Weekend update:

We had some rain and I don’t like working when things are a bit wet, so I put off any outdoors work.

But I did get some stuff accomplished. I had ordered some new speakers and a speaker box for my Jeep CJ7. These came on Friday night, and I installed them on Saturday. It took about 3 hours to remove the old speakers and wire and install the new. I had to use my Dremel to make some cuts in the speaker box so that some metal clips fit and aligned properly with the new speakers. It was straightforward yet a little awkward, but was called for in the directions.

On Sunday I decided it was time to change the stereo in the CJ7. It had an old radio and that was made to fit the cutout in the dashboard panel. I have had an Alpine stereo in the garage that I replaced in my Jeep Wrangler (I put in a stereo/CD player about a year ago). The installation required cutting a rectangle into the steel dashboard so that the mounting box would fit. I carefully measured and made a cardboard template, then transferred the rectangle to masking tape that I put on the dash. Then I started cutting with the Dremel.

This did not go smoothly. I ran out of juice in the Dremel (cordless). At first I thought there might be something seriously wrong, but then realized that the battery was probably done. So I plugged it in and waited the 3 hours for a charge. This didn’t go well either. I had plugged it into a drop cord in my shop that is plugged into a receptacle on the ceiling, which also runs the fluorescent lights, which are controlled by the light switch. When I left the shop I turned off the switch, thus turning off the battery charger. Later, when I went to use the battery I was surprised that it didn’t have a charge. Then I realized my mistake. Corrected it, but by the time it was ready it was 6 hours after I started.

In the meantime I had put the cutting wheel into a drill, but that is bulky and I couldn’t make the tight cuts I needed, so I removed most of the material. When the Dremel was ready I finished the cutting. The stereo fit like a glove and I hooked it up. What a great change. I now have digital tuning where I only had analog. And the old radio had some faulty electrical problem that made it lose signal frequently. Now I have a strong clear signal. In all, I spent about 8 hours working on sound for my old CJ.

About noon on Sunday I painted the “show side” of the closet door for my office. It looks good now, but I want a third coat, which I may do tonight. Then that will be finished.

It was hot on Sunday and I thought that the grass seed that I had spread a week ago should have some water, so I watered that and the roses.

I did some grocery shopping and then made some Jambalaya…my favorite! I don’t do this often, so it is a special treat. I had met a nice woman who has two teenage daughters and I invited them to share my Jambalaya, but never heard from them all weekend (today I got an email from her, dated Saturday, that basically states that she doesn’t want to date…didn’t see that coming).

I did a lot of relaxing, reading (“Typee” by Herman Melville), and watched a DVD (“The Princess Bride”).

And I straightened up the workshop a little. Now I can move around in there even though it’s not completely tidied up.