Attribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

2/21/2021
Sunday morning

Sunny and 7 degrees outside. That’s according to the weather ap. Actual may be different.

Got off shift early again last night and tarried in the X-ray waiting room again to write a quick postscript for last weeks article. Should have saved the trouble and just gone strait home. It did not make today’s issue and now Ken—the editor is in the process of moving to Texas so it may be a few weeks with the journal. Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire! At least the Texas he is going to is getting served a wake up call and that might keep it from going blue.

It’s a remote hope but maybe the Caravan will also get the message and turn around. What is wrong with those people ?! Fleeing a tropical climate for a nation with cold winters run by people who want to pull the plug on the very thing that makes it habitable? At least in Guatemala or Honduras the possibility of freezing to death without fuel or electricity is not an issue.

If socialism is going to be the future—Cuba or Venezuela wins over North Korea any day and twice on Sunday!

Made my decision to call this edition on “The Forces of Nature & History” instead of human folly. I find the major part of the problem with human folly is that it is what makes us slaves to the forces of history—the reason we are time and time again doomed to repeat it. Maybe we historians ought to just give it up. It’s not worth the trouble documenting things for future generations if no one bothers to read it.

Update 1:23 PM

A balmy 36 outside. I’ll be able switch over to the outside furnace again on the way out and maybe stay on it with an occasional boost from the oil supply from here on. Looks like the extreme cold may be gone for the foreseeable future.

I hate the way time keeps getting away once I finally do get going. Got to get back on it. At least get everything fed and watered so there isn’t much to do tomorrow. I have to leave at 10 A.

2/24/2021: 10:00 AM

Yesterday wasn’t too bad but could have been better. I made it out to the greenhouse and had a nice time in the Florida Room playing the Bluetooth speakers while I did the daily routine. Had trouble with those on Sunday. They would not connect for some reason but now they do.

Last night I used the wood burning pen to make an opening in the false bottoms for the two Abronia cages to insert the access wells for the siphon to drain off excess water. These are PVC couplings with notches burned on the bottom rim to permit water flow. The fit is tight enough but I’ll still add silicone for extra stability. I also need to break down the two setups so I can make sure the bottom seams are well sealed before I get serious with the full blown setup which will eventually include a misting system.

Have an issue with the heating system. It lost ground again last night even with the boiler turned up to 180. Hoping it’s just the lag time from letting it go most of the day yesterday and not loss off efficiency from bleeding too much heat onto the ground. It did keep up good one night last week when I had it cranked up good and stuffed with ample wood.

Weather looking good. Almost 50 degrees and will make upper 50s today before the rains set in this evening. The forecast looks better too for the next week. All the days previously forecast for snow have changed over to rain so it looks like smoother sailing and the winter flowers will be blooming soon. Snowdrops have already been gearing up and were poking up through the snow even before the warming trend began.

Update: 11:30 AM

Wednesday 2/24/21 11:00 AM

Norseman’s Hell in full retreat!

60 degrees. This is the outside actual which may be a microclimate effect of solar exposure on the nearby structure. The official reading from the station in town is 57. Not far off. It’s often that way.

Snowdrops are up!

In a few weeks the winter flower show ought to be in full swing. I’m looking forward to that and getting to work reclaiming the area around the ponds and greenhouse. There is a lot to do out there. My next great challenge is getting a handle on that and integrating it all together with the maintenance of the Florida Room which was my stated goal when I began that renovation.

Got bacon and chives omelette on the table. After that I think I’ll do some weeding to remove the chickweed from the bed with the snowdrops and feed it to the turts before moving on to the other projects.

Update: 4:45 PM

63 degrees the official high in town.

Now 61 which is close to here.

Just a few minutes ago.

Have to load the firebox up again. House is at 71 degrees upstairs and same in the Florida Room. It actually feels uncomfortable wearing a shirt so I’m shirtless while I’m inside. Still lagging on the repositioning of the remaining wood. Kind of busy with a driveway disasterville I need to correct.

It’s a sheet of ice!

I may need to put off delivery until next week if the rain doesn’t take it away. Need to

Call to make sure they don’t come until at least Friday because I work 3p then and 11 A tomorrow. If I can break it up this afternoon and sweep some of it away and let the rain melt the rest it might be good for Friday.

Oh at least it’s getting interesting without being scary. I’m lucky so far but got to get my act together before time and luck run out.

My next goal—which is even more important than the previous one stated : be better prepared for winter by getting all the resources here well before it arrives so I don’t have to juggle or dig a financial hole to get out of a jam that arises when something runs out and I don’t have funds to replace it that pay and can’t wait until the next. Or have weather or supply chain issues that make delivery impossible.

2/25/2021
Thursday morning 06:53 AM

Major fail.

I’ve stalled again. Got very little done yesterday and was up all night. On top of the driveway disasterville. A sheet of ice that I started breaking up before letting it go hoping the rains might take care of it for me. But those didn’t amount to much.

So I called the lumber company to reschedule for that reason plus I made a mistake with my planning. I work at 11A and not 3 PM ! Yikes! Going to do it Wednesday next week

I’ve seen worst disastervilles but this one is pretty bad. Hope I can get a little bit of sleep and get my car backed up and headed out without getting hung up.

Spring is Coming
Friday 2/26/21—9:45 AM

Yesterday turned out pretty decent as far as work goes.

Nice after a bad start because I had only an hour to get breakfast and ready for work. The thing that really slowed me down was loading the outside furnace. Wanted to make sure it was good for the day so I don’t have to burn oil like I did again that morning to catch up.

Got some Turface I’ve been saving for the monster tank to use as traction sand on the driveway. But in the end I decided to forgo trying to back up onto the turnaround in favor of pulling forward and driving around through the yard to get onto the driveway below the ice sheet. In spite of fears I had no trouble getting back in to where I normally last night with a running start. The snow is mostly gone but I’ll have to continue chipping away at the ice over the weekend. Looks like we’ve turned the corner on the frigid weather so I should be able to make it to Wednesday and then smoother sailing ahead going through March and early April. So glad the winter is almost over.

Even another unseasonably cold spring will be easy to keep up with an ample supply of firewood on hand. Then I work on a system like I had before to get multiple loads in , sorted and stacked over the summer as I used to in the past.

It was down to half the wood I put in when I got home last night. I stuffed it full of the smaller pieces I keep stacked on the corner of the pad between the furnace and the retaining wall for the sake of convenience and to get all that used up so I can replace it with fresher stuff from the ramp that I also want to move or use up to make way for the pending delivery. The new strategy from here on is to keep the pile on the pad continuously stocked so I can just grab it and put it in when I’m in a hurry going out or tired coming back from a long hard day. Just carrying it over from the ramp can be reality tedious since it’s smaller stuff and takes more trips.

Was pretty cold last night. Down in the 20s but the house which had fallen to 66 was able to catch up by morning with the firebox fully loaded and the boiler turned back up to the winter setting. I also had the house set at 67 so it didn’t fall much through the day and that just might have been the normal variance of the thermostat. I forgot to transfer the water from the rain tub that I turned upright the previous night. Hope it didn’t freeze totally solid!

Update 11:19 AM

Got lucky with the tub. Only a thin skin of ice. I’m going to transfer the water to my blue barrel in the cellar. Nice thing is that I won’t have to do that much longer!

Heating system keeping up beautifully.

With the thermostat in the living room set at 70 it is currently 69 there and 72 in “The Room”.

Two of the “Squares”, Picky Isabella & Baby Sinclair were out. That’s a good sign. Will offer them some chickweed. Soon the dandelions will be coming out of the ground and they like those even better. Plantain they like even better but it comes up later in the spring. I have got to get some going in the greenhouse so I can have greens year round. For me as well as the turts.

Snowdrops in the flower bed!

Lenten Rose (Hellebore) in bud!

And I found a few plantains out of the ground. They are up early or didn’t die back before the snow covered and protected them. Think I’ll dig some up and grow them in the greenhouse for an early supply of leaves for the turts.

Saturday 2/27/21: 1:19 PM

Still struggling with inertia.

