How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?

A few days ago Florida Cracker made a post about a heart-shaped Alabama rock over at Pure Florida. I was not going to post about mine but after I saw his I thought, "what the heck". We were rolling around in a ditch (footing) at work trying to set some wall forms when I looked down at my knee and saw this rock. FC's rock appears much bigger and nicer and does have a slight crack through it. But mine is broken, with a piece missing. 'Course, that is sort of what gives it that heart shape. No more comment other than to say it's funny how you find or see things at certain times in your life.
And yes, that is my dirty, rough ol' paw in the photo. Concrete work messes your hands up something terrible even when you wear gloves.


* The Bee Gees

Flower Grown Wild

This past week I have been walking about my land a lot, seeing what new and different now that things are really starting to grow and I have been amazed at how many new (to me) species of plants I am finding. These were definitely not here before and I suspect that some things are coming out now since I have cleared a lot of areas that were previously choked by so much underbrush. This is cross vine and I was particularly happy to see this. In fact, I have found several bunches of it in different areas. It is a very hardy vine and I'm sure it goes by other names, that is just the one I know. It has a very attractive and fairly large flower that is really not done justice by these pics. The colors are very bright and flashy in real life. According to herbalists, cross vine is a wonderful tonic for general health and stamina, similar to ginseng. You make a tea from the leaves, I don't believe you use the flower.
It's very attractive anyway and I would imagine that the hummers would like it also. I would like to try to root some and plant near the house, perhaps on a trellis. It flowers very profusely with enough sun.
I have not been doing much work on the house itself lately. I have had a couple of projects for other people that I have needed to complete and have been working on planting various things to try and make things look a little better around here. I guess it just looked so barren around the house that it was beginning to get to me. I needed some garden therapy I guess. Also, I have been saving my paychecks in order to buy the siding which I hope to start next week. I am very anxious to get that done. I think it is really going to help my feelings to have the siding on and getting it painted and trimmed up will be something relatively easy for me to do when I come home from work in the afternoons.
Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, the sun has now vanished from the inside of the house. Actually, it was back at the first of April that the last sliver of sun departed. So, the house is staying fairly cool these days even with some days in the low 80's. If it is a bright sunny day (80-82 degrees) the house is usually at about 76 degrees when I get home. I do have 3 narrow west facing windows that I need to shade and I think it would drop the inside temp some. Hardcore passive solar design says NO west facing windows but I couldn't help it. Besides, they help warm in the winter. I am going to open the clerestory windows this week and see if that makes any cooling difference now that I have ceiling fans. The guys at work have said that they are already running their air-conditioners at home so I feel good about my house.


*Bryan Adams

Let It Grow

My grass is coming up! I'm so excited! Maybe now this area will not look so bad if I can get some greenery on it. I put out a bunch of wildflower seed also so I hope that has taken as well. I really don't want to mow as this just wastes energy (mine mostly!) and time. Also, due to lack of grass or anything, I was having a lot of trouble with the rain washing sand and dirt down onto the driveway in this area. I put these logs along the drive and secured them as a temporary retaining wall. This is the same tree that fell on my house last summer! Anyway, when it becomes rotty or I get more time, whichever comes first, I will remove the logs and probably build a stone retaining wall in their place but for now it is a quick and easy way to stop that run off. The dirt will compact behind the logs and hold it's shape long enough for when I roll the logs away and allow me to get something else up. I back filled behind the logs with some good dirt and compost and have been trying to plant a nice grouping of native and low maintenance shrubs and flowers. Most of them I have collected from the area or been given so they are acclimated for this climate. I have some day lilies and daffodils from a friend. I think I mentioned once before here that if you live in the South and have any amount of soil you are required to plant day lilies. I have some narcissus from Mama's house. There are large clumps of them growing in her pasture that no one can figure out where they came from. I bought a few coreopsis and a crab apple tree. I am also mixing some local, medicinal plants in with the flowers such as mountain mint and mullein. They grow abundantly here and are attractive plants. As with everything else, I try to use plants that are used to this soil (don't require pampering) that you can generally get for free (salvaging) and can serve another purpose such as food or medicine (self sufficiency). Oh, I forgot, I am lining that side of the drive with lavender. That's what those 3 bushy things are to the left end of the logs. OK, I know that is not native but it takes to this sandy soil VERY well.
I have also had some dirt work done recently on the driveway and parking areas. Allen had to get a backhoe with operator out to his job recently so we had him come to the house for a couple of hours to help make his hours for the day. It has made the drive much better. I'll try to post this soon.
I'm still trying to decide on siding and trim and have a request in at work to take the second week of May off. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

