I am a retired 44-year veteran of the Real Estate Assessment field. As with real estate assessing and how it applies to real estate taxes, one can make many acquaintances, but not many real friends. It was a great career choice.
It has been nearly 10 years since I reclaimed my home and my real passions within my home. I enjoy it more each day and tip my hat to those who I left behind.
Each day I try to stretch myself with the use of my computer as it relates to this site and using it to print out labels for quilts for trying to incorporate photos into my sewing. Life is so full and I know that I have room for more.
If I still had my shoes on, I would click the heels together and do the “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” It was a lot of miles, a tank of gas and we gave our support for family. Dennis and I are so happy to be home and we are ready for whatever the week will bring. On second thought, grass mowing is on the schedule for sure.
I know myself well enough to know that when I become too preoccupied with a situation I cannot alter, as in the post of yesterday with the passing of a young relative, I need to get busy. I need to get very busy.
When I got up and checked the weather, it was going to be a day of comfortable humidity with not severe heat. A bowl of Cherrios was my choice of breakfast. By 8:30 I had my heavy full length blue jeans on and Dennis’ heavy chambray shirt buttoned to the wrists and to the neck. Coffee and Deep Woods Off were my equipment. Being sure to have my eye glasses parked far away I hit the spray button of the Off. I made sure the tops of my hands were well covered. As I rustled the leaves of the Hosta plants to get at the weeds, the gray swarm did ascend. Those buggers were huge. Everyone has commented on the plague of mosquitos and they were not joking. It was a toss up if I would end up with weary shoulders from hoeing or weary hands from pulling. I opted for the pulling of the weeds. The soil remains wet enough that I could get the entire root of each and everyone of those nasty weeds. Even the volunteer trees pulled easily.
By 10:30 my Off spray was beginning to wear off. I felt a few pricks right behind my ears. A bottle of green tea took the place of the empty coffee cup as I sought the spot on the patio that was catching the best breeze. Oh, there was a breeze but it would have taken a gail force wind to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I had just taken the twist off cap from the bottle of tea when Dennis came out of the house and headed for the garage. Yup . . . it was lawn mowing day.
Dennis did have a small medical issue earlier in the week but he was raring to go today. I couldn’t argue as it has been eight days since we had last mowed and it needed a trimming. I did a geriatric twirl so Dennis could give me a quick spray of Off before starting. I think I got by pretty good with only filling four bags of grass clipping with the area around the house and the front yard. It takes Dennis a good two hours for the remaining area of the acre. I surely couldn’t sit around while he was doing due diligence. There is an ancient lilac on the northwest corner of the house that needed some TLC from tell tale damage from the late winter heavy snow and ice. With various clippers and loppers it is tidied up. Lilac wood needs to be really dried out before it burns well. A new pile for the burning ring indicates homeowners are on top of taking care of their property . . . ya . . . right.
We had a late lunch at 1:30 and called it a good day. Dennis took a nap and I sat in my favorite chair and I do believe that I
checked my eyelids for cracks for a bit. It felt good. I did wander down to the sewing studio and check to see if elves had finished my baby blanket that I was working on. No such luck. Putting a binding on it will have to wait until my hands have recovered from today’s yard work. I can do everything I always have with my hands . . . but respecting that they have limits. I know myself well enough to temper the hand activity or I will have several days when they won’t cooperate. Tomorrow is another day.
When I lay in bed last night there were lightning flashes to the far northwest. I had had a good day of local effort and I drifted off to sleep easily. The next thing I knew the rain was pounding off of the west awning as daylight welcomed me. Good grief. The final count was 2.65 inches of rain. Our backyard was back to being a reflective pool. Oh well.
