More Things I Did

OK, nothing major.  Just small things I did staying busy and productive...  As I've said before "try to do something useful every day".

1.  My clock/radio has a backup battery to keep the clock running in a few hours of power outage.  One of those old-fashioned rectangular 9 volt types (its a very old clock radio but it still works).   The last few times when there was a brief blip in the power, it failed.  I get tired resetting it.  So I turned over the clock/radio and found the battery.  The plug-in attachment was broken.  How something that does not move "breaks" is beyond me.  

And it took a while to even see that "something was broken.  My initial response was to buy a new rechargeable battery.  But it would attach.  That's when I discover part of the old battery was broken off in the plug.

I have a lot of good tools.  One is a tiny, thin needlenose plier (and this one is really "needlenosed").  But I don't have the steadiest of hands these days.  So it was really hard to get the plier to grab the old  broken-off battery attachment.  Sometimes I scream in frustration trying to work at tiny things!  And the plug-in didn't offer any firm leverage. 

It took 15 minutes to get the broken battery attachment loose from the plug-in.  That may not sound like very long, but 15 minutes of frustration is like an hour of real time.  

The tiny little bit of broken metal suddenly popped out!  The new rechargeable (and newly charged) battery connected perfectly.  I can't wait for a 1 minute power outage to see if it works.

2.  Checked the snow-blower.  That meant dragging out 150' of heavy-duty extension cord to reach the toolshed.  And remembering to plug it into the outside outlet before I went, LOL.  It has an electrical power-start which I love.  I can't pull those damn "cord-pulls" like I used to.   

We aren't forecast to have heavy snow this Winter, but surprises happen.  So testing the snow-blower made sense.  But it wouldn't start.  OK, I tend to leave gas in equipment.  Purists say to drain gas every month, mechanics say once every 6 months, and there are additives that extend gas life to a year.  I don't do that.  Most equipment starts when I want it to.

But the snow-blower didn't.  I checked a few obvious things.  Then looked in the gas tank.  Couldn't see a thing!  So I found a 3' bamboo stick and put it in to see if there was gas.  No gas.  I actually stored it properly (drained of most gas and then run til it stopped).  I had forgotten that.

Added a little gas and pushed the priming button a dozen times.  It started right up.  So, I'm ready for any serious snow...

3.  Filled the thistle seed birdfeeders ( a daily thing - I have a flock of about a dozen goldfinches here and I bet no neighbor can claim that) and the black oil sunflower birdfeeder (for the other songbirds).  Filling the sunflower feeder is wearing me out.  I need to drag over the 8' stepladder to reach the top to dump in a bucket of the seeds.  It gets harder every year.

What I need is a pole that lowers and raises the sunflower seeder.  I've looked for one to buy for years but I never find one.  I think I'm going to have to build my own. I 'm thinking a pipe through the center with a rope through it, a couple of pulleys, and a small winch.  I need to sit down and draw the details.  But there is always something else higher on the To Do List.

4.  Went shopping at Walmart.  I go there for odd items.  Or maybe I should say their "profit-losers".  There are some things I buy there that are way under-priced compared to competitors.  So I take advantage of that.  Fancy Food canned cat food is cheap there.  Tidy Litter is cheap there.  Milk and Ice Cream is cheap there.  Some other things aren't, so I buy them elsewhere.  I have NO store loyalty.

5.  Bought a steamship round roast at the meat.deli/liquor store.  Roast beef is $7.99 a pound and too often "medium-to well" cooked.  I like medium-rare.  So I marinate and cook my own.  I have an electric slicer and do my own sandwich-thin slicing (set into 2-day batches in zip-lock bags).  And a few 1/2" slabs for different meals.  

6.  Took one of my 24"x6"x6" planting trays and dumped the soil into a bucket to mix it up with organic slow-release fertilizer .  Put it back in the tray and planted more lettuce.  I love salads, so I can't really have "too much" lettuce.  Red leaf, green leaf, and romaine.  And since lettuce has jumped from $2/pound to $4.50, that's a sensible thing to do.

7.  I've been collecting fallen branches.  I don't often have fires in the basement fireplace, but a short one would be nice to watch.  Sadly, my little electric chainsaw is giving me problems.  The chain just doesn't want to adjust in tension properly.  A project for another day...  But the fallen branches are small enough to cut with my "saws-all".

8.  I use a drywall tape tool to scrape the litter boxes clean.  It works great for cleaning the edges and loosening everything from the bottom for scooping after.

But it has always "caught" on the middle of one of the litter boxes.  So I empties the litter into the other boxes and scrubbed it.  There was a slight raised spots in the center.

Hurray for sharp chisels!  I scraped away the high spot!  Perfection in scraping is available again.

9.  Sorted out a 10" stack of bills and notices.  I have a very good system of file folders, but I am terrible at keeping up with the filing.  I got 90% of them divided and filed in subjects.   That was a relief.  The other 10% is hard to decide where to file.  And I only did it because of possible bad cat.vet records as you see below.

10.  Looked up a lot of stuff on email and websites.  First, I think my new vet was sent bad records from the old one.  I don't yet want to say it was deliberate, but a lot of what the new vet is telling me doesn't match up with my mental recollections of annual visits for shots.  I have the previous vet receipts on the dining table and will make a list on times and dates.  Then I will bring that to the new vet so that we can compare records.

Second, some poster (elsewhere) suggested "diclophene" for knee problems.  The stuff seems almost lethal.  I'll stay with generic 4% lidocaine and Walmart 'Equate' equivalents.  

11.  Almost time to start planting some slow-growing perennial seeds.  I mix my own starter-soil .  Made a list of the parts I don't have enough of.  Time to visit Lowe's or Home Depot.

Been Busy

I haven't posted here in a while.  Not that I didn't have things to mention, just didn't do it.  I've been busy...

On the outside (and some of this may not be new but I'm too lazy to check, so forgive me):

1.  Transplanted 4 specimen saplings (2 dogwoods  and 2 sourwood) in the cleared area where the wild blackberries, virginia creeper vines and wild grape vines used to rule.  The saplings will stay about 20' tall and NOT shade the garden like the trees I removed did).

2.  Straightened and re-attached bent PVC tubes (with metal pipe inside) on the garden enclosure (I built it to keep squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits, and weird birds out.  Pollinating insects get through the chicken wire just fine.

3.  Been carefully spraying individual wild blackberries and vines to kill them.  New stuff is growing now that the blackberries aren't shading them, but a string trimmer cuts them down well.  When the sapling start to grow they will cast enough shade below them to prevent new growth.

4.  I used to have a compost bin next to the older shed.  I removed it a few years ago and built another one that is better.  But there was a foot of rich soil left over on the old site.  I moved most of it to the new garden beds.

