Tag Archives: Repair

Craft Season is Here!

05 Monday Oct 2026

Posted by in Arts and Crafts, Boy Scouts, Family, Kayaking, Life, Photography, Uncategorized, Weather

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Well, craft season has officially arrived.

Actually, I probably should have started working on my crafts long ago, but one small problem has kept me from doing so—the weather.

It has just been too darn hot.

My garage is still packed to the brim, which means I have to drag my woodworking equipment outside whenever I want to make anything. Unfortunately, the early morning sun sits directly on that side of the house, and it doesn’t take long before my little outdoor workshop starts feeling more like a convection oven.

There’s only so much woodworking you can do when you’re sweating before you even turn the tools on.

Thankfully, the temperatures have finally become tolerable over the last few days, so I’ve been able to get back to making things.

Right now, I’m working on some Christmas lanterns. I have two designs that I’m making, with more designs hopefully coming soon. The first is an angel and the second is a Christmas tree.

I decided to put a post on Facebook for family and friends just to see if there would be any interest in them.

Apparently, there was.

I had seven orders within the first hour after posting them.

I’m not going to lie—that got my attention.

Each lantern takes about 45 minutes to make, and that includes using my plunge router to cut the designs into the wood. I really like the way they are turning out, and it’s always nice when something you make yourself actually looks like something you would be willing to buy.

I’ve also been spending some time working on another project—a cargo trailer.

I bought the trailer primarily to store all my craft-show supplies. At the last couple of shows, I had my truck packed so full that I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have room for myself.

The back of the truck was full.

The back seat was full.

And, yes, I even had stuff in the front seat.

At that point, I was basically driving around in a mobile craft store with a steering wheel.

Loading and unloading everything after every show had also gotten old. So when a friend of mine offered me his cargo trailer, I decided it was time to make a change.

It’s actually an old Boy Scout trailer. He is no longer involved with Scouts and had no real use for it anymore. He knew I had been talking about buying a cargo trailer, so he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

I did have to dip into my kayak money to buy it.

But that’s okay.

I had to remind myself that I needed a cargo trailer much more than I needed another kayak.

That doesn’t mean I won’t eventually get another kayak. It just means I have temporarily convinced myself that I made the responsible decision.

We’ll see how long that lasts.

The trailer needs a little work, especially the lights. I spent some time redoing the wiring and replacing a few bulbs. I still have a couple of lights to repair, but at least the brake lights work now.

That seems like a pretty important feature to have on a trailer.

The roof also needs a little loving care. The joints need resealing, and the roof needs another coat of paint. It isn’t leaking right now, but who knows how long that will last. I’d rather take care of it now than wait until I have a cargo trailer full of Christmas crafts and discover that I’ve accidentally purchased a very large indoor swimming pool.

Most of what I’ve made so far fits neatly into plastic tubs, which will make loading the trailer much easier. I also have several tables, a canopy, and a bunch of signs that will fit nicely inside.

Right now, all my creations are sitting in my garage taking up some much-needed space. Moving all those tubs into the cargo trailer will not only make getting ready for craft shows much easier, but it should also make my garage look a whole lot nicer.

And believe me, my garage could use all the help it can get.

The goal is to get everything organized in the trailer, load it up, and leave it there.

Then, when it’s time for a craft show, I won’t have to spend half a day playing Tetris with my truck.

I can just hook up the trailer and go.

There’s still plenty of work to do before the craft-show season really gets rolling, but at least I’m able to make things.

And honestly, after spending most of the summer trying not to melt in my own garage, it feels pretty good to be making sawdust again.

Now if I can just keep the weather cooperating, keep the orders coming, and keep myself from spending the trailer money on another kayak, I might actually be ready for craft season.

When DIY Repairs Fight Back

31 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by in Family, Life, Uncategorized

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As a child, I would always watch my dad as he repaired different things around the house. In my childlike mind, he could fix anything. I remember coming home from elementary school one day and finding our television torn apart, parts scattered all over the den floor. While other kids’ dads were watching TV, mine had it in surgery.

To me, he was the ultimate jack of all trades.

Later in life, we helped him build the house we lived in—and the one my parents still live in today. I remember telling him I wanted to grow up just like him. Apparently, I took that statement way too seriously.

I did grow up, and I’m not exactly like him… but I’m close enough to make the family nervous when something breaks.

I can fix just about anything I put my mind to. I went to school for HVAC, got a state license, and still take 4 CEUs every year to keep it current. Learning that trade gave me insight into how most things work. I repair most of my own appliances, and I’ve only had to call in a professional a couple of times—and that was when my foot was in a cast and gravity was no longer my friend.

I keep my license active mainly for my parents and my kids. Recently, I replaced my dad’s heat pump after it developed a refrigerant leak. Unfortunately, thanks to government regulations, the refrigerant it needed is now apparently classified as “ancient artifact.” I’ve also worked on my daughter’s clothes dryer when it stopped heating—a simple fix that just required replacing the heating element. In most cases, troubleshooting comes naturally.

Then my son called me this past Tuesday.

He said there was water under his washing machine after he did a load of laundry. He sent me the model and serial numbers so I could start troubleshooting before we met. After some research, I narrowed it down to a few possibilities: water inlet valves, drain pump, drain hoses, or the dreaded tub seal/bearing—the washing machine equivalent of “it’s totaled.”

I found parts for everything except the tub seal/bearing. It wasn’t listed anywhere. Not even on the manufacturer’s website. I emailed the manufacturer and got their incredibly helpful response: “Call a professional service technician.”

In other words, “Good luck, buddy.”

That was not happening.

