Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Mulch
So I was shoveling the mulch out of the trailer. Here are pictures...
First step. shoveling the mulch away from the back so I can remove the back of the trailer...
Half done...
3/4...
The pile off the trailer...
The mosquitos got too fierce. I had to stop. The only good thing about the skeeters this time of year is that they are slow. Still, I got 8 bites. It was that they were around my face that made it hard.
Really, it was harder than it looks... It was close to like chopping ice off the driveway...
Monday, October 24, 2011
A Neat Trick
My most immediate outdoors project is emptying the trailerload of mulch. And I made good progress at it today (about 2/3 emptied - pictures another time). Unfortunately, the mulch is packed down by rain and weight and it has to be broken loose in chunks even using a mulching fork. That was a bit of work.
So I took a breather every 15 minutes and walked around the yard a bit, which is semi-forest and lots of field weeds. Guess what, those triangular sticky-seed plants are in full seed! I can never remember the name of the plant and I never remember what it looks like, but if they grow where you live, you know the seeds. By the time I was done with the mulch for the day, my pants were coated with 100s of them. I HATE picking those stupid seeds off. I even considered just trashing the pants (they ARE old).
But I had a thought. I have a hand vac with a rotating brush head. Spreading the pants out flat on the floor, I tried the vac. It worked beautifully. In about 3 minutes, they were completely cleaned of sticky-seeds!!!
Give it a try. Just remember not to empty the collection bag outside where the seeds will sprout... LOL!
So I took a breather every 15 minutes and walked around the yard a bit, which is semi-forest and lots of field weeds. Guess what, those triangular sticky-seed plants are in full seed! I can never remember the name of the plant and I never remember what it looks like, but if they grow where you live, you know the seeds. By the time I was done with the mulch for the day, my pants were coated with 100s of them. I HATE picking those stupid seeds off. I even considered just trashing the pants (they ARE old).
But I had a thought. I have a hand vac with a rotating brush head. Spreading the pants out flat on the floor, I tried the vac. It worked beautifully. In about 3 minutes, they were completely cleaned of sticky-seeds!!!
Give it a try. Just remember not to empty the collection bag outside where the seeds will sprout... LOL!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sometimes I am REALLY Dense
Recently, I posted about my frustrations in trying to repair the drip irrigation hoses. I had 4 of them mounted to a 4 gang valve on a 12" post. Two winters ago, the heavy snow broke the drip hoses off the couplings at the gang valve. I became obsessed trying to find an internal connection (like a stent, I suppose) to reattach the hoses to the couplings. I wasn't having any luck, because I needed 7/16" tubing and couldn't find that size anywhere.
One person, seybernetx, suggested standard garden hose repair kits. I dismissed the idea because, well, it wasn't a standard garden hose. Have you ever dismissed an idea because it didn't fit the way you were thinking of a problem? Yeah, me too!
Well, I was walking past the broken drip hoses today, and the old LIGHT BULB OVER THE HEAD lit up! A hose is a hose is a hose... WHY was I caring about the existing brass hose couplings? A standard hose repair kit would work just fine. I had simply assumed the drip hoses were some odd size that wouldn't work with standard hose repair kits!
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!!!
The hard part is that I am usually quite resourceful about fixing things, using odd unrelated objects to make repairs... I guess this is one of the top 10 list of THINGS I FLUBBED! I even had one of the right size repair kits sitting around. It worked just fine. I just need 3 more from the hardware store tomorrow.
Thank you, seybernetx. And my cats say "hello" to your cats...
One person, seybernetx, suggested standard garden hose repair kits. I dismissed the idea because, well, it wasn't a standard garden hose. Have you ever dismissed an idea because it didn't fit the way you were thinking of a problem? Yeah, me too!
Well, I was walking past the broken drip hoses today, and the old LIGHT BULB OVER THE HEAD lit up! A hose is a hose is a hose... WHY was I caring about the existing brass hose couplings? A standard hose repair kit would work just fine. I had simply assumed the drip hoses were some odd size that wouldn't work with standard hose repair kits!
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!!!
The hard part is that I am usually quite resourceful about fixing things, using odd unrelated objects to make repairs... I guess this is one of the top 10 list of THINGS I FLUBBED! I even had one of the right size repair kits sitting around. It worked just fine. I just need 3 more from the hardware store tomorrow.
Thank you, seybernetx. And my cats say "hello" to your cats...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Outdoor Fall Projects
Well, it is raining again today. It must be the rainiest Sept/Oct I have experienced. And that has exploded the mosquito population. Even with deet on my arms and neck, they swarm around my face. They are pretty desperate. Probably because there are so many of them and so few victims outside in suburbia. Really, when I was young, all kids were outside from dawn to dusk except during school. Now, hardly a kid is outside.
And with more pets being cats, and kept indoors, less pets for the skeeters to feed on. I am considering getting my hunting garb mosquito netting headgear out... That may seem extreme, but when the skeeters are biting your face, its not!
I haven't been doing too much outside the past week. The inside of the house needed a lot of cleaning and organizing. And I have that trail-load of mulch to empty...
Project 1 - Empty the trailer of mulch.
Project 2 - Deadhead all the perennial flowers of flowerstems and hang them up for the finches to eat the seeds.
Project 3 - Deepen the drainage ditch from the patio and install real perforated drainage pipe to the downslope area.
Project 4 - Clean the patio of silt and debris.
Project 5 - Protect the patio from rain from the deck above. My idea is to put plastic on the deck and then cover it with outdoor carpet. I plan to rebuild the 20 year old deck in a year or two, so it is a temporary measure. The deck has given its expected lifetime.
Project 6 - Kill the ivy that has taken over the ridge in the backyard. Too awkward to mow, but I cant till it down and spread the soil until the ivy is all dead. The vines wrap around the tiller tines.
THAT should keep me busy for awhile! And I'll try for pictures...
And with more pets being cats, and kept indoors, less pets for the skeeters to feed on. I am considering getting my hunting garb mosquito netting headgear out... That may seem extreme, but when the skeeters are biting your face, its not!
I haven't been doing too much outside the past week. The inside of the house needed a lot of cleaning and organizing. And I have that trail-load of mulch to empty...
Project 1 - Empty the trailer of mulch.
Project 2 - Deadhead all the perennial flowers of flowerstems and hang them up for the finches to eat the seeds.
Project 3 - Deepen the drainage ditch from the patio and install real perforated drainage pipe to the downslope area.
Project 4 - Clean the patio of silt and debris.
Project 5 - Protect the patio from rain from the deck above. My idea is to put plastic on the deck and then cover it with outdoor carpet. I plan to rebuild the 20 year old deck in a year or two, so it is a temporary measure. The deck has given its expected lifetime.
Project 6 - Kill the ivy that has taken over the ridge in the backyard. Too awkward to mow, but I cant till it down and spread the soil until the ivy is all dead. The vines wrap around the tiller tines.
THAT should keep me busy for awhile! And I'll try for pictures...
Monday, October 3, 2011
Crazy Neighbors
Well, I stayed up all night playing Risk and Hearts online, and I heard a familiar scream out the window. The neighbors across the street were at it again. Usually the Fat Idiot Guy (FIG) is ranting and screaming at the woman.
Ofentimes, this results in him peeling the car backwards out of the driveway, then peeling rubber down the street out of the neigborhood. She sometimes runs in front of the car. He USED to STOP.
Its gotten worse lately and I have been very worried about her safety. And recently, there has been a child involved in the fight. FIG suddenly likes to take the infant with him in the car. Driving away recklessly.
This morning, FIG took off again. with infant, and the woman stood there screaming. I have intervened before with threats of "calling the cops". I have spoken to the renters there (there are at least 2 couples, I think). Its hard to tell.
But this time I asked the woman (18? 21?) if she needed help. She asked my to call the police. I did.
They were there in 5 minutes. Two County and two State cars. I explained that I had called on her behalf, and backed off so they could talk to her. One cop stayed aside , and I gave him a brief background on the problems of the past year.
He talked to the woman for about 20 minutes, giving her advice and explaining the limitations (FIG IS the child's father, so it isn't kidnapping). I lent her my cordless phone to call friends for a safe haven. I was amazed the phone worked outside like that, but it did.
After overhearing that she needed to file legal papers at the County Courthouse10 miles away (and knowing she had no car), I offerred to drive her there if her friends/family couldn't. I'll bring a book if asked to drive. Paperwork takes time.
But I just couldn't continue to hear her screaming in mental agony every week. Yes, maybe I should have acted more forcibly before. But it is difficult to know the dynamics of bad relationships. I have acted before in other places and been told (rather forcibly) to "BUTT OUT". But I guess I judged this one correctly.
I did not know before this that there was physical violence involved. It was all yelling and screaming before. But she had blood on her nose (interestingly, she was not aware of that). That shows how bad things can get behind closed doors.