5.  Years ago, I ordered a dozen seedlings of a nice perennial flower with purple leaves.  They sent me the wrong plant.  But as it also had purple leaves I didn't realize the error.  The wrong plant is VERY INVASIVE. (lychimastria 'Firecracker' I think).    I spent 2 days pulling up all that I could.  I'll have to do that several times, but progress is progress.  And there are some volunteers a 100 yard away.

6.  I have 2 toolsheds.  One I built when I moved here 32 years ago and one I had a contractor build (larger, with a cement floor, and a garage door).  I reorganized everything in both.  Now the equipment I seldom use is packed tightly in the old one and the stuff I use often is in the new one.  And I added shelves to the old one for odd stuff that was clutterring up the basement.

7.  I spread seeds for the meadow garden bed.  Some were saved seeds from last years plants and some were new from a packet.  Supposedly, they are are surface-germinators (well, like a natural meadow WOULD be).  I will be interested in seeing if the bed flowers better this year.

8.  The hummer/butterfly/bee bed was a failure last year.  So I tilled the whole area and spread a new batch of hummer/butterfly/bee seeds.  I also have a few dozen seedlings of the same sort to plant in there.  The seedlings will give the bed a head-start.

9.  I planted 15 annual sunflower seedlings in the meadow bed today.  They were weak last year when I did the same, so this year I planted them around a cylinder of mesh wire (anchored to a stake) and clipped them all the the cylinder.  That gives them 2' of support.  Strained my back doing all that bending-over...  I had 1 left over, so I planted it right behind the mailbox.  Maybe my mailperson will enjoy seeing it.

10.  I've been interested in grafted heirloom tomatoes for several years.  My efforts have always failed.  So this year, I bought 3 grafted tomatoes.  With shipping and taxes, $12 each.  OUCH.  But I really need to know if the effort is worth it.   I planted 2 today.  I have 6 graft attempts I did myself, but I won't know if they worked for a week.  At least THIS time, they are still alive after a week.  And I have 6 more home-grown ungrafted heirloom seedlings as back-up...

11.  I'm fighting some invasive plants.  I get poison ivy coming in from 3 neighbors.  They don't care about it because they don't go into the corners of their yards.  And there has been a vine from deliberate plantings of a 4th yard (2 residents ago).  I finally figured out it is Vinca Major.  It is almost impossible to kill.  My veggie garden is organic.  But I'll use napalm on the Vinca and poison ivy if I have to.  By "napalm" I mean Roundup.  I hate the herbicide, but the vines have taken over half my fence flowerbed.  I'm desperate.

12.  The daffodil/tulip/hyacinth bed is fading, so I gave them a good dose of organic fertilizer suited for bulbs.  That should help them improve for next year.  When the leaves turn brown I will cover the whole bed with landscape fabric to smother the weeds.  Next February, I will remove it.  I tried using regular black plastic last year but all it did was collect rainwater in low spots and Asian Tiger Mosquitos developed there.  So I was constantly going around and poking holes in the plastic to drain rainfall.  The landscape fabric is permeable, so it won't hold puddles.

13.  I planted corn in a bed under the roof edge.  It doesn't get much natural rain, so I'll have to water it regularly all Summer.  But it is rich soil and safe from wind, so the bi-color corn will like it.  I plant a block of 9 corns (3x3, fewer gets poor kernal development) and the bed is 4 blocks long, so I'll plant a new block every 2 weeks for continued harvest.

14.  I pruned my front yard saucer magnolia tree.  For some reason, the backyard one grows just fine with minimal pruning in Winter, but the front yard one grows oddly with lots of suckers and internal shoots.  By the time I was done, half the tree was gone, but it looked a lot better.  With careful future pruning, it should get more balanced.

15.  When I originally cleared the backyard back in the 90s, I discovered that I had a wild rose growing there.  It has small white flowers and a nice scent, and I think it is a 'Hawthorn Rose'.  Unfortunately, it looks just like a wild blackberry, and was overgrown with them among its canes.  I was sad to mow it down with the new DR Brushcutter I bought last year.  But I HAD to get rid of the wild blackberries.

Now, the main area in the backyard is cleared of wild blackberries, but there are some that spread to odd spots and I have to dig them out.

So when I saw white flowers suddenly blooming among a Burning Bush I love, I was depressed at the effort it would take to remove it.  But when I approached, there was The Scent!  The Hawthorn Rose had established itself 150' away from the original plant!

I have to remove it from the Burning Bush shrub, but I'm going to take 36 cuttings (a flat of 6-cels) and try to grow some first.  The rose never spread much from its original spot, so I'm not worried about it taking over like the blackberries did.  I can think of several spots where it would be happy (and I with it).

I think that is more than enough for today.  I still have the inside projects to discuss...

The Bramble And Sapling Jungle, Part 3

So, my back working again, and ready to wreck it again if need be (that area WILL BE CLEARED) I went at it again 2 days ago.  There were some last saplings to be chainsawed and hauled out of the way.  There was most of the underbrush and brambles to be mowed and turned into mulch, and there were vines still attached to saplings.

I went after the vines first.  My habit of bad luck is that any vine attached to a sapling I cut down will fall on me as opposed to away from me.  So the fewer of them connecting saplings, the better.

Funny thought:  The vines don't show up to neighbors.  They might have seen me thrashing around at ground level and up over my head with a hedge trimmer and concluded I was completely nuts, LOL!

But then I went after the remaining saplings with the chainsaw.  MUCH more carefully this time.  Instead of leaning over to cut, I knealt carefully so as not to strain any back muscles.  And I dragged the cut saplings instead of lifting them. 

After that, I took out the DR brush mower and went over the entire area.  I was so pleased to see the results...  I also chainsawed the saplings into stemless trunks.  The trunks are worth saving for the fireplace.  The twigs and vine debris went into piles. 

I used the brush mower on the piles of stems and twigs and vines.  It was like mowing leaves into the lawn until there was only leaf-shreds left.  HURRAY!

From the deck...

Closer...

And in directions all around the former jungle...

I was so happy to uncover my bridge...

And discovered a hose stand that had been covered with vines.

There is still debris there that I may or may not remove (it might smother new underbrush).  But the important thing is that the entire area is clear.

I finished it.  And with only some slight muscle complaints.  I'll count that as a victory.  

The next step is to make sure the undergrowth does not return.  Trees shaded them out before; I will plant new trees.  But these will be smaller ones; Dogwoods, Sourwoods, a dwarf apple...  They will shade the space under them, but never grow tall enough to shade the garden.  I have 4 in a raised bed ready to transplant in January and will have pre-dug holes ready to receive them.  I just need to decide exactly where to put each.