I had an agenda for the morning. I had dug out the Weiss utilitarian scissors and it and coffee cup went out to the patio porch with me. In times past we had this great patio slab poured north of the pickup garage. A bit later we had our wood tick carpenter put upon the slab a 12′ x 16′ porch connected to the pickup garage. In 2015 we put a plywood sub floor on top of the concrete to increase our odds should we have a flooded patio porch. With three projects years apart with three different people involved in the construction process . . . I had never taken a hard look as to how much of a rectangle we had. We have no true rectangle. We have more of a trapezoid. We do have two parallel sides. The rest of the story is that the carpet that is and was sold as 12′ x 16′ will not ever be unrolled and viola . . . there you are.
The benefit of the indoor outdoor carpet is that it can be cut and trimmed without dislocating the entire hand that is operating the scissor. It look me quite a while but Dennis was there for moral support. With such a project that means a whole bunch.
We have now had chicken noodle soup for supper and we are here to tell you the patio porch is totally back together. The furniture is again functional, the television is operational and most importantly the rocking chair rocks. The vehicles are back in the garages. Ironically on this Sunday . . . Dennis looked at it all and “It was good.”
What a wingding of a day. Lots was achieved in Mankato. The machine embroidery class that I attend once a month is a good source of information of what and how other individuals have found success. Today was the last day that Dragon Fly Quilt shop was open. Closing forever. River City Quilts in Mankato will be closing for good in August. Changing times. What was astonishing is that there will be a new quilt shop in Madelia. In times past there was a gas station called Dystie’s. It has been a closed business for some time. The gal that is opening that new quilt shop will be purchasing all of the inventory that was left in Dragon Fly Quilt shop after the 5:00 p,m. closing today. Very interesting and I will be keeping an eye out for it to open. In the mean time there will be a new spot for us machine embroiderers to meet by the end of July. One of the gals from Mankato is in charge.
I have my product for painting the two closets in the basement. It is a two part epoxy. I have the full dity printed out as to how to go about this, including the amount of time that the two products to need “sweat” after being mixed together. I have four hours to use each batch that I mix. I am excited to see a nice light gray greeting me when I go into the closets and choose the groceries out of our pantries.
When I got home the ole cowboy was just about done mowing the acre. With the amount of rain we have had . . . it needed it. Did it mow well in spots . . . no. It will grow and there will be another time to give it the manicured look. It could be worse as our neighbor to the southeast is still mowing around a water pond.
This weekend is not for the faint of heart to be out and exerting themselves. Even those who have a lot of stamina need to be taking care. Humidity and heat to allow it to feel 100 degrees plus and even a higher heat index is not safe. I am happy Dennis got the mowing out of his system today. Long grass gets under his skin and you might just as well let him loose in it.
The best decision on the patio porch’s carpet was to . . . get it up, get it out and keep it out. The carpet was a Berber and it was heavy when dry and super heavy when wet. The livestock can’t quite make out what is happening to their lair. Tabitha is towards the back under the green lawn chair and Snuggles is awaiting the next big plan. It’s not all bad for them. Their baskets are there for bedtime. When we ran away to Mankato yesterday, Lowe’s was our first stop. The new 12′ x 16′ carpet is the lightest indoor outdoor weight that they sold. Dennis easily carried it out to the pickup. In the mean time . . . in between time the patio porch is in a holding pattern until there can be no chance of drying that is yet to happen. What I felt was a major victory for Dennis and me . . . we did the cleanup work by ourselves. We didn’t have anything to prove. It feels so great when we can do for ourselves. Independence is alive and well for the team on Stauffer Avenue. We did make a trip to Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, via Interstate 90, for a quilt top to be long armed sometime in July. Sharon takes reservations: first come first serve. My July date was set when I called her in January. She is a busy quilter. It was a good road date as we took in the farm land and what the rain has done. We felt meek as a piece of carpet couldn’t hold a candle to what our farmers are up against.
Dennis and I sat on the patio this late afternoon. We checked . . . neither one of us has any grass growing under our feet. I got rained out yesterday with my weed pulling agenda. That freaking rain lasted off and on until evening. This morning there was a bit of standing water in the far east portion of the backyard.
