Replacing the back door

We heard the barred owl again this morning when we woke. The night had been very windy and the noise of the blinds in our bedroom blowing woke Mary at 2 am. I slept until about 5 when we turned the lights on, made breakfast drinks then did our morning German lessons.

Mark made oatmeal then we took the dogs for a long walk in the neighborhood. There were no incidents with aggressive neighborhood dogs this morning, and we had a quiet walk. Mary & Cindy left the walk early to go for Cindy’s haircut near The Villages. They planned to shop while in the area.

Back door being removed

Mark & I started taking the back door off so we could replace it with a steel door that has a large built-in dog door. We carefully removed the outside trim with a putty knife and small prybars. We removed most of the screws holding the door in the rough-in opening. As we were working, Mark called a ranch near Ocala that allows wild hog hunting. They work with a nearby processing facility that can butcher the hogs, so Mark scheduled a hunt on Monday, February 26. We were also waiting on the truck from a local non-profit to pick up the mattress, box spring, headboard, footboard, and bedframe from the bed that was in the second upstairs bedroom. The two ladies driving the truck arrived around 1:30, so Mark and I helped them get the things loaded. By then we were at a stopping point with the door and didn’t want to remove the old door until we were ready to finish the job with the new door installation.

We decided to visit a few of the nearby marine dealerships so Mark could shop for a boat. He is looking for something in the 18-20 foot range with a 90-120 horsepower outboard motor. He wants a skiff with a shallow draft that will be able to navigate the shallow water in the Gulf near Homosassa. He would like the boat to be comfortable for four passengers and have the ability for two anglers. He wants a motor jack which can raise the outboard in shallow water, perhaps a tunnel hull and up-to-date electronics and navigation. We visited five dealers in the Homosassa and Crystal River area and came away with some ideas and options. We got some nails and screws from Home Depot to install the new door, then we went to Sportsmen’s Wholesale to get some chum to attract pinfish for bait.

When we got to the house, Mary and Cindy had returned. Mary found a small travel pack at one of the stores they visited. We took the dogs on a short walk and heard a great horned owl as we walked. Back at the house, Mark made grouper tacos, plus we had blue crab dip with corn chips. Everything was very good. Mary, Mark and I watched season 1, episode 1 of Monsieur Spade on Acorn TV while Cindy had an online board meeting with her education philanthropy group in Eugene, Oregon. We enjoyed the show and will likely follow other episodes in the series once we are home. We were tired and went to bed once the show was over.