Every couple of years, I get this thought stuck in my head that I should move. I'm tired of the stairs, the garden is too shaded by neighbors' trees, I've lived here 27 years, etc. What I want is something more modern-wired (or communicationally wireless), one level, half-walled rooms (except for bathrooms and bedrooms, of course), on a few acres of sunny land. Ridiculously expensive...
It may be almost genetic. My paternal grandpa used to design homes to be built into the side of a hill for environmental reasons. Long shafts of mirrored skylights, massive passive temperature control, wind turbines for electricity, he was ahead of his time. He never built any of his designs of course, they were all impractical in the 1940s and 50s
Dad was a very practical engineer. The closest he got to radical ideas was a "Yankee Barn" in NH, and only then because the structure was standard in the planned community he bought into in 1979. But even then, he redesigned a lot of the structure (and did lots of the actual work - you just can't stop an engineer from building stuff).
So I have this idea of a house I would like for myself. I found a basic layout on the internet that I'm adapting (because really, I have some ideas but also, you have to stick with professional water supply and toilet connections close together. Some things just have to go together, and the basic water-stack is one.
I'm going to start diagramming my "perfect house". I could buy a CAD program, but quite frankly Excel offers sufficient line drawing for the basic design and I would need an architect to turn it into a real design anyway for the details.
What holds me back is a fear of actually packing stuff up and moving. I've mentioned this before and gotten good advice and I appreciate that. It's just scarey to contemplate, is all. And I have the thought of buying a new house outright and THEN selling this one after I fix it up after moving when it is empty.
I don't want to sound morbid, but I am practical and realistic. Dad is 92 and entering hospice care. My inheritence will be about the cost of a new house. I neither consider that something I am due or that I have "earned" in some way. But it is going to happen soon. Its not something to ignore. Just as I will die someday with a similar estate and pass it on to my siblings or their children some 20+ years from now.
And, for the record, "yes I know I am exceedingly fortunate to both have some accumulated wealth of my own plus anticipated wealth from my parents". If I'm being too honest, feel free to complain, borders are not my strong point. I lived much of my life "hiding my candle under a bushel basket" (as my paternal Pennsylvannia Deutch gramma would have said).
But I wrote all that to explain why I am rearranging the house to get rid of excess junk... I'm a pack-rat. Not a hoarder; there are not stacks of newspapers or weird stuff in the house. But after 27 years, you just collect a lot of "stuff" you would not really need in a new house.
I double-stacked the bookcases in the computer room and packed 7 boxes of books into wine boxes. I filled the recycling bin with "useful stuff" that I never use. I filled 5 bags of trash. I cleaned all the living room bookcases and arranged "decorative stuff" in them. Looks great.
Next week, I will attach plywood sheets to the attic joists to store good moving boxes up there. No books or old clothes, the humidity is too high.
But I spent 12 hours working in the house today and accumulated enough stuff to get rid of, that makes the flat rate landfill fee reasonable. All I have to do is fill up the car as much as possible to take advantage of the flat rate per car.
I'll probably regret saying some of this, but Dad was big on honesty and I think talking about reality is important. Not everyone has the same situations, and in my life I've gone from roach-filled apartments shared with 5 other guys to a decent home. So I can say "been there, done that".
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Back To Work
I spent the last week getting over the 2 teeth extracted. But I got back to yard work yesterday morning. One thing I read about was growing corn in bins. Well, guess what, I just happened to have some! THe County recycling system changed from carryable bins to one huge one, and they didn't want the old smaller bins back.
So now they are 3'x2' x18" planting containers! So I'm recycling recycling bins, LOL! I'm goin to use them to empty out soil in the raised framed beds and plant corn in them in the sunniest part of the the yard. But thaose bins needed soil, AND I had to clear some space in the old garden for new raised beds.
So first, I had to level the old box with a butternut tree and some roses.
It took 30 minutes of hard chopping and digging to clear the first framed bed out. Here is just part of the butternut tree and roots. They actually spread 10' in all directions. Digging and chopping them out took most of the time.
Then, it was on to the old lost herb bed.
There were still herbs in there, but things had gotten so confusing that I decided to just start again. I dug that right to ground level. I'm any herbs survive that I recognize, I'll save them.
Then I started emptying the old trellis framed bed into the bins. Which I discovered were WAY too heavy to carry. I tied a hand cart, but even with a strap around it, it was too awkward to move (with all the dug-up carpet, there was no path out of the garden area).
So I switched to 5 gallon buckets to carry to a wheelbarrow. That works, but it was slow work. And quite frankly, after staying up all last night and doing this hard work in the morning, I went to bed. Best I could do was strapping the bins to the handcart, and that was too awkward to move around.
So now they are 3'x2' x18" planting containers! So I'm recycling recycling bins, LOL! I'm goin to use them to empty out soil in the raised framed beds and plant corn in them in the sunniest part of the the yard. But thaose bins needed soil, AND I had to clear some space in the old garden for new raised beds.
So first, I had to level the old box with a butternut tree and some roses.
Then I started emptying the old trellis framed bed into the bins. Which I discovered were WAY too heavy to carry. I tied a hand cart, but even with a strap around it, it was too awkward to move (with all the dug-up carpet, there was no path out of the garden area).
So I switched to 5 gallon buckets to carry to a wheelbarrow. That works, but it was slow work. And quite frankly, after staying up all last night and doing this hard work in the morning, I went to bed. Best I could do was strapping the bins to the handcart, and that was too awkward to move around.
Mowing The Lawn
Sometimes mowing the lawn is not so easy. In early April, I pulled
up some chicken wire and laid it to the side of the garden. I wedged up
some 4'x4' posts to and set them on the chicken wire. On top of that
has come a series of dug-up carpet (still solid after 25 years) black
plastic, landscaping fabric, and at the lowest level there was synthetic
burlap (also un-degraded). I can't imagine I ever used some of that
stuff.
The removal of all that stuff has been brutal! Each layer has required spade work under each layer to pry it up then yank it away from the intruding vine roots by hand a few inches at a time. Each exposed layer has had tree roots running through from the neighbor's yard. It terrible!
But the grass was growing throught the chicken wire and I had to do something about it. I pulled the chicken wire up, and it was like ripping asphault off the driveway. Each 25' piece took 15 minutes of hard pulling up from the grass. And then there were all the previously pruned pieces of thorny rose bushes and tree trimminings.
It took 45 minutes before I could even mow the overgrown lawn area.
And then it took multiple mowings over the overgrown area to get them down to height. The grass won't like that. The rule is never remove more that a 1/3 of a grass height. I removed 4/5ths . I'll have to tend to them kindly for a few months.
I am so far behind this year...
The removal of all that stuff has been brutal! Each layer has required spade work under each layer to pry it up then yank it away from the intruding vine roots by hand a few inches at a time. Each exposed layer has had tree roots running through from the neighbor's yard. It terrible!
But the grass was growing throught the chicken wire and I had to do something about it. I pulled the chicken wire up, and it was like ripping asphault off the driveway. Each 25' piece took 15 minutes of hard pulling up from the grass. And then there were all the previously pruned pieces of thorny rose bushes and tree trimminings.
It took 45 minutes before I could even mow the overgrown lawn area.
And then it took multiple mowings over the overgrown area to get them down to height. The grass won't like that. The rule is never remove more that a 1/3 of a grass height. I removed 4/5ths . I'll have to tend to them kindly for a few months.
I am so far behind this year...
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Intersections
I have this blog for myself, and I have a separate blog for my cats. I try to keep this one for my own thoughts and I try to leave the cats to theirs (with some usually unseen help on my part). But sometimes, both blogs intersect.
Yesterday was a case in point. I read about 80 cat blogs every few days (for my own pleasure and to help my cats keep in touch with their friends). You never know what you are going to find when you visit one. One cat will have just caught its first mouse, another may report the death of a beloved old cat, another may have had a trip to the vet.
Sometimes I read a serious story about a cat that brings me to tears. I have read many of them over the years. Sometimes about lost cats, sometimes about cats killed in sad ways, sometimes about rescued cats. Isn't it odd how both happy and sad stories can bring tears to us?
Today I'm writing about an old neglected cat who found a friendly home to pass her last days. I won't repeat the whole story here; it is written so much better at Max, The Psychokitty.
There aren't many sad endings that also feel happy when you stop crying. If you haven't read that post, go there now! Go there NOW!
Yesterday was a case in point. I read about 80 cat blogs every few days (for my own pleasure and to help my cats keep in touch with their friends). You never know what you are going to find when you visit one. One cat will have just caught its first mouse, another may report the death of a beloved old cat, another may have had a trip to the vet.
Sometimes I read a serious story about a cat that brings me to tears. I have read many of them over the years. Sometimes about lost cats, sometimes about cats killed in sad ways, sometimes about rescued cats. Isn't it odd how both happy and sad stories can bring tears to us?
Today I'm writing about an old neglected cat who found a friendly home to pass her last days. I won't repeat the whole story here; it is written so much better at Max, The Psychokitty.
There aren't many sad endings that also feel happy when you stop crying. If you haven't read that post, go there now! Go there NOW!
Monday, May 26, 2014
Memorial Day 2014
I spent today somberly and with reflection on the events in our history that this day is about. I watched a few ceremonies on TV, cleaned house a bit, mowed the lawn. Things my WWII generation parents would have approved of...
But celebration is not out of order. Engaging in cookouts and happy events celebrates the "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" that my ancestors fought for. I'll just let it rest with that.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Meteor Shower Fail
It was a dud! Here, for me. I sat out on the front steps for an hour with my back resting against the door. That had me staring at the correct spot. After 5 minutes in the dark, I was seeing all the Big Dipper, Casseopia, and several Little Dipper stars. So I was light-adjusted.
Nothing...
I tried some tricks. I focused on one spot for a while. I let my eyes go out of focus for a while. I looked slightly to the side for a while. None of my usual tricks of seeing in darkness had any effect.
Nothing...
If they were there, they were too faint for me to see through the light pollution. But I could see most of the major constellation stars, so I should have seen some meteors. I will be interested in finding if others did see them. But for now, I'm just disappointed again.
Nothing...
I tried some tricks. I focused on one spot for a while. I let my eyes go out of focus for a while. I looked slightly to the side for a while. None of my usual tricks of seeing in darkness had any effect.
Nothing...
If they were there, they were too faint for me to see through the light pollution. But I could see most of the major constellation stars, so I should have seen some meteors. I will be interested in finding if others did see them. But for now, I'm just disappointed again.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Tooth Pulled
Well, I ended up having TWO teeth pulled Thursday! It was much less bad than I feared or had read about. The novacaine worked well enough so that I never really felt anything during the extractions. Oh, there was some pulling sensation, and I got poked on the other side by accident a few times, but the most disturbing part was the tooth-breaking noises and the dentist complaining that the main tooth just didn't want to come out.
He gave me a prescription for vicodin, but I didn't really feel that bad after the novacaine wore off, so I took the minimum dosage.
But I also had a plan to get through as much of the first 24 hours as easily as possible! First, I stayed up all night and day before the appointment. Then after the novacaine wore off about 5 pm, drank 2 bowls of soup (cream of mushroom and chicken noodle).
I went to bed at 8 pm! Other than taking another vicodin whenever I woke up after 4 hours, I stayed in bed until 4pm. Yes, 20 hours! And I only got up then to feed the cats... So I had a bowl of spaghetti. It seemed like the softest solid food I had. But it meant I pretty much slept through the 24 hours after the extractions.
A curious part of the whole operation was that the dentist put a blood pressure cuff on me that automatically inflated, displayed my blood pressure, then deflated. And did that every few minutes the entire time. I'd been wondering about my blood pressure for years. Sitting in a dentists chair, awaiting the operation, it was 120/70. The highest it got the whole time was 157/85. The dentist was surprized too. When he saw the first one, he laughed and said "You're going to be just fine".
I don't consciously do meditation or related relaxation techniques, but as I was sitting there waiting for the novacaine to take effect, I recalled snippets of a mantra from the sci-fi book 'Dune'. I basically came up with "Fear is the mind-killer. I will not allow fear to control me. I will adapt to the requirements of the moment." I don't know if that actually had any effect, but it seemed to do no harm either.
Naturally, I looked up the quote when I got home. It reads, in full,
He gave me a prescription for vicodin, but I didn't really feel that bad after the novacaine wore off, so I took the minimum dosage.
But I also had a plan to get through as much of the first 24 hours as easily as possible! First, I stayed up all night and day before the appointment. Then after the novacaine wore off about 5 pm, drank 2 bowls of soup (cream of mushroom and chicken noodle).
I went to bed at 8 pm! Other than taking another vicodin whenever I woke up after 4 hours, I stayed in bed until 4pm. Yes, 20 hours! And I only got up then to feed the cats... So I had a bowl of spaghetti. It seemed like the softest solid food I had. But it meant I pretty much slept through the 24 hours after the extractions.
A curious part of the whole operation was that the dentist put a blood pressure cuff on me that automatically inflated, displayed my blood pressure, then deflated. And did that every few minutes the entire time. I'd been wondering about my blood pressure for years. Sitting in a dentists chair, awaiting the operation, it was 120/70. The highest it got the whole time was 157/85. The dentist was surprized too. When he saw the first one, he laughed and said "You're going to be just fine".