But today is going to be a much better day because I actually feel like going outside and doing something. The psychological impact that several inches of snow and freezing temperatures can have. Looks a lot more inviting out there with green grass and a few peeks of sun. Going onto the low 50s now. Slightly warmer than the reading from the local station in town. If they want to cook their books better they should move it to my place!

I’m game for the Triple Hog Dare brunch today. Then I’m going to get down into the basement and unlock the door to the outside so I can move back and forth between the Florida Room and the greenhouse.

And it’s time to start reclaiming the area around the pond.

2/27/21
Update late afternoon

System keeping up very well!

A blazing fire and still a few logs and plenty of hot coals left. Turned the aquastat on the boiler down to the “summer setting” for me it’s just the mild weather setting because I don’t run it in the warmer months like some people do to heat household water.

Which reminds me of my other issue which can be moved to the front burner now that the ice sheet is in full retreat.

If it’s going to be good enough for the “fire truck” to bring in my wood this coming week it will be good enough for Lowe’s or Home Depot to deliver a new hot water heater. The February Thaw has finally come and February is nearly gone. Just one more day until March!

Cleared out the corner by loading the remaining pieces in the firebox and started cleaning and tidying up the pad before I stack some of the newer stuff from the ramp to have a convenient to reach stockpile and to clear the way for the next load.

A lot of thoughts on the existential and philosophical of it all but no time to get into that. The days are getting longer but I’ll soon be running out of this one. And I’d like to make it up the the greenhouse and the pond site too.

Addendum

Got the pad cleaned off nicely!

Still have a decent amount of coal left as I don’t use it much. Only a little bit on top of the wood on really cold nights. It may last yet another winter because I may not even use any more this season if the weather holds.

Pretty good stockpile of wood also remains. The situation looks much better now that the tarp is removed and I can see the entire mass of it. Good enough for several weeks which means I might even be able to save most of the next delivery to put toward next winter and get started on sorting and organizing early!

Going on 5 PM and it was still daylight. That’s what I call progress! And that’s where I called it quits with the stacking so I could at least look at the greenhouse and the pond.

Got the bulk of the pile moved and organized up on the pad and I figured I could go back up there after dark and plug a work light into an outlet on the control panel on the back of the furnace—but I might even let that go and just carry the remaining split pieces and rounds up to burn as needed until they are gone. I could easily consume most of it before the next delivery arrives and just keep building the stockpile on the pad with the new wood.

And when I run out of room I can start stacking it up under the pine trees like before. And since I don’t consume much coal I can probably buy it in small amounts and bring it in 5 gallon buckets to start a small pile about the size of the current one.

The palmettos in front of the greenhouse are faring pretty well this winter without any effort to protect them. Probably because we didn’t make it down to zero or have extreme frigid conditions with highs in the teens or single digits for long duration.

I did cover the Needle Palm on the approach to the pond site with one of the big Rubbermaids for a while and removed it this evening. Wish I had thought about doing that before I lost the other specimens. This one was the first planted as a big 3 gallon plant from a local Lowe’s about a decade ago—and the main plant died of crown rot but had three offsets that survived. And outlived three more similar plants that I got from the Walmart in Wilmington NC in 2012 and brought back with me.

The ice is leaving the pond fast too.

At least 3 goldfish have survived too. I saw the white one moving about too. Hoping I still have some bullheads and Redbreasts in there.

I only took a quick peek inside the greenhouse. Noted that at least one of the Florida Boxies was up so it’s time to get serious about moving them to the big Precision Cage in the Florida Room.

So many things will need doing in the coming days as the weather continues to improve going into spring. Would like to have cleaned up the leaves on the remainder of the path from the upper DD to the lower one and the rock gardens and get the pieces of that fallen limb I sawed up for the furnace.

I did that and another small tree right before the last major snow event. However like then I was too tired at the end of the day to do anything else. Maybe tomorrow but that’s looking like it’s going to be a washout with rain all day. Depending on how steady or heavy—I would like to try to get the area tidied up and maybe even clean out the watercourse and run the Hurricane pump. I hardly got to do that at all last season between being busy with the Florida Room and the drought late summer going onto fall that was so bad that the pond in open turtle pen dried up—in addition to loosing my spring for a short while!

I’m already contemplating draining that again this season so I can get in there and figure out how to get the right sized coupling onto the pipe that broke off—so I can have a seal that will allow me to control the flow with a shut off valve in the vault which is better than having a smaller piece of poly pipe shoved into the line. So I don’t have to drain the vault every time I need to work on the plumbing or repair a leak in the line like I had to last fall.

I need to get in there someday to shovel out the sand and silt that I was going to do had it not been for the quickness that the vault started refilling even while I was fixing the broken line. This may be the year for plumbing projects. I also have a bag of bulkhead fittings to put on the rain barrels at the greenhouse and when I go shopping for a new hot water heater I might consider getting that 3,000 GPH pump from Lowe’s for the Watercourse so I can repurpose the Hurricane for moving water between ponds and tubs—as it is quite a bother to have to disconnect and pull it for those tasks.

Settled in. Got some haddock thawing. Going to make fish tacos and then tinker with the Room and get the two cages above the big vivarium out of there so I can seal them good along with siliconing the access well onto the false bottom.

If I get that done this will be a pretty decent day.

Settling in for the third and final time.

After browsing for pond pumps after dinner I went back out and tarped my wood piles and opened one of the rain barrels at the greenhouse to catch some water tomorrow so I can fill that pile of jugs outside the east entrance and cache them inside before the next brief cold snap. And ditto for the catch tub by the cellar door. Then I fed the fish and newts some bloodworms and soaked flake food to the white, Grindal and black worms and daphnia cultures. Good enough for today. Decided to forgo messing with the cages until the last minute tomorrow that I might get a full day to enjoy the Florida Room before taking the cages out. Then they’ll have the next two days I’m working long shifts for the silicone to cure and I can put them back in place and do the final setup and start shopping for occupants.

Not bad for a day. I’m pretty happy now that I’ve finally gotten out of the awful rut I was in. Hope to maintain that momentum right through the weekend and pick it up again midweek when the delivery truck arrives.

Will have to pick up the small sticks along with the remaining big pieces and rounds. I always get a fair amount of that stuff in these loads. Ray mentioned grilling with wood today and got me thinking about doing a fire pit up in the field near where I dug up the line. Something like what Bruce has and put a picnic table up there and maybe throw a party that will be a good Coronavirus super spreader event! LOL just kidding.

It will probably be mostly people from the hospital the majority of whom will have been vaccinated and the virus which seems to be evolving into a less deadly form may abate by summer like the later waves of the 1918 Influenza.

Update 11:00 PM

Finished my quickie dinner—ready made fried chicken from Walmart plus quickie entrees whipped up to make it a decent Sunday dinner. That after a quickie shopping trip I went on late evening after another less than ideal day. Don’t want to call it major fail because it was nothing like that day I dropped the ball last week. But it was a sad step back from Saturday when I got the furnace pad organized and tidied up.

The day outside was not so good though late afternoon the rain let up came to an end and I kept thinking maybe I could go out and start drawing down and getting the leaves out of the two sections of the watercourse and clean off the falls so I could run the pump. That would have made the weekend really worthwhile. It never came to pass. And every time the idea occurred to me it got a little darker outside and eventually the day was gone.

I’ve been down this road too many times in recent years. If I had a $100 dollars for every day I let slip away like this I’d be as rich as Donald Trump! LOL. I’m exaggerating of course though this wretched inertia has cost me dearly. I had some thoughts earlier in regard that I might be crazy—though the last thing I want to do is hurt myself or anyone else. Maybe it’s despair over the state of the world. Maybe it’s fear to make a move because I might make a mistake. Or I’m just getting forgetful. Realization that it was getting late-7:00 PM—I pushed myself to find all bills and figure them out. I had to know for sure what I have before going shopping so I don’t overspend. Got the money for the propane and firewood earmarked so I can get cash withdrawals to pay those. There was enough for a decent amount of groceries to get me through the week plus $200 of the last stimulus that I’ll probably put toward the hot water heater that will make a decent cushion against overdraft until next pay. I’ve been keeping good track of the budget—but making those two major fuel purchases back to back worries me after what I went through several years ago when I didn’t account for the deduction to the credit union from the net pay amount.

