I was roped into painting for a large majority of my evening today. Not that I mind. Actually, I enjoy, to some extent, the act of painting. It's refreshing in a way few things are. But if it wasn't so time consuming and such hard work, and such an expense at times, painting could almost be recreation. Almost.
But, alas, it is not.
The dream was that Tammy, Carol, myself, and Hilary would team up and use a paint sprayer to deal with the foyer, because it is a textured surface (It's made of swirls of plaster). One we loaded the sprayer, it was time to test the baby out.
The damn thing is loud, and seems to suck power like an arc-welder. It shot out an amazing amount of paint, and we were concerned at first because it seems Hilary and picked out the EXACT same color as what the foyer was previously. We could not tell what was and was not painted at first. The sprayer was holding strong, and the job was seeming to be over in just under an hour.
Then, the problems started, and soon brought our idea to a halt.
Tammy ended up finding herself being sprinkled upon, and the ceiling was receiving a fine powdering of paint particles. The sprayer, not only being noisy and powerful, had the knack of constant and devastating over-spray. This was not going to work in the close confines of the entry way. Then, Tammy noticed another problem. The paint started to run, badly.
"Well, we'd have to go over EVERYTHING with a roller anyway."
So, the electric sprayer was put to rest, and I decided to hell with it. All the taping was done, I was going to paint this foyer, even into the wee hours of the night.
I picked up my roller, and changed our light brown foyer into a basket-weave-colored foyer.
May 29, 2009
May 25, 2009
It came from our FRONT LAWN!!!!
*Start ominous tones and creepy strings*
I cleaned out the pond in front of our house yesterday. This pond is small, but has had leaves decomposing in it quite some time. Which means the water was pitch black. Not a good thing.
I dug around under the depths, clearing up rocks and gravel. Dead leaves piled up next to the pond.
Then, I noticed things wiggle just below the water surface. They were clear and had long tails, as though they were trying to grab onto something solid.
Edit: They were clear, larva looking things. They were rather large (about the size of a caterpillar) and you could see all their muscles working through their skin. They had very long tails that must keep them latched to something, or else to eat. I'm not sure. They were disgusting.
There were lots of them, so I hauled the pond up and moved to the sewer.
I now have a dry basin which in the future I can put water in.
I cleaned out the pond in front of our house yesterday. This pond is small, but has had leaves decomposing in it quite some time. Which means the water was pitch black. Not a good thing.
I dug around under the depths, clearing up rocks and gravel. Dead leaves piled up next to the pond.
Then, I noticed things wiggle just below the water surface. They were clear and had long tails, as though they were trying to grab onto something solid.
Edit: They were clear, larva looking things. They were rather large (about the size of a caterpillar) and you could see all their muscles working through their skin. They had very long tails that must keep them latched to something, or else to eat. I'm not sure. They were disgusting.
There were lots of them, so I hauled the pond up and moved to the sewer.
I now have a dry basin which in the future I can put water in.
You neighborhood friendly salesmen.
So, we now have an alarm system. $2200 worth of alarm system. The cost? $150.
The only catch is, other than paying the alarm system's monthly fee, is that we need to advertise we have the alarm system. Sounds like a plan, right?
This all came around from a social young salesman who seemed very eager to give us a system. Yes, I'm sure he has a quota, but for a sound piece of mind in the city, the small monthly fee is hard to beat, plus all the equipment for free!
We had four door sensors installed (one for each door leading out of our house) and a glass-breakage detection sensor located in the middle of the house. It's designed to recognize the sound of breaking glass and trip the alarm. Since I do not personally trust the locks on the windows, I felt this was a better detector over the more common motion sensor.
These detectors were given to us free of charge because we are on a corner lot and have a frequently used road (there is a bus line on it). All we have to do is have a minimally sized sign in the front of our house. The security company said they were forgoing a television ad campaign and instead were focusing on installing systems in neighborhoods to see if the trend grew from there.
I think it's a smart strategy.
We were lucky enough to have a same-day install just before our party, and the installer seemed unsure of what to think of me. I was hanging around in my Gamecube shirt (basically my pajama shirt) and was lazily watching television. When the guy entered, he looked to be around his late twenty's. He must not own his own home either, due to the questions he asked me.
