Just Because I Like Her...

[soFlaNative]

Spring has sprung in so. Fla. and the overtime crush at work has subsided. Managed a few days off around last weekend with some time to tackle some chores around the homestead. Things like a little drainfield off of the old drywell for the washing machine and thinning some areca palms with a chainsaw didn't happen because sometimes the best laid plans get derailed with the very first step.
The local Harbor Freight had a parking lot sale last weekend. Found a set of hole cutting drill bits for the catch basin that will end up in the drywell, some quick connect tools for my little air pump, a really cool string of outdoor lights but my gifts to myself was a $80 electric pressure washer to replace my old Husky I managed to keep running for 12 years and a $25 hand truck.


An old set of concrete patio furniture has been sitting in the corner of my back yard for 7 - 8 years. Seldom used it was time to relocate for better usage. A little judicious planning avoided me having to dead lift the weight and the handtruck paid for itself in the first hour I had it home. The new pressure washer is not a whole lot better than a hose end sprayer and a broom but it was adequate to clean the accumulated funk on the concrete. After some dry time and moving to other projects I searched for a sealer at Home Depot. I found one that would work but at $30 a gallon and doubting one would be enough I looked across the aisle a saw good old Thompson's Water seal. Quick glance at the label confirmed what I already knew so out the door I went with a 5 gal. can and some 2 & 4 inch china bristle brushes for just over $50.
This actually became a chore. Flipped everything over on to some old towels and brushed the sealer on. Temps lately have been 50 - 75 range so the concrete stayed tacky for a couple days. Came home after work, righted the furniture and finished brushing the tops. Gave that two days and yesterday when I got home from the plant a WD 40 soaked rag took care of the leftover on the tiles and some Windex with a paper towel finished the job.
Among other things was couple herbs and a nice orchid planting a friend gave my wife after her Mom passed.

 

[soFlaNative]

More stuff...

In amongst some needed work around the house and still not able to tackle the original projects, everytime I'd think about what needs done I kind of phbbt it and have a beer.
Mrs. Native been wanting a flower garden in a little patch I maintain for vegetables so a few weeks back she found some daisy looking things. I thanked her for the additional work load and stuck them in the ground. A week later she found some more along with seed packets of wildflowers so scraped, dug and sowed.
A bit of a pain to remember to water and although the sprouts need thinned she "just wants to see what happens".
I found the garden guardians half buried around the yard so some cleaning and Johnson's wax made them more presentable.
Spent an hour and a half separating the root balls of a couple crape myrtles hanging around.
I find myself more and more seeking little things to do just to see the expression on her face when I show off.
She works hard to keep me satisfied as I'm sure some of you are lucky enough to have someone that cares.
It's worth the achy back and sore knees.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Are you booking rooms now?

 

[soFlaNative]

That's the kind of stuff that makes a marriage last.
There ain't nothin' too menial to do for a "keeper."

Ya done good.

I should smile...
Took down a 12 ft. fence gate covered with bamboo so it wouldn't turn into a sail for hurricane Irma. Laid it flat and put resin table and chairs, trash cans and such and lashed it down. When I put it all back I found some conch shells and half a clam I gathered over the years buried near the fence. Hosed 'em, bleached 'em, vinegar bath to remove the chalk and left 'em in a water bucket to leach.
They had sat high and dry for a while when Ma-in-Law passed.
The arrangements were made on a Monday, my scheduled day off but I was due back Tues. and did not know what my wife had planned for that day. My shift needed coverage and I didn't want to wait so I made the call and took a bereavement day.
Mrs. Native up and went to work Tuesday.
With a day that fell into my lap I started brushing some thinned linseed oil on an old knick knack stand of hers I had already sanded. In between coats I was waxing shells.
A line crew from Jacksonville was stringing some fiber optic and since the first pole was actually in my neighbor's yard the easier access was thru mine. There I was brushing wood, polishing shell and killing beers while watching the expression on these old hard working boys. I know exactly what they were thinking but I kept smiling and conversating with them while never once mentioning why I was home.
That was a nice day under trying circumstances.

 

[soFlaNative]

Are you booking rooms now?