I don't consciously do meditation or related relaxation techniques, but as I was sitting there waiting for the novacaine to take effect, I recalled snippets of a mantra from the sci-fi book 'Dune'. I basically came up with "Fear is the mind-killer. I will not allow fear to control me. I will adapt to the requirements of the moment." I don't know if that actually had any effect, but it seemed to do no harm either.
Naturally, I looked up the quote when I got home. It reads, in full,
"I must not fear. Fear
is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I
will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it
has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has
gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
But there is another part to my scheduling plan. There is a brand new meteor shower that will be visible in all of North America from 2-4 am EDT Saturday (as in 2 to 4 hours after Friday midnight, Washington DC time. It may be a spectacular Meteor Storm (1,000+ meteors per hour) or it may be a dud. The meteors will come out of a spot dead north (just to the right and down from the Big Dipper.
So be staying in bed so late today, I will be awake at that time! And for once during the regular meteor showers, it will be warm AND the sky will be clear. I sure hope it is spectacular. I've never seen a good in my life!
Back to the dental work. My tongue tells me that there is a HUGE GAPING HOLE in the back right upper side. The jaw hurts to open fully, but that's from the novacaine shot (I've experienced that from past dental work). I suppose I will wait longer than necessary to chew on that side of my mouth agai. Well, I've been chewing on one side for a couple months, so another week won't matter.
But I seem to have gotten through...
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Funniest Jokes
Since I will be pretty loopy and really unhappy after the tooth extraction at 2 pm today, I am leaving the 4 best jokes I ever heard, for your amusement. I'll be back online Friday (I hope) or Saturday (If things are difficult) when the extraction heals and I don't have the painkiller pills messing up my mind...
Laughter is sometimes the best medicine...
1. Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls 911s. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's actually dead." There is a silence, then a gun shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"
2. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire to their tent for the night, and go to sleep.
Laughter is sometimes the best medicine...
1. Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls 911s. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's actually dead." There is a silence, then a gun shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"
2. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire to their tent for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes wakes
up and nudges his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and
tell me what you see.”
“I see millions and
millions of stars, Holmes” replies Watson.
“And what do you deduce
from that?”
Watson ponders for a minute.
“Well,
 |
Astronomically, it tells me
that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of
planets.
|
|
Astrologically, I observe
that Saturn is in Leo.
|
|
Horologically, I deduce
that the time is approximately a quarter past three.
|
|
Meteorologically, I suspect
that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
|
|
Theologically, I can see
that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant
part of the universe.
|
But what does it tell you,
Holmes?”
Holmes is silent for a moment.
“Watson, you idiot!”
he says. “Someone has stolen our tent!”
3. Two guys are in the woods when they see a grizzly bear running towards them. The first guy runs away and the other follows.
Surprised, the other man says " What are you thinking, we can't outrun a bear! The first guy says "I just have to outrun you."
Surprised, the other man says " What are you thinking, we can't outrun a bear! The first guy says "I just have to outrun you."
4. A research group was engaged in a
study of longevity in mammals and had recently focused their attention
on a particular species of porpoise. They came to believe
that, if fed just the right combination of nutrients, this particular
porpoise could, in theory, live forever.
To put this to the test, they studied the world's flora and fauna to see if any naturally occurring organism would fit the bill. They finally narrowed the selection down to an unusual species of mynah bird, and they sent a team of researchers off to gather a specimen.
It turns out that the mynah bird in question was quite rare, living only in a single tree in Kenya. The research team finally arrived at the tree to capture a bird, only to find that the tree was surrounded by a pride of very hungry lions, precluding any reasonable attempt to approach and climb the tree.
A suggestion was made that the lions might be manageable if they could be fed, and a couple of fat cape buffalo were captured and offered to the lions. The hungry lions devoured the hapless beasts and lay down upon the grass to digest their meal.
One of the researchers then gingerly tiptoed past the lions, climbed the tree, and had little difficulty capturing one of the mynah birds. He climbed back down the tree and walked past the lions to rejoin the group when a game warden appeared and arrested him for (what else)...
"Transporting mynahs across sated lions for immortal porpoises."
To put this to the test, they studied the world's flora and fauna to see if any naturally occurring organism would fit the bill. They finally narrowed the selection down to an unusual species of mynah bird, and they sent a team of researchers off to gather a specimen.
It turns out that the mynah bird in question was quite rare, living only in a single tree in Kenya. The research team finally arrived at the tree to capture a bird, only to find that the tree was surrounded by a pride of very hungry lions, precluding any reasonable attempt to approach and climb the tree.
A suggestion was made that the lions might be manageable if they could be fed, and a couple of fat cape buffalo were captured and offered to the lions. The hungry lions devoured the hapless beasts and lay down upon the grass to digest their meal.
One of the researchers then gingerly tiptoed past the lions, climbed the tree, and had little difficulty capturing one of the mynah birds. He climbed back down the tree and walked past the lions to rejoin the group when a game warden appeared and arrested him for (what else)...
"Transporting mynahs across sated lions for immortal porpoises."
Hope you liked them
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Happy Birthday To Me.
Today's my 64th birthday (sounds of the Beatles "When I'm 64" running around my head), Tomorrow, I get a tooth pulled out, and I mean yanked right out of my jaw like it was done 100 years ago. Well, OK, painkillers are better today.
Um, "woo hoo and yippee"...
And I'm not even allowed to have any wine afterwards even with dinner for 2 days because the painkiller pill is serious stuff. The dentist says I should have someone "with me", but I don't so I will just stay in bed with the cats, have some soup ready for reheating, and wait the healing out.
He says I can't even drink through a straw ("negative pressure"). I bet I can. But I may not test it.
I hate having been too stupid to have avoided easier solutions, but sometimes even intelligent people do stupid things. Seriously, 8 years ago, I could have just had the damn crown reglued back on. All I can say is that ignoring it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Don't ignore dental stuff!!!
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday you stupid idiot,
Happy Birthday to me.
Um, "woo hoo and yippee"...
And I'm not even allowed to have any wine afterwards even with dinner for 2 days because the painkiller pill is serious stuff. The dentist says I should have someone "with me", but I don't so I will just stay in bed with the cats, have some soup ready for reheating, and wait the healing out.
He says I can't even drink through a straw ("negative pressure"). I bet I can. But I may not test it.
I hate having been too stupid to have avoided easier solutions, but sometimes even intelligent people do stupid things. Seriously, 8 years ago, I could have just had the damn crown reglued back on. All I can say is that ignoring it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Don't ignore dental stuff!!!
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me.
Happy Birthday you stupid idiot,
Happy Birthday to me.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Thinking Outside The Box
I'm a very law-abiding person (well, before and after my college days). But I do think of myself as creative. So I saw something today that really blew my mind.
I was in the car waiting for the left turn light to come on and a guy in the straight-through lane came to a complete stop in the intersection. And stayed there. This is something I have never seen before.
I pondered that while the various traffic lights cycled around to my turn and I carefully drove around the stopped car.
Then it hit me! No, not the car, just a sudden realization. The intersection has one of those "automated traffic-ticket cameras". They work by taking a picture of your back license plate after you drive through the intersection after the red light comes on.
OMG, he stopped in the intersection so that the camera couldn't take a picture of his license plate. When the light turns green again, the camera won't take a picture!!!
I'm not supporting drivers pushing red traffic lights; its dangerous to them and others. The driver probably has other bad habits. In fact, it's likely that he's a jerk.
But I just have to admire the thinking of anyone who figures out a way around some of the minor daily rules of life.
I was in the car waiting for the left turn light to come on and a guy in the straight-through lane came to a complete stop in the intersection. And stayed there. This is something I have never seen before.
I pondered that while the various traffic lights cycled around to my turn and I carefully drove around the stopped car.
Then it hit me! No, not the car, just a sudden realization. The intersection has one of those "automated traffic-ticket cameras". They work by taking a picture of your back license plate after you drive through the intersection after the red light comes on.
OMG, he stopped in the intersection so that the camera couldn't take a picture of his license plate. When the light turns green again, the camera won't take a picture!!!
I'm not supporting drivers pushing red traffic lights; its dangerous to them and others. The driver probably has other bad habits. In fact, it's likely that he's a jerk.
But I just have to admire the thinking of anyone who figures out a way around some of the minor daily rules of life.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Deck
Well, I had a deck builder come by yesterday to discuss replacing the old deck.
When I moved here 27 years ago, one of the first major things I did was build a 2-level deck. The main floor had sliding glass doors 10" above ground level and a pre-made fence section nailed across the outside so that no one could accidently open the doors and fall out.
But below that was a sunken patio with a cinder block wall around it. So it seemed like a good idea to use the cinder block wall to support deck posts, and I sort of wanted to use the sliding glass doors for "something". I bought a book on building decks, designed one, ordered the lumber for delivery, and recruited a friend and a friend-of-that-friend to help. I'm a by-the-book builder. I follow "the rules" (Dad was an engineer, and certain habits get passed along). Like bracing posts using small boards to anchor the posts. The friend had the carpentry skills of a hippo (zero) and his friend was a "just do it fast" type. It was not a good combination.
But it worked out OK. They did the initial cutting away of some vinyl siding (I couldn't watch that part) and heavy lifting to get the ledger board attached to the house. I did all the rest myself so I could do it "my way"). Even today, the deck guy pounded and jumped on the deck and said it was still "damn solid". But even pressure-treated wood does not last forever, the deck was never build "to code" (I had no idea there were codes at the time), and it is ugly as hell. You can build something to engineering specifications and still have it "ugly". My artistic skills are not outstanding. If I had design physical things for a living, I would starve to death. Let's just say that if life was a ballet, I would be a hippo! My constructions are very functional, but that that's about it.
Plus, it is a 2-level deck. The higher level is 12'x12' and the lower level 12'x16'. I had in mind throwing parties in my new house. I learned I couldn't fill a closet with "friends" and I'm am not a party-thrower...
So the new deck will be a slightly larger upper one and no lower deck. The new 16'x16' deck will have very sturdy composite flooring (it used to be cheap and flimsy, but the current stuff is as solid as real '2" by 'wood, and will last longer than I will. And it is colored right through, so no staining required.
It will take a several weeks for the deck guy to get the building permit, which is good because it gets me past my dental work next week and also into the drier time on the year (the front yard is muddy in April/May and it is a LOT easier for him to bring the lumber into the back yard by small truck). I can't wait.
BTW, I mentioned only one builder. I'm good about competitive bids. I had 4 estimates last Fall. So I took the one I preferred among those and asked him for a revised estimate. Since the revised estimate was so close to the previous one (even with a couple of changes) I just accepted that one.
When I moved here 27 years ago, one of the first major things I did was build a 2-level deck. The main floor had sliding glass doors 10" above ground level and a pre-made fence section nailed across the outside so that no one could accidently open the doors and fall out.
But below that was a sunken patio with a cinder block wall around it. So it seemed like a good idea to use the cinder block wall to support deck posts, and I sort of wanted to use the sliding glass doors for "something". I bought a book on building decks, designed one, ordered the lumber for delivery, and recruited a friend and a friend-of-that-friend to help. I'm a by-the-book builder. I follow "the rules" (Dad was an engineer, and certain habits get passed along). Like bracing posts using small boards to anchor the posts. The friend had the carpentry skills of a hippo (zero) and his friend was a "just do it fast" type. It was not a good combination.
But it worked out OK. They did the initial cutting away of some vinyl siding (I couldn't watch that part) and heavy lifting to get the ledger board attached to the house. I did all the rest myself so I could do it "my way"). Even today, the deck guy pounded and jumped on the deck and said it was still "damn solid". But even pressure-treated wood does not last forever, the deck was never build "to code" (I had no idea there were codes at the time), and it is ugly as hell. You can build something to engineering specifications and still have it "ugly". My artistic skills are not outstanding. If I had design physical things for a living, I would starve to death. Let's just say that if life was a ballet, I would be a hippo! My constructions are very functional, but that that's about it.
Plus, it is a 2-level deck. The higher level is 12'x12' and the lower level 12'x16'. I had in mind throwing parties in my new house. I learned I couldn't fill a closet with "friends" and I'm am not a party-thrower...
So the new deck will be a slightly larger upper one and no lower deck. The new 16'x16' deck will have very sturdy composite flooring (it used to be cheap and flimsy, but the current stuff is as solid as real '2" by 'wood, and will last longer than I will. And it is colored right through, so no staining required.
It will take a several weeks for the deck guy to get the building permit, which is good because it gets me past my dental work next week and also into the drier time on the year (the front yard is muddy in April/May and it is a LOT easier for him to bring the lumber into the back yard by small truck). I can't wait.
BTW, I mentioned only one builder. I'm good about competitive bids. I had 4 estimates last Fall. So I took the one I preferred among those and asked him for a revised estimate. Since the revised estimate was so close to the previous one (even with a couple of changes) I just accepted that one.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Why Do I have Books?
Why do I have books?
I had to really ask myself that question today. And the answer is "because I used to read voraciously" and "because I am very information-oriented". I am the reason bookstores used to exist. More succinctly, I grew up "pre-internet and pre-cableTV" and needed books if I wanted information or entertainment. I used to come home from work, make dinner and then sit in a chair reading a book with a cat on my lap (back in the days of Mischief, Cat Ballou, and Sport-Sport).
