Like whack the tops off the iris and drain the outside faucet lines: our fence is held up right now with a block of wood and some screws, and we’re hoping it lasts through the winter.
Temperatures dropping into the teens—got to do some lastmoment stuff…
by CJ | Nov 19, 2013 | Journal | 9 comments
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We’re expecting high to mid-20’s. I have 7 red rose (Grand Masterpiece) cuttings in 6″ & 8″ containers I’d sort-of like to keep the leaves on until the last moment. So I think I’ll carry then into the garage at sundown and out again next morning for the duration.
Yeah…..I’ve got the potted geraniums, guavas, hibiscus, cymbidiums, and fuschias lined up near the slider to be taken into the garage at the last moment. The tuberous begonias are also out there starting to lose their stems for the winter. It’s been just warm enough to continue feeding koi/goldfish outside as long as I use the wheat germ food. But I’ve only been feeding weekends when I’m home in the morning. I’m thinking last weekend was their last feeding for awhile. We aren’t expecting anything super cold on the west side….but that’s why I live HERE. I’m NOT a snow person (underlined).
Weather here through Thanksgiving is supposed to be up and down, hot versus chilly, not really cold, sun and rain alternating. Our cold snap earlier this week didn’t reach freezing. It’s past mid-November. It isn’t unheard of to be so warm, but it’s more typical for us to have colder nights by now.
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Guitar news! — I went by the guitar shop and got a lot of help from one of the salesmen. The immediate verdict was that the neck / fretboard is too bent over time, making the action way too loose and unplayable. His estimate was that it’s a wall hanger, display, not for play. If he’d offered to buy it, I would’ve thought something was up, though.
But I went in expecting to get the guitar ready to play and to purchase supplies to do so and learn to play. So I went in with an amount in mind that I was ready to spend. I had recommendations for this shop. — He was glad to hear that (of course).
I put an entry-level guitar, an Epiphone, in layaway, and the overall cost for it, plus supplies, excluding a bag or case, was a little more than twice what I’d expected to plunk down. I want to do this, though. The urge to do more than just sing with music is strong. I think I can pull this off before Christmas, though that puts off anything extra until next year.
I got both a tuning fork and an electronic tuner (yes, a Snark). The salesman’s recommendation is to develop an ear for it and use a tuner. I’d prefer that, and my ear should be able to develop that, but as yet, I wouldn’t trust it right off. I got a beginner’s book also. They give a free 30 minute session with an instructor. Lessons thereafter are, hmm, not as pricey as I would’ve thought, but I intend to self-teach.
So, the guitar and supplies are not yet in my hot little hands, and actual production of music sounds beyond my own voice is delayed somewhat, but will happen.
CJ, you’d offered to send me a copy of Privateer as a simple song to learn by. I’d like that a lot, and I’ll email you in a moment to request it.
I don’t have any knowledge of guitar-making, luthier’s arts, to know if that was a sales tactic or honest help, but the guitar is old and had been in that condition for years, including time without air conditioning in Texas summers, so it could well be true.
In any case, I’ll be plus one guitar and supplies in about a month, more or less, and then it’ll be up to me to stick with it and learn to play. Dang well better, after putting that much into it. … And yet, given the high prices for high-end acoustics or electrics, and the very affordable prices for the supplies, I can say I’ve still come out well on the deal. — I’d looked at beginner-model prices online elsewhere, and they struck me as way too cheap at today’s rates. This was not cheap, but it’s affordable and will last me for several years, until I’m ready for a better model, if I decide to then.
Apparently, shipping delays are affecting them too. He apologized they didn’t have cases or bags in stock, and he said if they aren’t in within two weeks, they have a real problem, because of the holiday rush on gear. I left my name and number to hear when they come in.
More than I’d wanted or expected to pay, but I was glad they take layaway, and I still think I got a good deal. It’s been a surprise that some of the supplies are so affordable, and I figure this is an investment towards a future, a lot of years to learn to enjoy playing. My ear should be good, but it’s untrained for tuning.