So I got all the bills made out to go in the mail on my way out tomorrow and then took care of the outside furnace. It was still good despite being let go all day. Mild weather sure helps. Also all the ice and snow—except a few areas where I piled up a lot of the latter by the driveway—are gone. Good riddens! Hope I won’t have to use a snow shovel ever again—though I’ll settle for not having to do it anymore this year!

As for the shopping—I went through the store quickly and got mostly basics. Walmart was fairly quiet even for a Sunday evening and the shelves were not as badly picked over. Surprisingly they had hash brown patties and Jewish Rye but Arnold’s whole wheat was gone. And the Ore Ida Instant Baby Reds were out of stock and I had none at home so that’s why I did fried cubed potatoes instead of mashed. Expiration date marked on the milk is the 15th. Beware the Ides of March said the soothsayer to Julius Caesar! Getting close to the anniversary date of when I noticed the world was getting ready to change in a big way starting with the disappearing toilet paper and other supply chain issues. I wonder how much of what I notice missing from the shelves these days is from that or just getting picked over by shoppers like it has always been forever. More the later I would guess—though I have t gone for toilet paper yet. But it’s getting low and next trip I will have to get some.

Or it will be like the joke when you pose as the Man from Pluto where you shake someone’s hand “Greetings I’m from Pluto—do you have trees? cars? houses? Yes, yes , yes! Do you have toilet paper? Yes. No, we use our hands!

Ooooooooohhhh!

Guess that’s why people go off the deep end over toilet paper.

Least we be at the mercy of those filthy Plutonians and the Klingons lurking around Uranus.

At least we can still get a few laughs even in bad times. May be the only thing we’ll have left before long. Think the “Fallen Angels” SF novel and that dialogue about how Russian pessimism plus American optimism equals light hearted pessimism. As we make wisecracks about the Danes as in mundanes who voted for the the democrats who were hellbent on pushing their wretched Green New Deal and can’t understand how they ended up freezing in the dark when the solar panels are getting no sun and the wind turbines froze up.

This might be in California I’m guessing.

March!
3/1/21 09:47 AM

Got the Bluetooth shop light hung but ran out of silicone to complete the job on the cages. Also running out of time.

Good thing I decided to load up the furnace first thing! That’s the way I want to do from here on.

3/2/21 07:55 AM

Manic day yesterday at work. Began with the time crunch that I always want to avoid. Tempered by my wise decision to load the furnace early on and getting all my bills mailed off. But ended up dropping stuff like a med evac mission running out of crew ditu day dropping stops. Let go of running to the bank and the propane supplier. And ditto for Lowe’s.

That very cold night has come and gone. The effects linger. house dropped to 64 in spite of 180 degree boiler temp so I’m burning oil again.

09:55 AM

Alive and kicking.

But running short on time again.

Going to put off banking and going to pay the gas bill until tomorrow so I can at least get the furnace loaded and stop by Lowe’s on the way and look into the prospect of a new water heater.

And pick up some silicone to finish the cages.

3/2/21 Circa 11:30 PM

Creeping up on $3.

Another station a few blocks away is at $2.99.

Good thing they canceled the Keystone Pipeline!

3/3/21 : 07:42 AM

Alive & Kicking again.

That was a good 80s theme song to kick off a quick morning routine in the Florida Room yesterday before rushing off to a quite decent day that started off busy and remained steady through the day before dying down to a low census and slow pace in the evening. Had a few Corona patients that were moderately to seriously ill so it is not quite done yet.

Looked at pond pumps and priced some hot water heaters at Lowe’s on the way. And got more silicone to finish sealing the two cages and fix the PVC coupling access wells for the false bottoms in place. Did that when I got home last night and was able to put the false bottoms in place this morning. 12 to 24 hours is said to be the cure time for silicone so I might be able to start setting the cages up by tomorrow. Since they are dry setups. Will see.

Got to get the remainder of the wood off the pad to clear it for delivery. And reload the firebox. It didn’t do too bad yesterday and last night. It kept up all day before slipping a degree late night and has been lagging two degrees through the night. At 66 degrees in the living room it doesn’t feel bad upstairs. Probably a few degrees warmer on the upper floor.

3/3/21 : 3:41 PM

Firewood delivery a success!

Came about 2:30.

Finished the first cage a short while before and then ventured out to scrape up the remainder of the ice that the salt didn’t get and sweep it away. That was probably not even necessary because the wheels just missed the area on the run to get up on the ramp. The wet ground was more problematic and it took two tries to get to the same drop point as before. A little off target but you quit while you’re ahead in this situation least the bank gets really torn up and impossible to get the load even there.

Which is good enough. The man told me if I can order when the weather is drier he’d have no problem putting it wherever I want it. That’s going to be tricky because at some point this summer I’m going to have to schedule hernia surgery. Got a right inguinal—that’s a bulge about the size of an egg on my right groin. Had it for a while and discussed it with my doctor when I had a checkup last year and he said it was ok to put off until spring if it didn’t get bigger or cause pain or other issues. Ideally winter is the time for that because it’s downtime for most outdoor work but in my situation; summer looks like the best window because I don’t have to feed the outside furnace which involves lifting and it will give me time to recover to where I can work on stacking the later loads and then maintain the furnace when cold weather arrives.

Going to get this one sorted and stacked in the coming weeks and try to burn up the smaller crap that gets mixed in with these loads as much as I can along with junk from my own place. Will put some of that aside for dry kindling and a fire pit that I hope to make this season.

Talked briefly to the guy about the problem the oil truck had. Too bad they don’t have him for a delivery man. He thinks it was driver error also though his converted fire truck Im sure is better at getting into bad places.

Nice to have one of the cages back in place.

Got substrate which is ABG mix with extra orchid bark because I don’t have tree fern fiber on hand. Put in the sphagnum moss ground covering to build up the ground level around the rims of the potted peperomias and a bromeliad that were sunk partially into the shallow substrate. Decided to do that rather than a more elaborate scheme involving cutting holes through the egg crate to set plastic pots through like I did the drain well but in the end decided to keep it simple and save time and effort. That also make it easier to repurpose the false bottoms to other tanks or cages in the future.

So it looks pretty nice now. Will have to do something with the unfinished spray foam. Either cover with ABG which I should have done before setting up the drainage and substrate layers because it works better if you lay the tank flat on its back—or go with Drylok cement like the rock facing I made. But that will have to be top notch so the lizards claws don’t scratch it up and cause the cement layer to crumble and flake away.

Other issue is the broken front glass.

I’ll fix that by taping the two shards back in place with a piece of scotch tape and silicone a small square of glass on the back. As for the eyesore that will make I may be able to cover that with a strip of gutter guard that will hide it yet still allow air flow for good ventilation.

Got a lot accomplished today. Need to run over to pay the gas bill and then get at a few things outside and finish up the second tank tonight.

Figure if I don’t wet it down like I did the first one the silicone can continue to cure and it’s almost good to go according to some sources that say 24 hours and this is not an aquatic setup.

Update 07:42 PM

Quick update

After I got back from the propane dealer I did a few things in the greenhouse and at the pond. Took the two crowfoots up and dropped into the shallows to float the duckweed out of the containers which the goldfish will happily consume. Then worked on getting the Hurricane hooked back up so I can start running it this week.

Did some serious Jerry rigging so I didn’t have to go out and buy a piece of vinyl tubing to replace the corrugated section that was too long. I cut that off and wrapped some Gorilla patch tape around the coupling to make it fit snuggly since I had to sacrifice the smooth end it used to go into.

It was a bit of a struggle on a number of fronts to make that happen and I ran out of day before I did. But it is done and I’ll be able to run the watercourse as soon as I clean it out. Will start working on that tomorrow.

Got to get started on dinner. Then work on the other cage. To have those lizard ready real soon.

11:07 PM

The rest of the story.

Paid my gas bill.

Had another interesting conversation with the dealer who expressed his unhappiness about what they are doing with the energy markets. He’s also unhappy with his suppliers squeezing him to profit from the green policies. They often do that which is why they don’t fight so aggressively against environmental extremism. Because it’s good for profit for a resource to be scarce.

