Springing

Yesterday was a beautiful day; sunny, breezy, warm and the second day of the year with windows wide open.  Clouds started moving in about the time I took these pictures, and it's overcast and rainy today.  The grass is now green almost everywhere, but while I've used the strimmer around the edges I have yet to mow.  Many trees have leaves opening, others still just buds.  Flower beds are filling in nicely but, as usual, the tree stump area needs some work - especially since the new fence.

The stairs look pretty bad due to the "transparent" stain (as opposed to "clear," which is very different) coming off.  Hopefully a good power wash and another coat will penetrate the wood more and stay better.

In the gardens we have garlic coming up in one and raspberries in another.  There's still some strawberry plants in one but like growing tomatoes we've given up due to the critters.  And there is one empty that we'll just have to see what happens when we get plants and seeds.

I'm still waiting to have the first real fire pit of the year.  Rain, wind and cold have kept me inside so far.

And the cats liked the warmth and open windows of the porch, as Basil demonstrates here.

Things are looking up, I think.  At least weather-wise.

Street Reconstruction

I believe I mentioned that our street is due to be reconstructed this year, and that I had some issues with their plans.  For the first time, I spoke to the City Council during their meeting tonight on this agenda item.  The meeting started at 6:30 pm, and I just got to speak about 9:30 pm.  I had 3 minutes to get my point across.  I was told my 3 minutes were up right before I said thank you at the end.  Pretty good timing, I'd say.

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Good evening.

My wife and I are residents of Xxxxxx Street since 2009 and I wanted to speak tonight because while we agree this part of the street needs reconstruction, some of the data used for planning appears inaccurate and other factors not considered at all.

The data that notes this block of Xxxxxx Street averages 6 vehicles parked overnight and 5 during the day is highly inaccurate.  Since we saw that, my wife and I have been counting at various times of day and found that on weekdays we average 13 vehicles parked on the street overnight and 8 during the day.  These numbers increase significantly on the weekends to 12-15 vehicles parked on the street at any given time.

Per the Parking Exhibit PDF on the city website, Xxxxxx Street is due to have parking on only the north side with just 17 parking spots available.  This is also inaccurate as 3 vehicles will not reasonably fit between any two driveways, and keep in mind that city ordinance requires no parking within 4 feet of a driveway and 2 feet between cars.  This means only 15 parking spots, which is pretty close to 1 spot for every 2 houses on the block.

It’s a pretty long block, so this is problematic for several reasons:

    1. In 2019 you built a canoe slide at the end of our street and it gets used, mostly on weekends, and they arrive in vehicles that need to park somewhere.

    2. For years now on Saturdays a house near the creek is a pickup site for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes.  So there are many people coming and going, all needing somewhere to park.

    3. Work vehicles for necessary house repairs and maintenance also need to be able to park near the residence where the work is to be done.

    4. But lastly, and I think most importantly, we don’t have reasonable nearby options for parking.

        A. Xxxxxx Street residents already sometimes use our street for overnight overflow parking.

        B. There is no parking on Xxxxxx Avenue.

        C. Xxxxxx Street will likely have the same issues we will because they are due to get even less parking than Xxxxxx Street with this project.

        D. And Xxxxxx Street is hundreds of feet away for most of the houses on this block, and they have their own residents who park there.

Please listen to these concerns and reconsider these plans for a more reasonable and flexible parking solution for our neighborhood.  We love living here and would like to continue to be able to host friends and family now and again - and be able to park close to our home when it’s necessary to park on the street.

Thank you.

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Good night.

More New Fence

The fence installers left me two pickets from the back fence that they removed in the corner and replaced with new, plus 8 new pickets.  This gave me an idea to build a small section of fence behind the compost bin.  I discussed with neighbor Jane first and asked if I could zip-tie the section to her fence and she was real nice about it.  So, this morning I went and got 2 more fence pickets and 3 cedar 1x3's and this afternoon I put it together and installed it with my wife's help.

If you look close in the picture below you can see a hammock a couple yards over, and it's by a fire pit.  They often have fires when I do and is within sight, so a small section of fence will block that view from our firepit.

And every other direction is our house and the sides of 3 garages with just one open space that by chance had that neighbor standing there when I took the picture below.

I'm satisfied.  This is about as private as we want right now.  In an hour or so I'm going to go out and have the first fire of the year.  Then about an hour after that I'm going to watch a live Megadeth concert from Buenos Aires, Argentina, as I sit by the fire.  It's been a beautiful day out and should be a nice evening.  Cheers, everyone.

New Fence II

Our new cedar fence was installed yesterday with few issues.  In fact, they were done by noon, a couple hours before the daylight very noticeably dimmed due to the partial eclipse we had here. We like the new fence a lot, it looks real good and the back yard feels so much more private now.

