Saturday, April 22, 2006
Raining still. I got up real early so I could get things done before the rain started. Figured if the weatherman is right, it would be my last chance to work outside for a few days --if the rain continues. Who knows, maybe they will be wrong-- after all it sure wouldn`t be the first time. Maybe I will get up tomorrow and the sun will be shining and the rain stopped. I can Dream, can`t I?.
I had quite a time trying to decide where to plant my Azalia Bush that a son and his wife gave me. It is filled with buds and a few are already opening. Wanted it beside the porch, but, one side was near a bedroom window and the flowers do draw bees, then thought of the other side of the porch, but the fuel guy draws his heavy fuel line up that side to the fuel tank pipes. So, What about near the driveway in the front yard, No, then they would be shoveling the snow from the driveway onto it all winter. What about further out in that side of the yard? Then remembered the town put the water line on a slant from that corner of the yard towards the end of the main cellar, so if they ever had to dig up for the water lines, they would destroy the Bush. Well, that only left over on the other side out a ways from the house. Not my true choice, but where it ended up for now. Just wanted to get it done early brfore all the rainy days started so the rain could help it to set in the groung stronger. I got out my trusty wheelbarrow, went to the compost bins for some compost to mix with the soil ( I have sandy soil) to make it healthier. Then I placed more compost around the base of the planted bush to help hold in more moisture and slow down the sun drying it out. I had intended on adding the acid fertalizer, but the rain was getting too close and i had more to plant. Once that was done, I had a few other plants that I planted in the flower bed.
I finally removed the cover from my long flower box I built years ago for the side porch railing. I made a wood cover that sits over the top of the empty flowerbox for the winter to protect it. I have it covered with black paper. This cover comes in real handy in the winter. It takes less time carrying the groceries from the car to the house as I carry a few at a time onto the porch and sit them upon the cover where the dog can`t reach them. Then when they are all upon the porch, I carry them into the house. Makes less open and shutting the door that way, plus being faster. Well, that cover is removed and stored in the garage till next winter. I then carried most of the house flowering plants outside into the planter. I still haven`t removed the heavy plastic going down that side of the porch, so they will be protected incase we get another frost.
Then I remembered I needed to have the yard raked before the Town does it`s spring cleanup and if it rained the next few days, I better start some of it today before the rain starts. It had just a few sprinkles so far. So, at least half of my back yard is now raked and I have a pile of tree branches and twigs waiting for me to get them out near the road. I have no trees in my back yard, they all fell from the neighbors trees.
Then I intended on turning on the outside faucet to have it ready when i needed it. Down stairs I went to turn on the water to the outside faucet. I could hear the water flowing and it puzzled me as i knew I shut it off before going down stairs. Hurried up the stairs ( well it was hurrying for me, even thought not so fast), went outside to turn off the faucet and yes I had turned it off, but the faucet was running full speed straight from my pump to the outside ground. So, back I went, hurrying back down cellar to shut off the water line that goes out side. Then I got out the locking pliers and unscrewed the top of the faucet. After all, isn`t it usually just needing a new washer that causes it not to shut off? Well, you can imagine my dissappointment when after hunting up the box of washers and the locking pliers, and unscrewing the handle and removing the inside- this is what I found. The washer had fallen off and it took a few minutes to remove it from down inside the faucet using a long handled screwdriver and a few tries. Finally it was out. I had noticed that there was no head on the screw that was needed to hold on the washer, so that explained why the water never shut off. I also noticed that it was a different faucet that the boys had put on when redoing it after running the new lines to the pump. I went back down cellar and hunted up all the old faucets hoping to find one with the same size top that I could replace the bad center with. After finding and checking about 7 of them, i had to give up as they all had larger centers than the one they put in. Called my other son who is good with plumming and electrical work. He stopped on his way from work before going home . He said he would be back on Monday after work and remove that old faucet and replace it with a new one. So, that problem will soon be solved. My wonderful helping kids. Where would I be without them. While he was here he nailed the trim in the corner where a ladder didn`t fit for me to reach it. Tomorrow I am hoping to finish nailing up the reat of the boards
Then if the faucet wasn`t bad enough while I was out raking earlier I found a dead mouse. Have no idea where it came from or what had killed it. Worse was the fact that we hadn`t seen even a tiny mouse in many many years and didn`t know there were any to worry about. Well, I burried that mouse and then I figured I better go to the store and buy some mouse/rat poison in case there was another one around. I made it back home in a light rain. It didn`t take me long to put the poison boxes down cellar under the kitchen crawl space just to feel safe. I have a neighbor who last fall just moved in out back of me on the next road. I think they might be raising dogs as they put up two high metal fences on the other side of my wood fence and I also noticed an awful odor while raking next to my fence. So, maybe they are where the mouse came from. I just hope the poison keeps any away from my home. I only have a crawl space and not a full cellar under the kitchen addition to the house.