*Eric Clapton

Blueberry Hill

Well, I can't say that I found my thrill really but I was excited later to find out this is a wild blueberry bush. See, I had gone out for an explore one day after work and proceeded to climb up to the top of this rock bluff that runs across my drive. I was searching for wild azaleas, which I found plenty of, but also found this shrub. I had no idea what it was but it was covered in these little blossoms. I know the photo is crappy because the camera focused on the leaves behind my hand but I think you can pretty much tell what it looks like. I was going to post the photo and see if anyone could tell me what it was. I also found some really pretty little, red flowers growing up amongst the rocks that I was going to put up. When I got back to the house and got on the 'puter, I went to Rurality and lo and behold, there were my little, red flowers! Karen beat me to it except she already knew what they were! Dang it! Every time I think I have found something she posts about it first.....of course, she always knows what it is, so I do learn what I was wanting to know to begin with. LOL! Anyway, back to my story. Today I decided to check out this local nursery and see if they had any unusual plants for my place or at least something different than the same ol' stuff that Lowe's or Wal-Mart carries. Well, they did, some wonderful shrubs and they had this bush that looked just like what I had found on my rock bluff. The lady said they were blueberry bushes so I was real happy to know I have quite a few growing on 2 different hillsides. I don't actually like blueberries all that much but I do like to make muffins and I figure I can bake some things for the guys with them.
This is one of the wild azaleas that I went looking initially. They are very pretty and are usually pink although I have seen a few white ones. Unfortunately, most of them grow way up on the rocky hillsides, with the blueberry bushes, where you cannot see them easily. This one just happens to be right at the top of a curve in the drive. They get pretty large also, for an azalea.
This is part of my driveway with the rock ridge. I guess it has been awhile since I have shown much of my land so recent readers have probably never seen this. I am very blessed to have some beautiful land. There is a nice creek on the other side of the drive. You may just be able to make out that azalea bush right above where it looks as though the drive ends. The road makes a sharp turn back to the right there and you can then see the house.
This is some of the rock formation at the top of that ridge. The rocks are very large. I think it is very pretty. I always wanted land that had big stones and such and a creek on it.
This is one of the many, many dogwoods that are still blooming around here. They last for several weeks and look so nice scattered throughout the woods.
Working this land and building my house has been very hard at times but I am so grateful to be able to live here and in this manner. I told my mother that even if my house never got any more completed (other than lack of siding) I would be so happy and think I had the best place in the world. I was listening to a song today (you can tell music is important to me) and the guy singing was saying that the secret to life was to be thankful and I think that is true.

I used to think I didn't have a lot
Now I realize just how much I've got
Now every day I'm gonna take the time and stop
and be thankful, thankful.


*Fats Domino
The other song referred to is "Thankful" by Jonny Lang.

Garden Party

These are some of the seedlings from the seeds that karl sent from Pile of O'Maleys! I think I did something wrong with the first batch of seeds because the little seedlings promptly croaked. So, I tried again and had better results. These are Cherokee Purple and the Pantero Romanesco tomatoes. I have never been good at starting plants from seed unless I just sow the seed directly in the garden. That I can do. But starting seedlings ahead of time and having to keep them inside and harden them off etc. just gets to me. I guess I get distracted or bored with them and neglect to water and such. I prefer to buy the plants already started and just set them out. Partly this is just because I have so much stuff going on it is less trouble for me. However, it is getting more and more that I cannot find the plants I want because I have turned more towards growing heirloom varieties and most gardening centers carry hybrids.
Anyway, I also have some pepper plants started and several paprika plants. I am very excited about that. Apparently you can eat the paprika peppers just like others types but if you want it for the seasoning, you let the peppers turn red on the plant and then pick and dry them and then grind for cooking with. This is many more tomato plants than I need but I am going to share some with a buddy at work.
I have several things going on at the house that I hope to post about soon. I am trying to get started on the siding but need to do just a little more research on some stuff before I buy the trim. When I finally purchase the stuff I may see about taking a week off from work so that I can really get a good portion of it done. Allen wants me to do the trim his way but I am not sure about that. I think I may want to do it another way. That's why the song says, "ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself".

