Clearing the Garden and Ready to Mow

I don't know if you've been following the news around these parts, but there is a blight occurring that is destroying tomato and potato plants. It's the same Late Blight that created the Irish Potato Famine, and we now have it in our backyard. What a shame, because the garden was growing so well. It started out as a blackening of the leaves, and as it spread, it became clear that something was wrong. Sure enough, our potatoes and tomatoes were hit, and a few of the tomatoes were showing signs of rot.

The solution? Take all the offending species out. So yesterday I went down there and pulled all the tomato plants and clipped off all the potato plants. R said the potatoes might be salvageable, but the plant portion needed to be removed or else the pathogen will sink into the ground. So sad. It makes you realize how difficult it can be for a farmer who is dependent the weather and then gets his with this stuff. AND, it's been an awfully wet, rainy winter, which is the root of a lot of this.

I'm also awaiting the return of our lawnmower. Not that I love to do it so much, but our lawn looks like crap, and the sight of it brings me down. Makes me feel inadequate and helpless. I know, I'm over-dramatizing things, but humor me. I'm a man.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Can't Get to the Lumber Yard, Farmer's Market, and Karate Longing

I haven't been practicing my karate as much as I need to, but I think that the more I stress and torture myself about it, the more likely it will come to fruition. Here's to hoping.

The shelf I made next to the compactor has been working fine, but I realized I sold myself short and could have made it better. With this in mind, I will rework it, but need to get to the lumber yard. Not an easy thing to do when you don't have a car, so I'll have to wait until the weekend, which is kind of a bummer because I have time now. What I want to do is add a third shelf since there seems to be a lot of wasted space, which will in turn help out in our never-ending problem with limited space in our kitchen. Makes me wonder every day what MG was thinking when she designed this house.

Our town has been working towards setting up a farmer's market, and I think it's a great idea. A really great idea. There are a lot of smart, capable people in this town and I think it would be a great opportunity to help them make some dough and do what they do best. Now how can you beat that? It's exciting and I hope it works out. I'd sell bread if they needed it, though I still think it needs some tweaking, and boy is it hard work, but would be way cool if I could pull it off.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Chainsaw Wisdom and One Thing Down

I've learned a few things about chainsaws and of course they made me a neurotic mess. First off, one person tells me I can hold onto the gas for two months, then another says no more than one month. I've actually read one month somewhere else, so I'll go with that. The problem is, I have a full two gallon can, but the gas is over two months old. I thought I'd just use it up anyway, but then felt like a fool because I don't want to mess around with my chainsaw. So my plan was as follows: rather than simply empty the saw and store it, I want to put fresh gas in and then run it. After a few runs, with fresh gas in the lines, then I'll run it dry and store it. How's that sound? That way, at least it seems like it's a bit cleaner and hopefully happier. The problem is that I had to get another gas can and put fresh gas in, then wait until September to discard hazardous waste.

Oh well, I did learn this - you can buy small aliquots of gas oil, ones that go with only one gallon of gas, so there's less waste. Good to know, I think that's the way to go for me.

On the home improvement front, I did manage to finish the shelf near the compactor. R liked it, and it was so easy to make. Best of all, the kids could help, so they get a sense of accomplishment out of it all. Of course, I screwed up and should have made three shelves instead of two, but I can fix it. The wood is cheap, and now that I know what to expect, it should be much easier... yeah, right.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Lawncare

I've been doing some preliminary research on grass, and I've learned that there is definitely an art to the stuff. We take it so much for granted, but a lot of thought and effort goes into making a beautiful lawn. Too much, if you ask me, but my neglect has forced me into having to take action. I'm not thrilled about this, but things have gotten too out of hand. My bad, I acknowledge this fact.

There are sections of the grass that are literally without any grass and are instead filled with what I've learned are broad leafed weeds. The problem is that some of them can be deep rooted and they seem to grow low to the ground, making removal a chore. I've got my work cut out for me. First off, I need to get my darn lawnmower fixed and back, which may take a week. Did I mention I flaked out on rebuilding the carb and took it into Joe's? It was for the best, believe me.

Anyway, I may have to do some tilling to remove the weeds, then seed with grass and hope for the best. Actually, I may need to do some lyme or whatever it takes to optimize the pH, but again, I'm still learning. This could be good.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Losing Things and Small Projects

In the midst of all that's going on in our lives, I've managed to lose my new gloves. Bummer. I can't find a decent pair of gloves for under $10, and maybe I'm deluding myself. When you work with firewood, gloves really take a beating, and all of mine seem to have holes in assorted fingers. They still work fine, it's just that they have that hole, and whatever caused it hasn't magically disappeared so when I use them, the said source of the hole now has access to my skin. I'd like to find a cheap pair of gloves that has reinforced fingers. Still searching.