I'm glad I called the police, I think she is going to get some legal help and it is now "on the record".
On the other hand, this FIG is a real looney tunes type. If someone bangs on my door, I will answer through the computer room window. That's safe. If it's the woman, I will drive her to a safe house or legal place of her choice. If its the FIG, well, I have a real Gladius propped by the front door and another at the top of the stairs for self-protection. He IS the kind of person who would beat down a door and attack.
Sorry to bother you all with this, but I have to write sometimes to get things straight and put disturbing events in print. Some good news. A car pulled into the driveway a few minutes ago. It wasn't FIG. It was her dad. (Well, I went out and asked) He came by to help her pack some things and bring her home for some shelter for a while. I offerred any help I could give.
*SIGH*
BTW, the cats didn't know the earthquake was coming, but they DID know the neighbor screams were going to start before I did. They went all poofed and UTB about 3 seconds before I heard the first yells. Good for them.
(Very Tired) Mark
Ofentimes, this results in him peeling the car backwards out of the driveway, then peeling rubber down the street out of the neigborhood. She sometimes runs in front of the car. He USED to STOP.
Its gotten worse lately and I have been very worried about her safety. And recently, there has been a child involved in the fight. FIG suddenly likes to take the infant with him in the car. Driving away recklessly.
This morning, FIG took off again. with infant, and the woman stood there screaming. I have intervened before with threats of "calling the cops". I have spoken to the renters there (there are at least 2 couples, I think). Its hard to tell.
But this time I asked the woman (18? 21?) if she needed help. She asked my to call the police. I did.
They were there in 5 minutes. Two County and two State cars. I explained that I had called on her behalf, and backed off so they could talk to her. One cop stayed aside , and I gave him a brief background on the problems of the past year.
He talked to the woman for about 20 minutes, giving her advice and explaining the limitations (FIG IS the child's father, so it isn't kidnapping). I lent her my cordless phone to call friends for a safe haven. I was amazed the phone worked outside like that, but it did.
After overhearing that she needed to file legal papers at the County Courthouse10 miles away (and knowing she had no car), I offerred to drive her there if her friends/family couldn't. I'll bring a book if asked to drive. Paperwork takes time.
But I just couldn't continue to hear her screaming in mental agony every week. Yes, maybe I should have acted more forcibly before. But it is difficult to know the dynamics of bad relationships. I have acted before in other places and been told (rather forcibly) to "BUTT OUT". But I guess I judged this one correctly.
I did not know before this that there was physical violence involved. It was all yelling and screaming before. But she had blood on her nose (interestingly, she was not aware of that). That shows how bad things can get behind closed doors.
I'm glad I called the police, I think she is going to get some legal help and it is now "on the record".
On the other hand, this FIG is a real looney tunes type. If someone bangs on my door, I will answer through the computer room window. That's safe. If it's the woman, I will drive her to a safe house or legal place of her choice. If its the FIG, well, I have a real Gladius propped by the front door and another at the top of the stairs for self-protection. He IS the kind of person who would beat down a door and attack.
Sorry to bother you all with this, but I have to write sometimes to get things straight and put disturbing events in print. Some good news. A car pulled into the driveway a few minutes ago. It wasn't FIG. It was her dad. (Well, I went out and asked) He came by to help her pack some things and bring her home for some shelter for a while. I offerred any help I could give.
*SIGH*
BTW, the cats didn't know the earthquake was coming, but they DID know the neighbor screams were going to start before I did. They went all poofed and UTB about 3 seconds before I heard the first yells. Good for them.
(Very Tired) Mark
Friday, September 30, 2011
Garden Watering Stand
I like to keep the garden watered, but it's boring. It's wasteful to use an oscillating sprinkler on the raised veggie beds because of the walkways between them, and the flowerbeds are too narrow for one. It is too boring to just stand there and water all the beds by hand. I have drip irrigation hoses, but they all broke off at the raised brass couplings under the weight of the snow 2 winters ago (haven't quite figured out how to repair them).
I had developed a rather convenient way to water them all a patch at a time using a fat hose nozzle and a spading fork. I stabbed the fork in the ground abut 10' away and nestled the fat hose nozzle (shower setting) in the fork's D handle. But that required getting the garden fork firmly in the ground at each 6' section or raised bed. Naturally, if I needed to water the beds, the lawn soil was rather hard to penetrate with the fork.
I needed a better way. My first thought was a pole with a clamp on top and a flat "X" at the bottom with spikes to "step" into the lawn. I couldn't find any parts like that, and I'm not a welder. Then I looked at my camera tripod. It looked a bit flimsy, needed some kind of attachment at the top, and I wasn't sure how waterproof it was. But a tripod seemed the way to go.
I built one using pressure treated wood and stainless steel hardware. The PT wood is 2x2"deck balusters. The tripod is designed with 1 forward and 2 back legs. It is 2 back legs to resist the backwards force of the water and the weight of the hose.
The balusters come with pointed ends. I wanted the points for the bottoms, but I wanted flat tops to attach a nozzle platform. So I cut off the tops of each of the 3 balusters. Then I cut 3" off the 2 back legs to use to widen the attachment surface. Two pieces of scrap wood added some width. It was all glued and screwed to the front leg.
Next, I used a tapering jig on the tablesaw to cut angles for the 2 back legs to attach to the front leg. They are shorter because I used 3" to make the top attachment surfaces, but also because the front needs to be longer to create an upwards angle for the nozzle platform. That will make more sense in the last pictures. I can't give an exact angle for the cut (I really just overlayed one on the other and eyeballed the "right" spread). It looks about 30 degrees though.
I needed to drill a hole through the 3 legs for an axle bolt. I rigged up some stops and supports on my drill press for the 2 angled back legs. The front leg just needed a spacer to account for the platform support.
It looks like this when the bolt and nut is put through all 3 legs. This holds the legs all at the angles. But I also wanted to be able to store it easily for the winter. That meant being able to collapse it. So I took the back legs back to the drill press and lifted them up slightly to angle the holes.
I may not be explaining that well. To store it, I wanted the 3 legs to compress flat to each other, and the lengthened hole allowed that. And so that the bolthead and wing nut (for tightening securely on a flat surface, I used a forstener bit to make an angled hole the size of the flat washers. I don't have a picture of that, but it will be obvious when/if you make one of these yourself.
Notes: 1, The washers between the legs were removed later. I realized I DIDN'T want the legs to slide easily when being set up. 2, The spacer washers below the wing nut are there because the wing nut catches on the wood before the bolt is tight. 3, Use a bolt with threads the whole length. The bolts with about 1" of threads don't have enough thread length.
Here is the tripod in the storage position. That's what I mean by "compressing flat" and why the back legs have elongated holes.
Here is the tripod set up, minus the hose nozzle platform on top... You can see that with the front leg longer, it creates an upwards angle.
Here is the finished tripod. A piece of PT board is glued an screwed to the platform support on the front leg (the screws are countersunk under the wand nozzle). Copper clamp-downs hold the wand in place with pan-head exterior screws. A wand nozzle is much easier to attach than a standard nozzle. The wand, BTW, has the most uniform spray of any nozzle I have ever tried. This brand is Melcor; others may be just as good.
To relieve hose-weight pressure on the wand, I attached an angled hose connector. I have quick-connect attachments on all my hoses and attachments.
And here is the watering tripod in action! Adjusting the angle of the front leg easily adjusts the angle of spray.
It's easy to move from spot to spot, stores nicely, and should last decades!
I had developed a rather convenient way to water them all a patch at a time using a fat hose nozzle and a spading fork. I stabbed the fork in the ground abut 10' away and nestled the fat hose nozzle (shower setting) in the fork's D handle. But that required getting the garden fork firmly in the ground at each 6' section or raised bed. Naturally, if I needed to water the beds, the lawn soil was rather hard to penetrate with the fork.
I needed a better way. My first thought was a pole with a clamp on top and a flat "X" at the bottom with spikes to "step" into the lawn. I couldn't find any parts like that, and I'm not a welder. Then I looked at my camera tripod. It looked a bit flimsy, needed some kind of attachment at the top, and I wasn't sure how waterproof it was. But a tripod seemed the way to go.
I built one using pressure treated wood and stainless steel hardware. The PT wood is 2x2"deck balusters. The tripod is designed with 1 forward and 2 back legs. It is 2 back legs to resist the backwards force of the water and the weight of the hose.
The balusters come with pointed ends. I wanted the points for the bottoms, but I wanted flat tops to attach a nozzle platform. So I cut off the tops of each of the 3 balusters. Then I cut 3" off the 2 back legs to use to widen the attachment surface. Two pieces of scrap wood added some width. It was all glued and screwed to the front leg.
