Laundry Room Project

Highly recommend UGL's DryLok oil-based waterproofing paint.


Wall penetration for dryer exhaust and washer water exit. The wash water is not emptied into the septic tank; it waters the lawn.





Wall penetrations complete, window restored.

Three Days of Summer

April did start out rather chilly, but this week has been almost HOT - and we are certainly enjoying it.

The trees and flowers are making up for lost time, too. It is like the first days of summer.

Water? Where?

Have been surviving a water issue in the barn for months. It has been too cold or too wet to work on this project. Because the hydrant is leaking we have to turn the well pump off and on, adding trips to the basement and a constant reminder written on the bathroom mirror.

Finally the weather turned SUMMER with highs in the 80s (can you believe this!?) and now the fix is all going quickly to cr@p.

While digging up the hydrant inside the barn door, a brass fitting failed. Now using hoses from the house to fill buckets. Wonder why my shoulder hurts....

To remedy this new development he's going to dig a three foot deep, three foot in diameter, hole inside the storage space. This displaces that much cattle carpet and stone dust, too. What a mess! What a chore! What a life!

Lesson Learned: Don't buy anything mechanical from Tractor Supply. These hydrants failed within two years, not a good value.

Ride Like The Wind And The Dust

Made plans to meet friends at our horsey club. Haven't been there in at least six months, parking at the bottom of the hill next to the train tracks, which cuts off probably 45 minutes of riding. The place was packed! It was an excellent weekend to camp out; I stayed up half the night before with a blazing bonfire.

We also saw other friends there, and they joined us for the ride. We were headed for the same old destination: The Woodstock Inn.

We got there past our anticipated ride out time (RTR) so we decided we would go the shortest route and travel the fastest we could. It's been so dry lately that all the old mud holes are powdery dust, taking the slick out of the corners.

After getting down off the hill, crossing the river into the park, past the serpentine parts of the trail, we booted it quickly down the path, slowing only for pedestrians here and there. KC was fairly amped up, and I kept his speed down as best I could. Later I would and did let him open it up. He is fast but out of shape (winter has a way of doing that to everybody!) and a mere Quarter Horse.

There has been some trail maintenance since we rode there two weekends ago. Unfortunately there are so many downed trees, and big trees, too. What a loss for the park. We got to the Woodstock Inn in record time, the horses were also ready for break time.

We picked another, different path back, going the longer scenic route through Granite, the old land fill, and down into the outlet for Liberty reservoir. I was hoping for a photo shoot, but the place was teaming with dogs and pedestrians. The paths were dry and stable, so when we got going there was no worry of sliding, slipping and falling on the curves. We also were kicking up some dust, I'm sure people were getting dusted as we ripped past them. Damn horse people!

(according to the GPS: average speed 3.2 mph; maximum speed 21.2 mph)

Burn, Baby, Burn

Finally, the wind died down on a weekend night to have a bonfire. So much tree debris from the Cherry Tree Purge and the Hurricanes (Irene, Lee, and Sandy) and the occasional breezy days that send branches down into the yard. So much has built up, we have to get things cleared out.

Started before sunset, burned all night, with me in attendance.

Cold, Cold, Cold

April can be an 'iffy' month, cold, rainy, etc., and this particular one is doing a fine imitation of February. Frosty mornings, windy with substantial gusts, and just plain cold. Mid-morning is now just 37 degrees.
Spring flowers and cherry blossoms are delayed because of the chill. Last year, with not a single drop of rain in March, the blossoms were dried up and spent by this time.
Consequently, we've spent more time in the basement, where the climate is much better. The dogs really like it, too. Was once a 'no-go' zone for them, Irene was the only one allowed. We need to find furniture, but that will come in time.

April 1

After a rainy Easter Sunday, April first dawned calm, chilly and foggy. Going to turn into a nice day, the boys have shed their heavy blankets, and hopefully spring will come to stay.