November 3, 2007

RunnerDuck Home

WELCOME BACK: First we'd like to thank all the well-wishers who wrote in to wish Ken a speedy recovery on his shoulder surgery. As it turns out the doctors found quite a bit wrong from the past four surgeries that had been performed and replaced all the old stainless parts with new ones. Ken is on the rehab path doing different therapy exercises and generally taking it easy, per doctors orders. It will be a few more months before there will be any woodworking but we're optimistic about the future.

On the day that Ken was to check out of the hospital there was a storm on the way. It was supposed to have high winds and rain. Since we needed to take a ferry boat ride home we asked the hospital to expedite our exit to beat the storm. They did and are we glad! The picture below was taken of the ferry boat we were on just an hour and a half after we got off.

This is pretty unusual for our little fifteen minute crossing but all the conditions must have been just perfect to create such a wave.

As we mentioned last month, if any of you have wood projects that you'd like to share in our newsletter we'd love to work with you to get it written up. That's exactly what Bob B. from Texas did this month. Be sure to check out Bob's cool storage system below.


Wood'n Wares

We hate to say it but the holidays are fast approaching! Make your holiday shopping easy by going to Wood'n Wares and selecting a gift set of hand made, hard maple, kitchen utensils. These gift sets are perfect for that special someone that loves to cook using only the finest tools.

Check out all the great gift sets by going to, www.runnerduck.com/woodnwares_gs.htm. While you are there check out the rest of the individual kitchen tools that we have. Remember these beautifully crafted spoons are hand made in Montana, USA by Bob and Jean in their little wood shop. Check out the large selection by clicking on the display below. www.runnerduck.com/woodnwares.htm.


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Thank you,
Ken and Marilyn

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What's New? Last month we announced that our home in Kirkland was on the market. At that time we did not have the official listing on the realtor's web site. It is now posted for everyone to see. If you are thinking about moving to the Seattle area and are looking for a lovely home with a fantastic view this is the place for you.

Check it out at Tammy Wallick Real Estate, it's really something to see!


For Sale

A couple of milestones were reached this past month. First Ken's brother Ron published his 200th Blog on Walking Fort Bragg. If you haven't been there yet it's a great blog all about Fort Bragg and the interesting things he finds around town while going for his daily walks. Visit him at http://blabberon.blogspot.com.

The other milestone is that our newsletter now goes out to more than 2,000 people all around the world. Thanks to all of you for being faithful readers and a special thanks to those of you who have recommended us to your friends and family. We continue to grow but only with your help!


DigiTalk

Holiday shopping and the Internet - It's time to start thinking about gift giving for the upcoming holidays. We do an awfully lot of gift shopping on the internet and find that it works really good if you plan ahead. Here are a few tips that will help you have a good shopping experience without experiencing all the crowds.

First of all take your time and plan ahead. The worst experiences we've had were ordering too late. If you order too late and have to expedite your shipping it can cost a pretty penny. There are lots of incentives like free shipping if you order early.

Shop around! Just like any other shopping take some time to shop around to get the best deal. The best price is not always the best deal. Remember, there can be lots of different incentives offered by different companies. If you know the name or model number of what you are looking for enter that into Google or your favorite search program. Other good choices are web sites like www.pricegrabber.com, www.pricerunner.com and http://shopping.yahoo.com.

Many web sites ask for a coupon number when you check out. Where do you find those cost saving numbers? Well there are a number of places. One great place is http://slickdeals.net. Go to their web site and click on "Coupons". They always have a great list of coupons that are always changing. You can also enter the product you are looking for into Google. At the bottom of the Google page you'll find "Search within results". Click on this and then enter "coupons" into the query box. This should bring up a bunch of web sites that have coupon numbers available.

Like we said, take your time, do a little digging and you can save some serious money.


SITE OF THE MONTH

There are many new items coming on the market every day. Some of the are cool and others are not so cool. Many of you have ideas for new products and gadgets that might even be marketable. After having a look around this months site I'm sure your ideas are marketable. It's just amazing what people come up with and actually produce.

Take a look at "Strange New Products" web site at www.strangenewproducts.com. Some of the items are a little off the wall and others are way off the wall.


MARILYN'S CORNER

Fall Wreath


Click on Picture for bigger view.

     These fall wreaths look really nice and will make your home have that nice fall look. I won't go into a lot of detail because each one is your own work of art. I'll point you in a direction and you get to do the rest.