Notes: 1, The washers between the legs were removed later. I realized I DIDN'T want the legs to slide easily when being set up. 2, The spacer washers below the wing nut are there because the wing nut catches on the wood before the bolt is tight. 3, Use a bolt with threads the whole length. The bolts with about 1" of threads don't have enough thread length.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Pictures Again!
I've been a bit frustrated lately, often not being able to get pictures into the posts. They would upload in the Choose Files box, but would not transfer to the post. I even posted a question on the Blogger Help forum (no replies). So, today I tried the new Blogger interface, and pictures load properly.
Hurray!
I am showing the pictures of the "Poor Old Storm Drain" to add to THIS POST today...
The overview... Yes, believe it or not there is a 4x4x4 foot brick well and heavy metal grate under there!
At first, I tried to pull the debris off.
Most of it was too entangled. I wasn't surprised. The last time the drain was like this, the County needed power equipment!
But I stopped trying as soon as I saw that the brick structure was broken! You can see part of the brick wall is at an angle.
I also noticed that the metal grate on top is actually shoved OFF the brick structure! You can also see that the woody debris is packed so tightly that stones washed over the top and wouldn't fall through.
I called County Maintenance and reported the problem. They politely took all the information, but wouldn't suggest a repair date. I'll be happy to see them out here by next Spring. That's about how long it took the last time. However, I will say that they do good work when they come.
Hurray!
I am showing the pictures of the "Poor Old Storm Drain" to add to THIS POST today...
The overview... Yes, believe it or not there is a 4x4x4 foot brick well and heavy metal grate under there!
I also noticed that the metal grate on top is actually shoved OFF the brick structure! You can also see that the woody debris is packed so tightly that stones washed over the top and wouldn't fall through.
Monday, September 19, 2011
A Redo On The Lawn
I haven't re-seeded the lawn in years and there are thin/bare spots. So before Tropical Storm Lee came through, I thought I would take advantage of the predicted rain for the week to keep new grass seed wet while it germinated.
I didn't realize how MUCH rain there would be and how HARD it would fall at times. Some of the seed I put down then has germinated - in thick separated bands. It looks like the lime markers on a football field! And all the formerly bare spots are still bare.
So much for THAT $42 worth of grass seed! So, today, I bought another bag and I re-seeded the lawn after mowing it down as short as I dared (1"). This time, I even raked the lawn roughly and collected dried crumbled grass clippings to cover the bare areas after seeding.
After seeding the lawn again, I sprinkled the dried grass clippings over the bare spots. Not thickly, just enough to give a little cover and hide them from the birds... Then I spent an hour gradually watering the seeds enough to let then soak up some moisture and start germinating.
I saved about a lb of grass seed for patching spots that don't grow this time. Its a blend of 3 Rebel tall fescue. I like fescue, but it isn't a spreading grass, so bare spots develop. I think I will get some bluegrass for the sunnier areas next time. It spreads. But the lawn is at least half shaded, so I need fescue on most of it.
Sorry no pictures again, but for some odd reason, I can't upload pictures on THIS blog. Works fine on the cat blog, and as far as I can tell, the settings are the same. I don't have any maximum picture upload issues, as all of mine are in the "free" range. And pictures that won't upload here WILL upload to the cat blog. It's driving me nuts. I posted a question on the Blogger Help Forum days ago, but have not gotten any responses. Any ideas are more than welcome!
I didn't realize how MUCH rain there would be and how HARD it would fall at times. Some of the seed I put down then has germinated - in thick separated bands. It looks like the lime markers on a football field! And all the formerly bare spots are still bare.
So much for THAT $42 worth of grass seed! So, today, I bought another bag and I re-seeded the lawn after mowing it down as short as I dared (1"). This time, I even raked the lawn roughly and collected dried crumbled grass clippings to cover the bare areas after seeding.
After seeding the lawn again, I sprinkled the dried grass clippings over the bare spots. Not thickly, just enough to give a little cover and hide them from the birds... Then I spent an hour gradually watering the seeds enough to let then soak up some moisture and start germinating.
I saved about a lb of grass seed for patching spots that don't grow this time. Its a blend of 3 Rebel tall fescue. I like fescue, but it isn't a spreading grass, so bare spots develop. I think I will get some bluegrass for the sunnier areas next time. It spreads. But the lawn is at least half shaded, so I need fescue on most of it.
Sorry no pictures again, but for some odd reason, I can't upload pictures on THIS blog. Works fine on the cat blog, and as far as I can tell, the settings are the same. I don't have any maximum picture upload issues, as all of mine are in the "free" range. And pictures that won't upload here WILL upload to the cat blog. It's driving me nuts. I posted a question on the Blogger Help Forum days ago, but have not gotten any responses. Any ideas are more than welcome!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Poor Old Storm Drain
Tropical Storm Lee finally did it in. I'm used to it getting covered with fallen branches and washed-down debris, but this time the washed-down stuff actually broke the storm drain apart. It is a brick shell covered by a heavy metal grate that sits on the bricks.
Not any more...
The back of the brick structure is batterred loose and at an angle. the top is covered with tree debris I can't pull apart. It is so tightly interwoven that stones piled up on the top.
I would show the pictures of the broken storm drain, but blogger isn't letting me upload any pictures on this blog.. I getting a bit pissed about that. Not only that, but all of a sudden, I have to sign in to each of my 2 blogs every time with full username and password. Two days ago, I could select them from a drop-down list or use a bookmark.
Not any more...
The back of the brick structure is batterred loose and at an angle. the top is covered with tree debris I can't pull apart. It is so tightly interwoven that stones piled up on the top.
I would show the pictures of the broken storm drain, but blogger isn't letting me upload any pictures on this blog.. I getting a bit pissed about that. Not only that, but all of a sudden, I have to sign in to each of my 2 blogs every time with full username and password. Two days ago, I could select them from a drop-down list or use a bookmark.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9-11-2011
On 9-11-2001, I was quietly doing my regular job. An odd news announcement caught my ear at 9 a.m. A plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Strange accident, but one hit the empire State Building many decades before in heavy fog. But I mentioned it to a supervisor (his office included FEMA responses for our agency).
Then there was a 2nd.
Later, I felt a "thump" through my feet. A few moments afterwards, I learned the Pentagon had been struck by "something". I worked a couple miles away from the Pentagon, and 2 blocks from the White House. It was a really bad day after that. We all watched the terrible events. I won't go into that further.
When I got home, I bought and set out a flag from my back deck vowing to leave it there until the perpetrators were caught and punished for such a horrific act. I have decided to leave it up (4th one actually, they do wear out).
In past years, I have said many things about the events. This time, I think it best to display a couple of images. I searched 1,000s of pictures. Most I found were far too graphic, or xenographic, or bloody, or boastful.
I hope these 2 wordless graphics will strike the right balance on this 10th year commemoration of 9/11...
Then there was a 2nd.
Later, I felt a "thump" through my feet. A few moments afterwards, I learned the Pentagon had been struck by "something". I worked a couple miles away from the Pentagon, and 2 blocks from the White House. It was a really bad day after that. We all watched the terrible events. I won't go into that further.
When I got home, I bought and set out a flag from my back deck vowing to leave it there until the perpetrators were caught and punished for such a horrific act. I have decided to leave it up (4th one actually, they do wear out).
In past years, I have said many things about the events. This time, I think it best to display a couple of images. I searched 1,000s of pictures. Most I found were far too graphic, or xenographic, or bloody, or boastful.
I hope these 2 wordless graphics will strike the right balance on this 10th year commemoration of 9/11...
Friday, September 9, 2011
Earthquake and Storms
[Sorry no pictures today. Blogger has been rejecting pictures on THIS blog, but not my other. Can't figure out why. I'm not exceeding any limits.]
Well it sure has been an interesting few weeks. First an earthquake on Aug 23rd, then Hurricane Irene Aug 27th/28th, and then Tropical Storm Lee Sept 5th-9th!
It was the 1st earthquake I ever felt, and while it was nothing like West Coast earthquakes, it was certainly more of a surprise. My first thought was "It CAN'T be an earthquake, they don't happen here!", but after a few seconds, it was obvious it wasn't a tree falling on the house. And then we had to wait to see if there would be aftershocks.
Hurricanes aren't terribly common here. They tend to either make landfall south and approach over land, weakening rapidly, or pass by further off the coast. But we do get serious ones occasionally. I remember Hurricane Agnes in 1972. It came right up the Chesapeake Bay and sank the family boat (a complete loss). Then there was Hurricane Floyd in 1999. That one dropped so much rain so fast that my street was flooded, half my front yard was flooded, and I stayed up all night wet-vacuuming water from the basement. It is the only time I've ever seen the 2 storm drains next to my yard actually completely covered with standing water!
So then we had Irene. Fortunately, the ground was very dry and basically absorbed all the rainfall and there wasn't even standing water afterwards on my low front lawn. Still, 7" fell here, and it was the strongest wind I have experienced in my 25 years at this location.
