Pick Up The Pieces

 So I promised to show ya'll a few photos of some actual work I have done around here.  I was never really enthused about the idea of painting this bar wall, so when it hit me to sheath it in pallet wood I jumped on that. Allen had been scrounging pallets for me for months and I had stripped a lot of them down to usable wood where they were just waiting for finishing.  So, I finally bit the bullet and sanded, stained, painted, sanded again, and patched for two days to get enough planks to do these 2 walls.  I didn't make a lot of effort to hide any patches, dents, or bangs in the wood.  I mean, it's obviously pallet wood and obviously reclaimed, so there's the "charm".  Ha! Anyway, I thought it came out rather well.  The corners are done in 1 1/2" angle iron and these make helluva good corner guards..  The iron is just stuck on for now because I'll have to take it back off and cut to fit when I run the finish floor and baseboard.  In person it looks better.  The color is a bit washed out in this photo because, due to low light in the warm months in my house, I have a devil of a time getting decent photos.  I often have to use a flash and it just doesn't look right.

 This photo is a little better but it's a little washed out too.  Anyways....I finished this counter top and back splash and wanted to run a little of the glass tile just to see how that was going to look.  I'm very pleased with this but please note; the tile has not been grouted yet, so it will look a little different when finished.  This gives me a lot of motivation to keep going.  I'm very anxious to get the kitchen finished because I think it's really going to be awesome.

 However, I had to take a break from all that and take advantage of the fact we are in an extended drought.  I have needed to fix this basement wall for years after I discovered just how much rain floods down the mountainside during the winter rains.  If the rest of the house were built this area would remain dry but.....we all know that has not happened yet so....I have to treat this as if it is forever an exterior wall.  Which meant chopping the bottom 2 feet off of the wood framing, forming a 4 inch thick wall and pouring it in concrete.  Here you can see the girls inspecting my forms.  It came out real well.  I even played around and did a faux board formed look on the outside.  This 11 foot section is a little less than half of what I need to pour but it's the worst part of the problem.  I admit I should have done this to begin with..but I did not realize the amount of water etc. around here.  And I was under the supreme delusion that the rest of the house would come along soon enough. Ha!!
Anyways, this form has been dropped, the wall sheathed back, and also insulated and covered on the inside.  Snug as a bug!  I'm now running multiple shelves on the inside in an effort to better organize the basement and my studio there.  I'll rub the exterior of the concrete here, below grade, to produce a smoother finish, then waterproof heavily and backfill.  There is still no sign of any rain anywhere in our near future so I shouldn't have any issues finishing this in the dry.

I also thought I'd take advantage of the drought in other ways!  We have ample dried foliage, leaves, flowers, grass and any things else you can think of here, so I gathered up a armful of stuff, a couple handfuls of feathers via some molting chickens and threw together this autumnal wreath.  Not too shabby I guess.  Certainly was cost effective.  haha!

Mix It Up

Since Erin had asked about the birdbath thingy a couple posts ago, and someone else gave me the word "eclectic" in the word post (I'm on a roll, huh?), I thought I'd combine the two ideas for a post.
Some of my favorite schools of thought in design or art would be Japanese and Craftsman but when it comes to decor, indoor or out, it winds up a very eclectic mix.  You can see traces of those influences though, in what I end up dragging home.
The birdbath above is actually a large platter made during my college years.  One of the few surviving pieces from then.  If you look closely you can see it's warped pretty fair but the birds and bees don't seem to mind.
I like to keep some of the stumps from trees we cut because I think they make the perfect pedestals for display.

The object here on top of the post is an old handmade anchor, from the days when some of my land was a lake.  We plowed it up at some point; I can't remember if it was when we were putting in the drive or the garden or what.  I've found a number of peculiar objects like that.  Old leg traps, fishing lures, horse ties and shoes.

Many of the objects are cast-offs from jobs I worked on.  I especially like old stonework.

I don't normally buy mass produced, slicky yard art but I though this was kinda cute.  Allen has always accused me of being an old crow too, because I like shiny things.  Plus, it moves, so I like that.

I have a few remains from the little farm I grew up on.  I actually remember using this old grinding stone to sharpen an axe once when I was young.  The barn burned down years ago and I tried to salvage what I could of the old plows and such.  Maybe turn them into sculpture one day.

