12 String Guitar Maintenance Day

 

BGM

YouTube Channel:  Deep Emotional Music

I had received my guitar string changing equipment a few days ago...

but I had to await the arrival of my fretboard wax and strings

(I had snapped a string on my 12 string guitar last week).

I had found the black string winder to be cheap...

and it frequently bound up when I was winding the keys as I tightened the strings...

so...

...I just ordered this ball bearing string winder as changing strings is frustrating 

enough without having the winder bind on you

(I feel for harp players...

changing strings must really be a pain  :)

I had received my fretboard wax...

and so...

I decided to do the preliminary work on the guitar while I awaited

my strings.

I first loosened the stings before I cut them...

as I didn't want to have a string snap out and hit me in the face.

The bridge pin puller worked very well.

After removing all of the strings...

I waxed the fretboard.

I then put my guitar away until my strings arrived.

Today...

I made roast beef and stuffing for supper...

...and then drove down the mountain to pick up my mail

(my 12 string guitar strings had arrived).

Here they are.

I got busy putting on the new strings.

Although the guitar has been restrung...

I will wait a full day before playing it...

as the stings will stretch out of tune too easily.

I will just pre-stretch them for a day before I even attempt to tune...

and then...

play it.

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In a couple of days...

I will be going to the Cripple Creek Ice Festival.

I just hope that it isn't too small.

I will take photos of it this Saturday evening.

Ubin Sushi

 

Song:  Gymnopedie No. 1

Original Composer:  Erik Satie

Bandi is out of the danger zone...

as the canine toxic residuals of chocolate would have all been completely excreted

by now.

And, she had no signs of acute toxicity in the first place...

other than having vomited out all of the chocolate soon after ingestion...

thereby preventing absorption by her system.

I took her on a long car drive yesterday...

and all is fine with her.

I felt a minor celebration was in order...

and so...

I went to a new all you can eat Sushi/Hibachi/Korean BBQ in Colorado Springs.

Their presentation was excellent.

The vaporizing dry ice was a very classy touch.

I had a roll and appetizers to start with.

Takoyaki and tempura mushrooms came out as appetizers.

Then with the Nigiri sushi...

I also got tempura squash and some kind of hibachi meat

(I forgot what it was  :)

And I also got Yakisoba and Bulgogi as extra side dishes...

as well as a bowl of steamed rice.

I must say...

their service was excellent...

as was their presentation...

and their food was good...

and the varied selection very extensive...

and all at a very reasonable price.

They also gave a little gift to each customer as part of their grand opening.

I then drove back home fully satisfied.

-----------

Tomorrow...

there is expected to be a major wind storm with snow...

and the following day...

more snow.

And then...

blue skies for multiple days following.

I am also expecting my fretboard wax for my guitars tomorrow.

I received the other products for my 12 string...

and other guitars...

but as I must have the guitar unstrung to apply the fretboard wax...

I am awaiting the wax before I can restring the 12 string.

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Bandi is happily asleep right now.

She is so funny.

For the past few days...

whenever I take her to her forest bathroom area...

she goes to a specific area where some other creatures had tread 

"her" forest area to use the bathroom...

and so...

she guides me to the same spot so she can sniff around...

and then scout her surroundings for more signs of the intruder.

Bandi's sweet nature makes my house a true home.

Poor Bandi

 

Song:  To Zanarkand

Music of:  FF X

Poor Bandi...

I took her to the vet today because she had ingested some chocolate.

I had stored the chocolate in the pantry...

 and I usually keep the pantry door closed...

however, I must have forgotten to close the door...

for I had found dark colored vomit on my bedroom floor

(I have since moved the chocolate to a high shelf...

out of her reach even if she could access the pantry.

Yes...I should have thought of that from the beginning).

At first it didn't make sense...

then I found an empty chocolate bag on the floor behind my bed

(There wasn't all that much chocolate in the bag from the beginning).

Bandi ended up vomiting a total of 10 times before I got her to the vet...

but...

she was otherwise unaffected.

She was neither hyperactive...

nor was she lethargic.

Even on the way to the vet in Colorado Springs...

she hung outside the car window as normal...

alert and happy.

Bandi at the vet.

She was alert and affectionate.

All of her vitals were good...

and the vet administered some fluids, electrolytes, and some medication...

and I then took her home

(approximately $435 in treatment costs...which I gladly paid).

It is good she has a sensitive stomach...

as she will throw up if she eats too much popcorn...

and this time...

it saved her from a toxic amount of chocolate.

She had no symptoms of poisoning...

other than vomiting...

(which the doctor surmised was gastroenteritis or pancreatitis...

from the light toxic reaction to the chocolate)...

and drinking a lot of water...and peeing a lot.

I was advised to keep an eye on her over the next few days.

I think she had thrown up soon after eating the chocolate...

thereby preventing much of the toxic chemicals in the chocolate

from being absorbed (and so...the dark colored vomit).

Cheyenne Mountain on our way home from Colorado Springs.

It is now 9 pm and Bandi has been fine.

She will fast until tomorrow.

She is sleeping comfortably...

and has not vomited since coming back home.

She seems normal now...

but I will be staying home with her over the next few days anyways.

The Cripple Creek Ice Festival will be open next weekend as well...

and that is when I will go.

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I was in no way upset with Bandi.

Her whole job in life is to be explorative and childlike in innocence...

fun loving and affectionate...

and guarding home. 

I am like her parent...

I am supposed to prevent the preventable.

So...

no shame on Bandi...

but shame on me.

