Fire Across The Street

 I was at the computer a few hours ago and heard a dog seeming to be barking in fear.  So I looked out the window.  The toolshed of the neighbors (whom I don't know well) across the street was burning.

I ran for the phone and called 911.  They knew about it.  Said firetrucks were on the way.  Good.  

I pulled my garden hose out hoping it might reach the fire, but I heard the trucks arriving, so I pulled back so as not to bother them.

The toolshed was on fire.  And the shed was next to the house.  The fire spread to the house.  The neighbors have 2 cars.  Both were driven onto the street.  One was badly burned on the back end and there was some concern about the gasoline catching fire.  They were driven/pushed next to a field.

The terrified dog seems to be loose.  It bit one person.  I hope it returns, and more calmly.

Pictures...  Not all of them very good, but I processed all of them slightly.  Perhaps some might be useful to the authorities about the fire.  But I show them all here without regard for duplication.  They are all in time-order though.

There were a dozen fire trucks with lights flashing.

Some of the hoses didn't fill properly at first.  The nearest hydrant is 2 yards away.  Maybe it was blocked from lack of maintenance.  Or they were depending on the watertank trucks.  I don't know.

I saw a firefighter frustrated at not getting water from a tanker truck into a different hose.  He kept trying some levers with no success.

A hose did finally fill.  Maybe 15-30 minutes after first try.  Glad it filled eventually.

There were a LOT of trucks!

The fire-fighters did their usual good job.  I admire those people.  

They got up on the roof and chopped a hole in it.  I assume to let smoke out...

They say no one was in the home at the time.  But they said 1 adult and 2 children lived there.  They are probably wrong about that.  There were 2 cars, I've seen 2 adult women there (driving both cars), and I've seen no children there ever.  

Regarding possible causes for the fire...

I advised one of the firefighters (who seemed to be observing and recording into a phone) of the possible residents and pets.  I advised her that I've never seen the residents lighting a charcoal fire or  using gasoline equipment.  

I also advised her that the residence had been visited by some sort of house and lawn service so there had been gas-powered equipment there that afternoon.  It may not be important, but it might be.

3 hours after it started, the trucks are all gone.  I haven't seen the residents back.  When I do, I will offer help.  What a horrible event for those people!

Compost Bin Plans

 I meant to mention yesterday that if any DIYer or handyman has any questions about details, feel free to email me at cavebear2118 at verizon dot net.  I will be glad to take additional pictures of areas where the existing pics were not as informative as required.  Or explain why I did some particular piece of work.  I've thought of a few improvements...

And I can give some general guidance on composting in general...

Compost Bins

Marcia mentioned "compost bin envy".  So I thought I would discuss it.  I built a really bad one many years ago.  It kind of just fell sideways...  Who wants a bad compost bin?

So when I decided to build a new one, I gave more thought to structure and support. That time, I drew on paper, saw weaknesses and corrected them.  Sometimes, I can just "build" something, sometimes, there need to be plans...

So that time, I thought in terms of repeatable pieces.  So I thought of 2 backs, 2 outsides and a middle one, all the same.  Easier construction; just make the same thing 5 times.  And since I had a 4' roll of 1/4" wire mesh, that defined the size...

So I made 5 identical frames of 2" framex4" pressure-treated wood and attached the wire mesh.  After looking at them, I decided to add an angled 2"x2" diagonal braces to each.  

The corners are 4'x4" posts, buried about a foot deep.  I dug larger holes for those than required, but it gave me some wiggle room for bad measurements.  Nothing actually ever fits quite like the measurements suggest they will.

The pieces in front had 1" boards to create slots for removable front boards.  So I could slide them up and get at the lower compost.

Then I built hinged tops with more wire mesh in frames.  Those were kind of heavy.   But it occurred to me that counter-weights on the back would balance the weight of the tops.  Two more 2"x4" boards attached to the tops supported 4"x4" posts on the back.

Mike McGrath (former editor of Organic Gardening magazine) had a once a week 5 minute radio spot at the time and mentioned building compost bins.  So I sent him pictures of my new one.  The next week, he mentioned mine saying it was the best one he ever saw!   High praise.

I only mention all this because someone might want to build (or have someone build) a similar one.  It really is a gem.

I posted about the entire process of building it at the time.  If you want to build a similar one, here is the starting link...

