Grandmas and Vacation, Day Two

Grandma L, 93

Grandma W, 86

My wife and I went to see my grandmothers on Saturday.  I'm late posting about it but it slipped my mind with all the projects I was looking forward to this week.  They are both very old, 86 and 93, and wondering what they are still doing here.  Kind of sad, but we were happy to spend time with them when we could on Saturday.  Love you both, Grandmas!

Now on to day 2 of my vacation.

This is morning it was already over 80F degrees and humid, but the show must go on.  I went about removing the old edging by neighbor Dave's fence.  It was hot, but I had shade on my side, at least until noon or so.  I went at it slowly, to not overheat and being very mindful of my back.  I forgot to take any 'before' pics, but I found some old pics from my photo album that kind show the way it looked (,thanks a lot OCD).  Most of this job was very low to the ground and with my back and knee I opted for dragging a chair along with me everywhere.  I'm a bit tired and sore now, but it was worth it.

The fenceline requires some kind of edging due to the ground level being a few inches above the sidewalk on neighbor Dave's side.  The old edging was, well, old, and over the years has been pushed around by whatever forces to resemble somebody's terrible, uneven teeth. 

Here are a couple old pics of the fenceline in the background, sorry I forgot to get better ones today.


For blogger's slideshow click on the pic, for full size, right click and open in new tab or window.





And the new look fenceline today, below.  I'm not sure how Dave will like it but I don't think he's worried about it too much.  To prevent the buckling and leaning this time, I dug down trying to find the edge of the sidewalk so I could insert a 2x4 ripped in half along that edge and then the edging would have support and hopefully remain much straighter. Well, sidewalks sink and tilt, but generally it worked out. All the dirt I dug up was bone dry. I was able to put some back as fill along the new edging, but much was distributed wherever I could around the yard.

Now, I did find a use for much of that old edging.  In the back corner of the yard where Kate started some cone flowers last year, there is the same edging along the back several feet of the fence.  I was able to extend it along the fenceline and up and around the front of the area to make it look like a proper flower bed.  At right is how this area looked on June 2 (note: we've only had about 1/3 and inch of rain since this pic was taken).  Below is how it turned out.  I think, considering the age and condition of the edging, it looks rather well.

This post is longer than I usually like on my front page, but, well, I guess it's my blog and I'll post what I want to!  All the pics I took this morning are dumped after the break.

Vacation, Day One

Today was my first real day of vacation after the weekend.  It was productive enough considering how stupid hot it is outside, 100F today, with humidity.  I got up early and went to the home improvement store for odds and ends and some lumber.  When I got home I got right to work putting together another, slightly different, stand for my dual monitors at work.  I built one a couple months ago that works well enough, but I found that a shallower one will work better for me and my work space.  I also built a small stand to go over my adding machine that I don't use more than a couple times a day, but all day it takes up valuable desk space and now I'll be able to put some stackers above it and utilize that space much more efficiently.

Late this morning, I had to quit after the first coat or two of paint to shower, I had an early afternoon appointment for a haircut and a massage.  I still have long hair, but I haven't had a trim in maybe a year so it feels nice to get it cleaned up a bit.  This was also my first professional massage.  I thought it would be more awkward and more relaxing than it actually was, but that's not a complaint.  I only got the half hour massage and if I ever do it again I think I will go for the whole hour.  My masseuse was very nice and professional, as was my stylist.  Still, this is a higher-end place so if I treat myself again it will have to be for a special occasion.

By the time I was done it was the height of the heat time of day, so I stopped off at our local fave bar/restaurant for a couple drinks.  Now I'm home, and staying in the air conditioning for the rest of the evening except for the odd trip out to the garage to put a clear protective coat on my new stands for work.  Tomorrow is expected to be much the same but the rest of the week is expected to be a bit milder, only regular hot instead of stupid hot.  I'm not going to adhere to any kind of schedule this week, but there is edging (seen in the upper left of the pic) that I want to get in by the side fence yet and, of course, the compost bin isn't going to build itself. 

It sounds like work, and it is, but I enjoy these projects that improve our home and property.  I'll probably try and get some more done tomorrow morning and then sit out the heat of the afternoon again.  It is my vacation, after all.


On a side note, all my best goes out to fellow blogger, Delcatto.  He has been through quite a bit of training and change at work lately and is feeling a little down right now and is going to take a break from blogging for a while.  Give him a visit at Tears Before Pearls, it may help make him feel a bit better!

Long Days Leading Into Vacation

I have ten hour days every day this week, then my week of vacation next week.  I don't terribly mind the mandated overtime, but the timing could be better for me.  My mind is crispy and my back has been very bothersome recently with overall fatigue building.  My backache is troubling because I have plans for my week off and do not want to be laid up and unable to accomplish anything with my precious time off. 

My main project is to build and install a compost bin in the back corner of the yard near the garden.  These are my ideas written down, as planned out on paper as it will get.  Whether it turns out as planned is yet to be seen.

My premise is that I will be able to insert hardware cloth into a rip cut in the wood and nail it in.  I'm also considering a sealant to keep water out of that groove.  If this doesn't work out then I do have a backup plan.  I just really hope I can get this to work easily.  I plan on building it in the garage in sections that I will assemble in the yard.  Any thoughts?  Good advice welcomed only.  ;-)

Happy Fourth of July, Andy Griffith

Happy Fourth of July everyone, tomorrow anyway.  I disappointed my wife by not wanting to go out with friends for a small party and to watch some fireworks.  I'm just exhausted and have started some complex training for a new task at work this week leaving my mind even more tired.  Yes, tomorrow is a day off but there are things I still want to get done despite the 100 degree temps expected and still hopefully have at least half of a restful day.

On a sadder note, I just found out that Andy Griffith passed away.  I like a lot of what he did, including the Andy Griffith Show, No Time For Sergeants and the following obscure video for Vitajex.  Rest in peace, Andy Griffith.




[Edit] I almost forgot about the little known show, Salvage 1, where Griffith is a junk yard owner that builds a spaceship to salvage valuable junk left on the moon by astronauts.  I loved that show as a kid and haven't seen an episode since.  I think I'll go check Youtube right now!...

The Sky Is Falling

But only just a bit.  As I got home from work today I saw something I haven't seen in a long, long time.  Rain.  Of course, it lasted only about 10 minutes and the sun was shining the whole time, so it was just enough to push the humidity through the roof.  It will all evaporate in these temperatures (over 90F every day this week and pushing 100F tomorrow) so I'm sure we'll still have to water the garden tonight.

Speaking of the garden, I'm due for an end/beginning of the month update over at my garden blog.  You can look for that either later tonight or tomorrow evening.  TTYL

The Kittens, Basil and Hamish

When we got these kittens they were less than two pounds each, that was three weeks ago.  They are now 9 weeks old and have grown quite a bit in that time.  Since the internet is a series of tubes, and those tubes are filled with cats, a few more cute kitty pics can't hurt.


Basil, left, is still a bit bigger, he has white arms and color on either side of his nose.  Hamish has 'sleeves' of color down to his elbows and more white in the face.


Much, much more after the break!