'round The House Projects


Recommended Posts

Makes sense to let them take care of it and who knows? They might think they're getting something out of the deal, until they figure out THEY have to dispoose of the items.

So I got a pile of stuff gathered yesterday to take to the curb this morning.

Trying to sleep yesterday, during the day as I work nights, was ... uh-hem ... a nightmare. The weather was nice late in the day so everyone else was out and about and piling THEIR spring cleaning items at the curb. And trucks, "garbage pickers," piled to overflowing with junk, were rumbling by, stopping, rummaging through the piles to take whatever they wanted, then movin' on to the next pile of junk. Noisy.

I left for work around nine at night and saw something I never saw before, those overflowing trucks had dropped trash in the streets! I mean, dressers, electric tools, a bed, one pile of junk after another! The neighborhood looked like a tornado had been through it! I had to weave back and forth to get around all that stuff. Ticked me off. I'm afraid they may have to modify the laws to prevent such dangerous messes in the future and it may limit what I can put out since I put out stuff that "officially" cannot be taken but I know the trash pickers will grab before the official trucks go through.

As a matter of fact, they took everything I placed at the curb this morning (looks like the same trucks that went around last night) but left some 5 gallon buckets and two drawers from ... well ... I don't know WHERE I got two drawers from without a dresser. A past roommate must have stored 'em in the garage.

I guess I have "good" junk.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Well I got some Porter Tomatoes planted, and Jalapenos (just did the easy way and got a couple of six packs of em at Home Depot; they actually had two plants per segment so you got twelve per six pack for $1.50 can't beat that). Planted some summer squash, zuccinni, cantelope, watermelon, eggplant etc seeds. Do not really expect any of them to amount to anything, but who knows total cost was minimal as was the time invested. Got all the transplanting in the flower beds done, planted seeds in a couple of window boxes, planted moss roses in one of those weird planters with all the little cubby holes for planting individual plants so they cascade all over the place. Potted begonias and transplanted the ferns and other house plants which survived the winter.

It is supposed to rain most of next week (hey we may finally be out of this three year drought. They say all but one of the local lakes are up to the "full" level and the last one is only a few feet low); so I will hold off things like cleaning the back porch, and going through the hall closets for a rainy day.

Gotta figure out a way to make my back fences more secure. The German shephard below has discovered that she can tunnel out under the fence (I have a double layer fence with both farm fencing and wood seperated by about four inches; but she tunnels under and out). As soon as I find and plug one ( I currently am using logs from a tree I cut down , but they have to be big logs or she just rolls them aside) place she will start on another. She does not go far, just out to visit the other dogs on the block and back to sit on the porch to get caught. Funny thing is that even with a hole and her on the other side of the fence the other dogs do not leave. They just run along the fence barking to let me know she escaped.

I made a beef pot roast (mmm cold pot roast sandwich with lots of horseradish) but we ate most of it in one day. Of course now I have lots of stock for making soup, rice, beans etc.

I have been checking out recipes online and found several for using the pressure cooker as a steamer of sorts to cook things like quiche which I may well try out.

Yeah, I have been contemplating stripping down some of my really old computers (the 286 and my IBM PS2 for example) and recycling components since it has been so long since I actually needed to play with DOS and see no need to still have something running Windows 3.11 . But sentiment makes it hard to part with them.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Cripes, you do get things done. Never would have suspected you could do things like quiche in a pressure cooker ... Sounds ... strange.

Supposed to be in the 80's today ... Whoa! I'll probably have to turn the air on to sleep through it, then it's supposed to get cold again and I'll have to turn the furnace back on tomorrow.

However, I'm tired from workin' last night, and at the peak of sickness from a cold, and dangit I ain't a-gonna git nothin' done. (Why did I revert to talkin' like my relatives from MO? :rolleyes: ) Blowin' the best day so far, but I can barely keep my eyes open.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Mmmm, we did a 5 lb rolled sirloin tip roast on the grill last night. That, after a day "yardening". Got the Hummingbird flower garden planted, the morning glories and moon flowers in their pots by the south windows for shade and the new and improved bird feeder pole done.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Still waiting for the OL to finish all her dental work. Last time I grilled (Easter) she said things were to tough to eat; so for now I am constrained to figuring out what I can make that can be mushy enough for her but not so much so that I feel totally deprived.

Besides which the Pecan trees are pollinating so heavily that if you leave something outside it is soon covered in yellow dust. You can even see it drifting down off the trees. A few minutes outside and my eyes itch, and my nose stops up and I can look forward to hours of misery. So it is benadryl, pseudophed , dristan , and Advil for the next week or two at a minimum.

Edited by Pete_C
Link to post
Share on other sites

Ohhhh, tree pollen!!! That stuff is the only time pollen affects my allergies. The wind picks up and our pine trees sends off poofy yellow clouds (literally, folks, literally yellow clouds!) I finally got smart and don't start Spring Cleaning till tree pollen season's over because I got tired of Spring Cleaning twice :thumbsup: .

Said a little prayer that you get a little rain to knock that stuff down, Pete!

But I DID cut the backyard today for the first time this season, fed the compost pile with the clippings, and pulled probably 5 bushels of creeping charlie out of the vegetable garden. Too windy today to do much else.

Liz

Edited by blim
Link to post
Share on other sites

About 10 days out of every year I get hit hard with a spring allergy(it has hit me about 6 years now). Today I just started to sneeze and my eyes are getting itchy. In a couple of days it will be really bad, but before I know it, it will pass. I am lucky just to have allergies for such a short period.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Probably tree pollen, Shanenin. Looking at your record high temps on the Weather Channel (Minnesota--85 degrees??? Wow! Lucky you!) I'm guessing your trees are farther ahead than ours! Our maples are just beginning to bud (oaks are still bare) so it'll be a couple weeks yet for us.

