Sawdust

I was dismayed the other day to find that dad thought it appropriate to cut up a piece of particle board in the guest bedroom.

This is a room where the carpet is staying.

Thankfully, he returned the next day with bags for the old vacuum and vacuumed it up.

Weeding

On my way out of the house tonight, I decided I had time to do a bit of weeding. I actually remembered to take "before" shots too:



(If this yard looks like it was owned by someone other than the person who owned the back yard, that's because my dad's wife did the gardening in the front. It's looking neglected because, well, dad really hasn't been living here for a year.)

After:



Not perfect, but better.

The bottom started to fall out of the box I put the weeds in as I carried it to the back:

Yet another "I hope the trash people take it" item. (I hope they don't hate me!)

I was also treated to some sidewalk art courtesy the neighbours kids:


I meant to put a short thank-you note in their mailbox before I went home, but forgot. (I think they used my walk because theirs are made from bricks, which don't work as well for larger drawings. I don't care why... it was still a delightful surprise.)

More Raspberry Work

These raspberries will look good if I have to do all the work myself! Oh, wait... I am doing it all myself. Never mind.

Drilled holes, added eye screws, stretched wire, tied up raspberries:

While we're looking at these, here's another close-up shot of the weird vs normal raspberries:


The sidewalk beneath these raspberries had pine needles, elm seeds, and other junk. There were three empty trash cans, and pick-up is Monday. So, using a ratty rake and a broken snow shovel (note to self: acquire new snow shovel before winter), I cleaned up this walk, the spill-over along the other raspberries, and the dead leaves on the garbage can pad. After:


Some of it was probably good compost, but lots of it had weeds growing in it, blown-in trash (we're at a corner of two back lanes, and so collect blown trash), and probably whatever gunk the snow plows left behind with the snow in the winter. Plus I didn't feel like sorting it.

The black trash bag was added by dad the next day. I didn't take the "after" shots until the next day, because I was out until near dark (bad photos) when the mosquitoes started biting.

So, how do you party on a Saturday night?

Also on the "good to have" list: broom suitable for sweeping sidewalks. (The "after" photos would have looked even better had I had a broom.)

Oh, and for a "before" shot for comparison, this photo from the other week gives an idea of the amount of spill-over that was bothering me:

(Amazingly, the trash people *did* take away that big bundle of dead canes! I was worried the string would break, and I'd be left to re-bundle them for the next pick-up.)

Also interesting in the before shot... the raspberries between the trash cans and the gate have filled out quite a bit in the past few weeks! I still need to properly train them. (I need to drive a second stake first, and figure out how I'll attach the wire to the metal stakes so it doesn't slip down. Why metal? I can get it for free from dad's junk piles, plus that's what the stake already there is.)

Solar Lights

I treated myself to a string of solar lights that were on sale at the grocery store:

I'm not impressed by how bright they are (they look brighter in this photo than they actually are), but I'm not disappointed enough to regret the $10.40 + tax I spent on them.

One day the yard will be suitable for company.

Speaking of yard not suitable for company, I think I should attack this area soonish, or at least put it high on the list for dead-carpet weed barrier:

I should probably wear long pants... besides the largish thistles, there's black raspberry canes with wicked thorns hidden in there. Hmmm... I wonder if there might be ticks brought by dad's dog too? (How long do ticks live without blood?)

Friday Night at Home Depot

I stopped in at Home Depot on Friday night, to get some supplies for training the raspberries. I ended up parked beside a Humvee, and whatever this thing is:

I think the people shopping at Home Depot should consider getting their testosterone levels checked. :P

Raspberries

I have a question... See these two raspberry plants?

The one on the right is strange. It has always been strange, to my knowledge. I thought perhaps it was attacked by an insect, but that wouldn't explain why just that one is like that, and even at the start of the year with brand new foliage and not many insects out yet.

Here's a close-up of the strange raspberry:


For comparison, here's the normal raspberry right beside it:


If it were you, would you remove it? Or, since it doesn't seem to spread, would you leave it? I've always been somewhat hesitant to eat the raspberries from it (I eat straight from the bush, rather than picking, washing, then eating), but maybe now that I know it's not covered in insects, I'll be more likely to eat it? (Or less, knowing it's internal... although it's unlikely to cross the raspberry-human species barrier.)

I took this photo while I was taking the others of the raspberries:

I find it funny for two reasons:
1. That pepto-pink is the colour that the house trim was when my parents moved in.
2. Given that it's the original colour, that trash can is at *least* several years older than *I* am!
(Also, what brand of paint is that... look at it's longevity!) This trash can is also the reason I was really baffled that my ex-boyfriend said that, when he was a homeowner, he would dispose of and replace his trash cans every few years. (Yeah, the bottom is a bit rusted out on this one, but that means the rain can't fill up the trash can... it's still perfectly functional as a trash can, and even appears to be in better shape than the newer ones beside it. (They sure don't make stuff like they used to!)

To Do...

