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Cleaning Up The Woods

Man, I have been a busy boy these past few weeks. It’s been raining a lot and I seem to get myself into a bunch of work when I sit at the computer. Writing blog posts hasn’t been part of the work, if you haven’t noticed. Believe me, there’s guilt about the blog thing. I think it is going to ease up in a while, but that’s what I always say. Being creative on the internet is good, but let’s just say it doesn’t help the social life. Perhaps some sunshine could get me outside a bit more.

A few days ago, we were walking around outside and a light bulb went off in my head. I really hate it when that happens because I get a weird stare and start walking towards the garage to get some sort of a tool. I am not much of a planner (I think people call it spontaneous), so when I get an idea, I just start doing it. I actually have fun doing things that way.

This time, I got the great idea that the woods would look a heck of a lot better all cleaned up. If you remember back to last summer, I started taking down some of the smaller trees on the left side of the driveway. Well, I am going to finish the job this summer. I already took down a few more trees and need to remove about 6-8 more. It’s really cool because it doesn’t get any more sunny over there, it just gets cleaner looking with a nice “ceiling” provided by the very tall Oak trees.

I started raking part of the area and moved the wood piles over to their (hopefully) permanent home. I am going to have more fresh wood so I’ll have to figure something out for that. The reason I am moving the piles is because one of the trees that the current pile is leaning against is going to come down.

Here are some pictures of what I have done in the past few days. Do you know I would really like? I would like a little plow for the front of the tractor so I could just push all the layers of leaves down the hill instead of raking them all. That would be swell. Oh well. I’m not about to go buy another lawnmower attachment. I already have enough of them. Raking it is.

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Pruning Daffodils

Yes, it’s about that time of year, folks. It’s when the majority of Daffodil flowers die off in the Northeast. I’m not sure of anywhere else, because I don’t live anywhere else. Here, I simply look out the front door.

So, what to do when Daffodil flowers die? Well, it’s time to prune (or deadhead) the flower. I am going to do my best here, because I just did a little research on the topic. There was something I needed to look up that I’ll reference later in this post.

Now, I am only talking about deadheading the dead Daffodil flower here, I am not talking about cutting down the entire plant. Here, I’ll show you some pics.

As you can see from the above photos, dead Daffodil flowers look pretty nasty. Even if all the advice on the internet told me not to prune these things, over here, they would get pruned. I am just not going to look at that kind of thing. As for the Daffodil plant itself, I would say they don’t look all that bad. It’s a nice looking, green bushy plant. I’ll keep them around until they start to droop.

That brings me to another topic. When do I prune down the entire Daffodil plant? Well, from what I have been reading, you are supposed to leave the entire Daffodil plant standing until it dies off naturally. It’s important for the plant leaves to soak up the sun’s rays to energize the bulbs for next year. That’s what I have been reading anyway. From personal experience, you could probably run these flowers over with the lawnmower every year for the next 20 and never get rid of them. I learned a long time ago that people just love to copy each other when giving advice on the internet without any personal experience.

So this is pretty interesting – As I was pruning off the dead heads of the Daffodils, I noticed a sack, seed pod or ovary right at the base of the dead flower. I split one of these seed pods open and noticed a bunch of tiny white seeds (as seen in the photo above). After I saw this, I said, “Hmmm. What the heck are these things?” Since I had no idea, I looked it up. Here is what I found.

Daffodils multiply in two ways: asexual cloning (bulb division) where exact copies of the flower will result, and sexually (from seed) where new, different flowers will result.

Seeds develop in the seed pod (ovary), the swelling just behind the flower petals. Most often, after bloom the seed pod swells but it is empty of seed. Occasionally, wind or insects can pollinate the flower during bloom by bringing new pollen from another flower. When this happens, the seed pod will contain one or a few seeds.

Daffodil hybridizers pollinate flowers by brushing pollen from one flower onto the stigma of another. Then the resulting seed pod can contain up to 25 seeds. Each of these will produce an entirely new plant – but the wait for a bloom for a plant grown from seed is about 5 years! Source

I though that was fascinating, so I decided to sprinkle those pruned Daffodil flower heads around where I wouldn’t mind seeing more Daffodils in the future. Hey, who knows if they will just rot or if they will actually turn into a plant someday.

