

And speaking of makers, I was able to check another item off my To-Do list after completing and delivering the Cat Tree/Shelf unit to my daughter for her 24th. I got to do a little more veneering with the remaining Doug fir I had from a mid-century modern style bookcase (borrowed from an IKEA design), and learned a bit about steam bending in the process. Now, I can finally get back to the cherry and fir bookcase I started almost a year ago.

[Shawn Pixley]

LOML and I went searching for fossilized whale bone on Saturday. It was cold and windy (by Southern California standards). Between that and the long drive, it took it out of us. Sunday we went to a historical arms show in Santa Barbara. Made a nice chili and cornbread for dinner.

I second Dennis' reminder about Valentine's Day on Tuesday. It will be LOML's and my 30th Anniversary. I do most of the cooking at our house and have some skills. I keep trying to improve my skills and trying different recipes. This morning I did the shopping for tomorrow's dinner. I will make dessert today to make tomorrow a bit less frantic. (I don't bake so this could be an adventure or disaster)

[Mike Ontko]

It will be LOML's and my 30th Anniversary.

Congrats, Shawn!

[Bruce Wrenn]

Friday night wife took us out for valentines dinner (O'Charleys,) and today I took her out for dinner (Sweet Tomatoes) for valentines. Saturday morning, made ham biscuits baked a cherry cobbler,and made strogganoff for Sat dinner. Our daughter and her sons eat with us on Sat night. Went to senior luncheon at church for lunch. Worked on grand son's car Saturday afternoon. Sunday AM, went to church, and Sunday afternoon replaced tie rod ends on our van (94 Areostar.)

[Shawn Pixley]

13 Feb 2017

Good Morning Everyone,
First, a gentle reminder that tomorrow is Valentine's Day.
My biggest thing for this week is: I'm now ITIL Certified. My very first certification of any kind. Why is this a big deal? Because I've always been terrible at taking tests and this one I studied, crammed, and pushed really hard to learn the material and I passed the exam with an 83% (passing is 65%). I was really happy when I found out that I passed!!

Next, I'm learning how to cook. I cook a meal once a week for the LOML and so far, things have turned out well. I like this cooking stuff but I'm not overly in love with cooking. I have a totally new appreciation for all the meal that the LOML has cooked for our family over the years. She is passionate about cooking and I'm not....so good balance there.

That's it for me, so what did YOU do this past weekend?

Best of weeks to you all.

Dennis, congratulations on your certification!

Cooking has three main parts. Purchasing the ingrediants, cooking, and cleaning up. Only the cooking is fun (well maybe finding some good ingrediants as well). The others are the necessary means to an end (like prepping stock before doing your joinery). I've learned to appreciate the other aspects. Enjoy your cooking!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congratulations on your certification Bibs!



Applied several coats of Deft brushing lacquer to my wife's cherry Martha Washington candle stand to repair the finish damaged by one those liquid plug-in air fresheners which was placed on it, tipped over and leaked damaging the finish.

[Jim Becker]

Dennis, congrats on your cert and I'm really happy you're continuing with the cooking, especially since that's a minor passion of mine as you know.

Mike O...that cat tree is outstanding!

This weekend did entail time in the shop. I finished up some picture frames that replace some less than attractive metal ones and built some additional woodenware for Professor Dr. SWMO's beekeeping avocation. I also "sleeved up" my Festool hose and cord as some others have done to cut down on the tripping and other ungainly things. Next weekend, I'll get that woodenware painted and hopefully construct a new wall cabinet for in the kitchen above my espresso machine...it seems we are blessed with a, um...bug problem...and they found the end panel of that particular cabinet delicious. I want to have a new cabinet ready to go once our pest control friends deal with the root issue and any other repairs I need to do are completed. Country livin'....

Here's one of the frames...cherry for the powder room to match the mirror. Simple design. The artwork is titled "A Chicken In Every Pot" and it's chickens in bathroom stalls. I bought the print at the Penn State Arts Festival (an annual July event) back in the early 1980s.



And here's the completed hose/cord sleeve job...

[Bill Conerly]

25 years after buying and assembling a Craftsman 113.xxx tablesaw, I checked the fence. 3/64 off (on 27" fence) . Corrected that. Then checked saw blade. Off 1/32 over 10" diameter. I've been cutting parallelograms! Guess I ought to do this more often.