"So... how old are you?"
"22, why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing... just..." He paused. "So, is this your parent's house, or do you own it? Or what?"
"It's my house. I own it."
He seemed a little shocked, or at least did not suspect that answer. "So, are you married?"
"Oh, no. Not yet."
So, after that, I watched him install the system. He asked about if I was thinking about getting married, and what I majored in. I could tell he was a little nerdy, like myself, so we had a good time talking, so he was a little puzzled that I fixed computers, but had an English/Cultural Studies major.
"Yeah, not many people get that either..." I said to him.
The only catch is, other than paying the alarm system's monthly fee, is that we need to advertise we have the alarm system. Sounds like a plan, right?
This all came around from a social young salesman who seemed very eager to give us a system. Yes, I'm sure he has a quota, but for a sound piece of mind in the city, the small monthly fee is hard to beat, plus all the equipment for free!
We had four door sensors installed (one for each door leading out of our house) and a glass-breakage detection sensor located in the middle of the house. It's designed to recognize the sound of breaking glass and trip the alarm. Since I do not personally trust the locks on the windows, I felt this was a better detector over the more common motion sensor.
These detectors were given to us free of charge because we are on a corner lot and have a frequently used road (there is a bus line on it). All we have to do is have a minimally sized sign in the front of our house. The security company said they were forgoing a television ad campaign and instead were focusing on installing systems in neighborhoods to see if the trend grew from there.
I think it's a smart strategy.
We were lucky enough to have a same-day install just before our party, and the installer seemed unsure of what to think of me. I was hanging around in my Gamecube shirt (basically my pajama shirt) and was lazily watching television. When the guy entered, he looked to be around his late twenty's. He must not own his own home either, due to the questions he asked me.
"So... how old are you?"
"22, why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing... just..." He paused. "So, is this your parent's house, or do you own it? Or what?"
"It's my house. I own it."
He seemed a little shocked, or at least did not suspect that answer. "So, are you married?"
"Oh, no. Not yet."
So, after that, I watched him install the system. He asked about if I was thinking about getting married, and what I majored in. I could tell he was a little nerdy, like myself, so we had a good time talking, so he was a little puzzled that I fixed computers, but had an English/Cultural Studies major.
"Yeah, not many people get that either..." I said to him.
Catty
I just posted a blog, but had to blog about this:
We have a lot of yard cats around the neighborhood. Almost every night we have been awoken by a howl outside and a response of our cats, Purrky and Smudgee, in the upstairs window yowling back, sometimes hissing and then accidentally attacking each other. They are getting used to it now and luckily aren't attacking each other because they are scared, but this evening there was a black and white cat outside the patio door and Purrky got so angry! She decided to pounce on Smudgee but then realized that this cat outside was the problem, not her sister, so she took action! The cat went away but she has now taken post in front of the door and has been there for three hours, just watching, and waiting for the cats return. She won't let no yard cat push her around. They are so funny!
We have a lot of yard cats around the neighborhood. Almost every night we have been awoken by a howl outside and a response of our cats, Purrky and Smudgee, in the upstairs window yowling back, sometimes hissing and then accidentally attacking each other. They are getting used to it now and luckily aren't attacking each other because they are scared, but this evening there was a black and white cat outside the patio door and Purrky got so angry! She decided to pounce on Smudgee but then realized that this cat outside was the problem, not her sister, so she took action! The cat went away but she has now taken post in front of the door and has been there for three hours, just watching, and waiting for the cats return. She won't let no yard cat push her around. They are so funny!
Memorial Day Weekend
For our long, Memorial day weekend we had soooo many plans. And then I got sick and the plans came to a halt. Being overly ambitious I was really hoping to get a ton of things unpacked, the garden completely finished (transplanting some potted veggies and the seedlings into a new spot), the pond drained, cleaned and get a fountain to work for it and then have an extraordinary, awesome barbecue for Nick's graduation and Memorial day.