I spent 50 years collecting books on varieties of subjects. I have 60 linear feet of science fiction books, for example. I also have nearly as many books on science, history, cooking, gardening, philosophy, evolution, fishing, nature, cats, geography, general reference, etc. OMG, I even have a 3' long set of 40 year old encyclopedias! What possible value do those have today when the internet is at my fingertips? They do look impressive though...
But because I decided not to move, I thought it would be a good idea to de-clutter the house and make it look more open. One thing I realized was that I seldom read books anymore. So the first project was to reduce all the bookshelf display space.
I was astonished at how much sci-fi I had. I was also astonished to realize that I hadn't the slightest idea of the plot of at least half of them. I packed those into 7 boxes for storage (I can't get myself to simply dispose of them, though I may donate them to some worthy cause later). I kept the rest, but double-shelved them in the computer room bookcases to save space.
Then I moved most of the information books from the living room bookcases to the newly-freed computer room bookcase shelves. I could probably pack up most of those too, but I at least want to display my interests, and even with the internet, many of them are still useful.
The living room bookcases will become mostly for decoration and display. I have some sets of books that are either valuable (anyone ever heard of "Real Books" or "All About Books"?), presentable (like the uniform 20something book set of gardening and the similiar fishing and hunting set - both from those "once a month" subscription series popular in the 1980s), or impressive (like Winston Churchill's 6 volume series about WWII).
[Speaking of Churchill, I have to mention one of my favorite anecdotes. Churchill was seated at a fancy dinner party next to a stuffy old dowager who intensely disapproved of him. At one pointed she hissed "Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison you". To which Churchill famously (and immediately) replied "Madame, if I were your husband, I would let you". Damn, I wish I could think that fast!]
Well, anyway, back to the books... Almost all of the non-decorative books are in the computer room (my cookbooks are staying near the kitchen). Some of the books I discovered I owned amazed me. Books on magic tricks, odd things to do with common household items, Gray's Anatomy, World Almanacs, Twain's 'Life On The Mississippi', the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe, college textbooks from the 1970s. Just amazing stuff.
I might even start reading again...
I had to really ask myself that question today. And the answer is "because I used to read voraciously" and "because I am very information-oriented". I am the reason bookstores used to exist. More succinctly, I grew up "pre-internet and pre-cableTV" and needed books if I wanted information or entertainment. I used to come home from work, make dinner and then sit in a chair reading a book with a cat on my lap (back in the days of Mischief, Cat Ballou, and Sport-Sport).
I spent 50 years collecting books on varieties of subjects. I have 60 linear feet of science fiction books, for example. I also have nearly as many books on science, history, cooking, gardening, philosophy, evolution, fishing, nature, cats, geography, general reference, etc. OMG, I even have a 3' long set of 40 year old encyclopedias! What possible value do those have today when the internet is at my fingertips? They do look impressive though...
But because I decided not to move, I thought it would be a good idea to de-clutter the house and make it look more open. One thing I realized was that I seldom read books anymore. So the first project was to reduce all the bookshelf display space.
I was astonished at how much sci-fi I had. I was also astonished to realize that I hadn't the slightest idea of the plot of at least half of them. I packed those into 7 boxes for storage (I can't get myself to simply dispose of them, though I may donate them to some worthy cause later). I kept the rest, but double-shelved them in the computer room bookcases to save space.
Then I moved most of the information books from the living room bookcases to the newly-freed computer room bookcase shelves. I could probably pack up most of those too, but I at least want to display my interests, and even with the internet, many of them are still useful.
The living room bookcases will become mostly for decoration and display. I have some sets of books that are either valuable (anyone ever heard of "Real Books" or "All About Books"?), presentable (like the uniform 20something book set of gardening and the similiar fishing and hunting set - both from those "once a month" subscription series popular in the 1980s), or impressive (like Winston Churchill's 6 volume series about WWII).
[Speaking of Churchill, I have to mention one of my favorite anecdotes. Churchill was seated at a fancy dinner party next to a stuffy old dowager who intensely disapproved of him. At one pointed she hissed "Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison you". To which Churchill famously (and immediately) replied "Madame, if I were your husband, I would let you". Damn, I wish I could think that fast!]
Well, anyway, back to the books... Almost all of the non-decorative books are in the computer room (my cookbooks are staying near the kitchen). Some of the books I discovered I owned amazed me. Books on magic tricks, odd things to do with common household items, Gray's Anatomy, World Almanacs, Twain's 'Life On The Mississippi', the collected works of Edgar Allan Poe, college textbooks from the 1970s. Just amazing stuff.
I might even start reading again...
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Dental Visit Results
Well, the dentist visit today was just an exam, but the news is awful. I have to have a tooth removed (I had expected that, but hoped I was wrong). I have 2 teeth with partial filling loss and one may need a crown. And there is one he wants to examine more closely later (not urgent). Its my own fault; I avoided things for too long.
The tooth removal is scheduled for May 22nd. I gather that it really is pretty much the "pliers and yanking” process. Well, OK, he says its fancy "screwdrivers" to rock the roots back and forth, but he will still be kneeling on me and pulling hard and I will actually have to hold my head UP while he pulls DOWN.
I love that they take digital xrays these days. I had an internal one and one that revolved around my head outside. Instantly on the computer screen! I looked at it carefully, and could see my gum line (very healthy) but WOW do those tooth roots go DEEP! They are like icebergs, 90% hidden. It's NOT going to be fun.
I’ll be really unhappy for a couple of days after that and I don’t even get to have any alcohol. Apparently, the pain-killer can only do so much BUT it reacts badly with alcohol AND you are a bit loopy. I may have to disconnect my computer before the extraction so I don’t type insane stuff. Can’t upset my friends with crazed rants from a drugged blogger. In fact, I think I will arrange for a pre-scheduled post to that effect that day, just in case.
The tooth extraction is unavoidable and further work is necessary and I am going to hate this next few weeks. But the dentist is good. Well, OK. He is highly rated on Angie's List. But he is also honest. He told me the bad parts, he understands my physical problems with the dentist chair, and described how he will adjust to them as much as possible. I can't ask much more than that.
I think I will ask him to email me the digital xrays. That would be cool to look at! And show. Well, medical stuff is fascinating to me. I love seeing my insides (the better to understand my self).
Tomorrow, back to normal stuff, like planting my tomatoes...
The tooth removal is scheduled for May 22nd. I gather that it really is pretty much the "pliers and yanking” process. Well, OK, he says its fancy "screwdrivers" to rock the roots back and forth, but he will still be kneeling on me and pulling hard and I will actually have to hold my head UP while he pulls DOWN.
I love that they take digital xrays these days. I had an internal one and one that revolved around my head outside. Instantly on the computer screen! I looked at it carefully, and could see my gum line (very healthy) but WOW do those tooth roots go DEEP! They are like icebergs, 90% hidden. It's NOT going to be fun.
I’ll be really unhappy for a couple of days after that and I don’t even get to have any alcohol. Apparently, the pain-killer can only do so much BUT it reacts badly with alcohol AND you are a bit loopy. I may have to disconnect my computer before the extraction so I don’t type insane stuff. Can’t upset my friends with crazed rants from a drugged blogger. In fact, I think I will arrange for a pre-scheduled post to that effect that day, just in case.
The tooth extraction is unavoidable and further work is necessary and I am going to hate this next few weeks. But the dentist is good. Well, OK. He is highly rated on Angie's List. But he is also honest. He told me the bad parts, he understands my physical problems with the dentist chair, and described how he will adjust to them as much as possible. I can't ask much more than that.
I think I will ask him to email me the digital xrays. That would be cool to look at! And show. Well, medical stuff is fascinating to me. I love seeing my insides (the better to understand my self).
Tomorrow, back to normal stuff, like planting my tomatoes...
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
An Overdue, But Unwanted Visit
I'm sure you have all had to eventually to something you avoided as long as possible. Tomorrow is my day for one of those. Tomorrow, I visit The Dentist.
8 years ago, the first week of my retirement, I was having lunch with a friend to celebrate my retirement. A filling came loose. Well, it didn't bother me to have it missing, so I delayed going to a dentist to replace it. My previous dentist had just retired and I didn't like the rather odd attitude of the 2 guys who bought his practice. Somehow, the oldr dentist's motto of "We cater to cowards" because "Deal with it you coward".
So not feeling any immediate problem, I figured I would just find a new dentist. Besides, I had some problems in the dental chair, so I kind of avoided doing annything.
No one likes the dental chair, but my reasons are not (I think) the usual ones. I don't mind the drilling. I don't feel it, I don't care. The dentist could just as well be drilling my name in a concrete slab on the wall.
But I have some problems that cause me to avoid the dental chair mightily! And if you are sqeamish, just stop reading. Those of you you who accept that bodily functions vary and are sometimes annoying, may read on.
I have smoked for 45 years, and there are consequences. I cough a lot, I have a constant nasal drip at the back of my throat, my nose runs, I swallow constantly, and as soon has my jaw is open, I salivate. And there are some problems I had before I smoked. I have a small jaw, my teeth are crowded (when I was 30, one dentist wanted to remove 1 forward molar in each right/left and upper/lower part of my jaw to let the remaining teeth "spread out", I can't open my mouth very wide (a standard thick sandwich is a problem, and a thick sub is impossible).
So when that lost-filling tooth twinged a few months ago, I became worried. It subsided, bit there were a few days months later when I detected some problems.
A month ago, I noticed some "pinkish" as I expelled my toothpaste. And then a tiny bit of filling. Then pinkish regulary. I recognized that I had to do something about that and started cutting done on cigarettes. The connection there is that I sure wanted to not cough and have to swallow in the dental chair.
Last week, I suddenly felt a slight movement at that bad tooth. I suspect that there is a broken piece of tooth at the gumline. Fortunately, there is no pain (I think I had a root canal work there 20 years ago).
But it meant that I couldn't put visiting a dentist any longer. I had had Dad living with me for a year in May 2012 to 2013 nd he had a tooth problem. So I had searched Angie's List for the best local dentists. And the one I found for him was very good.
I visited his office today and made an appointment. He's not going to be happy with the problems I have described above. But he specializes on children an old people, and in my experience watching him work on Dad's bad tooth, he will be the most tolerant dentist I can find.
I will see how the initial visit goes. He may simply pull out bits of a broken tooth and drill out the roots. I wouldn't mind the tooth simply being removed. Or he may see I can't handle the dental chair concious and suggest sedation dentistry.
But this is a big step for me right now. I'm not scared of the dentistry work; just my body's annoying reactions to all that stuff in my mouth. The dentist doesn't scare me. But I'm afraid I might choke to death while he does his good work!
If I don't return, then something went really wrong. Seriously, one never knows...
8 years ago, the first week of my retirement, I was having lunch with a friend to celebrate my retirement. A filling came loose. Well, it didn't bother me to have it missing, so I delayed going to a dentist to replace it. My previous dentist had just retired and I didn't like the rather odd attitude of the 2 guys who bought his practice. Somehow, the oldr dentist's motto of "We cater to cowards" because "Deal with it you coward".
So not feeling any immediate problem, I figured I would just find a new dentist. Besides, I had some problems in the dental chair, so I kind of avoided doing annything.
No one likes the dental chair, but my reasons are not (I think) the usual ones. I don't mind the drilling. I don't feel it, I don't care. The dentist could just as well be drilling my name in a concrete slab on the wall.
But I have some problems that cause me to avoid the dental chair mightily! And if you are sqeamish, just stop reading. Those of you you who accept that bodily functions vary and are sometimes annoying, may read on.
I have smoked for 45 years, and there are consequences. I cough a lot, I have a constant nasal drip at the back of my throat, my nose runs, I swallow constantly, and as soon has my jaw is open, I salivate. And there are some problems I had before I smoked. I have a small jaw, my teeth are crowded (when I was 30, one dentist wanted to remove 1 forward molar in each right/left and upper/lower part of my jaw to let the remaining teeth "spread out", I can't open my mouth very wide (a standard thick sandwich is a problem, and a thick sub is impossible).
So when that lost-filling tooth twinged a few months ago, I became worried. It subsided, bit there were a few days months later when I detected some problems.
A month ago, I noticed some "pinkish" as I expelled my toothpaste. And then a tiny bit of filling. Then pinkish regulary. I recognized that I had to do something about that and started cutting done on cigarettes. The connection there is that I sure wanted to not cough and have to swallow in the dental chair.
Last week, I suddenly felt a slight movement at that bad tooth. I suspect that there is a broken piece of tooth at the gumline. Fortunately, there is no pain (I think I had a root canal work there 20 years ago).
But it meant that I couldn't put visiting a dentist any longer. I had had Dad living with me for a year in May 2012 to 2013 nd he had a tooth problem. So I had searched Angie's List for the best local dentists. And the one I found for him was very good.
I visited his office today and made an appointment. He's not going to be happy with the problems I have described above. But he specializes on children an old people, and in my experience watching him work on Dad's bad tooth, he will be the most tolerant dentist I can find.
I will see how the initial visit goes. He may simply pull out bits of a broken tooth and drill out the roots. I wouldn't mind the tooth simply being removed. Or he may see I can't handle the dental chair concious and suggest sedation dentistry.
