frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Finally got rain!!! I stood outside and counted - we got 22 drops. 
the little wild kingdom
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- #322
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
made progress yesterday with three walls cut in so today all i have to do is roll as far as what we have left of the stain will go.
a slight chance of rain this afternoon but if i get going early enough i can get the first and second coats on the fascia boards when i go out to start with and those will be dry enough by the time the rains might show up. the fascia boards are easy to do and it takes more time to move the ladder than to roll the stain on.
the sides of the house that are ready to do will take more time but that can go quickly too compared to all the brush work it takes to get them ready.
not as windy today so that will help too. pine needles in the paint tray may be a challenge for two of the walls. hmm... ah well...
it's all ok.
a slight chance of rain this afternoon but if i get going early enough i can get the first and second coats on the fascia boards when i go out to start with and those will be dry enough by the time the rains might show up. the fascia boards are easy to do and it takes more time to move the ladder than to roll the stain on.
the sides of the house that are ready to do will take more time but that can go quickly too compared to all the brush work it takes to get them ready.
not as windy today so that will help too. pine needles in the paint tray may be a challenge for two of the walls. hmm... ah well...
it's all ok.- Thread starter
- #323
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
talking to myself here...
ran out of stain when finishing up the first coat on the the last of the walls that were cut in (that was a few hours ago now). the rains held off until just a few minutes ago. good timing. the stain dries pretty quickly and can take some water on it within a few hours so it should all be ok.
we have chances of rain and overnight frosts and even s**w for some evenings this week and then by the end of the weekend we're forecast to get back up to almost 70F (but i think the weather service likes to tease us this time of the year so i won't believe it until i feel it).
three more days of nice enough weather and i should be done with the sides and the trim, but the eaves are going to require cleaning to remove mildew and dry time after cleaning so... i may not do that and stain them until next year. we'll see how enthused i can get about it... nope, not feeling it yet... maybe roll some bleach water on them if we get enough dry days that i know the rest of the stain i just put on is completely cured. hmm, still not quite feeling it... (must need chocolate)...
on the other hand, four tubes of caulk and the roofing needing repairs and sealing up is probably a much more fun experience (not that i really want to go up on ladders again but ...). it would also help prevent a lot of further damage from this winter so... more likely as it gives return for effort that while it may not be visible makes me feel better about the roof over our heads. so i'm probably going to lean that ways.
ran out of stain when finishing up the first coat on the the last of the walls that were cut in (that was a few hours ago now). the rains held off until just a few minutes ago. good timing.
the stain dries pretty quickly and can take some water on it within a few hours so it should all be ok.we have chances of rain and overnight frosts and even s**w for some evenings this week and then by the end of the weekend we're forecast to get back up to almost 70F (but i think the weather service likes to tease us this time of the year so i won't believe it until i feel it).
three more days of nice enough weather and i should be done with the sides and the trim, but the eaves are going to require cleaning to remove mildew and dry time after cleaning so... i may not do that and stain them until next year. we'll see how enthused i can get about it... nope, not feeling it yet...
maybe roll some bleach water on them if we get enough dry days that i know the rest of the stain i just put on is completely cured. hmm, still not quite feeling it... (must need chocolate)...on the other hand, four tubes of caulk and the roofing needing repairs and sealing up is probably a much more fun experience (not that i really want to go up on ladders again but ...). it would also help prevent a lot of further damage from this winter so... more likely as it gives return for effort that while it may not be visible makes me feel better about the roof over our heads. so i'm probably going to lean that ways.
