January 23, 2012 - Where There's a Will

There's a way.

I really needed some seed starting supplies from the garden shed, but the snow is still about 8" deep between here and there.

I've seen some of those cute boots a few of you wear, as well as some that are not so cute, but I've spent the last dozen or so winters in Arizona. We don't do cute boots down there! At least I didn't. What to do, what to do? Well, where there's a will, there's a way. Nothing is going to keep old Granny from that garden shed today!

Hmmmm. It's not snow any more, it's an ice skating rink. That freezing rain the other night, as well as a couple of days in the 40s and nights in the 20s have formed a crust on the snow that's thick enough to hold my weight. Getting to the shed is now a matter of just staying on my feet rather than wading through snow.

Aha! Once I reach the sunshine, I break through the crust. I still don't go deep enough to warrant wearing these fancy "boots"!

Proof as to where I've been.

This is all I could manage to carry while skating across the yard, but it's a start. The 2012 gardening season can now begin!

January 22, 2012 - Me Too! Me Too!

OK, it seems as though just about everyone is posting plans for their 2012 gardens, so I need to get in gear and do some planning of my own! I pretty much know what will be planted in the North Garden.

North Bed #1 (hoop & bird netting, 3' x 4' raised bed)

30 Mixed lettuces

North Bed #2 (2011 compost pile)

One hill of 3 Waltham Butternut Squash plants, to be planted in a compost pile. Vines will eventually cover about a 10' x 10' area of the garden.

North Bed #3 (4' x 8' raised bed)

12 Sweet Peppers

*3 Corno Di Toro

*3 Quadrato Giallo D’Asti

*3 Quadrato Rosso D'Asti

*3 Red Marconi

24 Walla Walla sweet onions (for salad onions)

North Bed #4 (hoop & netting for leaf miner protection, 4' x 8' raised bed)

32 Tyee Spinach

8 Tall Utah #527OR, Improved celery

32 Walla Walla sweet onions

32 mixed varieties beets

North Bed #5 (4' x 8' raised bed)

Established Canby Raspberry bed

North Bed #6 (4' x 8' raised bed)

Established Tristar strawberry bed

North Fence (vertical growing)

Fortex Pole Beans

Green Arrow Peas

Cucumbers

Grandpa Ott Morning Glories

I haven't yet planned out the Kennel Garden or the East Garden, but they will contain, among other things, potatoes, carrots, parsnips (maybe), garlic, snap peas, bush beans, cabbages and whatever else I can crowd in there. Tomatoes will go in the west garden and along side the house on the west side, as well as by the patio. There's lots more planning to do!

January 19, 2012 - Let it Snow, Let it Snow....

Bring it on.....Granny can handle it!

January 18, 2012 - Winter is Here

We woke up to the first snowfall of the season. Having spent all of their winters in Arizona, Annie and Otto have never seen snow before. Otto was scared of it, and refused to go off the patio. Annie studied it for a few seconds, then tentatively stepped into the cold, wet mess. Of course, Annie's belly drags on bare ground, so you can imagine how deeply it was immersed into the snow! She wasn't impressed, and immediately returned to the patio and back inside through the pet door. Mr. Granny had to take both dogs out front under the pine trees, so they could pee on bare ground!

January 16, 2012 - I Wish I Had Married Norm Abrams

Of course, I love Mr. Granny, but what woman in her right mind doesn't wish she'd married Norm Abrams? I mean any of us do-it-yourself women. The ones who are too cheap frugal to hire our work done for us. Thank heavens I have son John, but even with him helping I find myself hyperventilating from the time we start a project until we've finished. One thing about hiring someone to do your work is that if they make a mistake, they have to fix it on their own dollar. When we make a mistake, we (I) have to pay for it. That's why I hyperventilate. So far, so good.....knock on wood!

