Author Topic: 2021 Farm Log  (Read 51144 times)

Twoapenny

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3739
  • Becoming
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #60 on: February 11, 2021, 08:27:00 AM »
I love the fact that you won the battle with the self check out machine, Skep :)  I usually try to avoid them but this last year I've preferred to push my stuff through myself and just get out again as quickly as possible.  They can be a faff, though, so I'm glad it didn't beat you :)  And yes, magnifying things.  We went into town this morning to the library and I was stressed getting myself organised to go.  No idea why, as it was literally get dressed and put books in bag but for some reason just getting out the door on time seemed like a big deal.  I guess when we do start 'getting back to normal' there will be things we'll struggle to adjust to again, just as we struggled to stop doing things when it all started.

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #61 on: February 12, 2021, 07:11:40 AM »
Tupp - all kinds of stuff seems magnified, given the extra space in our lives during lockdown. A cup of tea becomes a restorative ritual "time out"... we've been sleeping a good bit out here, albeit at strange times. I think we've finally hit the point of boredom. LOLOL. I've been tempted to break out the needlepoint again.

I'm looking at some sort of winter stuff falling from the sky at least once a day for the next week yet. Rumors of a more significant snow next weekend. I could slip on my ice spikes and head to the garage and start setting up my seed starting stuff. Garage is heated, so with the grow lights it shouldn't be hard to get them started but I'm trying to time it, that I get enough of a head start on the dirt - which is still snow, sleet, freezing rain/ice covered. I'm glad for the snow; it usually predicts good growing conditions in May.

Eye exam next week; the same day the forecast is calling for snow. Hopefully I can dodge it. Jeep's been doing pretty good and my year's of winter driving experience are still informing my reflexes.

Thanks for that Hops; it's a lovely image. I think I'm starting to come down with a bad case of spring fever.  Images of basting myself in tanning oil whilst reclining, drink in hand, on a chaise next to a large pool... intense sun... carolina blue sky... youtube is running ads from Caribbean resorts that are just starting to reopen. I pulled info, pics & video of the base in Scotland where B was stationed. Hol sorted old photos and came up with some I gave her from my trip to Europe in the 90s. Been bookmarking age-appropriate exercises to strengthen my core... and promptly ignore them for some other distraction. LOLOL.

Still detailing the kitchen. Degreasing things; scrubbing a couple years of daily continuous use off of cabinets/floor - and yes, I think I'll be getting knee pads out and scrub brush this time, when I get to the floor. Breakfast bar is going to get sanded, stain & poly finally... and I think I'm painting the trashed toekicks under the cabinets after the flor gets scrubbed.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

Meh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2739
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #62 on: February 13, 2021, 06:11:54 AM »
What needlepoint are you making exactly?

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #63 on: February 13, 2021, 08:45:45 AM »
Mouse, I have a few things started that got put away years ago. I don't even remember what the images are. LOL.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

Twoapenny

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3739
  • Becoming
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #64 on: February 13, 2021, 11:02:37 AM »
Tupp - all kinds of stuff seems magnified, given the extra space in our lives during lockdown. A cup of tea becomes a restorative ritual "time out"... we've been sleeping a good bit out here, albeit at strange times. I think we've finally hit the point of boredom. LOLOL. I've been tempted to break out the needlepoint again.

I'm looking at some sort of winter stuff falling from the sky at least once a day for the next week yet. Rumors of a more significant snow next weekend. I could slip on my ice spikes and head to the garage and start setting up my seed starting stuff. Garage is heated, so with the grow lights it shouldn't be hard to get them started but I'm trying to time it, that I get enough of a head start on the dirt - which is still snow, sleet, freezing rain/ice covered. I'm glad for the snow; it usually predicts good growing conditions in May.

Eye exam next week; the same day the forecast is calling for snow. Hopefully I can dodge it. Jeep's been doing pretty good and my year's of winter driving experience are still informing my reflexes.

Thanks for that Hops; it's a lovely image. I think I'm starting to come down with a bad case of spring fever.  Images of basting myself in tanning oil whilst reclining, drink in hand, on a chaise next to a large pool... intense sun... carolina blue sky... youtube is running ads from Caribbean resorts that are just starting to reopen. I pulled info, pics & video of the base in Scotland where B was stationed. Hol sorted old photos and came up with some I gave her from my trip to Europe in the 90s. Been bookmarking age-appropriate exercises to strengthen my core... and promptly ignore them for some other distraction. LOLOL.