The first thing you will need to do is go shopping, oh boy!
Most craft stores have all the materials you'll need and shopping for them can be fun.
You'll want a vine wreath to fit your front door.
You'll want to look for fall colored items that look good together. These can be dried flowers, large dried seed pods, ribbons, etc.
Tie them onto your wreath with wire or hot melt glue.
Some people like to completely cover the vine wreath with lots of different things but I like to keep it simple with just a few pretty items near the bottom.
Now let the creative juices flow and have fun.

Remember we have all of our past projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Craft Egg.


Kids Stuff


(CLICK)


It's tough to keep up with all the top toys that are in demand for the holidays. The "Holiday Toy List" can help sort through the maze of gidgets and gadgets. Go on line early and get your orders in now before the popular toys are gone.


The Tempos
News and CD of the Week

It's not too late to get The Tempos "Big Swing" CD!

"Big Swing" features fourteen great swing songs from the 40's and 50's. If you love the old big band swing music we think you'll enjoy this CD. It's the kind of music that makes you just want to get up and dance, you do remember how to swing don't you?

The only place you can get this CD is from our web site. Go to www.thetempos.com and click on the "Click Here" at the top of the web page or


CLICK HERE
.

We only printed up a thousand of them so get yours before the are all gone!

If you'd like to get a taste of this CD just go to The Tempos web site. When you are at the Tempos web site click on the horn valve button that says "Hear our CD". Then click on the song titles to hear a little bit of each song.

The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic sixteen piece big band be sure to contact kennyb@runnerduck.com. We perform all over the Seattle area for all sorts of events.


Album Pick of the Week


CLICK!

"The Very Best of Diana Krall"
by Diana Krall

Diana Krall has a rather large selection of CD's that she's produced and all of them have some great music. Having said that if you want to get the best of Diana Krall then this is the CD for you. It truly is her best work and a great way to get to know her. She sings with such great feeling and has a unique style all her own.

If you have a friend that likes Diana Krall this would make a great present for them. Just click on the album cover above to purchase this wonderful CD.


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Right click on top of the XML button and select "Copy Shortcut". In your newsreader create a new channel by pasting the shortcut into your newsreader software.

Or just paste http://www.runnerduck.com/runnerduck.xml into your newsreader.

A good free news reader is Awasu and you can download it at www.awasu.com.

Don't know what this is all about? Check out our little tutorial HERE!



JOKE OF THE MONTH

This was submitted by RunnerDuck reader Baxter R. Thanks for the good laugh Baxter.

Just A Bit Too Much!

Paddy had been drinking at his local Dublin pub all day and most of the night. Mick, the bartender, says "You'll not be drinking any more tonight, Paddy." Paddy replies "OK Mick, I'll be on my way then". Paddy spins around on his stool and steps off. He falls flat on his face.

"What the...." he says and pulls himself up by the stool and dusts himself off. He takes a step towards the door and falls flat on his face again.

"Damn!" he says. He looks to the doorway and thinks that if he can just get to the door and get some fresh air he'll be fine. He belly crawls to the door and shimmies up the door frame. He sticks his head outside and takes a deep breath of fresh air, feels much better and takes a step out onto the pavement and falls flat on his face.

"Bi'Gory... I'm soused," he says. He can see his house just a few doors down, and decides to try for it. He crawls down the street and shimmies up the door frame, opens the door and looks inside. He takes a look up the stairs and says, "No flappin' way." But he somehow crawls up the stairs to his bedroom door and thinks, "I think I can make it to the bed."

He takes a step into the room and falls flat on his face again. He says, "I gotta stop drinking," but manages to crawl to the bed and fall in.

The next morning, his wife comes into the room carrying a cup of coffee and says, "Get up Paddy. Did you have a bit to drink last night?" Paddy says, "I did Jess. I was totally drunk. But how'd you know?"

"Mick called ... You left your wheelchair at the pub!"

   THIS MONTH'S FREE RECIPE

Tangy Ham and Cheese Spread

The holidays are coming and you'll be doing more entertaining. Here's a great spread that goes great on crackers and those tiny teabread slices.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
  • 1 Tablespoon Blue Cheese (crumbled)
  • (2) 4 1/2 oz. Tins of Deviled Ham
  • 1/4 Cup Pimento Olives (chopped)
  • 1/4 Cup Green Onions (Chopped)
  • 1/4 Cup Pecans (chopped) (Optional)
Cream the cheeses until smooth.
Mix in the remaining ingredients
Chill. It can be frozen.

