There was a nice sunrise on Dad's birthday earlier in the week
I spent part of the week designing a support for the barrels. I was going to plant some seedlings, but I have since come to the realization that I am going on vacation at the end of April, so they would all be dead by the time I came back. I think for my garden this year I will just buy plants, and hope that all the seeds I bought will be fine until next year.
The weekend itself was awful weather. Ice and more ice. So I stayed inside most of it. Instead I worked on getting the "conversion" for the CR-V rolling. I mocked it up first.
Dodging freezing rain and sleet, I got most of the boards cut. I test fitted the big one, and it fit just fine.
This is how far I got on Sunday before the power went out. As an aside, it turns out the UPS on my entertainment center didn't even make 20 minutes, I was hoping for a half hour. The UPS on my internet and NAS lasted about an hour before it got critically low. I thought about firing up the compressor using the Jackery, but decided I wanted to keep what was in the Jackery (it was around 70% charge) in case I wanted to run some kind of heat overnight.
There was a casualty as well. I had already bought replacements though when the old ones didn't stick to my face anymore.
I also went and cleaned out the CR-V on Sunday during a break in the icing. There wasn't much in it, but it goes in today (it is currently there) to get the interior detailed.
While I took this picture on Friday before the misery started, this and a couple of really small plops behind the house are all that is left, and were still there this morning. It will likely be gone before I get home tonight though; it is supposed to rain (not ice) and be well into the 50s today.
The main attraction of the weekend though was ice. Here are some pictures.
I also had a ton of trees come down.
This one I got to watch it tip over and slide down. I just didn't grab my phone quick enough; it was plugged in, not in my pocket. Thankfully it didn't slide into the driveway.
All things considered, it could have been worse, I only lost power for a few hours, not long enough to do anything, and it was hovering right around freezing anyways, I don't think anything would have frozen if it had stayed out longer. For how much debris I saw this morning, and how many trees I had come down, I will take it. The new house isn't currently wired for a generator even if mine ran (it hasn't been fixed yet).
Available Projects and annual tasks:
- Dunks and bug repellent.
- Clean up yard
- Take scrap metal away
- Finish cleanup on the pile in the back
- Do something with the trailer.
- Fix excavator
- Finish drainage
- Build deck
- Push back trees
- Install concrete pilings
- Install landscape fabric and gravel underneath
- Build frame
- Lay decking
- Set up hot tub and pool
- Build insulated platform for hot tub
- Put down pool sand to level spot for pool
- Get water delivered for both
- Fix mowers and equipment
- Get tractor serviced
- Build travel station for CR-V/prep CR-V for travel
- Move carport
- Build the roof extension over to the rocks
- Fix front stairs
- Test travel options (rent u-haul and test that, rent trailer and test that)
- Install storm doors
- Build overhangs for windows
- Insulate the water lines
- Front yard drainage
- Fix snowblowers (broken grease fitting on big snowblower, gas leak on small one)
- Gravel/hardpack driveway
- Fix grade to the shed
- Level a spot for a lean-to up the hill
- Build a small lean-to for off-season equipment
- Make shed mouse-tight
- Create walking trails (put up markers, maybe put down some gravel).
- Clear and level a spot for orchard
- Build a bridge over the creek
- Build a gazebo or something on the other side