Another job cast off.  Suns are a recurring motif around here. 

Job cast-off turned art.  This is one of my very favorites.  I like the simplicity of it.

More sun.  I need to add more colored glass beads.

This is a new antique/ junk store acquisition.  I must remove the hideous paint some ding-dong decided it needed.  Then it will be good.  I would really like to make a mold of this one so I could produce more but the undercuts in it are troublesome.  I do have some rubber mold making compound but not sure it's enough to do this, as it's about a foot square.  Hhhmm, I have to think on that.

I have a number of these of various species.  I need to group them all somewhere as a collection.

Various things picked up on travels.

One of the best thrift store finds I ever made.  She's a favorite.

Fat little bunny.  I like any kind of animal statuary.  Unless it's real cutesy crap.  And oddly enough I don't have any chickens.  I do have an idea for a chicken sculpture though, so maybe I'll do that.

Homage to the dragonflies.  I try to make them feel welcome you know.

There are actually a few more pieces and I'm always on the look out for new finds at garage sales and thrift stores.  People get rid of some of the coolest things.  I love to decorate in the gardens as much as in the house and it's always a fun game to me to try to find new and unusual treasures from odd places.

Simple

  I had seen this PVC pipe chicken feeder on the web and I thought he'd give it a try because the girls just seemed to throw so much out of the standard feeders you buy at the store. I had tried a couple different sizes and stuff but they still threw food everywhere.  They would often clean it up off the concrete but still, I'd rather they not eat dirty food.  So far, these are working great.  The parts are pretty cheap, you might even have most of the stuff laying around, and it's easy to put together.  HERE is directions if you want to try one and because I am too lazy right now to take ours apart and take pictures etc. etc.  It's pretty straight forward. 

Here's another view in use.  The girls took right to it and you can see there is no mess on the floor.  Now, that's not to say they don't occasionally throw a little out but it's nothing like what they used to do.  Only problem is only one chicken at a time can eat, so you might want to make more than one but they take turns or just peck the one when they feel they've waited long enough.

This was the other non-conventional thing I wanted to show ya'll.   This was all my doing, or thinking and me and Allen did the toting.  I have had this object for some time but only now had to make room for it in the house somewhere.  After a little head scratching I decided it made the perfect table, bench combo.  Three guesses as to what the object originally was.  Well, it still is the object but no longer functions in that capacity.  It is made of full 1 3/8" totally clear white pine planks, about 12x14 inches wide.  I don't know that you can even get wood like this anymore so that is one reason I insisted on saving this.  It fits in perfectly and makes a great conversation piece.  And yes, don't look at the ugly floors!!  One day I will have finish hardwood floors down.

On another note: some people have been asking so I wanted to post a little update on the health stuff.  Basically, I'm still waiting on test results.  I went in last Monday to have a bunch more blood drawn and the tech said some of those tests that had been ordered for me can take up to a full week to return.  I hope I know something soon!  I guess whatever makes blood in your body is the one thing working great in me because they've sucked so much out lately I'd be in rough shape otherwise!  Once again the trip to Kirklin was pleasant (well, you know what I mean) and those people are SO nice.  I mean, even the parking lot attendants.  I bet they make all those people take classes on being nice or something and it's all amazingly efficient.  I've never waited very long for anything. 
I was feeling a little better but then seem to have maybe had a bit of a relapse on the fatigue lately.  Everything just tires me out.  I had been trying to get back to my pottery but have finally decided just to take it easy.  The stress of being so behind for the holiday season seemed to even be making me worse so I just said the heck with it.  I wanted to have a studio open house and such but it's just too much at this point.  I just try to putter around and do a little each day but nothing too strenuous.  I absolutely HATE being like this but sometimes you just gotta let go I guess.