Hmmm... given the way that gutter is dripping, I suspect I need to clean it out:


I promised a photo of the peeling wallpaper in the living room:

This is definitely the worst spot, but it's peeling at all the seams. (Interesting fact: mom says this one came pre-pasted. The paper in the hall, where she had to apply the paste, is sticking much better. I have *vague* recollections of the process of applying the paste. I was pretty young then.)

Carpet #1 to be ripped out:

This will be my master bedroom. I'm pretty sure this carpet is older than I am, but only by a few years, as my parents chose it. It has holes, and so I feel no guilt about ripping it out:

Hmmm... the wallpaper in this room appears to be in less than ideal condition:

I'd like to get a better cover for the cold air return too:

(My dad installed the cold air return. Covers weren't high on his list of priorities... I recall losing stuff down the one in my room. I kind of suspect my brother added this screen. Speaking of which, I need to check with my brother if those blue wires are just for his now-defunct server, or have another function.)

Although this carpet is just as old, it's staying:

It doesn't have holes. It was a victim of my self-application of Zincofax as a toddler, however, it has held up to my various abuses remarkably well. I suspect it would survive the apocalypse, should that ever happen. (Orange was the "in colour" for babies when I was due.)

Carpet #2 to be ripped out:

Not only does it have holes, it also seems to be missing a section:

On the bright side, it looks like the subfloor might be good enough that I can just paint it for now. We'll see how it looks at the seams. On the down side, dad hasn't shifted enough junk for me to do this room yet:

I need to replace some drywall in this room too:


There was a leak in the roof previously. Dad says it's been fixed, but I need to tear out the affected drywall and insulation and replace it.

This carpet is staying:

It's fairly new (relatively speaking)... I think it was put in in the 80's. (Previously there was bright blue carpet that was great for sliding down the stairs on, but was exceedingly worn out. The blue carpet was there when my parents bought the place, and was in the living room and dining room too. They waited to tear it out and refinish the hardwood floors until after my younger brother was old enough to stop throwing food on the floor. The stairs and upper hall took longer to get replaced.)

It's amazing how the familiar creak of the stairs you grew up with says "home".

I offered to let dad take the wood from these shelves, as they're unpainted particle board, and thus will be hard to dust:

However, dad thinks they should stay, and I should paint them (like he meant to). He suggested I turn the shelves upside down, so that they warp back the other way. I suppose that taking them out would leave gaps in the carpet.

*sigh*... The hardwood floors on the main floor really do need refinishing:


Do I want to tackle that before I move in, or later?

Constructive Destruction

Sometimes you *need* to do something with visible results. Today was one of those days. The weeds growing in my start-of-a-garden (and all of the other weeds too, of course) and the flopping raspberry canes were bothering me. So I decided to do something about them. I forgot to take "before" photos of the rasberries... you'll have to use your imagination based on the size of "removed stuff" piles.

Raspberries, trained neatly to the fence:


Some of dad's junk that I had to extract from the raspberries (why do I keep forgetting the "p" in "raspberries" today?), and dumped in the middle of the driveway:

(Maybe if it's there, dad will remember to remove it?) There's more junk by the raspberries, but it was either heavier than I could lift, or not something that will be a problem to get out later. (This stuff was either between the raspberries and the fence, or the raspberries were growing *through* holes in it... I think I did this early enough in the season that even if I lost some leaves and branches, more should grow back.)

Here's a shot showing the pile of dead canes (much compressed by stomping, etc) and the raspberries that I still need to train:

That reminds me... I also pruned a few branches on the shrub, and cut down several weed trees, including an oak! (First time I found an oak weed tree! it was only a bit over a centimeter in diameter, but as tall as the fence.)

I also pulled a few weeds.

(This pile completely filled one trash can.)

And I pulled a few weeds.

(I don't think this photo really gets across the size of the pile. For an idea of "before", scroll up to the junk pile photo, and look at the carpet of dandelions to the right of it.)

Did I mention that I pulled a few weeds?

This bunch came from in and around my start-of-a-garden... which I did remember a before photo of:

(Look! Garlic growing!!! And other stuff! And not *too* many weeds!)

Yes, I pulled a few weeds:


Amazingly, I only made a tiny dent on the weeds. (Anyone else feel the need for visible progress and exercise?)

I discovered I could hang the pruners on the chain link fence in such a way that it was convenient for slicing off pieces of the green cotton yarn I was using to tie up the canes.

(The non-sharp side is hooked around the fence, so it isn't damaging the blade.) Added benefit: I put fewer holes in my gloves after I figured this out.

Hmmm... I think this is slug damage:

(Do slugs like garlic?) I think I need to put out a dish of beer.

Also, raspberries bite back:

By the time I was done, I was well scratched up, and *filthy*. The shower afterwards was sooooo gooood! :)

I'm glad I finished when I did. About an hour later the sky opened up and dumped *buckets* of rain, pea sized hail, and thunder so loud I thought the neighbour was parking his motorcycle between the apartment buildings again.

For some reason, I'm feeling kind of achey, and my fingers hurt. :P