Liz

Link to post
Share on other sites

I did say I was too tired to get any work done, so I watched a movie and hit the hay. And woke up to a Spring thunderstorm! On the downside, I had fallen asleep with all the windows open as it was in the 80's. Whoops.

Lawn needs to be mowed again. Gotta see if it's too wet from yesterdays storm, and try to get it done before the next storm rolls through.

I like Spring. :)

(Made me think of all you poor souls who don't really get seasons changing things up every once in a while, I know I'd miss it something fierce.)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Allergies... yes... generic Claritin, and Flonase helping with the Oak and Pine and Scotch "Doom" and grasses. My eyes are taking a terrible hit right now and I need to get more Opticon eye drops quick.

Wife, daughter, and I fixed up some of the barbwire fences Saturday for the horses (only two now... my wife's Arabian mare and stud [just pets at this point of their and our lives] ) and fixing up a new stall area (digging post holes, concreting said posts in holes, pounding T-posts for more wire. Tomarrow going to help with chaining and moving downed trees for cutting, splitting, stacking (I'll be the go-for while others run the 'dozer ).

Thank Heaven for the Sabbath !

Link to post
Share on other sites

The crazy person across the street has scalped his lawn twice already. My lawn hasn't even grown to three inches yet. Every year the neighbors end up with brown dust bowls for lawns because they cut them down to about a 1/2". I believe in maintaining a 3 1/2" lawn.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Kitty-corner from me they left the Autumn leaves on the grass and they never clean up after their kids so there's papers and toys and junk and garbage strewn all over their lawn. They mowed right over it all, and short, right down to the base of the grass plants (below the green leafy part) ... Looks great! :wacko:

<mutter, mutter ... turning into a white trash neighborhood ... grumble, grumble>

I've been putting off spraying for weeds (I never have the ambition needed to pull 'em), it's either "too hot" or "too cold" or "too windy" or ... Today's overcast, cold and windy. Blech.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The smell of fresh cut grass, ahhh! It was time to trim the lawn. After the rain the south side grew quick. My legs are tingling from that first mow job of the season. I never could stand those self-propelled mowers or riders. I prefer the workout.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, you reminded me of ONE good thing about the Honda mower, other than that it will probably last forever, it doesn't vibrate much. No "tingly" hands.

Sprayed the weeds and upon close inspection, IF all the weeds die off, I'll have half a lawn left! Some kind of creeping groundcover-like weed's all over (clover or whatever). If I remember correctly that stuff shrivels but won't die. Not too big a deal as it matches the lawn in color and speed of growth, so ... I'll just pretend it's lawn. :unsure:

Also put the new "gazing globe" on its post. Hit it last year with the mower handle (while trying to wrestle that poorly maneuverable Honda around the post) and it shattered. Gotta have one to scare away the demons! (As I recall they were originally supposed to scare demons, as they saw their distorted reflection they got freaked out and left. No, I don't REALLY believe that, but ... why take chances?) :rolleyes:

The first year I used white household caulk to seal the base to keep out water. If I accidentally tapped the globe the caulk was flexible enough to allow some movement and nothing happened. Last year I found all my white caulk was in poor condition, looked around and found a tube of silicon sealant. Hey, that'll do. When I tapped the globe the silicon sealant had formed such a tight seal the globe burst instead of flexing out of the way.

Taking a chance this year with the silicon again as I didn't want to buy an entire tube of white caulk just to seal the base of the globe. I'm so cheap (uh, but the globe cost twelve bucks ... how much is a tube of caulk again?). :D

Have the thought in my head to create a mulch strip around the base so I don't have to get near it with the mower, we'll see if I ever get around to it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We are so lucky around here. The city does leaf pick-ups all fall and stores them. After turning them under a few times, they allow residents to load up for their yards. We also get all the wood chips we need just for the shoveling and hauling. Sure makes mowing easier, and the yard nicer with mulch beds around all the trees and bushes.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Since the computer business in minnesota is horrible the month of may(it will pick up in june), I set some goals to get something done around the house. I am going to finish some sheetrocking(fix an area), and trim out my windows and doors in the kitchen. If I put this down in words it might get done.

Link to post
Share on other sites
... If I put this down in words it might get done.

I hear ya on that one. The second bedroom isn't finished ... from A YEAR AGO. When I pay bills I file the statements and toss the statements that are one year old. Hey, what's this? Painting supplies from a year ago?

Oh ... yeah ... when I STARTED on the second bedroom. :blink:

Gotta pry all the baseboards off, prime & paint them, tear up the carpet and find something to put down in its place (without any money). Yeah, gotta do it. There, I said it ...

Link to post
Share on other sites
... If I put this down in words it might get done.

I hear ya on that one. The second bedroom isn't finished ... from A YEAR AGO. When I pay bills I file the statements and toss the statements that are one year old. Hey, what's this? Painting supplies from a year ago?

Oh ... yeah ... when I STARTED on the second bedroom. :blink:

Gotta pry all the baseboards off, prime & paint them, tear up the carpet and find something to put down in its place (without any money). Yeah, gotta do it. There, I said it ...

Now I know why I don't tell my wife about this site. If she read this, she be on my butt to finish the kitchen and living room (trim, paint, and etc.). It's only been a FEW years :thumbsup:

Mark

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...