Ducks 4 in '24

[SPedigrees]

DH and DD's are out west on an adventure, and I am having a "staycation." Middle DD came over and we repainted the floor of the front porch. I say "WE" but she did the lion's share of it. Somehow, we had chipping from the paint job 3 years ago. I bought Valspar Duramax Exterior and we put 2 coats on. Later this week I will document.
That was primarily Friday and Saturday. She also got the rust off of the register (hydronic with a boiler) and got a coat of white spray paint on it. She took off the 2 fins and they are awaiting paint, which will be downstairs in the basement. I intend to put 3 more coats on the register and 4 coats on the fins before I put them back. We Had intended to paint the bathroom, but youngest DD has agreed to help me with that.
Not hard to match, all bright white.
Today middle DD and I moved the northmost 12 ft chicken wire fencing over to the west side of the garage.
So far, I have discovered that 3 of the asparagus that I planted made it!
Tomorrow I plan to use my spade and prep the ground for cucumbers.
I had to move the fencing bc I need the space for my 3 blueberries, all of which will spread some 5 ft when they are done growing.
We weeded and loosened up two twelve ft rows of tomato fencing around the cistern. I weeded and prepped. All 4 6 ft fencing will be moved ajacent to the four 4 ft chicken wire fencing I put up 3 years ago. It will make sense with photos when I am done.
The 20 tomatoes are still in their original pots, but Saturdays rain made them very happy. They are temporarily living in a big muck bucket. I should be able to transplant them by Wednesday, then go buy some more.
I still need to dig up some stubburn burdock growing in my big garden bed. I will probably dig deep and stuff with cardboard. I don't dare use 2D-4 bc I don't want to damage the young tomato plants.
Anyway, DD and I had a Great visit and we watched the 6 part version on "Bleak House."

Bleak House (TV Mini Series 2005) ⭐ 8.3 | Crime, Drama

30m | TV-PG

www.imdb.com

If you don't know this, Charles Dickens had a wonderful sense of humour. This story centers around the young inheritors of a contested will. "The story begins in the High Court of Chancery, where the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce has gone on for generations and has “become so complicated that no man alive knows what it means.”
I am at the last episode and I may read the book.

Bleak House (novel by Dickens) | Summary, Legacy, & Facts

Bleak House is a novel by British author Charles Dickens, published serially in 1852–53 and in book form in 1853. It is considered to be among his best novels. It is the story of the Jarndyce family, who wait in vain to inherit money in the settlement of an extremely long-running lawsuit.

www.britannica.com

Is your DD for hire? LOL Sounds like an extremely productive visit.

 

[ducks4you]

She got:
1) 19 Crimes Pinot Noir
2) box of preformed hamburger from most recent cow
3) 12 pounds ground beef
4) 20 garlics, that I dug up
Gotta Pay your help.

 

[ducks4you]

Some gardening...It took 2 1/.2 hrs to clear the sawgrass, and runners and WEEDS and volunteer Rose of Sharon from the small bed NE of the garage yesterday. I transplanted 7 surviving shallots that were trying to die downstairs. HAVE to go to the store soon, but I have onion and leek seeds in a jar all ready to plant there, too, to take advantage of the rain.
Good news! I transplanted a mini rose and calla lily (seed before staged in my office window), And a red knockout (baby) rose, And a pink knockout (baby rose), AND the basil I have kept alive above my fridge. So, I used the hose and filled up the pot that Doesn't have drainage, Then it rained heavily. I was Positive that I had drowned them ALL, but I scooped out the excess water yesterday and ALL OF THEM were loving the saturation! All looking great!
Pictures later...

 

[ducks4you]

BTW, what is SOOOO NICE about our forum, is that when one of us is away for awhile, somebody here will ask about it. Family is out west, so I'm not online a lot this week. I keep trying to stop in to at LEAST "like" some posts, so rest assured, @digitS' , I haven't died of the humidity or gotten run over my my riding mower, or one of my ponies, or picked up a fatal rash from my battle of the weeds.