Because I have been a coughing, disgusting, wheezy mess since last Wednesday, I tabled most of the garden work. Nick, wonderfully, cleaned out the disgusting pond (there was something living in it!), and we realized that we can't get a fountain or pump to work because the only power source is behind the house. So that got tabled as well. I did some research though and found one that might work that is solar powered, so hopefully we can do that another one of these weekends. We did fix up the benches and bought cushions so that we can enjoy our garden though!
I got a lot of the downstairs unpacked and then randomly, on a whim, we got a security system installed in our house for a great price! I am sure that Nick will blog all about it though! And suddenly, before we knew it, it was time for our barbecue!
So, I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but we did have a fantastic get together! Thanks to the Voysey-Olson's we had steak, corn and Cajun sausages. Our other guests also contributed to our spread. I made barbecue chicken with Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce (which was delicious!) and a creamy Italian pasta salad. We also had lemonade, ice tea, strawberry and orange ice cream floats, chips, salsa, brownies! It was amazing! So much eating occurred! I ever felt better for the duration of the party. We played Guitar Hero and yard games and had a really fun time!
Here are some pictures of us playing Swedish lawn games and enjoying our yard!
Our team lost.... the other team thought I was playing purposefully bad to benefit their team.
I decided to join in!
Because I have been a coughing, disgusting, wheezy mess since last Wednesday, I tabled most of the garden work. Nick, wonderfully, cleaned out the disgusting pond (there was something living in it!), and we realized that we can't get a fountain or pump to work because the only power source is behind the house. So that got tabled as well. I did some research though and found one that might work that is solar powered, so hopefully we can do that another one of these weekends. We did fix up the benches and bought cushions so that we can enjoy our garden though!
I got a lot of the downstairs unpacked and then randomly, on a whim, we got a security system installed in our house for a great price! I am sure that Nick will blog all about it though! And suddenly, before we knew it, it was time for our barbecue!
So, I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but we did have a fantastic get together! Thanks to the Voysey-Olson's we had steak, corn and Cajun sausages. Our other guests also contributed to our spread. I made barbecue chicken with Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce (which was delicious!) and a creamy Italian pasta salad. We also had lemonade, ice tea, strawberry and orange ice cream floats, chips, salsa, brownies! It was amazing! So much eating occurred! I ever felt better for the duration of the party. We played Guitar Hero and yard games and had a really fun time!
Here are some pictures of us playing Swedish lawn games and enjoying our yard!
Our team lost.... the other team thought I was playing purposefully bad to benefit their team.
They celebrated their victory!
I decided to join in!
Sarah commended me being a double agent.... I really wasn't, but a good double agent goes with the flow ;-) I really did suck at the game THAT bad.
Ryan enjoyed our hammock
Hanging out in the garden
May 21, 2009
Sitting upon the throne.
My father and I, along with help from Zane, have finished the upstairs toilet. It is fully functional and solidly placed to boot. The last modifications we needed to do to the toilet was chalk it to the floor, get a replacement seal-valve, and put on a toilet seat. Roughly a week ago, when Hilary was off in Duluth resting and relaxing, those jobs were completed.
Incidentally, Hilary also returned home to find my computer fully operational in its desk. I don't believe I need to tell anyone why this would be a surprising development...
Anyway, this weekend's going to be a huge project weekend, so we'll keep you informed!
Incidentally, Hilary also returned home to find my computer fully operational in its desk. I don't believe I need to tell anyone why this would be a surprising development...
Anyway, this weekend's going to be a huge project weekend, so we'll keep you informed!
Hilary's Garden is an Excellent Garden!
I finally got my vegetable garden planted and by the weekend everything, including the last of the seedlings, should be in place. In true Hilary-fashion, I went a little overboard... oopsies! I spent way too much at Home Depot, where I meant to buy mostly flowers, but instead came back with seedlings galore. Ironically, I came home to a sign on the corner of my street that said "Plant Sale" with a big arrow. Right down my street my neighbor had a plant sale of seedlings she grew from her greenhouse. Live and learn! Next year I buy from her!
Here is a run down of my vegetable/fruit garden:
Here is a run down of my vegetable/fruit garden:
- 17 tomato plants, including a yellow pear, better boy, heirloom and Rutgers. One of my tomatoes is in a Topsy Turvey, you know, the upside planters As Seen On TV! It is pretty cool actually! I also might have more to add to the tomato count. I have a pot of some seeds I planted early on that has about fifteen sprouts... I am pretty sure they are tomatoes as well. Oops!