But this is a big step for me right now. I'm not scared of the dentistry work; just my body's annoying reactions to all that stuff in my mouth. The dentist doesn't scare me. But I'm afraid I might choke to death while he does his good work!
If I don't return, then something went really wrong. Seriously, one never knows...
Thursday, May 8, 2014
To Move or Not To Move Part 2
Wow, I can't imagine two more perfect sides to my internal argument about moving than the first 2 comments to yesterdays post. I'll stick to given handles in reference...
Fuzzy Tales expresses my desire to move to a better place. There are things I don't like here. Some of those things would be very difficult to fix and leveling the annoying english ivy-covered ridge is not a simple task. I can't get rid of the stairs to the basement, and some days I have to walk carefully down them. There is something that often gets stiff in my left knee at the bone. I want a house easier to get around in. I may only be 64, but I won't be getting any younger. The stairs will get more problematic in the next decade. That possible new house doesn't have to mean "fancier", just "more suited to me".
But Megan makes the argument in the other side of my head. I like much of where I am and I do not like change. I live on a dead end street, so there is little traffic. It is quiet here, and I like that. I am separated from one neighbor by a drainage easement and the orientation of our houses are relatively far apart. On the other side, the neighbor is practically non-existent, and that is fine with me.
I'm not not quite a hermit, but privacy is good. I'm friendly to talk to to and helpful when asked. But I'm reminded of something I read about Daniel Boone in the frontier days when he noticed smoke from the chimney of a new house across the valley and decided it was time to move because it was "getting crowded". There is a difference between "alone" and "lonely". I don't feel "lonely" here.
I expect I can find a place I would like slightly better than this one. And again, not bigger or fancier, just "better". But slightly more suited comes with a lot of effort. I have contacted a moving company to give me an estimate of "what you see is what you pack and move" and I have contacted a Buyer's Agent, who according to what I have read, represents ME in the house-buying process.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. I have to admit that, if I could just show someone the house and just say "move it" that would be a great relief (at a cost). I don't think I can do it on my own. Then I could choose how much to do on my own. And if I have an agent representing ME in a purchase, that takes a lot of worry off my mind too. What I've read about a Buyer Agent suggests that I would save more than the cost.
When I sat down at a table to sign the contract on this house there were 6 lawyers sitting at the other end just daring me to ask any questions. They knew what they were doing, and I didn't. They didn't want me to read the contract (I did anyway - mostly), and whenever I asked a question it was either "that's the law" or they all asked a bunch of questions back at me.
But there was was no one on MY side. I won't do that again! I will have an expert on MY side of the table who knows how to read the contract and who represents ME and not the seller.
I look forward to hearing from several moving company (highly rated ones from Angie's List). This move might actually happen sometime in the next year... After 27 years, I can hardly imagine it.
Fuzzy Tales expresses my desire to move to a better place. There are things I don't like here. Some of those things would be very difficult to fix and leveling the annoying english ivy-covered ridge is not a simple task. I can't get rid of the stairs to the basement, and some days I have to walk carefully down them. There is something that often gets stiff in my left knee at the bone. I want a house easier to get around in. I may only be 64, but I won't be getting any younger. The stairs will get more problematic in the next decade. That possible new house doesn't have to mean "fancier", just "more suited to me".
But Megan makes the argument in the other side of my head. I like much of where I am and I do not like change. I live on a dead end street, so there is little traffic. It is quiet here, and I like that. I am separated from one neighbor by a drainage easement and the orientation of our houses are relatively far apart. On the other side, the neighbor is practically non-existent, and that is fine with me.
I'm not not quite a hermit, but privacy is good. I'm friendly to talk to to and helpful when asked. But I'm reminded of something I read about Daniel Boone in the frontier days when he noticed smoke from the chimney of a new house across the valley and decided it was time to move because it was "getting crowded". There is a difference between "alone" and "lonely". I don't feel "lonely" here.
I expect I can find a place I would like slightly better than this one. And again, not bigger or fancier, just "better". But slightly more suited comes with a lot of effort. I have contacted a moving company to give me an estimate of "what you see is what you pack and move" and I have contacted a Buyer's Agent, who according to what I have read, represents ME in the house-buying process.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. I have to admit that, if I could just show someone the house and just say "move it" that would be a great relief (at a cost). I don't think I can do it on my own. Then I could choose how much to do on my own. And if I have an agent representing ME in a purchase, that takes a lot of worry off my mind too. What I've read about a Buyer Agent suggests that I would save more than the cost.
When I sat down at a table to sign the contract on this house there were 6 lawyers sitting at the other end just daring me to ask any questions. They knew what they were doing, and I didn't. They didn't want me to read the contract (I did anyway - mostly), and whenever I asked a question it was either "that's the law" or they all asked a bunch of questions back at me.
But there was was no one on MY side. I won't do that again! I will have an expert on MY side of the table who knows how to read the contract and who represents ME and not the seller.
I look forward to hearing from several moving company (highly rated ones from Angie's List). This move might actually happen sometime in the next year... After 27 years, I can hardly imagine it.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
To Move Or Not To Move
Every couple of years, I get an urge to move. I've lived here since 1986. I go through the same procedure. Contact some random real estate agent in possible areas in Maryland, ask about available houses that might meet my desires, then give up and stay here.
I'm not doing it for the fun of it. I analyze things reasonably well. The equation is that the problems I want to leave behind are just about equal the the time, cost, and trouble of moving. Staying in place just seems easier.
I keep coming up with lists and evaluating the lists is all subjective. If they were numbers, the additions and subtractions would come out about "zero". For example:
1. I'm getting older so I'd like not to have stairs. But spread-out 1 floor houses are more expensive.
2. I'd like a open style house with 3' walls. But that means everything has to stay clean.
3. An open style house give more appearance of space. But then there are few walls to put tall things up against.
4. My gardening here is shaded too much by neighbors' trees, but a larger open yard costs more.
5. My D-I-Y home improvement work over the years has not exactly been terrible, but not admirable either. I can live with it a lot better than I could sell it to someone else.
6. The things I dislike about the yard would be nice to escape. But most of them also fixable.
7. I know this house so intimately. I can walk around here in the dark. In a new house, it would take a year of turning on all the lights at night just to find the bathroom.
8. Speaking of knowing the house, I knew last year that there was a problem with the A/C just by a slight change in the pitch of the sound.
9. After 27 years, I have found about the best place for EVERYTHING! I can't imagine how long that would take in a new house.
10. The cats know how not to get lost here. That stands by itself as seriously important. On the other hand, I kept Tinkerbelle inside for a month before I let her out on a harness/leash every day for a few weeks and she didn't get lost.
11. I'm used to this place and the structures. Like the 2 sheds. They fit everything perfectly. But there isn't anything here I can't replicate on a new property. And a new larger one would be nicer than 2 old ones.
12. My garage is so tight that I have only 6" on each side as I pull in. That seems like a lot more than it is. Naturally, I don't do that fast. And I've managed to get some white garage paint on every car I've ever owned. I could live with a larger garage.
13. Living here 27 years also means I have long-standing relationships with a Dr, a Dentist, a Barber, etc. I know where every store is. The butchers and wineshops know me. One special orders my favorite wine jusy for me. Giving that up is hard.
But almost all of those statements could be reversed. A new house means new possibilities for better arrangements. No stairs would be easier in the coming years. An open lot would let me apply the things I've learned about gardening to a new space. I might find that a new house arrangement is much easier to move around in. There is some excitement in designing new flowerbeds. The cats might love the extra yard space and new places to explore. Unlike when moving here, dead broke with my bank account flat-lined, I have money now (not much D-I-Y work needed). And unlike when I moved here in my first house and didn't recognize the cheap, cheating ways of my builder, I have some experience in evaluating an existing house or especially one being built new.
There are other issues. I could have a solar energy roof and a geothermal heating/cooling system. I could start with extreme energy-efficient appliances. In short, I could go from 27 years ago to up-to-date all at once, and probably good enough for the rest of my independent life. At some cost and a lot of effort...
So it's "familiarity" versus "excitement", "no effort to stay here" versus "much work in moving".
So I'm asking of those of you who have moved and liked the decision, and those of you who have chosen not to moved and liked the decision, what do you think? What did you like about your decision to move or not move. Both decisions are valid, and I'm stuck between them.
I don't often ask for help in making my decisions, but I'm really on the bubble and could use some thoughts.
I'm not doing it for the fun of it. I analyze things reasonably well. The equation is that the problems I want to leave behind are just about equal the the time, cost, and trouble of moving. Staying in place just seems easier.
I keep coming up with lists and evaluating the lists is all subjective. If they were numbers, the additions and subtractions would come out about "zero". For example:
1. I'm getting older so I'd like not to have stairs. But spread-out 1 floor houses are more expensive.
2. I'd like a open style house with 3' walls. But that means everything has to stay clean.
3. An open style house give more appearance of space. But then there are few walls to put tall things up against.
4. My gardening here is shaded too much by neighbors' trees, but a larger open yard costs more.
5. My D-I-Y home improvement work over the years has not exactly been terrible, but not admirable either. I can live with it a lot better than I could sell it to someone else.
6. The things I dislike about the yard would be nice to escape. But most of them also fixable.
7. I know this house so intimately. I can walk around here in the dark. In a new house, it would take a year of turning on all the lights at night just to find the bathroom.
8. Speaking of knowing the house, I knew last year that there was a problem with the A/C just by a slight change in the pitch of the sound.
9. After 27 years, I have found about the best place for EVERYTHING! I can't imagine how long that would take in a new house.
10. The cats know how not to get lost here. That stands by itself as seriously important. On the other hand, I kept Tinkerbelle inside for a month before I let her out on a harness/leash every day for a few weeks and she didn't get lost.
11. I'm used to this place and the structures. Like the 2 sheds. They fit everything perfectly. But there isn't anything here I can't replicate on a new property. And a new larger one would be nicer than 2 old ones.
12. My garage is so tight that I have only 6" on each side as I pull in. That seems like a lot more than it is. Naturally, I don't do that fast. And I've managed to get some white garage paint on every car I've ever owned. I could live with a larger garage.
13. Living here 27 years also means I have long-standing relationships with a Dr, a Dentist, a Barber, etc. I know where every store is. The butchers and wineshops know me. One special orders my favorite wine jusy for me. Giving that up is hard.
But almost all of those statements could be reversed. A new house means new possibilities for better arrangements. No stairs would be easier in the coming years. An open lot would let me apply the things I've learned about gardening to a new space. I might find that a new house arrangement is much easier to move around in. There is some excitement in designing new flowerbeds. The cats might love the extra yard space and new places to explore. Unlike when moving here, dead broke with my bank account flat-lined, I have money now (not much D-I-Y work needed). And unlike when I moved here in my first house and didn't recognize the cheap, cheating ways of my builder, I have some experience in evaluating an existing house or especially one being built new.
There are other issues. I could have a solar energy roof and a geothermal heating/cooling system. I could start with extreme energy-efficient appliances. In short, I could go from 27 years ago to up-to-date all at once, and probably good enough for the rest of my independent life. At some cost and a lot of effort...
So it's "familiarity" versus "excitement", "no effort to stay here" versus "much work in moving".
So I'm asking of those of you who have moved and liked the decision, and those of you who have chosen not to moved and liked the decision, what do you think? What did you like about your decision to move or not move. Both decisions are valid, and I'm stuck between them.
I don't often ask for help in making my decisions, but I'm really on the bubble and could use some thoughts.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Swamp Yard
OK, the lower front yard lawn has been sinking the past 20 years. It was originally an erosion gully and I had it filled 20 years ago. I had an entire dumptruck of regular yard soil added there and I spent a week spreading it out. But it has sunk over the years and any rain collects in there; its a swamp now. I dug a trench from there to the street drain, but it always fills up with tree debris and gets blocked.
I need more soil. But how much? Well, I'm going to set up stakes with strings on them at the level that seems best. I'll measure severel places under the strings to estimate the soil needed. I am good at geometry. Then I'll add 50% for packing the soil down a bit. Not too packed, but it has to be packed enough to resist just being washed away in storms until new grass grows. And a bit too high would be better than too low. After all, too low IS the problem.
I'm tired of half the front lawn being squishy to walk on for days after every rain (and unmowable). Last year, I thought the drainage ditch I dug would solve the problem. It doesn't. Time for a more permanent solution.
I need more soil. But how much? Well, I'm going to set up stakes with strings on them at the level that seems best. I'll measure severel places under the strings to estimate the soil needed. I am good at geometry. Then I'll add 50% for packing the soil down a bit. Not too packed, but it has to be packed enough to resist just being washed away in storms until new grass grows. And a bit too high would be better than too low. After all, too low IS the problem.
I'm tired of half the front lawn being squishy to walk on for days after every rain (and unmowable). Last year, I thought the drainage ditch I dug would solve the problem. It doesn't. Time for a more permanent solution.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
A Difficult Subject
A botched execution by lethal injection of a condemned convict has been in the news lately. I'm not going to discuss that. But my thoughts turned to the chemicals used to humanely euthanize our pets. I thought they were the same chemicals.
Most internet searches suggest that they are (some listed other chemicals that are used). It is difficult to tell how up-to-date these articles are because sites discussing the subject seldom have publication dates. The news reports about the botched lethal injection stated that the chemicals previously used are no longer produced (one article I read, and lost track of, carefully said "for US prison executions"). If they are not available for executing convicts, then are they available for our pets?
