stubbed toes and mud pies

[flowerbug]

i saw one or two Eastern Milk Snakes today as i was bringing in the bucket of tools, etc. it was a fairly large one (over 3ft long) and beautiful.

Michigan Snakes: Identification Guide to All Species + Pics

Our guide covers all 18 species of Michigan snakes, how to identify them, how to stay safe when you encounter them, & helpful, relevant resources.

reptile.guide

 

[flowerbug]

almost got the garden done i was working on clearing of weeds. it isn't preppped for planting but just having it cleared of weeds will help the planting go faster when i get back to it.

 

[Dahlia]

i saw one or two Eastern Milk Snakes today as i was bringing in the bucket of tools, etc. it was a fairly large one (over 3ft long) and beautiful.

Michigan Snakes: Identification Guide to All Species + Pics

Our guide covers all 18 species of Michigan snakes, how to identify them, how to stay safe when you encounter them, & helpful, relevant resources.

reptile.guide

I usually see a few garter snakes in the summer here while hiking.

 

[digitS']

Snakes remind me of mushrooms.

Only a few are easily and quickly identified by yours truly. Best course is avoidance.

Yes, patterns and colors can be attractive but, mostly, that means I should be able to keep an eye on them as we go our separate ways.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

what is tough with snakes is that they can hide well and may startle you and that reaction can probably cause some potential tripping and falling damage. i wonder if it got close to the killdeer nest... i'll find out later.

 

[flowerbug]

black ant season is here. they have nests around and i have to keep track of them enough to make sure they don't get nests going in the walls, etc. of the house. yesterday they were working on one trail so i stomped on those i could and put out some bait to take them out. i have a few tubes of caulk to seal up any gaps they might be using in the walls - plug up some and then wait to see what other gaps they use... it takes time and patience, but if i don't do it they can cause a lot of damage.

 

[flowerbug]

we did have some damage from the storms but we didn't notice it until yesterday when Mom said that one of the stained glass panes on the lighthouse was shattered.

without having the ladder up yet and taking a closer look i don't see any structural damage up there but i'll have to get up there and check it out. plus i will have to measure the space for a new piece of glass.

i remember putting that thing up there (it was heavy and awkwards to say the least, it having all that glass and the copper roof) and then also being up there a ways.

it will be much easier to do a single pane replacement than anything else, but i'm not sure when that will get done and in the meantime i'm not sure i want to put up plastic, but perhaps i have a piece of wood already that might fit.

besides getting the situation taken care of i'll also have to pick all that glass out of the rocks that surround the lighthouse... those rocks are not small. some of the bigger pieces of glass can be reused for something. yeah, like i need more projects!

to start with a few pics.

 

[digitS']

For years, at the commercial greenhouse where I worked, I did repair work on the roof.

My #13 shoes required special, personal attention but I was able to use the 8" gutters for travel between the greenhouses (funny if I still remember the width but maybe so ). The "standard" roof ladders that others used also did not need modification. But, I had to be very careful!

The most dangerous part, it seemed to me, was carrying pieces of glass up and the largest pieces barely fit under my arm for the trip. Probably the most dangerous event was demonstrated by a young guy who was brought in solely to work on the glass one Summer. He fell through the roof and experienced a trip to the emergency room – never to return to the job. Management handled things and it was my day-off. I never learned the extent of his injuries and we went back to us "flower pickers" doing the job. (Another part of my tasks that somehow had to fit was plumbing the water and steam heat systems.)

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

i got the glass picked out of the rocks. none of it will get reused as it pretty much all shattered. was not fun moving those rocks and getting the glass out of there. put a piece of cardboard up - not sure how long it will stay there but it is better than nothing, maybe... i don't have a decent cordless drill/screwdriver and manual wasn't accomplishing anything so there's only four screws holding it there by the edges...

structurally it is still sound - we did build it using treated wood.

 

[flowerbug]

...I never learned the extent of his injuries and we went back to us "flower pickers" doing the job. (Another part of my tasks that somehow had to fit was plumbing the water and steam heat systems.)

none of that sounds like fun. i would not be a good candidate for that sort of job as i'm a bit too uncoordinated for such antics.