Organizing a Garage? And a Motorcycle?? Really???
Yeah, I've been taking a bit of a break from our community as I've been working around my house organizing, cleaning, fixing. Some things that have been loooooong overlooked that needed (and still need) doing before the house starts to fall down around us. As many of you know I had been quite ill for a long time. In total it's been about 7 years since it all started, I think. Thinking about that, it was 5 1/2 years ago that I traveled to New York to watch Mandy compete at Westminster. It is hard to imagine that I made that trip back then; I have much more stamina now than I did at that time but the thought of an all day, all walking 18 hour excursion like that is daunting even now. I lost weight as I was ill, then I put on a ton of weight as I was starting to recover. I'm working that weight off as well as I'm starting to feel half like myself again. It's been a long ride. Anywhoo... back to the present. One thing I accomplished was the cleaning and organizing of our garage. That project alone took a full 19 days working at it 6 to 10 hours a day. I cleaned out a bunch of junk and somewhat organized it. Once I had a semblance of order I then moved out my non-operational truck and realized that I just didn't have what was needed to finish the job. So I ripped everything out to install a bunch more shelving and then started really organizing things. Everything isn't perfect in there still because I'm also using tools and supplies daily, so the shelves aren't neat as a pin... but I'm still working on it. Aside from the shelf installation and structure building, I've been doing some outside yard work and pest control, basement cleaning, closet cleaning/reorganizing, office cleaning. Busy busy! Another part of it is ... I bought a used motorcycle and I've been working on getting that running in tip-top shape as well as re-learning how to ride after being away from it for almost 30 years. About 20 years ago I developed a balance issue so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to ride at all so the purchase was really quite chancy. Also for some reason (see previous part of the story about weight gain here) it seems that motorcycles are lot more top-heavy than they used to be  . I also got contact lenses! Another throwback to my teens! OMG the choices! Back when I had them last (32 years ago) you had a choice: Hard or soft. Now it's enough to make the head spin... never mind the dizziness from the lenses themselves! Hard, soft, gas permeable, daily wear, weekly wear, monthly wear, mono-vision prescriptions, bi-focal lenses and every permutation thereof! Holy smokes! I chose to go with monthly wear mono-vision prescription, so I have my distance script in my dominant right eye and my reading script in my left eye. I'm not sure it's for me. I've been wearing them a little over a week and the compromises are a little bit on the negative side for me. Pluses: No glasses! Talking to a person distance is PERFECT! Reading distance is very good! Minuses: Distance vision is ever so slightly less good as with my glasses. Close-up work -- I used to be able just to lift my glasses (bi-focals themselves) to get an extra 3.5+ diopter boost for very close work (I'm naturally very nearsighted). That's not available when wearing contacts. I can't just use off the shelf reading glasses to help because of the differing prescriptions. Computer work is nearly impossible. The screen text is blurry at all distances. So my next test (starting tomorrow, I believe) will be for me to try just distance lenses in both eyes. I believe I will be able to see distance better than with my glasses (my right eye alone is better than with glasses), and for reading/close work I will have reading glasses handy with both reading and close work strengths. So I know that I've been neglecting our community a bit but I really don't have a choice; stuff's gotta get done while I can get it done... and to tell the truth, not only am I not hating every second of it as I thought I would, It's actually kind of enjoyable. Riding the bike was scarier than I thought it would be but that's coming back too, and that CERTAINLY has been entertaining. Wearing non-prescription sunglasses has been an absolute blast! Oh the small things in life. I think I can publish some pics of the garage and the bike (and maybe the sunglasses!) when the sun goes down. |
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| Ron, I was wondering just last evening what you've been up too. I figured it must be something time consuming, glad to hear it's been time consuming in a good way! I retried contacts as an adult too - I didn't make it. (and it was pre-bifocals too). My issue was eye dryness....it just was too annoying.  We definitely need pics - and get Joan to get one of you and the cycle! I hope we members have been good and not required too much supervising...lol |
Glad to hear you have been busy and accomplishing things. We have yet to tackle our yearly garage re-org  Definitely need some photos!!  |
| Outside of health...that definitely sounds like some positive things in your life. I always feel like there's more to fix and do when the garage is clean. I understand the process taking a long time! You're presence was missed! it feels different esp when there aren't laffy taffy jokes and random ....VERY random threads by you  Hope we do get pics. I've always loved your house and... we don't get too many of you. Mr. J just can't take that leap to contacts even though he wants to. I guess he's never done well with stuff in/near his eyes. I bet they look good. I assume Joan is still working hard and doing her own spring cleaning? |