Dennis was determined to pick up the entire carpet in the patio porch. He did the sniff test and knew there needed to be a clear wood deck on the patio porch floor to assure everything would dry properly. Out came the little red pickup out of its shelter and in came everything that had once been the wonderful hide out of the patio porch. Not to worry. The flat screened television is putting out the wonderful choices that Dennis likes . . . just in a new location. Dennis has moved his chairs into the pickup area and all is well with the world. He was right. It is better to be safe than sorry with anything that can retain moisture.
The sun came out with a breeze. Scrub pail in hand with Dawn dishwashing liquid and the garden hose, I tackled scrubbing off the aggregate stone patio surface. Yes . . . the water went down. No . . . what remained was not nice. There was a scum on the patio. It took a bit of elbow grease but with coffee for encouragement the patio is in good shape. I made sure as I scrubbed and rinsed not to allow more water to be used than what the trench around the patio could absorb.
In hindsight . . . everything should have been built on stilts. Realistically . . . there are more wonderful days to be had with our yard and patio than not. We were not alone with challenges in our community. God works in mysterious ways and is not above using Mother Nature to drive home a point of humility. Being mindful of blessings and nurturing each other for strength to work together is priceless. Dennis and I make a fantastic team of “Us.”
It has been a busy day here on Stauffer Avenue. With the tremendous amount of rain, it was only prudent that we pay attention to the plywood floor in the patio porch. There obviously had to be water that had flooded the concrete floor, how could it not when the entire area around it had two to three inches of rain waiting to abate. There were air holes drilled into the plywood flooring for air circulation as well as the areas at each of the door sliders. Last night we picked up the carpeting as best we could, put fans on and let the air flow to make sure drying can be going on the best as we could down under the floor. How long do you think it took for the cats to realize . . . a new toy! This is a new design on the usual kitty condo. Snuggles and Harriet soon found paths under the lofted carpet. Tabetha chose several spots to try out.
This morning I awoke at 6:30 and took my time getting up. I said my prayers and with the coffee pot going off it was time for the feet to hit the floor. Regardless of all factors that might present themselves, I was going to hit the square garden and get rid of some weeds. My next door neighbor commented yesterday how easily the weeds pulled for as wet as the ground was. I put on heavy jeans, long socks that went half way up my calf, and Dennis’ heavy chambray shirt. Coffee cup in one hand and a can of mosquito spray, I headed to the square garden. I put spray on my hands and then circled my neck, behind my earls, swabbed my forehead as well and the cheeks. I wore a pair of shoes that I knew I could wash off under the faucet. I headed in and the cats sat in the doorway and watched. The first fist of weeds I grabbed let loose a gray swarm of mosquitoes. Head down I kept on. Yup, the weeds really pulled easily. The largest challenge was not loosing my shoes as they progressively got heavy with mud.
I had gone half way through the square garden and the heavens opened with rain. What the heck! I was dirty, I was muddy and I pushed on. I could feel the butt of my underwear was getting wet through the jeans via all the bending over. I kept going until the lightening strikes were intimidating. I took the time to take all the piles of pulled weeds that were within the garden and put them next to the fire pit so they would dry out enough to burn them. That may happen sometime about the 4th of July. I knew when it was raining hard enough that the water was standing on top of the dirt that I was S.O.L. The bug spray was washing into my eyes and I could taste it. I had checked the weather radar and this rain had come from nowhere. I marched right to the water faucet on the east side of the house and let the clean water wash over my hands, pant legs and garden shoes. Looking once, looking twice, I stood at the back door of the house and began peeling off the soaked muddy clothes. Yuk. Smart ole cowboy just watched from afar knowing when to hold it and when to fold it.
On a very bright side . . . I received a text and photo from Carrie. The photo was of Megan on her first day of working in their church café. She had her protective hat on with her latex gloves and best of all . . . was the smile as she was assisting some of the parishioners. Priceless!