- 11 peppers, including cayenne, bell peppers in both yellow and green, and hot peppers
- 100+ sugar snap peas, all started from seeds. They are doing really well!
- a lot of lettuce... I sorta threw an entire seed pack of lettuce into a huge planter and now I cannot count it all... I am think I need to do a transplant because they are not spaced out at all
- 15 or so pumpkins, which also need to be transplanted asap. They are pumpkin pie pumpkins, I think. I should have labeled them better as well!
- a rhubarb patch
- a raspberry patch
- Rosemary and Italian Oregano
- 1 melon (the rest drowned)
- 20-30 onions
I am currently germinating seeds for kohlrabi, purple onions, yellow tomatoes and summer squash. The summer squash is doing the best. The other ones probably won't harvest, but I will see what I can do.
What I have learned: 1. I need to spread out my plants better, 2. I need to plan my plants before I buy because then I end up with 17 tomato seedlings, 3. I need to start germinating earlier, 4. I need a bigger place for my vegetables!
I am worried because one of my peppers is very much dying and some of my tomatoes are getting yellow around the leaves... I don't know if it is because it was so hot and windy or if is because the soil (Miracle Gro brand) had too much fertilizer? I will have to look it up.
My next project after getting the vegetables all planted and growing is to figure out all my perennials. I find new ones every day. So far in the walking garden I have: hostas of many types, a bleeding heart, Lillie's of the valley and lilacs. Those are the only ones I can really name. I borrowed a book from Nick's mom and will hopefully by able to label the rest soon!
May 20, 2009
Winifred Manor gets Connected!
Me and Nick have been itching to post but have been disconnected from the internet since last week. Today Comcast is coming to save the day and will get Winifred connected to the real world! We have so much to update you on!
The garden is looking fantastic! I planted my vegetable garden and it is slightly overwhelming... I think I went overboard. I went to Home Depot to buy annuals to add some color to the walking garden and ended up with 17 tomatoe plants. Oops. I don't know how I did that. I will post more about it and pictures later!
Since last updates we have a beautifully painted bedroom and my office is really pretty and freshly painted to be girly and pink. The furniture is all here but in disarray. The kitties also are moved in and still slightly confused- more so by the many cats that live in our yard.
Hopefully we can give a real, substantial update soon!
The garden is looking fantastic! I planted my vegetable garden and it is slightly overwhelming... I think I went overboard. I went to Home Depot to buy annuals to add some color to the walking garden and ended up with 17 tomatoe plants. Oops. I don't know how I did that. I will post more about it and pictures later!
Since last updates we have a beautifully painted bedroom and my office is really pretty and freshly painted to be girly and pink. The furniture is all here but in disarray. The kitties also are moved in and still slightly confused- more so by the many cats that live in our yard.
Hopefully we can give a real, substantial update soon!
May 12, 2009
We are HOME!
We are officially living at Winifred now! I wanted to update sooner but we have really patchy internet access until we get our Comcast changed over in a week.
We moved everything on Saturday- luckily it didn't rain! We thought we were brilliant by not using a Uhaul- you know, to save money- but learned that the lack-of-moving-van meant a lack-of-motivation-for-packing. We were not packed completely on Saturday and ended up moving things with my mom's car and my Beetle back and forth a bajillion times. There are actually a few things still over at Bay street! We have TONS to unpack... or more like sort since we didn't pack very much before the move.
Luckily the kitchen and bedroom are unpacked and functional. It is so great to have a large kitchen! I have an entire drawer just for meauring cups and spoons! Haha! We will see how long that lasts. Everything is good but we still have a bathroom issue. The upstairs toilet isn't finished yet so we can use the upstairs to shower and the downstairs for everything else since there is no shower there. It should hopefully be done soon.
I am happy to report that I am never moving again and once I unpack will be a very happy camper. I am really excited to go through everything and get rid of the junk we accumulated over that Bay street. I am suprised by how much stuff fit into that apartment!