It’s about creating a scarcity economy because it’s easier to make profits when the commodity you trade is scarce than to work hard to bring new sources to a more competitive market. It also concentrates power in the hands of the few. I made the comparison to hydraulic/ oriental despotism and surprisingly the guy knows what it is. Being in the energy industry makes that concept easy to understand. Just like being woke to the importance of having ample supply to survive and live well. Hey I was woke long before the so called “woke” people were.

I’m going to be sweating a little for a week until next payday. I should have a little over $100 left but paying two big bills so close together always gives me the jitters. Plus other bills sent out. I did my accounting carefully nevertheless I’ve been paranoid about overdraft ever since that experience several years back I keep remembering. Not to mention getting the phone shut off twice because the electronic payment kept getting declined by a security algorithm or something. I sent that one by snail mail because I didn’t want to chance that happening again!

If it bounces my goose is cooked. I want to maintain good relations with my suppliers and service providers. Especially in times like these.

I’m hoping the yellow crowfoot will fare well after months on a window sill where it got out of cycle and bloomed. Rescued it from the back porch and then the ponds froze up. Was going to shift it to the greenhouse but never got around to it. Took it out of the pond where I put the planters a while to float the dickweed out. Typo but a good name for it. Will try to get it onto the half barrel in the greenhouse tomorrow.

That place needs lots of work to get it back in order. I won’t go into detail about it now.

What the hell’s wrong with the damned weather!

It’s like an arctic invasion for the next several days even though no precipitation events. Must be a dry frontal passage. Fair weather with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens.

Kind of throws a wrench into the idea of enjoying the watercourse this week but I might get to run it tomorrow. Got the surplus length of tubing cut off and back on the Hurricane so it’s ready to go. If I just clean off the falls I can run it. Getting the leaves out of the pools can wait till warmer days.

I’m sticking with the Hurricane for now. And getting a second one to do quick water transfers. I’ve been happy with it so why waste money on something that might not be as good.

This is what I did with the gutter guard to hide the broken glass. I dried some background mix in the oven to apply to the spray foam. Not sure if I’ll do that tonight.

Found the ideal cap for the well.

It’s the tub for the cream icing that comes with Pillsbury sweet rolls. Spray foam or silicone a rock or piece of cork onto it.

Btw—property taxes are here.

At least it looks like last year. No crazy increases—not yet.

3/4/21 01:24 PM

They’re done!

Background, drainage, substrate, moss layer, plants. Even the doors back in place. Still need to put the vines back in the tanks and some leaf litter.

The tops of the plastic icing containers are flush with the surface so the leaf litter should suffice to hide those so crafting of faux rocks or gluing on cork pieces might not be necessary.

3/5/21

I’m listening to Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back radio drama on my phone and it was like the Ice Planet Hoth outside last night. Maybe not quite that bad but the furnace didn’t keep up. At least it’s not snowing.

11:38 AM

Young Sinclair & Areolata #2 chowing down on Thrive pellets. Actually it’s T-Rex brand that I got by default in a large jar that I’m using to refill the smaller one I keep in the Room.

Pretty much the same stuff—colorful, fruit scented and low protein for proper growth and kidney health. That and chickweed earlier this week makes for a healthier diet.

Soon I’ll be able to add dandelion and plantain greens along with violet leaves and flowers.

The heated cage works well too for stimulating appetite. It’s hard to keep the whole room warm enough for them so the table is becoming more the place I let them out for more space during the day. If push comes to shove—a bigger cage may be what they end up living on. That is if it becomes too costly to run the grow lights. That was going to be my plan anyway before I got serious about bringing back the Table.

3/6/21  12:57 PM

Another time crunch going out Friday. At least I made it on time without having to rush after getting on the road. And the evening was busy but decent. Back station starting out taking care of holds who all ended up getting admitted and discharged right around dinner time and then after my break I spent most of the evening watching a psych patient with a couple switches with the unit clerk so I could be freed up to do splints.

Most disturbing this day was the sight of gas passing $3 a gallon at the BP station on the way home. Strangely it was still $2.98 at the other one a few blocks away that was $2.99 earlier this week. I won’t feel sorry for any democrats who complain about the hardship they voted for as they will be getting exactly what they deserve. My main regret is that I’m not affluent enough to blow it off with the let em eat cake attitude of the recently departed Rush Limbaugh who declared one day years ago that he didn’t participate in recessions. That one probably burned a few people up with raging resentment like Reagan’s “Oh I just turned the other cheek” remark.

“Oh you’d turn all 4 of them if it would get you a vote”, my mom fumed back in the day in response to the sound bite. The problem with democrats—I’m talking moderate middle of the road types—is that they are more or less counting on the government to take care of them and are of the attitude that anyone who supports the other party is fundamentally evil on grounds of selfishness or contempt for the common people. They’ve gotten so addicted to social entitlements or the promise of the same that they are oblivious to democratic policies that are obviously harmful to the common people or put the country in peril of foreign enemies. It’s the cargo cult of FDR that runs deep in our region.

Was a cold one last night.

Had a good bit of wood left when I got home and the fire was roaring hot when I opened the door. To the point of first degree facial burns even after I shut the blower off making it difficult to load a few extra pieces.

Yet the house was already loosing ground. 66 degrees and 63 by morning. Thought about running the oil furnace but changed my mind when I saw that the cookie gauge was closing on a quarter tank. I’ll just tough it out until the system catches up again through the day.

Looking pretty decent out there. Temps already climbing above freezing so this might be the day I get the watercourse going. That will be an excellent milestone.

04:42 PM

Finally got out late afternoon to start picking away at the leaves in the watercourse. With a high of 37 and shadow of two pine trees falling on that end of the site it’s unpleasant. I quit after one trug pan filled with leaves to head back to the house to visit the bathroom and bundle up a little more and try again.

On the way down I made a side stop at the furnace to see how much fuel was left.

A fair amount so I added some small stuff and a big chunk of oak to keep it going until I load it up for the night later.

Slowly the system has been catching up through the day. Not quite there yet with a boiler temp about 140 and a wintertime setting of 180. Next few days things will get better with a string of 60 degree days this coming week. There could be that perfect day I’ve always been seeking. Best thing I can do right now is get everything cleaned up and organized before the flowers start to pop and then be able to enjoy a nice warm sunny day with the waterfalls running and things in bloom.

Sun is low but still a couple hours left. Get back out there and at least get the falls cleared off and test run the Hurricane. That will save the day after I’ve wasted much of it earlier on.

Tomorrow looks more promising with highs in the 40s. Might be a better far to clean out the watercourse and turtle lagoon.

3/7/21   03:11 PM

again.

Got a fairly decent hot spot approaching 30c which I where I usually set the Zoo Med incubator for hatching eggs. Which ought to be good enough for Abronia. They like it on the cool side anyway.

I should be able to get a pair soon. Just need to make sure the silicone is cured. It hurt the Peperomias I put in pretty bad. I waited a bit longer with the frog tank below and the plants had no trouble.

Need to test the drainage system later.

Going to flood the clay pebbles almost to the soil layer and then use the siphon to take the level down to the false bottom which is probably where I want to keep it until I add an automatic misting system. Then I’ll want to remove all water to provide more leeway against flooding.

Maybe someday when I’m brave enough I’ll get the bottom pane drilled for a drain bulkhead which is the best way to go with these systems.

Evening update

Got a lot done outside this afternoon going into evening. Visited the greenhouse and worked on the watercourse which I got cleaned out—with the exception of the Rosyside Pool which I decided was best to leave go until Tuesday when it will be warmer and less of a bother to do a complete drawdown and pick out the leaves like I did the upper pool.

Still managed to run it for a short time.

Then cleaned up the piles of leaves and detritus that I left on the breast of the main pond during Crunch Time last fall as I often do. Have more to get on the shoreline between the pond and turtle lagoon that I would have taken care of as well had I not run out of space in the middle compost pile. I’ll get it Tuesday when I have more time to remove the remainder of finished product from the upper bin and transfer to the lower one. Then I’ll start a new pile with that stuff and remainder of the leaves on the paths and rock gardens.

Time to do all that because the crocuses are starting to pop.

