On our last trip out to Utah, Alexaus got a 55-gallon drum and is planning to make a composter with it. That was the beginning of March, and she didn't really have anywhere to use compost, so for her birthday I built her a couple of planter boxes. Here they are:

The bottom is supported by 6 2x4s

One of three drain holes in each box...

1.8ish planter boxes

1.3ish planter boxes

They're 8x3x1, plus 4 inches on the bottom for the 2x4s. Originally I thought of putting them on the patio, but it's 10x10 and the boxes dominate most of the pad, and they fit perfectly against the house (there's a bed of rocks that they're sitting on that has been overrun by the grass), so that's where they'll sit. We're debating painting them or just filling them with dirt and having done. I'm sure I'll post before they're planted, but that'll be coming soon.

Minor update - the scooter's back together again, but it's not running as well as it should be - or as well as it was for that matter. So, time to start troubleshooting it and figure out what I screwed up and if it's fixable or not. Otherwise, I'll probably just replace the head, cylinder, and piston. That'll be about $200. Not ideal, but gotta do what ya gotta do. We'll see.

So it's been awhile since I last posted. Apparently a little longer than I thought - December! Anyways, we're moved now, mostly settled into the new house. We just got internet today after waiting forever. We also got a new puppy-dog - well, new to us. He's about a year old, and no idea what breed(s) he is. Purebred mutt. We named him McKay.

Best Paw Forward

His Better Side

Gotta Love the Kibble

In addition to a dog, we got a garage, which enabled me to do some auto repairs. Those of you who have heard the Honda know that it was loud. We thought initially that it was designed to be that way, 'cause it actually sounded decent if loud. Anyways, last week an awful squeak started coming from under the car, and it turns out that the muffler was virtually disconnected from the exhaust pipe due to corrosion, so I fixed that and it sounds worlds better. Amazing what a muffler can do for you.

Where the worst break was (this is after I separated the exhaust from the muffler with a few hammer blows)

I've also been able to tear the scooter apart and now am putting it back together. I was going to replace the head, cylinder, and piston, but 1) the unit that's in there isn't too bad and it's bored out, and 2) replacement parts from Kymco run ~$250, and they're not bored out, so we'll keep it as is and see what happens.

Other than that, things are going. 3 days after moving into the house, we went down to Utah for just under a week, and we're planning another (shorter) trip next weekend for one of Lexie's roommates wedding, and the following weekend is a trip to Portland. We must really like to drive...

Wow. Merry Christmas all!! I can't believe that it's upon us already. Lexie's parents flew out yesterday. We're looking forward to spending time with them, and the weather was just beautiful once we got to the coast - clear skies, slight breeze, 50ish.

It's a little late, but we survived our first year of marriage together. Actually, on Christmas Day it will have been one year and two months. YAY!! If I remember right, we had the realization that we had been married a year while sitting in sacrament meeting. We'd both been so caught up in the day-to-day that we'd completely forgotten. Go figure. Anyways, it's been a year, as they say, of ups and downs - with more ups than downs. We found out two things about living here. The first is that we really like living on the coast, and the second is that we can't afford to right now. Lexie's job is moving onto shaky ground, and I haven't been able to find work, so we're moving in February to Wenatchee, WA to try our hand there. Lex accepted a job up there which appears to be a big step up from Tillamook. Not that Tillamook is bad, but Wenatchee looks a lot better. And, since it's a bigger population base, I'm hoping I'll be able to find employment there as well.

I took the POST (Police Officer Selection Test) and ORPAT (Oregon Physical Abilities Test) trying out for a position on Manzanita's Police Dept., but going up against a field of ex-military and ex-cops is tough in a small town PD and alas, I wasn't selected for the position. It was still a good experience, and in some twisted way, fun too. For a layout/description of the ORPAT click here.

Couple of new things to report this post. First up, last weekend we went to Utah on a spur-of-the-moment trip. We left Rockaway at 9PM Friday night and got to Lexie's parents at 3PM Saturday afternoon. One straight shot. The return trip was about the same, left at 930AM Monday and got home at 1AM Tuesday. In between we went to see Lee's band play and replaced the clutch in the Honda. Here are some pics - we didn't think to take them until after most of the work was done. Here are Lee and I putting the pieces in that we removed to get to the tranny in the first place:

Lot's of fun. I didn't realize until after I saw these pictures that my right arm was soaked - either with oil or steering fluid, I don't know which. You can see in the pictures we have kitty litter spread on the floor to absorb the spills we made, but we put it down after rolling around in the fluids for awhile.