 

[Finnie]

My DH and I watched Bleak House several years ago. We really enjoyed it! In fact, it inspired me to read the book too, which I also enjoyed.

We watched another show around the same time that I bet you would like as well. Dr. Thorne.

Doctor Thorne (TV Mini Series 2016) ⭐ 7.3 | Drama

48m | TV-G

m.imdb.com

 

[ducks4you]

I will have to check into that one, @Finnie !

 

[ducks4you]

DH and I mowed the pastures for almost 3 hours yesterday. Last month he had hit some wire and popped off the R front wheel of the mower deck. The parts ran $1.57 at the tractor place, and it took 30 minutes to put back on. First, in the "lodge" I couldn't get it under the corner of the deck while on cement. We ended up driving onto a piece of paver on the grass. I had to use white lithium grease to push the piece back through, then I double checked on the other side to see how high, which hole to use, to keep them all level. I almost gave up. I wish I could say that this tractor has been fun for me. Every time it has a problem it takes time and $ to fix it. This was the cheapest fix yet.
We finish paying for it in October and I will probably hire a guy I met to fix the recurring problem with the bucket.
I mowed along the street, used my lopper in the NE corner just south of the neighbor's yard, then mowed down the weeds and grass there. I got it poisoned and today I plan to take the big pieces of cardboard, lay them down and clean out a stall and dump the contents on top. This should give me a season free of tackling tall weeds and saplings there, since I can't get a riding mower in between the fencing and the power pole.
I LOVE my new push mower!! When it completely runs out of gas, it stops. All other mowers would stop with some gas in the tank. I DON'T have to change oil, just check and add more oil. I DON'T have to prime it to pull and start.
AND, the manual claims that you can store it nose down against the wall when not in use. That means that I can tip it forward and use a hose to clean it, too.
It is really tough. I haven't used the bag yet, so it is a slog to get through the tall grass that came up when I had no working push mower. Also, it is self propelled. You can control how fast, or even if you want it operate self propelled. I picked a Gem!
Just checking in. LOTS to do, and I will come here every fews day so that you know I am still alive!!

 

[flowerbug]

so it burns enough oil and expels the crud in the oil? okey...

our mower is a Honda, four stroke, starts easy enough for me but Mom can't do it at first, once it has run a few moments it will restart pretty easy. in order to clean it we have to tip it one direction or the oil will leak into the air filter, but having learned that lesson we've not done it again. i change the oil in the spring before the first mowing and then check it about mid-summer to see if i need to add more oil. it doesn't seem to burn much even after almost 20yrs. i have had to do some repairs (like removing and cleaning the winding spring because that got all rusted and also a cable rusted out and so i just permanently wired it "on" so we don't have to putz around with that any more)... i hate mowing, but it's not nearly as bad as many mowers i've used in the past (when i was a kid i mowed lawns for $).

 

[ducks4you]

SO HOT!!! I bathed my mare, fly sprayed her and stalled her with my industrial strength fan blowing on her, and hay and fresh water. I will continue doing this every day during this heat spell, but turn her out after dark with the rest of the herd.
Upon cleaning up the stall, I solved a problem. There is this section between the fencing and the street, where there is a power pole, sits just south of neighbors, and only can be hand mowed. It always grows some grass and tall weeds and saplings. I hand lopped off the saplings Thursday. and while mowing the north pasture I poisoned this section. Yesterday I cleaned out the stall for my mare, put down cardboard (big piece from the new tv in 2023,) and dumped the contents on top. NO.MORE.MOWING.NECESSARY for this year.

 

[ducks4you]

My DH and I watched Bleak House several years ago. We really enjoyed it! In fact, it inspired me to read the book too, which I also enjoyed.

We watched another show around the same time that I bet you would like as well. Dr. Thorne.

Doctor Thorne (TV Mini Series 2016) ⭐ 7.3 | Drama

48m | TV-G

m.imdb.com

I TOTALLY laughed out loud when Smallweed discovered The Last Will & Testament in Crook's pile of papers!!!