*Rick Nelson

Working Too Hard

Hey folks! I'm back! This has been a rough week to say the least. It's my second week on the new job site and I'm back to pouring footings and piers and tying rebar and I get to do it all in several inches of mud! The last couple of months at the railroad job spoiled me bad. Easy door hardware etc. and all gravel. It takes a few weeks to get accustomed to the rough stuff again and they have been pushing us hard to get a certain amount of piers poured per day and all that. This job is also a little further away and I have to go right through downtown Birmingham, so it takes longer to drive home and I am usually pretty tired by the time I get here. Perhaps after things calm down a little I can post more. Btw, that is the same pair of boots that I was showing off here back in August. They look a little rougher now. If I get 10 months out of a pair I am doing good. And these are $130 a pair Wolverines.
I have been so filthy after work that I have taken to keeping some extra clothes in my truck because I have to stop after work one day a week to buy groceries. People look at you bad enough if you go into a public place with work boots on much less dirty work boots.
One of my good buddies that was on the railroad job got transferred over to this new site this past week so that helped my feelings a lot. He is just a couple of years older than me and we have a good time working together. However, he accidentally dropped a 16' form on me so that didn't help a lot. It skipped down my leg and made a nice pattern of bruises though. Times like these make me wonder why I do this kind of work and I really don't have a good answer. I mean, we leave work a lot with our clothes torn, mud and blood caked all over us from building things that society needs (hospitals, schools etc.) and all to have people just dog you because of your profession. A craftsperson used to be respected but now we are all regarded as the dregs of society. I had one lady (?) tell me I could not drink from a public water fountain. A lot of the hospitals we work on will allow us to buy food from the cafeteria but we often have to go outside to eat. When we can eat inside we have to sit far away from everyone else and have actually been told not to look at anyone other than our fellow workers. I have never been invited to attend one church that I have helped build.
I didn't mean for this post to be a rant or anything, I have just been tossing a lot of things over in my head lately I guess. I have tried several times to find other employment but I always seem to get pulled back to construction, which is really weird, me being a woman especially. Are we destined to take certain paths in life in order for particular events to occur or to meet certain people? Is the wisest choice in life the one that you feel most drawn to or the one that makes the most practical sense? For me they rarely are the same! At times, I think I have made the biggest mistake of my life by not having another career and at other times I think I would never be able to have the life I really want if I had left it. I know I would never have been able to build this house as I did, had I not been in this industry. And seems like whenever I need something that I cannot provide myself, one of the men I work(ed) with will just appear with whatever it is that I was looking for. Is this Someone looking out for me or just the power of our unconscious minds' desire that created enough positive energy for these events to unfold? Or, is that positive energy in our minds how the Someone works? Maybe these thoughts are way too profound for a lowly construction worker.
I do know that in the next several years I will get to where I cannot do the work anymore. Parts of me hurt now that should not and may eventually require surgery. The guys are beginning to fuss more about me doing certain things and try to run me away from the harder jobs. I know I will quit when I begin to feel that I am causing more work for them. But I'm sure that when the right time comes a new door will open for me and I will start a new adventure.

*Lyle Lovett/ My Baby Don't Tolerate album

Kiss

Can anyone tell me if this is kiss me over the garden gate? I found this plant growing down by the creek next to the road. It is a very tall, kind of bambooey looking thing and just covered in these flowers. I hope it comes back this year as I would like to transplant some of it closer to the house. If it is KMOTGG, does anyone have experience with it? I read that it can be invasive in some areas.
I am working on cleaning the basement up this weekend (did I mention that already?) so to be able to do some pottery and such. I made a lot of progress yesterday and am going to try to build some shelves today for my supplies.


*Prince/ the only song of his that I can even tolerate much less like. Also, done by Tom Jones.

A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall

And it did too! Some strong winds also as you can see from the top of that tree now laying on the ground. I'm glad to see that because that top had actually broken out of one of the trees some time back and had gotten hung up way out of reach. I could not figure how I was going to get it down but the storms yesterday took care of that for me, so now all I have to do it cut it up. The recent rains are helping quite a bit to get our water levels back up to normal but I think we are still in a "considerable drought". The dogwoods have really been opening up this past week too.
I love these trees and have been ecstatic to see how many are around here. There are lots of redbuds too but they don't show up in the photos as well. Hopefully, these rains are helping my grass seeds get started.
This is a discovery I made last year and have been meaning to post about it but just never quite got around to it. At first, I thought (hoped!) this was a witch hazel bush but finally found out it is a spicebush. Lindera Benzoin. It is over near the creek and has these little blooms that open around mid-March. I think it is native but have never seen one before. Of course, unless you happen upon it while it is blooming you would never pay much attention to it as it's summer foliage is somewhat unremarkable. It's leaves and branches do have a spicy smell and my book says it can be used to make teas. The female plants produce small red berries (this is apparently a male) that can also be used as a substitute for allspice.
The weather is still kind of crappy today so I think I will spend most of the weekend trying to clean up and organize the basement. I must get that area in order because it is also my studio and I need to start producing some more pottery. I also have several stained glass projects to do for myself and others that I must start soon. One of them is a window for the bathroom but I need to come up with a design first. It will be something abstract, maybe with vague references to the movement of the sun etc. Speaking of the sun, it has just about disappeared from the house at this time. I was hoping to see today how much was left but it is so overcast that no sunshine can be seen. The past week or two the temps have been in the mid to high 70's during the day and the house warms up to about 73 degrees. It is very comfortable and it holds this temp throughout most of the night, only dropping 4 or 5 degrees in the early morning hours. The heat has not been used more than just a few minutes in some time. I'm not sure if the warmth coming from the ground under the house and through the uninsulated floor has anything to do with this or not. I believe this will affect the temperature in the house some though and am glad now that I have not insulated the floor. Next winter when I have the wood burning stove in the basement it will help warm the house also through radiant heat. I believe I will install some vents in the floor also which will facilitate the cool air from the basement coming in during the summer and the warm air (from the stove) in the winter. Of course, these vents can be closed so to help regulate things also. It's sort of like the house and earth is telling me what to do next if I will listen to it. OK, I'm not weirding out on you but from just observing what happens when I build a certain thing, you can learn a lot. Everything is working it's self out, even the perceived catastrophes have shown me which direction to go next.
A favorite quote of mine from the writing's of Joseph Campbell is, " We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
Now, that is not to say that I don't believe in any planning of life (I think you really need to plan a house well) but we shouldn't hold on so tightly to our little life plan that we strangle any serendipitous fortune that comes out way. It seems sometimes when I quit trying so hard to do something a certain way that a much more simple and elegant way just presents itself. Some would chalk this up to good karma or luck or the will of God but, Go with the flow, dude...ya know?

