Saturday, September 24, 2005

 

Air Conditioner--Sat,Sept.24, 05

Here it is another new day. Actually it is a Daughters Birthday.
I started the day moving everything in my Laundry room to prepare for removing the large window air conditioner. Summer is surely over now as it dipped down into the low 30`s last night. Since the Laundry room is next to my bedroom, it was allowing too much cold air to enter overnight even with the bedroom door shut tight.
I remember when it took all Walt and I together could do to lift that heavy air conditioner up into the window. So, a few years ago I decided their must be an easier way to lift it into the window and to remove it at the end of summer.
This is the idea I came up with. I built a table the exact height as the bottom edge of the window ( minus the height of the caster). It is just 4 legs with a table top and a middle shelf to make it stronger and to help keep it level. All made from odds and end pieces I had left over in the wood shop, so it cost me nothing to do except for the cost of the casters. . With the larger casters it moves real easy even when the heavy conditioner is sitting on top of it. On the top I placed a section of roll out tiles style floor covering that was left over from when we did the kitchen floor. I cut it a speck larger than the top of the table so it could overlap the table edges a bit. Did this so the piece wouldn`t slide when I was pushing or pulling the conditioner onto and off from it. Could tack it onto the side edges of the table if need to.
Now, I just push the table up tightly against the open window. I also have a piece of thin board the width of the open window with a short piece of 2x4 connected to the back edge of the thin wood piece. The 2x4 section sits on the outside of the sloped window cill leaving the thin board on top more lever for sliding the air conditioner into the open window onto the thin board. Makes it easier to slide the conditioner off the table onto the board till the window stop edges of the conditioner hit tight against the window. When it is time to remove the conditioner, it is easy for me to do it alone. I just push the table back up to the window and slide the conditioner by pulling it out onto the table. Then I just roll the table back over to the wall where I store it for the Winter till I need it next year.
Surprizing how easy you can move something alone that is so heavy it takes 2 people to lift it. All it takes is a bit of thinking and a little work to put the thinking into what will work. There is almost always an easier way to do something hard if we just stop and think about it for awhile.
Was going to mop floors today, but decided to work in the Laundry room instead. Still have the smaller conditioner in the kitchen window in case we get more hot days again.That one is light and will be carried up to the attic when it is removed. Now that the conditioner is removed, it is about time to bring in all the house plants that are still out on the two porches. I have a nice varnished table with a turntable type top on it that I sit in front of the Laundry room window so the plants can get sun in the winter. To protect the top I cut a piece of thick heavy plastic ( isenglass )- kind with the bubble look in it - to fit the top. This way the dampness from the plants doesn`t touch the varnished wood. Need to bring them in before they freeze some night. Also have a lot of Amerillas that need to be carried inside and upstairs on the large desk for the winter. Amerillas need a dark or at least semi-dark place to rest for the winter. They are beautiful when in blossom. I have about 30 of those plants, but many are still to young to start blossoming and some are getting so old they probably won`t blossom for many more years and then will be discarded.
Well, I stopped long enough to get the desk upstairs ready for holding the amerillas so might start carrying them up today or tomorrow.
Guess I`ll sign off till I get another itch to write about something else..

Comments:
Rest time again. Managed to carry all the Amerilas upstairs to rest for the winter. Then brought in all the plants from the side porch large flower box that runs the whole lingth of the side railing that faces the east. I made that flower box years ago and it still looks like new. The paint and top trim are lasting because I also made a wood cover to place over the open box to keep it from filling with snow. I have black paper on the cover for protection from the snow and ice. With the cover on the box makes a handy shelf for sitting grocery bags when I am bringing them in from my car. lots faster just sitting them there and then carrying them all off the porch into the house. Saves a few steps up and down the porch, plus that means less door opening time to let the cold winter air into the house. Just one large flowering plant to bring in from the front porch. I already removed it from the holder and placed it upon the porch so the frost wouldn`t hit it. Then I will need to bring in the hanging plants that are still hanging on the wooden plant hangers I made for the back porch. Those hangers were cut out and have scrolled out designs on them. I have 5 of them on the back porch and 3 of them on the side porch-- so plenty of places to put the hanging plants outside every summer. And without any plants they just look like fancy scrolled corner decorations. Last year they were all filled with flowering plants, but this year I only have 4 hanging plants to put inside. They will hang on the plant hangers over the table in front of the window. Will be glad when I have it all done. But after all the stair climbing for the amerillas ( well only three trips) I felt tired. Think climbing stairs tires me faster than working.
Sun shining so nice that I uncovered the pepper plants. Still hoping the peppers grow larger as there are still a lot of small ones there. I love stuffed peppers. Plus I also like to freeze some for winter use.
Gee, that got me hungry for some lunch, so guess i`ll make a tossed salad. Out of the grden tomatoes and cucumbers so had to buy them this time. Still have peppers to add. I love the fresh garden veggies. Well, off to eat!!
 
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