Had a lot of company today. First a daughter and her intended showed up, after she left my oldest daughter stopped with one of my great grandsons. She gave me a couple things she had bought for me. A few minutes after she left, one of the sons stopped. Thru most of this my brother was trying to chat on yahoo messenger. I finally told him I`d have to get off as I had company.
I feel I did enough for one day so here I sit resting. Better start thinking of what to eat for supper as it is already 7 O`clock and I usually eat hours ago. Guess I will go hunting to see what looks good. Still raining, but I don`t mind the rain as long as we don`t have a thunder storm as if the power should go off my C-PAP machine won`t be working tonight while I sleep. Oh, Well, we can`t always have everything working right can we?
I had quite a time trying to decide where to plant my Azalia Bush that a son and his wife gave me. It is filled with buds and a few are already opening. Wanted it beside the porch, but, one side was near a bedroom window and the flowers do draw bees, then thought of the other side of the porch, but the fuel guy draws his heavy fuel line up that side to the fuel tank pipes. So, What about near the driveway in the front yard, No, then they would be shoveling the snow from the driveway onto it all winter. What about further out in that side of the yard? Then remembered the town put the water line on a slant from that corner of the yard towards the end of the main cellar, so if they ever had to dig up for the water lines, they would destroy the Bush. Well, that only left over on the other side out a ways from the house. Not my true choice, but where it ended up for now. Just wanted to get it done early brfore all the rainy days started so the rain could help it to set in the groung stronger. I got out my trusty wheelbarrow, went to the compost bins for some compost to mix with the soil ( I have sandy soil) to make it healthier. Then I placed more compost around the base of the planted bush to help hold in more moisture and slow down the sun drying it out. I had intended on adding the acid fertalizer, but the rain was getting too close and i had more to plant. Once that was done, I had a few other plants that I planted in the flower bed.
I finally removed the cover from my long flower box I built years ago for the side porch railing. I made a wood cover that sits over the top of the empty flowerbox for the winter to protect it. I have it covered with black paper. This cover comes in real handy in the winter. It takes less time carrying the groceries from the car to the house as I carry a few at a time onto the porch and sit them upon the cover where the dog can`t reach them. Then when they are all upon the porch, I carry them into the house. Makes less open and shutting the door that way, plus being faster. Well, that cover is removed and stored in the garage till next winter. I then carried most of the house flowering plants outside into the planter. I still haven`t removed the heavy plastic going down that side of the porch, so they will be protected incase we get another frost.
Then I remembered I needed to have the yard raked before the Town does it`s spring cleanup and if it rained the next few days, I better start some of it today before the rain starts. It had just a few sprinkles so far. So, at least half of my back yard is now raked and I have a pile of tree branches and twigs waiting for me to get them out near the road. I have no trees in my back yard, they all fell from the neighbors trees.
Then I intended on turning on the outside faucet to have it ready when i needed it. Down stairs I went to turn on the water to the outside faucet. I could hear the water flowing and it puzzled me as i knew I shut it off before going down stairs. Hurried up the stairs ( well it was hurrying for me, even thought not so fast), went outside to turn off the faucet and yes I had turned it off, but the faucet was running full speed straight from my pump to the outside ground. So, back I went, hurrying back down cellar to shut off the water line that goes out side. Then I got out the locking pliers and unscrewed the top of the faucet. After all, isn`t it usually just needing a new washer that causes it not to shut off? Well, you can imagine my dissappointment when after hunting up the box of washers and the locking pliers, and unscrewing the handle and removing the inside- this is what I found. The washer had fallen off and it took a few minutes to remove it from down inside the faucet using a long handled screwdriver and a few tries. Finally it was out. I had noticed that there was no head on the screw that was needed to hold on the washer, so that explained why the water never shut off. I also noticed that it was a different faucet that the boys had put on when redoing it after running the new lines to the pump. I went back down cellar and hunted up all the old faucets hoping to find one with the same size top that I could replace the bad center with. After finding and checking about 7 of them, i had to give up as they all had larger centers than the one they put in. Called my other son who is good with plumming and electrical work. He stopped on his way from work before going home . He said he would be back on Monday after work and remove that old faucet and replace it with a new one. So, that problem will soon be solved. My wonderful helping kids. Where would I be without them. While he was here he nailed the trim in the corner where a ladder didn`t fit for me to reach it. Tomorrow I am hoping to finish nailing up the reat of the boards
Then if the faucet wasn`t bad enough while I was out raking earlier I found a dead mouse. Have no idea where it came from or what had killed it. Worse was the fact that we hadn`t seen even a tiny mouse in many many years and didn`t know there were any to worry about. Well, I burried that mouse and then I figured I better go to the store and buy some mouse/rat poison in case there was another one around. I made it back home in a light rain. It didn`t take me long to put the poison boxes down cellar under the kitchen crawl space just to feel safe. I have a neighbor who last fall just moved in out back of me on the next road. I think they might be raising dogs as they put up two high metal fences on the other side of my wood fence and I also noticed an awful odor while raking next to my fence. So, maybe they are where the mouse came from. I just hope the poison keeps any away from my home. I only have a crawl space and not a full cellar under the kitchen addition to the house.