*Bob Dylan

Good Intentions

I have recently been trying to make more of an effort to tidy up the landscape around here. During construction things get so torn up and you get to where you don't really care but I have gotten tired of looking at just dirt and mud. My dream is to have a mostly naturalized landscape with native plants and grasses. Something that does not require a lot of maintenance or resources. This area was clear cut about 10 years ago and so it was very thick with undergrowth and small trees when we came down here. About all you could do with it was just bulldoze it and start over. I want to restore the forest areas; clear out the privet hedge and briers. Well, a friend was telling me how he his trying to do similar work on his land and has gone to the National Resources Conservation Services for help. I had never heard of this but basically, the federal government, if they deem you fit, pays you to restore your own land. An agent will come out and advise you , after viewing your property, on which programs you may be eligible for. Most all counties have an agent; it's something like your county extension office. Then they give you money, a written plan of what you must do and a certain amount of time in which to do it. My friend has gotten money to restore some watersheds and help restore the quail population in our area.
Part of the quail program is that you must plant a certain amount of native grasses for them. I have been needing to plant something in front of my house because the runoff is horrible and it looks terrible too so he gave me some of the seed he had leftover. It is a mixture of 3 grasses and 2 wildflowers. Indian Grass, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Partridge Pea, Illinois Bundleflower and Blackeyed Susan. He also gave me some Tickseed and Mexican Hat seeds. So, Allen and Oliver boxbladed the front area smooth again and we got up a lot of the rocks and sticks and then I sowed these seeds. Now, I didn't have that much so, on the friends advice, I sowed these along the edge of the woods and then just did a short fescue grass in the big open areas. I did sow the wildflower seeds in with the grass and might get some more flower seed. This is the mixture I was given. I know you can't tell much from the photo but it did have a wonderful silky feel. I did this on Sunday and Monday and it rained good today so I hope the seed takes and begins to grow.

I also built a little temporary retaining wall along the drive to stop dirt from washing onto the driveway and planted some more daylilies and daffodils and some other stuff. I will try to show that soon. I have tries to start a few things in the garden but need to do a lot of work there as the ants and grass are fighting for control within it's borders.

Well, time for bed. I have to get up earlier these days because this new job is about 20 minutes further from my house. Ack!

*Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

Since The Last Time

I completely finished the handrails on the deck this weekend. I am very pleased with the look and cost.
Just a little close up so you can see the details better. Now, I need some outdoor furniture and a grill! This is a cross section of how we ran the cap. That is just a five-quarter deck board on the top. All of this is fastened down with galvanized screws or spiral nails. You could use stainless steel fasteners but they are very expensive. Either one will not cause a discolored spot on your lumber and of course, won't rust.
I love the shadows that the rebar casts.

I did not get a whole lot accomplished this weekend but did get some much needed landscaping done. I'll show you that later.