Tropical Storm Lee was actually worse. First, it came over Maryland and just sat there for 4 days raining almost constantly! Not as hard as Irene, but for over twice as long. Second, the rain bands were heading directly north the last 2 days. The strongest ones kept going directly through my county. It was depressing, as if the rain bands were following the highway through town! I had to empty my good rain gauge twice! The total for Lee here was 10.5"! The airport 15 miles west only got 5.5" and to the east they got only 7". That made 17.5" of rain in 13 days... Third, the ground was completely saturated from Irene, so the rainfall had nowhere to go but across the surface seeking low spots.
One of those low spots was my patio! The entire yard slopes gradually from the far back to the street front. Part of the patio has cinder block walls to hold the slope. The non-cinder block entrance is at ground level. The patio was never built properly. The house builder didn't properly slope it slightly toward the lawn to prevent water collecting there. And over the years, the lawn has risen slightly, enough so that prolonged rain can lap against the sliding glass basement doors and seep in. I have occasionally had a slight problem with that.
Well, after the 3rd day of rain, it finally started seeping in again. I tried the wet-vac, but it was too prolonged a rain to stop seeping in. I finally had to go out in the pouring rain at Midnight and dig a 6" deep and wide ditch 10' to a more downslope spot at the fence gate. Happily, the water collected in the patio started rushing out! I was relieved. In only 10 minutes, the collected rainfall was a foot away from the doors and I knew I wouldn't have any further problems in the basement.
It finally stopped raining very early this morning...
One odd note about the storm. The County came by just before Hurricane Irene and cleaned the collected debris of several years from the primary storm drain. It worked fine for Irene. But Lee covered it back up again. That shows how much more forceful rainfall drainage there was from Lee. And not only tree debris; there are golfball size stones covering the woven tree debris covering the storm drain! AND, it appears that the brick storm drain has been broken by the force of the debris and stones. The back bricks appear all loose and tilted, and the metal grate at an angle. I will have to call the County about that. I'm sure they will be thrilled!
Can I please have a break from earthquakes and hurricanes for a while? Please?
Well it sure has been an interesting few weeks. First an earthquake on Aug 23rd, then Hurricane Irene Aug 27th/28th, and then Tropical Storm Lee Sept 5th-9th!
It was the 1st earthquake I ever felt, and while it was nothing like West Coast earthquakes, it was certainly more of a surprise. My first thought was "It CAN'T be an earthquake, they don't happen here!", but after a few seconds, it was obvious it wasn't a tree falling on the house. And then we had to wait to see if there would be aftershocks.
Hurricanes aren't terribly common here. They tend to either make landfall south and approach over land, weakening rapidly, or pass by further off the coast. But we do get serious ones occasionally. I remember Hurricane Agnes in 1972. It came right up the Chesapeake Bay and sank the family boat (a complete loss). Then there was Hurricane Floyd in 1999. That one dropped so much rain so fast that my street was flooded, half my front yard was flooded, and I stayed up all night wet-vacuuming water from the basement. It is the only time I've ever seen the 2 storm drains next to my yard actually completely covered with standing water!
So then we had Irene. Fortunately, the ground was very dry and basically absorbed all the rainfall and there wasn't even standing water afterwards on my low front lawn. Still, 7" fell here, and it was the strongest wind I have experienced in my 25 years at this location.
Tropical Storm Lee was actually worse. First, it came over Maryland and just sat there for 4 days raining almost constantly! Not as hard as Irene, but for over twice as long. Second, the rain bands were heading directly north the last 2 days. The strongest ones kept going directly through my county. It was depressing, as if the rain bands were following the highway through town! I had to empty my good rain gauge twice! The total for Lee here was 10.5"! The airport 15 miles west only got 5.5" and to the east they got only 7". That made 17.5" of rain in 13 days... Third, the ground was completely saturated from Irene, so the rainfall had nowhere to go but across the surface seeking low spots.
One of those low spots was my patio! The entire yard slopes gradually from the far back to the street front. Part of the patio has cinder block walls to hold the slope. The non-cinder block entrance is at ground level. The patio was never built properly. The house builder didn't properly slope it slightly toward the lawn to prevent water collecting there. And over the years, the lawn has risen slightly, enough so that prolonged rain can lap against the sliding glass basement doors and seep in. I have occasionally had a slight problem with that.
Well, after the 3rd day of rain, it finally started seeping in again. I tried the wet-vac, but it was too prolonged a rain to stop seeping in. I finally had to go out in the pouring rain at Midnight and dig a 6" deep and wide ditch 10' to a more downslope spot at the fence gate. Happily, the water collected in the patio started rushing out! I was relieved. In only 10 minutes, the collected rainfall was a foot away from the doors and I knew I wouldn't have any further problems in the basement.
It finally stopped raining very early this morning...
One odd note about the storm. The County came by just before Hurricane Irene and cleaned the collected debris of several years from the primary storm drain. It worked fine for Irene. But Lee covered it back up again. That shows how much more forceful rainfall drainage there was from Lee. And not only tree debris; there are golfball size stones covering the woven tree debris covering the storm drain! AND, it appears that the brick storm drain has been broken by the force of the debris and stones. The back bricks appear all loose and tilted, and the metal grate at an angle. I will have to call the County about that. I'm sure they will be thrilled!
Can I please have a break from earthquakes and hurricanes for a while? Please?
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Hurricane Irene
Well, it's been an interesting week. First an earthquake, then a hurricane! Hurricanes aren't too rare here, but this was the most direct hit I've experienced as an adult (and the eye was still 80 miles east). But it was clear there was going to be major rain and wind.
So I was prepared the evening before. Aside from the usual emergency supplies (flashlights, crank radio, batteries, water, food, etc), I made sure to have a good supply of comfort foods...
Before I went to bed that evening, I noticed my 5" rain gauge was at 4.75", so I went out and emptied it. I took a quick look around the yard for any tree damage and found none. But the most intense part of the storm hadn't arrived yet. The lights dimmed a couple of times, but I never lost power. I'm very glad all the electric and cable lines are underground here!
This morning I found another 2.5" of rain in the gauge, for a total of 7.25".
There was some tree damage, but nothing serious. I haven't driven out yet, but I did hear a chain saw in the neighborhood, so someone had some larger damage.
I found some medium branches fallen.
And a few smaller ones, but those were from my favorite saucer magnolia tree.
I have some repair work to do in that tree! There are a couple of breaks like this.
Two of my tomato cages blew over in spite of being staked. One stake was bent over at ground level, the other was simply pushed over in the soaked garden soil. I was able to raise the cages without any apparent damage to the plants. I put 2 stakes on each cage for better protection.
So I came through the hurricane in good shape.
So I was prepared the evening before. Aside from the usual emergency supplies (flashlights, crank radio, batteries, water, food, etc), I made sure to have a good supply of comfort foods...
This morning I found another 2.5" of rain in the gauge, for a total of 7.25".
There was some tree damage, but nothing serious. I haven't driven out yet, but I did hear a chain saw in the neighborhood, so someone had some larger damage.
I found some medium branches fallen.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Earthquake
Well, I have experienced my first earthquake. It was quite interesting. My first thought was that one of the 2 huge trees near the house was falling on it an breaking through the attic in stages. But I realized immediately that the shaking was too frequent and sudden. So I guess it was about 5 seconds before I knew it had to be an earthquake.
It was odd; the house felt like it was being pounded rather than shaken. There was no vertical movement sensation. I think I was being moved back and forth laterally about 6 inches. I kept on my feet, but after a few more seconds it became visually disorienting because the house and I were not moving in the same way. So I had to put a hand on the kitchen counter.
It felt as though it lasted about 15 seconds, but everyone on TV later agreed it was about 25 seconds. The center was about 90 miles away, in central VA, 5.8 magnitude. Apparently there was one major aftershock and several minor ones in the following hour, but I did not feel any of those here.
The range of detectable shaking was very large; from Atlanta GA to Ontario, to Ohio (as best I've heard). It was so widespread because the US east coast is old solid ground; few faults to absorb movement.
I went outside immediately when the shaking stopped, mainly in case one of those trees DID decide to fall. It was another minute before the first neighbor came out. It was hilarious. The first 3 neighbors to come out all asked "Did you feel that?". DUH! I assured them that everyone for many miles around had surely felt it. I said, "for all we know at the moment, New York is in ruins or the New Madrid fault opened up again" (none of my neighbors had heard of New Madrid).
I went back inside to look for any damage and check CNN for details and likelihood of aftershocks. All the cats were STILL poofed up after 10 minutes and now, 3 hours later are demanding more attention than usual (making it hard to type). The only consequences were some fishtank water had sloshed out (no fish), a framed photograph had shaken off a bookshelf, and one tippy samurai figurine had fallen over (undamaged).