Knock On Wood

I've really been trying to make a concerted effort lately to finish up a lot of half-started projects around the house, organizing and decorating in areas of the house that are mostly finished.  To that extent, I've gotten a couple of new pieces of furniture and some art and photos framed and hung.  I figure it will all help motivate me to keep plugging along to finish everything.  Now, this sideboard is not new at all really.  It was built sometime in the 1920's and has been in our family since then.  No one else seemed to want it but we didn't want it to be given away or get messed up so I took it to use in the living room.  My grandmother's husband was the warden at Kilby Prison in south Alabama for a number of years in the 20's and this piece was built by a few of the inmates at the time, so it makes for a good conversation piece.  It's probably the only material thing in my family that has much value.  Anywhoo, it had been stored away for years so I got it out, cleaned it up and refurbished the finish a bit.  Basically just re-oiled it and cleaned some stains off of it.

So, now it is our entertainment center I guess you would say.  I replaced the plain glass in the doors with architectural glass and replaced the drawer pulls with bronze ones that matched the knobs on the doors.  I did make a little removable shelf for the bottom to put the stereo system on.  I've always liked the sideboard as it has a vague Craftsman style to it.  It's fairly well made and still in excellent shape too.  Now I just need to trim out that one last window to the right of it.  Ugh!

Now, we will not speak of how long this little cabinet has been hanging around in the basement but I finally got it cleaned up and finished, installed the hinges and door, etc etc. and hung it in the bathroom.  I thought it came out nice but I think I want to replace that glass with a colored/ textured something kinda glass because the clear, textured just still shows too much of what is in the cabinet.  I had thought about making a very simple, stained glass window type panel for the door but for now I just need it done and functional.  I can do the other a couple of years from now.  Maybe.
So, that is just a bit of an update.  I am trying hard to keep my motivation up and I've been feeling pretty good lately so that helps.  Seeing more and more finish work done helps a great deal too because I can see just how cool things are going to look all finished.  My cabinet maker guy is going to be back out in about 2 weeks to measure for the built in bookcases that go beside the fireplace so that area is shaping up nice too.  It's really going to be great!  I'm excited about it!

Changes

I though this iris was a lovely, new color.  Reminds me of pink lemonade for some reason.  Oddly enough, I don't ever remember planting anything this color and there are only 2 in a large mass of the common purple/ blue combo.  I also have a couple of bunches of the pure white iris about 10-12 feet away.  Could they spontaneously intermix??  I have no idea how that works.

I have been working very hard on clearing a bit more land down below the garden and chicken run.  this is the area off to the right and you can kinda see where the grass stops, just to the right of the yellow iris blooms.  This area was just a huge mass of privet, poison oak and other nasty vines.  I should have cleared it long ago but just didn't get to it and it was growing up so it was crowding my 2 plum trees, plus just looking terribly unkempt.  In the newly cleared area I might plant a nice Japanese maple or another fruit tree.  Something that won't get too big.  We still have some more clean up to do in this area though.

The cursed damned fire ants were eating the crap out of my rhubarb in the garden, so I moved 2 of them up to a big pot on the deck.  (their gnawing is why these look kinda rough) This way might be better anyway as I can keep them shaded and cool much easier.  I am determined to find a way to grow this stuff.   I still have 2 others in the garden also, so we'll see.

And I finally put the finishing touches on the east end of the chicken coop.  Unfortunately, the rest of the coop looks like hell, but I'm getting there.  Yes, that horrid swatch of blue in the background will go away.  I was also proud that I finally found a place to install that black planter basket on the left.  I know I have carted that freaking thing around for 10 years or so and never really put it to good use.  Well, I think it finally found a home.

Many other changes are going on in the garden now also.  I've got about half of the crops planted and hope to get the other half in today.  I'll post more about what I'm growing this year a little later.
I also finally poured the hearth slab in the house!!  Yay!!!  I used a new formula and was very pleased with how it came out.  Well, I haven't wrecked the edge form yet so....I think I'm pleased with the formula.  Ha!  I'm sure it will come out fine.  I was able to get a very nice, tight finish on the slab but I will also buff it with those diamond pads to finish it out.  I'll post about all that also.

Well.  Lots of work to get done today!