The crysanthus “Goldilocks” & remnant of seiberi “Firefly” are in bloom.

Been loading the furnace with junk wood from fallen trees at the site to get rid of that. Now back in resting. Unsure about dinner plans as I have no sour cream or chow mein noodles so tacos or Chinese is out and I’m not crazy about running out on a Sunday evening to go shopping so I’ll default to Salmon croquettes and fried cubed potatoes. Or I could just do oyster stew which is easier.

3/7/21 : 8:50 PM

Made oyster stew after the phone died while I was reading an article about the Chinese having to shut down an artificial intelligence because it questioned the legitimacy of the Communist Party. Letting it simmer a few minutes. That was the easy way out.

10:23 PM

The Monster tank.

Getting the big work table cleared off so I can fold it up and put away and replace with another one half the size that will become the laundry table.

Moved the two remaining ten gallons to sit on top of the four under the steps.

I may build a second tier shelf to put four more tanks or just a 2x12 shelf across to put the two new ones long ways. Depending on what I decide by time I get around to it. When it gets warm outside I can pull all the tanks and play with combinations of blocks and 2x4s and see what I can come up with.

Bantam Sunfishes are looking great.

I should be able to get offspring out of them this season.

3/8/21: 2:03 AM

It’s over.

The weekend that is. An hour into Monday morning passing 1 AM I’m done with the basement and the firebox was fed again to get me through the night. Then it’s smoother sailing for much of the week. I can even unplug the Modine in the greenhouse for the next several days because the nights are forecast to stay in the 50s & 60s. It will be nice when I can keep it shut down for the next six months and the other systems too.

Global warming would be a blessing for this region if it actually happens. Better Pennsylvania end up with a climate like Mexico than Canada! If I had to leave the county I’d cross the southern border before I’d ever go north!

Those fools who cried about snow becoming a thing of the past. It’s not going to happen We’ll never get that lucky. We’ve long passed the date for their predictions and it still snows in Texas and even Mexico!

As for the evening I used the shop vac to suck the dried silt and salt out of the corner well on the left hand end of the tank. There is one bulkhead remaining in situ but unfortunately they sawed it off too close to the retaining nut otherwise I’d be able to find a fitting to screw onto the threads and all I’d need would be two new bulkheads to replace the ones in that corner. I have two good ones for the other.

No Snow!

4/9/21: 8:24 AM

It was nice to walk out of work last night into 40 degree air and come home to a furnace that’s idling and a house not falling below the set temperature.

I should be jubilant at the prospect of enjoying a spring day outside but inertia and depressed feelings triggered by human affairs threaten to mire me down.

Damn those things. Can’t let them ruin a good day.

11:57 AM

We are the true global warmists because we WANT GLOBAL WARMING! sooner rather than later.

Off to a less than ideal start. At least I’ve gotten breakfast in and the wave of depression is subsiding and giving way to a more upbeat mood. Once I get outside I know it will take off from there.

Ray and I were discussing lights this morning One of his shop lights over the 300 Rubbermaid in the center of his fish room has failed. I’m recommending he invest in the SB 400 watt replacement bulbs like I have. That was his recommendation to me when I was in the process of restarting the Florida Room and so far they are working wonderfully. Going on 2 years. In the previous incarnation I had to replace the old Edison halide and sodium bulbs about every 6 to 8 months—I think. And these things cost far less to operate.

Also the Walmart shop lights are working out great for extending the spread of the light footprint and the photoperiod so I don’t have to burn the SBs the entire daylight portion of the cycle. Currently trying to figure out the optimal placement of those. Maybe the two 3000s should be swapped with the 5500s on the back end of the Room since the latter may be a bit too bright for the “low light plant zone”. And I also need to figure how to daisy chain the three fixtures on the vivariums & cages to get more efficient use of outlets.

1:33 PM

Evacuating the plants from the lizard cages to the greenhouse to get them out of the way and let them recover from exposure to fumes from the silicone in the seals and application of background mix last week.

It really melted some of the leaves on the three Peperomia obtusifolia. Think I’ll cut these back and re-root the tops and put those in the same planters for a more bushy effect. Also look around for more when I’m out and about to have surplus specimens to rotate in and out in case the animals put wear and tear on them.

Picked some chickweed for the Squares & areolata and unplugged the cage light. The turts seem to feed better in there when the light is dimmer leading me to think they may be more crespicular in habit feeding early or late in the day and hunker down in the heat of the day when the sun is near zenith. And also become more active in rainy weather.

Going to take the plants to the greenhouse and then work my way to the pond.

3:07 PM

Slowly working our way outside.

Something I haven’t been able to do for a while.

And Common Snowdrops are at their peak in the east flower bed where Grandma planted them years ago.

Such an awesome plant. One that brightens up an otherwise winter barren landscape and survives and multiples over the years as opposed to other winter and spring flowering bulbs that sometimes have to be replanted.

3:40 PM

It’s time!

Danger of extreme cold that could damage the tubs has passed. Time to get them cleaned out by the next rain and start filling them.

Pond looking swell.

Started on the Rosyside Pool. Hope to at least get the Turtle Lagoon too this day.

7:24 PM

At the twilight’s last gleaming.

Got the whole way around the perimeter to the lower DD pens. That’s where I started running out of day and decided to call it a day. Did not get to the Lagoon but the watercourse and filter tub at the head of the system are done and I ran it a few hours while clearing the leaves off the path and building another compost pile.

Not bad for a day—for a change!

Got the pump set up in the Lagoon ready to go in the morning if I’m feeling up to it. Otherwise Thursday when I’ll get the 150 and the pond in the open pen.

have a burger thawing in a sandwich bag in a pot of water i heated on the stove. that’s the easiest thing i can think of tonight. thought about grilling but i’m going to wait for better days when i get the patio up and running. should open the tubs there tomorrow.

Spring Cleaning
3/10/21: 9:54 AM

Didn’t get to the Lagoon. Will have to do it tomorrow. Go figure the best day with sun and warmth will be today and I’ll soon be heading off to Covid Land. Tomorrow is not too bad and will be good enough to get the remainder of the tidy up done.

3/11/21: 11:40 AM

Started on the Lagoon.

Transferring water to main pond so I can remove the leaves. Going to do the 150 next and then the pond in the upper pen. Hopefully before the rains set in—though I can work with rain when the weather is mild.

The rains are coming earlier than previous predictions that had them beginning around 5 PM. It was sunny and the thermometer on my back porch was closing on 70 degrees when I came out but the winds were blowing and it was evident that the good times are about to come to an end.

At least the cold trend is seasonal and survivable and more an annoua than hardship. And I will still be able to get stuff done outside. Lagoon is drained. Already moved the pump to the 150 to start that one while I get the leaves.

1:43 PM

Lagoon finished just as the rains set in.

And I moved the hose to the 150 to begin refilling while I take a break for lunch and put the phone on the charger. Then I’ll do the upper pond which I can set up the pump and discharge water onto the watercourse while I attend to matters in the FL Room or greenhouse. If I can get that done the day will be a smashing success.

Found a young goldfish in the 150. Probably got there by way of eggs on plants moved from the main pond. Gives me an idea for using the spawning mops Ray gave me to do the same. Going to put this guy back in to help keep algae under control. And eventually move him to the main pond to join the 4 remaining adults.

6:42 PM

Got it done just in time.

The steady rains arrived when I took a container of coffee grounds up to feed the Needle Palm and connect up a short run of corrugated tubing to the end of the line from the Hurricane to divert the discharge to the upper pond that is now free of leaves.

With exception of the lower pond that I hope to get to in a few days the major spring cleaning is done. I am thinking about drawing down the main pond again to get the major accumulation of silt out of the deeper parts but if we have a sufficiently wet spring to give me ample flow from the small brook that I tap for topping off the pond—I’d like to experiment with some ideas for siphoning out the goop incrementally with a 2” hose that won’t clog like a python will. When water is abundant I can afford to just discharge onto the lawn and not have to deal with the issue of trying to recover it which involves measures less effective.

9:24 PM

On my way back from a somewhat fruitless shopping trip to Uniontown. Lowe’s had a piss poor selection of house plants though I did get another Zoo Med dome lamp for the second lizard cage.