*Lyle Lovett/ Joshua Judges Ruth album

Dark Hole Again

Last weekend we pumped out the spring repeatedly in an effort to remove as much of the sludge that I allowed to wash down into it. The recent heavy rains had the underground springs moving swiftly which helped tremendously. The spring would recover quickly each time we pumped it down, in fact, the pump could never quite overtake it, so it kept all that muck stirred up good and allowed it to get sucked up and out. I was quite fascinated to see the bottom of the spring. The photo is not very clear but maybe you can make out something about it. The spring consists of a vertical shaft that goes down about 10 feet. There it meets a horizontal shaft of about the same diameter that flows into and out of this vertical shaft. They both appear to be lined with big boulders of sandstone. There are 2 other separate horizontal shafts up closer to the surface that allow water to flow out a little bit down the hill. This is partially where my little spring creek comes from.
You can kind of see how muddy the water was as it came out. In this photo, the rate of flow had slowed down somewhat due to the line clogging some. At times it spewed water 2-3 feet in the air as it left this hose. We emptied the spring many, many times over the course of the day, sometimes letting it recover for an hour or 2. We removed a lot of sand and muck and also leaves and roots. During one of the sessions I saw an enormous crawfish running around in the bottom! He was probably wondering what the hell was going on... there had been water here a minute ago!!
I was ecstatic to see how fast the water flowed into the spring at the bottom. It would refill in just a matter of minutes. Of course, I know it slows down at times, depending on how dry it has been but I think this is a very good source of water. Anyway, I think it did a lot of good. I have been checking the spring on and off this week and it is getting clearer and clearer. In fact, you can see clearly 16" or so down into the water. I think I may do one more good cleaning session maybe next weekend, before we reconnect the supply lines. The alternative spring is working fine; the water is very clear and the filter has been able to clean itself properly with this clear water. I set it to purge itself once a day for about a week to get all that sediment out from when the water was bad and it seems to have cleared up. So, things are looking up. Knock on wood.
This 3 day weekend has been great and we have just about finished with the deck handrails. Tomorrow I need to finish up the rebar at the entrance and apply a coat of linseed oil to the whole deck and it will be done! Time to start bringing out the potted plants and such. I will post some photos of the finished product a little later.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend if you celebrate Easter and even if you don't! The weather here lately has been a beautiful celebration of spring itself. Lots of things budding and blooming and sprouting. My tomato seeds that karl sent me have sprouted and I am very excited about that. I shared a couple of the varieties with the Switchman, as he is an avid gardener also, and he reported to me the other day that all of his had come up. He seemed quite happy about it. I can't wait to taste these new varieties.

*Cowboy Junkies/from album "Open"

Don't Fence Me In

I finally started on the deck handrails this past weekend. Any free time I have had lately has been spent trying to fix problems or kill bugs etc. so I was real excited to finally get to start something new. However, it did not get off to a good start. I woke up Saturday with a rare but potent migraine headache. I only get them once or twice a year but they are usually doozies when I do. It was storming outside anyway so I guess it was as good a time as any if I was going to have to be sick so I doped myself up enough to go to sleep (sorta). Mid afternoon I awoke with some relief and it had quit raining so I took the water pump I borrowed from work down to the spring and Allen came to help me start pumping out the muddy water. We did a lot of good I think and the spring is much clearer.
Anyway, we started on the deck Sunday and got about halfway. I brought home 2 big loads of leftover rebar from work and incorporated that into my handrails. It is an effort to save money and have something that is a little different. You know, think outside the handrail. With a little imagination and luck finding a lot of scrap material you can come up with some unique things. Of course, it is very strong also. But, I cannot take all the credit for the design as I saw something very similar to this in a magazine. I think I have mentioned before that out here I don't have any building inspections but I do have certain code requirements for the insurance company. Handrails and smoke alarms I think are the two main ones. So, the International Building Code states that: Porches, balconies or raised floor surfaces located more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below shall have guards not less than 36 inches in height. Required guards shall have intermediate rails or ornamental closures that do not allow passage of a sphere 4 inches in diameter. Now, it goes on to say that you cannot have horizontal rails that result in a ladder effect but I am going to try to get around that one. Almost every handrail I have ever installed on a commercial site (houses included) has had horizontal rails and nothing was ever said.

The posts were installed one at a time and the rebar threaded through as we went, with the longest pieces of rebar passing through 3 posts. This will be capped with a horizontal 2x4 and a 5 quarter deck board on top of that. I liked the use of these bent bars to do the corners and it is very sturdy. After everything is up I will come back and clean the rebar up with a wire brush and spray it good with a matte polyurethane. I am anxious to get this completed so I can get all the potted plants on the deck now that it is warming up. I thought I would plant some of the morning glory seeds that karl, over at Pile of O'Melays sent me, in a big pot and let it roam around the handrail.
Here you can see how the posts are attached to the deck. I notched the deck boards to let the posts come in flush and notched 3/4" out of the posts themselves. This lets the rebar that is centered in the posts fall pretty much right over the outer edge of the deck. The posts are through bolted to the band although in a few places I am going to have to use lag screws because the layout hit directly on some of the joists. Not a problem though. Allen put that little bevel on the bottom of the posts just for a little nicety. I get a three day weekend this week so I am very excited to get all that time to work on the house. I can finish the handrail in one more day I believe, now that all the posts are drilled, and have the other 2 days to work on the inside of the house maybe. The next big project is siding. I am so sick of looking at that Tyvek.

