General Discussion & Chat: Coffee and ... for Sunday, August 13, 1 by balvenie

balvenie wrote:
OK so I have been delinquent ! Weather has been very good. Not too hot, some welcome cloud cover. Just right for trying to get some long suffering projects under way. The raised bed has been a sore point for years and it's time just came. Some 20 years ago, more or less, who can remember?, I constructed a raised bed 12' X 12' using 3 or 4 courses of RR ties. After they rotted (from the inside) I replaced them with concrete 'garden blocks' but paid little attention to quality construction, a failing I still suffer from. So for the last several weeks, between heat waves, I have dismantled 208 of these 25# blocks, dug out walls of dirt in an attempt to provide that elusive "level" swathe for new forms, mix some twenty-five 80# sacks of concrete mix, reset all of the blocks and level the field. Now I'm satisfied, sort of.

Tomorrow it will be time to get back to building the concrete walks and nooks in back by Mackie's Place under the Wisteria and Cherry trees. Oh yes, I need to finish painting the Wisteria Arbor too. Maybe, if I can get a ladder (and some courage) up to the roof of the shed without destroying the garden I can nail up some fascia and hang a gutter or two. That done I can excavate under the back 12', remove the rotted sill and pour a concrete footing. I hope there will be time to pull the rest of the ceiling boards and nails in the sunroom, install insulation, rewire lighting fixtures and replace the lovely 3/8 X 6 inch cedar boards. I guess routine gardening goes without saying. For relaxation I want to get back to working on the Mackintosh window, then I have been neglecting the woodcarving lately too, and that isn't at all a nice thing to do. The calluses go away, or at least move to other places. Immy finishes one Obedience class next week and is part-way through a more advanced one. She is a smart little girl .

Thanks for the nudge Darius. I have been lurking, but seem to get sorta tired and hadn't felt much like 'conversing'. DW is off to the Island tomorrow with 10 or 15 friends from her HS Reunion (which is tonight) so I may have a day off to sit and read and sip a Single Malt or two. But then there is always something that needs to be done, and for the most part I enjoy doing it. Have a pot roast to put in the crock pot in the morning. Taters, onions, squash, parsnips, carrots, celery, garlic and a turnip. Guess the meat is just there to add atmosphere.

Don't mean to be remiss, but there are so many things to get done, so little time, and no help. 'Course I never did get a passing mark in "Plays well with others" in school, and same thing applies to "works well with others" . gee, It aint a perfect world are it . My best wishes to all for happy solutions to all your woes . Too many pictures to clutter up this thread. The raised bed project in in my Diary under 'Backyard Renewal'. feel free to visit.
robert