It was interesting, but I won't mind if it doesn't happen again...
It was odd; the house felt like it was being pounded rather than shaken. There was no vertical movement sensation. I think I was being moved back and forth laterally about 6 inches. I kept on my feet, but after a few more seconds it became visually disorienting because the house and I were not moving in the same way. So I had to put a hand on the kitchen counter.
It felt as though it lasted about 15 seconds, but everyone on TV later agreed it was about 25 seconds. The center was about 90 miles away, in central VA, 5.8 magnitude. Apparently there was one major aftershock and several minor ones in the following hour, but I did not feel any of those here.
The range of detectable shaking was very large; from Atlanta GA to Ontario, to Ohio (as best I've heard). It was so widespread because the US east coast is old solid ground; few faults to absorb movement.
I went outside immediately when the shaking stopped, mainly in case one of those trees DID decide to fall. It was another minute before the first neighbor came out. It was hilarious. The first 3 neighbors to come out all asked "Did you feel that?". DUH! I assured them that everyone for many miles around had surely felt it. I said, "for all we know at the moment, New York is in ruins or the New Madrid fault opened up again" (none of my neighbors had heard of New Madrid).
I went back inside to look for any damage and check CNN for details and likelihood of aftershocks. All the cats were STILL poofed up after 10 minutes and now, 3 hours later are demanding more attention than usual (making it hard to type). The only consequences were some fishtank water had sloshed out (no fish), a framed photograph had shaken off a bookshelf, and one tippy samurai figurine had fallen over (undamaged).
It was interesting, but I won't mind if it doesn't happen again...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Free Mulch Again!
For years, the County collected lawn and tree debris, shredded it, and aged it. Then gave it back to county residents for free. On Saturdays, they would even load it in trailers or pickups for free. It wasn't big pieces like commercial mulch, nor aged enough to be compost. I used to get 2 trailer loads each Spring. One to use for mulch and the other to set aside to compost further.
Then they stopped for 2 (3?) years. I kept checking their website only to see "No Mulch Available". I figured they were either using it for county maintenance, or lacked the funds to keep processing the raw debris.
So when I had a landfill load of trash, I asked about it. I was told the mulch had become available again all this year. I would swear the website said "No Mulch Available" just last month. But the imporatant thing was that the mulch was available again!
There used to be hour-long lines to get the Saturday free loading, but yesterday, I was the only customer. I drove up, put a tarp on the bottom of the trailer (it has gaps between the floorboards) and set the edge of a larger tarp in the front so the mulch would hold it in place. ONE big bucket load later, the trailer was filled to overflowing! I folded the top tarp back over the pile and attached it down with bungee cords.
I drove it into the back yard, where I will scoop it out onto this beat up old tarp where the last of the compost mulch was used up this Spring. Unfortunately, the top tarp did not reach all the way to the back end, and with 3" of rain falling on it, the exposed mulch got so heavy it tipped the trailer back.
Now there is too much weight against the removable back upright, I can't remove it. So I'll have to shovel a foot or so clear before I can slide the mulch out.
This is how tipped it is. I removed the top tarp, in hopes that the rain forecast for tonight will even out the weight and let it sit level again so that I can remove the back.
I shot this picture crooked so that it would LOOK level. LOL! That's 2.75 cubic yards of free mulch! I hate to think what it would cost to buy it by the bag!
As soon as I get this unloaded and spread around the flower/garden beds, I'll go back and get more to leave aside to compost, then whatever more I can get, I'll use to cover my daffodil and hosta beds!
Then they stopped for 2 (3?) years. I kept checking their website only to see "No Mulch Available". I figured they were either using it for county maintenance, or lacked the funds to keep processing the raw debris.
So when I had a landfill load of trash, I asked about it. I was told the mulch had become available again all this year. I would swear the website said "No Mulch Available" just last month. But the imporatant thing was that the mulch was available again!
There used to be hour-long lines to get the Saturday free loading, but yesterday, I was the only customer. I drove up, put a tarp on the bottom of the trailer (it has gaps between the floorboards) and set the edge of a larger tarp in the front so the mulch would hold it in place. ONE big bucket load later, the trailer was filled to overflowing! I folded the top tarp back over the pile and attached it down with bungee cords.
I drove it into the back yard, where I will scoop it out onto this beat up old tarp where the last of the compost mulch was used up this Spring. Unfortunately, the top tarp did not reach all the way to the back end, and with 3" of rain falling on it, the exposed mulch got so heavy it tipped the trailer back.
Now there is too much weight against the removable back upright, I can't remove it. So I'll have to shovel a foot or so clear before I can slide the mulch out.
This is how tipped it is. I removed the top tarp, in hopes that the rain forecast for tonight will even out the weight and let it sit level again so that I can remove the back.
I shot this picture crooked so that it would LOOK level. LOL! That's 2.75 cubic yards of free mulch! I hate to think what it would cost to buy it by the bag!
As soon as I get this unloaded and spread around the flower/garden beds, I'll go back and get more to leave aside to compost, then whatever more I can get, I'll use to cover my daffodil and hosta beds!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Strange Rain
I had the oddest experience today. Something that hasn't happened to me since I was about 11. Those many years ago, we kids were playing outside and realized that it was raining in our yard, but NOT across the street!
Well, it finally happened again! I was watching the rain suddenly pouring down in the front yard, so I went to the back to watch the rain gauge fill up. Nothing! It WASN"T raining in the back yard. Not a drop.
Convinced I was just not seeing it, I went out on the deck. Dry! I even went out in the yard because sometimes the trees absorb a lot of rain at first. Nothing! It was several minutes before rain finally started falling in the back.
Talk about being on the edge of a cloud!!! Has this ever happened to you?
Well, it finally happened again! I was watching the rain suddenly pouring down in the front yard, so I went to the back to watch the rain gauge fill up. Nothing! It WASN"T raining in the back yard. Not a drop.
Convinced I was just not seeing it, I went out on the deck. Dry! I even went out in the yard because sometimes the trees absorb a lot of rain at first. Nothing! It was several minutes before rain finally started falling in the back.
Talk about being on the edge of a cloud!!! Has this ever happened to you?
Friday, August 5, 2011
Forced Shopping
This is NOT an advertisement for Walmart, though it may seem like one. It's just that I had a massive shopping trip (for a reason).
For a week, there has been utility digging in the neighborhood. A large sign said the electricity would be off Aug 1 from 8 am to 1 pm. So I planned for it. I had left my car for a battery problem at the dealership last week and the Walmart is right across the street. I spent the scheduled service hour wandering through the store and found a number of things I could use, plus some things I didn't know Walmart carried (they have expanded their food area). I didn't want to buy anything then because I would have had to haul it all back to the car dealership.
But I planned yesterday carefully. The power was to go off at 8 am (and the temperature was forecast for the upper 90s). And I know that scheduled outages get extended sometimes. So I got up at 6 am and cranked the A/C down to 65, showered, got dressed, made breakfast. I took the car out of the garage (electric door). At 7:45, I checked the computer, shut it down, and turned off the backup battery, and unplugged the emergency outage lights.
The power went off at 8:15. As planned, I went outside to do some garden weeding and random yardwork in the "cool" of the morning (it was already 85). I came inside at 10 am and the house temp was up to 70 already and no air circulation. So I went on my planned shopping expedition.
First, to places that sold stuff Walmart doesn't (or has but is junk). I started at the Home Depot (Big Box DIY store). I have had several burst hoses lately (they are all getting old) so I wanted commercial-grade, and I needed a couple good new hose sprayers too. Plus I am trying to design a stand for attaching a nozzle to so that I don't have to stand around holding a nozzle all day when I water the gardens. I needed to just see what basic stuff I might use.
Got to the Home Depot and found 2 nice hose nozzles. Damn, I forgot to pace off the lengths of hoses I wanted to replace. I'll have to get those later. And I forgot to get 2 more quick-connect male connections. Later on those too. Any shopping list is guaranteed to be incomplete.
From there, I went to PetsMart. Petco has the higher-quality stuff, but where they both have the same product, PetsMart is cheaper. I wanted a 3rd cat carrier (3 cats - 3 carriers) and a collar for Iza (she lost another one). I found a nice new red collar for Iza (this one is even reflective). It was hard deciding on a new carrier (trying to judge the size from memory of the other ones at home). I already have a small one (fine for Ayla at 7 pounds) and a larger one (fine for Iza at 12 pounds). But I decided that Marley is probably going to get near 16 pounds at the rate he is growing, so I got an even larger one. AND it has a TOP opening door! It has a front one too. I never saw that before! I decided to pass on the customized pad at $12; I have lots of old towels.
To my surprise, PetsMart is now carrying Eukanuba kibble. I hadn't seen it there before. Cheaper than Petco by $3! Grabbed a bag. I have some already, but it will last.