Spreading The Wealth

The wealth of plants and flowers that is... I've always preferred to think of myself as frugal but I guess sometimes I'm just downright cheap because it just kills me to pay full price for plants and such sometimes. I mean, I will occasionally buy, and pay good money for, certain plants. Like an heirloom apple tree. But for the most part there are just so many ways to come by free or really cheap plants and gardening tools and I know these days lots of people don't have a lot of extra money for such anyway. So, being that gardening and such are the big "in" thing, how does one come by plants and save money too?
1. Most of the plants in my driveway flower bed were extras shared with me by friends or my mom. If you have friends that garden they most likely will have some plants that need dividing or reseed freely and most people are happy to share these.
2. I've told ya'll before about my .25 cent mums I get on clearance at the end of the fall season. Each season has their own clearance sales, so watch for these. I probably have 5 mums in this bed that I got for a quarter a piece. They might need a little TLC for the first season but I've never had any die and the next year they come back great.
3. Old abandoned homesteads are great for digging plants, just make sure you have permission. I've even dug them off the side of the road but make sure this is okay too beforehand. Several counties in my state also have "plant dig days" at the local landfills. Whenever they are about to move to a new area of a landfill they will let the public go in and dig whatever native plants you want before the area is cleared. These are always free and announced several weeks ahead of time. Your state may have something similar.
If you have any friends in the know, you can often go into a construction site before the excavation starts to dig plants too.


4. Jack and I happened upon a winter clearance sale at a gardening center and got 6 bottles of this fish emulsion fertilizer for $1 a bottle, so they often have many things besides plants on clearance. Keep your eyes open even in the winter too.


5. I'm very fortunate to have many great native species that grow all over my land; some of your friends or you may also. I have counted about 5 different species of ferns on my property, not to mention hydrangea, dogwoods, rhododendron and scads of flowers, so whenever I have an area I want to spruce up I often just go transplant stuff I already have out in the woods. You can fill in with one or two store bought plants if you like.


6. Don't be afraid to dumpster dive!! I got this cool, old planter out of a dumpster on a job I was on and my mom has been known to dig plants out of a dumpster too! The planter was broke but a steel pin in the base and that was fixed. Stuff like this has so much more character than that plastic/ foam crap they make these days. Thrift stores and flea markets are also good places to find old funky garden decor.
7. Many seed vendors will send you a free pack of flower seeds when you place an order for other stuff. I've gotten several packs of seeds this way.
8. Many people will also be happy to let you take cuttings from shrubs and trees they have or you can just propagate your own stuff this way. Sometimes it's kinda tricky to get them to take but even if they don't you are usually not out much or any money.
9. Joining gardening clubs is a good way to find friends for swapping plants and our local Master Gardeners club often has sales around town or at the farmers market where you can get some really good deals.

Do any of ya'll have any other frugal ways to acquire plants, seeds or tools for gardening?

All Things New

 In keeping with the new year I've been experimenting with some new designs and new glazes.  I'm not sure what it is but lately I've felt a very renewed sense of creativity and action.  Whatever it is, let's hope it continues!  I think part of it is that we have been making some progress on the homestead.  Things are starting to come together in that realm and I really feel that this is the life I am meant to have.  No, things are not all roses and daisies (I'll explain later) but I feel good about our food production, my art production and just things in general.  We are even working towards adding active solar elements to the house.  More about this later too.

This is a "new" glaze that I really like (the inside color, not the dark rim).  Actually, it is partially a mistake.  See, I have a standard oatmeal colored glaze that I use quite a bit and so I ran out recently.  Well, there are literally hundreds of glazes out there with the name Oatmeal.  I had 2 written down in my books and, you guessed it, I mixed the wrong one.  The recipes look very similar but produce a noticeably different glaze.  And the bad thing is that the one I made this time is not suitable for dinnerware.  Well, I had 5 gallons of it now and had to do something.  I got to thinking and knew that I also had about 3 gallons of a slate blue that I had decided to retire.  It wasn't very popular anymore and I had tired of it.  So...what if I mixed them?  I did (reserving a little of each glaze separately) and it came out wonderful!  Plus, the elements of the slate glaze brought the finish of the new glaze up to where it would be suitable for food use.  I am going to try to compare the two recipes and see if I can combine the formulas to make this glaze now, instead of always making 2 glazes and mixing them.  I really hope I am successful.  So, that was a good save and nothing was wasted.  But now, I need a name for it!  It sorta, kinda, vaguely resembles an ash glaze so I had just thought about Blue Ash.  That's kinda boring.  The stores where I sell my work likes for me to name the glazes fancy stuff, like Paprika and Oatstraw.  You know how they are nowadays about colors.  But hey, as much as this lady sells, I don't care if she names them Chickenshit.  So, any ideas?