Now spread it on your favorite cracker and enjoy!

Remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to Marilyn@runnerduck.com. We'd be happy to post your favorite recipe on our Kitchen site or in our newsletter and give you credit.

     Every month we post a new recipe on our web page. Be sure and check out the New recipe at the RunnerDuck Kitchen Store.


COOKBOOK
SUGGESTION OF THE MONTH

Totally Teabreads:
Quick & Easy Recipes For More Than 60 Delicious Quick Breads & Spreads

by Barbara Albright, Leslie Weiner


(CLICK)

Like we said in this months recipe, spreads go good on teabreads. This recipe book has some great recipes for teabreads and spreads, the best of both worlds.

One person that reviewed this cookbook wrote: "I got this book a week ago, and have made one delicious loaf of bread after another from the recipes in it. My kids and I could not be happier! (though my jeans may get a little snug) I have made several of the recipes with part whole wheat flour and a bit less sugar for breakfast, but none seem overly sweet to begin with. Their flavor combinations are interesting and the recipes range from decadent (double chocolate) to healthy (dried fruit and oat) to savory (pesto). I am thoroughly pleased with this book, and came back today to get their muffin and scone books as well."


WOOD PROJECT PLANS

DOWNLOADABLE & MAIL-DIRECT
WOODWORKING PLANS

Download WOOD Store® woodworking plans directly to your computer and start building in just minutes! OR, we'll mail them to you, your choice!


CLICK!


PROJECTS

Wood Storage Rack

This neat wood storage system was sent to us by Bob B. from Glen Rose, Texas about 60 miles south west of Fort Worth. Wood storage is always difficult to find for woodworkers and this system certainly would help take care of those 2" X 4"s, 2" X 12"s and smaller lumber stock.

You can make these hangers single sided or double sided depending on your storage needs. For a single hanger just lop off the second side from the dimensions.

I've not built the system in my shop yet but Bob and I had a lot of discussion about the reliability of the system. He used 3/4" CDX Plywood because he felt that the glue was better than regular shop grade. Bob has tested his system by hanging on it and writes: "When I tested it by hanging on it, I held one hand each side of center, (this was the double hanger) I figured if "one" could hold me, that meant "two" could hold over six hundred pounds (this was hanging on 32" centers). If you used them on 2' centers for a distance of 8' you could store over 12 hundred lbs, and that means with a 10' ceiling you could make yours hang down twice as far as mine".

Of course your results may vary depending on the materials you choose including glue and screws. If you build this storage system give it a good try before you start hanging things over your head. We take no responsibility for any accidents resulting from this project (disclaimer).

Materials List:

  • 3/4 CDX or better plywood
  • 3/4 X 2 1/2 oak or other hardwood
  • 2 1/2" drywall screws or deck screws
  • 1/4" X 2 1/2" lag bolts
  • 1/4" flat washers
  • Exterior glue
Cut a piece of plywood 15" X 18" for a single and 27" X 18" for a double.


Single Rack


Double Rack

Cut out the slots for each shelf using a saber saw to the dimensions below.

Cut the Oak piece 2 1/2" X 15" or 27".
Drill and countersink holes through the plywood centered on the oak every 4" starting 1 1/2" in from the end.
Drill 1/4" holes 1" in from the edge of the oak every 4" starting 3" in from the end of the Oak piece.
Glue and screw the shelf to the oak support piece.
Lag bolt the rack into the rafters.

After the glue is fully cured you can start loading the rack.

Click HERE for a larger version of this project and some neat options.

Thanks Bob for the great idea we hope all our readers will find this storage solution as good as we did.

Remember, I'm sort of out of commission as far as woodworking goes for a while due to my shoulder surgery. If any of you have wood projects to share like Bob did I would be happy to put it into a format for our newsletter. Just send me an email at kennyb@runnerduck.com and lets see what we can come up with. Thank you!


Free Catalog From Rockler Woodworking and Hardware!
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If you have a project that you would like to share please send us an email and we'll help get it published in the RunnerDuck review. We are looking for woodworking, gardening, crafts and kids projects so send us your thoughts at kennyb@runnerduck.com.


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     If you want to talk about something just drop us a line to kennyb@runnerduck.com any time, we like to talk about most anything. We are always looking for content for our newsletter so if you have something to add we'd love to publish it. Assuming it meets our strict family oriented requirements!

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