So then it was on to Walmart. Some of their own brand stuff is well-rated by Consumer Reports magazine, and I go there for those anyway. But when they sell the same brand name product at 75% of the regular price as other places, I'd be a fool not to shop there.
I bought/guesstimate savings:
Kleenex 3 packs/25%
Tidy-Cat litter/40%
Toilet paper/30%
A single outstanding car mat/(not found elsewhere)
Low sodium V8 juice/33%
Tea (regular and decaffinated)/50%
Narrow spatula (sharp-edged and heat resistant/it was only 88 cents!
A pill splitter (for vitamins and cat pills)10%
Sodas/10%
Spices/20%
Nestle's Quick (no sugar added)/20%
Candy (I have a weakness for Hershey Hugs and Dove Raspberry Dark Chocolate)/20%
A hand-held fertilizer dispenser (for where the yard-type one can't go)/not found elsewhere
Pajama shorts/ impulse purchase
Thick work socks (my gardening shoes are just a little large)/just seemed a good deal
Picture of the loot...
And the new cat carrier. I hope whoever thought of putting a door ON THE TOP got a HUGE bonus for that idea!
Oh, about that car mat... I have had this flimsy car mat from the previous car and it keeps sagging and folding under the pedals. I have to straighten it out every time I drive. I was going to rubber-cement it to a piece of old chairmat to stiffen it. Partly because auto places only sell mats in 4-packs (2 front, 2 back) for about $30. This single one is all I need, it is thick and ribbed and it cost about $5!
Usually, I just go to Walmart for a few specific things. I'm usually there for the kitty litter (they sell the 35# bucket for less than the pet stores sell the 27# bucket) and the V8 juice. But when they sell brand name stuff at half-price, I gotta shop there...
I'll give an interesting example of how bulk changes prices. When I moved here 25 years ago, one of the first things I bought from a local hardware store was a benchtop table saw. 3 months later, the first Big Box DIY store opened and they had the exact model for half the price and it wasn't even "on sale". Just their regular price. I felt robbed!
Another thing... I had been looking on the net for a wall "clock" that gave date/day/time digitally in big letters. Couldn't find one. Walmart had one. And it gives the outside temperature, indoor temperature and indoor humidity. AND keeps the clock accurate by radio signal. For $20!
Another thing... I had been wanting a "touch-on" bedside lamp for years. I found one at Home Depot for $40. It broke in months. They didn't sell it anymore. Walmart had one, one time. Two per box actually. For $20. Working fine after several years.
But anyway, it was a great day shopping. It's not something I do often, so it was great fun! But it worked out perfectly. When I got home, the power was back on, and one clock I have counts the time from power-on. It was only 15 minutes. I pretty much timed it perfectly.
For a week, there has been utility digging in the neighborhood. A large sign said the electricity would be off Aug 1 from 8 am to 1 pm. So I planned for it. I had left my car for a battery problem at the dealership last week and the Walmart is right across the street. I spent the scheduled service hour wandering through the store and found a number of things I could use, plus some things I didn't know Walmart carried (they have expanded their food area). I didn't want to buy anything then because I would have had to haul it all back to the car dealership.
But I planned yesterday carefully. The power was to go off at 8 am (and the temperature was forecast for the upper 90s). And I know that scheduled outages get extended sometimes. So I got up at 6 am and cranked the A/C down to 65, showered, got dressed, made breakfast. I took the car out of the garage (electric door). At 7:45, I checked the computer, shut it down, and turned off the backup battery, and unplugged the emergency outage lights.
The power went off at 8:15. As planned, I went outside to do some garden weeding and random yardwork in the "cool" of the morning (it was already 85). I came inside at 10 am and the house temp was up to 70 already and no air circulation. So I went on my planned shopping expedition.
First, to places that sold stuff Walmart doesn't (or has but is junk). I started at the Home Depot (Big Box DIY store). I have had several burst hoses lately (they are all getting old) so I wanted commercial-grade, and I needed a couple good new hose sprayers too. Plus I am trying to design a stand for attaching a nozzle to so that I don't have to stand around holding a nozzle all day when I water the gardens. I needed to just see what basic stuff I might use.
Got to the Home Depot and found 2 nice hose nozzles. Damn, I forgot to pace off the lengths of hoses I wanted to replace. I'll have to get those later. And I forgot to get 2 more quick-connect male connections. Later on those too. Any shopping list is guaranteed to be incomplete.
From there, I went to PetsMart. Petco has the higher-quality stuff, but where they both have the same product, PetsMart is cheaper. I wanted a 3rd cat carrier (3 cats - 3 carriers) and a collar for Iza (she lost another one). I found a nice new red collar for Iza (this one is even reflective). It was hard deciding on a new carrier (trying to judge the size from memory of the other ones at home). I already have a small one (fine for Ayla at 7 pounds) and a larger one (fine for Iza at 12 pounds). But I decided that Marley is probably going to get near 16 pounds at the rate he is growing, so I got an even larger one. AND it has a TOP opening door! It has a front one too. I never saw that before! I decided to pass on the customized pad at $12; I have lots of old towels.
To my surprise, PetsMart is now carrying Eukanuba kibble. I hadn't seen it there before. Cheaper than Petco by $3! Grabbed a bag. I have some already, but it will last.
So then it was on to Walmart. Some of their own brand stuff is well-rated by Consumer Reports magazine, and I go there for those anyway. But when they sell the same brand name product at 75% of the regular price as other places, I'd be a fool not to shop there.
I bought/guesstimate savings:
Kleenex 3 packs/25%
Tidy-Cat litter/40%
Toilet paper/30%
A single outstanding car mat/(not found elsewhere)
Low sodium V8 juice/33%
Tea (regular and decaffinated)/50%
Narrow spatula (sharp-edged and heat resistant/it was only 88 cents!
A pill splitter (for vitamins and cat pills)10%
Sodas/10%
Spices/20%
Nestle's Quick (no sugar added)/20%
Candy (I have a weakness for Hershey Hugs and Dove Raspberry Dark Chocolate)/20%
A hand-held fertilizer dispenser (for where the yard-type one can't go)/not found elsewhere
Pajama shorts/ impulse purchase
Thick work socks (my gardening shoes are just a little large)/just seemed a good deal
Picture of the loot...
Oh, about that car mat... I have had this flimsy car mat from the previous car and it keeps sagging and folding under the pedals. I have to straighten it out every time I drive. I was going to rubber-cement it to a piece of old chairmat to stiffen it. Partly because auto places only sell mats in 4-packs (2 front, 2 back) for about $30. This single one is all I need, it is thick and ribbed and it cost about $5!
Usually, I just go to Walmart for a few specific things. I'm usually there for the kitty litter (they sell the 35# bucket for less than the pet stores sell the 27# bucket) and the V8 juice. But when they sell brand name stuff at half-price, I gotta shop there...
I'll give an interesting example of how bulk changes prices. When I moved here 25 years ago, one of the first things I bought from a local hardware store was a benchtop table saw. 3 months later, the first Big Box DIY store opened and they had the exact model for half the price and it wasn't even "on sale". Just their regular price. I felt robbed!
Another thing... I had been looking on the net for a wall "clock" that gave date/day/time digitally in big letters. Couldn't find one. Walmart had one. And it gives the outside temperature, indoor temperature and indoor humidity. AND keeps the clock accurate by radio signal. For $20!
Another thing... I had been wanting a "touch-on" bedside lamp for years. I found one at Home Depot for $40. It broke in months. They didn't sell it anymore. Walmart had one, one time. Two per box actually. For $20. Working fine after several years.
But anyway, it was a great day shopping. It's not something I do often, so it was great fun! But it worked out perfectly. When I got home, the power was back on, and one clock I have counts the time from power-on. It was only 15 minutes. I pretty much timed it perfectly.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
New Cat Tree
We have a new cat tree in the house. Actually, I assembled it several weeks ago, but with one thing and another (mostly Ayla's surprise medical problems), there wasn't wasn't a good time for the cats to post it on their own blog. So I held off posting about it here until they could.
Here it is each step of the way:
Here it is each step of the way:
Monday, August 1, 2011
Weeding The Flowerbed
Between getting into a daytime sleep-cycle, the brutal heat of a couple weeks ago (but not much better now), and Ayla having medical complications all last week, the weeds took over! It sure doesn't take them long to grow and for me to get behind...
This is where I planted annuals this year. I had a large area where some evil runner grass had taken over last Fall. I dug it out carefully, but some came back this Spring.
I lifted the perennials out and searched through their roots for runners, then moved them elsewhere mostly to make larger patches of their same kind. My columbine patch is now double in size, for example.
Then I dug the runner grass out again using a spading fork to loosen the soil so that I could follow all the runners several inches underground and slide them out carefully . That worked very well. There is almost none left.