Can always find some floor space for a sport

 

[Redbert31]

Spring has sprung in so. Fla. and the overtime crush at work has subsided. Managed a few days off around last weekend with some time to tackle some chores around the homestead. Things like a little drainfield off of the old drywell for the washing machine and thinning some areca palms with a chainsaw didn't happen because sometimes the best laid plans get derailed with the very first step.
The local Harbor Freight had a parking lot sale last weekend. Found a set of hole cutting drill bits for the catch basin that will end up in the drywell, some quick connect tools for my little air pump, a really cool string of outdoor lights but my gifts to myself was a $80 electric pressure washer to replace my old Husky I managed to keep running for 12 years and a $25 hand truck.


An old set of concrete patio furniture has been sitting in the corner of my back yard for 7 - 8 years. Seldom used it was time to relocate for better usage. A little judicious planning avoided me having to dead lift the weight and the handtruck paid for itself in the first hour I had it home. The new pressure washer is not a whole lot better than a hose end sprayer and a broom but it was adequate to clean the accumulated funk on the concrete. After some dry time and moving to other projects I searched for a sealer at Home Depot. I found one that would work but at $30 a gallon and doubting one would be enough I looked across the aisle a saw good old Thompson's Water seal. Quick glance at the label confirmed what I already knew so out the door I went with a 5 gal. can and some 2 & 4 inch china bristle brushes for just over $50.
This actually became a chore. Flipped everything over on to some old towels and brushed the sealer on. Temps lately have been 50 - 75 range so the concrete stayed tacky for a couple days. Came home after work, righted the furniture and finished brushing the tops. Gave that two days and yesterday when I got home from the plant a WD 40 soaked rag took care of the leftover on the tiles and some Windex with a paper towel finished the job.
Among other things was couple herbs and a nice orchid planting a friend gave my wife after her Mom passed.

Beautiful! [emoji307]

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Rustyt1953]

Ruthie says these are lovely:



Without inflatable donuts, I'd rank them next to waterboards.

 

[DeathGrip]

Looking good!

The only gardening I've done at the new place is plant a Key Lime and a Hamlin Orange. They're both blooming now and the orange probably cant hold the weight of them all, I might have to cull a few. We'll see. I'm gonna get a couple more.

My other out door project is getting the lawn better, Lots of weeds.

My wife sure loved the flowers I grew her at our old place down there. She even helped. Good times together under the Oak I planted.

 

[soFlaNative]

Thank Ruth for us and Mrs. N sends her love and best wishes.
Concrete does not make for a comfortable perch but if one has more surface area than me with which to spread the load it may be tolerable.
Balled up newspaper and a grocery bag always handy.
Wracked up foot bone, MRSA and a busted gut meant I was just able to maintain the place, let alone keep with weeds and chinch bugs. Finally able to get a foot or so ahead with some decent if not fairly expensive products from online looking.
Be glad to share if any are looking.
Key limes don't produce every year or am I wrong? Need to look up the orange, if it's like the rest the neighbors will eventually hide when they see you coming with a bag full.


Like Iggy in his wisdom (Wiggysdom?) said ain't nothing menial when it's for THE one.
Who's done what lately when like me it was really to justify an extended beer break?

 

[ameridaddy]

Native, I did the same sort of thing when my mother passed years ago. I was numb with grief, took a week off after her funeral and passed the time doing lots of small things around the house like you did, the sorts of things that are short term, light exercise, almost always guaranteed to succeed, and the place looked better after I was done. It was good therapy. Even sweeping the driveway was therapeutic - took and hour or so, outdoors, light exercise and things look better when done.
It' s a tough time when someone you love leaves this world; I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you're feeling better.

BTW, that table looks like a big marble inlay from a nice foyer - it's really pretty!

 

[DeathGrip]

Key limes don't produce every year or am I wrong? Need to look up the orange, if it's like the rest the neighbors will eventually hide when they see you coming with a bag full.

Key limes produce all year if they're healthy. Sometimes they produce more than others. I never noticed if it was annually. This key lime has a few fruit on it of various size and about a hundred blooms and small fruit on it now. It's about five feet tall but was just trimmed up before I bought it.

Oranges are like clockwork. The difference with mine is they grow them in a green house and it messes their clock up. When I bought the tree it still had 9 oranges on it that shoulda been ripe and picked months ago. (looks good in the nursery) As soon as I picked them and trimmed it up a bit it went crazy with the blooms. It's only about 5ft tall and probably has 100 blooms on it.

 

[soFlaNative]

It's only about 5ft tall and probably has 100 blooms on it.

Oooh oooh that smell.....
Gear head AND hort. Impressive

 

[DeathGrip]

I can smell them right now. It's a beautiful evening.