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- #324
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
did my bit to be social today and to get ready for later this week when the weather warms up again and i can put more stain on the house.
went towards bigger town, bought stain, on the way back the tire light comes on (i hate all this crap they put on cars these days - more stuff to break). Mom had been to the mechanic a week or two ago for the same thing so as i was heading back through smaller town i stopped in and had the mechanic check it out and also take care of a few other minor things (thank goodness). in and out with him in about 15 minutes. nice guy. no charge. i'd not met his wife before so on the way out i made a point of being more social and went and said more hello to her and how much i appreciated the no charge for the visit.
so we chatted for a while and it was nice to get to know her since i'm not really in smaller town that often Mom has been doing these small mechanic trips and i've been my hermit self, so when the mechanic's wife started helping him out Mom's gotten to know her and so while i'm talking to mechanic's wife she says how awesome Mom is (yeah i know ). we talked about car stuff, deer, etc. and her not having to drive so much because she used to work near one of the larger cities in the area so she was commuting each day for that. now she can work with her husband and help out there.
we bring them goodies once in a while. it works out well.
they don't live far from us and drive by every day so i invited them to stop in sometime in the summer when the gardens are actually more interesting than they are now.
went towards bigger town, bought stain, on the way back the tire light comes on (i hate all this crap they put on cars these days - more stuff to break). Mom had been to the mechanic a week or two ago for the same thing so as i was heading back through smaller town i stopped in and had the mechanic check it out and also take care of a few other minor things (thank goodness). in and out with him in about 15 minutes. nice guy. no charge. i'd not met his wife before so on the way out i made a point of being more social and went and said more hello to her and how much i appreciated the no charge for the visit.
so we chatted for a while and it was nice to get to know her since i'm not really in smaller town that often Mom has been doing these small mechanic trips and i've been my hermit self, so when the mechanic's wife started helping him out Mom's gotten to know her and so while i'm talking to mechanic's wife she says how awesome Mom is (yeah i know
). we talked about car stuff, deer, etc. and her not having to drive so much because she used to work near one of the larger cities in the area so she was commuting each day for that. now she can work with her husband and help out there.we bring them goodies once in a while.
it works out well. they don't live far from us and drive by every day so i invited them to stop in sometime in the summer when the gardens are actually more interesting than they are now.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
You did good!
- Thread starter
- #326
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
i can be social but it isn't natural for me, if you watch my Mom or my oldest brother work a room it's interesting and i can learn a lot but it isn't instinctive like it is with her or him.
- Thread starter
- #327
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
it was a nice garden club meeting. i showed up a little early as usual so i could check the seed library and refill some bean samples. then (i'll call her Fran) showed up and we chatted for almost two hours while i went through some Purple Dove beans. now the beans are ready to eat. i gave Fran some seed garlic which came from a relative of hers many years ago so it was going back full circle to the family. that was sweet.
that was sweet.- Thread starter
- #328
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
finished up the gallon bag of Purple Dove bean sorting that i had sitting by for rainy days or spare time. that means all i have to do now is shelling out two more boxes of PD beans (which most will be for eating not seed saving as i've already set aside enough seeds for replanting). still other bean sorting to do but that is all ok - i always enjoy this time of the year for beany reasons.
i got three walls finished staining yesterday. making progress. five more days of fiddling around and i may be done with this project. we'll see how it ends up... nice weather for the next three days if the forecast holds up.
i got three walls finished staining yesterday. making progress. five more days of fiddling around and i may be done with this project. we'll see how it ends up... nice weather for the next three days if the forecast holds up.
- Thread starter
- #329
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
Tue: still not done with the house staining project (s) but making good progress.
Wed: update, raining this morning which i am quite ok with since it gives me a day off to rest up and work on other things inside for a change - plus it rinses off again some cleaning i did up along the edges of the flat roofing material.
i need to get the worms checked and fed. that is always fun for me.
the weather forecast for the next week gives me hopes that five days at least will be nice enough weather to finish up a lot of the things yet to do outside.
projects still to go:
back of garage above the shed is now all prepped and ready to stain (including the eaves that i cleaned while i was cleaning up the rest of it back there - major gack with all the mildew) - most of it will be brush work since i don't want to do two more rounds of crawling under there if i can help it - it's a pretty tight situation and hard on the body.
the front kitchen window.