But all that digging brought a lot of other weed seeds to the surface and the planted annual bed exploded with them. As you can see here...
Here's a closeup of one part for reference.
This is the same spot after I spent over an hour of weeding. Remarkably better.
After the 1st effort I had plenty left to do...
And here is that same section after today's work!
An overview of the entire weeded area!
But that is just the annual area. As you can see, I have a few more days of work waiting for me. This spot won't be TOO bad. Most of that is actually non-weedy perennials that have already bloomed for the year and weeds in the garden path that will come up from the pea gravel easily.
This area will be harder. There are several kinds of weeds with thin roots that break off easily. That means digging.
This will be difficult, too. The close growing dianthus makes it hard to get at the wiregrass and mock strawberry embedded among them.
At least those areas are shaded after 4 pm. But did I mentioned my area is infested with Asian Tiger Mosquitoes? Deet works well enough on my arms and neck, but they still swarm around my face looking for a place to land!
And then I spent over an hour hand watering the weeded area and some parts that were most desperate. I'll water the rest of the flower and garden later when the shade arrives.
Well, I'll have more pictures when I make more progress...
This is where I planted annuals this year. I had a large area where some evil runner grass had taken over last Fall. I dug it out carefully, but some came back this Spring.
I lifted the perennials out and searched through their roots for runners, then moved them elsewhere mostly to make larger patches of their same kind. My columbine patch is now double in size, for example.
Then I dug the runner grass out again using a spading fork to loosen the soil so that I could follow all the runners several inches underground and slide them out carefully . That worked very well. There is almost none left.
But all that digging brought a lot of other weed seeds to the surface and the planted annual bed exploded with them. As you can see here...
And then I spent over an hour hand watering the weeded area and some parts that were most desperate. I'll water the rest of the flower and garden later when the shade arrives.
Well, I'll have more pictures when I make more progress...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Its Been A Hard Week
Well, I should summarize the week...
Sunday - Ayla suddenly started extruding pus from her vulva. I spent the afternoon and night keeping her as clean as I could.
Monday - Brought Ayla to my regular vet first thing in the morning. He did some tests to eliminate urinary infections, then did x-rays to search for a reproductive tract problem. He scheduled surgery for Tuesday.
Tuesday - Ayla was opened for exploratory surgery first thing in the morning. At noon, the vet called to say that he had found the spayed uterus remnant was infected, which led him to discover her left ovary was intact. He removed both. Considering that the breeder's vet had done both a first and a followup spay operation, he was quite surprised! I was very angry towards the breeder's vet.
Ayla (and I) have gone through frequent and lengthy heat cycles for 3 years. Most times lasting for 10 days separated by 2 weeks of calm. Occasionally, there was a whole month between heat episodes. The news that my vet had found the cause was a matter of extreme joy. I was thrilled. The $800 was well worth all the trouble.
Tuesday night I picked Ayla up to give her the antibiotic, and I discovered she was dripping with red stuff all over the incision. I assumed it was blood and brought her to an emergency pet hospital. I was there for 2 hours. The ER vet put a pressure bandage on her, did some tests, and decided she should see my regular vet in the morning.
Wednesday - My vet was upset and distressed that I had had to go through all the ER stuff. He explained that scar tissue is difficult to seal and that sometimes there is seepage. But he apologized for not having advised my of that, and I am OK with the apology. It DID cost me $1,000 at the ER hospital to learn that Ayla COULD have just lain on a thick towel all night. The ER vet COULD have told me that, but he is running a business and I DID request service. It was still pretty shoddy, though.
Anyway, my vet kept her for observation and examination all day at no charge.
Thursday - Brought Ayla back to my vet for further observation. He found the incision healing, not seeping, and he removed the IV catheter. No charge, more apology, and lots of discussion. And he gave me his home phone number in case of night time problems.
I hate the cone she has to wear, so I went out and bought an inflatable collar (XS dog collar, if you want to find one for a small cat, S for a regular size cat). Ayla doesn't mind the inflatable collar, it even seems to make a decent pillow!
Friday - Ayla is alert and walking around, eating, and drinking. She seems fine now, healing well with no "sera" seepage.
I spent the morning giving her lots of attention and scritching the itchy incision area that she can't get at with the inflatable collar. She enjoyed that a LOT!
In the afternoon, I unwound by watering the veggie and flower gardens. I have a nice system. Stab a spading fork with a "D" handle in the ground, fit a hose nozzle in the handle (most will fit one way or another), and turn the water on for 5 full minutes at each spot. Move the spade and repeat. All afternoon! Sit in a chair in the shade and drink a beer while listening to classical music on a little boom box. Very relaxing and theraputive.
It was 100+ outside, but I was sitting in the shade and there was a slight breeze. There was water spraying, birds around, etc. I NEEDED that!
Speaking of the gardens, the reason I was watering was because we are so dry here in MD. There have been rains, but brief and hard and not much for several weeks. How dry has it been? The hosta bed still has dry crunchy leaves from last Fall. They won't decompose! Too dry.
More bad news! A sign at the entrance to my neighborhood advises that electricity will be turned off for 5 hours August 1st! Oh joy... The forecast for that day is over 100 again. I see that Verizon is digging up the neighborhood for some reason, so that must be the cause.
More bad news! Have you ever used a garden hose and forgotten to turn the water off? And the hose burst? And not gone out there for 2 days? That happened to me Tuesday. I don't know exactly when the hose burst. If I am lucky, it burst just before I went out and noticed. If I am unlucky, it happened shortly after I went inside and it spewed water for 2 days. And, of course, the water was not even spewing near any of my plants... I will find out on the next quarterly bill.
More bad news! Because of Ayla's apparently finally successful spay Tuesday, I contacted a radio vet show (The Animal House). I had been a guest in June of last year discussing unsuccessfully "Twice-Spayed Ayla, and they asked for followup. So I was scheduled for a taping Wed afternoon. Well, Wed morning I had been up all night and morning, so I had to call to cancel (because I needed to collapse in bed). They didn't want to reschedule for the next week, so they are just going to read the email I sent them. I sure wish I could have been on-air to talk to them. That would have been thrilling! I guess I missed my 15 minutes of fame...
It will be broadcast in August and I will give details for that later.
I think it is finally safe to have "too much to drink tonight"! And I plan to. I just haven't decided whether it will be my favorite cheap wine (Twisted vine Zinfandel) or my own Sling recipe (1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz pomegranate liquer, a shot of real pomegranate juice, fill up the glass with ginger ale over ice, and drink through straw).
I HAVE had worse weeks, but not often, and this one ranks way up on the list. My baby sister died last Summer, Mom died last Fall, Skeeter died in Dec 2008, LC died in Jan 2010, I failed out of college in 1975 (I returned and graduated in 1993), and I got fired from a job because I couldn't roll tires off a truck fast enough. All considered, I think this week places 5th. Maybe 6th because I think at least Ayla IS finally spayed and that's good.
Sunday - Ayla suddenly started extruding pus from her vulva. I spent the afternoon and night keeping her as clean as I could.
Monday - Brought Ayla to my regular vet first thing in the morning. He did some tests to eliminate urinary infections, then did x-rays to search for a reproductive tract problem. He scheduled surgery for Tuesday.
Tuesday - Ayla was opened for exploratory surgery first thing in the morning. At noon, the vet called to say that he had found the spayed uterus remnant was infected, which led him to discover her left ovary was intact. He removed both. Considering that the breeder's vet had done both a first and a followup spay operation, he was quite surprised! I was very angry towards the breeder's vet.
Ayla (and I) have gone through frequent and lengthy heat cycles for 3 years. Most times lasting for 10 days separated by 2 weeks of calm. Occasionally, there was a whole month between heat episodes. The news that my vet had found the cause was a matter of extreme joy. I was thrilled. The $800 was well worth all the trouble.
Tuesday night I picked Ayla up to give her the antibiotic, and I discovered she was dripping with red stuff all over the incision. I assumed it was blood and brought her to an emergency pet hospital. I was there for 2 hours. The ER vet put a pressure bandage on her, did some tests, and decided she should see my regular vet in the morning.
Wednesday - My vet was upset and distressed that I had had to go through all the ER stuff. He explained that scar tissue is difficult to seal and that sometimes there is seepage. But he apologized for not having advised my of that, and I am OK with the apology. It DID cost me $1,000 at the ER hospital to learn that Ayla COULD have just lain on a thick towel all night. The ER vet COULD have told me that, but he is running a business and I DID request service. It was still pretty shoddy, though.
Anyway, my vet kept her for observation and examination all day at no charge.
Thursday - Brought Ayla back to my vet for further observation. He found the incision healing, not seeping, and he removed the IV catheter. No charge, more apology, and lots of discussion. And he gave me his home phone number in case of night time problems.
