Wordless Wednesday

More on the Projects

Warning...a wordy and not very exciting post......

Unfortunately our planned projects created a couple of unplanned projects.  Larry had the truck canopy door open in the carport, in preparation for taking the canopy off, so we could load some soil into the truck.  He decided to move the truck ahead a bit.  Our carport has a sloped roof, and is quite low.  One handle on the canopy door got hooked behind a rafter, ripped a chunk of wood off the rafter, which wasn't a big deal, but the handle broke in the process.

Then we had problems loading the aerator back into the truck.  Too heavy to lift, and we didn't have enough of anything to make a ramp.  Larry came up with the idea of backing the truck up to the planter that is between the front lawn and the driveway.  The top of the planter is level with the lawn and about 16-18" above the driveway.  We dropped the tailgate right down, used that piece of wood that I had cut out of the door for the window, and managed to drive the aerator up into the truck.  As Larry started to pull away, there was a crack, and the planter wall was moving with the truck.  Because the aerator was so heavy, the truck had sunk, and the trailer hitch had sunk with it and got caught behind the planter wall as Larry pulled ahead.  Fortunately I yelled before too much damage was done, but the wall was leaning out a bit, with a big space between it and the soil and of course it didn't want to be pushed back.

(a photo taken when we were first looking to buy the place)

A few days later, when the truck was weighed down with a load of compost that we had bought at the Penticton landfill, we did it in reverse.  The truck was low enough again that the trailer hitch could be use to push the planter wall back into place this time. We pounded the piece of rebar that had got pulled out of place, through a new hole, and it was all pretty good once again.

We were also having trouble with our TV, or more likely the signal that our aerial was picking up.  We spent a frustrating hour yelling back and forth to each other as Larry moved the aerial around on the roof, and I was inside watching for the best picture,  to no avail.  I got fed up with that and we moved the tv outside.  The truck was parked next to the house, with the step ladder in the back.  Larry was up the ladder and I was watching the tv which was sitting on the roof of the truck cab, since the cable cord connecting the tv and aerial was only so long and we had to keep them connected.  Someone walked by and made a jokey comment about what we were doing.  Nothing solved though, most of the time we still had some flickering happening.  A few days later, there was a knock at the door, and a guy from Telus was there to tell us that they were putting fibre optic cable to the houses in the neighbourhood, at no charge, did we want it.  So I signed the dotted line, and most likely opened us up to a future flurry of 'great deals' from Telus to get phone, internet and  tv service.  We are thinking that we will probably go for internet, and use that to watch some tv shows.  Just hate to put out the monthly payments for something that we aren't always there to use.

The biggest project in my mind this last trip, was to make sure I didn't fall.  I've had a few bad falls in the last 8 months.  The first one was last summer at Oliver.  We were crossing the main road, pushing our bikes across the crosswalk.  As we got to the other side , I put my foot on the nearest pedal as we were moving and started to swing my leg over.  Right away I knew my foot wasn't on the pedal properly, but because all my weight was on it, there was nothing I could do about it.  It slipped off and I buried my knees into the pavement.  Of course the humiliation was the worst, and the pink scars on my left knee keep me reminded of that.  Now I make sure the bike is at a standstill before I try to get on.  Then I fell here, tripped on a root hidden under leaves on the trail through our bush.  I think there's another fall in there somewhere, but I can't remember that one.  The last three have been the worst, mostly because I have fallen on the same body parts all three times.

In December I was at the farmers market in White Rock, walked outside to go to a vendor, took a shortcut behind a dumpster, stepped on some uneven ground, lost my balance and went down.  As I was going down I sort of turned, and whacked the back of my shoulder on one of those metal pipes filled with concrete that are there to stop cars from hitting the building.  That was a bad one.  My shoulder hasn't been the same since.  My chiropractor said if I had hit it on the front, it would have broken.

Then in January while in Oliver, walking in the evening, I stepped on a patch of snow alongside the road to get out of the way of a car, and down I went, on that same right hip and shoulder.  I had a very ugly bruise on my hip.  In February, in the back yard in Oliver, I stepped on some paving stones that were on a slope and were frosty, and yet again I landed on that right hip and shoulder.

This trip, when we had put that sheep fencing stuff up to keep the dogs off the back lawn area, I thought about falling not falling every time I swung my legs over it.  There were one or two close calls, but I survived the trip unscathed, thank goodness.  Hopefully time and not falling on it again will fix my sore hip and shoulder.

Here's a project I started during our January trip, and finished in February.  There was nothing wrong with the table, but I had seen some nice makeovers done on some tables, and I wanted to try it. One of those projects I wished I hadn't started.  I got it all sanded in January, out in the shed in the freezing temperatures.  It took forever, I sanded it down to raw wood.  In February I put the first coat of stain on, and found out that while the table top felt lovely and smooth, there had actually been something stuck on the sanding pad on the sander, which left all these lovely little swirls.  So then I had to sand it all back to bare wood again.  I was using this horrible water based stain, that seemed impossible to spread on evenly, so the air was a little blue at times.  Thankfully it is all used up now, and I'll never buy it again.  The table top is a dense wood, lots of little pieces finger-jointed together, so you don't get an obvious grain showing.

