A2 Hosting still has not fixed the Database after their servers failed AGAIN. A2 Hosting is the WORST!
Because of this, new posts are currently missing and I can only HOPE they eventually recover the table they didn't restore after their latest failure.












Next Post - Previous Post       List View



10/1/2015 3:21:34 PM

Tidy Up.



As summer fades away and fall starts stripping the aspen leaves, I have a tendency to push aside any thoughts of cleaning and press firmly on the panic button for all the last little things to do outside before it starts staying cold all day.  Surprisingly this fall, most of the things left to do actually involve cleaning, or at least some attempt to tidy up the projects that hubby and I have gotten mostly completed.

For example, cleaning up that big pile of dirt by filling back in the holes over the septic tank lids.... and maybe make them look a little nicer in the process.  When digging them up, I found out that the cat-litter buckets I put into one side last time turned out to be a great idea and made digging the almost 3ft by 2ft deep holes about half the work.  I also realized that if I have to dig the lids out by myself, the white planter barrel is too darned heavy to move around without some creative physics experimentation, two shovels, and a smooth board.  

 
 

So this time, when filling them back in, I put four cat litter buckets (right side up so that the flanges would not keep them stuck into the ground) in each hole.  Then I filled around and on top of them.  So that I would not have so much irritation mowing around the planters, I topped each hole off with some patio bricks.  Now I can mow right across the top, but still not worry about locating the lids and tearing up grass every few years. 

  

It was surprising how much more "decorative" the bricks looked with a narrow offset brick on each side.  And possibly more surprising is the dramatic difference some piled up native rocks makes the grill paddy look from the "privacy wall" side... and a little fill-in dirt along the walkway.

  

And I have some great advice for how to get those rocks to stay put... keep stacking them up over and over until they don't fall down anymore.  Okay... so maybe not the MOST helpful advice, but it was the thing that worked.  I will probably need to keep finding larger rocks to add on to the pile for a while, but in the meantime, it looks better than it did.

Speaking of better than it did, I also filled in the gaps that were left after laying the chisel-cut bricks next to the doorway cement and the walkway.  I put some thin-set mixed with red and a little brown cement dye into a ziplock bag, cut the corner, and piped it into the gaps like icing a cake.  It worked much better than I hoped, and it took very little sanding afterwards to get it ready to be sealed with the same waterproofing spray that I used on the grill wall.

  
  

Of course, I did do some house work.  I swept and I mopped the house.  Yea, okay... don't fall over from shock.  It wasn't inside the house.

I mopped as much as I could reach of the front of the house hoping that the clean would help blend the new paint around the doors and the old paint on the siding.  It didn't help much.

What did help (at least my feelings), was a good sweep-up around my porch swing where a lot of the paint we scraped off the facia-trim near the roof had piled up with old weeds and debris from many projects over the summer.

 

So, of the about 50ft of patio that looked like it was hit by a pissed-off tornado, there is now about 10ft next to the grill that looks nice with newly re-laid bricks, and about 10ft around my swing that is at least semi-tidy.  And that is probably where I stop for the year, because the area between the two just isn't worth fixing right now.

... and of course, eventually I do have to at least pretend to do some housework inside the house.




Next Post - Previous Post       List View
COMMENTS

10/3/2015 10:27:55 AM Punkin
Sorry it took me so long to say your cleaning up is so great. I have been doing the same but not so good as you. I finally got my outdoor / indoor plants re-potted and returned to the indoors. Just have to re-pot the African Violets.
Your always making every thing look so special. Over here it is all the same stuff in the same place. LOL

10/3/2015 11:15:18 AM TinkerT
Well, if it is the same stuff in the same place because that is where you like it, then you are WAY ahead of me.  :)

Add Your Comment...


Please Keep All Comments Family-Friendly

Name / Nickname:  
Comment:  
Email:   (Optional)
      Notify me of new Comments/Replies to this post by email
      Remember my Email for future comments
Your Email is Never Shared. Email is only required if you want to be notified
of new comments or if you are entering a give-away.


Please Type This Verification Code:   lgmitp    (Code is case sensitive.)


TinkerT Terms & Disclaimer


     Step one to DIY is safety. Use applicable safety equipment, read instructions, and handle all tools with care. While this site encourages a Do-It-Yourself attitude and has ideas and how-to posts, it is not responsible for any problems that arrise from attempting similar DIY projects.
     Familyweb.us and TinkerT makes no representations or warranties of any kind (expressed or implied) about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or gramatical correctness of any information or recomendations contained on this site or found by following any link on this site. All the information provided on TinkerT is for general information and entertainment purposes only. Following any advice or information on this site is done "At Your Own Risk". Under no circumstances will Familyweb.us or TinkerT be liable for any loss or damage (including without limitation direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage) arising from use or misuse of information provided in this website.
     Copyright Policy - Unless otherwise noted, Familyweb.us is the legal copyright holder of all material on this website. Submitions and comments will be considered the property of Familyweb.us and may be used, whole or in part, for purposes on the site or other related projects. Please feel free to copy and reprint any portion of the articles and posts on this site. However, you must include a clear label for where you got the material and include a link to the appropriate page for the post that material was copied from.
     The opinions expressed by any Third Parties (including commenters) are their own and do not represent the position or believe of Familyweb.us or TinkerT. TinkerT reserves the right to remove or edit comments for any reason deemed nessesary, including, but not limited to: spam, offensive language, inapropriatness, and general rudeness.
     TinkerT will never sell or share your email with any third party and will not send you advertizements or spam.
     Familyweb.us and TinkerT reserve the right to change the focus of, close, or sell this blog site without warning.

     While TinkerT and Familyweb.us strive to ensure all posts and comments are PG13 or less, it makes no guarantees of this and requests that anyone under 17 ask their parent's permission before signing up for the newsletter or reading this site.

     These terms and conditions are subject to change at anytime without notice.












aquariums
archives
cooking
crafts
denver
DIY
electronics
home improvement
ideas
landscaping
low budget
mountain living
nature
outdoor
painting
plants
style
the tilt
tools
travel
woodworking

instant pot
  smart scripts