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The Trailer’s Maiden Voyage

It was so sunny and warm this morning. I was putzing around doing a few things here and there, when I decided that I really should pull the trailer out, put it back together and go get some mulch.

You should have seen my face when I walked over to the guy in the machine. I had already parked in front of the big mulch pile a few minutes earlier, ran across the street to pay and I was on my way back. He looked at me, then looked at the trailer and then back at me. It was like he did a double-take. I had a huge grin and shouted, “Hey, look what I got!!!” This was the same guy who makes the mulch deliveries. He yelled out, “Good for you. You’re going to save a heck of a lot of money this way.” He’s on my side when it comes to delivery fees.

I did the math and I know this trailer will hold three yards of mulch if we put a little extra on top. I guess the fella operating the machine was in a good mood, because that’s what he gave me…a full three yards.

I was wondering how the sides were going to hold up. As I stood there watching him fill the trailer with mulch, I was expecting the sides to explode in the parking lot. If that happened, I suppose I would have just hung my head in shame and walked away. Good thing everything held up just fine; even better than fine. The walls were rock solid. Nothing more needs to be done to the trailer. Well, I wouldn’t mind one of those twisty jacks to hold the hitch off the ground when I unhook it from the car.

After he was finished filling the trailer up, I pulled the tarp over the material and strapped it down.

I was in for a little shock when I pulled out of the parking lot. I was so used to driving like nothing was even attached to the back of the vehicle when the trailer was empty. It was so light. When the trailer is full, it’s a different story. I am not sure how much a yard of mulch weighs, but I am guessing three yards is a pretty good weight. Let’s just say that I’ll be getting two yards from now on, because I think I may have been pushing it. Whenever I am towing anything, I have terrible visions of it rolling past me on the road. Everything drove just fine though and we made it back in one piece.

Since the weight on the front of the full trailer is pretty substantial, I wasn’t able to just lift the hitch off the car and rest it on the ground like I am able to do when it’s empty. I had to get a little creative. I walked in the back yard, grabbed two bricks and put them behind the wheels. Then, I grabbed my car jack and jacked the hitch off the car. After that was done, I drove the car away, backed the lawnmower up in its spot and lowered the trailer back down.

After stopping to let the lawnmower and trailer pose for a photo, I drove everything down to the backyard and started shoveling. Oh what fun that it. I am thinking that maybe once per week is good for this kind of entertainment. I need about six more yards before this little backyard project is complete.

Oh, by the way, those two boards standing up in the back corners are old 4″x4″s that I had laying around. I used them to seal off the corners where there was a gap in the sides. That stopped the mulch from falling out onto the road.

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Putting Wooden Sides On A Utility Trailer

I am sure you are all just thrilled about my new utility trailer. I know I am. I have been having dreams about driving around with it.

Yesterday, I went to Home Depot in Windham to pick up a bunch of supplies. The project was to put wooden sides on the new trailer, so mulch and stuff like that doesn’t fall out. I also wanted wooden sides to kind of shield anything I am towing from bad weather.

I bought a lot of stuff, including plywood, bolts, nuts, washers, drill bits, spray paint, a tarp, a ball for the lawnmower hitch, etc… I have found that purchasing the entire box of bolts is a lot better than buying them individually. I am always looking for nuts and bolts and now I might just have some.

I was confronted with a little issue while browsing for the plywood I was going to use for this project. I went in the store with every intention of getting two sheets of 3/4″ pressure treated plywood. I left with two sheets of 1/2″ non-pressure treated plywood. The reason for this? Well, I was going to seal whatever I got up with Thompson’s Water Seal anyway. I have had good luck with sealing natural wood up and it’s weathered the environment. With the 1/2″ sheets going for about $11 each, I just couldn’t pass it up. Plus, I wanted to keep things light on the trailer. It’s really not intended for heavy-duty towing.

Here, let me show you the photos and then we can talk about them.

Okay, the first thing I would like to discuss is how great the trailer looks with the John Deere lawn mower. I bought a 1 7/8″ ball with a 3/4″ shaft yesterday, just for this occasion. I am going to have fun towing stuff around the yard now.