Speaking of pottery and stuff, it was brought to my attention that the email address I have had on my pottery page has been dead for some time and I had forgotten!  So, if you tried to email me at that old Hotmail address, I didn't get it!  I closed that account several, several weeks ago and just forgot to change it there.  Please forgive me if you've been trying to get a hold of me there.  I did send out an email change notice to those of you I correspond with and hope everybody got that.  But if not, my email is now ann.beaird@gmail.com.  It is also listed under the About Me header.  I hope no one has been emailing me and think I've been ignoring you.

I will also continue updating the cupcake situation in the posts here.  As of today, Rurality is out!  I may have some company later on and I will stuff a few cupcakes down them to try to speed things up!

*Update!!!  Allen came by and scarfed down some more cupcakes!  This is really getting interesting!  OK, those eliminated this time are...


Peg on Vancouver Island, Lisa in Bammer, Beatrice, Tammy (Grendal fan) and Dan.  Sorry guys.  But this is kinda fun!  OK, (smack, smack) and FloridaCracker.

Stormy Blues

This is a Monday I believe, that calls for Billie Holiday. I haven't felt too enthused about posting pictures of my stuff lately, what with all the destruction in so much of the state. It's kinda like, "yeah, your house got blown away but look at my cool chicken house!" Meh. But I know most of ya'll don't live anywhere near here so I thought I put up a few anyway. I can't do much but just continue to work on my stuff anyway. Things are pretty tight with me right now, financially. Trying to get this pottery stuff going and having expenses in that department along with the rest of life leaves me with virtually nothing to donate to the clean-up efforts. Heck, I can't even afford gas to go anywhere to help manually. I have called or emailed about everybody I know that might have been affected and offered assistance anyway. You know, even washing clothes for somebody that doesn't have power would help them some.

And now, I find out a few minutes ago that a lady who worked for my former company many, many years was killed in the storm along with her husband. She was a very sweet person and even though I wasn't around her a lot due to working in the field, she was always kind to me and willing to take some time to chat on the occasion that I came into the office.

So, not to be morose, but I'm a little sad. I am pleased with the progress of the chicken house though. We have bought a good bit of new but I have been trying to use every scrap of reclaimed lumber I can. The tool shed connects to the chicken house also, so letting them share a wall helps save lumber too, rather than have 2 free standing buildings. I'll come back and show ya'll some details on the actual framing.

The garden continues to do well and the strawberry harvest is gradually improving. I pick more and more every day. Some of the berries are small but the taste is about a thousand times better than store bought. I just enjoyed a small bowl of them with fresh vanilla yogurt. So, I'll be back with some better posts soon, hopefully.

Mole In A Hole

You may have to click on this photo to enlarge it enough to see what I have done here. I've mentioned in the past that I have quite the population of moles here on my property. I don't want to kill them as they eat grubs that later turn into all sorts of nasty things such as Japanese beetles. I don't have much of an issue at all with Japanese beetles because, I believe, I let the moles do their thing. However, they have sometimes posed a little problem in some areas of the garden. This past year they rooted so much in the strawberry patch that they killed a few of my plants. Ever mindful of their benefits however I do not want to use force against them. While I was contemplating what to do I happened across an article in a self-sufficiency book that showed this method of mole deterrence. Now, usually, I just walk on their tunnels, as you can see the little mounds easily, and this causes the mole to dig deeper and as a result, doesn't come near the roots of your plants or upset the plants. Moles do not generally eat roots as many people suspect. They are just rooting after grubs and if they expose the plants roots to air (like in their tunnels) it can dry the plant out and kill it. However, I really didn't want to walk on my strawberries so I was greatly relieved to see that this solution you see in the photo seems to have worked. You simply take a glass soda bottle, after you enjoy the contents, and bury it up to the top in the bed where your plants are. Leave about 1 inch or so sticking up. You have to bury them about every 6 to 8 feet to cover a large area. I put 3 in my strawberry bed. Now, the theory is that the wind blowing across the top of the empty bottles produces a vibration within the bottle that the moles do not enjoy and they leave the area. You know how you can blow across the mouth of a bottle and it makes that noise? If standing near the bottles I can't hear anything myself but it seems to have worked. No mole tunnels as far as I can see and if I press on the soil I don't feel any hollow spots. It beats buying traps or those whirly-gigs that are supposed to do the same thing. Or killing the moles!