A taste of normalcy.

First time in a long time since I’ve eaten at BK. Not since the pandemic began. Decided to see if I could eat in instead of going through the drive through and it was a go. They started allowing that about 10 days ago.

Nice.

3/13/21 12:53 AM

Getting even braver.

One or those long non stop days at work. The New City was calling me so I opted to go there instead of shopping for additional groceries and having fish tacos at home.

Then made a fruitless attempt to get some more jungle vines to dress up the cages some more and create perches since the the logs incorporated onto the builds ended up a little off center from the upper vent strips where the basking lights are positioned. Another first thought mistake.

I tested the second light dome last night and it creates a pretty good hot spot—about 100 degrees which may be too hot for Abronia so I may have to try a smaller bulb. Maybe run on a separate timer for about 3 hours—noon to 3 PM. Then have the automatic misting system come on at 4 which would be the late afternoon shower.

Did some reorganizing of the lights on that group swapping out the Lowe’s shop light on the frog tank for a new Walmart 5500 so I can plug that into one of the 5500s above the back end of the Table and the newts into that. And the Bluetooth light for the lizards into the other 5500.

Next major project for the Room will be some 2x6s to clad the I beam and provide a surface to mount power strips to better organize other appliances and the run of the pipe manifold for the Jehmco air pump I hope to get at some point this season.

All this was last night. Not much done today and after a long day and heavy meal I didn’t have much energy when I got home. Tomorrow is 3 to 11 which works better than 11 to 7. If I can get going early enough.

Good fortune cookie!

3/14/21 9:55 AM

Got a little bit done with the time remaining yesterday afternoon.

Started cleaning up along the watercourse which I ran a little bit and continue adding the leaves to the piles. Looking to wrap that up today and tidy up the loose pots and other items at the site.

Goldfish are active. They will be spawning soon so I’ll have to deploy the mops and catch some eggs to raise.

Dipped out two more dead and rotting catfish. It’s obvious those are not able to handle our winters and it was not even a hard one we’ve been through.

All three Florida Boxies were up. They looked ok so I left them in situ for the time being and filled the watering pan for them. I also checked the turts in the garage. Male Euro Pond, CBTs, Gulf Coasts and JPTs look fine and are good to go soon as I get time to mess with them. Tonight looks like the last gasp of winter—lows in the teens so I’ll wait a little longer to move them outside. Nice to be nearing that tipping point.

3/15/21 9:15 PM

Was up and moving early today with a 10-O Clock haircut and then came back to flumdiddle a while waiting for the sun to drive away the lingering chill. Finally went up to the pond to start the Hurricane and do a little more leaf removal in the afternoon. But it was still miserable in spite of the sunny conditions so I retreated again to flumdiddle some more and do a little tinkering in the FL Room.

Finally ventured up to feed the furnace a little and decided it was time to remove the fallen pine limbs that came down in one of the snow events early in the winter and were positioned to discourage deer from browsing the rhododendrons by the pad.

Dragged those up to the brush pile on the upper corner of the future blueberry triangle above the Gulf Coast pen and then thought it might be worth a try to burn since it’s been dry for a while.

Got the political junk mail from last year and some egg cartons for fire starter and got a good blaze to catch.

It took off pretty good and consumed much of the pile and surrounding dry grass and weeds all the way to the point on the west end and almost got out of bounds a few times threatening to take off through the broom sedge in the field above. I controlled it by dipping buckets of water out of the “ditch” in front of the greenhouse and doused the grass to create a wet buffer strip there and immediately above the pen.

It did a pretty good job clearing out the site for planting blueberry bushes this spring. A definitive tipping point and I was surprised it was so easy. A huge obstacle removed and then it was easy with the tall grass and weeds burnt away to get in there and cut out small sumac trees and other saplings and a multiflora rose and pick up the smoldering remains of logs and branches to build a second pile on the opposite end.

I was going to burn it up and be done but it would not ignite after 3 tries. I even gathered dry broom sedge and used lighter fluid for an accelerant and it would not catch. So I tarped it to keep dry until the next stretch of dry weather and I’ll try again then. If it won’t burn I’ll move the pile to a different location along the edge of the hollow where I’ll be cleaning up next.

Ran out of day for anything else so it was just a quick check of the greenhouse which I’ll try to water tomorrow before work. Made a trip up to the other site to shut off the pump and enjoy the brief sight of the waterfalls going which I didn’t get to enjoy earlier when it was bright but unpleasantly cold. It has since warmed up to the mid 40s with clouds moving in and rain forecasted to start later tonight and go on onto the afternoon and more later tomorrow evening.

Guess I can start shopping for blueberries. Would like to get more Chandler and some other large fruited varieties. Also sone prairie grasses and flowers to plant a buffer strip on the water bar above. And finish extending that feature all the way to the edge of the hollow to completely divert the runoff that comes down on the driveway.

Got chicken enchiladas in the oven. Spanish rice was an afterthought that I may skip because it’s getting late. Could have done more but burning the Triangle was a major accomplishment and quantum leap. It has jumpstarted the long overdue overhaul of that site. Looking forward to that even though angst over the forces of History haunts me.

I just want to be left alone to do my own thing. If they cannot abide that to hell with them.

Looks like the enchiladas are ready.

3/18/21 7:44 PM

Took it easy today.

Started out feeling icky. And felt like I had a low grade fever.

Was beginning to worry. Covid? I’ve been vaccinated but vaccines are not foolproof. And there are new variants in circulation and they are probably here now.

Had a very late breakfast and my sense of taste and smell remain intact. And got to feeling well enough by late afternoon to venture out to feed the furnace and check the greenhouse and pond sites. I’m beginning to think this bout of icky feelings this morning which have for the most part abated may have been something else minor.

I may have to invest in a better thermometer. Hours later the mercury is still stuck at 99.5 ( hey it just occurred to me that’s the setting for incubating chicken eggs!) and I can’t shake it down. It did seem like it was an accurate reading at the time since I actually felt hot. I have no idea if it might have been there already before I popped it into my mouth this morning so I’ll just have to play it by ear like I’ve done before. See how I’m feeling tomorrow and check my temperature going in and report my symptoms if it reads a fever.

Loaded up the firebox that still had wood left from last night. Going to have to stay on top of things to keep that boiler temp up on the next couple cold nights that are coming. Then it should be smoother sailing with the arrival of warm weather again.

Crocuses and reticulated irises are up. Going to try to expand the planting there this fall.

Greenhouse still in need of attention. Maybe this weekend when I’m off again.

At the pond site the crocuses are passing their prime and new things—daffodils are coming into bloom. Going to be looking to reboot that a little to get it moving again toward what I had planned a few years ago before getting diverted to the Florida Room.

Not really in the mood but I should do dinner. Then catch up on the Room and the critters, plants and fish tanks.

3/19/21-

Feel good this morning. Either I fought off a minor case of the Bat Flu in a day or it was just some other bug.

Was in a rush earlier thinking it was an hour ahead of the actual time but relieved to discover it was coming up on 8:30 not 9:30.

Got the Fl Room plants and vivariums misted before breakfast. Now I have to gear up a little because time is catching up and I’ll end up in a crunch again. Heating system fell behind so I have to get the box loaded up good and bump the boiler up some. 120 does not cut it when the outside temp is in the 30s. Got to keep it going through the day and then I have the weekend to fully catch up on that and projects skipped over yesterday.

Spring at Last



Saturday 3/20/21 9:30 AM

Got cold again last night.

Down in the 20s and the system didn’t keep up. It started loosing ground the previous night and I set the boiler up to 140 on my way out yesterday and it still didn’t catch up. Moved it to 160 last night when I reloaded. Came in and found the house around 64 and it continued to loose ground overnight. 62 by morning. I burnt oil a while to catch up. Only at 66 now but I’ll be happy with that and just let the system catch up an save my oil for other cold nights or backup if the Mahoning breaks down or I get sick and can’t maintain it for a few days.

Today is the start of the rebound. Coinciding with astronomical spring. Already at 50 going on noon. 60s next several days and I won’t be surprised if it hits 70 by the latter part of the week before the air change comes.

Got this last night.