I set up three cameras to capture the installation.  Trailcam One just captures pink pictures and video now so was unused.  Trailcam Two was on the side steps pointing down the lot line and was set to take one picture when triggered.  Trailcam Three was strapped to the back steps and was set to take a time lapse with pictures 15 seconds apart.  (Side note: Trailcam Three was bought just a few days ago, the same camera as Trailcam One since I couldn't find another with a forward facing screen and time lapse.  Let's hope Three lasts longer than One did.)  I also put an old Galaxy phone of mine on the back fence to take video of the whole morning.  The crew leader also set up his phone by the back steps to take his own time lapse, and I took pictures with my phone, so that makes 5 cameras covering the action that morning.

When we had the back fence installed late in 2020 I learned that it was good to be there when it happens.  They had plenty of questions and I was there to answer them to get the fence put in the way I wanted.  Again, it was very good that I was here.  One big issue - they weren't told to have the good side facing in (Madison is one of the few cities that lets you do that, otherwise you are required to install the good side facing the neighbors).  So if I had not been here our fence would have been installed backwards.  Tree roots and the back corner were also a bit of an issue, but easily overcome.

Below are the time lapse video from Trailcam Three and a sped up video from the Galaxy.  I couldn't figure out a way to make a video of reasonable length with the over 600 pictures Trailcam Two took, except manually which would take far too long to be worth it.

We got the wood stacked again after work today, so now I just have to have a fire for the first time this year!  Hard to believe, but having a fire will be easier, more comfortable and private now, I think.

If that's not enough, I'll put some pictures of the process that I took with my phone after the break.

Final Fence Prep

The last thing to do before having the fence installed was to move the firewood, and we dumped it to the ground this afternoon.

We put down a tarp with cardboard on top of it to try and prevent any of it tearing up the soft sod, and we just pushed it over.  It fell neater than I expected, so it was just a matter of moving the rack and bringing up the ends of the tarp where we could and covering the whole thing with other tarps, using some logs to hold it all in place.  Then just a quick rake of the lot line and we appear to be ready for the fence installation (tomorrow, as noted in the comments of the last post).  The rain should be mostly over for today, but we may get a little more overnight then a better day tomorrow for the installation, though I expect it to still be pretty muddy.

Now, my back has been an issue for the last few weeks, and this prep for the new fence hasn't helped any.  I don't have much time off at my new job but I'd like to be here when the fence is installed, so I think I will call in tomorrow for my back so I can be here to oversee and answer any questions they may have - and I do remember they had several questions when they did the back fence a few years ago.  It may be stretching the truth just a little bit to call in, but it's not a complete lie and I will feel much better being here to supervise everything.

Google calendar just now reminded me that tomorrow is my 15th blogday, too.  I'm hoping for a smooth fence installation and a better back for my blogday, please!

Fence Delay

It started snowing by 2:00 this afternoon, a heavy, wet, accumulating snow.  It's due to snow through tomorrow and into Thursday morning, per the forecast.

I called the fence place this afternoon to see if they still planned on putting in the fence tomorrow.  I told them I wanted to be there for it and didn't want to take a day off work unnecessarily, so I wanted to know today.  My ultimate response was that they normally look at the weather in the morning before making that decision, but understanding that I wanted to be there and the probability that it would be put off anyway, they rescheduled the installation for Thursday.  Temperatures will hover around or just above freezing so I don't expect too much snow on the ground, but it will certainly be muddy.  And might make the firewood dump more difficult, now tomorrow or maybe early on Thursday.

The drive home from work this afternoon was a bit tricky and slow as the roads were covered and slippery while traffic was ramping up to rush hour.  But work has been going well and I'm becoming more comfortable with my role and responsibilities.  Not unpleasant at all, but still feels just very different for me.

Yesterday And Today II - More Fence Prep

Preparation of the property line for the new fence had stalled since the last post, very much due to weather and my back.  Yesterday I got the call, they want to install it on Wednesday and I thought we'd be ready so Wednesday it is.  As previously planned, new neighbor removed his fence and took most of the dirt away yesterday.

And when I got home this afternoon I grabbed a bucket for a few plants and roots and the garden rake.  I shaped the area as I thought would best bring the yards together, bringing a pile of extra dirt to the middle.  New neighbor came out and took that pile away.  He also took away the timbers that held back the dirt for another project of his.  He was making this easy on me.  We did some more spreading and evening and were both satisfied with the result.

I'm going to call it ready for the new fence, except for the firewood.  That will happen Tuesday evening.

Yesterday And Today

Yesterday I completed getting the bulk of the plant matter out of the strip of the stump area by the fence, 4 five-gallon buckets full.  My back is definitely tight and sore, but I've had it lots worse.  I asked the new neighbors if they needed any free dirt, and they said yes so hopefully they can take most if not all of it for us.  Below is what it looked like when I got done yesterday.

And here it is this afternoon, after several inches of wet snow from about midnight until noon today.