Still detailing the kitchen. Degreasing things; scrubbing a couple years of daily continuous use off of cabinets/floor - and yes, I think I'll be getting knee pads out and scrub brush this time, when I get to the floor. Breakfast bar is going to get sanded, stain & poly finally... and I think I'm painting the trashed toekicks under the cabinets after the flor gets scrubbed.

Yup.  I'm finding the lack of change of pace difficult.  It's a long day to fill and, although there are always many, many jobs to be doing, none of them are currently very stimulating or exciting and I'm loathe to start bigger projects because of (a) the difficulties of getting rid of things and not wanting delivery men in and out and (b) I do have in my mind we might move so I might end up doing everything twice.  So trying to focus on cleaning and decluttering but the novelty of having all day to spend on cleaning the kitchen has worn off, as has the novelty of being able to read, watch a film, do a puzzle or whatever.  It will be nice to get a bit of movement back into the day again (or at least nice to take a walk in pleasant weather, instead of the arctic blizzard that I battled through to get to the shop this morning!  Lol).  Sun and blue sky sounds so tempting just now :) Are you completely locked down there just now or is it more the snow making it difficult to go further afield? xx

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #65 on: February 13, 2021, 12:12:23 PM »
It's the snow, sleet, freezing rain and all combinations of them, that has us immobilized right now. Supposed to get new additions every day until Friday - and there's a new storm setting up for next weekend. Since Hol slid into the tree we only have my jeep to get out and about. Cases are going down here - not that my state was hard hit at all. Less than 200 cases in my county of about 35k people all spread out over 645 sq miles. It has definitely hit harder where people commute over the mountain for jobs in the cities.

Both Hol & I have good experience driving in snow; I think she just started sliding and simply didn't have any time to correct it. Mighta been going a little faster than she should have too, thinking that the snow would pack more in the tires than it did. That snow was pure powder - I cleaned off the porch with a broom. So we CAN get out, if we need to but it's quite the production and we've been limiting our trips for a year now... so it's a once a week thing. IF that. I have an extensive pantry and double up on cat food & litter in the winter just for times like this.

Yesterday, I made a start on sanding the wood at the range/breakfast bar and will hopefully get it stained this afternoon. I can't WAIT to see it stained. It'll be a slightly different/darker tone than the rest of the logs/wood paneling in the house so it'll add some variation without a high contrast. IF I have enough of that stain left. Haven't looked yet. Then it gets a coat of poly, so I can clean up spills, drips, dog schmutz, and the odd boot marks.

Found a new degreaser product from Method; and I have to say it works pretty well. I'm going to try it on my self-cleaning oven - which given how many cooks were using it the past few years - hasn't been cleaned as often or as thoroughly as I like. I'm a firm believer that a clean kitchen contributes to overall health and I've always tided/washed as I cook or bake. So unless we have guests I seldom use the dishwasher.

Last job is going to be a thorough scrub of the floor - probably will do the dining room too; clean the rugs & paint the toe kicks to be able to wipe them down easily too.

When it gets nice again, I'll start cleaning windows & screens - they're pretty dusty from last year's pollen. And give the blinds a wipe too. There are the odd doors that need to be sanded & poly'd too - lots of grimy fingerprints on those and light switches.

I grew up with old school housekeeping methods, and this kind of thing keeps me moving and less restless from inactivity. This is kinda early for "spring cleaning" - but as I said before, I'm going to want to be outside working as soon as it warms up and don't like the feeling that I'm neglecting one job to do another.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

Hopalong

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13616
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #66 on: February 13, 2021, 12:14:48 PM »
I'm busy trying to recover my powers of thought in order to contemplate what it would be like to be a person who is alert to the condition of toekicks.

I will need an extra handful of vitamins today. Perhaps meditation.

:)

Hugs
Hops
"That'll do, pig, that'll do."

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #67 on: February 13, 2021, 12:18:20 PM »
LOLOLOLOL Hops.
I might be a little OCD.   ;)

But I also have to contend with people & animals tracking stuff all over the floor and the constant bug population out here... and cleaning & regular maintenance help with all of that. At least Stinker will actually eat stinkbugs!! He's helping.  :D
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

lighter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8630
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #68 on: February 13, 2021, 03:57:08 PM »
Which bugs vex you, Amber?