Once we get internet, have some more unpacked and I am not behind on case noting I will update on all the other improvements we did before the move, including pictures of the newly painted office and bedroom! They are both very pretty. And hopefully, soon, we will be announcing our housewarming party!
We can't wait to have people start visiting!
We moved everything on Saturday- luckily it didn't rain! We thought we were brilliant by not using a Uhaul- you know, to save money- but learned that the lack-of-moving-van meant a lack-of-motivation-for-packing. We were not packed completely on Saturday and ended up moving things with my mom's car and my Beetle back and forth a bajillion times. There are actually a few things still over at Bay street! We have TONS to unpack... or more like sort since we didn't pack very much before the move.
Luckily the kitchen and bedroom are unpacked and functional. It is so great to have a large kitchen! I have an entire drawer just for meauring cups and spoons! Haha! We will see how long that lasts. Everything is good but we still have a bathroom issue. The upstairs toilet isn't finished yet so we can use the upstairs to shower and the downstairs for everything else since there is no shower there. It should hopefully be done soon.
I am happy to report that I am never moving again and once I unpack will be a very happy camper. I am really excited to go through everything and get rid of the junk we accumulated over that Bay street. I am suprised by how much stuff fit into that apartment!
Once we get internet, have some more unpacked and I am not behind on case noting I will update on all the other improvements we did before the move, including pictures of the newly painted office and bedroom! They are both very pretty. And hopefully, soon, we will be announcing our housewarming party!
We can't wait to have people start visiting!
May 5, 2009
My lawn
The biggest thing I really wanted when I lived at Bay Street was a thick, green lawn. I really enjoy having a nice lawn, and it took a little extra effort to finally have a decent one at Bay Street. So, when I arrived at Winifred, I figured I would have a nice lawn when I arrived. Well, I was wrong.
The back area, if you take a gander at the "Before" pictures was a dirt infested pit. Well, I have been hard at work fertilizing, watering, and seeding a new lawn for the back yard. This weekend, that is what I spent the majority of my time working on; a new lawn.
I will have pictures tomorrow of my lawn, but I must comment that my quick visit tonight made me very happy. My lawn is growing fast and strong. So, I'm confident by the end of this summer I will have a solid lawn.
Unfortunately, I have only made that lawn a small portion of the entire land...
The back area, if you take a gander at the "Before" pictures was a dirt infested pit. Well, I have been hard at work fertilizing, watering, and seeding a new lawn for the back yard. This weekend, that is what I spent the majority of my time working on; a new lawn.
I will have pictures tomorrow of my lawn, but I must comment that my quick visit tonight made me very happy. My lawn is growing fast and strong. So, I'm confident by the end of this summer I will have a solid lawn.
Unfortunately, I have only made that lawn a small portion of the entire land...
Pictures!
I just added photos to the last few blogs! There are even more in our picture links on the side bar!
The upstairs is starting to get done, so I should have some more "After" pictures soon! The most new pictures are in our Yard album! Enjoy!
The upstairs is starting to get done, so I should have some more "After" pictures soon! The most new pictures are in our Yard album! Enjoy!
Weekend Update: Gardening and Yard
This was a really busy weekend! It started early on Friday and went all the way until Sunday evening. I almost gave myself a concussion while trying to plant my vegetable seeds, completed painting the upstairs hallway, learned that de-dandelion-ing the yard is a daunting task and enjoyed the Cinco de Mayo festival down the street from us. It was a very eventful weekend! The weather was so great that we had to spend most of it outdoors!
Each weekend the yard has become nicer and cleaner... it actually looks like a garden now! The grass in the back is coming along well and hopefully in a few more weeks it will be looking more like a lawn than a patch of dirt. I cannot wait to remove the large pile of pea rock from the yard so we can lay down more grass and plant some apple trees. Our garden is beautiful but what are yard is really missing is more trees.
With the help of my lovely friend Jessica I planted my climbing rose bush... How many people does it take to plant a rose bush? The answer is: Not Hilary. We walked around the yard aimlessly for like an hour (okay, more like ten minutes) trying to find a sunny place that my rose bush could climb. Without Jessica's help it would never have been planted. Finally when we do get it planted it is not deep enough. So Nick has to come to the rescue. Hilarity and a second try at planting it ensured, and we finally got it planted! At least I was able to cover the hole with dirt!