And I can get at the pond again.  That will be in Spring when things warm up.  It is too cold to try and install a new pond liner now.  But I WILL get the pond and raceway set up and working again come Spring!  That will be SO nice...

Another Day In The Life, Part 1

So, I decided to renovate the lawn.  That means cutting the grass down to 1",  aerating the lawn, collecting all the grass-clippings so that new seed can reach the ground and get some sunlight, and watering the lawn slightly 2x a day to keep the seeds moist.

I thought I had the timing perfect.  Aerate the lawn with my core aerator (pulls 3"x1/4" plugs of soil out of the ground and deposits them on the surface.  That allows air and water and fertilizer to get deep into the soil, and reduces compaction.

And since I was going to be dragging the aerator across the lawn with the riding mower, I would mow the grass short in a pattern that threw the grass clippings into just a couple of 4" wide rows.

Then I would rake the grass up and save it for the compost pile.  Then spread the grass seed.  The weather forecast was for occasional rain for the next week.  Perfect for the seeds to germinate in 80 degree temps.

Well, that was the PLAN...

The aerator has a tray on the top for putting heavy stuff on the top to make the aerator tubes sink deeply. 

I bought solid cinder blocks for it years ago.  And I added more weight this time (the ground was a bit dry).

No plan works...  As soon as I started (1 pm Wednesday), I discovered the aerator tires were flat and one was tire was off the wheel.  I had to take all the heavy stuff off and raise the end of the aerator off the ground supported by bricks.  Taking off the tire was awkward.  There was one bolt on the outside and 2 on the inside.  Only the farthest inside bolt held by a wrench allowed the outside bolt to be loosened.  With the wheel off, I had to reinflate the tire.

Of COURSE it didn't have a tube inside.  That would have been too easy.  I had to get the tire re-seated onto the metal wheel in order to get any air to stay in it.  I know from past experience that pressure on the outside of the tire can get the tire re-seated onto the wheel.  I spent an hour struggling to do that, to no avail.  Well, I worked at a tire company briefly, and I remembered they had an air-pressurized tube that went around small tires to press the tire to the wheel.  I don't have one of those.  I was dripping with sweat and worn out, so I stopped for an hour.  Drank 3 glasses of water.

When I was cooled down, I tried to think of ways to squeeze the tire onto the wheel.  I have an air pump to add a lot of air through the valve all at once.  With that attached to the valve, I tried twisting a rope around it, and I tried turning a loop of rope with a crowbar.  That didn't work.  I tried putting the tire in my bench vise and using some wood clamps across the tire in 3 directions.  That didn't work.

Damn!  I finally thought of ratcheting straps (like you use to hold a boat to a trailer.  That was awkward.  12' of strap around a 8" tire takes a lot of winding.  And the straps I had only get to 6' short (from 12').  I finally managed to hook the end of the strap at a point where the ratchet would really tighten.

It didn't work.  Well, not the 1st time or the 2nd or the 3rd or 4th.    But eventually, by pounding the sides of the tire with a rubber mallet, the seal finally caught suddenly!  YAY, HOORAY, and HALALULEAH!!!  It caught suddenly and filled...  I couldn't find anything on the tire that said what PSI to fill it, but I went for 12 as that seemed tight but with a slight "give".

So I brought it back outside and put the wheel back on the axle.  Being a sensible type, I also  checked the other tire.  It was at "0" but the bead to the wheel had not broken.  So I dragged the air pump outside and filled it to 12 psi too.

By that time it was 5 pm.  I decided to stop for the day and make dinner.

Thursday, I went all around the yard, aerating and mowing at the same time (very slowly so the aerator tubes could sink into the soil).  Just before I was done, the mower ran out of gas.  Well, I had more gas in the can, so I refilled it.  And then the mower wouldn't start again! 

OK, I guess I put a lot of stress on the riding mower hauling the aerator around with all that weight on it.  But why the mower wouldn't start was confusing.  I'm barely competent with gas engines.  I thought maybe I flooded the carburator.  I decided to stop for the day and I covered the mower with a tarp due to the possibility of rain.

And the next day is tomorrow's post...

Simple Useful Work, Part 1

Some days are good for starting major projects, some days are good for doing nothing, and some days are good for doing a bunch of minor stuff.

Yesterday and today were good for minor stuff...

First, I got my Very Large rain gauge set up.  I did feel like digging a 2' hole for a 4'x4' wood post (like I used to have it on), so I used an old piece of metal pipe that I could just pound into the ground at a new spot.  And "wonder of wonders", the pipe was perfectly vertical in both directions.  I used metal pipe brackets to hold a piece of scrap wood to the pipe, then attached the rain gauge holder to that with screws.  The rain gauge is aimed directly at the master bathroom window so I can see how much rain as soon as I get up in the morning.  That red thing at the bottom floats, so I can easily tell from the window.  Helps me plan my day...

And I had to make a new holder for it because I installed a hose reel at the old spot last year.  I got tired uncoiling and recoiling the hose every time I needed to mow the lawn and found a good solid powder-coated aluminum hose reel.  It did say "wall mount only".  They don't know me very well, LOL!  Some of you may remember this project.

I not only post-mounted it, I constructed it so the hose reel would swivel (so that I could pull it off in the directions I needed to use the hose.

It turns right.

It turns left.

Well, that because I attached a metal TV turntable (that I had sitting around for years, bought at a farmer's market because it "looked useful") between the 2 layers of boards!  And figuring out how to do that nearly drove me crazy!  You see, you have to drive screws into it down into the bottom layer of wood AND up into the top layer.  But as soon as you do the first, you can't do the second because the bottom wood prevents access to the upwards screws.

I found a few videos online about how to do that and still couldn't figure it out.  I sat at my workbench for an hour each several times before I finally caught on.  I won't bore you with the details (unless you need to know, facing a similar problem), but it finally worked.

The 2 platforms are edge-joined boards.  That may sound flimsy, but each pair has 3 glued biscuits and a strip of construction adhesive between the biscuits.  They wont come apart.  Anything worth doing is worth over-doing, I always say!

Then I drilled 2 holes through both platforms and dropped bolts into the holes.  That stops the hose reel from turning when I rewind the hose (it swivels back and forth forcefully when I turn the winding handle otherwise).

The rest tomorrow...

Next Project

My next project is to rebuild an old bench.

The wood was cheap pine when I bought it and rotted fast.  The metal frames are sound.  I will replace the pine with cedar.  That should last 15 years.

And I have a good place to put it facing my fence flowerbed, underneath a a small shady tree.