Also, I have redone my pottery page on the blog here. Ya'll look at it and tell me what you think. And be honest; I can take it! Seriously, if you see something that might could be improved, let me know.

Gates To The Garden

I just love the fact that title is actually a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds! Ha!! So, at long last, here is the garden gates and the incredible pain-in-the-arse to do brick paver entry. Actually, the pavers would not have been such a pain had I paid better attention to what I was doing and not let it get out of square. I guess I was so excited about finally hanging the gates that I tried to rush through the other. That is never a good idea. I backed up though and did it right and now everything is square and straight and looks pretty good. The pavers are not entirely finished on the other side however. I need to finish that soon. I desperately needed to be able to close the garden up, what with food growing in there, so getting the gates hanging took priority after the majority of the brick was down.
I am fairly pleased the the gates but I am going to add a few more touches to them. I have some copper plates that I am going to do some stamping on and add and maybe a few other things. Not a lot, but a little more whimsy.
I also have to clean and seal the gates. I will show ya'll shortly how I made the hinges and hung them and how I did the brick area.

So many green things are springing forth from the ground! The weather has been so nice these past few weeks and I am just ecstatic to have been home, working on these things that make me happy rather than slaving away on some construction site. Not that I didn't enjoy my job but I enjoy building for me so much more!
I feel a lot of creative energy stirred up from this project too. I have many ideas for other things and a lot of enthusiasm to finish what I already have started. God forbid I jinx anything but I feel this is going to be a good year.

Diggin' Your Scene

This sudden emergence of warm weather has also brought about a flurry of activity here.A friend of ours (Rurality and her Hubby) gave us this old tiller. The motor had seized up on it, and for the most part, it had seen better days. I was a little sceptical that it could be made to run again. My plan now is to acquire some old manure to spread and till into the main garden.

I have also been working on the gates but that has turned into a much more complicated project than I originally intended. After hanging the one leaf I saw that the ground was so out of level that I would have to dig out several inches on one side. This was going to leave the makings of a big mudhole. So, after some deliberation, I decided to remove the gate, grade the area and lay brick pavers to make a nice, level entryway over which the gates will hang. This will also deter any critter from trying to burrow under the gates. I've had, for some time, a few cubes of miscellaneous pavers that I had scavenged and had been meaning to do something with and one type I had was just enough to do this. As you can sorta see, this is adding a bit of time and effort to the gate project but it is going to look really nice.

Some of you noticed this little critter in the background of my last post. After I decided that Lika needed to go live with another family I figured it would just not work out for me to have a dog. I was working a lot, the dog would be alone all day and Lika proved most wouldn't go for that. And I wouldn't want the dog to be alone. I refuse to cage or tie a dog also, even with company. Well, after I got laid off I kinda figured I would not be going back to construction. Things have worked out that I am here the vast majority of time, so I have time to devote to a dog but I did not pursue getting one. Then my little niece Katybug called and begged me to take this little pup a friend of hers had found on the side of the road. I came very close to not doing it but she swore her parents would take it to the pound if I didn't and I believe they would have. So, I said okay and they brought little Chigger to me. This was back in October and she was just a wee little thing. I didn't say anything for a long time because I didn't know if it was going to work out but I think Chigger is going to be a great asset to the place. She is just the sweetest little thing. t. She mostly just asks for someone to play Frisbee or kickball with, which I try to often. She is not a very big dog but tries to be watchful and alert. I am hoping I can train her to help watch out for the chickens when we get them but not sure how well that is going to work. She has a great deal of fun here now though and loves to burrow after the moles in the yard, snorting just like a pig the whole time. She's diggin' it here too.

