Good morning!!!!

[rswyan]

Partly cloudy and 58F @ 02:30 ... headed up to a high of 79F with mostly sunny skies. These next four days are looking great ... sunny with highs in the low to mid 80's ...

Just woke up after a 4 hour nap ... was whipped but apparently not enough to sleep any more than 4 hours or so ...

I spent most of the day in @ the commercial property. There's a 20' x 80' area along the side of the rear building addition, that abutted the rear of three neighbors lots. It was a lawn when the previous tenant took possession of it ... it was jungle when I started on it yesterday morning:

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Not much grass left at this point ... mostly old leaves, poison ivy, and raspberries ... plus a lot of litter.

Snot load of poison ivy vines growing up the side of the building too.

 

[Old Junk Man]

Yep Im up for a bathroom break and a glass of goat milk. that area would be clean of poison ivy if my goats where there. A sheep would do s good job also.

 

[rswyan]

By the end of the day I had most of the large/tall brush hacked down and a lot of the debris raked up into a windrow in the center.

Found a half rotted pallet and piece of plywood ... and an old gas tank from a vehicle (which I assume the neighbors on the backside of the building dumped there) ... no sending unit on the tank ... so it was half full of water.

The raked up debris will have to be wheelbarrowed to over near the dumpster so it can be forked in a little bit at time. The dumpster is for the business next door - which fortunately is owned by a neighbor and friend. I can use it, as long as I don't overload it and take all the space.

Still have a lot of work to do to pull all the vines still on the ground and the side of the building. Looks like that might end being the activities for the 4th. Probably give it a couple of weeks after we get all that cleaned up and then hit whatever comes up with Roundup. Then seed it.

After I got home and had dinner I went up and cut up one of the last two remaining large sycamore logs and did some weed whacking around the house.

With the nice weather on tap for the next few days, I'll probably put the mower on the Kubota later today and get the front cut here at the house ... so that it can start drying before it gets picked up with the lawn vac.

Right now though I'm gonna fix a cup of coffee and head up to the shop. Hafta fix the pull cord on the chain saw (which I broke last night) and stick a tube in the wheelbarrow tire.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable and productive day.

(Bonus: I managed to pick enough ripe raspberries before I cut down the vines for the woman to make a pie )

 

[rswyan]

Yep Im up for a bathroom break and a glass of goat milk. that area would be clean of poison ivy if my goats where there. ...

That's assuming that they had a chance ... and didn't wind up on a spit, roasting over one of the neighbors barbeques ...

 

[rswyan]

What would you use it for?

Oh ... I dunno ... lots of possibilities ... I'm sure I could come up with something

I was thinking of brewing some beer, but 200 gallons is a lot of beer. Well, maybe not. LOL.

:thumbsup:

Anyway, it sits in the corner of the milk house now that it is disconnected from the plumbing. That was fun! I love sparks. Amazing how much room is in the milk house now that it is not in the middle of the floor. It was a great set-up for its time. I feel sort of bad for the history of the place.

Always nice to have more room ... but I can appreciate what you're saying re the history

 

[Eric Salop]

We had temporary relief from the heat yesterday after some cooling rain from the Atlantic. The sheep appreciated the rain but it has made a mess of the plans for haymaking. I was set today to help at a farm over the hill that has already cut. The grass will too wet to bale today and if the forecasters are right, we are going to get another soaking this evening as hot winds come in from France bringing thunder storms too.


Spraying at rosette stage for thistles is what we used to do, as the chemical manufacturer's all say this is the most effective time to get them. The fields last done this way now have nothing but grass - and more new thistles. The spray kills off just about all other plant life.

In other fields that have not been sprayed for a few years (except by knapsack), I have weed wiped as soon as the thistles have grown above the grazed grass. Here the clover and other plants make it a much more varied sward. It is early days, I need a few more years before I am convinced which is the best method, though so far the weed wiper results look encouraging.

Ideally I would not use chemicals at all. Thistles don't grow in our "lawn", nor do they do well where the grass can grow long in late cut hay meadows. An old guy was adamant he kept them at bay by rolling, though I never did learn his secret of when to roll. If I live long enough, there are plenty of experiments to try in the years to come.

 

[ronjhall]

Drinking first cup of coffee. 46° with clear skies this morning. Heading to 75° with lots of sun today. Pond projected is coming along. Friend came over with his motorhome. Installed a full automatic satellite dish on it. Kind of put pond on back project. Back at it today.
RS, you sure have a mess to clean up.
Drew going to be a nice bench when you are done.
Good Morning All.