Hose Reel 6

So the post is in and solid.  The metal bars are assuring it stays upright and level.  Time to attach the hose reel...

The hose reel has 4 front screw holes and 4 back ones.  I used 1 1/2" x 3/8" lag screws in pre-drilled holes.  I put rubber hose washers on the bottom and fender washers (large washers with small holes) above those and drove the galvanized lag screws down tight.  THOSE aren't going to come loose!

The hose reel turns to the left...

To the right...

And rolls up the hose...

It's a bit ugly because it is coldish outside and the hose isn't as limp as it will be in Summer.  But as a test of the system, it is good.

After testing the "reeling", I used it to water the newly-planted daffodils.  The hose came off the reel beautifully from any angle.

Tomorrow, planting daffodils...

Hose Reel, Part 2

The turntable drove me completely crazy!  I watched 3 youtube videos about how to install them and none made much sense.  So I went back to the workbench and turn the pieces around in all directions seeking some way, seeking some understanding.

Think of it this way.  Put a slice of ham between 2 slices of bread and THEN put mustard on the ham without lifting the bread or pushing it in sideways...

I went crazy!

I attached the turntable to the top and bottom pieces of wood in all possible ways.  I even considered the turntable was sold cheap because it was non-functional.  But I knew it wasn't.  It was MY failure to comprehend the one BIG HOLE.

When Sir Issac Newton was trying to figure out the orbits of the planets, he tried many geometric shapes.  And he hit on the right one, but made a simple math error and rejected it.  Looking back later, he figured out his error and solved the problem.

I looked back too.  And realized I had it right once but didn't realize it.  Not that I'm like Newton, but we all make mistakes and find we were right at some point and didn't realize it.

I figured it out...

I can't possible explain, but I could show it.

All I can offer is some pictures...

IT SWIVELS, IT SPINS!  There are a lot of wrong holes in it, but it WORKS!  And with new wood, I could do it again better.  But it works.  I got mustard in the sandwich without lifting the bread, LOL!

I bought heavy duty lag screws to attack the hose reel to the top piece.   I drilled the holes to attach it.

But before I do that, I need to create a solid platform to attach it to the existing 4"x4" post.   More of the same size scrap pieces glued and screwed to the post and cross pieces across those.  But that's another day...

My friends say I "overbuild" things.  But my stuff doesn't fall apart after a few years...  I would have designed the Pyramids just as they are...  LOL!

Wait til you see the finished product...

An Old Project Done

Sometimes, I buy stuff for a project and never get around to it.  Sometimes it is funny just seeing the stuff sitting around for months or even years, thinking "I really need to get that done:.  Sometimes, it is really annoying, like when I look at a bag of bolts and hooks or some stuff and have no recollection what I intended to do with them.  And sometimes, I know what they were for, but I did something different to solve the same problem.

At least THIS time, I knew what the parts were for and still wanted it done!

Twentyfive years ago, when I was building the fence around the backyard, I needed sawhorses.  I bought these cheap aluminum brackets you screwed 2"x4" boards into, and the sawhorses were flimsy.

Ten years ago, I bought some sturdier-looking brackets with a unique way of attaching boards.  And they sat around at the back of a shelf every since.

Hang in there, there WILL be pictures...

Yesterday, I looked at them and decided to just "get them built"!  The poly-something brackets are nicely designed.  They are specifically molded to accept both 2"x4" or 2"x6" boards, and you can bolt wider tops on if you choose.  The bracket is also molded to hold 2"x4" legs at a proper angle with heavy-duty poly wedge blocks that are ridged to dig into the boards a bit.  The box even has a convenient chart to tell you how long to cut the legs to get about a dozen possible heights.

So yesterday I went to the DIY store I went for a 2"x6" top.  The 2"x4" pressure-treated boards  (P-T boards because they are for outside use - I have fancier adjustable stuff for shop use) I found there were JUNK (twisted or bowed)!  I chose the best I could find.  But when I went looking for the 2"x6" board, I discovered better quality 2"x4" boards next to them.  So I returned the junk boards to the bin and selected the good ones.  $1 more per board...

So with my perfectly straight boards, I went home and and cut them to length.  That was enough for the afternoon and I had other things to do.

Today, I went to assemble the parts.  The first thing I discovered was that the 2"x6" top board didn't fit in the pre-molded slot.  I had tested a bracket with a regular 6" board, but apparently, pressure-treated wood gets a little bit swollen in the process.  So I had to shave off 1/8th" from the ends using the table saw.  Same with the 2"x4" legs.  Its a bit ugly, but it's just a sawhorse.  If I had it to do over again, I would have just ripped 1/16th" off both sides.  And it actually would have been easier.  Ahh, "hindsight"...

But everything fit eventually.  I marked the spot where the 6" top needed a 5/16" hole drilled for a carriage bolt to attach the top through the poly wedge to hold the legs in place and set up my drill press to get the holes perfectly straight. 

And then discovered they should have said an 11/32" because I had to hammer the bolts through the board to get them through.  Well, I suppose they figured not everyone has an 11/32" drill bit.  I do, but hammering was easier than drilling all the holes slightly larger.  I do not object to "brute force" on rough projects.  And carriage bolts are designed to be hammered into place.  They have a 1/8" square shape intended to be pushed into the wood to keep them from turning.

Holding 2 legs AND placing the poly wedge was a bit tricky while I placed the large wing nut of the bottom of the carriage bolt, but a shoulder was a sufficient "third hand".  I have gotten used to doing things that require 3 hands, LOL!

Tightening the big wing nut between the sawhorse legs took some creativity.  I finally figured out that using a large screwdriver as a lever got 1/3 turn and a large pliers got another 1/3 turn, repeated over and over.  There are some things that are hard to describe but obvious when you try them.

Anyway, I finally got that wingnut so tight that The Hulk couldn't pull those legs loose.  And even then, I might put a couple of 2" screws through through the poly bracket and into the legs. 

And the instructions suggested that added crosspieces of wood across the middles of the legs would improve stability.  Naturally, I did that.  But the legs are at angles.  So, feeling a bit "perfectionist", I wanted the crosspieces to match the angles of the legs and not stick out. 

One little tool I love is an angle tool.  It is nothing but 2 pieces of metal with a wing nut tightener at the connection.  You loosen the nut, set the 2 pieces to match the angle you want, and bring it to the tablesaw to match the angle of the miter gauge to the saw blade. 

It worked perfectly, and I even used scrap PT 1"x3" wood (intended for but not used on the compost bin project).  After I screwed THOSE on the insides of the legs, I sat of the sawhorses and they didn't give at all!

Now, finally, PICTURES...

The 2 sawhorses...

The poly-something bracket...