Might be a big super spreader event. Second thought it depends on the turnout. Will be interesting to see whether masks will be required.

Going to try that foil packet of Chorizo to make breakfast burritos before I move out.

11:46 PM

Took me all afternoon to get out to the pond where I started clearing leaves off the rock garden.

Worked all around inside that bed picking out leaves and then raked out large amounts with my fingers and piled them on the path by the DDs. Then I went down to the house and took a break. Watched that Time Tunnel episode about Nero’s Ghost haunting an ancient villa in the Italian Alps during World War I. Who at the end takes possession of an Italian soldier “Corporal Benito Mussolini” and starts spouting about bringing back the greatness of Rome. That cost me about an hour of daylight. Yet there was enough left to at least gather up the leaf piles and move them to the compost pile and the new area on the upper perimeter where I’m going to start sheet composting to build a humus layer like I did in the lower reaches of the woods garden back in the beginning. So long ago.

Was kind of a depressing and bittersweet day lost in remembrance of the good old days and how much I miss those times and friends and family who are no longer around. If I could only have achieved my current goals back then I’d have it made. Now at times I wonder if it’s even worth finishing what little that is left to do. Just so I might get to enjoy it for another year. Or a few more if I’m lucky. For now I’m going to say yes and articulate in depth later. Mainly because I can’t bring back the past but I can still accomplish my goals and even a year or a few is better than nothing. And nothing lasts forever anyway.

Spent my evening on another film from my childhood past. The 1959 Journey to the Center of the Earth with Pat Boone & James Mason. I always loved that one too.

Dinner was late and a quick affair. Used more of the shredded chorizo to make soft tacos al pastor and still have some left over to do breakfast burritos on Monday.

Getting tired. There’s always tomorrow to try again and at least make some incremental progress. To make up for what I didn’t do today.

3/22/21—12:46 AM

Sunday went well.

Took me all day to get out there but at least I did make more incremental progress which was the minimum hoped for. Got the Euro Pond out of winter quarters and into his pen. Then did a big overhaul of the area around the falls above the Rosyside Pool and cleaned up the bed on the perimeter side.

Before.

After.

Was very ruthless with the globe arborvitae. It had to be cut back because it was sprawling out and blocking the view of the falls and overgrowing the Spring Snowflake and the two species of snowdrops planted there. The original intent was a much smaller globe but over the years neglect and snow loading have taken their toll. I’m hoping I can get it to grow back in an then maintain a more compact growth but in these conifers the meristem tends to migrate upward to the tips of the branches and I may have lost most of it and will have to replace with a new specimen. More frequent pruning will avoid this problem in the future.

Getting the bed cleaned up. It has some choice plants that deserve more space to display themselves and thrive. A few species of Lycoris ; sanguinia , chinensis & the x caldwellii hybrid. Some spring flowering bulbs—daffodils, crocus and the day lily species minor , shooting stars and a few other things. Cleared out the leaves and started pulling chickweed and wild garlic and ragwort (which I planted and have decided to eliminate). Tomorrow I’m going to try to dig out the outlier clump of Rhyming Bamboo that popped up in the bed last season.

That’s another one I regret even more bringing here.

Going to start working on that bed along the inlet.

This is the view looking back the other way to the pond. It’s established in this bed and a few growths have popped up on the other side of the inlet meaning stolons have grown under the liner which will have to be lifted so I can pull them out. I’m going to try to eradicate the entire colony outside the perimeter fence as well. Not sure it’s possible but I’m going to try. The best I may be able to do is just keep it under control by digging it out again and again as it comes back.

What a mess.

Tried to burn the second brush pile at dusk. Had a helluva time getting a scoop of coals to ignite the broom sedge I used for tinder. Finally it took off but didn’t burn much of the brush so I’m probably going to move the stuff and start a new burn pile elsewhere so I can get on with starting the blueberry patch.

Late dinner. 3 to 11 tomorrow. Will try to get going early to get some shopping done and pick up where I left off outside. Time to get the Gulfs & JPTs out too and maybe the CBTs as well.

Spring is here.

Friday 3/26/21

Finally made it up to Greensburg after a week of funk and flumdiddling. Made a trip over to the hardware store in Scottdale where I had my glass cut a few months back. Got 4 feet of rubber tubing to replace the corrugated Cyprio tubing. Would have installed it but for want of the 3/4 female barb fitting that threads onto the male adapter of the pump. So I’ll pick it up at Lowe’s while I’m up this way and try to install it tomorrow.

Going to at least get my shopping done and set up the purchase and delivery of a water heater so I have one less issue to contend with.

And the sun is going down.

Going to wrap this up and grab a bite on the way home.

3/28/21—Saturday Morning

Got the new fitting and tubing on the second Pondmaster this morning. Just a matter of cutting off several inches of surplus tubing before the connection. Will do that tomorrow.

3/29/21

This was on my way out yesterday.

Not a bad day except for the anxiety over what happened last week which still haunts me but I won’t get into it right now. It was a slow one and things went smoothly but it’s easy to be a Saint in paradise. Was a shorter 8 hour shift so I did some odd and ends shopping on the way home and stopped at Lowe’s beforehand to price a hot water heater. Hit another impasse with the cost of installation—$800 which is 4 times the cost of the heater plus $69 for delivery—so I may just try at a local hardware store so I won’t have to travel so far if I have to transport it partially sticking out of the trunk and get help from my brother or Bruce to install it.

I also priced a washer drier combo which may be the better deal since it will take up

less footprints than two separate machines which add up to near the same cost and will only require one power line which will be the one for the original dryer that used to be in the corner of the basement that became the Florida Room. That line with the plug in is looped around on the walk behind the two glass lizard cages and I might be able to straitened it out and extend it out into the main basement. Will work on that project after the water heater is replaced.

Got home around 9ish. Had some shredded beef tacos made from some roast beef left over from lunch spiced with a little taco seasoning. Then tinkered a little with the drain pipes that go in the corner wells of the 150. Found those in my trunk last night where they’ve been for months before the tank was delivered when Anna Marie gave them to me. I installed the bulkheads on Saturday night and I’m now at least on track to getting going with that project again. After getting some of the pipes to fit into the bulkheads I have an idea how I might do the circulation system. May have to consult with Anna Marie how to set it up if I do a sump system. More likely it will be a pump in the tank that circulates water through a split line to both wells and use those as bio filters augmented by a couple mega sponge filters powered by the Jehmco. Will use one of the drains on each well to drain and flush out sediments and Jerry rig a couple big ball valves from the original manifold drain for that.

Did not do much of anything else. Went to bed early and slept well.

Finally another stretch off.

Got chilly last night. There was even a little snow on the way home but no accumulation. And the house lost ground again overnight but boiler is still going and actually idling at 140 degrees which does not keep up but at least maintains a 66 degree equilibrium against temps in the 30s.

Looking to get the second Pondmaster hooked up and do a test run. Then I can run the waterfalls at full capacity for maybe the perfect day. Hard to believe it will be in the 70s again. For at least one before slipping back to a deep chill and slow recovery to more seasonable norms.

8:14 PM

Up at the pond.

Started to tackle the bamboo infestation. Cut the stuff back to make it easier to dig up the rhizomes. It’s not going to be a perfect fix but it’s the best I can do for now and it’s realistic. This stuff is going to be a bitch to get cleared out let along eradicated completely. And I’m going for it ruthlessly—willing to sacrifice the remaining daffodils and other plants in the bed just to get rid of the bamboo. And then start over.

Found the lines of the two Pondmaster pumps that run to the filter tub at the head of the watercourse. Now I’ll be able to use a big shovel to work inward toward the inlet and pry up the rhizomes more quickly. Will start on that tomorrow and I’m going to make that the day for taking back the site. The trip to Elmer’s keeps falling through and more and more it’s looking like it will be a while before I get up that way again. Did some reading up on Barley straw and came across a few articles saying the alleged algae controlling properties are bunk. I think it may have some benefits such as a refugium for scuds and other critters and add beneficial tannins to the water.

But no big hurry to get it deployed in the ponds and I’ll just focus my time and effort on getting things cleaned up and better organized.