Had a lot of company today. First a daughter and her intended showed up, after she left my oldest daughter stopped with one of my great grandsons. She gave me a couple things she had bought for me. A few minutes after she left, one of the sons stopped. Thru most of this my brother was trying to chat on yahoo messenger. I finally told him I`d have to get off as I had company.
I feel I did enough for one day so here I sit resting. Better start thinking of what to eat for supper as it is already 7 O`clock and I usually eat hours ago. Guess I will go hunting to see what looks good. Still raining, but I don`t mind the rain as long as we don`t have a thunder storm as if the power should go off my C-PAP machine won`t be working tonight while I sleep. Oh, Well, we can`t always have everything working right can we?
# posted by Dotm @ 4/22/2006 07:10:00 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Dot,
After reading this post, I have to comment just one thing, that you are a graced woman with so many loving people around you.
After reading this post, I have to comment just one thing, that you are a graced woman with so many loving people around you.
yes Jac, I have a wonderful Family. Some of them drove me crazy while raising them, but guess they heard me even when I thought they were`nt listening as they all became hard workers and thoughtful of others feelings and good parents to their children. I often hear them giving their kids the same advice that they didn`t want to hear when they were younger. So, they must have understood once they grew up.
I know when we turned our outside water on we had leak in the pipe so hubby had to dig down and replace it. You will have to take pics of your azelea bush for us to see.
i never have a any luck with plants and my kids do not visit me and my wife very often. when they do the last thing they want to do is work for us.
we have problems with mice here also. i always have to set out traps.i do not like the poison.
have a great day dot.
we have problems with mice here also. i always have to set out traps.i do not like the poison.
have a great day dot.
Your amazing.
I am dreading all the work I have too do.
I got a full garden to organize again and hopefully the city will leave me alone this time now the the new pipes are in.
I am dreading all the work I have too do.
I got a full garden to organize again and hopefully the city will leave me alone this time now the the new pipes are in.
itisi, I am glad I didn`t have to do any digging to replace the leaky faucet.It comes out thru the cement block cellar wall about a foot above the ground. My son brought down an new faucet, cut off the old pipe and faucet and added a new short piece of pipe plus the new faucet. All is now well, no more drips. Tried to pay for the new faucet, but he refused to take it. My kids are all that way, but then I never take when helping them as they do so much more for me than I do for them, so it evens out.
We had a freeze which killed all the already opened flowers on the azalia bush. Well, it was planted as a tree, till the first winter killed it and it came back up with more than one trunk, so now i trim it like a bush. I did take one picture with some of the buds open, so I will post it if it came out ok.
We had a freeze which killed all the already opened flowers on the azalia bush. Well, it was planted as a tree, till the first winter killed it and it came back up with more than one trunk, so now i trim it like a bush. I did take one picture with some of the buds open, so I will post it if it came out ok.
Mindinside, you are so right. Many a problem has dissappeared upon seeing the loved ones.
I enjoyed reading your blog and will be back again soon.
I enjoyed reading your blog and will be back again soon.
Mr Haney, maybe you are too fast to help your kids. Let them see that receiving depends on returning by giving back. Tjhis is just my opinion, you have to do what is best for you.
I don`t take my kids for granted and I won`t allow them to treat me that way. They grew up knowing I would always be there for them, but I expect the same love and treatment back from them that I give to them. Loving your children doesn`t mean allowing them to use you for a doormat-- always taking and never giving back.
Good Luck, I wish you the best.
I don`t take my kids for granted and I won`t allow them to treat me that way. They grew up knowing I would always be there for them, but I expect the same love and treatment back from them that I give to them. Loving your children doesn`t mean allowing them to use you for a doormat-- always taking and never giving back.
Good Luck, I wish you the best.
Walker, good luck with your garden this year. How much longer do you have to wait before planting outside? We had a freeze the past two nights-- down in the 20`s F. . Got up both mornings to find the dogs water dish frozen -sitting on my back porch. It usually is warmer by now and we might get some frost, but not the freezing we are still getting.
Post a Comment
<< Home