We met today to work on the washer. I stopped at a hardware store and bought some cinder blocks so we could raise the machine, and I could crawl underneath it like a mechanic working on a car with no jack. The wash cycle took fifty-six minutes, which meant I spent forty-four of those minutes lying on a cold garage floor underneath a running washing machine, questioning my life choices.

Nothing leaked.

The hoses were dry. The pump was dry. No water around the tub seal or bearing. Everything looked perfect. This was confusing, suspicious, and mildly insulting to my troubleshooting skills.

Just as I was starting to think maybe the washer was mocking me, water suddenly began pouring directly onto my face. I was instantly soaked—like someone had turned on a shower labeled “Idiot Under Washer.” Before my son could shut the machine off, I was already rethinking every decision that led me to that moment.

The water wasn’t coming from anywhere I expected.

It was coming from the top of the washer—from the spray nozzle.

My son has very hard water in his area. He’s constantly using CLR on showerheads and faucets to fight calcium buildup. Turns out, that same calcium had slowly clogged the washer’s nozzle until, when it finally activated, it shot water clear past the tub and straight down the side—right onto me.

The fix?

A small cup of CLR mixed with water, an old toothbrush, and a pocketknife.

Five minutes. No parts. No service call. No $120-per-hour technician.

And best of all, we got some quality father-and-son time out of it—although next time, I might bring a poncho.

I’d say we came out ahead.

Some Days We Ride–Others We Walk

25 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Cycling, Weight Loss

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I was so looking forward to getting out today and do some serious riding.  I even left work early.  It didn’t happen.  I got a little over two miles from the house and I heard the dreaded pop. I knew immediately what it was.  At least I got some exercise walking home.  Question? For those that ride, do you do your own repairs such as replacing spokes?  Do you keep such items in stock?

365 Day Photo Challenge 287/365 “Jack of All Trades 2”

13 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Photography

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I didn’t sleep much last night due to leg cramps and a low sugar episode. When I did finally get out of bed this morning I could hardly move.  That little stunt in the attic yesterday really did me in.

I took off a little early to take my daughter to a Honor Band tryout but when I got home there was a message waiting on me telling me that the tryouts had been postponed.  Instead of taking it easy and getting a nap in I took the light fixture down, drilled out the holes with my Rotor Zip tool and remounted the fixture.  No big deal.

I have been known to be called Jack of all trades master of one.  I do have my HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) licences but only after about five years of going to night school.  As far as being an electrician, I do have some training but only when it comes to HVAC.  I have to give my dad credit when it comes to all my electrical learning.  My dad was the true Jack of all trades master of all.  He can do anything from plumbing, electrical and anything else you might need him to do.  You can give hime the dimensions of a house and he can tell you how much lumber you’ll need and not have much left over.  This is not an exaggeration because I’ve seen him do it multiple times. My dad does have his Masters in the electrical field.  It took him several years to get it but he never gave up.

My dad and I worked together a lot while I was growing up.  It didn’t matter what he was working on I’d be right there with him handing him the tools of the trade.  I think that’s where I got my “knowledge” on working of different things. He was never afraid to try anything once.  I remember watching my dad work on the television when I was just a kid.  I remember him telling me not to touch this or that or I’d get a shock.  I had no idea he could work on such things but the next day the television would be fixed.  I remember telling my dad that I wanted to be just like him when i grew up.  You know what??  I did.

On a side note.  Both my parents are still alive.  They are both in their seventies and I count it a blessing everyday that I can still talk to them.  Dad taught me the tools of the trade while my mom taught me the joys of cooking, among other things.

365 Day Photo Challenge 286/365 “Jack of All Trades”

12 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Photography

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Kitchen Light Fixture

I am in no way an electrician. I know enough just to get myself into trouble.  And tonight I didn’t disappoint.  About six months ago, the kitchen light needed a new ballast.  As I was looking at the ballast I noticed that I could purchase a new fixture for about the same amount that I would be spending for just the ballast.  So I purchased the new fixture and installed it myself.  No big deal.  About a month ago I was sitting in my recliner when I heard this loud bang in the kitchen.  I jumped up and ran into the kitchen to find that the shade had fell from the fixture and hit the floor.  The shade broke into several pieces and had to be thrown out.  Since then we’ve been using the fixture with no shade.  I didn’t have a problem with it, my wife did though.

We’re having people over this weekend to celebrate my twin daughters birthday and my wife wanted a new shade for the light in the kitchen.  She didn’t know that I can’t just order the shade and I would have to replace the fixture with a new one.  So, I stopped on the way home and picked up a new light fixture.

After our scout meeting tonight I got home and picked up the ladder from the garage on my way into the house.  I was taking down the old fixture when I noticed that the screws that were holding up the light were actually toggle bolts which meant that the bolt were not going to go back in easily.  I didn’t remember this when I changed out the fixture before but there they were.  I took both bolts out, took the new fixture out of the box and attempted to screw the bolts in place.  Just as I figured, it was not going to happen unless I had two more toggles which I didn’t have.  So I did the next best thing.  At 9pm I moved the ladder into the hallway and with care got into the attic.

Now I’m not a small man by any means so the task of me getting into the attic was not easy.  Not easy at all.  The last thing I needed was to fall through the ceiling.  My wife and daughters were all in a panic but I finally made my way to where the kitchen was and found the two toggles that I needed and made my way back to where the ladder was.  Getting up into the attic was hard but getting back down was almost an impossibility.   I didn’t find it funny at all but both my daughters found it to be hilarious.  I’ll deal with them later.

I got the light mounted but not without issues.  The holes didn’t match up so I need to take the fixture completely down again and lengthen the holes in the fixture so I’ll have some play.  I wasn’t about to go back into the attic again tonight.  I’ll get the parts I need tomorrow and reinstall the fixture again.  Right now the fixture is mounted and it works so that’s all that matters right now.

“Life Goes On!”