Get to work!

I need help, and you're not cutting it.

You're falling down on the job!


You're supposed to take care of things outside, but it's still raining. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. I know plants need water, but this is absurd.

I really can't take it much longer. I've taken off yesterday and today to work in the yard, but that has quickly turned into working on the house. It's spring cleaning time, so we've been getting everything spic and span.

However, all this moisture is causing a whole other problem. See, the dog likes his bed, but the fleecy lining gets hot in this weather, so I put a nice cool sheet over it. I went to change the sheet and noticed that there was a bunch of white stuff underneath it. At first I thought it was disintegrated litter (Simon thinks the litter box is a snack bar), but on closer inspection, it's another casualty of the weather:


All the tiny scratches from cat and dog nails created little doors to the shellac underneath; the moist air that gets trapped under the dog bed, plus any moisture that soaks through when he comes out of the rain has caused the shellac to discolor. And I can't just wipe it with alcohol. I tried that-- it's UNDER the poly. I scratched a little off, and luckily, I think it's the clear dewaxed layer that we applied to help the poly adhere that's hazed, so hopefully, I can work on these few boards individually. I plan on rubbing with sandpaper or steel wool to remove the poly and perhaps wipe with alcohol. Then put another layer of dewaxed clear shellac and re-poly.

Anyone have other suggestions? I'm going to try spot treating first and then re-polying the entire board, but I'll redo the whole thing if necessary. Thanks to the blog, we have a very detailed account of what we did with the finish.

I need to re-poly a few boards in the kitchen, as well. They were particularly dry and I think they soaked up a lot of the finish. At any rate, once these things are done, I think I may take up a suggestion left many moons ago to wax the floor. I should be able to just spot wax for a few years if I do that, right? I don't have to wax the entire house every year, I hope... And what do you clean waxed floors with? I don't know. It will make refinishing that much more difficult down the line since we'd have to remove all the wax before screening or sanding, but it might protect the floors underneath, meaning we won't have to refinish so soon...?

It's just such a bummer.

Summer Reading List

This weekend was the annual public library used book sale. The kiddo picked up another great round of Babysitter's Club Books, as well as a few classics, and Adam and I found these:

I am very optimistic that these will come in handy over the summer. First of all, we've got a lot of tuckpointing to do before we paint-- a lot of the mortar in the porch columns is disintegrating, and there's some spots in the foundation that could use a bit of building up, if for no other reason than to fortify it even further from the elements. And as you old home owners (not old homeowners, but owners of old homes!) know, these aged houses require some special attention regarding mortar type.

As for the built-ins, you can see it's a book from the 1950s, so the style of the built-ins isn't necessarily what we're looking for, but there's a lot of pictures and diagrams of how to put these things together-- types of joints, etc. We'd like to build in some basic craftsman style bookshelves with doors under the big window sill in the dining room, just deep enough for trade paperbacks, and we've considered putting some cabinets around the fireplace, as there very well may have been at one time.

I think we hit a DIY jackpot!

Rain, rain, go away

Maybe I'll change my mind in July when we'll have had 6 weeks without a drop, but I'm ready for drier weather. I can't stand this.

On the good side, I think the hostas that I planted last weekend have gotten bigger, and the one that I split is doing equally well as two new plants...I've never split them before, so I was prepared to be disappointed. But so far so good. the rain also meant I didn't have to deal with the basil and tomatoes that are already planted...

What it did mean, however, were tornadoes and mud holes and thinset. See, Cake played here Friday night. While killing time at the mall waiting for friends, I heard that the news was reporting a tornado headed straight for the mall. The amphitheater was evacuated and everyone wandered around a little dazed and scared, looking for the storm shelters in the building until the folks at JC Penney announced we were in the clear. Luckily, we had covered seats for the show; still, I realized I am too old for concerts. When everyone piled in to get out of the rain, I got increasingly frustrated with inconsiderate folks knocking my lovely and pregnant friend over. A couple of guys were just being assholes and I wanted to tell them they didn't PAY to stand there; I, on the other hand, PAID for my seats.

I really, really would have hated me when I was 19. Then again, I wouldn't have been knocking over the pregnant girls.