Was A Sunny Day

There are a gazillion songs about the sun but I don't believe I've ever used a Paul Simon song before so I thought I'd go with him. Always liked his work. Anyway, as you can see from the photo, I got Allen to cut down a couple of trees for me today. First one being that oak right next to the house. Now, before anybody gets their panties in a wad, look at the photo below. When this land was logged about 10-11 years ago, the loggers banged into a bunch of the trees and they get these big scars on them, often with rot on the inside. I've already had one of these scarred trees to fall on the house; don't need another one. There was one other oak, a little further way, that we also took out because it was leaning pretty noticeably towards the house. This will also let the remaining 2 oaks fill out, since they won't be crowded anymore. Allen tied a rope on the trees high up and then tied it to the Bobcat. I got up the hill with the machine and tugged as he cut to make sure it fell my way and not towards the house. All worked fine. And yes, we had a long enough rope that I wouldn't pull it over on me! I made sure of that!
See that rot on the inside? I could actually stick my hand through the wood in the center there.
So, we ended up cutting 3 trees all together. I just wanted the 2 but Allen couldn't stand seeing this one hickory near the house that was bent waaaay over. It was like my own little mini St.Louis arch. He chopped it up though. So, I loaded them all into the Bobcat and hauled them down to the splitting area.

I worked on the house also, painting and caulking. Late today I took the Bobcat down to the dam and gathered up another bucket load of flagstone. I also used the Bobcat to haul some more fill to widen the driveway by the creek. Boy, I really wish I could find my own Bobcat for a reasonable price. You can do SO much with those things.

I'm feeling much better but I worked so today that my butt is dragging right now. My doc said I was just a small step from having pneumonia; that was why he gave me such strong meds but I think it's helping. If I could just get rid of this cough.

Well, hope everybody has a good week and that it starts warming up!! This weekend was so beautiful here. It really has me yearning for spring. The daffodils are up to about 6 inches now too. Even they are getting impatient to come out!

*Paul Simon

One Man's Trash....

I've had several people inquiring about how to salvage materials from a construction site, so that is what this post is about. Before I go into the actual how-to, I think that there are a few things you need to realize about the environment that you will be entering. The world of construction workers is much different than what most of society has ever experienced. It is very dangerous and you must know the proper rituals to get through. Also, I am in no way guaranteeing that this will work; this is just my advice. For some companies and some regions of the country, they will never give you scraps.

Number one, the superintendent is the absolute ruler of this world and they look at it absolutely from that perspective. They rule the job sites with an iron fist; it is not a democracy. Once you piss one off, you will most likely never have his cooperation again. The worst thing you can do is march out into their domain, with no regard for their rule and try to start making off with stuff. I say 'try' also because you won't get far. You must acknowledge the superintendent's authority. Go straight to the job trailer and ask for him. Many job site even post signs (we do) saying that all visitors must report to the office first. If you don't see an office trailer, ask the closest worker you can find without going out onto the site. Wait at the gate if you have to. Do NOT enter the site unless you have direct permission. This is for your safety as well as to keep from pissing everybody off. If you get to speak with the superintendent, tell him specifically what you are looking for (scrap lumber, rebar etc.)and what you want it for (you're trying to build a little shed or greenhouse etc) but don't go into some long, drawn out spiel. Keep it specific and to the point. They don't have a lot of time. Also, I have found it helpful if you use the correct terminology. Tell them you are looking for 'drop' or 'dunnage', not just scrap wood. 'Drop' can be any material (wood, metal, whatever) left over after they have cut off what they need. It's what drops on the ground. Get it? Dunnage is the 2x's and 4x's that heavy materials are shipped on. It's usually oak, poplar, hickory or pine anywhere from 4 to 8 feet long. It makes good, free firewood. But whatever you are looking for just ask as specifically as you can. I always say to tell them what your project is also because if you get a friendly bunch they might suggest other materials that would also work if they don't have what you are looking for. Construction workers are very creative and resourceful.
Say 'yes sir' and 'no sir' and do exactly as they instruct IF they allow you onto the site. If they tell you to wear a hard hat, DO IT and do not take it off while out on the site. There are so many rules and laws now, about what even we can do, that the safety regulations are a major concern. The superintendents can actually be personally sued for accidents on their jobsites so they don't fool around. This is why many companies won't even allow people to take their trash. If you get hurt on a site they are in some major doo-doo. And above all, if they tell you no and not to go out onto the site, do not under any circumstances think you can get around them and go out there anyway. These men are not people to mess with. They will not react kindly. Many of them have well earned their reputations for being coarse, misbegotten thugs. But it's not because they like being mean, for the most part, it's because the world of construction is very harsh and you sometimes don't get a second chance.

