Up On the Roof

Just two more days for Emery's September clearance sale. Prices now near 50% off on specially marked items. The final WORS race is just around the corner and we are planning to attend, me in participation. Though I wont have the money for the new roof where it needs to be newed. So I was up on the roof.

I decided to put a more substantial patch over the area I previously patched. One that could hold through the Winter. First you need the materials.

This is what it looked like and I had to consider it was not the patch that was failing as a bit of leak still remains.

There is a reason they call it roofing 'cement.' I could have used more as you do not want to leave any air pockets under any roofing.

Then I had to go down and get some nails and a hammer as the cement was not going to hold the piece of paneling down. And then covered it in roofing cement.

Cover with tar paper and cover that with more roofing cement. There was just enough cement left to cover some other areas that looked like trouble.

A few more patches, tuck pointing the chimney and no more going onto the roof until the Winter is over and I have the money to put a new one on. Not just a roof but some structure. Have to paint the front porch. The compost bin needs turning, coffee grounds added, and then all the pots are going to be dumped on top. And when the leaves are gone I need to treat the peach tree.

This is over a week old but I did get out on a good ride to take some pictures of an architectural nature. This the bike overpass at Hawley for the Hank Aaron State Trail. Looking to get some good long rides in this week. The Hoyt Park Trail has been fully open for some time now and the Crystal Ridge Wednesday Night Race/Time Trials will continue indefinitely it appears. An advantage of the time trial format if you got the lights for the job.

Our offers page has been redesigned with a page on blog marketing. I have been updating many of my blogs. If you haven't bought my book yet you don't know what you are missing. Thanks to those who have.

Alois has strictly restricted his mountain bike riding pleasures in exchange for flying gliders. I guess he doesn't think posting on gliders appropriate for a mountain bike blog. But perhaps more appropriate than posting  on roofing.

Autumn

Happy Autumn to all. Autumn is the best time of year filled with plenty and comfort. The weather could never be better. But it is because we suffer the Winters and Summers that it is so enjoyable. Those living in eternal Summer or eternal Winter must be bored by their climate. They most likely desire to visit somewhere of opposite clime to find relief and a joyous experience. Like Autumn without the travel.

My book is available on Kindle. I haven't backed up my blogs for some time but did so today. The peaches are all gleaned from the tree. The cucumbers are putting out their last effort. Looks like the tomatoes may keep going for a while. Now I must take care of the lawn and hopefully will have time for a ride this evening. Or should I go to the gym? Or both? Monday I rode to UW Milwaukee to catch another lecture. The guest lecturer the author of the featured book.

It appears that the Wednesday Night Race/Time Trials will continue indefinitely for those who have lights. Good strong LED lights required. I am actually losing weight. That exercise program that Misao has been doing off the Internet is not 'corism' the car, but 'core rhythms.' She had to spell it out for me.

I should be using my days better and posting in the evenings but that is when Misao claims the computer.

Struggles

I hope you, my readers, have enjoyed my blog and will throw my wife and I a little support by buying my book. I'm sure you will enjoy the stories and we would truly appreciate it. We have been having some tough times yet have kept ourselves from taking government assistance or declaring bankruptcy.

Click here and you will go to my Create Space e-store, available now. It should be available on Amazon in about five business days. The same time I should be receiving my own order to try my hand at promotions.

September sales translate into December royalties, sure to bring a Merry Christmas.

Thank you very much in advance.

Peach Cobbler

Today is Tuesday, primary election day. Soon the results will start coming in. Tuesday is also a blog title that I have used too often. I thought of titling today's post Monday, as the Metro Mountain Bike meetings have switched from Tuesday to Monday. What's that about?