So here we are at the end of this Sunday. My muddy clothes have been washed and they are ready for me to try this weeding project again. The worst part is starting, just as in any less than desirable project. This weeding was the first time this summer I had gotten in there. There seems to have been a good amount of carry-over of the Preen of last year. The weed I was pulling is the wild version and similar to what the greenhouses call Wandering Jew. One base root with a lot of flowing greenery. I checked . . . no indication of webbing in between the toes. It has been raining off and on all afternoon with intermittent sun that brings the humidity with it fast and hard.
Amazingly the water has receded to a huge degree in the backyard. Don’t try to walk to the backyard unless you are prepared for the wetness that will soak through your shoes right to your socks. Sump pumps are an amazing tool to have on hand. By supper time last night Dennis had the patio area sucked down and there were spots that showed drying in progress.
This weekend is the city’s summer festival. It actually started yesterday. The city crews have been working hard to make sure the event areas are dry or have found a replacement site.
At noon Dennis commented on how many lawnmowers could be heard. Hmm. Dennis won out. He headed to the far east of the acre where it was high and fairly dry. The backyard will need to wait until another day. I agreed to push mow the front yard and bag it. Other than the ground being very soft, it mowed great. I didn’t venture to the north side of the house as I was not about to bag more water than grass. All in all the acre looks as tidy as it can for the weekend.
I can report that the cistern closet is just about done having water seep in. I took my handy dandy flashlight for an up close and personal look at its perimeter. There is a spot on the east wall about two inches from the floor that is sporting a marker in black. Yesterday that very spot was as busy as a free flowing water fountain. When all is dry, I will be visiting with the experts in Lowe’s to see what can be done in regard to a sealant. Ya know, dang nab it, when you own a home there is always – and I repeat, always – something that needs attention. I am just the person to get it checked out and get it done.
It is not surprising that rains lasting over a period of 24 hours and amounting to seven inches can cover our entire yard. Not a whole lot to do about it. The sewing studio is dry, thanks to all the attention we have paid to our basement for just such an event as this. We do have a closet that was once a cistern with the dipped floor. That area does not have access to the tile as the remainder of the basement has. Once the seepage in the closet reaches a certain height the water runs over the step and down into the tile. As our sump pump has been running every 20 seconds to empty the tile around the perimeter, I have been using our wet vacuum to keep as much water sucked up in the closet rather than add to what the sump pump has to deal with. Dennis has a pump sitting on the front patio and pulling water from the patio onto the driveway and then into the street. It is surprising how much that has helped. We can see by the level of debris on the sidewalk that he has made progress. Thanks to our false floor in the patio porch that floor is dry. I know that there is water under it and it will take a bit to get it dried out once the water has gone down outside around it. Lots of fan power. All in all from what we have heard from others around town . . . we have it under control. For the first time in a long time the sun is out. It will be interesting to count the Koi in the pond to see if any floated out. The ledge of rock around it should have protected them. Time will tell. Well . . . it’s time to start the wet vac and add to the water going down the toilet. Glub, blub.
A gloomy day with more precipitation than we had expected. Who cares! The ole cowboy got a clean bill of health today after all he has been through with those dog-gone carotid arteries! We are fortunate that the surgeon is only a trip to Mankato for the news. We celebrated with a trip to Culver’s. Dennis loves their shakes and fish sandwiches and their Strawberry plate salads aren’t shabby either. Lots of pecans, blue cheese chunks, diced berries, small tomatoes, a diced grilled chicken breast with just the right amount of the greens to call it a salad.
Tomorrow I have an eye appointment with a specialist that comes here to St. James. Our family eye doctor had detected something that didn’t quite sit right with him when I went for my six month checkup. Why mess around and wonder . . . let’s just get it done.
I know when the skies dry up we are going to be making hay on the acre.
Doctor’s reports and, or yard work doesn’t really phase Dennis or me. It’s a wonderful pleasure to enjoy life and all it holds. That was driven home no longer than three days ago when the property on the back side of our block was the scene of a double murder. We have known the Engelbrecht family for years. Who knew? So sad.