Did you know you can fit an entire oil change and then some for a GMT-800 truck under the seat of a Yamaha Zuma 125? Well, now you do. Yeah, you have to buy quarts, but the quarts were on sale, so it was actually cheaper. Oh yeah, apparently I have to name my scooter Zuma Joe now ... I have mixed feelings about this.
Yesterday was a gorgeous day, sunny and in the high 50's (or for you Californians, the dead of winter ;) ), so the whole family spent the day outside. My daughters were playing with the neighborhood kids, and my wife and I were getting stuff done.
I started with an oil change for the truck. That part went fine, but man this winter has been very unkind to my poor truck.
Changing a brake light bulb proved to be a challenge. One of the amazing things about this truck, is that’s only the second light bulb to burn out since new. The problem is, one of the two screws rusted solid, so I broke one of the mounting tabs for the taillight assembly getting it off. And I found more rust too ... greeeeeeaat!
Other things done yesterday were cleaning out the garage some, transitioning the shed from winter storage to spring usage, taking the snow tires off of the truck, mailed a couple packages, took a couple scooter rides. It was a damn fine day.
As for the first few days of break, I spent Monday-Wednesday at my father-in-law’s house. My wife and I cleaned out the back room of his basement (We want him to move out of that house and near us, so we decided to get the ball rolling). I redid some plumbing so the washing machine didn’t have to be located directly in front of a door. Yeah, for reasons nobody has been able to explain to me, when they redid this room some 25-30 years ago, the plumbing was done in such a way that the location of the washing machine was put IN FRONT OF AN EXTERIOR DOOR!!!!!
I ran new supply lines and a drain hose up and over the door. When I finally moved the washer from it’s place, this is what I found. Side note: my f-i-l has been complaining of seepage in the basement. When I suggested that maybe the water was coming in through that door, we was completely dismissive of that idea. Yeah ... about that.
By the way, there is no curb at the bottom of this stairwell. The only thing keeping water out of the basement, is the door/threshold. Or in this case, letting the water and every rodent in town in.
This was the most rotten excuse of a door that I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’ve seen some shit man. It was more of a door-shaped lump of rot at this point. Enjoy this montage of the door literally crumbling in my hands as I opened it.
I’m surprised the glass didn’t fall out ... well, it almost did. At this point I stopped taking pictures, because I had to get this done before sundown. I had to patch a whole bunch of rot in the frame around the door. Luckily it was a standard size opening, and I was able to pop a pre-hung fiberglass door into place with minimal hassle. I had to make a slight modification to the trim around it, but all things considered that’s not bad at all.
A can of spray insulation and a shitload of caulk later, and I got it water tight ... for now. Will it be water tight in a year? Yeah, probably. Two years? Honestly, who knows, this house was built in such an asinine fashion, that the only thing really keeping out the water, is the sealant around the door. That doesn’t last forever, to say the least.
Oh, and there’s a special place in hell for all those responsible for this utility room.
I got it done, his house is in much better shape now. Credit where credit is due, my f-i-l was really great about getting rid of stuff. We threw away tons of stuff, and donated hundreds of items. I think in all that he decided to keep maybe half a dozen things.
Today is another beautiful day. I’m scheduled to do a bit of handyman work at a friends house after lunch. My girls are coming with me, so Mommy can have some adult time with her friend. I think after that we’ll go bike shopping for my oldest. She’s growing like crazy, and her bike looks like a clown bike now.
All in all, it’s been a good break. The first rallycross of the year is on Sunday. I don’t have anything to run, but I’m still planning to go hang out and see some friends. I’m bringing my helmet in hopes of catching a ride or two.