It starts at compost-bin-part 1 and moves several posts forward from there.  I hope the explanations of the construction are clear enough.  An average DIYer or handyman can easily follow the steps.

It is easier than it may seem from all the pictures.  I tried to be very detailed about it.

If you build one or have someone build one, I sure would love to see the pictures...

Busy Lately Outside

It is the end of the outside gardening season.   We had hard freezes 2 night in a row.  I covered the tomato plants because the next 10 nights are forecast to stay above freezing and I was hoping to get a few more tomatoes to ripen.

But they all died.  Well, tomatoes are actually tropical vines.  So I picked all the green ones.  There are some recipes for using them.  Fried in batter is routine, but I saw one for Tomato Parmesan and will try that too.

The Coleus and Mum pots were safely in the house, so they can go back outside for another week.  I will be bringing them and all the salad trays indoors after that to limp them through Winter.  Any color inside and any salad cuttings are good.

I disassembled the tomato bed today.  Not the simplest thing.  Pull out thge cage support stakes, remove the cages, take up all the labels, pull the plants, pull up the black landscaping fabric that kept the weeds smothered.  The fabric is all trash.  It seems to fall apart in 6 months.  

But at least the grassy weeds are all dead this year.  I'll be planting most of the Pansies there next week (a few will go around the mailbox and some in the deck pots this year).  

Did some serious compost bin work the past week (there are 2 bins).  

I bought a self-propelled battery Ryobi mower a few years ago and it is wonderful.  I have it set for mulching, and I can still use the bagger attachment (easy to attach and remove).  I shredded/mowed leaves all over the yard.  

Filled the empty bin 6" deep.  Then filled 4 trash barrels and 2 trash bags with leaves for future use.  There are more leaves in the trees, but I will shred them in place on the lawn as free fertilizer for both grass and trees.

I had too much green stuff for proper composting, so the leaves were nice to add.  Yesterday, I started turning the existing greenish pile into the other bin and mixed it with more shredded leaves 6" at a shot (the layers compress).  Found I had some good worms in the existing pile.

I got half of the old piled moved but it gets tiresome.  So the rest will get moved tomorrow.  Between the existing green stuff (kitchen scraps) and the newly shredded browns (leaves) and watered a bit, the new pile should finally heat up nicely.

I overseeded the lawn a week ago.  The shredded leaves won't bother them when I do that next week.  They will have either germinated or not and they can grow up between the leaf-shreds without difficulty.

Blew all the leaves off the deck.  They don't bother me any, but the cats dislike walking on dry crunchy leaves.  It offends their sense of stealth.  I indulge The Mews.  And the leaves don't do any positive good sitting on the deck.

Put a marinated chicken on the smoker.  Not exactly my old model (fancier shelves), but close enough.

I can never quite get it to fully-cooked in the smoker, but I've read that all the smokey flavor gets in after 2 hours, so I just finish them in the oven.  Sometimes I brush half with BBQ sauce for variety.  I pulled off a whole leg for dinner (with veggies).  It was delicious!

More to do the next few days...

Halloween And Other Stuff

I don't decorate much for holidays.  Once again, I bought a pumpkin and didn't carve it.  But no kids knocked on the door again, either.  It's been like 15 years.  I saw a couple outside, but they didn't stop here.  I was even wearing my wizard costume.  And I had good treats...  Oh well...

I'll set the pumpkin and 4 orange Mums out on the front doorstep to note the season, though. 

The Mums were cheap from Walmart.  The blooms all died, but I cut the seedheads off and they are re-blooming.  They will look good in 2 weeks, but I will have to bring them inside to escape the freeze predicted tomorrow.

I'm thinking of trying to cover and warm the tomato plants.  There are finally a lot of fruits getting ready to ripen.  Next week, the night temps are going to be warmer, so if I can protect them them for this one frost, they might mature.

Covering the whole bed of them is awkward, but I have a roll of 16' wide black plastic I could place over all the plants like a loose tent.  And a single standard light bulb under the plastic would keep them warm enough.  Anything for a few more ripe heirloom tomatoes!

Spread grass seed over the lawn 2 weeks ago.  They need water to germinate.  The forecasts kept saying it would rain, but it never did.  I watered the lawn with a sprinkler and the missed spots by hand yesterday.  Hopefully, some will germinate.

