More Wine

I've mentioned before that I really like a particular inexpensive Old Vine Zinfandel made by Twisted Cellars in California.   My local source said they couldn't get it anymore.  So I ordered it from a shop in another State that is willing to ship it UPS.  

I received 8 cases Tuesday (I'm a few days behind with posts here - too many different things going on lately).  They arrive in the sturdiest cardboard boxes you ever saw, and packed with styrofoam peanuts.  Which is great for shipping but messy to unpack.  

Well, I had to unpack them all first.  They idea of having styrofoam peanuts fall onto the basement floor everytime I pulled a bottle out was just too much routine cleaning for a basement.  So, anticipating that, I had driven the car  out of the garage so I had room to work.  

The shipping boxes are large.  Too large for efficient storage.  But I had saved the smaller wine boxes from the local seller.  I set up an assembly-line transfer from the shipping boxes to the smaller retail ones.  

It was a productive hour.  Shipping case uprighted and tape cut.  Pull bottles out and let the styrofoam fall to the floor.  Put the bottles into the old boxes (smaller, but they fit).  Carry the smaller boxes into the basement (cool enough for red wine).  Repeat...

Eventually I had all the bottles in smaller more-stackable boxes all set into a corner of the basement, 8 boxes with styrofoam, and styrofoam all over the garage floor.  A snow shovel is great for a large volume of light-weight stuff.  

A trash barrel was too large for the bags I had, so I used a bar-clamp to tighten the bag.  I dumped the styrofoam in the bag from both the shipping boxes and spills.  Filled it perfectly.

I now have 10-12 months worth of a liked wine all set in stored boxes.  

Indoors Rain

There was a ferocious downpour here Wednesday night (we got 4" in 2 hours).  I was  preparing dinner and heard an odd dripping sound.  Water was suddenly coming from my ceiling!  I ran to grab some plastic bins from the basement.  Just in time, too.  It got worse real fast, coming from 3 spots close by, but mostly from where I had a plant-hanger ceiling hook.  

Fortunately, the rain did not last as long as forecast, so it could have been a lot worse.  And I didn't sleep well later, listening for more rain.  I had a branch poke a hole in the roof (at a different spot) 10 years ago and had the plywood replaced and the whole roof re-shingled (it was 25 years old anyway).  

So in the morning, I called the original installer to repair the leaky roof.  First, they knew the roof, and second, since 10 years isn't long for a roof, I figured they owed me a decent price.

He said he couldn't get out to me until Monday.  That made sense, downpours get them real busy.  Maybe I should have called a couple other roofers, but at the moment I was fixated of having the original installer do it.  

I was fortunate that rain forecast for Thursday-Sunday didn't happen.  Monday morning, he called to say it would have to be Tuesday.  Thankfully he showed up Tuesday.

Funny story there.  When I pulled the original installation documents from my paper files, they were only 5 miles away from here.  I discovered (when he called Monday) that he had moved 2 counties away since then AND mostly just did work for businesses these days.  But, because he did the re-shingling, he would come out and fix it.  And because I still had a pack of the existing shingles, he agreed it was likely to be a quick job.

And he arrived Tuesday and did the repair.  There were 2 missing shingles.  He replaced those and 2 others (just to be sure).

He was friendly, and the cost was OK.  But he also pointed out the shingles had been missing for a while.

Mea Culpa!  I had found a couple of shingles on the lawn last year.  But my upwind neighbor has about the same color shingles and I thought they were his (blown into my yard in a windstorm).  Really, I looked at my roof from the front and back then and couldn't see any missing.  It was a bad assumption!  

Last month, I happened to use a flashlight in the front hall closet (near where last week's leaks occurred).  The ceiling was black with mold.  I should have called a roofer immediately, but I assumed that since my attic is gets very humid, it was just something to clean and repaint with anti-mold paint.

Well, I was wrong, and paid for my procrastination!

I have stipple ceilings.  I didn't ask for them when the house was built, but I generally like them.  Visual stimulation...  But they are more expensive to repair.  So "great", now I have stains in it in 3 places and there is a 4' mildly broken line in the ceiling.  Apparently, stipple is formed on a 4'x4' support and one edge is loose.