The leg crosspieces (showing how nicely the angled cuts match the legs...

 They don't exactly "nest" on each other, but can be stacked...

The box info.  The brand is Crawford and the model is #90.   I looked them up on Amazon and they are up to #90-6, so maybe there are improvements.  And there are similar products from another brand.

Very worth it for outdoor sawhorses.  These might outlast me.

A Week In The Life.

Some of you know that I don't live a regulary-scheduled life, LOL!

So here is the past Tuesday through Saturday:

1.  Stayed up all night Tuesday 8pm - Thursday 8 am visiting cat blogs, processing camera pictures, and shifting between a gardening forum and an atheist forum.  Yeah, that 36 hours.  Went through a 1.5 l bottle of wine and 4 packs of cigs (hey, it WAS 36 hours). 

2.  Visiting my cat-friends takes about 2 hours, and then I get email notifications to new posts and I comment.  I always comment.

3.  I love reading posts at the gardening site and spent a total of a few hours there.  Sometimes there are questions I know something about and I answer.  I've been veggie and flower gardening for a few decades, so I have some experience.  I I have a good library to consult when I'm not sure.  I consulted my Peterson Guide of Eastern Trees when somewhere was trying to identify the specific one in her back yard.  It was one I have never seen, but the leaf shape was unique, so I mentioned it.

Sometimes there is new information I value.  Sometimes I ask questions.  I am new to growing Venus Fly Traps (for example) , so I'm the one asking questions there. 

4.  The atheist forum takes a lot of time.  There are atheists, agnostics, and theists there, and many of the posts are long and factual.  It takes some time to reply to those well.  I probably spend a lot of time there.  I joined this forum October last year and have over 4500 posts there now. 

Mostly, I discuss everyday events with other atheists.  Yes, atheists discuss almost everything from politics to cooking, to movies.  But it does mean we don't have a religious view on them.  Atheists may have a more reality-based approach to life, but we also love sci-fi and can do the "willing suspension of disbelief" as well as anyone if not better.

5.  I tend to switch back between the gardening and atheist forums.  I use up all the threads in one and go back to the other.  I don't mean that I post fast.  I give a lot of thought to each.  My interest is to answer posts carefully, well, and in detail without be overly long.

You can always tell tell the theists' posts by length.  They go on forever before they start quoting religious texts to get to their point.    I treat them kindly, with facts.  They can decide whether to change their minds if they want. 

6.  After a long time on the computer, I usually feed the cats (yes I fed them regularly before) but always make sure to feed them a good meal before I go to bed.  Because staying up that long means I'll sleep 12 hours after.

7.  When I got up Friday, I started on making a hinged top for the new compost bin.  Sometimes you build things by measurement.  But having the compost bin built, I simply put boards on the top and marked the edges for cutting.  Friday, I cut a lot of boards to size.  I glued and clamped some but even with mosquito repellent all over me, they were fierce around my eyes and fingers.  I worked fast and ran.

8.  Saturday afternoon (after another 12 hours in bed- I did have to catch up)  I went out to complete the top.  Fortunately, it was windy and the mosquitoes have trouble with winds over 10 mph.  I got the entire top structure completed.  OK, not the screening, the wood structure.  The hinging was perfect.  The 2 bins now have tops that lift up smoothly.  All I have to do now is attach 1/2 wire mesh to the top and add a few spacer boards under it.  That will leave no space for even a mouse to get inside.

9.  Added a lot more garden stuff into the old toolshed with the new shelves.  Every day, I will clear more basement space.  Weeded the Fall garden a bit.  Not many weeds left.  A year of weeding as removed most and I suspect there aren't many viable weed seeds left there.  Which means I can FINALLY tackle the part of the backyard overgrown with wild blackberries soon.

There is always SOMETHING that needed attention "last year", and I am always behind on some part of the yard.  On the other hand, suppose I caught up with everything?  What would I do?  OK, fix up the house better...

I'll do that when Winter arrives...

Catching Up

I'm surprized it has been 6 days since I last posted.  Well, I've been busy and put my posting efforts into the cats' blog.

The time has been spent, mostly, in yardwork and finishing the compost bin.  The compost bin is nearly finished; I'm really only deciding whether to put a solid top or a wire top on it.  I made the mistake of looking that up on the internet.  Naturally, people come down on both sides.  Some want rain to fall in to keep the composting material wet, others say it gets too wet and better to moisten the material as needed.

Don't laugh, but I'm doing both.  The lid will have a chicken wire top for normal rain to fall in, but also an attached plastic top I can drape over for torrential rains.  It matters because composting microbes need air and too much water fills up all the spaces where air can enter.  If there are 2 good ways to do something, I will generally find a way to do both.

But most of the outside work has been in the yard itself.  I started several projects last Fall and some new ones this Spring and have a couple yet to start.  The veggie garden has been a priority.  As much as I like flowers, I would rather eat a tomato than stare at a flower.

The tomatoes are my favorites.  I have 9 heirloom plants and 3 hybrids.  All are in places where I haven't grown them before (to reduce diseases).  The 3 hybrids are backups in case it is a really bad year for diseases.  My 2nd favorite veggies to grow are Italian flat beans.  Last year they just didn't grow; this year I am harvesting already and can expect to continue that until the 1st frost.  Italian flat beans are not the grocery store beans; they have a deeper, nut-like taste.  My 3rd favorite veggie is bi-color corn.  Yellow corn is too starchy, white corn is too sweet; bicolor is just right for me.

And of course, I have cukes, radishes, carrots, melons, kohlabi, spinach, snow peas, leeks, scallions, chard, beets, etc.  I need to plant my Fall crops of broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage soon. 

The other major yardwork project is cutting down brambles in the backyard and killing wild ivy, wild grapes, and some persistent invasive vine from a neighbor's yard.  And there seems to be poison ivy cropping up everywhere! 

The flowerbeds are doing well, with one exception.  My oldest bed, along a fence, has gotten overgrown with grassy weeds.  That might be a Fall project (pull, cover, and smother) over Winter.  The meadow flower bed is doing wonderfully this year; much better than I expected from the poor growth last year when first planted.  The Hummer/Butterfly/Bee bed is newly-planted this Spring, but is showing some flowers now.  The oldest bed (Spring bulbs of daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths; Summer plants of daylilies is doing well enough, but I want to cover the Spring bulbs with sheet plastic to kill the weeds while the bulbs are dormant.  The daylilies are all along one edge and will of course stay uncovered.

My new Astilbe beds (1 in the front yard and 1 in the back) are struggling a bit.  I think I should have planted them deeper.  I put 3" of compost on the soil and planted them in that; it may not be what they needed to set grow out roots well.  The compost always seems dry.  The backyard Astilbes were getting too much sunlight and 1/3 have died.  I set a shade cloth over them last week and am watering both beds every other day.

