New Patio and all the Usual Happenings...

First, sorry for not writing sooner. We have been very busy with all sorts of stuff. The first big and new thing is our new Patio. A few weeks ago, we went to the Twin Falls County Fair and ran across these folks selling Patio Covers and all sorts of other stuff. I am not usually one to get 'involved' in such sales 'opportunities' but we had been thinking about making the outside patio area a usable space for some time now. We had a local guy give us a bid to do it in wood, but with all the increases in the price of wood and the gas to transport it, the price was just too high and we didn't do it. Plus, we have both had way too much wood to take care of in previous places and are trying to have fewer things that require maintenance in our lives.

Anyway, we got a great deal on this new patio cover. Its made out of steel and aluminum, is guaranteed for life and winds up to 120mph - which is good enough for here. There is also going to be a 'privacy wall' on the far side in the pictures below, that has yet to be put up. We are trying to decide how high to make it so it will control some of the 'usual' wind without being completely blocking the whole side. Below is the first picture that was taken THE day it was installed. The reason that THE is all caps is to point out that it was all installed in one day. Two workers came about 9:30am and were done by 3:00pm. And, they did a great job. Its got a full roof with 6 skylights, a drainage system and will have electrical wiring for two ceiling fans. It looks like it was part of the house and we just love it.

Then, after it was installed, we got to thinking that we would wait to get furniture and stuff for it until next year, but got to thinking that right now was a great time to buy such things as most stores were clearing out all the outdoor stuff for snow blowers and other winter things. So, we checked out a few stores and ended up getting a great outdoor table set with 6 chairs and a very nice self contained outdoor gas fireplace. It really puts out a lot of heat and will make the whole outdoor area usable for a longer period of time. We were able to get over 1/2 off on the furniture and fireplace. There is a night picture of the patio, with the additions below...

Besides all the time spent dealing with the patio, the business continues to go crazy. We are picking up more and more dealers and business partners. We have also included three new products. A new threading needle for smaller 50# lines and two Reverse Latch Needles, that are a combination of one of our threading needles and a latch mechanism build for knitting machines. Latch needles have been used to work with lines for some time, but to incorporate our needle and the latch mechanism into one tool is unique and should go over very well in the marketplace. It was actually a design given to us by Jerry Brown, a manufacturer of the hollow spectra lines that all our tools work with. He has been wanting someone to build it for some time so his customers would have better tools to use with his line. So, thanks to Jerry for that gift - its a true win-win type of situation.

I started playing in a new pool league. My friend Storm is on my team again. Its an 8-ball league and lasts throughout the winter. Our first match was last Thursday. You can get a top score of 40 points if you win all 4 games. I lost the first game and ended up with only 35 points. Storm got 37 points, because he lost one also but put all 7 of his balls in to my 5 balls. But, the really good news was that out of my four games, I had two table runs - where I ran all my balls, and the 8 ball, to win the game in one inning. I think I only had 10 table runs all last year, which was one of the highest in the league. We shall have to see how it goes as time goes on.

My oldest son, Aaron's birthday is today. He is now 41 years old. They are expecting their second little girl in a month or so. Boy, he is really old. Happy Birthday Aaron and have many more...

Well, I have lots to do and little time to do it all in lately, so I will quit for now. It's a real hectic time lately here in DaHo...