I am really ready for us to start getting some snow. Unfortunately this picture is from last year and there is no hint of snow yet. I’m trying to be a little creative with pictures today as I never got the camera out last night or even got motivated to shoot my phone at anything.
After work Heath and I did some talking with the Nanny and playing with the baby. Pumpkin had not taken an afternoon nap but was ready for one so after Nanny left we put her down for a nap. Heath started getting out presents and wrapping supplies and I got started cutting up deer steaks. Then I offered to wrap while dinner was cooking if Heath wanted to run and I would loan her my phone for podcast listening while running. She took me up on the offer and went for a long run right around dusk. I got steak sliced up and cooking and beans, corn, noodles and other beans then started wrapping presents.
When Heath got back from running she reported that Jon had just called and was interested in working on the stranded conversion van. We got Pumpkin up from her nap and she and I ate some dinner and got ready. Then we headed over to Jon, Amanda and Allie’s house. I left Pumpkin there to play and Jon and I went to Brookside to check on the van.
It was still there as I left it. Jon did some looking around then decided we could get the part with the broken bolt out once we removed a handful of other bolts, an alternator, a pump and all the air filter and hoses. 
When we got started we commented on how it was surprisingly not that cold out. I started out under the van and Jon stood on the sweet license plate stool and we started removing stuff. There was some challenging things to remove and bolts to get loose but around 2 hours later we had the part out.
(wow this would be a great spot for a picture of the part, instead check out this catfish)
Once we had the part out we looked it over and there was some rust and corrosion that looks like it will make the bolt rough to remove. We put our tools away and carefully put all the bolts inside the van with the parts they belong too. Then we started up the van and carefully moved it to a new parking spot in hopes it would not get towed before we returned. Then I took Jon home and started coating the bolt in WD40.
Heath had gone to a meeting and then picked up Pumpkin from Amanda and then fed her a full second dinner. It must have been messy because Pumpkin was in the sink taking a bath and having a blast when I got home.
Once home I realized I was freezing cold and pretty filthy. My theory is laying on the asphalt sucked all the heat out of me and all the dirt and rust under the van fell on my face. I built up the fire, washed my hands good, put away dinner stuff and changed clothes. Then I put on some King of the Hill and ran on the gazelle for a while. It’s hard to make that thing a workout so I tried to go pretty hard and warmed up pretty quick.
Then I took a shower and got ready for bed.This morning I ran a couple miles.
I found some old pictures I gota show off with a little story. Several years ago Jon and I built this little wood stove.
and this little mobile ice hut.
We drove up to Iowa somewhere
and set it up on a little lake.
We lived in it all weekend and cooked our meals on the stove and tried to fish.
We didn’t catch any fish and got kinda bored but we ate well, drank all the beer and I kinda want to try it again some day.
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