I hate the cone she has to wear, so I went out and bought an inflatable collar (XS dog collar, if you want to find one for a small cat, S for a regular size cat). Ayla doesn't mind the inflatable collar, it even seems to make a decent pillow!
Friday - Ayla is alert and walking around, eating, and drinking. She seems fine now, healing well with no "sera" seepage.
I spent the morning giving her lots of attention and scritching the itchy incision area that she can't get at with the inflatable collar. She enjoyed that a LOT!
In the afternoon, I unwound by watering the veggie and flower gardens. I have a nice system. Stab a spading fork with a "D" handle in the ground, fit a hose nozzle in the handle (most will fit one way or another), and turn the water on for 5 full minutes at each spot. Move the spade and repeat. All afternoon! Sit in a chair in the shade and drink a beer while listening to classical music on a little boom box. Very relaxing and theraputive.
It was 100+ outside, but I was sitting in the shade and there was a slight breeze. There was water spraying, birds around, etc. I NEEDED that!
Speaking of the gardens, the reason I was watering was because we are so dry here in MD. There have been rains, but brief and hard and not much for several weeks. How dry has it been? The hosta bed still has dry crunchy leaves from last Fall. They won't decompose! Too dry.
More bad news! A sign at the entrance to my neighborhood advises that electricity will be turned off for 5 hours August 1st! Oh joy... The forecast for that day is over 100 again. I see that Verizon is digging up the neighborhood for some reason, so that must be the cause.
More bad news! Have you ever used a garden hose and forgotten to turn the water off? And the hose burst? And not gone out there for 2 days? That happened to me Tuesday. I don't know exactly when the hose burst. If I am lucky, it burst just before I went out and noticed. If I am unlucky, it happened shortly after I went inside and it spewed water for 2 days. And, of course, the water was not even spewing near any of my plants... I will find out on the next quarterly bill.
More bad news! Because of Ayla's apparently finally successful spay Tuesday, I contacted a radio vet show (The Animal House). I had been a guest in June of last year discussing unsuccessfully "Twice-Spayed Ayla, and they asked for followup. So I was scheduled for a taping Wed afternoon. Well, Wed morning I had been up all night and morning, so I had to call to cancel (because I needed to collapse in bed). They didn't want to reschedule for the next week, so they are just going to read the email I sent them. I sure wish I could have been on-air to talk to them. That would have been thrilling! I guess I missed my 15 minutes of fame...
It will be broadcast in August and I will give details for that later.
I think it is finally safe to have "too much to drink tonight"! And I plan to. I just haven't decided whether it will be my favorite cheap wine (Twisted vine Zinfandel) or my own Sling recipe (1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz pomegranate liquer, a shot of real pomegranate juice, fill up the glass with ginger ale over ice, and drink through straw).
I HAVE had worse weeks, but not often, and this one ranks way up on the list. My baby sister died last Summer, Mom died last Fall, Skeeter died in Dec 2008, LC died in Jan 2010, I failed out of college in 1975 (I returned and graduated in 1993), and I got fired from a job because I couldn't roll tires off a truck fast enough. All considered, I think this week places 5th. Maybe 6th because I think at least Ayla IS finally spayed and that's good.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Door Visitors
I had a strange visitor today. Someone selling garbage collection service. She asked how many bags of garbage I had per mnth. I said "one" She looked at me oddly and repeated the questin, emphasizing "month". I laughed and said "really, one per month". I don't think she believed me...
SO I asked if they would pick up one bag per month for $5. That's what it costs me at the landfill. She said weekly pickup was $42/month. I laughed.
Then she said they could do bulk pickup for $30 per ton. I pointed to my hauling trailer at the street. She said I was very weird and left. "Yes, yes I am" (a la Phineas and Ferb). And I love it...
LOL!
SO I asked if they would pick up one bag per month for $5. That's what it costs me at the landfill. She said weekly pickup was $42/month. I laughed.
Then she said they could do bulk pickup for $30 per ton. I pointed to my hauling trailer at the street. She said I was very weird and left. "Yes, yes I am" (a la Phineas and Ferb). And I love it...
LOL!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Planning To Move
I would like to move. For many reasons. As I mentioned last time, it is getting hard to garden here, and that is a major hobby these days. But the neighborhood is going downhill (crazy drunk neighbors and gang fights becoming more common).
Parts of the yard have always been a problem. I live at the bottom of a long sloping neighborhood, the front yard has standing water for days after heavy rains. I'm across the street from a swamp (something no one pointed out when I bought the property) and the mosquitos are fierce. When the Asian Tiger mosquitoes moved into the area, it got worse. I get bitten just going out to get my mail! Some of the very old huge trees near the house are looking weaker, and I don't want to be here when one finally falls on it (and it would cost a fortune to have them removed). The house is 25 years old and will need serious maintenance in the next 10 years (roof, driveway, fence, deck).
I'm 61 years old and need to plan for my older years and I am getting tired of stairs. I want a flat house! Nothing big. Basically, a ranch house with an attached garage and a workshop. I have been finding some decent houseplans.
And, I have to admit, I did a lot of DIY stuff when I moved in here that I wasn't experienced at (and before I had decent equipment). I want to just escape all that and start fresh (I'll limit my future DIY to furniture and birdfeeders)! I chose this place because it HAD mature trees. I'll choose the next place because it DOESN'T. I'll hope to cover a new open roof with solar panels and put in a geothermal heat pump. A system that just blows in 50 degree air from the cool underground all Summer sounds very good to me.
I would LOVE to start landscaping again from scratch. I did everything piecemeal, and it never did quite come together. Its not UGLY, but a fresh start would be nice. I could stay and try to fix everything the way I want it, but some parts (like the shady neighbor trees) can't be fixed.
But the idea of moving is daunting! I have SO MUCH stuff accumulated. And the idea of moving all my heavy woodworking equipment seems difficult and expensive. Cabinet saw, floor drill press, joiner, planer, radial arm saw. Same with the yard equipment: Riding mower, push mower, chipper, tiller, snowblower, large slow-smoker; stuff a yard person accumulates in 25 years...
Then there is all the inside stuff. The major furniture is simple to move, and I don't have that much of it. No sofas, big chairs, beds, etc. A waterbed folds up into small parts. Its all the small stuff... I guess I could have several yard sales. But I have so many small things difficult to pack up.
The last time I moved, I was renting. I had to pack up a dozen boxes of books, kitchen plates and cookware, a few standard pieces of furniture, a few boxes of hand tools, and a simple bedroom. I have 10 times as much stuff now, at least! And I want to keep most of it. It's scary, but I am making plans...
Parts of the yard have always been a problem. I live at the bottom of a long sloping neighborhood, the front yard has standing water for days after heavy rains. I'm across the street from a swamp (something no one pointed out when I bought the property) and the mosquitos are fierce. When the Asian Tiger mosquitoes moved into the area, it got worse. I get bitten just going out to get my mail! Some of the very old huge trees near the house are looking weaker, and I don't want to be here when one finally falls on it (and it would cost a fortune to have them removed). The house is 25 years old and will need serious maintenance in the next 10 years (roof, driveway, fence, deck).
I'm 61 years old and need to plan for my older years and I am getting tired of stairs. I want a flat house! Nothing big. Basically, a ranch house with an attached garage and a workshop. I have been finding some decent houseplans.
And, I have to admit, I did a lot of DIY stuff when I moved in here that I wasn't experienced at (and before I had decent equipment). I want to just escape all that and start fresh (I'll limit my future DIY to furniture and birdfeeders)! I chose this place because it HAD mature trees. I'll choose the next place because it DOESN'T. I'll hope to cover a new open roof with solar panels and put in a geothermal heat pump. A system that just blows in 50 degree air from the cool underground all Summer sounds very good to me.
I would LOVE to start landscaping again from scratch. I did everything piecemeal, and it never did quite come together. Its not UGLY, but a fresh start would be nice. I could stay and try to fix everything the way I want it, but some parts (like the shady neighbor trees) can't be fixed.
But the idea of moving is daunting! I have SO MUCH stuff accumulated. And the idea of moving all my heavy woodworking equipment seems difficult and expensive. Cabinet saw, floor drill press, joiner, planer, radial arm saw. Same with the yard equipment: Riding mower, push mower, chipper, tiller, snowblower, large slow-smoker; stuff a yard person accumulates in 25 years...
Then there is all the inside stuff. The major furniture is simple to move, and I don't have that much of it. No sofas, big chairs, beds, etc. A waterbed folds up into small parts. Its all the small stuff... I guess I could have several yard sales. But I have so many small things difficult to pack up.
The last time I moved, I was renting. I had to pack up a dozen boxes of books, kitchen plates and cookware, a few standard pieces of furniture, a few boxes of hand tools, and a simple bedroom. I have 10 times as much stuff now, at least! And I want to keep most of it. It's scary, but I am making plans...
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