Then it stormed, off and on, all day Saturday. The valium seemed to take some of the edge off the dog's anxiety, but when we tried to run a few errands between storms, we were too late getting home and he had torn into a bag of mortar mix. So I am on poop watch yet again. So far so good, but the whole thing makes me nervous. Also, a couple of the holes he had dug the day before became horrible, muddy sinkholes.

The good news, though, is that we got to try the anxiety T Touch wrap. I put it on him late at night, took him into Adam's office and told Adam that he could take the wrap off in a few minutes, it might be too tight, and I was going back to bed. A couple of hours later, Adam told me the dog had been asleep. Well, then he got worked up, digging. We took a walk; we stayed on the leash in the house. Then I checked the wrap and saw it was loose. I redid it, and there was no change. Then I redid it TIGHTER. And he laid down. I woke up 10 minutes later with his leash in my hand and him asleep by the bed.

Progress.

We'll see if this continues. Of course, there's more storms in the forecast for the next week. I'll have ample opportunity.

If only it would clear up, I could get the garden done. While the dog and I took a walk for Poop Watch 2 Electric Boogaloo (Poop Watch 1 was the ribs ingesting incident), we looked at other bungalow landscaping. I think we're just going to edge with monkey grass, and do big huge planters of coleus, caladiums and flowers. Or maybe just do small ones this year. Last week killed my shoulder, and we'd have to do it every year, anyway. So planters it is!

Yay

Simon appears to be using his bed-- we found a big, warm, dog-sized crater in the middle and a pile of bedding outside the box. At least it's easier to sweep up than the flower bed dirt, not to mention the fact that it doesn't cake onto the brick or create a fine haze over everything.

All the storms that came through yesterday never actually culminated in much. Adam was off work, and he tells me that there were a few rumbles of thunder, but Simon handled it all well. No need for the meds and the house was intact when I got home, as was the yard. Of course, more is supposedly on its way tonight and for the next several days, so I continue to hold my breath.

On another note, our neighbors have the sweetest brindle boxer and another small dog. The two of them bark and bark and bark. I don't really mind, but it's a bummer since we just got Simon trained to understand that barking at nothing is not cool-- one bark plus lying down facing the house = get to come inside. Now they're talking at each other pretty constantly. But it's so cute when they're both up at the fence. They lick through the cracks and love and love and love on each other. Simon's just a lady's pup, apparently. When he was at my mom's, we used to come home frequently to find other lady dogs from the neighborhood who had climbed INTO our backyard to hang out with him. He's just that irresistable.

Home Depot Giveaway

I'm sure I'm a little late to the table with this, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my chances in the latest One Project Closer giveaway, sponsored by Home Depot. To boost awareness of their tool rental program, Home Depot would like folks to go to One Project Closer's blog entry and leave a comment letting them know what tool from the Home Depot tool rental arsenal they would rent. That gets you one entry... Doing what I'm doing now-- blogging about it and linking back to the article-- gets you 50 entries.

The prize? A $200 Home Depot gift card. And who couldn't use that these days.

The possibilities are endless.

A storm's a-brewin'...

And it's been brewing all weekend! Every second, it looked like it could start pouring. But it didn't. Instead, it was breezy and warm. Absolutely perfect.

Saturday, we got the front flower beds cleared out and weeded. Then we planted 2 varieties of hostas around the bird bath-- 3 small plants and 3 bulbs. I should have planted the tubers last fall, but I never got around to it. So if they don't make it up out of the ground this year, I'll see them next spring!

Here's the best shot I can find of the flower beds "before":


It basically looks as though there's no flower beds there. We had let the grass sort of take over under the gold dust plants, and the vinca and cherry laurels had taken over the bird bath area-- that's right. By the time we got to the weeding, we had small cherry laurel trees growing in the bed. I may transplant one of those trees to the other side of the yard; they're hardy and evergreen. Lovely. And don't get me wrong. Vinca is fantastic as ground cover. But it was looking a little unmanageable. Same thing with what I thought was ajuga under the gold dust plants. It had somewhat similar leaves and purple flowers were appearing; however, the flowers didn't spike up...Now I think it's some variety of dichondra..? Regardless, it is insidious.

