I finished painting the newly reconstructed fence beside the driveway. While she was here MJ and I stained the inside of the new gate. That fence must be fifteen or more years old – I am hoping for another twenty with regular maintenance. The wood is mostly scrap but in surprisingly good shape, with a few knot holes to fill. Mike used and added new pressure-treated wood for braces on the inside of the fence.
We decided to put up new wood where trim came off the siding and to replace the support for the new gate. That support is a box around the downspout. That box is freshly primed and painted. Mike found new hardware for the gate and a latch that matches the gate into the back yard. No more reaching over the top of the fence to move the wooden bar at the top.
Mike has the pressure washer up and running. 2500 pounds of water pressure does a nice job of removing the mud daubs from the ceilings of the porches. Hopefully, the washer will also work on the railings on the stairs leading to the second story of the barn and avoid endless sanding. Add a bicycle bottle with detergent and we may be washing the exterior of the windows.
I said goodbye to the calendulas for this year and dug them out. Through the summer I left the spent blooms in the bed. I will see if anything comes back next spring, or replant.
The tray with cuttings from Jerry’s ice plant seems to be taking hold, The indoor geranium, however, may be a casualty. I applied water with Plant Starter perhaps too late.
A Year at the Snake 