Before (the base was the same as the table top)

After

Now I need to paint the chairs to match:(

Phew, sometimes I really ramble on. Congrats if you made it to this point without being bored to tears!

Projects

This is what the back lawn at Oliver looked like at the end of March last year.

And below is what it looked like at the end of March this year (insert very sad droopy face here).

Last year we weren't quite sure how to deal with things.  Since we were only there about once a month, did we water the heck out of it while we were there, and then hope it didn't grow too much in between visits, or not water it at all and see what happened?  We knew it would die back, and then come back in the Fall when the weather got cooler and there was more rain.  Didn't happen, the coming back part that is.  Obviously some of the grass was more resistant than the rest, but the green patches towards the back are much more sparse than they appear from this angle.

(That white thing in the foreground is the back door, and one of 'my' projects)

The first day we were there, we took the dogs for a walk and then stopped at a garden center and asked for advice.  The garden center had just been put up for sale.  There seemed to be no-one around, but then I noticed a lady waving me over to the house.  I was invited into the kitchen, and her husband told me how to go about reviving our lawn.  I also heard all about his medical issues, a heart operation he went to Victoria for, that didn't work, how he was 80 years old and couldn't do much now.  Obviously the reason for the For Sale sign.

The first thing he told us to do was to rent an aerator.  So Larry did that.  When he brought it back he said that he didn't even know if we could get it out of the truck, it was that heavy.  I sort of laughed at that, was sure that between the two of us, it would be no problem.  It was unbelievable how heavy that thing was.  We pulled it out and tried to slow it's decent to the ground a bit, but I knew there was no way to lift it back in.  Larry plodded back and forth, heaving the beast around on our tiny front lawn, and then did the back 'lawn'.  Advil was his friend for the next few days.

In the meantime, I knocked the hinge pins out of the back door, maneuvered it back and forth until I could tip it enough to get it through the doorway, and then wiggled it over to a small table and a saw horse that I had set up.  It didn't weigh as much as the aerator, but enough that I couldn't carry it on my own.

I have often thought that I wished the back door had a window.  All of our exterior doors here in Abbotsford have windows.  I like being able to see out before opening the door.  Last time we were in Oliver, I verbalized it to Larry.  We hung a mirror on the back of the door.  I might not have been able to see out, but at least I could make sure I was presentable before I went out there.

When we came back home I looked on Craigslist.  There was a window for $20, about 20 minutes away.  I didn't do anything about it, but did check once or twice to see if the ad was still posted.   Then one day I saw that it had been updated and reduced to $10, so that was enough to make me take action.  We drove to Mission, bought the window, and took the dogs for a nice walk at Heritage Park while we were there.

The job went fairly well.  I got the hole cut, checked that the window fit, made some adjustments to the hole on one side of the door, and put it back on the hinges.  That made it easy to put the window in, and the project was completed without breaking the window, cutting a finger tip off, or dropping anything heavy on my foot.  Success!

So now we can look out and see this.

And Luna can look in to see why we are taking so long.

The lawn dirt patch got aerated, we brought three truck loads of some soil mix back to rake into the holes, and grass seed was spread.  We kept it damp and hoped it would germinate before we had to leave, but no such luck.  I was on my knees with a magnifying glass, hoping to see a little root coming out of the seed, but unfortunately there was nothing.  We were hoping the forecast would be for a few showers after we left, but again we were out of luck.  The weather has been warm and dry there since, so the seed will probably dry out before it germinates.  We decided it would cost more to drive back than it would to reseed.  I think the weather just wasn't warm enough yet.  Well the daytime temperatures were, but the night time ones were around the freezing mark.  Maybe we'll get a pleasant surprise when we go back in a few weeks, fingers crossed.

Our last morning there, I rescued this little tree that had been dumped, next to where we had parked the truck for our walk on the dyke.  It had been there a while, but still showed green when you scratched the bark on the little branches.  I put it in a pot, and in a sheltered spot, watered the heck out of it....and time will tell.  

It's my frugal gene working overtime again.

The Pit Stop

Some of you may have already figured that out, but we have just come back from a week in Oliver in the Okanagan.  A great trip as usual.  It's a four hour drive.  Usually we have to stop at least once for a pit stop, at the pit toilets in this case, and to give the dogs a chance for their own pit stop and leg stretch.  I think this was our nicest pit stop so far. Have I said 'pit stop' enough times yet?

This was at Bromley Rock.  It is a campsite/picnic area along the Similkameen River east of Princeton.  We have camped there a few times.  We are assuming that Bromley Rock is the hunk on the other side of the river.  It is a popular swimming spot in the summer, and braver, or maybe more foolish souls than I jump off that cliff.  The water was pretty icy still, so even the dogs weren't too interested in getting all wet.  Dogs aren't allowed down there in the summer, well actually it just says 'NO DOGS'.  Since it wasn't swimming season, there wasn't another soul around, we clean up after our dogs, and it was just too nice to resist, we took the dogs down there.  Or more like they took themselves down and asked me what I was waiting for.