I am worried that the routinely most humane pet euthanasia protocol has been eliminated by the concerns over the ethics of human lethal injection execution. I worry about the future of humane pet euthanasia...
I have personal experience. My cat, Skeeter, was euthanized in 2008 in the extremity of kidney failure. I was there. He was sedated and then administered a dose of sodium thiopental while I held his head and looked into his eyes. The vet was listening to his heart. 5 seconds later, he said "he's gone", but listened another 30 seconds to be absolutely sure. Not a twitch or eye movement. I was so grateful for the ease of his passing.
So what happens now for our dear pet friends if there is no sodium thiopental? Or is it still produced for veterinary use? I can't find the answer on the internet. And I want to know.
I'm not worried about my cats right now. The oldest is only 6. I'm sure the future will bring forth better chemicals for the sad need of pet euthanasia. But some cats are older and I know that many are euthanized every day.
What of them, now?
It disturbs me to raise this question. But the need for an answer is strong. If the best chemicals for humane euthanasia are no longer available, what IS being used now? And if not the BEST chemicals to free our dear furrends from difficult painful lingering ends, WHY NOT?
Most internet searches suggest that they are (some listed other chemicals that are used). It is difficult to tell how up-to-date these articles are because sites discussing the subject seldom have publication dates. The news reports about the botched lethal injection stated that the chemicals previously used are no longer produced (one article I read, and lost track of, carefully said "for US prison executions"). If they are not available for executing convicts, then are they available for our pets?
I am worried that the routinely most humane pet euthanasia protocol has been eliminated by the concerns over the ethics of human lethal injection execution. I worry about the future of humane pet euthanasia...
I have personal experience. My cat, Skeeter, was euthanized in 2008 in the extremity of kidney failure. I was there. He was sedated and then administered a dose of sodium thiopental while I held his head and looked into his eyes. The vet was listening to his heart. 5 seconds later, he said "he's gone", but listened another 30 seconds to be absolutely sure. Not a twitch or eye movement. I was so grateful for the ease of his passing.
So what happens now for our dear pet friends if there is no sodium thiopental? Or is it still produced for veterinary use? I can't find the answer on the internet. And I want to know.
I'm not worried about my cats right now. The oldest is only 6. I'm sure the future will bring forth better chemicals for the sad need of pet euthanasia. But some cats are older and I know that many are euthanized every day.
What of them, now?
It disturbs me to raise this question. But the need for an answer is strong. If the best chemicals for humane euthanasia are no longer available, what IS being used now? And if not the BEST chemicals to free our dear furrends from difficult painful lingering ends, WHY NOT?
Monday, April 28, 2014
Comedy Time
I love telephone spammers, I really do. They are endless sources of amusement.
Don't get me wrong, I don't love them for what they do. I would rather they all went to a Dante-ish low circle of hell. But they don't threaten ME, so I sometimes torture them a bit to make sure they get some punishment here on Earth.
I have mey telephone set to Robonomo (check it out, its great, most commercial calls go away after one ring). But some get through. So today I got a call about my credit card. The scammer had the last 4 digits of my card (the public part) and nothing else, so I knew it was scam.
I am reconstructing the conversation as accurately as I can, but I need to mention that I had been up about 42+ hours (noon to midnight to midnight to almost noon, so I WAS in rare form and at my finest. Actually the rarest of events when "staircase wit" is in real time... It sure doesn't happen often in life, but today was the day!
Spammer is in red, I'm green.
Ring ring
Hello.
Silence
Start talking!!!
Hello, I'm from Chase.
I knew it was a spam right there, so off we went. What are you chasing?
Not chasing, sir. I am calling about a problem with a Chase credit card.
I have a Chase credit card?
Yes, sir, ending in xxxx.
What is the problem? Did I lose it?
No, there has been a questionable transaction and we need some information.
Now at this point, I usually just hang up of course, but I was annoyable, revved up from being on the computer playing Scrabble, and feeling a bit mean. So...
Do tell!
Yes sir, and we need you to confirm your credit card number.
What do you want me to confirm?
Your credit card number.
You have provided no information to "confirm" (air quote inflection) . "Conformation" means you give me information to agree with.
I have used that line before.
Um, I mean I need you to reply with the other digits of your credit card so that we know who we are speaking to.
Well, why don't you give me the middle digits so I know who *I* am speaking to?
Oh we can't do that, it might compromise the card number security!
Well, if you are from Chase, then you have my email address and gif security picture?
Yes, sir.
So you know it is a golf club?
(it isn't)
Yes Sir!
Well, why don't you just tell me some other digits of my card number? After all, if I know the golf club image is my security gif, then I must be the person you think you hope you might have reached, right?
Um...
You actually sound like an intelligent person. Why don't you have a real job? But anyway, if you wanted to scam me better, why didn't you call about Mom's respirator payment being late.
Well, that's part of the transaction I am calling about...
(Mom died 4 years ago)
I need more talented scammers. Please call back when you find one!
I'm not perfect. After that I just laughed at the guy, telling him he was SO incompetent that he should throw himself on a funeral pyre of his own construction before his boss did it for him.
OK, I ran out of clever thoughts by then and just hung up... But I was pretty pleased with myself by that point. Everyone deserves that one perfect time when they say everything right... And today was mine!
I bet I couldn't do that on a full night's sleep...
Don't get me wrong, I don't love them for what they do. I would rather they all went to a Dante-ish low circle of hell. But they don't threaten ME, so I sometimes torture them a bit to make sure they get some punishment here on Earth.
I have mey telephone set to Robonomo (check it out, its great, most commercial calls go away after one ring). But some get through. So today I got a call about my credit card. The scammer had the last 4 digits of my card (the public part) and nothing else, so I knew it was scam.
I am reconstructing the conversation as accurately as I can, but I need to mention that I had been up about 42+ hours (noon to midnight to midnight to almost noon, so I WAS in rare form and at my finest. Actually the rarest of events when "staircase wit" is in real time... It sure doesn't happen often in life, but today was the day!
Spammer is in red, I'm green.
Ring ring
Hello.
Silence
Start talking!!!
Hello, I'm from Chase.
I knew it was a spam right there, so off we went. What are you chasing?
Not chasing, sir. I am calling about a problem with a Chase credit card.
I have a Chase credit card?
Yes, sir, ending in xxxx.
What is the problem? Did I lose it?
No, there has been a questionable transaction and we need some information.
Now at this point, I usually just hang up of course, but I was annoyable, revved up from being on the computer playing Scrabble, and feeling a bit mean. So...
Do tell!
Yes sir, and we need you to confirm your credit card number.
What do you want me to confirm?
Your credit card number.
You have provided no information to "confirm" (air quote inflection) . "Conformation" means you give me information to agree with.
I have used that line before.
Um, I mean I need you to reply with the other digits of your credit card so that we know who we are speaking to.
Well, why don't you give me the middle digits so I know who *I* am speaking to?
Oh we can't do that, it might compromise the card number security!
Well, if you are from Chase, then you have my email address and gif security picture?
Yes, sir.
So you know it is a golf club?
(it isn't)
Yes Sir!
Well, why don't you just tell me some other digits of my card number? After all, if I know the golf club image is my security gif, then I must be the person you think you hope you might have reached, right?
Um...
You actually sound like an intelligent person. Why don't you have a real job? But anyway, if you wanted to scam me better, why didn't you call about Mom's respirator payment being late.
Well, that's part of the transaction I am calling about...
(Mom died 4 years ago)
I need more talented scammers. Please call back when you find one!
I'm not perfect. After that I just laughed at the guy, telling him he was SO incompetent that he should throw himself on a funeral pyre of his own construction before his boss did it for him.
OK, I ran out of clever thoughts by then and just hung up... But I was pretty pleased with myself by that point. Everyone deserves that one perfect time when they say everything right... And today was mine!
I bet I couldn't do that on a full night's sleep...
Saturday, April 26, 2014
More Garden Work
Well, after the first 2 sessions pulling up and cutting the garden path carpet, I attacked it again today after a day's rest. Fortunately, I got better at it as I went along. I scraped soil and vines off the top, used my flat spade to cut along the edges, wore leather gloves to make it easier to pull vines loose, and also used the spade to slide under the carpet to pry it up loose from roots.
I finished the carpet removal today (well, there is some left but it is outside of my project area). As in all projects, you get good at the hardest parts by the time you are done. I should mention the spade. Years ago, I found an all metal spade for sale and bought one. The first one bent and the seller was shocked but replaced it as having a defect. The replacement has lasted 15 years or so and seems indestructable. I love using it!
And I should also mention that, yeah, I could hire some guys to do this work. I could afford it, and if I found the right people, they might even do the job better. But the point is to actually do the work myself. Meaning no disrespect, but following the very good logic of hiring people to do gardening work, I should just shop at the grocery stores and farmers markets. But I mostly garden for the pleasure of the effort (even when sometimes the effort seems overwhelming) because the harvest is more satisfying.
I don't garden to save money. It is nearly impossible to beat a commercial farm for efficiency of cost. But I have never been able to buy a Cherokee Purple or Brandywine tomato that tasted as good as one straight from the garden. And the same is true of much corn and other crops. Some crops, I can't find anywhere.
And I have to have something productive to do. I suppose that if I wasn't gardening, I would be building birdhouses, raising tropical fish, or constructing string art. Something...
My preference is to grow things. And that takes WORK! This garden enclosure is likely to be one of the last major yard projects (I do still want to renovate my 8' circular fish pond too). So doing this before I get too old to try is important.
I'm being careful. I do hard work for 15-30 minutes and I stop for an hour to rest. I have a good sense of "how much is too much". I have always avoided "work til you drop". In a way, that is just showing off, and it is risky.
Projects aren't competitions. They are goals with purposes. My purpose in this project is to establish a limited, well-organized gardening area free of squirrel, groundhog, and rabbit destruction.
I have thought about how to change my existing 8'x3' beds into the longer (more efficient) 16"x4' beds. Dreams are wonderful things. I woke up suddenly a couple nights ago realizing that the two 4'x4' beds were exactly within the space I needed for the first 16'x4' bed. I just need to dig/chop out the tree saplings and fading 20 year old rose bushes for one and pot up the herbs from the other (for later replanting).
Then I can build the first (of three) 16'x4' frame around them and start transferring soil from the other 8'x3' beds to that one. Then I can break apart those old frames (of the emptied beds) and build the other two 16'x4' framed beds. Those framed beds will need new soil (I will have used up most all my existing soil in the 1st framed bed).
When the beds are built and filled, I can construct the enclosed structure around them (he said with unsupported confidence, LOL!). That part should be a lot easier...
And I figure I have about 2 weeks to do that before planting season gets too late. Wish me luck!
I finished the carpet removal today (well, there is some left but it is outside of my project area). As in all projects, you get good at the hardest parts by the time you are done. I should mention the spade. Years ago, I found an all metal spade for sale and bought one. The first one bent and the seller was shocked but replaced it as having a defect. The replacement has lasted 15 years or so and seems indestructable. I love using it!
And I should also mention that, yeah, I could hire some guys to do this work. I could afford it, and if I found the right people, they might even do the job better. But the point is to actually do the work myself. Meaning no disrespect, but following the very good logic of hiring people to do gardening work, I should just shop at the grocery stores and farmers markets. But I mostly garden for the pleasure of the effort (even when sometimes the effort seems overwhelming) because the harvest is more satisfying.
I don't garden to save money. It is nearly impossible to beat a commercial farm for efficiency of cost. But I have never been able to buy a Cherokee Purple or Brandywine tomato that tasted as good as one straight from the garden. And the same is true of much corn and other crops. Some crops, I can't find anywhere.
And I have to have something productive to do. I suppose that if I wasn't gardening, I would be building birdhouses, raising tropical fish, or constructing string art. Something...
My preference is to grow things. And that takes WORK! This garden enclosure is likely to be one of the last major yard projects (I do still want to renovate my 8' circular fish pond too). So doing this before I get too old to try is important.
I'm being careful. I do hard work for 15-30 minutes and I stop for an hour to rest. I have a good sense of "how much is too much". I have always avoided "work til you drop". In a way, that is just showing off, and it is risky.
Projects aren't competitions. They are goals with purposes. My purpose in this project is to establish a limited, well-organized gardening area free of squirrel, groundhog, and rabbit destruction.
I have thought about how to change my existing 8'x3' beds into the longer (more efficient) 16"x4' beds. Dreams are wonderful things. I woke up suddenly a couple nights ago realizing that the two 4'x4' beds were exactly within the space I needed for the first 16'x4' bed. I just need to dig/chop out the tree saplings and fading 20 year old rose bushes for one and pot up the herbs from the other (for later replanting).
Then I can build the first (of three) 16'x4' frame around them and start transferring soil from the other 8'x3' beds to that one. Then I can break apart those old frames (of the emptied beds) and build the other two 16'x4' framed beds. Those framed beds will need new soil (I will have used up most all my existing soil in the 1st framed bed).
When the beds are built and filled, I can construct the enclosed structure around them (he said with unsupported confidence, LOL!). That part should be a lot easier...