So there is a lot to talk about.  I'll post on each part of the yard over the next week, with pictures.  But I wanted to get things listed first if only to make it easier for me to decide what to post about each day. 

And to add to the list of things I need to do, my sister is visiting in a week and I have a LOT of cleaning to do!  She hasn't been here for several years and THAT visit was focussed on moving Dad from here to an assisted-living facility near here.  So she hasn't actually "just visited" for almost 10 years.  It is a big event for me.

So...  More later.

Compost Bin Onsite, Part 2

Well. last you saw, I had a corner established.  I gave those posts a few days to dry while I placed the other frames around the general spots and assembled the screws and tools for the next part. 

After the existing posts seemed solidly settled, I went after the rest of the structure.  Getting the left back frame attached was easy.  I just clamped on a good flat 4x4 post across the back and the left back frame HAD to be straight with the right back one.  Then I attached the left side frame so it was square to the back.

I have a 2'x2' square, so it was pretty definite.  That gave me everything in place except the front center post (which is "there" but just sitting loose in the hole).  I filled the other holes with clay, soaked them, tamped the soil hard to make a nice clayey mud, and let it sit for another 2 days. 

The board across the front was screwed on to keep everything upright and level while the clay hardened.  There are clamps at the back for the same reason.

The next day (leaving all the clamps and the board in place for stability), I went about setting the front center post in place.  I will admit it just drove me crazy!  I set a string line across the front of the 2 front posts, so it was obvious where the front of the center post HAD to be.

That at least gave me the dimensions for the divider frame between the 2 parts of the bin.  Because it was between 2 posts instead of outside of them, it had to be made last by onsite measurement.  Given the variations of lumber, there was no way I could figure the exact size of the center divider until everything else was in place.

The exact size doesn't matter and I don't even recall what it was but say 42.25" just to have a number...  I measured to the string across the front posts and then subtracted the thickness of the posts already between.  Had to be perfect, right?

And the frame I built to fit that spot was perfect.  Square, solid, flat; best one of the whole project!  Well, it should be, I had the experience of making the other 4 before to get it right...

But nothing wanted to fit properly.  The hole for the front center post was pre-dug and in the wrong spot by 6".  The center front post had to be, well, "centered".  There are going to be removable slats that drop down into slots in the front posts. 

The problem was that the center post should be exactly between the 2 outside front posts, the divider frame should be square to the back and front, and the frame and post should be level vertically.  I could get any 2 of those to work, but not all 3 at the same time.

A craftsman would have no trouble, a good carpenter might need a little "push".  I'm not that good...

Have you ever played a gsme called "telephone"?  A dozen people stand in a circle.  One whispers a short sentence to the person on the right (Like "I will be dining with the Queen tonight").  It gets whispered around the circle.  By the time it comes back to the originator, it may be "I hope I'll be dunking the squid in fright".

My carpentry is like that.  Every step gets a wee bit off perfection, and by the time I get to the last part. it is 1" too low and 1" too far.  That's why I have clamps and pry-bars and screws.  The last piece always has to be tortured into place!  I start with a perfect design and end with brute force...

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's "just" a compost bin.  Perfection doesn't matter all that much.  But its the principle of the thing.  I am, by nature, a builder.  I am also plagued by accumulated small errors. 

I understand that part of it is that I do these projects without any help.  I can't be on both ends of an 8' board, and I can't to 2 things at once by myself.  It is still disappointing, though.  I expect better of myself in spite of the difficulties.

BUT, brute force DOES make up for some errors.  A few screwed-on braces replace a hand, a few clamps make boards match up evenly, and enough screws will hold everything in place while the boards stretch internally (and they do) until things work.

Before I finally set the muddy clay around the front center post, I measured the distances between the left and center post and the right and center post.  They were exactly the same.  It looked perfect!  I was thrilled and relieved.  I soaked the clay, tamped it, and remeasured it.  Exact same distances.

The next afternoon, the clay had hardened.  I checked the vertical level of the front post, checked that the center divider was square to the back, checked that the front of the front post was precisely in line with the front corner posts.  Nothing could be wrong.

HAH!  The distance between the left and center post is 1/4" longer than the distance between the right and center posts.  I could cry...  The only explanation is that the universe is testing my sanity. 

On the other hand, it is utterly solid, completely functional, and should last for 20 years.  At which point I will be 87 and too old to consider rebuilding it.

The last part of the project is to make the slats that fit into the slots in the front posts.  That's for the next post...

Compost Bin Onsite

I got the site leveled.  Well, almost; the yard slopes, so nothing is ever perfectly level even when trying.  But it was as close as I could get it without making terraces.

I got the parts stacked outside.  I had added some diagonal braces for strength with some leftover ballisters from the deck.  There is a reason I keep leftovers around.  Always some use for them eventually.  

The braces were fun to make.  I actually got them cut to have points fitted into the corners.  Took some geometry.  If the frames were squares, it would have been easy (45 degree cuts).  But they are rectangles.  I eventually figured out that they had to be 55 degrees cuts on one side and 35 degrees on the other (55 and 35 equals 90 degrees).  My 11th grade geometry teacher would be proud of me!  Who says that stuff is useless?

That's part of the fun of building stuff myself; solving problems like that. Building it for the long-term, I both glued and screwed the braces.  Screwing the braces into the frames was some work, but I won't bore you with the details.

BTW, the picture below looks like there are X braces, but that is just 2 of them stacked together.  Each frame has one brace.  That is sufficient.

The mower and cart were good for hauling the parts.  Here it all is onsite.

Then I stuck the posts in the holes I had dug.  It gave me a visual on the size. 

The first requirement was to establish a corner.  It was harder than I expected.  I had measured carefully, but nothing goes according to plan.  I forgot the posts were on the INSIDE of the frame, so I had the holes 4" too far apart.  I had drawn it all on graph paper, but the scale was too small for me to notice the difference of 4".

I'm used to adjustments.  "Design in concept, build in reality".  So I made the post holes larger in the direction of the error.

With my trusty 4' level and some bricks for spacers, I got the first post level, and then attached a back and a side with countersunk screws.  Seriously, if I'm going through all this effort, I might as well do it right.  Pilot holes and countersunk holes for the screw heads prevents splitting the wood.  5 minutes of extra work means years of more solid posts.

I filled the holes around the posts with the clay soil, soaked it, and tamped the clay down around the posts.  When that dries, it will be as good as concrete.

The important part was to get the first corner post and 2 frames attached level and squared in all directions.  From that, all the other posts will be easier.  That board on top is temporarily screwed on to hold the posts and sides in place while the clay dries.