The wooden sides came out better than I thought. I planned on drilling a bunch of holes through the steel and really anchoring the wood down to the trailer. As it ends up, once everything was framed, I didn’t need to do that. I only actually drilled two holes in the steel towards the back of the trailer. Now, all I need to do is to take those two bolts out and the whole wood unit comes right out. It’s as snug as a bug in a rug and rock solid. You really should check it out. Everything is straight too. Wait, I lied…I drilled six holes on the ramp to hold that one piece of plywood all the way at the back. Whoops.

I also picked up a nice heavy duty tarp to cover whatever I have on the trailer. You can see that it is brown. I really hate those ugly blue tarps. They are a disgrace to look at and doesn’t help out the neighborhood if I have to cover something up, like a wood pile. From now on, brown tarps it is.

Home Depot didn’t have any Thompson’s Water Seal. After building this today, I am kind of glad. I decided that I can paint the wood black and things will match much better. If I pop the wood portion out and slop on some black Rust-Oleum, it will look a lot less than some home-made trailer rolling down the road. I will cruise in style.

Just as I was finishing up, Laura pulled in the driveway. I told her I had a surprise for her and held her hand as I helped her in the trailer. She sat down and I hopped on the mower. Then, I proceeded to drive her around the yard. We looked like total idiots, but I will tell you, that stuff is fun. I guess we didn’t look any worse than when she pulled me around the yard right afterwards. Man, I have been trying to get that girl on this lawnmower ever since I got it. Strange how she hopped right on today. Maybe it has something to do with the weather.

I need to pick up that black paint. I’ll take some more pics when it’s all finished and sealed up.

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I Like Working At Night

It has been a busy day. I have been working at the computer for hours, but found time to squeeze in a trip to the transfer station (next post) and time to mow the lawn. I wasn’t planning on mowing the lawn, I kind of just found myself sitting on the lawnmower riding around.

I found a great new way to make working at the computer a little better. I now listen to Sirius through the computer. Since we have a subscription for Sirius in one of the cars, we get online listening included.

I like listening to the 80s channel -”Classic Rewind, ‘70S & ‘80S Classic Rock.” I also like drinking beer when I work. It makes things just a bit better. I have to admit, there is something to be said for listening to 80s music. It never disappoints. What’s even nicer, is when I talk to someone of my generation about 80s music, we both appreciate what we are talking about. The beer doesn’t help me write blog posts though.

80s music seems to be a little deeper than the music of today. It isn’t necessarily deeper in a thoughtful way, it just seems that the artists of yester-year weren’t in it for the money as much as artists are today. It seems like they were more into their music because it was a way of life for them. Just my opinion, of course.

Seriously, find me one song that comes close to “Mr. Roboto” by the band, “Styx.” If you are wondering what I am talking about, just say the following very quielty to yourself…”Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.”

I remember sitting on the school bus in 3rd grade listening to “Eye of the Tiger” by “Survivor.” Now, that’s a classic. Mr. Roboto and Eye of the Tiger are two of my more memorable songs of the 80s, followed closely by “You Might Think” by “The Cars.” I remember watching The Cars on Friday Night Videos with my brother. One time, we tried to stay up all night. It didn’t work. We thought that Friday Night Videos would help pass the time, but I was asleep less than a half-hour after the end of the show.

Ok, that’s it. Good bye.

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Some Days, I Don’t Have Anything To Write

I know it’s hard to believe, but sometimes, I sit here and think of stuff to write and come up short.

I hear this a lot with blogs…writer’s block. I never thought I would have it. I’m not sure I do, I am really just not in the mood sometimes. I don’t think life is any more boring right now, but it just doesn’t seem like there is anything to talk about. I guess I will just talk about current events.

Ok, I have been playing a lot of tennis. I went to another clinic today and had a good time. The last clinic I went to didn’t go over so well. I think I was hitting too softly. Today, I really nailed the ball good and had a good time. I don’t know what I like more, the game of tennis or striking something really hard. Either way, it’s good exercise and my body is ripped and buff. My aches and pains are even going away. All my strokes are coming along nicely. All I have to do is get my serve semi-consistent and I think I am going to get more involved with playing real matches.