And I figure I have about 2 weeks to do that before planting season gets too late. Wish me luck!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Dad's Birthday
Dad is 92 today. He doesn't know it (he thinks he is over a 100 now). I'm pretty sure he doesn't know who *I* am most times. I sent him a hand made card. And a letter. About all I can do these days.
He moved in with me 2 years ago. I was able to take care of him for a year. It was good in some ways, not so good in others, but I did what I could. It was the first time I took care of another person in that way.
I got used to making traditional meals (separate meats and standard vegetables every day precisely at 6 pm and sandwiches at Noon). Going to bed at traditional times. Watching traditional TV. We watched more of his favorite old 1960's TV shows than I knew were available. And he complained about THOSE!
It was horrible... But it was only a year. Still, it was a loooooong year. I'm glad I did it. Its the kind of thing you only have to do once (and should) and once is enough. I wouldn't want to do it again though. I hope you understand.
Dad was not too bad at first, but fell apart fast. The first month, he could walk around the yard looking at the flowers and the garden. The last month, he saw "things" in the yard and people wandering around in it and he wasn't sure where he was. I know that, sometimes, he wasn't sure who *I* was.
Today he is being cared for by professionals who guide him to his meals, get him in front of a TV, change his 'depends' and probably do more things for him than I want to know about.
Happy Birthday Dad, where ever you think you are and whatever you can remember... I hope you think that Mom is in the next room and you will be talking to her soon. I can only hope you have some good memory of the day...
He moved in with me 2 years ago. I was able to take care of him for a year. It was good in some ways, not so good in others, but I did what I could. It was the first time I took care of another person in that way.
I got used to making traditional meals (separate meats and standard vegetables every day precisely at 6 pm and sandwiches at Noon). Going to bed at traditional times. Watching traditional TV. We watched more of his favorite old 1960's TV shows than I knew were available. And he complained about THOSE!
It was horrible... But it was only a year. Still, it was a loooooong year. I'm glad I did it. Its the kind of thing you only have to do once (and should) and once is enough. I wouldn't want to do it again though. I hope you understand.
Dad was not too bad at first, but fell apart fast. The first month, he could walk around the yard looking at the flowers and the garden. The last month, he saw "things" in the yard and people wandering around in it and he wasn't sure where he was. I know that, sometimes, he wasn't sure who *I* was.
Today he is being cared for by professionals who guide him to his meals, get him in front of a TV, change his 'depends' and probably do more things for him than I want to know about.
Happy Birthday Dad, where ever you think you are and whatever you can remember... I hope you think that Mom is in the next room and you will be talking to her soon. I can only hope you have some good memory of the day...
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Garden Renovation
I'm having some doubts about my plan to rebuild the garden with new beds and enclosing the space in chicken wire! Everything I think I need to do first has something else to do before that. You may recall that I took apart the frames from two 4'x4' beds a few days ago.
Well, when I went out today to start to dig out an old tree and some brambles in one of them, I realized that I had to remove the carpet in the paths between them (and between ALL the framed beds first. Digging out a old tree (mostly just roots with persistent suckers I have been trying to kill for 10 years) takes more room than just the 4x4 frame removed.
Why did I have carpeting between the framed beds? Well, as the guy who jumped into the cactus patch said "It seemed like a good idea at the time". But seriously, it DID seem like a good idea 20 years ago. I had just switched from carpet to wood floors, I had all this leftover carpet, I was building framed beds with muddy weedy paths, and smothering the weeds with the leftover carpet seemed like a good idea. I even put black plastic sheeting under the carpet so weeds couldn't grow through the carpet.
Weeds are astonishingly determined...
The carpet is nearly impossible to pull up. It is in 3' wide paths, and 2 decades of vines have sent roots into the plastic below and the carpet above. Not above the carpet (even weeds and vines have limits). But the roots interlock, and they do best at the edges. Yanking the carpet up was like pulling old plywood siding off walls by hand. It was inch by inch prying it up with several tools.
And it was HEAVY! I finally had to cut through it every 4' and the cutting did not go easily. You would think that 20 year old carpet would just fall apart. No way! I have an old carpet knife my Dad made back in the early 50s (seriously, he worked in a machine shop at the time and made stuff like that "for fun") and I keep it sharp (it is VERY useful for many things). Its curved like a 5" scimitar.
Even using THAT every 4' of carpet took hard work. And the pieces of carpet seem to weigh a ton! There is inches of soil attached from plant roots, the carpet is wet and carpet is heavier than you may think. Its all 40 lbs of dead weight. I pick it up and it sags all over. I finally learned to fold it in 3rds to carry it to a place to pile it up (where I will use the riding lawn mower and a tow cart to bring it to the hauling trailer so I can bring it too the landfill.
It took 3 hours to pull half of the carpet up. It was 6pm, so I stopped to go inside and make dinner. That's when the hand cramps started! I live a life of general activity punctuated with intense activity (like today) and muscle cramps are not new to me. But these were bad.
Everytime I clenched my hand (however lightly) around a knife handle and tried to open a bottle or jar, my left hand muscles seized up painfully until I massaged them few minutes. That lasted for about 5 minutes until the next cramp. Then the right hand started...
I either have to do less physical work or more. I think I'll try more. And more regularly!
But the point is that there is a LOT more to this project than I realized at first. There are tree roots (from neighbor trees) under the carpet paths, there are evil vines. And I still have to dig up the tree stump an suckers from that one 4x4 bed and dig out the brambles and roses I don't want in the garden. This could take a couple of weeks, and I'm not 40 anymore.
I might have to adapt my plan to do half this Spring and the rest next Fall.
Well, when I went out today to start to dig out an old tree and some brambles in one of them, I realized that I had to remove the carpet in the paths between them (and between ALL the framed beds first. Digging out a old tree (mostly just roots with persistent suckers I have been trying to kill for 10 years) takes more room than just the 4x4 frame removed.
Why did I have carpeting between the framed beds? Well, as the guy who jumped into the cactus patch said "It seemed like a good idea at the time". But seriously, it DID seem like a good idea 20 years ago. I had just switched from carpet to wood floors, I had all this leftover carpet, I was building framed beds with muddy weedy paths, and smothering the weeds with the leftover carpet seemed like a good idea. I even put black plastic sheeting under the carpet so weeds couldn't grow through the carpet.
Weeds are astonishingly determined...
The carpet is nearly impossible to pull up. It is in 3' wide paths, and 2 decades of vines have sent roots into the plastic below and the carpet above. Not above the carpet (even weeds and vines have limits). But the roots interlock, and they do best at the edges. Yanking the carpet up was like pulling old plywood siding off walls by hand. It was inch by inch prying it up with several tools.
And it was HEAVY! I finally had to cut through it every 4' and the cutting did not go easily. You would think that 20 year old carpet would just fall apart. No way! I have an old carpet knife my Dad made back in the early 50s (seriously, he worked in a machine shop at the time and made stuff like that "for fun") and I keep it sharp (it is VERY useful for many things). Its curved like a 5" scimitar.
Even using THAT every 4' of carpet took hard work. And the pieces of carpet seem to weigh a ton! There is inches of soil attached from plant roots, the carpet is wet and carpet is heavier than you may think. Its all 40 lbs of dead weight. I pick it up and it sags all over. I finally learned to fold it in 3rds to carry it to a place to pile it up (where I will use the riding lawn mower and a tow cart to bring it to the hauling trailer so I can bring it too the landfill.
It took 3 hours to pull half of the carpet up. It was 6pm, so I stopped to go inside and make dinner. That's when the hand cramps started! I live a life of general activity punctuated with intense activity (like today) and muscle cramps are not new to me. But these were bad.
Everytime I clenched my hand (however lightly) around a knife handle and tried to open a bottle or jar, my left hand muscles seized up painfully until I massaged them few minutes. That lasted for about 5 minutes until the next cramp. Then the right hand started...
I either have to do less physical work or more. I think I'll try more. And more regularly!
But the point is that there is a LOT more to this project than I realized at first. There are tree roots (from neighbor trees) under the carpet paths, there are evil vines. And I still have to dig up the tree stump an suckers from that one 4x4 bed and dig out the brambles and roses I don't want in the garden. This could take a couple of weeks, and I'm not 40 anymore.
I might have to adapt my plan to do half this Spring and the rest next Fall.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Destructo-Man!
Well, before I can rebuild the beds in the garden, the existing ones have to come out. I've been avoiding that. I hate to take things apart. But after 28 years, that's what I need to do with the old garden beds, the deck, etc.
So I started on the easy parts. Not the easiest to tear apart, but the ones I felt least invested with. The tree and rose box went first. I've glad I have a few serious crowbars. The 2' one worked best. It was heavy enough to swing through the vines and brambles to get them out of the way, but thin enough to wedge between the screwed 2"x4" boards.
Could I have simply unscrewed the boards? Maybe, but after over 20 years, there probably wasn't much screwhead to grab. Wedging seemed easier. They are just going to a landfill anyway. So I got two 4'x4' boxes pulled apart just to see how hard it might be.
Easy-peasy...
I cut down the 6" wire trellis remesh a couple weeks ago to force myself to continue the project. And the old 4"x4" posts that held up the trellis broke with just a little pushing. Heck, one post was only standing because I pounded in a pipe next to it and put long screws through the pipe into the post. I can see that the 2'x32' box under the removed trellis will be easy enough to tear apart too. Well, yeah, if you need to force yourself to continue a project, tear out the useful parts first. After that, you either have to rebuilt them or continue.
Next step is to see how hard it is to cut through tree roots above ground and remove them. I can chop them with an axe near the fence line and then wedge them up. I have to do that because above-ground tree roots would not allow me to build new level framed beds otherwise. I sure wish I was 35 again!!! Removing those tree roots is going to take a whole day at 63.
But when those roots are removed, I can take apart the remaining existing framed beds. They will come apart easily; they are barely hanging together as it is.
Then I need to move all the existing soil. I'm not looking forward to that. I have to move it to SOMEWHERE outside of the new site because its good soil and I want to move it back to the new beds I'll build when the site is cleared and leveled. The hard part is that I am basically going to be digging up all my garden soil, dumping it on a HUGE tarp, then digging it up again after the new beds are built.
I'm serious about thinking it might be easier to just move and start fresh. But then there would be all that packing in the house. And yes, it would be cheaper to just buy fresh produce for the rest of my life. But this is a HOBBY, and hobbies never save money, LOL!
Just watch, I'll do all this work and then decide to move ANYWAY...
So I started on the easy parts. Not the easiest to tear apart, but the ones I felt least invested with. The tree and rose box went first. I've glad I have a few serious crowbars. The 2' one worked best. It was heavy enough to swing through the vines and brambles to get them out of the way, but thin enough to wedge between the screwed 2"x4" boards.
Could I have simply unscrewed the boards? Maybe, but after over 20 years, there probably wasn't much screwhead to grab. Wedging seemed easier. They are just going to a landfill anyway. So I got two 4'x4' boxes pulled apart just to see how hard it might be.
Easy-peasy...
I cut down the 6" wire trellis remesh a couple weeks ago to force myself to continue the project. And the old 4"x4" posts that held up the trellis broke with just a little pushing. Heck, one post was only standing because I pounded in a pipe next to it and put long screws through the pipe into the post. I can see that the 2'x32' box under the removed trellis will be easy enough to tear apart too. Well, yeah, if you need to force yourself to continue a project, tear out the useful parts first. After that, you either have to rebuilt them or continue.
Next step is to see how hard it is to cut through tree roots above ground and remove them. I can chop them with an axe near the fence line and then wedge them up. I have to do that because above-ground tree roots would not allow me to build new level framed beds otherwise. I sure wish I was 35 again!!! Removing those tree roots is going to take a whole day at 63.
But when those roots are removed, I can take apart the remaining existing framed beds. They will come apart easily; they are barely hanging together as it is.
Then I need to move all the existing soil. I'm not looking forward to that. I have to move it to SOMEWHERE outside of the new site because its good soil and I want to move it back to the new beds I'll build when the site is cleared and leveled. The hard part is that I am basically going to be digging up all my garden soil, dumping it on a HUGE tarp, then digging it up again after the new beds are built.
I'm serious about thinking it might be easier to just move and start fresh. But then there would be all that packing in the house. And yes, it would be cheaper to just buy fresh produce for the rest of my life. But this is a HOBBY, and hobbies never save money, LOL!
Just watch, I'll do all this work and then decide to move ANYWAY...
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Grafting Tomatoes
I'd been hesitating about trying this grafting of heirloom tomato tops onto hybrid roots. The benefits seem genuine (vigorous and disease-resistant roots growing complexly-flavorful heirloom tomatoes). But it seemed complicated. Growing rootstock and heirloom tomatoes so the stem sizes matched, cutting both the stems so that the cuts matched, fastening a small soft silicon clip to hold the pieces together, creating an enclosed humidified recovery, etc.
I knew I wanted to try it, but I don't have "soft steady hands" and some of the humidifying arrangements I saw on the internet seemed elaborate, but I thought about it all for a while.
Well, it was certainly easy enough to plant enough hybrid and heirloom tomatoes for both grafting AND backups in case all the grafts failed. I found the silicon clips at several sites and ordered some a month ago. I had stumbled across a 4-shelf plant stand with a zippered plastic enclosure for keeping plants warm outside and I realized that it was a fine humidifier device if I filled the lower 3 shelves with pans of water (later).