| You have been busy, hope you get it all done like you want to. Motorcycles are fun, we had one until Carl could no longer hold it up with his bad hip. Broke his heart to get rid of it but that's life. I wear contacts, mono-vision and really don't have much trouble with them. I so hate glasses that I was determined to be able to wear the contacts no matter what and even tho I'm getting old I plan on wearing them as long as possible. |
I'd like a pic of you on the motorcycle? Do you have one of those carts so you can add a furbuddy? Or is that too much.  |
Joahaeyo wrote: I'd like a pic of you on the motorcycle? Do you have one of those carts so you can add a furbuddy? Or is that too much. Haha! I was just looking at sidecars the day before yesterday. Alas, the bike isn't big enough to accommodate me, Joan, Mulligan and the weight of the sidecar itself. That needs a much bigger bike. My bikes weight carrying capacity is around 400 pounds, not even enough for both me and Joan -- yet. |
Ron, I had no idea you were ill! Sorry to hear that and glad you are on the way to recovery!  We are also in process of cleaning the garage....Best thing to do...take EVERYTHING out and throw LOTS out, or donate....Of course, whatever I throw out, my husband promptly picks up and replaces back in...now I wait until he travels and then DUMP dump dump...he never even knows what's missing! Glad you are back around...I've been wondering why you've been so quiet! Welcome Back! |
| Okie Dokie, here are some pics: Say "Hello" to my little friend! OK, maybe not Scarface... more like Men In Black? It really does look like a weapon from one of the MIB movies, and how timely! It's actually the new(used) exhaust pipes for the motorcycle. It was way too loud with modified pipes, so I found a pair of stock OEM pipes on craigslist.  1AM on April 29th. This was way after I started the project! Some shelving is installed and the truck has been removed, leaving my ladder (and a pool of oil ) behind. 6 hours later  Alotta stuff just stuffed in, but getting there  Just one hour later  Cleaning the oil pool left by the truck  Installing my cordless power tools charging station  ...and some hooks...  ...and rigging to (finally!) get my 24 foot extension ladder out of the way. It had been a pain for 20 years, the last 5 out of sight, out of mind under my dead truck.  Ladder is out of the way!   Organization is increasing. There is shelving and space behind the freezer and my work station for large and floor items.  IT'S A GARAGE!!! Mostly done.   A pic used to try to sell my old modified pipes  At the town transfer station, saying goodbye to an old friend, our custom painted mailbox that had seen better days. This was very hard to do!  Trying out a new look:  ...except I don't have a Harley. Or clothes. |
| Joan looks likes she likes to hold that big machine piece a little too much. haha I instantly thought it was a huge gun too and how much my boys would love to have one ...but momma would never let them play with!! I love the don't mess with me look you have in your pic. The new look is nice. Question... do you ride shirtless too? Do you have one of those biker vests? It's mandatory I hear ...while shirtless.  Your mailbox was way too cool. Thank God for all those shelves in your garage. You did a great job. Love the lockers. |
| I have too much stuff, and I'll go through it as time will permit. For instance, I have more than 30 cans of old latex paint that need to be dried and discarded... The lockers, file cabinet and metal shelving has all been scavenged over the years at that same metal area at the town transfer station. Amazingly, every time I went to look for something it was right there waiting for me. The wall shelving was purchased at Homey over the years. Unfortunately the standards and brackets have changed and did not line up perfectly with the existing ones, making the job very much more difficult than necessary. If I had to do it all over again, next time I might just pull all the old shelving down and put up new standards all around. No, I don't ride shirtless or wearing Harley gear. I wear a heavy wool jacket (at the moment) and jeans and riding boots (OK, THOSE are Harleys). I need a leather jacket. |
| Great pics! That last one made me spew on the screen...lol MAJOR projects at your house!! |
 OMG.......that's quite a step up from Hairy Belly pix. Glad to see you got the oil stain out, otherwise I have a great product to recommend. When done with your garage, come do ours. We can still get a mini van and truck in there, but it would be spacious without all the other misc. (it is an oversized) And I thought I was the packrat, uh huh...it's DH. We've made strides, but more to do. Glad the health is improving, I remember your concerns with the NYC trip. I tried contacts again and just didn't work. During the last fling I had to have near trifocals to read the *&%# computer, books and something else! What the?? Decided to return to glasses. Oh yeah, the blowing dust here and dryness was murder as well. Should wear sunglasses as I have UV damage on eyes, but........ Laughed about lifting your glasses to see close in, yep that's when I know it's time for new prescripton. You sure today's bikes are top heavy or your legs are weaker?? If I laid one down now, I'd need to call AAA. The 3 wheelers are starting to make sense. I've seen some mightly hefty beef on their bikes, can't imagine the size frame, engine, etc needed. Rode 30+ years ago but have't had the urge to start back up again. Next pix is bike and you.....with that leather jacket, please! |