My compost bin is finally heating up.  Not as it should, but at least it is finally hotter than ambient air temp.  It was very imbalanced and dry.  So I soaked it, mulched and bagged lawn leaves and layered them.  Should start heating up seriously soon.

I need more earthworms in the compost bin.  I recall my Dad used to put plastic sheet in a clear ground area that encouraged earthworms to the surface.  He was doing that for fishing bait.  I'm doing that to encourage composting.

 

Marley And the Sub Q Teatment

A few readers here are not cat-people or at least not familiar with some specific cat-problems.  So I'll mention that Marley has some kidney issues and needs subcutaneous fluid injection 2x a week and a special diet.  The vet will do the injections at no cost (though I have to buy the bag of fluids, but bringing him to the vet place 2x a week is a pain.

They said it wasn't that hard to do it myself.  I doubted that, but after watching them do it several times, I decided I could.  But I wanted to do it a couple times under their supervision.  The first time, I spoke the steps out loud while mimicking the procedure with the equipment.  

They said I had it right.  So I did it myself in the clinic 2x while they watched.  I passed, and have been doing it myself since mid-September.  It helps that Marley is a calm tolerant cat.

It has been an odd experience.  I don't mind getting annual flu and covid shots at all myself.  But doing it to a pet feels different.  Thankfully, it is not a muscle shot.  You lift up the scruff of the neck and insert a needle under the skin but above the flesh.

A hanging bag drips fluid into the loose area.  I hold Marley and the needle with a folded washcloth and watch the bag drip through a tube to the needle.  The better-positioned the needle is, the faster it drips.  The faster it drips, the shorter Marley has to sit unmoving.  There are markings on the fluid bag for each dose and a clamp to open or pinch the dripline tube.

It isn't expensive.  A monthly bag costs only $40 and the tubing and needles are included.  At least cost is not an issue.

That's the theory.  The "fun" part is that the needle has to be changed every time.  The needle comes with a protective plastic cover.  It is easy to put a new one on the tube.  The needle fits on easily and there is a plastic screw at the base that tightens easily.  

It's getting the old one off that is a problem.  I've tried several ways.  First, I just pulled.  Then I pried with a screwdriver.  Finally I used needle-nose pliers.  I've "only" stabbed a finger 3 times out of 12 injections...  

OUCH!

OK, I've gotten better about that.  But I was really stupid at first.  I was throwing away the protective cap after I attached the new needle.  So it occurred to me to save the protective cap.  😂

That helped.  Though, to make it even safer, I got the idea of taking a 2" 90 degree metal support bracket.

I'll cut a slot through the top hole and screw it to the subQ station I've set up.

Then just set the needle base in the slot and pull it safely off.

I have plenty of things to do on my workbench and outside, but after getting stabbed a 3rd time on Thursday, it went way higher on my list!  LOL!  I mean, that is a used needle, and it doesn't take much pressure to get stabbed 1/4" deep.

I seem to be pretty immune to general infections and I heal quickly.  But I'd be a fool to tempt fate...  Anything I can think of doing to make the subQ injections easier and safer is high on my To Do list!

Marley will go back to the vet for a blood test in 3 months to see how much the injections are helping.  I have been told it can keep him relatively healthy and happy for several years. 

Light Frost Predicted

It was predicted to get down to the high 30f last night and I'm not sure what temp the coleus will withstand, So I brought them inside for the night.  Those shower curtain hooks make them a lot easier to grab and take off the hangers.  All next week is going to be warmer, so I'll put them back out later today.

I moved the deck pots close to the house.  Residual house-warmth should keep them going.  I cut the balsams at ground level,  They aren't blooming any more.  But I saved the seed pods in a jar.  I don't know if the seeds will bloom but I'll toss them around in early Spring in case they do.

Saved some dried Tithonia seedheads too.  They are supposed to be annual repeat self-seeders, so they should.  Both are in labeled jars in the basement fridge.  It all multiple flowers all Summer and Fall.  I could enjoy more of them.

The deckpot marigolds are showing off well.  After I saved the Balsam seedpods, I cut them off and soil level, so the pots are all marigold.  When they die back, I will add the pansies.  Ans I have enough pansies for several places.  