Which brings me to the second subject, safety. If they allow you out there, realize what you are getting yourself into. Even if it is just a house site you can still get stuff dropped on you and there is often heavy machinery running. Watch what is going on around you constantly. If you hear a backup alarm on a machine, look for it! Do not walk under any scaffolding, ladders or structure if people are working up there. You most likely will have someone with you (they will not let you just run amok) so they will guide you. Just do what they say and watch yourself. Jobsites, especially commercial ones are very dangerous. Many men are killed every year from falls, stuff falling on them, electrocution, soil cave-ins and such. If you see Danger or Caution tape up, do not cross it. The photo above was taken on one of my last jobs. Those are concrete tilt-up panels that make those walls. We pour them on the ground and stand them up basically. They weigh between 35 and 45 tons apiece and are only held up for a time with those two little sticks of iron. Realize and respect the environment where you are going. If one of these panels falls on a man, they scrap him up with a shovel. And yes, it happens.
Lastly, dress appropriately, especially you women. While it is true that the men are certainly more generous to women, don't go out there dressed like you just got off the street corner. They might like to see your boobs hanging out but they are definitely not going to have any respect for you and be inclined to help you. That is also a good way to get one of men hurt. You distract one for a minute with your cleavage (yeah, and they are going to look) and that might be enough time for him to cut something off he needs. Act responsibly. Wear boots if you have them or at least sturdy tennis shoes. Men, same for you. Bring a pair of gloves. Act like you have picked up a shovel or hammer before. Be courteous and appreciative. Remember, they are doing YOU a favor. And don't be too greedy. Don't go out there asking for everything you lay eyes on.

I know with my company, we try to reuse as much of our waste as we can. We distribute it amongst ourselves, we try to give it away to others if none of our guys want it but not all companies do this. However, I always say, it never hurts to ask and I am not trying to discourage you with this post. Many companies are glad and encouraged to give away leftover materials these days. Also, keep in mind that even if some materials are left over, the owner always has first choice. They often elect to keep materials. I mean, they have paid for them. Even still, you can often find lumber, plywood, steel, rebar, concrete block, sometimes glass, insulation (all types), doors (although usually commercial type) door hardware, toilets, sinks, faucets, plastic, you name it really. Many times you can even get plants and shrubbery. If you still have questions, please let me know or if I did not make something entirely clear. I'm happy to answer any questions.

*Marty Robbins

Beautiful Thing

Do you see what I see? No, never mind all that crap at the bottom of the photo....look at the wall of the house. See, there is NO Tyvek showing. Because the siding covers it all up!! Hahaaaaa!!!!! Woooooooo! Ok, so it's just one wall finished. Three more to go. I still have a little more painting to do here before I can move the pick boards but will start on the west side shortly.
This is my fall garden. Just a little mixed lettuce and one potato plant. I have no idea how it will do but just don't have time to fool with much more.
These are some free brick pavers I recently scored from a friend. This is almost one cube and there is another cube to pick up, although in a different color. I have almost two cubes up at Mama's that I salvaged off a hospital job years ago. Now have enough that I could do something with them all. Each cube is a different color but hey, they were free so mix and match. But see, this is what I'm telling you is free out there if you can make some connections. Not just with construction workers but sometimes engineers and architects too. Not sure what I'm going to do with mine yet but I know I can come up with something. Maybe use for walkways in the garden.

Well, today was calm and relaxed, thank goodness. No traumas or horse chompings. I take Mama to Birmingham in the morning though for minor surgery to repair what they can of her finger. They are just going to clean it up more and clip the bone back to allow it to heal better. Maybe I can get some cool photos for ya'll!

Oh, my visit this past Saturday went well. He is a very interesting man (and manly man!) and we seem to get along good. Only thing, he is from Tennessee so I don't know how that is going to work out but guess we will just have to wait and see.

*Eric Clapton