I'm betting on Joan here... She's more confident. |
| Seee... that's what I meant. She's not even phased by those 2 guys. I'd be careful and not make her mad Ron. |
Some views of the bike...   |
| Looks pretty fancy! |
| Ron, I'm glad you are feeling better. Try bifocal contacts. I love them. Mono vision drove me crazy. |
| Glad you are feeling better. Wondered where you had been! Your garage looks good--big project! Did you find lots of things you didn't remember you owned?? That is always the 'fun' part of a big clean out project! |
| Thanks! LOL The ONLY thing I found that I didn't know I had was a $5 bill in the bottom of a box that had 4 cans of paint in it. Although when I went into the freezer to fetch the old, old laptop battery pack for my garage workstation, I found a package of gnocchi that was 5 years out of code. |
| The garage looks great Ron and love the bike! Glad your feeling better. I tried bifocal contacts and didn't like them. I have multi focal and love them. I still use cheaters for small print. I'm also very near sighted and can see great up close without contacts but I hate wearing glasses. Cindy |
Ron wrote: Thanks! LOL The ONLY thing I found that I didn't know I had was a $5 bill in the bottom of a box that had 4 cans of paint in it. Although when I went into the freezer to fetch the old, old laptop battery pack for my garage workstation, I found a package of gnocchi that was 5 years out of code. Ha Ha -Well at least you were paid well for the job--5 whole dollars! Yep- garage freezers and refrigerators can harbor some real scary things--I am afraid to open my freezer in the garage--no telling what I will find. I keep hoping that the refrigerator fairies will take care of it for me! |
| I love the new MIB uniform logo. Joan still needs her sunglasses! |
| good job |
| Ron, why ARENT you wearing a shirt??? |
glad you are feeling better The garage looks great!! We need to de clutter here too..........such a huge task  I LOVE the pic of you with the harley "do " rag on your head! Very easy rider ish. |
| You guys would cry if you saw the size of a standard UK garage, they hardly make any cars fit these days! You could move 20 people in to that cavern ........ |
| I'm so impressed and jealous...we have a garage with the same desperate need! I'm the purger/organizer, he is the hoarder. The garage is the place I just have to close my eyes and pretend it doesn't exist. Thank goodness it's a detached garage or I couldn't do it. |
| I am still smiling because you posted such an unexpected pic. 1) OF YOU ...and 2) shirtless. That's awesome. The motorcycle definitely is a head turner. |
| Yeah our garage is pretty big, we are very, very fortunate. It's a 2 car, but it's juuuust a couple of feet smaller than a 3 car if the cars were put in from the other direction. I've thought many times about turning it around. It would make things soo much easier to have the doors (a single and a double) be on the wall where that single shelf is between the two windows. First off there would be two "lanes" of egress for cars and/or equipment so that helps not to have to shuffle stuff around. But also it snows a lot here, and with the garage in the current orientation, the plow guy has to "back blade" to get snow away from the front of the doors, then he or we have to "touch up" the job with shovels. If the doors were on the side, he could just push the snow across the driveway into the back yard fast and easy. A single door is 8 feet, a double is 17 (IIRC) so that's 25. The garage is 24x32 (exterior, interior is less by a couple of feet) so to do that it has to open on the long side. The problem comes with the length of the cars and the stairway/deck/landing into the house which is in the middle of the opposite wall. Joan's 17 foot long car would only have 2 feet of room in front/back. Just now I went out and measured again, and thought about it some more. IF there was a third car in the middle (I had never thought about parking the two cars in the two outside lanes before) the garage door could be in the open position when going into or out of the car so that a person could get around the back of the vehicle easily. Hmmmm.... So it might NOT be a deal breaker. Anywho, another couple of feet would have been ideal. I know, TMI, but you got me thinking about it again! 20 years we've been here and I've been thinking about that for 19 of'em. ...and speaking of TMI... Haha! I thought that posting a naked pic like that would be great fun... for ME anyway! I don't usually wear a scowl... or is that a sneer... or is that just expressionless? If you could look down a little lower you'd even see an old tick bite or two. |
Thought I'd share another pic of the bike, this time in front of some cows about a mile from my house. Those are fancy "Belted Galloway" cows, sometimes called the Oreo Cows, sometimes "Belties." I can't decide which of these pictures of our newest Belted Galloway Calves is best. Which do YOU prefer? Version 1 -  or Version 2 -  |
| Cows? All I see is a sweet bike and lunch! Vance |
Vance wrote: Cows? All I see is a sweet bike and lunch! Vance Comin' to ya! CAUTION: The audio is a little on the loud side! |
It is good to have you back after all the hard work. Enjoy your contacts and if you give up on them there is always Lasik.  |
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