 

[Buppies]

67 this morning cloudy and somewhat damp showers and storms off and on all day high of 79. Basically just like yesterday excerpt more rain. Off to look at job on parkway. Hopefully leave for vacation tomorrow

 

[daugen]

a little cooler today with rain coming in this afternoon. Actually chance of thunderstorms every day now in the forecast.
Need to get my little American flags out for the turtles to wave around.
Buppies, have a wonderful time.

 

[daugen]

I'm starting to itch just looking at RS's poison ivy...
think I've found my router bits, regular or finish?
Amazon.com: Freud 16-500 1/2-Inch by 3/4-Inch Top Bearing Mortising Router Bit, 1/4-Inch Shank: Power & Hand Tools

1/2" (Dia.) Top Bearing Flush Trim Bit - Freud Router Bit - Amazon.com

and if it works, I might get this down the road:
Amazon.com: Freud 91-108 Basic Router Bit Set with 1/2-Inch Shank, 9-Piece: Power & Hand Tools

 

[rswyan]

... RS, you sure have a mess to clean up.

Yeah ... it could be a lot worse I suppose ... just glad I didn't find any decomposing bodies ... :laughing:

The neighbors at the rear of that building - whose house caught fire and burned back in January - had sorta encroached onto our property ... I have a 8' (l) x 6' (w) x 4' (h) dog "palace" that I somehow need to move back onto their property ... that should be interesting ...

I did find some old guy's wallet - looks like whoever lifted it picked the credit cards and then dumped it ...

Kinda surprised they left the driver's license.

Gotta see if I can track him down today.

Pics on the pond if you would ...

 

[wngsprd]

61 and a still a little foggy. T-storms and 80 likely today.

Phoebes nesting on one of the outdoors spotlight are hatching...easy to see from a window. Baby rabbits in the yard. Nice time of year.

 

[rswyan]

I'm starting to itch just looking at RS's poison ivy...

Better you than me ...

I didn't even shower until after I got up from my nap ... no itching so far ... which is pretty good, considering that I cut up a bunch of it and the brushcutter was spraying it everywhere ...

Probably ought to change the sheets tho' ... :laughing:

 

[KevT]

Good Morning Everyone, Hope your weekend is starting out well. Hope everyone stays safe on this holiday. 74 with a high of 98 today, 0% chance of rain

Buppies - where are you going? We leave early Sunday morning for Ohio, I think Farmer said he was coming to FL tomorrow

Drew - Glad to know you have patriotic turtles

I refueled the tanks ($300) and the tractor and mower, changed blades on the mower, finished mowing the grass and had time to take the wife out for Italian for her birthday dinner.

Today I am sending a worker to tear down an old wood fence and the new one will go back up when I get back. I have to go change locks in a house 45 minutes away, and hook up my repaired receiver to the "Home Theater" then start getting things ready to go

 

[Old Junk Man]

I use a dish liquid bottle filled with gas & a little used engine oil (for color) and give those thistles a squirt preferably when they are in the rosette stage. and its very effective. gasoline is a natural thing that comes out of the earth.

 

[KevT]

Hey Drew, the first bit is made to mortise hinges out, not long run mortising, the 2nd one is better, but you don't need the bearing, use the base of your router along the straight edge. And lastly don't waste your money on the kit, buy the bits you need as you need them. You will never use half the bits in a set when you buy sets, so why waste the money? Also if your router takes them, always try to use 1/2" shank bits, less vibration equals cleaner cuts.

Amana Tool 45422 Straight Plunge 1/2-Inch Diameter by 1-1/2-Inch Cutting Height by 1/2-Inch Shank Carbide Tipped Router Bit - - Amazon.com

Is a fine bit to use and will last a long while till it gets nicked

 

[KevT]

I use a dish liquid bottle filled with gas & a little used engine oil (for color) and give those thistles a squirt preferably when they are in the rosette stage. and its very effective. gasoline is a natural thing that comes out of the earth.

Hate to burst your bubble, but gas does not come out of the earth. It is a refined product with things added to it, "Crude Oil" is what comes out of the earth and that stuff is nasty and smelly.

 

[bakerg]

Good morning, a cool 52F here this morning heading to 75F and a beautiful day.

 

[dave1949]

Around 80F today & sunny. Should be a decent breeze picking up a bit later too.

I have to lay a scent trail this morning for Sira and then get to work on the rocks.

Hope everyone enjoys a long weekend.

 

[RoyJackson]

2015-07-03, 0756

51 degrees right now...high of 78 and clear today. I'm off today through Monday and, boy, do I need the break! It was nice sleeping in too!
Today's chores...finishing mowing the lawn, fix a busted rain spout and finish assembling a grill. Hopefully, we'll be grilling tomorrow.
If I have time, I'll start mowing the field.