Last night I told Mr. Granny I wanted to replace the garbage disposal while we were putting in the new sink. Being Mr. Granny, he had to go on and on with the same old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine. I, on the other hand, knew the days were limited on the old one, and it would be only a matter of time before a replacement would be absolutely necessary. Why reinstall the old one, then a month or a year down the road have to take it back out and replace it? Well, I won the argument. When John pulled out the old disposal this morning, we discovered it had a hole in it and has been leaking. Chalk up a win for Granny, I have my new disposal installed.

Today's Projects

The new sink and garbage disposal are installed, the stove top is back in place and wired in, and we're finished for the night. Tomorrow we'll change out the plugins and switches, texture the walls where the old back splash was removed, paint the walls and do some small touch ups (filing) on the edges of the Formica. Maybe I'll find time to shop for tiles for the new back splash.

I....am....exhausted.

January 15, 2012 - Counter Tops Part 2

Formica was installed on the first counter top today. Of course, the tile back splash is still missing. In fact, I haven't even looked for the tiles yet. I'm thinking a light brown shade. John is going to retexture the wall first, as 4" tiles won't quite cover the area where the old back splash was removed. We're also going to replace all the plugins, switches and cover plates while we're at it, so they'll better match the paint color.

Mr. Granny is not impressed with the granite look. He says it looks like someone threw up on it. The man is hopeless.

January 14, 2012 - The Next Project Begins

With the floor finished, it's on to the next project.....new Formica counter tops. Son John came over after dinner, armed with a bunch of new tools from Harbor Freight. The new heat gun made quick work of removing the back splash and edge of the old Formica. If I never see Harvest Gold again, it will be too soon. Oh yes.....unfortunately, it's still present in the bathrooms :-(

Then the top piece of Formica was removed, and the back splash area given a coat of primer. Some of the old contact cement was scraped off, but John decided he was going to get something that dissolves it for easier removal, so called it quits for the night.

Leaving me with this mess! I swear, my kitchen was clean when he got here. Hmmm, I think I bought John a new router to go with his new heat gun. I'm easy.

Semi-cleaned up, I'll be living with tools in the kitchen and small appliances in odd places for the next few days.

The new counter will look similar to this (my daughter Amy's kitchen). It's called Butterum. Hers is the preformed counter top with round edges, where mine will have routed edges. I'll probably be using 4" ceramic tiles for my back splash.

January 13, 2012 - Talk About Customer Service!

After we got the new flooring in, the old kitchen bookcase looked pretty ratty. I decided I'd replace it with a new solid oak bookcase, so I went shopping. Nowhere could I find a long, low bookcase. They were all 36" high or more, which made them way too tall for my TV. Last night I searched for one on line, and still couldn't find one wide enough and short enough for my needs. I decided to look at the "fake" oak ones, the kind you have to put together. I found one at Office Depot that fit my needs perfectly, both in size and in color. What's more, it was normally half the price of the smallest oak bookcase, and it was on sale for another $30 off! OK, I figured the shipping would be outrageous. I had seen some that were relatively inexpensive, but charged as much as $125 for shipping and handling. I decided to see just what it would cost, and was pleasantly surprised to find shipping was free in my area! Even with sales tax, it was actually just under $100 total. I ordered it last night, and got a notification this morning that it had already shipped. The estimated delivery date was next Tuesday. Imagine my surprise when the truck pulled into the driveway around noon today. Free delivery, and about 18 hours to get here....you can't beat that kind of customer service!

Now the hard part begins. I used to be real good at this, but I kept putting this one together with the parts upside down or backwards! We goofed it up more than once, but didn't quite get to the point of filing for a divorce.

I am very happy with the finished product. It is really sturdy, and the Carolina Oak is quite close to the color of the living room furniture. It was 2" higher than the old bookcase, so I had to raise the picture a bit. It is also 8" longer, which is a good thing.

It blends in nicely with the kitchen cabinets, and I like the contrast of the darker color next to the flooring.

Now my computer desk looks a bit ratty next to the new bookcase and the new flooring. NO! I'm not going to replace it! Well....at least not right away ;-)

Hmmm, I wonder what time Office Depot opens in the morning.