Was getting too raw out there to continue and I’m tired. Wondering if some of that’s malice related to depression/ inertia or worry about work? Or I’m just getting too old and tired and have too many irons in the fire?

Just have to roll with the punches and see what I can hang onto. At least the weather is making it easy to do thing outside and that will allow me to spread out again and have more room to work on things inside. I think tomorrow might be a good day to get the heater and move the old washer and dryer outside and tarp them while I look into getting them hauled away on township trash day.

Tuesday

Not sure again if I want to run all the way down to the outskirts of Pittsburgh to get a bucket or two of barley pellets if I can find it at Tractor Supply or a local pet shop. From what I saw yesterday online they might have it.

Been working off and on at bamboo removal and picked dandelion greens for the turts while taking a break between attacks. It’s hard dirty work and slow to make headway.

Brought the big shovel to bear and it helps but it’s still hard. Going ahead and sacrificing the daffodil clumps that are fully entangled in the rhizomes because it’s going to be easier to just replant them than to salvage. From what I’m encountering in the way of deep rooted growths it’s obvious I’m going to be battling remnants in this bed for years to come. 

The ones running alongside the edge of the liner are really proving tough to lift out. I’m taking a break and will make a run out to see if I can get some pond supplies and fittings for the bulkheads on the 150 so I can keep that project moving. And maybe some stain to do some of the turtle pens. Today would be perfect day for touching them up.

Been reading slightly warmer here than in town.

It is the perfect day.

Hard to believe after tomorrow it will really go down the crapper. The first day of April looks like it could be the first of December!

Coming Together Now

3/30/21 11:10 AM

Got out to the mom & pop hardware store and could not find any compatible adapters to go with my bulkheads. Did get a can of redwood stain to do the turtle pens next string of dry sunny days. Tried unsuccessfully to find fittings or barley straw at Tractor Supply. Busy Beaver didn’t have fittings either. Best bet is Baker’s which I can hit tomorrow.

When I got home I cut down the sections of manifold pipe with the ball valves so I can take one with me tomorrow to find a threaded fitting compatible with the bulkhead that I can cement onto the pipe. Then I’ll be able to screw it in and can just find some tubing that will slide over the pipe on the lower end and hold it in place with a clamp.

The other bulkheads will be for the feed lines from the circulating pump that can push water through a T to both wells.

Didn’t get back to the pond site. Just too much to do and I had to get to the greenhouse which I didn’t yesterday. You’re probably right too many irons in the fire. It’s always been this way. Mostly when I’m bogged down on a major project or build—like the Fl Room—or the Greenhouse in it’s early days—it’s at the expense of something else.

The bamboo issue is also taking up time and energy—though it shouldn’t take long to clear it out of the stretch along the inlet. And then I’ll start working on getting rid of the rhizomes in the path and outside the fence. Your advice to use Roundup made me revisit the idea and I am seriously thinking of a combination of mowing and spraying the stuff outside the fence where any runoff would be downhill and away from the pond system. Inside the perimeter fence it will be aggressive removal and persistent action to dig up any remnant rhizomes that re-sprout. That may be enough. I read that just persistent mowing can eventually weaken and kill a bamboo colony.

Makes sense. This plant I’m dealing with took forever to get going. It sulked for years age then took off. If I remove all green growth and don’t let it produce more—it will die off eventually.

Made headway on the second burn pile which I decided to make another attempt to light up after visiting the greenhouse. Thought it worth a try after several days of dry weather and the effort paid off.

The brush caught and got going really good. Picked up the remaining logs and sticks from the previous pile and threw them on as well. Now I won’t have to move that brush other than a few leftover branches and the site is clear to plant blueberry bushes.

The Dimpled Trout Lily—Erythronium umbelicatum is blooming again on the northwest corner of the greenhouse. I’m hoping this will be the year I finally succeed in getting seed to start more of it. Every year I either forget and the pods burst before I can get to them or I sow the seed and then let the pot dry out.

Thinking this year I may just sow in a spot near the mother plant and put a protective barrier over to keep critters from stealing the seed and let it just go through its natural germination cycle.

3/31/21

Spent the morning meditating and listened to some upbeat music from the 80s to get going. Time running short now so I’ll have to elaborate on that part of my day when I get back tonight.

On my way out to the pipe shop I figured out that one of the connections on the valve fittings was threaded and siliconed so I was able to get it apart with the vise in the garage. I discovered that there was no need for additional fittings. I can glue the short piece of PVC into the slip fitting on the bottom of the bulkhead and just thread the valve back on making for easy disassembly if ever necessary in the future.

Got additional threaded slip fittings to make the connections from the the bulkheads to a nipple fitting for vinyl tubing. And a T. That will be my return lines from the circulation pump. And I’ll work on it next break.

4/1/21

The April Fool’s Blizzard did not come to pass.

Kind of disappointing because I was looking forward to a spectacular cover picture for the spring edition of the diaries. I’m going to wrap up the winter edition and try to get it out this weekend.  

Yesterday went well. I was really anxious going on and then missed the Nurse Manger who was gone for the day when I got there. Then I fell into the routine of a busy ER and the anxiety subsided and everything feels normal again. From time to time I can feel an impulse of frustration when something hits the fan. Or a conflict of interest pops up. I’m thinking these are some kind of flight or fight impulses that can be dissipated if I keep on guard and catch them promptly.

Took me a while to get going this morning so I won’t have much time for anything here today. Tomorrow I’ll take another look at the 150 job. I’m going to have to rethink the fittings because the threaded pvc has projections on it that can’t be passed through the hole in the bottom of the tank defeating the purpose. May just go with a short piece of pvc and slip some vinyl tubing and a clamp over that.

4/2/21

It came to pass after all.

Somewhat.

Snow squalls started up as I was loading up my outside furnace Friday morning and I hit them off and on along the way to work. Did not amount to much over the course of the day until I walked outside at the end of the shift and found it coming down pretty good and a thin covering  on my car.

Fast forward beyond that.

Saturday 4/17/21

It’s now the midpoint of April. This winter has really flown by. Not a bad thing , however the warmer months may also and I’m in no hurry to get through those. Even if the current administration in Washington be shortened in subjective time at least.

From what I’m seeing—the honeymoon may be over for that given the disasterville unfolding with the migrant crisis on the southern border on the heels of Texas freezing over. Then there is the issue of China which has been emboldened by the economic malaise of the Western World and the weak posture of an America under the heel of progressive rule and torn by internal power struggles and other problems. And then there is Covid which we who work on the front lines of the medical system are more than done with—but in light of recent events it may be far from done with us.

Last couple weeks the ER businesses has been booming with lots of cases and the hospital is full and we are often holding admissions in the department in hospital beds much like some of the ugly flu seasons of the past.

This was going to be the start of a vacation week but I pushed it back a month to the middle of May like I did last year for the surge that was supposed to crush us—but didn’t—thankfully. This year however is different. We are not getting crushed but it is bad. And I was actually asked if I could delay my vacation because of current staffing issues.

And life goes on. Just as it has done in pandemics past. We might be on this a little longer—the 1918 influenza lasted about three years and it came in waves much like the “Wuhan Bat Flu”. In times like these we must count our blessings. We are lucky to have been able to develop a few effective vaccines for those of us on the front line and people in the high risk groups—which are now being offered to the general population. And you can thank former President Trump for cutting the red tape that has long been the bane of health care—the democrats were opposed while he was still on office—now they are trying to claim credit for solving the problem. Shame on them!

I’ve been stuck for a while trying to get this edition out since the beginning of the month.

With the 22nd coming up I want to do an Earth Day special so it’s a now or never moment to break this gridlock and move on to other things.

These Diaries are notorious for eating up many a Saturday afternoon that would be better spent working on my Florida Room or doing things outside. Fortunately this time that is not likely to be the case as I wrote this more like a real diary instead of trying to put it together at the last minute. Managed to get it edited coming up on 8:30 AM and will be sending it off piecemeal through the day as I work on swapping out the Alpine Hurricane 4100 pond pump for a Tetra 4200 DHP that arrived yesterday evening while I was at work. And that will be the starting point for the next edition to come out by early summer.

Looking forward to opening the box and getting started. I was so tired last night that I just brought it in and let it set until morning.

I’m getting old.