I've got a small house project that I wanted to work on yesterday but had to prioritize because the weather is not working our favor, i.e., more rain! I had to maximize our outdoor time so indoor projects had to wait, but today is calling for more rain and I'll have some time. Mind you, I'd prefer more sun and do the hard stuff, but such is life.

Anyway, we are pressed for space in our kitchen. We have pots and pans strewn about the floor and counters because we have a New York City kitchen. Somehow in the master plan for this house, they didn't really leave much space for the kitchen. Not only is it small, but it's an awkward design, with not much in the way for counter space and a little short on cabinet space. So, I'm going to make some shelves and put them next to the compacter, which I think we'll get rid of soon enough. This will not only give us some shelves, but will increase our counter space by at least 12%. How's that for a quick estimate?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Squeezing in a Day

I tried to squeeze in as much as I could yesterday, the one day of sunshine that we've been granted, and it wasn't easy. The trim around the roof is in worse shape that I thought, and while I sanded off the paint I found that some of the sections were rotted and I wondered if they needed to be replaced. Not an easy gig. I ended up painting over the sections that were salvageable, but am thinking I might need to go back and either put wood filler on the rotting parts or find a way to replace the wood, which seems like a bear of a job considering the location. I'll have to consult my mentor.

The actual painting was tedious because I had to use the extension ladder and do a section at a time, then move the darn thing. First, I went up and sanded, then let it dry for a few hours, then back up to paint. Meanwhile, I'm balancing precariously at 20 feet while the sun is beating down on my head and the mosquitoes are feasting on my blood. What a drag. Either way, I'm thinking for now that I'll seal the rotting sections from the rain until I learn more about what to do. Unfortunately the weather is calling for more rain, so I'll have to deal with that.

I also managed to get to begin working on that deck, and it wasn't as bad as I first thought. Taking the shingles off was easy, it's the tiles that will be a bit more challenging. Not only are they grouted around the edges, but they are cemented to the floor. I found by chiseling the edge of each tile then forcing a pry bar underneath, I could lift the tile and get it off in one piece. I did break the first one, but it was a learning experience. The hammering and chisel was loud, I think it echoed through the whole valley and rocked my ears, so I'll wear ear protection, but it's been working so far. Granted, it's only a few tiles, and it's going to take some time, but just goes to show you what you can do if you just give it go. It's impressive how much time I waste fretting and worrying about something when it would be finished over the same duration if I just took the first step and did it.
The shingles were a breeze because all it entailed was ripping the things off, and they break like pencils, though what the job lacks in strain is made up for in quanitity-there are a lot of shingles, so it's going to take some time. I'm not sure what to do with the nails in the wall. I thought I'd yank them out for aesthetic considerations, but then realized that would leave holes and thus ways for dreaded moisture to get into the wood. Darn that moisture. So for now my plan is to leave them and eventually hammer them in. Again, I'll consult my mentor.

One thing about doing home improvement projects is that it generates amazing amounts of waste. Not only do you have to collect it and store it, but once you trash it, how the heck am I supposed to get it to the dump with our little Mazda? Yet another plug for owning a truck, but don't get me started.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Failure, but Looking Ahead

I've already failed at one of my goals - rather than attempt to dismantle and repair the carb on our lawnmower, I broke down and took the thing into Joe's. I figured that the longer I pondered how to fix the thing, the farther along the lawn would move toward a disaster state, if it isn't already there. Darn! It's not looking pretty, and adds to my already extensive list of home improvement projects. This one could take years, however.

My revised goals for this weekend are to:
prep my chainsaw for winter storage
rip out some shingles in prep for removing the tiles
maybe rip out some tiles
at least look at the trim along the roof
at least look at the car and think about changing the oil

All of them sound simple enough, but I'm incapable of doing anything in a simple manner. Preparing the chainsaw should be simple and straightforward, but I'm taking a more circuitous route. It's got old gas in it, so I want to drain it, put fresh gas, run it with some fresh gas and then store it. Is that too stupid? For some reason I just think this will make the machine a little happier. I did learn that I've been making the gas too rich-the oil is designed for 2.5 gallons, not 2 gallons. What a pain, though I was told by the guys at Joe's that it's better to have it rich than poor, so I erred in the right direction.

Ripping shingles out should be pretty simple, could take me half an hour, and then I'll look at those tiles. The grout is pretty soft, so it shouldn't be too bad, but we shall see. I'll also at least get out my extension ladder and take a good long look at that trim. Gotta do it, it's supposed to be nice this weekend, so it could be my only window in the near future. Besides, just deal with it, right?

As for the car, we'll see how that goes. I got the oil and the filter, and did I mention I changed the air filter? That's worth something, isn't it?

Did I mention I need to go shopping for food and deal with the recycling?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.