Heavy Metal

Fresh off a weekend recording rock 'n' roll with my bandmates at Rich Mattson's Sparta Sound studio up in Eveleth, Chris laid down the real heavy metal at Loveless Lake -- into Mike’s pickup truck.

This take included two lawnmowers, the stove, two wood-burning furnaces, the aforementioned water heater, a heating oil tank and assorted pieces we’d been saving.

It’s unbelievable that Mike now has filled two trucks of scrap out of the 30 ft. x 36 ft. cabin. Our best hope is that it’ll provide a little treasure for him, and then get repurposed into something worthwhile downstream.

Before Mike



After Mike



<shameless plug> 

As for our band, Chemistry Set, we're looking at a CD release party in July at Bryant Lake Bowl.  Find us on Facebook. Oh, and Rich Mattson is a class act producer-engineer-rocker.

</shameless plug>

Shades of green

No wonder people accumulate stuff on their land or toss it into a convenient rural revine. Doing right by Mother Earth is no easy task.

It took me weeks of phone calls and e-mails before I finally struck green and found a way out of the landfill for the asphalt shingles.

Heritage Environmental Shingles in Shakopee said they’d take a piece of Loveless if I paid them around $25 -- the price per ton -- for the honor. My checkbook is at the ready.

Our tax dollars are at work to try to inspire roofers and builders to recyle more. In Minnesota, the shingles get ground up and used with hot-mix asphalt to pave roads.

Now, we’re literally taking the love on the road.

Happy trails, Carole

Carole Bell never saw Loveless, but she worked herself to the bone representing my side of the ledger. This afternoon I opened a letter from Carole telling me she was “moving on” after 36 years as a realtor.

When I started out on this adventure to find a lake place, the first person I called was Carole. She sold my first Minnesota house and helped me find the one I’ve been inhabiting for 16 years now. She’s the epitome of that old saying about the iron fist in the velvet glove. Carole was a bulldog in the trenches of negotiation, but always sought to understand what was in your heart.

Now in her 70s, Carole drove with me up to Northern Minnesota, traipsed around several overgrown and trash-strewn properties with more gusto than I could summon.

She sent me cards on my birthday and on every anniversary of my home purchase. She never once missed sending Christmas greetings where she delighted those of us on her mailing list with tales of her talented children, her latest musings about life and her never-ending quest to do her part to create peace on earth.

Here’s to ya, kid.

The Art of Loveless

At Loveless, as in life, we must honor beauty wherever we can find it.

In this case, the side of the rusty water heater.

We’re eager for the snow to melt so we can welcome Mike back to collect some primo scrap -- including the artful water heater.

Mike makes a little dough, Loveless gets a little cleaner, everybody leaves happy.

Ode to Ike

Today’s blog post sponsored by the Ike Reilly Assassination and their rockin' tune: Garbage Day.

I never knew such satisfaction of hearing the garbage truck pull away from the alley each week, taking a little more Loveless to the downtown garbage burner or the county recycling center.

Last week, Chris and I stuffed the final chunk of drywall into our respective trash bins, along with small pieces of the deck and various wooden pieces from chairs and sofas. Au revoir, mes amies!

This week, the toilet and the last bulky piece of the two sofa beds is saying goodbye.

 

Still unconfirmed whether Ike and the Boys will play at the inaugural Loveless Outdoor Jam.