Foxes by Daylight

They talk about keeping your cats in at night because of all the dangers, but I saw a fox chase our cat up a tree in broad daylight. I ran outside and threw sticks and logs at it, like that made any difference.

The thing was tiny, no bigger than the cats, and I wonder if they could have held their own against it. They were smart enough not to try, and once up the tree, our cat was safe. It does make you realize that it's a rough world out there, and as cruel and sadistic as our cats can be to mice and voles, they have their own problems to worry about.

In retrospect, I realize that there are signs all over that the fox has been around and is lurking, as evident by his poop. It's all over the place. I thought of using the friendly trap to try to get him. Place a piece of chicken in there and wait and see, but what do you do if you catch a skunk?

I'll have to ask DH, he's a pro at this. It's his trap, as well.

Ah, life in the country, never a dull moment. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to jason gray for the pic.

Front Entryway

It is amazing to me how you can look at a project and think that it will never get done, but by gradually persisting and continuing to tackle the problem, it will eventually get resolved.

Of course, this never happens to me. Case in point, the front entryway. This things has been in a state of arrest for almost a year, and there are certain individuals who are not happy about this fact. I understand completely, but some (many?) things are beyond the scope of my abilities and JH's tool kit. In all fairness, we were willing to give it a go, and kudos to JH for his willingness to even try. He's such a brave soul, he inspires me.

The end result, however, is that some serious framing will have to be done, so much so that it will require a professional. As JH and I were looking at it, the problem is pretty challenging. We need to change the pitch of the entry way so that water will not collect near the door, which is currently does, and will instead pitch to the ground. When it collects by the door, it seeps through the cracks and floods the basement. I've seen this firsthand and let me tell you, it ain't pretty.

Coupled with some rot on the floorboards, it looked pretty serious. So we had to call in the big guns. I contacted BM, and he came over to have a look. His assessment was quick and to the point. Either raise the door frame so you have enough room to change the pitch, or move the door forward and get rid of the porch.

Either approach will require ripping the door out of the frame and moving it, which is kind of serious stuff. Then again, being the framing machine that I am, I can see where he's going with this.

After talking it over with R, we've decided to move the door forward. This idea was sort of endorsed by BM because it was easier, might cost less, and also deals with the actual problem of water exposure on the front deck. It also gives us a tiny vestibule on the front door where we can keep our hats or scarves, which might be the only things that fit in that space.

We lose the porch, which is a bummer, but this situation has gone on long enough, and we're ready for a solution. A professional solution, that is.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Almost Ready to Give Up

We are losing, or have pretty much lost the battle against the woodchuck, and are prepared to throw in the towel. Either that, or try to kill the darn thing. I have the trap and am tempted to use it, if anything purely out of principle, though the sight of some little mammal caught in the jaws of death may be too much for this family to take.

We've done all that we can at this point to stop that critter from getting in, and he keeps getting in. I can't believe it. It almost seems as if he's squeezing through the holes in the wire fence, at which point the game is over. If he can fit through the fence, then he can get in anywhere. We tried to use the humane trap but have managed only to catch flies. I really think we may have to get Draconian, or just pursue other hobbies.

I don't even like gardening.

Besides, with the Grateful Dumpling and all the other assorted projects, coupled with the brutally hot summer we've had, all roads seem to lead to getting a CSA share, or buying our produce at the farmer's market, where there is amazing stuff.

Sometimes you have to let others do what you simply cannot do yourself. I have to confess, however, that the corn and the tomatoes look good, so all is not lost... yet.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Peter Galbraith for the pic.

Weed Whacker

I've upgraded a bit, kind of/sort of. When we first moved into this house, I went out and bought a cheap weed-whacker at Welch's in Woodstock. It was about $30 and electric, requiring about 100 feet of extension cord, of which I only had about 50. I used it sparingly but getting all that cord together, never mind using it, was a chore. I think the lawn around the edges of the house suffered, accordingly. Mind you, it worked when I used it, but at some point it almost seemed easier to cut the long grass with some scissors.

With the garden giving us problems and the all weeds taking over parts of the yard, I decided that we really needed a gas powered weeder. Nothing fancy, just something to use now and then, but even cheap weed-whackers are expensive, running you around $150. I spoke with JH and he said he uses a good Stihl one and that it is really worth it to spend the money and get a good one because the cheap ones will come back to haunt you.

What I was hearing was that R would kill me if I spent $200 on a weed-whacker, even if it had an electric can opener attachment.

I was pretty much resigned to keep the old electric one, and even figured out how to replace the cutting wire, which for the record is not easy and convenient, requiring that I removed the empty spool, disassemble it, and then manually spool the new wire with my hand. You really get what you pay for.

Of course, I never learn my lessons properly. I was at Britton's the other day and lo and behold, they had a gas powered trimmer on sale for $50. I couldn't believe it. I wrestled with it and even went back a couple of times before finally buying it. R wasn't thrilled about it, her logic being that we have a weeder that works, why buy another one? If only she understood the male psyche.

I don't think $75 for two weeders over 5 years is that bad, do you?

Then again, who really cares what I think?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to tey teyoo for the pic.

Dormer Time

The finishing of the roof means that there are assorted instances where I need to go in and clean up. The roofers explained to me that they needed to take out the trim and some of the clapboards in order to properly flash the roof against the sides of the dormers. I knew they were going to this, but it bummed R out to see the trim ripped out. Truth be told, the wood was damaged and rotting and needed to be replaced, so the current circumstances are a good impetus for me to get up there and replace them. Now if I could just find the time.

(before)

Then again, real men don't make excuses, they make houses. Right?