I did win a game today. I lost two right before it, but I did win.

The weather is changing in the Northeast. It has been getting chilly at night and I haven’t been sweating bullets during the day. I even mowed the lawn today and didn’t sweat a drop. I won’t mention that I was on the ride-on lawnmower. I won’t mention that. I am going to start taking the camera out more to get some nice Autumn shots. Also, we can drive places again now that the humidity is gone. See, there are some photo opportunities right there.

The neighbor from up the road stopped by today to introduce herself and give us a big bouquet of Mums. I thought this was very nice. It was a really classy thing to do.

I have had the fireplace going for the past three nights. It doesn’t really do anything, besides look good. To get any heat out of it, I think I really have to pile the logs on. That might happen further in the season when the weather is cold during the day, but not yet.

I tried the pellet stove out today just for kicks. It works great. I went to the top of the basement stairs to see if I would feel the heat rising, and I felt a breeze. I actually felt a breeze, which means that the air was moving all by itself and I don’t need a fan to do it. That’s a good thing. I am curious how the pellet stove is going to heat the house. I am not expecting to have the whole house heated, but a few big rooms would be nice.

Also, after I finished playing tennis this morning, I went over to the pellet stove store and scheduled the delivery of pellets. They are going to drop off all four tons on Monday. Anyone want to come over and help me move four tons of pellets? Yeah, that should be a riot. Ah, it’s only 200 bags. That’s nothing. You bet I am going to be taking pictures of that one.

Still using the Bowflex and am stronger than ever. I think my stomach had gotten flatter. I like that because sitting in a computer chair all day doesn’t work wonders for the body.

Ummm, what else? I don’t know. September just seems kind of slow, doesn’t it? I mean, there is a lot of stuff going on, but the wheels of commerce don’t seem to be turning as fast this month. I wonder if this is the way it’s going to be until December. I keep trying to think back to the way it was last year. I thought things picked up in September, but maybe not.

I have been working a lot, trying to get things to launch in a big way. I have a little goal that is, well, not so little. I am laying the groundwork for the whole thing right now. It’s a bit difficult because there are so many options for things and so much to learn. If I could just get past a few hurdles, I could really move things forward. We’ll see what happens.

Ok, enough of this “not writing.” I guess I did have something to write about after all. The only problem is that there were no pictures. Sorry Mom.

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New Wilton 5″ Multi-purpose Vise

I have been wanting a vise for a long time now. Picture me trying to sharpen a lawnmower blade while stepping on it on top of a cardboard box. Yeah, I have been wanting a vise.

Every time I have checked for the vise I wanted at Home Depot, they were out. This has been going on for some time. The 3″, 4″ and even 6″ were always in stock, but those didn’t have the features I was looking for. For some reason, the 5″ vise had everything…twist, tilt and spin. Why they decided to stick these features on this vise in particular, I don’t know.

When I was in Home Depot yesterday, I decided to go look for the vise…again. To my “shock and awe,” when I peeked down the aisle, there was an extra box on the shelf (these things don’t move too often). I walked down to see if it was the one, and to my joy, it was.

Wilton 5 inch multi-purpose vise

If you take one look at this baby, I think you will know exactly why I am excited. I mean, c’mon, look at it. Sweet, clean and pristine.

I am going to mount this vise on my movable tool cart that I made. Then, sharpening the lawnmower blade will be no problem at all.

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My New John Deere X300

Well guys, this is what it ends up like. Just in case you weren’t aware of how pitiful things can get when you’re older…yes, we get excited about new lawn mowers.

Gone are the days of comparing skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles and finally cars. Now, we get a pellet stove and a John Deere and have to write home about it. Boy, if I had known this when I was younger, I think I may have done some things slightly differently.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, guess what??? Yeah, I got the new John Deere X300 today. As I said earlier, this is a hot item. It has a 17HP Kawasaki engine, 42″ cut and cruise control. Add all the other goodies and I think I almost have a car with a mower deck. You can read all the specs here.

What’s more important are the pictures. Just to let you know, this is when it was brand new, with zero hours on it. Now that I mowed the lawn today (in like 100th of the time it normally takes), it’s a little dirtier. After I mow, I blow it off with my leaf blower though.