It may rain tomorrow, so I don't know if I can do much there tomorrow.  That's OK, I have other work to do.  My "To Do" list is way too long...

Yardwork

The approach of Winter is pushing me to get some yardwork done.  My knee is about back to normal as long as don't kneel on something hard (walking is general fine again even stairs feel normal).

I have several projects to complete.  The major one is a 1/3 of the backyard that has become overgrown with ivy, volunteer saplings, and blackberries.  What a weird combination!

I attacked it 2x this week.  I can cut down the saplings with loppers (a few demand a saw), but getting at the blackberries is horrible.  They drape over in a circle, so every one I cut HAS to fall on me and grabs my skin and clothes like an angry cat.  I was spending more time getting each individual came loose from me than cutting them.

The area is 50'x65' and that is not going to work.  The job requires EQUIPMENT!  I priced those glorified gas-powered ground surface hedge-trimmers and decent ones start at $2500.  Not the best idea for something I'm not likely to use again.  So I called a couple of brush-hoggers.

One came by today.  He just cuts everything off at groundlevel.  A high-powered mowing and debris removal service.  That might be good enough depending on the price.  With that, I would have a clear area.  I have a good roto-tiller and used it back there once.

It's rough work, but if all that is left is 1" stubs and roots, it WILL tear them out and a regular mower will keep them cropped until the roots are exhausted and die.  I can handle THAT.

I would PREFER someone to come in with a small bulldozer and scrape the soil a couple inches deep, remove the plant debris, them spread the soil out smoothly.  I haven't found someone to do that yet.

Landscapers want to turn everything into lawn or planted areas with their own shrubs and flowers.   I don't want that.

Excavators just want to flatten everything in sight and leave the debris in place.  They really don't want to mess with removing piles of brambles.

Part of the problem is that it is a tricky area.  There is a 9' diameter pond needing a new liner and a 40' water raceway uphill that flows pumped water down into the pond.  They don't want to get close to that.

I may have to take what I can get and try to do what I can afterwards.  But at least on this, I am willing to pay someone to do the rough work.

This is all because I had some trees that were shading my garden removed.  As some as they were removed, the space under them received a lot more sunlight.  I knew I had ivy around, but the blackberries were a complete surprise.  They just erupted out of no where.  I assume the tree shade prevented them from growing before.

So here is my plan.  I have five 2' tall specimen trees (2 korean dogwoods and 3 sourwoods) that should grow only about 20' high.  They won't shade my garden.  But they shold shade the ground around them to replace the shade that kept the blackberries and ivy from growing.  The ground under the older taller junk trees was nearly bare.  I'm hoping for a return to that.

I will help the 5 specimen trees grow by surrounding them with scrap carpet.  Carpet lets water through but not plants up.  I done that with many shrubs and trees and it works great.

The trees I bought are not yet dormant.  I water them every couple of days waiting for the cold weather.

If it works, I will have lovely Spring and Fall small trees in the back, no wild growth, and no new shade on the garden. 

Yardwork Again

I wasn't sure I was gong to be doing much yardwork the rest of the year.  I usually try to do at least one useful thing each day.  Sometimes I don't, but that is the goal anyway. 

So when I twisted my right knee in early April, and it was difficult to walk the first couple of weeks, I grudgingly waited for it to heal.  I do these sorts of injuries every so often but generally heal quickly enough.  I'm used to it.  You live on your own, you push yourself to do more than you should sometimes, and there is the occasional time your body says hey ease off on me a bit. 

It has happened before.  10 years ago, I casually tossed a rock at a squirrel and strained my rotator cuff and I could barely raise my arm over my shoulder for 4 months!  But it healed fine and I kind of expect that.

But this time, April rolled into May, and May into June and eventually September and it was better but not normal.  Some projects got delayed.  I had planned to repaint the bathrooms and kitchen, but crawling all around washing the walls, putting tape along all the edges and then doing the actual painting seemed too awkward.  But it could wait.

I had also planned to use my gas-powered weed-whacker with the steel cutters to eliminate the backyard brush and brambles that sprung up after I had a few trees removed  several years ago.  That didn't happen.

A few weeks ago, my right knee suddenly felt much better.  Not perfect, but good enough, and I started some minor yard projects and felt ready to do more.  I got some work done.   Mostly de-clutterring the basement the computer room, and the cat room.

And then I went and did something to the left knee.  No idea what I did.  It felt like I had banged it against a door frame, but for 2 weeks, I had 2 bad knees.  I was worried I was sufferring some serious problem (like Lyme Disease affects your joints, or longer term problems like arthritis). 

But I woke up 2 days ago and the left knee was back to normal and the right knee wasn't bad.  I could walk around pretty much normal.

So I had found a sealed bag of grass seed in the basement left over from last year .  I mowed the front yard grass very short.  Today I raked all the loose grass and dumped it where I plan to put a flowerbed island around a large rock and tree in order to smother the grass and weeds and leave some improved soil.  Then I spread the grass weeds all around.  And then I spent 90 minutes carefully spraying straight down onto the grass to beat the grass seeds onto the soil surface and give them enough water to germinate.

It is a bit late to do that.  But I had the seeds and they won't last another year.  And we are having a warm spell, so the seeds should germinate if they are still viable.  There are 2 bare spots, so I will know if they germinate.  At least that is SOMETHING done.

And both knees felt just fine after all that.  So that's good.

The next things to do are planting Daffodils in mid November, tilling some dead areas of the flowerbeds, and eliminating weeds in the paths between the framed veggie beds.  

Are you familiar with those long strips of brown paper used as packing material?  I've been saving the longest strips for several years.  The stuff comes all twisted and crinkled, but I untwist it and lay in on the basement floor and use a push broom to flatten it out.  That works very well.  Then I fold it up in 4' lengths and put a piece of plywood on it to flatten it further and keep it out of the way.  I have several hundred linear feet of it now.

It seems like great stuff to put between the framed beds, on top of weedy dead sections of the flowerbeds, and on top of all the Spring bulbs to smother weeds (with shredded bark on top).  It will probably decompose by Spring, and in not, it will certainly be easy to pull up at planting time.

It may not kill all the weeds, but it sure won't do them any good.  I am reminded of a W C Fields vaudeville joke where he says he swallowed a few moths and said he swallowed a couple of mothballs to get rid of them.  The sidekick asks if it did any good.  Fields says "well it sure couldn't have helped them any".  (Do not do this at home, mothballs are toxic).

My point is that the brown paper cover is worth trying.  If it works, GREAT!  If not, it is easy to remove and will make good compostable material after 5 months exposure to rain and melting snow all Winter and early Spring. 