This is before I cut off the dying Balsam, but you can see the marigolds in there.

Most of the Pansies will go where the tomatoes are now.  They will be dying soon.  A whole bed of 60 is nice all Winter..  Other pansies will go in the deck pots after the marigolds succumb to the cold.  And some will surround the mailbox.  Flowers in Winter are amazing!

I think I will try to keep the Coleus thriving inside.  I will add some ceiling hooks near the deck doors and see if they will last a bit longer.  The deck faces South, so they will get some sun.  I might even add a grow light above them.

Answers To Comments

Today I reply to comments.  I used to do that more often.  Time to do it again.   

To Ceecee - Long time since ECFans!  I miss the place of the early years when all that was discussed was the details of the books.  You can email me.

Marcia -  You asked about red pnsies and changes in distance vision.  The red pansy is posted.  And regarding my vision, I have been far-sighted most of my life.  My distance vision is actually becoming more normal as I age.  I still see well across the yard, but it is slightly less than it used to be.

Megan - You mentioned cheap plants, declutterring, and touch-typing.  I buy small plants (and small fish for the aquarium) because I know they will grow well with care.  My declutterring fees are 1st class cruise ships and pizza on arrival.  LOL!  

I can't learn to touch-type.  My fingers don't talk to my brain.  I can't play a tonette or a child's zylophone.  For whatever reason, I have to see my fingers to do anything.

Thank you all for commenting.  I don't get many here.  😞

At least I have a few dedicated readers...  😂

The Other Deck Flowers

 Its not all just regular potted plants here.  I mentioned I bought some really cheap Mums at Walmart and the flowers all died.  So I snipped them clean, but didn't really expect much.  Well, hurray, they are sending out blossoms!

The buds are pale now, but will bloom orange.

And I have a real gem of a self-sowing annual in 2 pots...

It's called Tithonia and grows about 3' high.  Usually 5-6 flowers on a plant.  I am going to save the seedheads and scatter the seeds around in the meadow bed Late Winter.  If only a few grow, they might spread slowly.  

The meadow bed has not been very successful, but I keep trying.  I'll get in there with shears soon and snip around between where the meadow flowers are "supposed" to be (according to the labels and landscaping flags I stuck near them).  

If I find some, I will surround them with cardboard to reduce competition with the weeds.  And plant new ones next Spring.  It has to start working eventually!

Regular Deck Flowers

Late Spring, I planted Balsam, Marigolds, and Coleus.  They did well.  I am saving the Balsam seeds to scatter around next Spring.  You have to handle the seed pods carefully.  If you are familiar with them, the pods pop open when squeezed, LOL!   But they succumb to cool weather early.

So the Marigolds are showing up better now.

And the Coleus are doing nicely.  I thought they would be gone by now, but I hadn't grown them in years.  They are more hardy than I remembered.

And here is a trick I've recently figured out for hanging pots...

Have you ever had bungee cords that wore out?  Well, save the metal hooks.  They are often useful.  I discovered that if you thread the hook part through the hole in the end of a hanging bracket, the large spiral part works as well as a nut and bolt.  

But you still have to thread the hanging chains of a heavy pot onto the hook which is a couplke of feet over the edge of the deck.

WELL, I noticed a pack of metal shower curtain hangers at the DIY store (and I am very willing to re-purpose products).  Obviously, shower curtain hangers are waterproof.  So it occurred to me that I could thread the pot-hanging chains onto a metal shower hook on the deck conveniently, and then just hang the shower hook on the bungee cord hook.

I'm not sure how well you can see this.  But the saved bungee hook is set through the hanging bracket at the top, the metal shower hanger allowed the pot chains to be easily threaded onto it, and the wide shower hanger made it easy to hold while I reached out over the deck to hang the pot on the bungee hook.

😄

I love being resourceful and reusing old stuff!  There is something about "what else can I do with that", that just pleases me no end...

It's like when I saw a 10" wide plaster spreader and thought "hey I can scrape the cat litter boxes with that"!

Pansies Again

 I went out and took pictures.  First, a group shot of the 96 pansies (for 50 cents each).

And I mentioned they were yellow, purple, blue, white and red.  I haven't seen many white ones, and red is a surprise to me.  I picked among the various 8-packs to get a good variety but I took every pack that had a red one in it.