new projects, some started. some finished.

Seems like Himself and I are never just happy to sit.  Or to sit and fish.  Or to sit and ponder.  Wonder why we don't take up fishing?  or sailing?  or hiking?  But oh no no . . .  our hobby has to be, seems to be --  working! 

Okay, I can qualify my projects by calling it gardening.  Gardening is a hobby.  hmmm.  I think.  A hobby that involves a lot of hard work. 

We'll explore Himself's projects later and see what we figure out there . . .  

Project 1

At Too, we have an abundance of shade.  It is hard to find a "full sun" spot.  Our lawn is mostly "full shade" or "partial shade".  For a vegetable garden, a person would want full sun.  For a lot of flowers, a sane person would want full sun.  Since we have abundance of shade here at home in Creston, we have an abundance of plants that like "full shade" and "partial shade" and as our gardens fill up at home, we want to move some of our favorite plants to Too.  So, we have plants, we just need some soil to put them.  It is hard to find soil in this lawn.  We will find clay.  We will find rocks.  We will find a small pocket of dirt but soil?  never.  Unless Himself or I have put it there. 

At Too, we also need to eliminate some of our mowing time so my newest project was an attempt to accomplish those two things -- more soil!  more garden space and less mowing area. 

I got some landscaping timbers a while back.  For a month, I studied angles and ideas.  I finally came up with a plan and found the time but it took me the good part of Sunday to kick start it all.  After all of this, I have the first of four or five parts of a "shade to sun" garden started.  The good thing about that is I have some of the kinks worked out of the plan.  What to use, what tools are needed -- the how tos!  The rest of it will go quicker. 

Project 2

My prized possession, the Harley cart, has been out of commission for the last month.  The front tire blew.  As we were loading it up onto the trailer to haul it to our favorite tire guy, we found the back tire was flat too!  OMgosh.  So, off it went to Mercer to the tire doctor.  Harely cart boarded out almost two weeks and when we went to pick it up, Dr. Tire said "$30.00".  holy cow, he must not have charged us any labor!  He must have been honored to park it in front of his shop for 2 weeks.  who wouldn't be?  Anyway I tipped him a little extra but probably not enough. 

We hauled the cart home and wouldn't you know it, within minutes of rolling her off the trailer,  Himself diagnosed a leaky fuel filter.  So off to Napa at Lineville for a new  fuel filter and some new fuel line.  And here, in the photo above, is Himself making the repairs.  

The Harley is all new again!  well practically.  It is alive and tottering around the roads of Twin Lake again. 

 Project 3

We have steep banks at Too.   Plenty of them.  Himself, the mower that he is can whip them all out in 5 or 6 hand mower hours.  That's a lot of time that could be used for porch sitting so we are trying to find some plants and flowers that will take over some of the banks.  If the plants run rampant and are thick and lush, they will kill out the grass and weeds that Himself now has to mow off. 

So, in this corner  . . .

We have some Goose Neck started several years ago and doing well.  A month ago we planted 40 lilies.  This past weekend we planted 30 Iris and a few more day lilies. 

We have turned noxious flowers loose.  Put them out to pasture.  Gave them permission to run, to be prolific and take over! 

Project 4

The last project of the weekend was this big one.  After almost 40 years, this lineolum is coming up.  Well most of it did.  Part of it.  I hadn't been working on this too long before I discovered the edges and the seams were glued down!  And there ain't nothing going to take that adhesive up. 

It was easy enough, to start.  I grabbed an edge where it was curled up for years and pulled.  Then I hit the seams.  I ripped that flooring up to the piece in front of the door and came to a screeching halt.  OMgosh!  I never thought Gramps would glue vinyl flooring down!   a) guess he had to and b) he knew it wouldn't be him pulling that floor up! 

                                       Some day there's going to be a door

                                        Right where that kitchen window is! 

 

 But wait! It gets better! No, I mean worse -- I thought the Orange lineoleum was hard to get up but I hadn't seen anything yet! 

 

Himself, Sir.  Attention!  Where is the dynamite?  OMgosh!  there's no peeling that chemically inert and space age compositionally strong lineoleum off that kitchen subfloor.  We are just going to have to blow it up .  Or cover it up!  Yes!  Projects almost accomplished! 

 

Guess what?  I think I have Craig thinking about a tree house . . .