But it all could have been worse and on Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for that...

1.  The roofer went out of his territory to do the repair.

2.  The cost was low.

3.  The ceiling didn't actually fall down.

4.  It didn't rain more even though forecast to do so.

5.  The damage is fixable.

6.  I learned a lesson about procrastination.

Good Deed

I ran some errands and went grocery shopping Monday.  But I got to my car with one more bag than I should have.  I only realized it because there was a liter bottle of Coke sticking up and I don't buy those.  And I don't buy anything else that was in the bag.  I checked my receipt and I wasn't charged for the stuff.

Somehow, someone else's bag had been left behind and was sitting next to my stuff.  I went back in to the same cashier and there was a person talking to her and pointing to a receipt.  That solved the problem PDQ!

Felt good all the way home.  

Yard Flowers

This hasn't been my best year for flowers in the yard.  Last year, I couldn't do much after falling off the extension ladder, this Spring was unusually wet, and I wasn't feeling very active.  Weeds are everywhere, and there are just so many hours in the day to try to dig them out.

And the meadow flower seedlings I bought and planted This Spring won't flower until next year.  I do expect some good results from them then, but have to wait.

There was some successes though.  There were Black-Eyed Susans growing where I wanted to plant my tomatoes this year and I dug up a dozen or so and moved them to the meadow garden.  About half survived and are blooming in several spots like this.

And some choose their own place so there are more transplant opportunities this Fall (when they are likely to transplant better).

One of my Daylilies decided to bloom a 2nd time just this week.  May be a good mutation.  I may divide those and give them a separate spot of their own to see if they keep re-blooming.  You never know if you accidentally have a better plant.  

Some good news...  The commercial poison ivy spray works.  I tried spraying them with vinegar, but they were too tough for that.  I try to stay organic, but there are limits.  The poison ivy is spreading though the back yard and has to be killed.  

Here is one nice picture of dead ones...

And here are more, dying.  A beautiful sight.  

There are more.  I use a small pump spray bottle (wearing disposal latex gloves and washing my hands afterwards).  But it gets easier to see where the surviving ones are seeing the dead ones, LOL!

 

The Veggies

 My Spring Garden didn't really happen this year.  Started late and got lazy.  But I found a list of what could be started later for Fall harvest and decided to give it a try.  And since things are warming up these years, my growing season is lasting 2 weeks later that when I first moved here.

So I have young veggies growing...

I usually hang cherry tomatoes in a pot off the deck.  They just hang down and I can pick a few as I walk by.  This year, I just put 2 of them in a pot on the deck floor, and let them drape over.  But 4 side-stems grew high, so I put stakes in the pot and attached the up-growing stems to them.

And, yes, you might notice the thermometer reads "100".  That was in the shade of late afternoon.  Temperatures are crazy everywhere!

The main tomato patch is doing well.  I hadn't planted heirloom tomatoes (more vulnerable to diseases than hybrids, but they taste way better) there for years , so the soil has less diseases to bother them.  

You can see some tomatoes maturing here...  They grew faster in Summer heat than Spring-planted ones.

The deck cherry tomatoes that were draped over the edge are starting to ripen.

These bell peppers will be transplanted into larger pots this week.  It is late for them outside, but I am going to experiment with growing them inside.  My idea is to place them at the unmovable side of the south-facing deck door and put a mirror behind them to reflect unabsorbed sunlight.  Well, it won't cost me anything to try.

I got a free packet of chives with a seed order, so I planted them.  Not quite sure what to do with them, though.  In salads, sprinkled on chicken or pork, added to eggrolls?

The purple scallions have been growing great.  They taste slightly different from the regular green ones.  I add the tops to salads and sauces.

I bought a packet of round carrots out of curiosity this year.  The first batch died, the leaves knocked over into the soil by watering.  The 2nd planting is doing much better.  I've been dribbling water onto the soil between them this time.  

My lettuces all wore out after many "cut and grow back" cycles, so I need to replant.  They will grow fast in Summer heat and then mature in cooler Fall weather.  I grow enough to always have a green and a red leaf lettuce mature enough to cut.  It is great to be able to just walk out on the deck and harvest a whole salad. 