Gardeners might object that  covers the soil gives voles safe space to run around under.  I did cover part of my flowerbeds with black plastic 10 years ago, and they did love it.  They ate every tulip bulb, safe from predators.  But this time, there won't be anything for them to eat.  Well, the weeds, and if they want to eat the roots of those, they are not welcome, I encourage them.  Otherwise, they don't touch Daffodils or Daylilies (toxic to mammals), the Tulips and Hyacinths are in wire cages they can't get into, and the seeds from the birdfeeder will be on top of the paper where they waill actually have trouble getting to the spilled seeds. EVIL LOL!

So I am getting into the yardwork late, but not impossibly late.  The last project, which is to plant specimen trees that won't grow tall enough to shade my garden and flowerbeds is still in reach.  By "specimen trees", I mean Korean Dogwoods, Sourwoods, Wisteria shrubs, and Star Magnolias.  Those will shade out the brush and brambles like the taller trees used to do, but not cause shade problems across the yard.

I will surround the new trees with used carpeting.  That has really worked well for me over the years.  Rain soaks right through, but weeds won't grow up through it.  And it it is usually free.  Just look for some place being renovated and ask for the old carpet.  They will usually just give it away. 

OK, I'm off to buy some specimen tree saplings...

Back, I ordered 3 Sourwood trees and 2 Korean Dogwoods.  Sourwood trees are great in Fall.  They have small grapelike clusters of yellow berries and burgundy leaves and grow to about 25'.  The Korean Dogwoods are great in Springs, don't have the same disease problems as American Dogwoods, and spread sideways.  I have one on the shady side of the house that has been happily existing for 25 years at 20 feet, and I will take some tip cuttings next June.  It has pink flowers. The dogwoods I ordered have white flowers, so that will make a nice change.



I also filled in all the screw and nail holes in the main bathroom a week ago

Bathtub Area Replacement

First, getting up at 7 am to be ready for the demolition crew was a novel experience.  Second, getting the cats stashed away into a safe room was only a partial success.  Third, no renovation work ever goes smoothly.

I managed to get up on time, fed the cats, and went to get them into the bedroom.  I called them and Marley and Iza came right in.  Ayla was not so cooperative,  sensing that "something" was up.  I know better than to chase a cat, I just follow slowly.  But she was ducking from room to room and upstairs/downstairs until she was upstairs and I wasn't sure where she was.  I figured she was either in the Mews Room or the Computer Room, so I just closed both doors.  It turned out she had to be hiding in the Living room somewhere.  I swear that cat could hide in a coffee mug!  But since she stayed in hiding and didn't try to run out through the frequently opened front door, all was fine. 

The bathtub area demolition was impressive.  I took a LOT of pictures for possible insurance reasons, but I will only inflict a few of them on you.

The before shot shows the mess.  When the tiles began to come loose, I duct-taped plastic around the front and side, not realizing how bad it was getting behind the plastic.  And under that situation, tub-cleaning seems to have fallen off my schedule.

So, they went in and just started pounding the tiles and backer board into pieces.  Well, the plastic was more waterproof than the tiles were!

Bathroom renovators are notorious for finding "more repairs needed" when the backer boards are removed.  These guys said everything looked mold-free and no rot.  I looked at it and agreed.  I don't know tiles, but I know about wood.  So they vacuumed all the dust and debris.

And started to replace the backer board.  It is a special concrete and laminate product that basically can't rot.  So was the original stuff, but after 30 years, the modern product is better.

Next, they installed the new tub and covered the inside with padding and plastic.  And it was a good thing they did!  Because after that, they constructed and installed the new pipes.  I wasn't thrilled to see them using a plastic pipe, but they assured me that it is better than copper pipe.  "Not one failure in 10 years and it sheds mineral deposits that can collect in copper pipe with hard water".

Well, I have soft water, but if the cemented plastic holds better than soldered copper, OK...   BTW, the first day I moved in here 30 years ago, I tasted the water and decided it was the best municipal water I had ever tasted!

So then we had a few "adventures".  The first was a pipe cap blowout.  You see that copper pipe sticking out over the tub?  There is a temporary pipe cap.  The Senior Repairman said they are called "shark valves" because once on, they never come loose until you want them to come loose".

So guess what came loose?  Right!  The shark valve...  The assistant went running to the door shouting at Senior guy that "the water is on".   Well, yeah, it had been turned back on, but I realized he suddenly didn't WANT it to be on, so I ran into the basement (bad knee and all) and crawled into the access where the whole-house shut off valve was and closed it.

That apparently saved about 50 gallons of water pouring out the open tub into the basement.  And I stuck a bucket under the leak. 

They were very apologetic.  Those caps "never fail".  Well, until they do, of course.  At least I got some credit for fast-action!  The assistant is not the brightest bulb in a room of lamps, he meant "water is flowing and it shouldn't".  I had noticed the senior guy mad jokes about the assistant (his BIL) and I had joined in slightly, but I stopped after that.

But, no harm was done.  The plastic in the tub caught most of it and my bucket caught the rest.  The senior guy was really pissed off, but I joked "that was fun, let's do it again". 

After they vacuumed up the water and replaced the plastic lining with a dry one (and made sure I saw they were using a brand new pipe "shark valve" cap), they proceeded with the job with the water turned back on. 

Then the second little "adventure"...The last backer board to be installed was the one that fits over the tub faucet and shower valve.  That takes very precise cut-outs.  And senior guy cut it wrong!    Oh wow, did the assistant have a relieved turn with that.  I had noticed the the senior guy just wrote the cutting dimensions randomly on a piece of paper.  Well, I suppose when you have been doing something for 38 years (as he said he had), you know where your numbers are. 

Oops, he got the left and right measurements reversed..  No problem for me, it's a fixed price contract (and the senior guy did mention that it comes out of company expenses.

I mentioned to him that when I put wood paneling in the basement, I had been careful to use a huge piece of cardboard from a bookcase box to make sure I cut it right.  Ans then traced that onto the wood paneling so that I COULDN'T get in wrong.  And got it wrong ANYWAY because I put the cardboard on the wrong side of the panel.

True story, but it did lighten up the situation...  The last thing I want are angry embarrassed workers doing work in my house.  I've done enough house work myself to know that when you get mad, you don't do your best work! 

So senior guy cut out another concrete backer board panel and it fit like a glove. 

They return on Monday to install the bathtub fixtures and do the tile installation.

Ayla, Iza, and Marley recovered quickly.  Food helped, attention helped, deck time helped.  quietness helped.  But I bet I will have to get sneakier about getting them shut into the bedroom Monday morning.  At least the final work is quieter...