I dropped off some peaches at my parent's house and a friends house today. Misao made peach cobbler tonight. I'm waiting for it to cool before adding ice cream. I finished up closing off one leak in the roof yesterday, long enough before the rain so the roof cement sets. As it will rain a lot Thursday I will check for leaks in the attic then. I may get all the peaches off the tree before then. I was stung by a wasp/yellow jacket grabbing a peach off the tree yesterday. They like the sugar as our peaches are very sweet. Fortunately I got my ring off before my finger swelled too much. I will have to get in a good long ride tomorrow before the rain comes in the evening.

I went to the Tea Party Saturday. And everyone in Wisconsin knows the Packers won Sunday.  Ray's, that world famous venue of interior cycling of the wide tire variety, will open November 13th. The local WEMS race has been canceled.  The Fall Color Festival, described as the biggest and longest running mountain bike trail advocacy fundraising event, will be on the 25th. The infamous Chequamagon (you're not pronouncing it right ...trust me) Fat Tire Festival will be the 18th and 19th. Tomorrow is the final Wednesday Night Race/Time Trial and will be a night race requiring lights, good bright LED lights. The powers to be are asking for feedback on the WORBA site design. My book is in the mail and, if I approve it, will be available within days.

Just some of what was covered in the Tuesday night meeting. And some that wasn't. And a new link in the side bar. My personal Amazon Associates sales page where I recommend my favorite books and movies.

Milwaukee seems to be trying to ride the latest trend of urban agriculture and deciding what is on our dinner tables. The feature book not necessarily related to the conference. The results are starting to come in on the bottom of the TV screen.

Time for peach cobbler and ice cream.

Football Trumps Mountain Bike

Today is a day to remember and think about what it means to be a human being with all its corresponding responsibilities. I will be going to a Tea Party, the political kind, in Racine. Then we have to get back to business.

Yes, I have decided not to go to Treadfest tomorrow, at least I'm 90% decided. And I still haven't put the Alterra pictures up. I call the picture to the left "Ouch!" It has been a stressed out week and I haven't gotten much sleep. Working out tie ups and misunderstandings with the book weighed me down. The roof, peaches and yard kept me going pretty consistently and I started focusing more on strength training at the gym. Plus it is a good chunk of money just in gas to get down there.

Yeah, now the real reason. Football season starts full-bore tomorrow. And while the Packers do not play until after 3:00 pm the Bears and Lions are on at noon, our division rivals. A hurried intense trip after church service down to Lake Geneva, in my fore mentioned worn state, with a frantic rush back to see the Packers vs. a leisurely rest in front of the television enjoying my favorite team sport all day through, consuming mounds of butter drenched popcorn. I still might go, but I highly doubt it. Unless someone wants to give me a ride and be back by 3:00 pm.

Yes, in this age of notoriously poor customer service Create Space came through with flying colors. I was a bit shocked, taken aback, stunned, at a loss for words as they catered to my every concern and actually went above and beyond to solve my problems. Almost as if they believed the customer was right ...always. The publishing process (or self publishing) takes longer than you can imagine. I read one site that said expect it to take three to six months. The quickest way, much quicker than even three months, is to go the self service route where you buy no services. It seems counter intuitive but it's true. Even after the PDF reviews are over the prep to print a proof is up to three times longer with the paid service ( up to 15 work days vs 5, where I was expecting maybe 2). There was my beef as I learned the time lines. They knew I have little money and wanted things done as fast as possible, so they expedited my service to make up for not making things clear (and maybe one or two other things) as I suggested I wanted to go self service some weeks earlier. And it most likely helped that my book isn't too long. But not having worked with PDF's before, the paid service they guided me to was appropriate. I should get a final proof this coming week and if everything is OK my e-sales page should be up by the end of the month and my simple attempt at marketing complete. I hope to get my next book to them by the end of the year, if not sooner.

Ladders

I didn't get up on the roof Tuesday due to high winds, gusts up to 50mph. Nor did I go on the, again, supposedly last Odd Tuesday Ride since I had no car and it was at Crystal Ridge. And I had neither the car nor the energy to go to the Wednesday Night Race/Time Trial, having worked on the roof much of the day and picking peaches as well as getting to the gym. Getting out the big ladder for the roof work and the step ladder to harvest the peaches. So it has been up and down the ladders and it will be again today, though I start my day with a bit of writing. (I'll be lucky to have the second proof of my book in the mail by the 15th, the first hopefully going out today, but I'm hoping the second will go to market.)