Deck Flowers

I threw some cheap seedlings (marigolds and dianthus) into the deck pots this year.  I usually grow my own fancier ones, but things were busy.  Actually they have grown nicely and are flowering well.  Basically, color matters most and I have that, so I'm happy.

Mean Critter

Some critter at all my Pak Choy leaves!  

 Oh, that was mean...  I use them to roll up in my egg rolls (I enjoy them a lot).  They protect the uncooked veggies from poking through the wrapper.  Yes, I could use leafy-lettuce leaves, but the Pak Choy is a member of the cabbage family and it adds some flavor.  And besides, it is traditional.

I suppose I tempted the critter.  There was a strong wind-storm coming, so I placed the tray on the deck so it wouldn't get blown over (it happened once).  This time I'l just wrap a wire around the tray for stability.

And, of course, I can't feel safe even eating the new-growth.  There might be some "critter-slobber" (and think "disease") on the plants.  I'll dump the soil, bleach the tray, and plant new ones.

I was really looking forward to using them.  They were just the right size.  Oh well, critters get some outdoor veggies sometimes.  They are hungry too.

Various Stuff

 Yeah, just "stuff".

1.  Brought my electric mower to the designated repair store last week.  Bought it from Home Depot last year.  One day, the blade stopped turning.  At least it is still under warrantee.  But I didn't know that Home Depot owned Ryobi.  So actually, there was not really anywhere else I could have brought it too.  They will contact me in about a week to tell me if the repair is warranteed.  I bet 50% no.  But I will still have it repaired if half the cost of a new one.

2.  I was late planting my heirloom tomatoes.  In 2016, I had a bowlful by this time...

3.  Have to show you this...

I had 2 others (with different faces) 40 years ago, but a clumsy housemate broke 2.  I got my own house shortly after that to escape such people.  Been happy on my own ever since.

4.  Have a list of house improvements/maintenance, but tree work comes first as one dead tree can reach the house and the storms blow in that direction.  So safety first, improvements second.  The 3rd tree service bid will come after a visit Monday.  It will be good to have the dead trees safely removed.  Then I can focus on the house.

5.  I grow a lot of small leafy crops in planters on the deck.  On a good time they look like this...

You can cut them back several times and they re-grow.  but eventually, they don't grow back.  And I had new Boy Choy growing, but some critter came up on the deck the other day and ate them all.  Have to replant inside under lights.

6.  Have corn, beans, and cukes growing.  There is still time til harvest.  And some crops like broccoli, carrots, and spinach can be planted in 2 weeks here for harvesting in the cool weather of October/November.

Tree Work

I have some tree work needed.  There is a large dead beech tree, a small dead tree, a stump of a small tree that blew over weeks ago, a "cluster of volunteers" near the front door, a burning bush shrub that has gotten  smothered by "volunteers", a non-fruiting wild cherry tree right against the fence, and surface tree roots from a neighbor's silver maple (which should have never been planted between our houses) which are reaching my house foundation.

The last few years have been hard on trees here (and elsewhere too).  Some of the work I could do myself with a working chain saw.  But I can't keep a gas one working, and for some reason, I can't get the chain on the electric one properly tightened and that makes it dangerous.  

So since the large dead beech needed professional removal anyway, I called 3 contractors for quotes.  All 3 have done some work here before.  Two visited.  

One gave the best price and has equipment that will best control the 2 tree-falls (I have 2 small ornamental trees that are nearby), but won't grind out the neighbor's tree roots on my property closer than 10' to the property line, but will use their cherry-picker machine to get up high enough to remove the branches overhanging my house.  They say that while it is legal for me to remove the roots right to the property line, they get too much trouble from neighbors and they avoid it.

The other offerred a bid $300 more and agrees to grind out the neighbor's tree roots right to the property line but can't cut down over-hanging limbs because they are "climbers" (no cherry-picker equipment) and can't climb the neighbor's tree.

Both agree to grind out all the stumps of the felled trees and "volunteer" patches and remove all debris.  Both offer good prices, $1800 and $2100.  I expected it to be $2500-3000, so no complaints there about either bid.  It is the slight differences in the work they can do that is making me hesitate to choose.  I'll be thinking about that this weekend.