While there, I met a few of the other staff, including the rrpairman / luthier who comes in periodically and the instructor and a couple of nice ladies who I think are staff. The feel I got was a well run store, professional, but friendly, fairly relaxed, which I’d prefer for musical folks.
So… I’m on the edge of the pool, about to take the plunge into learning an instrument again and making music. I was expecting to have jumped in the water, or at least start dipping my toes and wading in. Ah well, it’ll happen.
Thanks much for the encouragement, all. Looking forward to this.
I have one heavy kitchen knife I got for way, way, way too much money back when I first set up housekeeping: it’s soft steel, and takes an edge like a razor. Jane hates the thing because it’s very large and is generally dark grey and stained-looking, but if you want something cut, you sharpen this thing and go for it: it makes a very good machete. I can grab a handful of iris leaves and whack, and that does the job. But Jane and I have been discussing a hedge trimmer forever. She hates them. But in this season when you cannot buy one for love nor money, I think I may have finally gotten across what I could do with one: a) have the iris job done with far less sweat, and, the biggie, I could reduce that man-high pile of juniper to confetti and some pieces of wood without breaking much of a sweat. I could, sez I, reduce any brush pile. And we have brush that we end up cramming into the green bin and ramming down with boards and such until we can get the majority of it in. I think Jane finally knows WHY I want one. I don’t want one of the monster long ones, either—just a short stubby one that will eat brush and reduce it to confetti. I think this coming year is the year I finally get a hedge trimmer.
HA! I’m doing battle with a laurel hedge that got away from me. It’s gotta be 40′ high in places. The pruner and loppers work on the smaller stuff, and for the bigger parts I use a pruning saw. The hedge is a good 200′ long and I’ve got about 100′ done. Power equipment isn’t in the cards as the vibration will make my hands/arms numb for weeks. So it’s people power! Tomorrow I get the 3 stitches out from a bout with the pruning saw last Sunday. I got the yard waste container filled and was doing ‘extra’ for the next empty yard waste container moment. I wasn’t paying enough attention and zap! I drove myself to the Urgent Care place in Bellevue and yep, needed stitches. It heals so much quicker that way.
I got a quote from a tree trimming service and decided I’d rather keep working on it myself. I let THEM take out the big leaf maple seedling that was becoming more than a seedling (hence beyond my take-it-out-myself capabilities).
Still fighting with the semi-decayed, semi-springy hedge. Why do I quibble about getting a good set of anvil loppers to break it down into manageable chunks, but walk into Blockbuster, see a complete run of Avatar: The Last Airbender on closeout, and go “Oooohhh! Shiny!!”
Fingers crossed for your fence. Husband spent the day on the roof with a gentleman rebuilding the cedar framed chimney. We’re pretty good at maintaining the cedar siding, but weather has taken it’s toll. They discovered that there was plywood framing only on two sides, no flashing at the base, and the corner posts were staring to rot. So replace the bad bits, haul the shop-vac on the roof, use things that should have been used to begin with, go get a match on the original stain, tar, caulk and stain. Wehave our first snow coming this weekend and so nice to know the rot won’t be getting worse and potentially invading the roof.
Yep, rot is getting to the cedar posts of our cedar dog-ear fence (qv). One corner has gone completely.
So what is holding up the fence is a 1x4x12″ piece of wood with 3 screws into the solid part of the fence, a little dogleg only 3 boards wide, that connects to the neighbor’s chain link, and solid. Because that tiny board is screwed where it is, it prevents the leaning section of fence from leaning in, which is the direction it’s trying to fall.
Think of a landslide held back by one rock and a deftly placed pebble. If the wind ever blows from a contrary direction, we’re hosed, but…that almost never happens. So hopefully this fence will stand until we can get the funds together to replace the whole fence.
Gpoing form a predicted high of 66F on Thursday to a cool 29F and snow on Friday. I’m going to have to drive my mom to work off the mountain Friday, good thing we teach in the same district and can car pool in bad weather.