Day 170 April 2, 2002

I'm back! Did you miss me? I thought so. Where have I been you ask? Well, I had to admit to myself that I was sick, injured, mentally exhausted and I needed to go home to recuperate. I have been home resting. It took several weeks, but I finally feel better. I'm not 100%, maybe 85%. My back is still sore but I'm doing stretching exercises to help me regain some flexibility. I gained back about 8 pounds that I had lost. I laid on the couch so much that my nephew thinks I'm a bum! "Uncle Billy did you stay on the couch and watch TV all day???" he asked me in disbelief. Ummm, yeah. Before I can even say "but I worked 12 hour days 7 days.." he shrugs and skips off. Ya gotta love that kid. He pulls no punches.

The dedicated reader will recall that I had a court date in March. I went, ready for justice to finally be served. As I sat in court listening to a case where a lady wouldn't pay for heating oil delivered to her home 2 years ago, the judge interrupted and called the well guy and me up to the bench. He said he was sorry but he had to recuse himself from the case because he "has some knowledge of the well guy's company" which precludes him from presiding over the case. Great, that means there are no judges in Thompsonville who can here my case because the other judge had already recused himself because he represents the well guy. Now what? A change of venue. The judge had the clerk give me a letter for the change of venue that needs to be filled out by a third party, notarized and submitted to the county court where they have a hearing that approves or denies the change and picks another town court. Then the new town gives me a court date and the Thompsonville court sends my file to them. I think. You see I am not a lawyer and therefore not fluent in legalese, so I don't really understand the paper work. Brother Damien, please call me I need help! The wheels of justice roll like a clapped out Yugo.

Back here on the hill, the trees are just starting to bud. I cleaned up the mess I had left four weeks ago. I was in a fair amount of discomfort then so I had just left everything as it was and split. I cleaned out the fridge and was surprised how little mold there was. I picked up where I had left off, polying the T+G for the loft floor. In between coats, since there was no snow on the roof, I went up on the roof and finished installing the plumbing vent. I cut a hole and put the 3" pipe (I painted it black to blend in better) in and glued it into the stack. I put on the flashing and reinstalled the insulation. I took a few breaks to stretch and rest my back (and read "Burn Factor" by Kyle Mills).

10 hours, partly sunny and warm around 55.