I had a razor Exacto knife) for cutting the stems. I even had a 4" piece of wood cut at a 45 degree angle left over from the trailer work! My goodness, I had everything I needed!
So with the trailer work complete and it being a rainy day, I collected everything on the basement workbench (and after some thought through the procedures, brought a few things upstairs to a table with good light).
It seemed to me the pattern was to transplant the hybrid rootstocks from little 6-packs to individual 3" pots to allow root growth, bring them all upstairs with the silicon clips and razor blade, fill the lower plant stand shelves with pans of water, and then make sure I had enough labels for all the new grafted heirloom tops.
That's when I realized I had made a serious mistake. I hadn't examined the silicon clips carefully when the y arrived. They are an "8" shape, but with one"o" larger than the other (like a snowman bottom and a snowman head). I had assumed the larger "o" was for the tomato stems. NOPE! The clipping part was the small "o", and about as thin as pencil lead. I should have done the grafting when the tomato seedlings were about 3" high, not 9"!
So I tried something creative and resourceful. I used the larger "O" part! I eyeballed the spot on the rootstocks where the stem size matched the "O" and cut a 45 degree angle above that.
Then fit the silicon clip ofer the cut stem and slid it down to where it was snug. Made a new cut just above that. Then I eyeballed the heirloom tops ("scions") and cut below that to be careful.
Testing the fit, I cut the scion stem narrower until it "just" fit into the "O" and matched the angles snugly.
I hope that all makes sense. I used the silicon clips to measure the matching stem diameter and set them together at the matching angled cuts.
To make sure I didn't confuse the heirloom tops, I only brought one variety upstairs at a time , and made sure I had enough (and only enough) variety labels for each. Because when you cut off the tops of the rootstock tomatoes and the tops of the heirloom tomatoes, they sure look a lot the same!
The other surprise was how FAST the grafted heirloom tops just wilted!
I did not realize how FAST plants transpire. In just 15 minutes, the first grafted tops had wilted right over like cooked lettuce! The enclosed humidity and darkness of the recovery chamber is supposed to help with that. I I think I will also spray the tops several times per day. The tomato grafting sites say the grafts need about a week of darkness along with the humidity, so after I zippered the plastic cover, I tossed a sheet over the whole stand.
Wish me luck!
And the first concern is resolved. The enclosed stand with the pans of water on the other shelves caused the plastic cover to fog up within just 2 hours. So the humidity is high. And below the stand is a thick towel on a sheet of plastic so the drip won't damage the wood floor. I may not think of everything in a new project, but I sure try!
I'll have some idea about the success in a few days. If the grafted tops are more erect in a few days, it means they are receiving moisture from the roots and the graft is healing. If I recall enough from high school botany, the zylem and floem (one sends nutrients up and the other down) will be working and the connection between rootstock and scion top will be solid.
And if they fail? Well, I have enough heirloom seedling and 2 Big Beef hybrids for the standard plantings of past years. I'm no worse off.
But my big surprise is that it seems a lot easier that I feared. It just took trying it to do it.
I knew I wanted to try it, but I don't have "soft steady hands" and some of the humidifying arrangements I saw on the internet seemed elaborate, but I thought about it all for a while.
Well, it was certainly easy enough to plant enough hybrid and heirloom tomatoes for both grafting AND backups in case all the grafts failed. I found the silicon clips at several sites and ordered some a month ago. I had stumbled across a 4-shelf plant stand with a zippered plastic enclosure for keeping plants warm outside and I realized that it was a fine humidifier device if I filled the lower 3 shelves with pans of water (later).
So with the trailer work complete and it being a rainy day, I collected everything on the basement workbench (and after some thought through the procedures, brought a few things upstairs to a table with good light).
It seemed to me the pattern was to transplant the hybrid rootstocks from little 6-packs to individual 3" pots to allow root growth, bring them all upstairs with the silicon clips and razor blade, fill the lower plant stand shelves with pans of water, and then make sure I had enough labels for all the new grafted heirloom tops.
That's when I realized I had made a serious mistake. I hadn't examined the silicon clips carefully when the y arrived. They are an "8" shape, but with one"o" larger than the other (like a snowman bottom and a snowman head). I had assumed the larger "o" was for the tomato stems. NOPE! The clipping part was the small "o", and about as thin as pencil lead. I should have done the grafting when the tomato seedlings were about 3" high, not 9"!
So I tried something creative and resourceful. I used the larger "O" part! I eyeballed the spot on the rootstocks where the stem size matched the "O" and cut a 45 degree angle above that.
Testing the fit, I cut the scion stem narrower until it "just" fit into the "O" and matched the angles snugly.
To make sure I didn't confuse the heirloom tops, I only brought one variety upstairs at a time , and made sure I had enough (and only enough) variety labels for each. Because when you cut off the tops of the rootstock tomatoes and the tops of the heirloom tomatoes, they sure look a lot the same!
The other surprise was how FAST the grafted heirloom tops just wilted!
Wish me luck!
And the first concern is resolved. The enclosed stand with the pans of water on the other shelves caused the plastic cover to fog up within just 2 hours. So the humidity is high. And below the stand is a thick towel on a sheet of plastic so the drip won't damage the wood floor. I may not think of everything in a new project, but I sure try!
I'll have some idea about the success in a few days. If the grafted tops are more erect in a few days, it means they are receiving moisture from the roots and the graft is healing. If I recall enough from high school botany, the zylem and floem (one sends nutrients up and the other down) will be working and the connection between rootstock and scion top will be solid.
And if they fail? Well, I have enough heirloom seedling and 2 Big Beef hybrids for the standard plantings of past years. I'm no worse off.
But my big surprise is that it seems a lot easier that I feared. It just took trying it to do it.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Trailer Pictures!
Sometimes, it is just best to show the methods and final results...
Obsessive featherboards...
Dado blades...
The tablesaw
Output, LOL!
Sides...
Capped tops and back panel...
Sad part. I just couldn't get the back corners to match. After a bad measurement, that was what I have to live with.
But the whole thing is going to be functional for the next 20 years, so... OK.
Obsessive featherboards...
Trailer!
Pictures, as promised...
Like in any project, I could do it a bit better a second time, but, "twill serve, twill serve".
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Trailer Completus
FINALLY!
Sometimes things that seem so simple are surprisingly complicated. I sure learned (re-learned?) that this past 2 weeks.
It seemed simple. Put plywood sides on a metal framed hauling trailer. Put tops on the exposed plywood top edges. Big deal. Um, not quite.
Yuo remember the Six Million Doolar Man where "they" could make him betteer faster and all that? Right... It doesn't go that easy even with simpler things. All I wanted to do was put sides on the trailer and top the plywood edges on the top so they wouldn't rot so quickly. And the idea is to make the trailer so that sand won't fall out as I drive home from the landscape supply place. Not that I buy a lot of sand, but if sand won't fall out, mulch won't and I do buy a lot of mulch.
The sides were easy. Sort of. I bought two 4'x8' panels of T1-11 exterior plywood siding. The stuff is great. Stable, solid, straight. I had the lumber store cut the sheets in 20" lengths (there are more details but I won't bore you with those). And I bought 2"x'4"x8' boards. Home I went...
The first problem I re-discovered (I probably learned this when I originally did the sides 20 years ago, but forgot) was that the metal frame around the trailer was NOT square in ANY direction. That means I had to craft the pieces into place. I made a few errors. I corrected the errors "pretty" well by hand sawing some cuts to the sides to accommodate the metal welding bumps, but I did a couple of sawings that I shouldn't have done. At least they were small errors.
After I got the sides to fit, I got at the 2x4 tops. That was trickier than I thought. I knew I could cut dadoes (stacked saw blades that make a thick cut -5/8" [20/32"] in this case) on my table saw to fit the 19/32" plywood. It would have worked great except that the plywood was a bit curvy along the entire length. Not much to see by eye, but the dado cuts sure could tell.
It took two more days to get the dado cuts to fit over the plywood edge tops. And THEN I had to adjust all the lengths to fit exactly. Did I mention I wanted all the corners to join with miter cuts?
And the back panel has to be removable. There are 2 rectangular welded shapes that are supposed to pit a 2x4 set into them. They don't, of course. The inside edges are curved. So I had to shape 2x4 pieces to fit inside lossely enough to go in and out easily but also fit tightly enough to remove easily.
That took an hour. And then I had to attach those pieces to the back sheet squarely enough so they both matched the rectangle metal fittings AND were firmly attached to the back. That was easy enough except I had to go back into the basement several times for more tools.
If I did this more often than every 20 years, it would be a lot easier. I almost wish a neighbor would come over now and ask me if I had any experience at doing this. I sure do now!
Tomorrow, pictures!
Sometimes things that seem so simple are surprisingly complicated. I sure learned (re-learned?) that this past 2 weeks.
It seemed simple. Put plywood sides on a metal framed hauling trailer. Put tops on the exposed plywood top edges. Big deal. Um, not quite.
Yuo remember the Six Million Doolar Man where "they" could make him betteer faster and all that? Right... It doesn't go that easy even with simpler things. All I wanted to do was put sides on the trailer and top the plywood edges on the top so they wouldn't rot so quickly. And the idea is to make the trailer so that sand won't fall out as I drive home from the landscape supply place. Not that I buy a lot of sand, but if sand won't fall out, mulch won't and I do buy a lot of mulch.
The sides were easy. Sort of. I bought two 4'x8' panels of T1-11 exterior plywood siding. The stuff is great. Stable, solid, straight. I had the lumber store cut the sheets in 20" lengths (there are more details but I won't bore you with those). And I bought 2"x'4"x8' boards. Home I went...
The first problem I re-discovered (I probably learned this when I originally did the sides 20 years ago, but forgot) was that the metal frame around the trailer was NOT square in ANY direction. That means I had to craft the pieces into place. I made a few errors. I corrected the errors "pretty" well by hand sawing some cuts to the sides to accommodate the metal welding bumps, but I did a couple of sawings that I shouldn't have done. At least they were small errors.
After I got the sides to fit, I got at the 2x4 tops. That was trickier than I thought. I knew I could cut dadoes (stacked saw blades that make a thick cut -5/8" [20/32"] in this case) on my table saw to fit the 19/32" plywood. It would have worked great except that the plywood was a bit curvy along the entire length. Not much to see by eye, but the dado cuts sure could tell.
It took two more days to get the dado cuts to fit over the plywood edge tops. And THEN I had to adjust all the lengths to fit exactly. Did I mention I wanted all the corners to join with miter cuts?
And the back panel has to be removable. There are 2 rectangular welded shapes that are supposed to pit a 2x4 set into them. They don't, of course. The inside edges are curved. So I had to shape 2x4 pieces to fit inside lossely enough to go in and out easily but also fit tightly enough to remove easily.
That took an hour. And then I had to attach those pieces to the back sheet squarely enough so they both matched the rectangle metal fittings AND were firmly attached to the back. That was easy enough except I had to go back into the basement several times for more tools.
If I did this more often than every 20 years, it would be a lot easier. I almost wish a neighbor would come over now and ask me if I had any experience at doing this. I sure do now!
Tomorrow, pictures!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Ah First Things First...
Well, to get the supplies I need for the enclosed garden, I need the hauling trailer renovated. The old 20 yer-old wood sides rotted out. I got new T1-11 sides cut to height and length.
I worked on the front and back yesterday. The sides of the trailer aren't exactly square, so I measured the top and bottom of the front side and put a square against the sides to estimate the unsquareness. Then realized it doesn't matter because there is an inch of metal frame in each corner.
Still, I want to make good joints for personal reasons, and I did. Even with slight angles, no edge came out more than 1/16' of matching the corners. So they matched that tolerance. The back hs a strange brace that matched a 2"x4" board IF you sand it down at the corners, and I have the pieces cut to length for that but not yet crafted carefully to size.
But it DOES mean that the trailer will be ready to haul 23 10' pipes in a couple days and 12 rolls of chicken wire shortly after that.
I looked at rental equipment for making the holes the upright pipes will sit in. An auger costs $100 for 4 hours; a trencher something like $281 for 4 hours. Looks like crowbar and post-hole-digging work for my. Well, I only need 9 holes! I can manage that. It would take that long just to drive to the store, rent the machine, drive back, unload it, set it up, use it, etc, and do the reverse.
I'll still hate pounding through rocky gravel...
I worked on the front and back yesterday. The sides of the trailer aren't exactly square, so I measured the top and bottom of the front side and put a square against the sides to estimate the unsquareness. Then realized it doesn't matter because there is an inch of metal frame in each corner.
Still, I want to make good joints for personal reasons, and I did. Even with slight angles, no edge came out more than 1/16' of matching the corners. So they matched that tolerance. The back hs a strange brace that matched a 2"x4" board IF you sand it down at the corners, and I have the pieces cut to length for that but not yet crafted carefully to size.
But it DOES mean that the trailer will be ready to haul 23 10' pipes in a couple days and 12 rolls of chicken wire shortly after that.
I looked at rental equipment for making the holes the upright pipes will sit in. An auger costs $100 for 4 hours; a trencher something like $281 for 4 hours. Looks like crowbar and post-hole-digging work for my. Well, I only need 9 holes! I can manage that. It would take that long just to drive to the store, rent the machine, drive back, unload it, set it up, use it, etc, and do the reverse.