It really comes down to that neighbor's tree roots.  I don't have the best relationship with that neighbor.  They are the ones who:

1.  Tried to burn down my fence.  Ok, they weren't actually trying, but when they first moved in 2 years ago, they piled dead tree branches next to my wood fence and under low-hanging dry trees and started burning them without even a hose that could reach the spot.  I had to demand they put it out.  When the woman there ignored me at first, I said I would call the Fire Department.  I offerred to put it out with my garden hose.  She and a daughter hauled pails of water from a wading pool to quench the flames.  I stayed there (hose-ready) for a while.

2.  A month later, a guy there (I think it is a divorce when the ex visited every couple weeks to help) was thrashing around 10' inside my yard with a gas-power metal-bladed trimmer to cut away grass next to a tree of mine.  I ran out to tell him to stop.  He wouldn't turn off the gas-trimmer so I had to raise my voice to be heard.  Finally he turned it off and then complained I was yelling at him.  

He said he didn't know where the property line was.  So I pointed out that the backyard fence offerred a clear line through the front yard, but mostly I just pointed out where it was.  I was initially angry, but I calm down pretty fast.  He stopped.  Maybe I should plant a row of shrubs.  

BTW, the ornamental tree the guy was attacking for the tallish grass growing close to it with the gas whacker died the next Summer.  I can't say he caused it, but I can't say he didn't either.  There were shallow cuts in the bark.

So I don't have the best relationship with them.  I haven't done anything to bother them, but some people just count up disagreements without considering who is actually to blame.  And if they needed some help, I would gladly give it.

  -------

Which returns us to the neighbor's tree.  Some limbs are over-hanging my house.  The roots are threatening my foundation and are above lawn level.  I checked my County regulations and I have a clear right to remove both limbs and roots.  Mowing the grass over them is like driving over railroad ties.

But I think they are going to go ape-shit when I do either.  I suppose I should print out the County regulation on that to hand to them when they object.

Ahh, the joys of neighbors...

Happy Coincidence

Sometimes, small things make you pleased.  And the oddest small successes do matter...

I try to drink a fair amount of liquid first meal of the day.  Whether it is breakfast or lunch (eggs, pancakes, or sandwich) doesn't matter.  I have a mug of green tea, lightly chocolate-low sugar milk with a splash of vanilla, a small glass of Coke (for the fizz), and usually a glass of V8.

I thinking of the vanilla today.  I don't really care if it is real or artificial.  The taste is about the same (and cooking article generally agree).  What really matters to me is how easily I can pour a controlled amount into the milk.  Some bottles come with flip-top caps that only allow a few drops (my favorite).  Some come with seals under the caps and I just poke a small hole it the seal.  

I bought one recently that had neither. Take the cap off, and it is a 3/4" open bottle.  Control is tricky.  Too much vanilla is a bit bitter.  I don't have the steadiest hands these days, so that is a problem.  I was looking for a small food-grade squirt bottle and not having any luck.

On the other hand, I had just emptied a bottle of soy sauce with a nice small-holed flip-top cap.  I was considering emptying the small vanilla bottle into the large soy sauce bottle, but wondered if the vanilla would sort of evaporate in all the extra space.

Then I looked at the caps on both bottles.  They seemed about the same size (visually).  Was it possible they were interchangeable?  I mean, a slight difference in size would leak.  And if the a cap threads were even barely different, same problem.

So I tried the exchange.  The flip-top, small hole, soy sauce top fit on the vanilla bottle like a glove!

The flip-top cap on the soy sauce bottle...

And now on the vanilla bottle...

In a way, I should not have been too surprised.  Industry loves uniformity of sizes.  It is a lot cheaper (efficient) to make 10 million caps of one size than 10 million caps of 3 sizes.  I've discovered this elsewhere.  I have some cast iron pans with no lids and I have some teflon pan with lids.  Most of the teflon pan lids also fit the cast iron skillets perfectly!  This is often useful.

I have also discovered that all toothpaste tubes have the same type of caps.  Some come with flip-tops and some don't.  I save the flip-tops...  So when I buy one with a screw-off cap, I usually switch them.  Trust me, some mornings I just can't deal with a screw-off cap...

