It's Not CANADA, but it's still COLD

It has been an Arctic Blast the last few days with overnight lows in the low 20's and daytime highs barely getting into the mid forties. It has been dry and sunny, but COLD. I'm still fighting a head cold and Darla has been fighting it right along with me. I felt so bad this weekend, that I actually canceled a game of golf on Saturday to rest and get better. Well, that was the plan when I called Mel and told him that I was going to pass on golf. It wouldn't do for me to be out in the 38 degree weather hitting a small white ball around. So, instead, I slept in and then went to Home Depot where I bought two self closing gate springs, a bolt lock mechanism for the auto gate on the side yard, ten gallons of wood preservative for the fence, some linoleum tile for the master bathroom floor, a new leaf blower/vacuum, a canister sprayer for the wood preservative, two sliding door pool alarms (code in Roseville, CA), some replacement screen for the screen door where Buddy had a small fit one night when it was raining, a new side yard light for the new trash receptacle enclosure and a halogen two-light flood light set for the front of the house.

I was able to get the two gate springs installed and the bolt lock put on and then retired to the house with a cup of hot cocoa and a blanket. Sunday, Darla and I again slept in missing church and feeling a bit better when we finally rolled out of bed at 9:30. We had a hot breakfast and I went about the job of applying the wood preservative to the fence. I don't understand how people can spend $5,000 on a new fence and call it good. I got a clear Behr stain preservative and poured it into the gallon sprayer and set out to get the fence done. Unfortunately, the preservative was so thick that it came out of the sprayer like mustard out of a pump bottle. I ended up having to apply the stain by hand. Darla took pity on me after about three hours when I'd only covered the trash receptacle the two side gates and the fence on the side yard up to the inside gate of the back yard. She rolled up her sleeves, poured some of the stain into an empty Fresh Step cat litter bucket and began helping out. I went inside and asked David to help. He seemed somewhat non-plussed which I found out had to do with the fact that he wanted to watch the New England-San Diego NFL playoff game. I told him that I was Tivo'ing the game and he came out to lend a hand. Between the three of us, we were able to cover the area of the backyard up to the shed. I have the side yard fence and gate behind the shed left to do. The job really looks good and the stain really brought out the red in the redwood and the knots in the wood. It should last us 4-5 years. I know the neighbor on my left will also treat her fence, so that will retard the aging process even more.

It is Martin Luther King, Jr day today and this being a seat of state government, the commute this morning was more akin to an early Saturday morning than a Monday. The traffic control lights at the freeway on ramp were not even on when I passed through at 7:30 this morning. About two thirds of our office building are off today and I will likely send the staff home early today.

I just found out that our leader, Alan Kaufman will visit us in Sacramento in the next couple of weeks. He will be in California to buy a couple of new office buildings, one in Fresno and one in San Diego. His real estate holdings with Burns and Wilcox owned office buildings continues to grow now that prices have started to fall. He is a shrewd negotiator when it come to the acquisition of real estate. He had planned to come into Sacramento to appoint me to my new position, but it never worked out. Better late than never. The staff is nervous as our numbers are good, but not great. I actually look forward to him coming in and seeing the change in the office with a staff that is engaged in the process and working together to build something great.

Jennifer's boyfriend, John, has left the United States and arrived in Afghanistan. He is recording his adventures on he and Jennifer's website at www.jswanonline.com/afghanistan. The reading is fascinating with his discussion of the base that he is working on as well as the conditions of the city of Kabul and the locals in general. We are all hoping that John can make it home and come with us to the Lyon family reunion in Vegas in March. Jennifer will be there by hook or by crook, but she would be much happier if John can come as well.

Daniel has been busy helping his Aunt Alicia install a new kitchen and bathroom. Daniel and David did the demo on the old kitchen counter top and Daniel has been charged with getting the new sinks, garbage disposal and faucets put in. It was quite a job as they had to build-up the casement that the sink was installed in and then feed the faucets through the new granite and tighten the whole thing up and install it to the drain line. Daniel and his father ended up at Alicia's until almost 8:00 PM on Saturday and Dan was back yesterday finishing up. The job is done and Daniel has $300 for his efforts. Dan is supposed to get the two pool alarms installed today and we will then have the pre-plaster inspection done on Wednesday. We could have plaster as early as this weekend.

Jennifer will be up next weekend to help me install the lights on the side yard and the floodlight above the garage door. She will also look into adding a GFI outlet at the front entry. Right now I have to plug the leaf blower or hedger way in the garage and run an extension cord from there. Jennifer has become quite handy in the electrical trade and I have to add outlet boxes and we have to "baby-chain" the two lights and other things that are well over my head. She will be in this weekend to help me and Darla and I will take her to dinner.

My efforts at picking out some flooring to replace the small bit of linoleum in the master bathroom fell flat. Darla took one look at the faux wood tiles that I bought and said the equivalent of "over my dead body this is going in my house." I thought it would make the bathroom look like a ski lodge (Seinfeld reference).

Well that is the news that is fit to share with you to the moment. I need to work on some new incentive bonus plans today and tomorrow and get them signed. I will set up my Pebble Beach golf trip this week for the first week in April. I hope you are all well and walking in step with the Lord. Ciao.