Yes, winds and cool weather make it feel like autumn but I'm sure we'll get a few more hot days. I'll be picking peaches the next couple days and have to process them some how. The morning glories covering our fence have invaded the peach tree. The cucumbers are starting to die back. Not the best looking in the picture but we have a few prime cucumbers still on the vine. The peppers are done. This is the best month of the year to get some new grass in. I have at least three types of grass growing throughout my lawn and only one meets my approval.

M-O-N-E-Y as the Lady Gaga song goes. We took some 400lbs of iron along with some other scrap for a fistful of dollars and then I took in our change jar to fill the other fist. Money to work on the house with. And looking at my roof is pretty disheartening. Then looking back in my wallet just that much more disheartening. Needless to say I don't think I'll be putting out any cash to race my favorite venue, the ski hill at the Grand Geneva Resort, Treadfest. An always fantastic event organized by the  FATKATS. But I hope to go to take pictures. I should get my Alterra pictures up on Flick'r before then. If the book actually generates sales maybe I'll put out for the last and final event, the Wigwam Ultimax, just to show my rivals how they measure up. Yes, I am finding time to ride.

A trip to Menard's took a chunk of cash and then I have to keep making runs for materials per the demands of the job. I should get my road bike fixed also. Emery's is having a September clearance sale. Specially marked items were marked 21% off September 1st and last year's merchandise 11% off, and each day that increases by 1%, 50% off by the 30th. I have seen the bikes hanging a bit thicker from their rafters in the past but they still seem to have quite a few bikes. The economy is tough everywhere. I saw two mountain bikes well under $1,000 that would be great bikes to race with. Not really high end but perfectly capable of holding up season after season. Upgrade the pedals, get the shoes, helmet and maybe some clothing and it could easily go $1,200.

For the holiday we went to the Redbox and got "The Book of Eli." A really good movie. When the movie came out I wasn't really attracted by what looked to be another bloody movie but it was very good. It looked like some scenes were cut but I'm sure if you purchase the movie you will get the full uncut version. I actually had to watch it a second time. Good Movie. Buy it here!

Time to pull out the ladders.

Binge Writing

I have been consumed with the publishing of my book lately. Yesterday was focused on getting the cover design worked out and submitted. Wasn't thinking of the Odd Tuesday Ride as I was preoccupied and there was a good chance of rain. I also didn't realize that it was the final ride of the year with a Wheel & Sprocket sponsor providing free food. Until I checked the site at 6:30, late, and already had other plans. Maybe if the last e-mail said it was the W&S event and the last event... I'm sure nobody missed me or even noticed I wasn't there. I guess all the Odd Tuesday Riders will have to wait 'til next year. The one time I went a couple of yahoo tricksters kept bollixing everything up. More drops than not.

And today, after trying to work out some confusion with Create Space, but with nothing more to submit, I went on a writing binge. This being my fourth blog post of the day. But I did get out to the gym. Misao is exercising with some 'Corism' exercise clips she gets on the Internet. At least that is what it sounds like she is saying. It's all in Japanese. But the Internet tells me Corism is a car in Japan. And we all believe everything we hear and see on the Internet. Misao's looking buff and putting me to shame exercising every night.

And here is another picture from the Alterra Classic just to keep things interesting. When I found out our church was meeting at Lapham Peak Sunday and being in some funk trying to get the book all straightened out I was thinking of not going at all, but I had said I would go to the race on my blog so I went. I found this site some time ago. You can ride for affordable housing.

If you're an Archaeologist I guess you like the hot dry weather. It finally rained today after things really dried out here. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures and getting up on the roof. Have to get back to my next book too.