Yearly Archives: 2013

In the basement this time.
There’s some copper tubing used for the (very cold) well water that “sweats” with the condensed humidity in the air. This drips down onto things not intended to be dripped on, so I’ve insulated them with some self-adhesive rubber insulation.
The other pipes are not affected by air humidity.
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“I get that and the government will act accordingly.”

The British PM’s words in response to today’s parliamentary vote against using force in Syria.

I’m so happy that the UK government is standing with the will of (the slight majority of) its people, but I’m also sorry for Cameron and his party losing face, and for the pie on Mr. O’s face right now.

Maybe it’s too soon to claim the era of illegal wars, profiteering and glorified hypocrisy is passing, but maybe not.

It chokes a tree by climbing and then completely covering it.
Locals have told me it’s a kind of grape vine, but I call it Michigan Kudzu.

I’ve worked about 4 days in late summer sun, walking in the woods and lakeside to hack and cut and pull the vine out of the trees. My legs and arms have the inset bites and cuts and scrapes to prove it.

In the 10 or more years it’s had to grow freely here at my parents’ house, it killed 2 trees and was working on a number of others, including one of the 40+ year old pines.

Here’s a picture of ONE OF the piles I cut and eventually dragged and pulled from the woods and lakeside trees.
The plant was cut into pieces and used as kindle in the bonfire we used to make s’mores. Talk about happy endings!

I just watched a film called “Lars and the Girl” or something like that and it moved me so deeply probably because I could relate to the slightly bent but very real main character’s dilemma. After all this time in my life, I’m still struggling with things that friends appear to have worked through and come to peace with, and at moments like these I wish I could be like one of those Hollywood film characters that always end up with an enlightened, happy ending. But then maybe my whole life is an amazing success I can’t see or feel or that I judge inaccurately. I suspect I’m just lonely and reaping what I’ve sown for my entire life. Good, if so. Life is a balance of opposing forces, isn’t it, and for as much and often as I am at peace and happy, I am equally in conflict and tormented. My understanding of life is never just one thing or another at any moment; it’s always some complex recipe of things and I grow weary of the smiles I pantomime.

Right now, I wish I could be a Hollywood happy ending.

I love everything about landscaping.
I love walking and feeling the environment and noticing how the plants want to go well.

On the north side of my parents’ house, I noticed the hostas were planted too close to the foundation and on an incline that allowed water to runoff and away from them. I transplanted each of them and an additional 2 dozen or so more hostas from throughout the grounds and moved them slightly north to exactly where the rainfall drops from the garage roof. The plants are now assured of rain and they should do well in this nearly-constant moist soil.
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I then continued on the north side of the house, next to the driveway, and started by repairing the old wood fence on the property line. Some of the fence was beyond repair so instead I suggested a natural hedge border. To clean the area where the hedges would go, I transplanted several random plants on that spot to various other places, and planted 5 Brownii yews slightly off-set for a more natural appearance and because the height and width of those full-grown plants will do nicely as a natural barrier.
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And as luck would have it, white cedars grow with natural abundance on the property here so I transplanted a slightly larger seedling to the corner of the garage and in between the hostas and the new Brownii yews, since the height of the mature cedar will add nicely to the buidling corner and provide evergreen privacy and shade.
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Collectively, the mature plants should grow to add a nice combination of texture and color.

“con-trails” = condensation trails
“chem-trails” = chemical trails

More to go.
Understandably, when Dad fell ill mom’s time was consumed by personal care, so places in the house like the bookshelves became piles of well-intended projects.
Here’s the before and after :)rickymay.
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Gotta start somewhere.
Here at my parents’ house, my talents and skills include good ol’ grunt work.
Here’s a before and after of my dad’s equipment building, where now we have room to stow his truck during the winter.
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