I also started my vegetable garden. In the process my head and a cabinet in the shed got in a fight and after seeing stars, blood shed (seriously!), tears and an icepack I was back to work. I decided that this year I am going to have a potted vegetable garden since I am not sure where I want my permanent vegetable garden to be. I figured this way I could try growing from seeds more and control the garden a little better. I have sugar snap peas, pumpkins, melons and tomatoes. I planted a few last week but I am pretty sure they drown in last week's rainfall. I tried them again this week and will have to wait and see if they worl. The pumpkins will be moved into the yard once they get bigger. In the yard I also planted rhubarb and raspberries from some seedlings that Nick's mom brough over. In a few more weeks I am going to buy some tomatoes and will hopefully have a successful garden!
My brothers were over all weekend and were really helpful to me and Nick. They worked on de-dandelion-ing our yard. We don't want to use weed killer becasue our grass is still growing so we decided to go at it the natural way by digging them out at the roots... after working all day, there were still dandelions left. In fact, I am pretty sure they were reproducing as we were weeding. It is looking a little better now.
After a long, hard weekend, I was able to relax on the hammock for a little while and enjoy our yard!
Each weekend the yard has become nicer and cleaner... it actually looks like a garden now! The grass in the back is coming along well and hopefully in a few more weeks it will be looking more like a lawn than a patch of dirt. I cannot wait to remove the large pile of pea rock from the yard so we can lay down more grass and plant some apple trees. Our garden is beautiful but what are yard is really missing is more trees.
With the help of my lovely friend Jessica I planted my climbing rose bush... How many people does it take to plant a rose bush? The answer is: Not Hilary. We walked around the yard aimlessly for like an hour (okay, more like ten minutes) trying to find a sunny place that my rose bush could climb. Without Jessica's help it would never have been planted. Finally when we do get it planted it is not deep enough. So Nick has to come to the rescue. Hilarity and a second try at planting it ensured, and we finally got it planted! At least I was able to cover the hole with dirt!
I also started my vegetable garden. In the process my head and a cabinet in the shed got in a fight and after seeing stars, blood shed (seriously!), tears and an icepack I was back to work. I decided that this year I am going to have a potted vegetable garden since I am not sure where I want my permanent vegetable garden to be. I figured this way I could try growing from seeds more and control the garden a little better. I have sugar snap peas, pumpkins, melons and tomatoes. I planted a few last week but I am pretty sure they drown in last week's rainfall. I tried them again this week and will have to wait and see if they worl. The pumpkins will be moved into the yard once they get bigger. In the yard I also planted rhubarb and raspberries from some seedlings that Nick's mom brough over. In a few more weeks I am going to buy some tomatoes and will hopefully have a successful garden!
My brothers were over all weekend and were really helpful to me and Nick. They worked on de-dandelion-ing our yard. We don't want to use weed killer becasue our grass is still growing so we decided to go at it the natural way by digging them out at the roots... after working all day, there were still dandelions left. In fact, I am pretty sure they were reproducing as we were weeding. It is looking a little better now.
After a long, hard weekend, I was able to relax on the hammock for a little while and enjoy our yard!
May 2, 2009
Living Green Expo
Today me, Nick and my brothers went to the Living Green Expo at the State Fair grounds. It was a collection of booths and exhibits on how to make your life, garden and home more friendly to the environment. Going green is super cost effective and is worth the time and investment not only for you wallet, but for our world and natural resources. Tyler called me a hippy, which is kinda true, but whatever!
My main purpose for going was that I wanted to learn how Nick and I could start a compost pile. We have so much gardening space that a compost pile would really help our garden, especially the vegetable garden, and would cut down on waste. Hopefully once we are all moved in and unpacked we can get one up and running.
The other main thing I wanted to get information about was a rainwater collector. Instead of getting water for the yard and garden directly from the city (and thus having a higher water bill each month), you can collect rainwater and reuse it for around the house. We saw basic ones that are big blue, recycled plastic, barrels that weren't very nice looking. Then we found one that can be made to look like your house, with trim and wood and a hand pump. They were more costly but were the nicest looking and can also be attached to the gutters, which will keep the water from puddling near your foundation. In the long run the rainwater collector pays for itself and saves water. This will be a project for down the road, but would be a great, green addition to the yard.