edge of the flat roofing all around needs to be fixed in a few spots and caulked all of it. don't know how the vinyl is attached so have to call someone today and see if i can get an answer and also check to make sure the caulk i have on hand is compatible with roofing material (it should be). it was much easier to clean the rest of it when i was up on the roof instead of doing it all from the ladder.
other tasks left to do, fill up a remaining large gap (it's almost full of old hornet nests) with some spray foam (before it can be caulked and stained) and while i have the can of foam going i have some other spots that can also use sealing up. each spot i do will likely need further work to clean up, caulk and stain to match. all of this should have been done months ago before i started staining the rest of the house, but oh well... .
the fact that some of these gaps have been here for 25+ years is annoying and they shouldn't have been left like this but that is the builder's fault for not doing them right to begin with and last time we stained the house i should have taken care of them - but i hate working on ladders and fiddling around like this so... i can call this the house that caulk and foam built after all this work. but i do have to admit that working with lower VOC stains are much easier on the lungs than the old stuff.
the time i'll have to spend cleaning all the eaves before i can stain them will be a day or two as it takes both cleaning and rinsing well then waiting to dry off. gaps, caulking, fixups i find along the way all go on my list. i'm actually going to take a piece of paper and write down all the spots i need to get back to. every one is a way that bugs can get into the house and also a way that heat and AC can get in/out so they are worth doing right if i'm going to be up there doing it to begin with.
many gardens still need to be put up for winter, garlic needs to be planted and the front end of the driveway edges need to be put back into place... yeah, this list can keep going for a while... at least i don't have to worry about not having things to do...
Wed: update, raining this morning which i am quite ok with since it gives me a day off to rest up and work on other things inside for a change - plus it rinses off again some cleaning i did up along the edges of the flat roofing material.
i need to get the worms checked and fed. that is always fun for me.
the weather forecast for the next week gives me hopes that five days at least will be nice enough weather to finish up a lot of the things yet to do outside.
projects still to go:
back of garage above the shed is now all prepped and ready to stain (including the eaves that i cleaned while i was cleaning up the rest of it back there - major gack with all the mildew) - most of it will be brush work since i don't want to do two more rounds of crawling under there if i can help it - it's a pretty tight situation and hard on the body.
the front kitchen window.
edge of the flat roofing all around needs to be fixed in a few spots and caulked all of it. don't know how the vinyl is attached so have to call someone today and see if i can get an answer and also check to make sure the caulk i have on hand is compatible with roofing material (it should be). it was much easier to clean the rest of it when i was up on the roof instead of doing it all from the ladder.
other tasks left to do, fill up a remaining large gap (it's almost full of old hornet nests) with some spray foam (before it can be caulked and stained) and while i have the can of foam going i have some other spots that can also use sealing up. each spot i do will likely need further work to clean up, caulk and stain to match. all of this should have been done months ago before i started staining the rest of the house, but oh well... .
the fact that some of these gaps have been here for 25+ years is annoying and they shouldn't have been left like this but that is the builder's fault for not doing them right to begin with and last time we stained the house i should have taken care of them - but i hate working on ladders and fiddling around like this so... i can call this the house that caulk and foam built after all this work. but i do have to admit that working with lower VOC stains are much easier on the lungs than the old stuff.
the time i'll have to spend cleaning all the eaves before i can stain them will be a day or two as it takes both cleaning and rinsing well then waiting to dry off. gaps, caulking, fixups i find along the way all go on my list. i'm actually going to take a piece of paper and write down all the spots i need to get back to. every one is a way that bugs can get into the house and also a way that heat and AC can get in/out so they are worth doing right if i'm going to be up there doing it to begin with.
many gardens still need to be put up for winter, garlic needs to be planted and the front end of the driveway edges need to be put back into place... yeah, this list can keep going for a while... at least i don't have to worry about not having things to do...
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
That’s a lot! Hopefully this is a once and done project! (Or at least once in a great while-like 20 years or so) 