(during)

The first issue I had to deal with was how to get on the roof. Actually, getting on the roof is easy, but how to get up there without damaging the new roof was the conundrum. I didn't want to scratch the metal. Previously it was a piece of cake because I didn't really care what I did to the shingles, knowing that we were getting a new roof, anyway.

Now, I had to be careful. I got some mitts to put on the end of the ladder, and then put pipe insulation over bottom for protection. I must say, it worked out pretty well, and is even a little easier to work with than with the shingles, mainly because it slides so easily. I even got a thumbs up from JH, who is becoming my junior mentor in my real-man training. The guy knows everything, and if he doesn't know it, he knows someone who does. You can't beat that.

(after)

Anyway, I got up there and managed to repair one side of the dormer. I figure I'll rip off one side, replace the boards and then move to another corner. After all the wood is installed, I'll go back and paint. How's that for a plan?

One down, three to go. Best of all, because of the various stages of work, I can display before, during and after pics of the work being done. Bob Villa would be impressed.

One other amusing side-note is that I've been doing battle with wasps. They've taken up residence in the soffit (note the blue tape to cover the holes), and in order to work up there, I've had to seal up the entry/exit to their dens. Needless to say, they are not very happy about this, and as I try to cover the holes, they scramble outside and go on the attack.

Not wanting to use chemicals, I carry a fly swatter with me when I'm up there, and it must be quite a site when I'm swinging wildly at the wasps up there on the roof. It would be really funny if it wasn't so dangerous being up there. On days when N is helping me, I ask him to give me a warning and tell me when the wasps return, because they seem to run off and disappear and then come back for the sneak attack.

The problem is, N is so distracted that when the wasps do return, it's usually me who first notices them. When I look down to ask why he didn't warn me, he's often busy playing with rocks or bugs. Oh well, at least he's entertained.

I'm hoping to get all of the trim on the dormers done this week, if I can squeeze it in between life activities and the Grateful Dumpling. I will say this: boredom is never a theme in this household.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Stairway to Heaven

Or rather, stairway to the French Doors.

Since we got our beautiful new cooking stove (we love that thing), we've been able to cook the dumplings outside under the tent. The advantage of this is that we don't make a massive mess in the kitchen, a fact that makes R much happier. Cooking with that much grease can be a disaster. Also, it kind of makes the house smell like McDonald's, and you can never really completely get rid of all that grease. It's a bummer.

Now that we can cook outside, we can make all the mess we want, within reason. Plus, you just can't beat the great outdoors when it comes to cooking. It's like being on the open range, cooking up a buffalo for a bunch of cowboys.

Also, we don't have to tap into our supply of household propane, which I've learned is a negligible amount, but enough to give me anxiety. What else is new?

We set up the tent, hook up the tank, and cook away. It involves a little setup because we have to move all the cooking stuff outside, which includes the dumplings. Also, when the dumplings are cooked, we have to bring them back in. All this movement requires going in and out, and we've been using the French doors since this is the most direct route.

The problem is, the doors don't have steps. It seems as if MG may have intended to put a deck there, but never did. Consequently, there is about a 2 foot drop out the door, which can spell disaster when you're holding a tray full of dumplings.

So, N and I set about making some stairs. I bought some decking boards, which were on sale at Britton's, and then used rough cut 2X8 boards, mainly because I had them and they are cheap, to make the frame. I wrestled with the design before finally figuring out how to support the steps. What I essentially did was build concentric boxes and one on top of the other. Lateral face boards and the steps themselves would hold them in place.

Listen to me, like I know what I'm talking about.

I had to paint the wood first, however, and then cut them to the right size. Of course I screwed things up at first, which is standard procedure for me due to my inability to be organized and start with a plan. With some careful tweaking and the miter saw, I was finally able to get the pieces to fit properly, and then N and I set about nailing it together.

I used screws for part of the base, and then we used stainless steel nails for the deck. Those things are hard to nail in, especially through synthetic decking boards, but we did it. N did a great job, and suddenly, we had stairs.

How cool is that? Another project, completed and ready for my Mentors perusal, though he'll probably find a reason to bust my balls. Then again, what is a mentor is for?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to NRL and RIC for the pics.

Sneak Attack

I've come to the conclusion that gardening just isn't worth it, and you're better off buying a share at a CSA if you want fresh veggies. Between the weeds and the woodchucks, it's just too much time and effort for something for something that breaks your mental fortitude, and then some.

It seems that our woodchuck, or some creature, is back, and for the life of me I can't figure out how he's getting in. R thinks he's getting in through the holes in the fence, which is hard to imagine, but it makes perfect sense. There are no other signs of entry.

If that is the case, then the battle is lost. He can pretty much get in anywhere, so what's the point? I don't even like gardening.

The weeds are relentless, as well. No matter what you do, they take over, and I am in awe of people who have weedless gardens. It's pretty amazing.

So, we'll see what happens. We borrowed a humane trap from our good friends the H's, but are not too optimistic about our chances. I know it's a terrible pic, but I didn't feel like opening the gate and going into the garden, which is where the trap is located, to take the pic. Our garden is like Fort Knox and takes a few minutes just to enter. The things we go through for a few pieces of lettuce.

We also got a death trap from our friend WM, who used to be a professional trapper. He showed me how to set it up, and let me tell you, the thing is a little scary. As he warned me, whatever sort of creature puts its head through the trap will have its neck completely snapped. Yikes!

We're not sure how we feel about this, but it just may come down to killing the beast. We can't take much more of this. It's either him or us.

In the meantime, we'll keep ruminating on whether this whole gardening thing is worth the time and effort. At the present moment, I would say NOT!

Show me the way to the Kroger's produce section.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.