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #69 on: February 15, 2021, 08:16:59 AM »
In order, I despise stinkbugs, ladybugs and flies in the house. We also get the occasional wasp - and fight wasp/hornet's nest on the decks a lot. Sometimes I'll get the large black ants; but that's pretty rare these days. There may be a few more places I need to caulk. House is 20 years old and upstairs I found a gap between a wall & the roof where acorns had made it inside from some squirrel. Those spots got the expanding mouse foam. Since the house is log/wood beams on a concrete first floor (those walls are 6 inches poured concrete) I'm sure there's been some settling, even though the amount of rock right here is impressive.

I like bees; bees like me. But the big carpenter bees also cause problems on log homes - and attract woodpeckers. I have at least 3 kinds here, red-headed, downey, and another the size of the red-headed.

It's probably time to clear a few more trees away from the house - and spend more time "landscaping" outside. Off the back deck, I need to put in serious clearing time but that kinda requires a safety harness as it's the top of the cliff.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #70 on: February 15, 2021, 08:36:01 AM »
Hol & I are running out later this morning; she has post office needs and I need to stop at the hardware store. I don't have enough of the stain I wanted to use on the kitchen bar. I've been debating if I even WANT to stain it - have plenty of poly - since sanding it down, it looks pretty good the way it is.

We MIGHT get more freezing rain later today; it's hard to tell. Then Wed, its the over the mountain trip for my eye exam, and shopping right before another snow & combo event Wed night/Thursday. And really cold temps. Which won't be too bad, for me, if there's no wind.

OH... the other neighbor showed up yesterday with a banana cake for Valentine's Day, thanking me for the Christmas cookies. I guess they were under the weather with some bug or other over the holiday. It was a big surprise and fun. The Mrs. gave me their phone number in case we need anything. But after 4 years - going on 5 - I guess they've figured out we're pretty self-sufficient. ;)  And that we won't make pests of ourselves but are willing to be neighborly. I know my 90 yr old neighbor has been getting out - tire tracks in her drive - Holly has it the worst because most of her road is at the bottom of the hill and doesn't any sun (when there is any) until noon. She's been keeping the ranger with her to run back & forth and it's doing OK.

There is no news, except above and the weather. Hopefully it really will get warmer soon and we can switch to mud season. Won't be as bad for Hol, now that the rest of her concrete pads/patio have been poured. But we'll have to hope her section of road holds up; first year it's had snow cover for any length of time.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2021, 08:37:55 AM by sKePTiKal »
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

lighter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8630
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #71 on: February 15, 2021, 10:45:20 AM »
So no Smoky Brown roaches, large water bugs or centipedes surprising you?  I think the Orkin guy finally got rid of all the bugs at the lake.  Such a relief to find they weren't German cockroaches, whew.  What a mess.

Downstairs I found a couple electric outlets filled with dead centipedes.....have to close up all entrances and cracks..

I'll have bug guy walk me through and point to all cracks her identified this week.

Wasps getting in were a problem here, until I found a nest tucked under the siding.  I walked the house perimeter and listened.....looked for wasps.  Sure enough, there they were.  Huge problem, bc they were in every room.  Both girls were stung. 

I get very occasional stink and lady bugs.  I don't mind catch and release for them.  Same with moths.  I never kill spiders unless it's an accident.

My sister is super concerned with open garage and exterior doors as she's sure mice are waiting to run in and set up household.  I don't like dealing with mice either.  I stopped keeping bird seed bc of mice.  Smart little guys.

Lighter





sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #72 on: February 15, 2021, 12:42:03 PM »
Bug guys don't work out here. I had Orkin out for a survey and never heard from them again.

I have peppermint planted (sposed to repel stinkbugs) and made the LED 2-liter bottle traps. Those do work, but not 100% effective. Hol's used a bug vacumn and fly strips at the hut. And of course, caulking all the openings is REQUIRED. Even so - the bugs get in.

I'm way outnumbered by the bugs. LOL. And I have the same habit about garage doors being closed.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2021, 01:05:16 PM by sKePTiKal »
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.

Hopalong

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13616
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #73 on: February 15, 2021, 12:46:34 PM »
Would a frog pond in the LR help, Amber?

I KNOW you could build one...

:)
hugs
Hops
"That'll do, pig, that'll do."

sKePTiKal

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5440
Re: 2021 Farm Log
« Reply #74 on: February 15, 2021, 01:06:50 PM »
Well, there's plenty of frogs just off the backdoor - in the goldfish pond. But they only eat the skeeters - which usually aren't too bad around here. I have the NC beach Industrial strength propane bug zapper if they ever are.
Success is never final, failure is never fatal.