Lots of stuff going on now that the days are getting longer and I really want to get started on the garden too. There is still so much to do I get overwhelmed continually but try not to think about everything. I have made a list and just try to do one thing at a time. I saw my brother and sister a couple of weeks ago after a long absence and it shocked them a little how gray my hair is now! Don't know if it is the house or just genetics.

It's Raining Again

My creek is up quite a bit. I can hear it's rushing waters from the house. It has been raining here pretty regularly and we are all very happy for it. I hope it continues until we get out of this rainfall deficit.
In between rain storms we have had some gorgeous spring days. Temps in the 60's and 70's. On these days the house warms up to around 70 degrees and will stay stay at that for most of the night. I do have to let the heat come on some in the wee mornings hours but the house seems to retain heat well.
I am trying to expand my collection of daffodils. These are planted in an open area as you approach the house. I like the fact that they all seem to face towards the driveway, as if to greet me when I come home.
I hope to be working on deck handrails this weekend. I'll post any progress I make on that.

*Supertramp.

Train Kept A-Rollin'

Today was one of the coolest work days that I have ever had. It's not very often in construction that we, the construction workers, get to witness the occupation or use of our buildings. A lot of times we will be sent to others jobs before the current one is over or when we get it finished the owners just say, hey, that's great, now get out! But today was different. This is a shot of the building when I got to work this morning, just as the sun is coming up. I think the lights are cool.
See, today was the day that they brought the first locomotive in for fueling. There are 2 tracks inside the building and right now only one is connected but the other is all ready for use. The railroaders have been coming over to the building a lot this past week, checking everything out and looking so everyone was very excited today. All the big wigs from Atlanta came and they let us stop work and watch them bring the train in. I realized after I saw these photos that I should have gotten one alongside the train. There were actually 2 locomotives but you can't see that. They were fueling them up as we left. These things are enormous when you are standing next to one in a building. Anyway, it was a great day.

* there were many songs to choose from about trains but I liked this one by the Yardbirds, one of my favorite groups as they are one of Clapton's first bands.

Too Many Dirty Dishes

A lot of people have asked me if I eat out all the time because I don't have a kitchen. I sometimes cook for the guys at work and they are completely confounded that I am able to prepare decent meals without a stove but it is really not a big deal. I guess it does take some getting used to but with a little thought you can prepare most any meal with just a few things. I do try to keep it simple, mainly because I just like foods that are cooked quickly (the meals feel lighter) and because I am pretty busy, as you might guess, and need to get the cooking over with. I like to cook a lot, which surprises the guys too. They think that any woman that is "liberated", as they like to say, would not like to cook. They're so funny. I try to cook a full meal most evenings and that means a meat, at least one veggie (usually two) and one carb, usually rice or couscous etc. This is a really easy recipe for just about any cut of pork. You take about 2 T. honey (local beekeeper), 2 T good, stone ground mustard, a little garlic, about a T of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix all of that up and pour over the pork. Roll it around to coat the meat and bake for about 30 minutes for a tenderloin or pork chops etc. A little longer if it is a bigger roast or so. As you can see, I don't really measure or time stuff; you just know when it's right. You may need to make more sauce for a larger piece too and sometimes I'll add a teaspoon of hoisin sauce.
I use this toaster oven, which works great for baking lots of things. The guys kid me and say that I'll never be able to cook in a full size oven again. I have made them many homemade biscuits in this oven. Plus, the toaster oven works wonderfully to warm your plates on as you are cooking. I mostly use my own pottery to eat off of and stoneware will draw the heat out of food if it is not warmed up itself. I have a microwave and a little, one burner propane cooktop and that is about all I need really. Of course, I don't cook for several people either. I am going to buy a nice grill soon for the deck and that will help a lot.
Several of the younger men I work with say that their wives don't cook, in fact, don't even know how. How is this? Mama never really taught me much but I guess I just wanted to know. The guys often have to go home, bathe their kids and cook supper. I don't understand these younger women. There is nothing wrong with these men doing some of this but the women ought to know how just for their own sake. They seem to have an attitude of, oh, he'll do it for me. I have talked to some of them myself and so it's not just what the guys are telling me. It seems some of these younger women think that being a feminist means sitting on your butt and talking some man into doing everything. I guess I lost my handbook when I was little because I never have figured out how to find a man that will do all these things. But what these women don't realize is that they are dependent on someone else then for their well being and that is a bad thing. All women, and I guess men too, should know:
1. How to cook at least a small variety of meals.
2. How to sew a little, at least to make repairs on garments.
3. How to mix one good drink.
4. How to change a flat tire.
5. How to properly drive a nail.
6. How to weld.
7. How to wash clothes. You'd be surprised how many don't.
8. How to grow something you can eat.
9. How to balance a checkbook.
10. How to write a good thank you note.