Tomorrow should melt most of the snow that is left, but our weather looks to be pretty wet until the middle of next week.  While this does hamper the preparation for the fence installation, besides agreeing to take away at least some of the dirt the new neighbor also let me know of plans to remove their fence soon, as well.  Hopefully things fall into place in the next week or two, but again, I won't let the fence be installed until we're ready.  I do look forward to that first fire after having the new fence installed and everything else - mostly the firewood - back in order.

But, March will be March, after all.  I forgot to say it last post, but Happy Spring Equinox, everyone.

Baking and Fence

I made two rounds of baguettes last weekend, pizza dough, and an odd recipe for cool ranch corn bread.  The first round of baguettes were marred by the gold non-stick surface of the baking pan coming off onto the bottom of 2 of the 3 baguettes.  I've used this tray since the middle of last year with no issues, so not sure why it happened now.  I contacted the seller and they apologized and refunded my money, but now I have to get a new baguette baking tray and they all have a non-stick coating.  We were able to cut off the affected parts of the bottom of the baguettes and ate the tops.  The next day I made more and used the same tray, but with parchment paper.  Pizza dough is pretty easy, no matter the recipe, and went straight into the freezer for future dinners.

The cool ranch corn bread is another recipe from the vlogger that I got the peanut butter bread recipe.  Quick and simple, but nothing to really jump up and down about.  He said it tasted like a cool ranch Dorito, and I thought corn tortilla versus corn bread with that seasoning might work.  I'm glad I tried it but I won't make it again.

Last Wednesday I signed the papers and put down a deposit for the fence to be put in on the East side of the back yard.  At the time, he said they were scheduling about a month out, but on Friday I got a phone message saying our fence would be installed the next Thursday.  I don't think so.  We have a lot of work to do on the fence line before that can happen, and it won't be done by then.

On Sunday morning I took the chain saw to the lilac bush, which is now half the size, if not less.  The firewood I plan on dumping to the ground the day before the fence will get installed, then afterward put the rack where it will go and restack the wood.  Seems easier than moving and restacking the wood twice.  And we're going to have to dig up about 3 feet of the stump area all along the fence line to get a gradual decline to the neighbor's yard, to where the ground level should be if it had not been built up around the tree that was there.  Only then the fence can go in.

It's going to take a lot of work, but it will get done.  I got a start on it this afternoon only to find out the city drop off site is still on winter hours until April, which means they're open only during my work hours.  We can put the plant matter into the compost bin if needed, and hopefully we will find neighbors that need the dirt or else it will sit in the garage until I can get rid of it.  Another problem is the weather.  We'll be cold for the rest of the month with some snow expected.  I'm hoping to work on it a little at a time to save my back.

The fence company knows I don't want it installed this week, and we discussed the first week of April.  I probably won't get an exact date until it gets closer, but I will not let them install it until I'm satisfied we are ready.

All That, And Cheese Pennies

As the days grow longer and the temperatures are warmer I'm reminded of how I haven't really walked the neighborhood since starting my new job.  Winter temperatures and very active work days seemingly justified the break, but my wife has suggested we start walking again when it gets a bit warmer and I think we should, too.  We can enjoy watching the neighborhood wake up from winter and grow into summer, until it's too hot to walk outside, maybe.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this yet, but since commuting every day I'd been saving dashcam videos of egregious traffic violations/stupidity/arrogance.  I soon stopped bothering as it's become so common in these times that I see at least one and often several egregious things every day.  Running red lights, not stopping at stop signs, cutting people off in traffic with not even a blinker, stupid speeds, tailgating, or you name it.  This just seems to be the new normal.  Look both ways, folks.

I've not yet had a fire this spring, but I'm sure it will happen in the next few weeks.  There have been crocus coming up in the lawn for at least a week now.  (I always want to type 'krokus' because of the band!) The new neighbors really opened up the other side of their back yard for access to trim the black walnut trees, which look real good now.  It's been 3.5 years since we had the back fence replaced and we've considered putting a matching fence on that side ever since, and now's the time.  There will be much more on that coming soon.

Yesterday I perused King Arthur's website for a quick and easy recipe for something I could make with what was in the house and I came across this recipe for Cheese Pennies.  Today, I decided to make them as a distraction from the Badger game, which they were not favored and did lose.  It was interesting getting the dough to come together, but with a bit of water it got there.  Everything was pretty easy and was done in a short amount of time.  They taste like one of the name brand cheesy cracker snacks but have a home made texture.  I got 69 crackers and the recipe says about 80, so I may have sliced some a bit thick.  Overall, a fun experiment and a tasty, cheesy snack.  Good to try but not sure if I'll ever make it again.

And finally, before I forget to post these, I came across a recent PBS video of a show about Madison.  I found it interesting and noticed they did one about Dodgeville last year.  They're almost a half hour long, so only for the interested.  Links to the Madison and Dodgeville PBS videos are under those words.

I'm looking forward to spring, a big fence project, and more backyard privacy.  Among other things, of course.