You can see the top of my desk in places ... but that may just be because the pile fell off in the floor.

"What ya been doing ?"

Some questions you hate to answer.  Because for the last couple weeks it seems like every time I  progress forward a step two steps get added to get to where I need to be.  I'm setting here in the office thinking 2 weeks ago the piles of papers were smaller.  And I admit I haven't been working at this as hard as I could have, but I think I've been pretty diligent.  But like that corollary to Murphy's Law (Stuff expands to fill available space) what needs done expands to fill available time.

Progress on insulating the shop has been minimal this week. Between traveling Monday, catching up with what happened while we were gone Tuesday, running needed errands, going to funerals, going to the FSA office, stopping by a lawyer's office to answer a question (come to think of it, maybe I should have charged him $300 an hour for a consulting fee ...), visiting with my friendly banker, on and on I haven't accomplished near what I wanted. So far my biggest accomplishment was bringing the little semi home from being in the shop.

It had an oil leak on the high pressure pump.  Since it runs around 4500 psi, I decided to let Biernbaum's work on it.

But I've only spent $450,000 this week plus change.  More on that some other time when all the paperwork is done.  For now, Merry Christmas and we'll see you next year.

I really wish Dad had gotten cold ......

Dad was one of those folks who never got cold.  Well, that isn't entirely true.  He just tolerated cold a lot better than I do.  So he didn't bother to insulate or heat his shop.  He had a kerosene torpedo heater he used a little when it got REALLY cold.  But Aman and I aren't as resistant to cold as Dad was.  So we started a winter project. Aman went to Sullivan, IL and got 5 bundles of insulation board.  So we are in the process of insulating the shop.  The problem with that is we have to move everything out from the walls ... some of which I don't think has been moved in 30 years.

We got to the window and decided there was room for improvement.  So we went to Tempco and dug through through the salvage window corner  We found a nice window a little wider than the one there.  Insulated glass, vinyl frame, etc.  So we made a little bit bigger hole

and put in the new window.

When we are done it will make the shop a lot more usable in cold weather.

It wasn't our first choice.  We would like to have had it foamed., but the estimate I got was $13,000.  I'm just a little cheap.