Was this all a rant? Did I leave out an item that you think everybody should know?


*title is an old blues song by Albert Collins.

What's The Matter Here?

This is the creek that runs from my spring; it is supposed to run clear. I think my efforts to prevent more mud from washing into the spring have been successful, however, so much is already in there that the recent rains just keep it stirred up as the water eventually makes it way through it's underground crevices and into the spring. Last Sunday it got so bad that I have just had to temporarily abandon the spring and jump over to another one. There are 2 springs on my land. The other one is very clear but it is a surface spring; the water just bubbles out from beneath a tree. It is a large volume of water but it is more exposed to the environment. Any deer or possum walking by can just poop right in it or whatever so I don't want to stay on this water long. It is my plan to help the spring purge itself by pumping the water out and as the spring fills back up, pump it out over and over until it is clean. I don't know if this will work but I have to try.
Last weekend also had me fighting it out with the wasps. It warmed up some and I came home to find about 20 wasps in the house. I had had it with those damn things so it was war for about 2 hours. I think I got most of them and stopped up the bottom of the clerestory wall so any more can't come down that way.
I still have to fix the spring and I may have to redo the media in my water filter but things are improving. It is kind of two steps forward and one step back all the time. This weekend I got the posts for the deck handrails and have them cut etc. They are almost ready to start installing. Tomorrow I must attend my brother and his wife's 25th wedding anniversary party so I will not get anything done on the house but I don't see them much as it is.
It is gradually getting warmer here so I planted a row of lettuce and 2 rows of brussel sprouts the other day after I came home from work. I plan on starting my tomato seeds soon. I am very much ready for warm weather and longer days.
Another carpenter left the job to go to another one so I am one of 2 left. Not sure how much longer I will be there or where I will go afterward. The Switchman must have noticed that I was looking kind of down at work Monday (after the wasp fight, etc.) and he yelled for me to smile as he went by on a train. I guess I didn't do a good job of it because he frowned and asked did I not have anything to smile about? I just shook my head as he was out of earshot at this point. About an hour later he came out and found me to ask what was wrong and so I told him some of my frustrations. I tried not to rant, lest he think that I am more of a nut than he already believes. He did offer a sympathetic ear though and cheered me up some.
Hey, speaking of switchmen and trains... did you know that locomotives are full of sand? I know you know, Woody, so you don't get to say! We installed a huge sand silo at work and we heard that it was somehow used for the trains but I did not understand until the other day that the locomotives actually have big compartments up front and carry it with them!

*10,000 Maniacs/ In My Tribe album

Mama's Hand

I took advantage of this past weekend's great warm weather to wash some big things and give my new dryer a break. This is an old quilt my grandmother and mother made (and probably an aunt) many years ago. These old quilts have a certain quality that quilts made today just don't have. They feel much weightier for one thing and I like that. This one was made with actual cotton lining whereas the ones made today use some kind of synthetic crap. Of course, the pattern is a little rough and not as artistic as, say, the one I have hanging in my bedroom (http://edificerex.blogspot.com/2007/12/ill-be-home-for-christmas.html ) and the stitches not as fine but I love it anyway. One fond memory I have as a child is sitting on Granny's front porch in the summer with her and my aunt Corinne and watching them piece quilt squares or snap beans. Her porch was very shaded and made of concrete so it was very cool there and we would have plenty of iced tea. Quilting is one art I have never been able to get the hang of so I have always had a good appreciation for the work that goes into them.

Milestone

I am now posting from my house!! The final connections were made yesterday by the utility company so I am now totally connected! Well, to the Internet, maybe not to reality. I bought a new computer, a new TV and a cool new set of stainless knives by Kitchen Aid! I am more excited about the knives than the TV. I don't care for TV much but do watch a couple of things so I only subscribed to the very basic cable service, which is only like 10 channels, most of which are crap. I do get about 30 music channels though, which I didn't expect, so that is a pleasant surprise. The computer I bought is great! It is so lovely! There is a great little computer company here in town where I just had them build me one. In fact, they are about a half a mile from me. I could walk through the woods to their place. Very nice people and they came and set it all up for me which is a good thing. I mean I could do it but it is nice to have someone who really understands that stuff to get it going. The name of their company is O'Gosh Computers and they do have a website. If I were more organized I would have a link for you right now but I am still fumbling through everything. My photo editing program has changed and how I download to Blogger so I am still trying to figure all of this out. The text of the post is not aligned over to the left either and I cannot seem to change it and I am not able to view the photo that I am trying to post so God only knows what this post will look like. I don't know if this is Blogger or something in the computer. I suspect it is Blogger being a butt right now.