And now the car is fixed, and after driving it for just over a week, I've gotten the hang of having a clutch that actually works. I'll take some pictures of the old clutch and put them up in the near future, but needless to say it was worn. I could let the clutch out most of the way before it would engage. Now, maybe 1/2". Yes, I killed it a couple of times since replacing it. :p

The other thing to report is I went to the OSP physical testing yesterday - and didn't pass. I missed the mark by 4 sit-ups. Disappointed about it as I am, I'm also pleased. I did better than I thought I would, and I learned a lot. And they're testing again in spring, so I have a little more time to train.

Dead-guy (not for the faint of heart) (seriously)

Before I get into this whole dead-guy thing, I need to explain a little background. Dr. B* (Lexi's supervising doctor) is also the medical examiner for Tillamook County.

So yesterday, I was in Tillamook waiting for Lex to get done when she calls and says she and Dr. B are headed over to the morgue to do a post-mortem exam on a body that had come in, and as luck would have it, I was invited along. So we get there and they pull the body out of the freezer, and at first it's wrapped in a blue tarp/body-bag thing with a zipper, and that gets opened up, and then it's wrapped in sheets (like bedsheets), and finally there's the body. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. He'd been dead for several days before they found him, lying on his side so all the blood and fluids had drained to that side. He was bloated from the gases involved with decomposition, discolored, and his skin had started to slough off. His finger tips were black, and the irises in his eyes had decayed from brown to a hazy gray color. All in all, not pretty. And then there was the smell. It wasn't the strongest odor or the most offensive, but it was pretty distinct and sick.

The body was ID'd and it was determined that he died either because of alcohol consumption or natural causes, not sure which, but it was in his sleep, on his right side, with his left arm draped across his body. This was known because 1) that's how he was found and 2) that's what the colors on his body told us. The blood had all pooled on the right side of his body, and the area where his left arm was resting against his body created pressure which kept the blood from that area, so there was no color there. They weren't able to get enough usable fluids to perform a tox-screen, but his medical history was known.

I didn't do anything other than stand there and observe of course, as that was my role in the whole thing, but I'm proud to report that I didn't get sick or nauseous or anything like that. In fact, we left the morgue and went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant (I wouldn't recommend it, but it was worth a try). The thought of touching the body and/or moving it made me a little queasy, but I think with time I could get over that. I mention this only because if and when I become a cop that will be something I have to deal with, at least once in awhile if not more frequently.

*Not his true name

Well, it's been forever since the last post. I don't really have too much to say - nothing's really changed in my life, but it's about time for a post so here it is. Since the beginning of July I've been volunteering a little at the Victim's Assistance Program in Tillamook County on Mondays and some on Thursdays. It's fun and it's led to a lot of contacts and shoulder-rubbing with a lot of cool people. Plus it's a good thing. Right now I'm not trained enough to really do anything more than type and print form letters or sit in court and take notes. I've also been on a ride-along with the Sheriff's Department, and got to tour the County Jail. Most of these things came from contacts volunteering at the VAP. In other news Lexie's cousin Jessica and her husband and baby are coming out on Thursday - that's going to be exciting. Oh, I almost forgot. This past weekend I took the motorcycle riding class, so I'm now almost motorcycle endorsed. The final step for that is to cough up gads of money for the DMV. I don't understand why it costs almost double to get a motorcycle endorsement than it does to get regular driver license - maybe it's to offset the reduced fuel revenue because motorcycles use less gas? Anywho, it was for the most part fun, with some beat-your-brains-out-with-a-brick moments. I was thinking about getting some pictures, but it's hard enough learning to ride a motorcycle without trying to use a cell phone as well (and the instructors probably would've thrown me off the range...), and I didn't feel comfortable asking the instructors to take pictures while they're watching us to make sure we don't do anything too stupid, so sorry...