Looking at Larry coming down the hill after his visit to those pit things.  Calli has found herself a rock.

He came down and got the kids running.  Too bad it was out of focus, I love it when I capture one of them in that greyhound/jackrabbit position.

Luna, like the typical bratty younger sister, has stolen Jake's stick.  When she carries it like that, it always makes me think of a kid running with scissors.

If you want to read about the fun we had at Bromley Rock campsite a couple of years ago, you can find it here.

Walk on the Wild Side

It was a lovely walk through our bush on Sunday morning.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it really felt like Spring.  Some of the first signs we see are the wild bleeding hearts (dicentra formosa) .

Can you see the two drops of water held in the center of the leaf?

Don't you love all the little beads of water on the points of the leaves.

Here is the most striking wild sign of Spring, the smelliest too, although I didn't smell anything that morning.

Skunk cabbage (lysichiton americanus)

There were numerous plants growing in the creek, but only one was blooming.  There were raindrops on the Skunk Cabbage too.

The camera was just about in the creek for the next couple of shots.  Thank goodness for the flip out display on the back of it, or else I would have been in the creek too.

Here is our latest version to get Calli through that walk in the morning.  I showed you before how we used to hold her up by her tail.  Then we changed to a harness I had made back in the days when she was first hurt.  We would put the harness on her and then only use it when she had tired out and her back legs were starting to drag.  Both methods worked, but both were very hard on our arms and shoulders.  The latest version is for one of us to pull the cart with us, Calli walks as far as she can on her own, (about 1/4 of a mile or so) and then we put her in the cart to finish the rest of the walk.  At least with the cart, we don't have to support her weight, we just have to pull her along a bit.

Jake is a little put out because Luna stole his toy.  Here she is hoping that Larry will throw it for her.  She glances from the toy to Larry to the toy and back to Larry.  Kind of like she is trying to get your attention and show you what she wants you to throw.  Larry ignored her.

But when we got near the bottom of what used to be our riding ring, which used to be all sand, Luna found one of her basketballs.  Yes, I did kick it for her.

Things are once again right in Jake's world.  

Yes, I threw the toy for Jake.

A Few Things Accomplished.

Right now I am picking away at some projects that are taking much longer than I thought they would.  But then that's nothing new.  The potential for projects around here is endless.

I did manage to get a small plot of potatoes planted this morning, just as it was starting to rain.  Those hens all volunteered to help, but I said thanks very much, but I'll do it myself.

I've talked a few times about painting the tool handles orange.  We are both terrible at leaving tools where we were last using them, and not putting them away.  Mostly it is because jobs never seem to get finished in one go, so you leave the tool(s) there so that they are ready when you go back to finish it.  Then something else seems more important/more exciting to do, and the tools get forgotten.  We waste a lot of time looking for things.  At least this way they are easier to spot.  Oh sure, if we would just put them away, it would be even better, but since we can't remember to put them away, that's where the problem lies.

Larry saw the handles and said what a horrible colour it was.  My dear, that is just the point, maybe we'll actually see them out there.

I worked on a piece of furniture in the livingroom, and I think I can say that is finished for now.  Maybe there will be pictures tomorrow.

We are trying to get things sorted out and cleaned up.  Progress in slow.   We usually have a box or bag on the go that will be dropped off at the thrift store.  Things leave here, but then I can bring stuff in just as fast.

Some neighbours of ours, that have lived here almost as long as us, have sold and have moved to a townhouse in town.  Their son, who helped them move, asked us if we wanted to come and have a look at anything left in the garage and workshop that we might need.  There were a few things for sale, we bought a lawnmower and a drill press, and then we poked around and gathered all sorts of odds and ends.  A wheelbarrow, hoses, small weadeater, shovels, a rake, on and on.  Somethings we were undecided on, actually it was a bit overwhelming.   The son said well we had until 12 noon today, before the new owners took possession, if we wanted to come back for anything.  I went back in the afternoon as we had thought of a use for something we had turned down in the morning.  Some guys were there with a couple of bins on the backs of trucks and were doing cleanup of some of the old junk that tends to accumulate on an acreage, as well as the rest of the stuff us neighbours didn't want.  I did manage to get some of what I went back for.

We went back again in the evening and inadvertently took a wheelbarrow that belong to the bin guys.  It was upside down in the bin, we thought it was going to the dump, and figured we would 'save ' it.   I got a phone call from the son early this afternoon.  He said they were just finishing up, and the wheelbarrow belonging to the bin guys had gone missing.  They were wondering if one of the neighbours had been by and taken it.  Oops.  I apologized up and down and sideways, felt like an idiot, etc.  He said the bin guy was going to stop by for it in a few minutes.  I rushed out to the barn and took it out to him.  Apologized all over the place again, as I'm giving him a dozen eggs.  He was very nice about it, and said they have got another job there, as the new owners are going to replace the roof shortly.  We'll have to wander over one day and introduce ourselves.  Thank goodness it wasn't the new owner's wheelbarrow that I wandered off with. That really would be getting off on the wrong foot.

Wordless Wednesday