A Really Good Day

I had a REALLY GOOD Saturday!

Some days are just SO successful that it makes the days when nothing seems to go right worth it.  I started by cleaning/reorganizing the old toolshed.

First, the sawhorses that I built last year were wobbly.  But investigating, I realized that the wood I used had dried and shrunk a bit and there were wing nuts under the attachments so I was able to twist them tighter and the sawhorses were firm again.  Big deal, right?  But it got the day started well and THAT matters.

Second, I moved some stuff around in there and actually gained some space.  Well, I gained the space because I took a bicycle out and an old regular lawn mower out.  I never used the bicycle because the tires kept going flat, so I'm selling it for 1/5 what I paid just to get rid of it.  I bought it to have an easier trip home after leaving the car at the dealership for repairs.  Just before THEY offerred free van rides home and back...  Good idea, bad timing...

And that old gas mower is in the basement now.  It won't start.  I KNOW all it needs is for the carburetor to be cleaned, and I know how.  But I don't really need it anymore.  I bought an electric one last year (I hate noise) at that one works well enough for trim work.  So I'll offer that for nearly free.  Somebody can probably really need it.

I'd offer both free, but that attracts resellers and that isn't my purpose.  I want them to go to someone who can just use them.  In fact, free to any military person.  I don't need the $20.

So I got the old toolshed organized better (similar pots together in boxes on shelves, etc, and that made the perfect space for the snowblower to be moved from the garage to the shed.  It had run out of gas JUST as I finished using it the last snow in February.  It is a beast to move manually, so I actually had to ADD GAS to it get it the 200' to the shed.  And then I wanted to let it run dry so there was no gas left in it (good idea for all gas tools so the gas doesn't evaporate and clog the fuel line).  I added just enough, because after it ran in the shed for 5 minutes, it went dry.

That left some space in the garage to bring the recycling bin in.  I hate it being outside because I tend to dump stuff in it at night (and I mentioned I hate noise).

The boxes of pots I set on the old toolshed shelves meant there was slightly more room in the newer shed.  Yes I have 2 sheds and they are full of yard equipment.  I could probably start a business.  Hey, at 68, I've accumulated a lot of stuff...

You could laugh and say "guys and their toys", but I actually use all that stuff (OK, the chipper/shredder is collecting dust, but that's because the local recycle center that opened AFTER I bought it accepts tree debris and gives back shredded mulch in return and I have a hauling trailer).  I should sell it/give it away.  But I have 1/8 acre of mowed brambles to dispose of, so it might be worth using one last time.

I mentioned planting 4 saplings a few posts ago.  To my delight, they are leafing out nicely.  But to keep them watered in their first "establishment year", I am using kitty litter buckets (really useful things for many purposes) with a tiny hole drilled in the bottom to water them gradually.  The tiny hole lets the water settle in around the roots slowly drip by drip.  Very efficient and quick to use.  I just fill the bucket in 2 minutes from the garden hose and let gravity do the work.

BUT, the tubs are bright yellow and they look out-of-place in the yard.  So I bought a $4 can of plastic spray paint (hunter green).  I didn't want to spray the floor or the lawn, so I hung the 4 tubs (one at a time) from a board and sprayed them at normal height.  Worked perfectly and I ran out of spray as the last side was covered.  Sometimes you get lucky like that.

So, being bored with all the success, I decided to mow the yard for the first time this year.  The 20 year old riding mower didn't want to start (it's the old battery) so I hooked up a charger while I went to do other stuff.

Which was reattaching the chicken wire to the garden enclosure frame...  Now THAT was a job!  It required being in two places at once (Firesign Theater joke:  "How can you be in 2 places at once when you're not anywhere at all").  But bar clamps and bungee cords helped and I have a lot of bungee cords.  I used nylon ties to hold all the wire together, but I need to go back soon and "sew" them together more permanently soon.  Those nylon ties get brittle and break in sunlight after a year.

So, by then, the mower battery was charged enough (barely) to start the engine and I went to mow the lawn.  It coughed and sputterred all the way and the cutting was ragged.  I could run the mower up a ramp and sharpen the blades and try to tune the engine a bit.  I used to work at a drive-in simple repair shop.  Or I can drive it on the trailer and bring it to a small motor repair shop in town.  But this is the wrong time of year for that.  They are booked solid for a month!  I guess I'll sharpen the blades slightly and wait a month.  But at least I cut the lawn weeds down (though raggedly).

And then it started to drizzle rain.  So I put everything away and went inside.  The Mews were annoyed.  I don't let them outside when I am using equipment.  They panic at the noise but want to run TO me, which is exactly where I DON'T want them to be ( I don't want kitty-burgers).  And then, because of the rain, I didn't want them OUT then either.

So we played treat-toss inside while I prepared dinner.  They love that.  Kibbles bounce around funny and they get "the thrill of the chase".  Marley loves it, Ayla is best at it.  Iza is a bit inept at it (she has other skills like lap-napping) so I pretty much have to toss hers right under her nose, LOL!

I was cooking a steak.  I'm more into pork, chicken and shrimp, but it was a busy active day so I had a steak (I cut them into 3 ounce pieces).  Purists will gag, but I fry them.  I like to experiment with pan sauces (a splash of dry sherry, a dab on butter, a toss of cornstarch, with some herbs).  BTW, don't try adding mayonaise (as I did this time).  It doesn't blend well!

But it tasted good.  With a large tossed salad with oil/vinegar, corn on the cob, asparagus and beets, it was a really good meal.  Ayla and Iza got a small bit minced before I spiced it up (Marley doesn't like "Human food").

Then I watched a baseball game ("we" won) and they all sat around me napping, purring, getting chin scritchies.  All 3 within a foot of me for a couple hours, then we all went to bed.

A day DOESN'T get much better than that...