John Deere x300 right side

John Deere X300 left side

John Deere X300 dashboard

John Deere X300 dashboard

John Deere X300 mower settings and directions

John Deere X300 from behind

John Deere X300 front

What I like about this model is that I am able to put on all different types of attachments and not worry about it. It has a stronger frame than the “100″ series. I can get a snow blower, snow plow, bucket and all sorts of stuff. I really don’t think I will be getting any of that. The only thing I see myself getting in the future might be a small trailer for working around the yard. Those are handy.

The John Deere dealer I got this from comes to your house to do all the maintenance (if you want). It’s pretty cool. If there is a big repair, they will come over and pick the machine up for you and then bring it back after it’s fixed. That’s what I like.

I mowed the lawn today and it was rather fun. I like cruising around and getting the job done without sweating. What used to be a 4-hour job now is a 45 minute one. Now, that is sweet.

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I Bought A Ride On Lawnmower

I thought I had it…I really did. It’s the end of August and I really only have to mow the lawn a few more times. I have been doing ok with the push mower, but after I came in yesterday, I cursed to myself (out load and in the direction of other people) and said that I am getting a ride on mower.

Even this morning, I was hesitant. I keep wondering why I can toss money away at one moment, but be so cheap about something else another moment. I guess it has to do with investment. A pellet stove is going to save money, a ride on mower is a luxury.

I forced myself to get in my car this morning for a cruise down to D.H. Marvin & Son in Colchester. They are a John Deere dealer. I checked out different mowers last night, so I pretty much knew what I wanted to buy. I parked the car, walked in, talked to Matt for a little while and bought the John Deere X300.

The “X” series is a step up from the “L 100″ series (from Home Depot). Basically, you can get the same tractors at Home Depot as you can get at the John Deere dealership as long as they are in the “L 100″ series. The “X” series is not available at Home Depot. This is a beefier machine and will last longer. Trust me, I would have gotten one from Home Depot if I didn’t have to go through their shipping process…if they have one.

I have delivery scheduled for tomorrow at 11AM. I will take pictures and write another post about it then. I am sure you are thrilled.

PS – If I get a ride on mower, can I get one of those beer helmets with the long straw?

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Installing a New Mailbox

Yeah, I keep saying I am going to run to Home Depot to get the mailbox stuff, but I just haven’t found the time yet.

I feel like I’ve been stuck inside for days…wait, that’s because I have been. I am doing so much stuff. Unfortunately, it’s all at the same time. I take breaks to rake leaves, which, by the way, are all finished in the front. I even sweat a bit. You should have seen the bugs swirling around my head.

I have a list for the next time we go to the Depot. I need a new mailbox. I am thinking green would be nice. I am going to get a nice traditional post, like many others on the road. I am also going to pick up some more Thompson’s Water Seal (with UV protection). I am going to treat the entire post, from top to bottom. Then, I am going to dig a nice deep hole and actually use cement way down deep. If it’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s having a crooked mailbox post. I know how they get crooked…it’s because of the snowplows slamming snow against them all Winter. With my installation, I am going to try to beat the plows.

I also have to get a 5 gallon plastic gas container for the ride-on lawnmower I plan on getting towards the end of the month. Right now, I only have a push mower and that’s not going to work so well up near the road. The kind neighbor offered to mow up in that area when she does hers. I thought that was nice. I explained to her that I really don’t want to be “that guy” who just moved in and now the grass is too high.

My brother came over yesterday for a visit. He works up North of Hartford, so it was only a 28 mile trip for him. I thought that was pretty cool. We went for a walk down into the woods and then down the nature trail. Then, we got the dog and walked up the road to the dead end. I wanted to show him all the nice houses. It’s good that he is so close now because we can hang out more. I keep offering to make him dinner, but he wants to keep eating in restaurants. One day…

I am planning on taking down the basketball hoop that is set up near the driveway. I offered it to my brother and he accepted. It’s in very good shape. I’m just wondering how deep that sucker goes into the dirt and how much cement they used as the footing. It may be a long day of digging.

I’ll show you some pictures of the new mailbox when I get it in.

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