Spring is Here and Feeling Overwhelmed

With the arrival of Spring, everyone in the house feels rejuvenated and invigorated by the warmer weather, which for the record, we don't believe will last, but we'll take it for now. Also, with the warmer weather, the number of duties increases exponentially. In fact, there are times I feel like we'll never get through them, but these are not options for a real man in training.

First off, we have to get the firewood ready for next winter. I realized that 4 cords might not be enough, and we probably used about 5, so that means my goal is to get 10 cords standing. Yeah, right. We have the wood, but are just not sure where to stack 10 cords properly so that they'll dry for burning. Either way, that's enough in and of itself.

But to add to the fun, there are yard/lawn issues, house issues, as well as finishing that barn. Yikes, what have I gotten myself into? Time to get a wall calendar. Our lawn was a disaster last year. We're talking weed city, and at times I felt like we were simply maintaining a garden of ground ivy. Speaking of gardens, there is also the issue of getting the garden up and running.

Anyway, I started Lawncare 101, and fertilized and seeded last fall. With spring here, I need to fertilize and seed once again. I could use weed killers, but they're all toxic, and it's just not worth compromising the groundwater just to have a pristine lawn. So, I'll do all I can without chemical intervention, and hope for the best. I will say this, lawncare stuff ain't cheap, especially the seeds.

The priority on the barn is to get those darn windows in, not to mention the doors. That will require that I finish framing and sheathing. I thought I'd finished all that last fall, but it turns out that some of my rough openings were too big, just a few inches, but enough to require a redo. Bummer. As much as I enjoy framing, I was kind of happy that I was done... not! I've actually managed to get a lot of it done, at least on the first floor. I just need to fill in the sheathing gaps, and then it's window/door time. I've also found a friend who is willing to help me and actually has experience. Plus, he's not a pro, so I won't feel like a total loser in his presence. Well, maybe a little.

Just a side note, part of the reason that we have to re-frame is because we decided not to use the old windows. PR kind of alluded to them being highly inadequate, and in the end, he knows his stuff. So we replaced them with stock windows, which are slightly smaller, which require, you guessed it, re-framing. It's getting there.

The excavator contacted me and wondered if we were going to dig the septic, and I think we will. No time like the present. The only problem is, we have to get some logistical issues straightened out, which for a guy like me can be extremely difficult, but not impossible. Once the pipe location is decided upon, it's time to dig away. Then again, there are still big logs back there, so I need to contact my logger neighbor and see if he still wants the lumber. Why did he leave it there?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I need to work on our house. We are going to have the standing seam installed some time this spring, so I need to clean off the darn moss that seems to thrive up there. That will, unfortunately, require that I do some roof climbing. Speaking of which, I've also got to get up there and clean the chimney. I got a second ladder, and I think we are now a ladder friendly operation. I got a small extension ladder that is nowhere near as high tech as or 28 footer, but man is that thing light and user friendly. Not the extreme burden of our big boy.

There is the front deck which is priority, and assorted painting in the warmer months. I've also got to replace some of the trim on the dormers, and maybe some along the roof, which really bums me out. I hate working so high up.

Either way, we've got our work cut out for us. I'll have to dust off the chainsaw and fuel her up, and start splitting our wood. The sooner I can get it stacked, the sooner it can start drying and the less I'll to worry about it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Asif Akbar and Alfred Borchard for their pics.