I am just so glad that my lack of forethought had not led to Bandi becoming seriously ill.

A BBQ Quandary

 

Song:  Gonna Make You Sweat

Group:  C&C Music Factory

I had awakened this morning with a mad craving for Texas BBQ...

and so...off I went.

I played the above song on the way to Rudy's Country Store...

to eat some Texas BBQ...

as I was jazzed in anticipation of a mouth watering meal

(I love Texas BBQ).

It is right near the border between Manitou Springs...

and Colorado Springs...

on the Colorado Springs side.

I had just pulled on to the road from my driveway and rounded the first corner...

as I headed down my mountain.

You can see the mountains of the Continental Divide in the background.

I was in Woodland Park headed to Colorado Springs.

I had never been here before...

but I see it every time I go to Colorado Springs.

It was still late morning...

so...

I beat the lunch rush and crowd.

I had ordered the holy trinity of BBQ sandwiches....

Smoked Sausage...

Beef Brisket...

and Pulled Pork.

I liked that they have the BBQ sauce at each table

(I don't know if their misspelling was on purpose).

What I really liked is that they pile on the meat on each sandwich.

I did the same for each sandwich...

I loaded on the BBQ sauce...

and then I put on some cut onions.

Each of their slow cooked smoked meats had a rich smokey flavor...

and were juicy and very flavorful.

They had buttered and lightly grilled each bun half...

a very nice touch.

My quandary lies in my choice between two different BBQ places...

this one...

and the main one in Woodland Park.

It has been a year since I had visited the one in Woodland Park.

But...

I don't remember how their BBQ tasted...

and so...

I simply must go back soon to see which one will be my favorite  :)

I was also very surprised at how relatively inexpensive this BBQ place was.

It is priced at levels I haven't seen for decades...

especially with the quantity given...

and the quality of the meats.

Heading back home

(I saved a little of one of my sandwiches for Bandi to taste).

Leaving Woodland Park towards home.

On my way to my South turnoff towards home.

------------

Bandi and I are still comfortably tired from yesterday's short trike ride.

Tomorrow evening...

I will be heading into the nearby town of Cripple Creek 

to see their small Ice Festival.

And to...

hopefully...

eat some delicious food there.

Bandi's Short Run

 

Song:  Forever Autumn

Artist:  Justin Hayward

Finally...

today I felt strong enough to go on a very short trike ride to view the sunset.

It had to be short, not only because of my present weakness...

but it has been many months since Bandi had gotten any extended exercise.

The temperature was just above freezing...

which is normally not even cold without any wind...

however...

there was a 5-10 MPH wind blowing...

and so...

as we stood at one of the sunset points as the sun set...

the cold was felt.

You can see the yellow cord running along the fence.

It is part of a 200' electrical power cord I had to run to 

a 1,600 gallon water cistern near the top of my property.

When I first moved here...

I didn't know that I had to run power out to the buried water cistern 

to power a heater all Winter long to keep my water from freezing.

The mountain water company had to come out and show me

what needed to be done as I had run out of water because

the cistern had frozen over

(even though it is buried 6 feet below the ground).

Bandi and I were ready for our first real extended exercise session in months.

The underground cistern is covered by this old mining bucket decorative piece.

There are actually two underground heaters I have to power all Winter long...

one for my cistern...

and one for the mountain water company's valve from their buried water supply pipe...

which then feeds water directly into my cistern...

where it is then pumped to my house.

So...

all of my utilities are publicly provided.

The reason for the cistern is that in many mountain homes...

they don't have public water directly pumped to their homes...

but have a large water cistern...

which is then periodically filled by large water trucks.

I can only surmise that when my house was originally built in the early 2000's...

that perhaps the water company hadn't yet run their public supply pipes...

and so the reason for the cistern.

But now...

my house is fully provided by water pipes from the mountain water company...

even though they just pump it directly into my cistern...

which is perfectly fine...

as I have an emergency 1,600 gallons (6,056 liters) on hand at any one time.

Anyway...

we continued on down to an alternate sunset point...

which was just over 1/4 a mile away from my home.

We just stood around as the sun set.

Bandi got excited every time she ran...

so I just peddled faster to keep up with her...

even though I ensured she wouldn't run too fast...

as she is also out of shape.

From all the sunset points...

and even from my third deck...

I may see a portion of the mountain range which comprises the Continental Divide. 

More photos of the mountains of the Continental Divide.

We waited until the sun had fully set before heading back home.

As soon as the sun set...

I could feel the wind starting to pick up...

and my hands beginning to get puffy from the freezing winds.

They actually still are...

as I didn't wear any gloves...

even though I have some packed on the back of the trike seat...

as well as a balaclava...

however...

I knew I would only be out for a bit...

so...

I just enjoyed feeling the cold.

It was just so refreshing.

---------

My legs started really feeling good on my trike back up the mountain road.

It has been so long since I have exercised properly...

and I just feel so much better now.

I am going to sit in the IR sauna for half an hour as I catch up on some reading...

and I will then take a nice long hot shower.

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I ordered various spices from Walmart for some recipes I am going to try

(I bought several pounds of various spices...

and they will be delivered to my door in a few days).

I want to be able to eat some Eastern European dishes...

many of which looked so good on YouTube.

I also bought some Cajun spices

(I want to try to make some Cajun Shrimp...

and perhaps Gumbo...

among other Cajun dishes).

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I tell you...

nothing puts me into the flow of life so much as does 

a magnificent session of exercise.

I simply feel so wonderfully mellow.

I just know Bandi and I will sleep well tonight.