Things are going better here although most items are still in the process of being fixed. I plan to do a little more work on the spring today and try to run some trim inside the house. I have been a little slack lately on the house but much pick up the pace some.

High Hopes

These photos are a little out of sequence so just bear with me here. I don't have the patience to try to fix them. This is my attempt to fix the problem I am having with rain runoff clouding my spring. Basically, I am trying to build a dirt cricket. A cricket is a small roof that diverts water behind a chimney for those of you who may not be familiar. I discovered 2 holes in the ground on the uphill side of the spring and I believe the muddy water flowing down the hill was then entering the spring underground before it actually reached the mouth of the spring. At least, that is what I am hoping. I hope by backfilling the uphill side it will cause the water to run around the spring and not down these holes or into the mouth of the spring. I put that meter box over the shutoff valve so that it is still accessible, plus the pipe needed to be covered anyway to keep it from freezing.
Here I have backfilled a good bit of the area after putting down a layer of poly as extra protection. I need to lay up another course or two of the stone on the uphill side so that there is a curb of sorts for the water running downhill to be diverted around the spring.

This is the beginning of the project. I got some Sonotube from the job (leftovers) and it was the perfect size! It is 2 feet diameter. Sonotube is great stuff if you need to pour something round. It comes in many different sizes and you can get it at Lowe's or some other similar devil store. Now, in this instance, I poured on the outside of the form where you would normally use Sonotube to pour the inside. Don't laugh at my formwork; it was difficult to get that stuff down in that crevice! And I had to cut the Sonotube open to get it around the water line. Anyway, a few nail pins (also invaluable) and we are ready. I didn't get any photos of the footing but I'm sure you can imagine.

I thought the tube was going to be too big but turns out it was just right to go around the mouth of the spring.
Here I am in my Superwoman pose! I had to haul the concrete and mortar down in a wheelbarrow but the stones I did bring down in my truck. Still, it was a pretty good workout. I kept the Sonotube in place to help me keep a good circle going with the block. When you are through, you just peel the Sonotube off or out of the concrete.
Here you can see the footing and the stone work. Most of the block is some old stuff that I busted up out of the BFA's driveway. I thought it was kind of cool looking because it is so old it was poured back when they used slag from steel mills as the aggregate, so you get these bright, glassy bits in the block. They are pretty much all a uniform thickness too so they lay well. I pointed the outside of the wall on the uphill side to help seal it up and put the poly against the block before backfilling too. So, we'll see. As I said, I need to go a little higher with the wall and build a little berm uphill to help divert more water.

Thank you all for your kind words recently. I am not going to give up on my house. It is just like any construction project; you always run into problems that you did not forsee but you fix them. Everything is just one thing at a time and you keep going. I think I may have not explained my work situation clearly though. I may have to go out of state but we do get to come home about twice a month. Sometimes you can come home every weekend; depends on how far away you are. Anyway, I could make a lot of money if I go and afford to build the other side of the house (much faster) when I come home for good, so it has it's advantages. And if I go with mostly the crew that I have worked with on this last job it will be a hell of a good time. We have already decided that we are going to get up a bowling team and join a league down there and I told the guys we are all going to learn to dance to the Zydeco music too! It will be an adventure for sure.

Something Warm

I rarely make food posts but here is one for a change. It has turned off cold again here and I really enjoy a nice bowl of hot steel-cut oats in the winter. I don't care for the regular rolled oats that most of us are used to in oatmeal but steel-cut oatmeal is a totally different texture and taste. I just put a little honey (bought from local beekeeper), chopped apples (organic if possible) and pecans (a required staple in the South). That is a cup of organic milk and yikes! some bacon in the background. I would like to raise my own hog someday. We raised them when I was growing up (beef too) and the taste cannot even be compared to store bought pork. Plus, you know, there is the thing with no drugs or hormones etc.
Things have not improved with the house as we have gotten even more rain but at least I have this weekend off to be able to work on correcting the problem. Well, one of them anyway. I am very glad for the rain but must find a solution to this water problem. The creek is way up and I can even hear the rush of the water up at the house! That is very nice. Well, got to get to work; I'll try to show some of my work this weekend.