I'll still hate pounding through rocky gravel...
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Garden Layout
Megan asked why the garden beds "should be true square feet". A good question.
There is a home gardening system by Mel Bartholomew based on planting home crops by square feet. Generally, I have used it. It works by rotating crops through square feet, never letting any space be unused. It works, but you have to keep at it. A square foot of radishes, a square foot of carrots, etc. You learn the best spacing for crops. 16 radishes per square foot, 9 carrots, etc. It does make easy planting. As I understand it, it is an adaptation of French Intensive Row Planting.
I try to keep at it, but it takes planning. Still, I want my framed beds to be in true square feet of interior size. The interior size is the problem. The boards you use to make the framed bed take up some space. So you have to use boards that are longer by their thickness.
It isn't TOO complicated. To make a 4'x4' soil framed bed, you need boards that are 4' 1.5 inches on all sides because the boards are 1.5" thick. If you just use exactly 4' boards, some of the last squares are 12"'x9" (12" -[1.5"x2]).
So in my framed bed plans, I have to make the the framed boards a few inches larger than the square feet. An 8'x4' bed actually has to have boards 8' 3" and 4' 3". It makes the details a bit insane!
Fortunately, there are some shortcuts. If there are 4 beds (8 boards total), then that takes 12" of space (8*1.5"). If I didn't take that in to account, then the paths between the beds would be too small for my 24" wide wheelbarrow,
Properly arranged, my beds allow my wheelbarrow. An inch wrong, it doesn't. So, my constructed beds must have outside dimensions larger than the true square feet inside but allow the wheelbarrow just barely.
I hope that all makes sense.
And Megan, you sent me your email once but I lost it, Would you send it again? cavebear2118 AT verizon DOT net...
There is a home gardening system by Mel Bartholomew based on planting home crops by square feet. Generally, I have used it. It works by rotating crops through square feet, never letting any space be unused. It works, but you have to keep at it. A square foot of radishes, a square foot of carrots, etc. You learn the best spacing for crops. 16 radishes per square foot, 9 carrots, etc. It does make easy planting. As I understand it, it is an adaptation of French Intensive Row Planting.
I try to keep at it, but it takes planning. Still, I want my framed beds to be in true square feet of interior size. The interior size is the problem. The boards you use to make the framed bed take up some space. So you have to use boards that are longer by their thickness.
It isn't TOO complicated. To make a 4'x4' soil framed bed, you need boards that are 4' 1.5 inches on all sides because the boards are 1.5" thick. If you just use exactly 4' boards, some of the last squares are 12"'x9" (12" -[1.5"x2]).
So in my framed bed plans, I have to make the the framed boards a few inches larger than the square feet. An 8'x4' bed actually has to have boards 8' 3" and 4' 3". It makes the details a bit insane!
Fortunately, there are some shortcuts. If there are 4 beds (8 boards total), then that takes 12" of space (8*1.5"). If I didn't take that in to account, then the paths between the beds would be too small for my 24" wide wheelbarrow,
Properly arranged, my beds allow my wheelbarrow. An inch wrong, it doesn't. So, my constructed beds must have outside dimensions larger than the true square feet inside but allow the wheelbarrow just barely.
I hope that all makes sense.
And Megan, you sent me your email once but I lost it, Would you send it again? cavebear2118 AT verizon DOT net...
Trailer Re-Siding
Before I can get the pipes, bulk chicken wire, and then additional compost/soil for the garden enclosure, I have to have the trailer renovated. I started on that back in last Summer with pressure-treated plywood to cover the sides and base, but the plywood layers separated and warped on the sides, was too high, and too thin for good stability. All around, a seemingly good choice of material that didn't work.
Well, "almost" didn't work. It did fine screwed down onto the boards that make up the bottom of the trailer. I covered those with plywood because the original individual boards have gaps between them that let sand/dirt/compost fall through unless I covered them with a plastic tarp. And when you shovel the contents out, you tear up the tarp. At $10 per tarp, I got tired of that fast (and repairing tears with duct tape isn't free either).
So last week, I decided to go back to what DID work; T1-11 Exterior Plywood Siding. The previous sides lasted 15 years before starting to rot, and the stuff is very stable and strong. I should have just stayed with that last Summer. I guess I figured pressure treated plywood would last even longer.
So last week, I started planning for T1-11 plywood. I went to Home Depot and they didn't have any of the T1-11 in the thickness I wanted (it comes in basically 3/8" and 5/8" thick) and I wanted the thicker for strength. Three days later, they also did not have it. Today I went and I was annoyed enough to find a helpful employee to ask. He said, that if the plywood wasn't on the shelves, they probably didn't have it in stock.
I suggested that maybe there was some "in the back" or newly delivered. But as I said that, I looked WAY UP at the top of the stacks, a good 20 feet up an saw a carboard-covered box that suggested it was the stuff I wanted. 19/32nds thick (seriously, who would make anything 19/32nds? It must actually be metric). Then a look from the side showed the other dimensions I wanted.
I won't say the senior lumber guy wasn't exactly upset to have to get that stuff down from the top, but he didn't thank me for the opportunity either. Well, he got to use a BIG DAMN FORKLIFT and most guys would enjoy that. Other employees gathered around to watch (they don't get to use that cool stuff). I don't want to spoil any "guyness" here, but I'm not impressed. He had only 3 controls: A steering wheel, the fork up and down, and a slight forward adjustment to the fork. My mouse is that complicated. And he screwed it up the first 2 tries! And he was the senior person...
OK, eventually, he got the pallet of the plywood I wanted down to the sales-level bin. I told him I wanted 2 sheets and I wanted them cut. I should explain the cutting.
I wanted the sides of the trailer 18" high. But that's tricky with T1-11 because it has a tongue and groove edges (like half-laps depending on your familiarity with terms).
I had the lumber guy use the coolest saw I ever saw... Its a circular saw on a pipe grid that works both vertically AND horizontally, with rollers at the bottom so the large plywood panels slide smoothly.
I ended up with four 8'x18" pieces and 2 scraps I will find a use for later. I was initially worried about securing the pieces on the trailer, but then I realized the could fit corner to opposite corner.
Back home, I set the 2 long sides of the 8' plywood strips along the 8" side of the metal frame and drilled holes through the wood to attach them with 1/4" bolt and fender washers on the inside, and lock washers and wing nuts (for easy re-tightening) on the outside. That took care of the sides.
The front and removable back will take some more exact cuts. It will be important that the front and back make good contact with the sides so I can't lose material at the corners. Fotunately, when I put the old back in place, it fit perfectly, so I know what size to cut the new T1-11. The front part will require so detailed fitting. Well, the last part always needs details work.
And the forecast is for 2 days of heavy rain, so I brought all the side pieces into the garage. I'm guessing Tuesday is when I can bring the pieces out to the trailer for correct fitting.
Then I can use the trailer to get the pipes and chicken wire for the enclosed garden. I always say
something else has to be done first" on any project, and this is proof. LOL!
Well, "almost" didn't work. It did fine screwed down onto the boards that make up the bottom of the trailer. I covered those with plywood because the original individual boards have gaps between them that let sand/dirt/compost fall through unless I covered them with a plastic tarp. And when you shovel the contents out, you tear up the tarp. At $10 per tarp, I got tired of that fast (and repairing tears with duct tape isn't free either).
So last week, I decided to go back to what DID work; T1-11 Exterior Plywood Siding. The previous sides lasted 15 years before starting to rot, and the stuff is very stable and strong. I should have just stayed with that last Summer. I guess I figured pressure treated plywood would last even longer.
So last week, I started planning for T1-11 plywood. I went to Home Depot and they didn't have any of the T1-11 in the thickness I wanted (it comes in basically 3/8" and 5/8" thick) and I wanted the thicker for strength. Three days later, they also did not have it. Today I went and I was annoyed enough to find a helpful employee to ask. He said, that if the plywood wasn't on the shelves, they probably didn't have it in stock.
I suggested that maybe there was some "in the back" or newly delivered. But as I said that, I looked WAY UP at the top of the stacks, a good 20 feet up an saw a carboard-covered box that suggested it was the stuff I wanted. 19/32nds thick (seriously, who would make anything 19/32nds? It must actually be metric). Then a look from the side showed the other dimensions I wanted.
I won't say the senior lumber guy wasn't exactly upset to have to get that stuff down from the top, but he didn't thank me for the opportunity either. Well, he got to use a BIG DAMN FORKLIFT and most guys would enjoy that. Other employees gathered around to watch (they don't get to use that cool stuff). I don't want to spoil any "guyness" here, but I'm not impressed. He had only 3 controls: A steering wheel, the fork up and down, and a slight forward adjustment to the fork. My mouse is that complicated. And he screwed it up the first 2 tries! And he was the senior person...
OK, eventually, he got the pallet of the plywood I wanted down to the sales-level bin. I told him I wanted 2 sheets and I wanted them cut. I should explain the cutting.
I wanted the sides of the trailer 18" high. But that's tricky with T1-11 because it has a tongue and groove edges (like half-laps depending on your familiarity with terms).
I had the lumber guy use the coolest saw I ever saw... Its a circular saw on a pipe grid that works both vertically AND horizontally, with rollers at the bottom so the large plywood panels slide smoothly.
I ended up with four 8'x18" pieces and 2 scraps I will find a use for later. I was initially worried about securing the pieces on the trailer, but then I realized the could fit corner to opposite corner.
Back home, I set the 2 long sides of the 8' plywood strips along the 8" side of the metal frame and drilled holes through the wood to attach them with 1/4" bolt and fender washers on the inside, and lock washers and wing nuts (for easy re-tightening) on the outside. That took care of the sides.
The front and removable back will take some more exact cuts. It will be important that the front and back make good contact with the sides so I can't lose material at the corners. Fotunately, when I put the old back in place, it fit perfectly, so I know what size to cut the new T1-11. The front part will require so detailed fitting. Well, the last part always needs details work.
And the forecast is for 2 days of heavy rain, so I brought all the side pieces into the garage. I'm guessing Tuesday is when I can bring the pieces out to the trailer for correct fitting.
Then I can use the trailer to get the pipes and chicken wire for the enclosed garden. I always say
something else has to be done first" on any project, and this is proof. LOL!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Garden Enclosure 2
I love gardening. I love geometry. The two intersect when laying out framed beds in restricted space. Having decided that a 20'x20' enclosed space ought to be a reasonable size to built, I have been sketching out various sizes and arrangements of framed beds to but in that area.
The results have been both maddening and enjoyable. Maddening because there are possibly endless arrangements, and enjoyable because I love the challenge. In the process, I have developed some rules:
Primary Considerations:
1. 20'x20' total enclosed size
2. Paths between beds cannot be narrower than 2' (wheelbarrow access)
3. No part of a bed can be more than 2' from an edge (for easy digging and reaching access)
A. That means no bed can be wider than 4'
B. A 4' bed needs a path on both sides
4. Maximize growing square footage
5. Minimize pathway square footage
6. There has to be a support pole dead center in the 20'x20' enclosure and it can't be in a path (the 10' pipes need a center support)
7. Growing area in beds must be true square feet*
Secondary Considerations:
1. I won't walk on the framed bed soil, so beds must allow easy movement among them (no labyrinthine paths)
2. Boards cost money, so the fewer needed, the better.
3. Beds against the enclosure chicken wire allow some access to varmints
Observations:
1. Material costs count only once. Square feet of growing area is forever.
* Meaning the inside dimensions of the beds are whole feet, not the outside dimensions. That threw me for days when I calculated the square feet of the beds and the square feet of the paths and it wouldn't add up to 400 square feet (20'x20'). Boards have thickness, and it adds up! Nominal 2" boards are actually 1.5" thick, so 8 boards across 4 beds takes exactly 1 foot off the available space!
Anyone who wants to suggest some layouts is more than welcome to send some. My email address is right under the header.
The results have been both maddening and enjoyable. Maddening because there are possibly endless arrangements, and enjoyable because I love the challenge. In the process, I have developed some rules:
Primary Considerations:
1. 20'x20' total enclosed size
2. Paths between beds cannot be narrower than 2' (wheelbarrow access)
3. No part of a bed can be more than 2' from an edge (for easy digging and reaching access)
A. That means no bed can be wider than 4'
B. A 4' bed needs a path on both sides
4. Maximize growing square footage
5. Minimize pathway square footage
6. There has to be a support pole dead center in the 20'x20' enclosure and it can't be in a path (the 10' pipes need a center support)
7. Growing area in beds must be true square feet*
Secondary Considerations:
1. I won't walk on the framed bed soil, so beds must allow easy movement among them (no labyrinthine paths)
2. Boards cost money, so the fewer needed, the better.
3. Beds against the enclosure chicken wire allow some access to varmints
Observations:
1. Material costs count only once. Square feet of growing area is forever.
* Meaning the inside dimensions of the beds are whole feet, not the outside dimensions. That threw me for days when I calculated the square feet of the beds and the square feet of the paths and it wouldn't add up to 400 square feet (20'x20'). Boards have thickness, and it adds up! Nominal 2" boards are actually 1.5" thick, so 8 boards across 4 beds takes exactly 1 foot off the available space!
Anyone who wants to suggest some layouts is more than welcome to send some. My email address is right under the header.
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