So when I discovered that the soy sauce flip-top cap fit on the vanilla bottle, I was very happy.  It sort of made my whole day.  OK, maybe I am too easily "happified" by such a little thing, but little things like that can actually mean a lot these days.

There are enough major things in the world that aren't working.  I'll enjoy a minor one that does...  😁

A Good Day Outside

I have a Spring-planting schedule and a Fall planting schedule.  People tend to ignore the Fall garden, but a lot of veggies grow fast in late Summer heat and  mature best in cooler Fall or even Winter weather.

And I have become accustomed to presoaking large seeds for a few hours and then placing them between damp paper towels to see which germinate.  So I did that with corn, beans, and cucumbers recently.  Yesterday, I planted the ones that had germinated.  It gives them a headstart growing, and saves you from planting the ones that don't germinate.

These went into an awkward raised 2' x 8' box.  Awkward because it is under the roof overhang right next to the house foundation, so needs dedicated watering, but the sunlight is good there for crops that like extra light and warmth.

In 8', I planted a block of 9 corn plants, 5' of cucumbers on a trellis, and another block of 9 corns of an early variety.  The corns are separated by the cucumbers to reduce cross-fertilization of the corns.  The cucumbers are on a 6' tall 6" rebar mesh for easy harvest.  I had planted pole beans elesewhere last month (and they are growing well).  But not all spots grew, so I added more.

I had my 5'x8' trailer filled with yard debris.  Dead trees, storms and clearing old shrubs added up to a lot.  Some was old stuff piled near the edge of the backyard ; some was new cuttings.  I had been avoiding bringing it to the yard-debris recycling center due to the heat, but yesterday was forecast to be much cooler though a threat of rain in the afternoon.  

So I skipped lunch, hooked up the trailer, and drove there.  I wasn't the only one to consider the weather and threat of rain.  When I drove in, the place was empty, but 5 other guys followed me in.   LOL!

Took 30 minutes to pull out all the entangled debris.  The other guys there took about as long.  One guy showed up with a trailer that power-tilted to just slide all his stuff off as he drove forward a bit.  We all watched in amazement.  He was gone in 5 minutes...

Actually, I watched the other guys as they watched him.  It was a clear case of "trailer-envy".  It looked something like this...

I can see why.  But I don't need something like that.  And the other guys really didn't either.  But they sure looked at it like they did.  LOL!

So I drove back home, fully happy to have emptied my trailer of the debris.  The County piles the stuff up and lets it compost (moving it around from time to time with serious equipment).  It ends up somewhere between mulch and compost.  On Saturdays, you can bring a trailer around and they use the bucket-loader to fill your trailer for free.

It's a nice deal.  We bring them debris and they return it as mulch/compost free.  I would have gone on a Saturday to get a trailerload myself but I need the trailer to haul some failed yard equipment to a repair shop.

I finally contacted 3 tree removal service companies.  I have one large dead beech, one overgrown junk tree too close to the fence and a holly tree I like to remove safely myself, a dead 12' tree by the street and the stump of a similar tree that my neighbor cut off and hauled away, and a shrub I have cut down and tried to kill several times (so needs stump-grinding to really kill).  And the roots from a neighbor's tree that are above the surface of the lawn (so drive me nuts trying to move over them). 

One came over 2 days ago and sent me a quote of $1900.  But I forgot the lawn tree roots, so I need to ask about that.  Another one will call to give a time to look at the work.  Haven't heard from the 3rd.  But at least I am getting that work started

The first guy is new to me.  He left a card so I called.  It's awkward because I can't understand his English face-to-face well, but we are in email contact now and that is fine.  The 2nd is a company I have used several times and they do good work.  The 3rd is unknown to me but I will consider them.  All claim to been insured and licensed; I will require proof of the one I select.  You have to be careful.  Homeowners can be responsible for worker injuries.

But the work will be done in the next couple of weeks.  That will be a load off my mind, especially that tall dead beech.  And I'll be glad to get that unkillable junk shrub near the house sidewalk that blocks access.  And those damn tree roots from the neighbor's tree will not be missed!