Nick's purpose for going was that he wanted to learn everything, and also scope out potential jobs. Nick wants to get a wind turbine so we can use our own wind energy. He got a lot of good ideas and wants to build his own. My ideas is that we should start small and see if we can build one that can power the pump for our pond since there is no electrical source near our pond. We'll update everyone and see if we can make it happen!
The highlight for me was getting a free native plant. Native plants to the area are integral to having healthy soil because they have an extensive root system which keeps the ground fertile. I am silly, and dorky, but plants make me really happy! So all day I was smiley because I was carrying around my cute little plant. I also got a bunch of packets of seeds for free which also excited me. I will have to find a place to plant them!
It was a really fun time. Even Tyler and Dylan enjoyed themselves. We also got reusable shopping bags that we are going to try utilizing so we can cut down on extra bags each shopping trip- especially since we are going to be buying more groceries and cooking at home instead of going out now that we have the house to work on. Once we move in we are changing all of our lightbulbs to CFLs, and once we buy the new furnace we will get an energy efficient one. we also learned of places that reclaims wood work, hardware and doors from old homes and resells them, so we might have some luck there when we start trying to restore the house, but that won't be for a while. Hopefully we will have some more green-updates soon!
My main purpose for going was that I wanted to learn how Nick and I could start a compost pile. We have so much gardening space that a compost pile would really help our garden, especially the vegetable garden, and would cut down on waste. Hopefully once we are all moved in and unpacked we can get one up and running.
The other main thing I wanted to get information about was a rainwater collector. Instead of getting water for the yard and garden directly from the city (and thus having a higher water bill each month), you can collect rainwater and reuse it for around the house. We saw basic ones that are big blue, recycled plastic, barrels that weren't very nice looking. Then we found one that can be made to look like your house, with trim and wood and a hand pump. They were more costly but were the nicest looking and can also be attached to the gutters, which will keep the water from puddling near your foundation. In the long run the rainwater collector pays for itself and saves water. This will be a project for down the road, but would be a great, green addition to the yard.
Nick's purpose for going was that he wanted to learn everything, and also scope out potential jobs. Nick wants to get a wind turbine so we can use our own wind energy. He got a lot of good ideas and wants to build his own. My ideas is that we should start small and see if we can build one that can power the pump for our pond since there is no electrical source near our pond. We'll update everyone and see if we can make it happen!
The highlight for me was getting a free native plant. Native plants to the area are integral to having healthy soil because they have an extensive root system which keeps the ground fertile. I am silly, and dorky, but plants make me really happy! So all day I was smiley because I was carrying around my cute little plant. I also got a bunch of packets of seeds for free which also excited me. I will have to find a place to plant them!
It was a really fun time. Even Tyler and Dylan enjoyed themselves. We also got reusable shopping bags that we are going to try utilizing so we can cut down on extra bags each shopping trip- especially since we are going to be buying more groceries and cooking at home instead of going out now that we have the house to work on. Once we move in we are changing all of our lightbulbs to CFLs, and once we buy the new furnace we will get an energy efficient one. we also learned of places that reclaims wood work, hardware and doors from old homes and resells them, so we might have some luck there when we start trying to restore the house, but that won't be for a while. Hopefully we will have some more green-updates soon!
May 1, 2009
The First Party at Winifred
We had our first party at Winifred! Our friend from High School, Emily, and her boyfriend were in town fro Oklahoma so we through a small little get together complete with a bonfire and hot dogs. It was a really fun time! We have already learned that no matter what we do, people will congregate to our kitchen. In our old apartment the kitchen was super tiny but everyone always stood around in it talking. Sure enough, the kitchen was where most everyone hung out. We will definitely need to get a small table for it.
I was really nervous to show people the place since I had spent all morning painting and the place is not finished yet, but everyone seemed to like it and were impressed by how much we have done. I can't wait until we get it furnished and decorated!
Overall, I will say that the first get together at Winifred was a success! I am super excited for our housewarming party... date TBD.
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