Now the front of the house (taken in the dark):


Holy crap, right? There's an actual edge to that flower bed. And let me preempt the stern talkings-to that I anticipate about the cypress mulch. My mom worked in a nursery and did landscaping, and it's what we always used. I love the smell, the color, the texture. I have found out, since buying my front yard supply, that it is not sustainable. I will look into equally attractive more sustainable alternatives in furture. Until then, this is what I have.

The plan is to transplant some of Mom's monkey grass from her garden to fill out the border, to trim or tie back the low-hanging gold dust branches, and then to go behind the grass with brightly colored foliage-- coleus and caladiums. There's too much shade for constantly blooming flowers.

Then we planted some hanging baskets. A fuschia:

And petunias and impatiens:


We also bought some basil and a rather large tomato plant. It's lazy. I know.

In addition to a number of other little minor repairs, Adam and the kiddo put together an outdoor doggie bed. When the weather is nice, the dog wants to stay outside. While outside, he likes to dig his bed. Some have suggested it's for the coolness of the dirt, but I think it's even more instinctual than that. (BTW-- I did consider the pool idea suggested last summer, but this is a dog that hates getting his skin wet SO MUCH that I can't imagine he would use it. Might be worth a shot, though). A lot of dogs dig their beds inside, as well. And as I've mentioned, he's 14-- a lot of habits are pretty ingrained by this point. Simon is also a bit leery of closed spaces. He doesn't even like us to close the door in the bedroom, which is why I think he doesn't like to go into the shed where his comfy dog bed is at present.

So the final product has a roof and bed, but no walls; it's against the house (where he seems to prefer), and it is diggable.


Ok. Now to preempt bed filler discussions. Yes that is cedar bedding. Yes I am aware that many people think cedar bedding is a no-no. I have looked into it and am using it for a number of reasons. The main objections to the bedding appears to be that it can cause allergies. Simon had cedar bedding for 12 years at my mother's house with no problems-- in fact, he seemed to like it very much, and for such a creature of habit, the more that's "the same" the better. So no allergies. Pregnant dogs and puppies shouldn't use it for a few reasons. There are some worries that some dogs eat it; he doesn't. Another concern is respiratory problems. This seems to be primarily involving small animals that live 24/7 confined in cages or glass tanks with the stuff. Again, he doesn't. And finally, people who use their dogs for hunting say that it interferes with their sense of smell.

We used it because, again, it's something he is very familiar with and has enjoyed in the past, it has a number of pest repellant properties, it will keep him drier than blankets and it's cooler than straw, I believe. I may mix straw in with the chips, and it's not that he spends all day there. He is in and out, but with the weather as nice as it is, he's out more than in. I open the door and he stands and looks at me and dances around for me to come play, but doesn't want to come in. So be it. We'll shingle and paint the house if he does indeed use it and like it.

The vet did give us new meds that we hope he is tolerating. We have mega storms blowing in this afternoon and evening, so we'll know a bit more tomorrow on how effective they are with the the thunder and lightning. I'm hoping to add in the anxiety wrap, as the vet warned these meds will only "take the edge off." Fingers crossed. He had such a happy weekend with the beautiful weather and lots of our time spent outside. He's a very helpful overseer of all my outdoor projects, following me all around and keeping a very close watch on what I'm doing. I think he's officiall my General Yard Manager!

More progress

It's a real flurry of work at the house. Apparently, this is only when I'm not at home. No complaints from me!

I came home last night to see that Adam had mowed and installed the last of the kitchen counter trim. The place is too big of a mess to take pictures of that, and my camera needs batteries anyway; at this point, I am dampening the battery connections every time I need to take a picture. Just rest assured: we're getting there.

The dog, on the other hand, is getting better and worse. I tried melatonin and it definitely helped-- he's not shivering or panicking quite so hard, but he is still scrabbling at the floor-- and now it doesn't take much of a storm at all, sometimes no storm whatsoever (no storm elicits more of a "fluffing"; it's less panicked and he will stop on command). I fear that the TERRIBLE storms we had last weekend have made him extra anxious at night and with storms-- it had already been a traumatic day with 2 trips to the vet and a bad med reaction. I wish we'd never seen those pills. I still haven't given it to him again, and I am going to continue with the melatonin and perhaps add Rescue Remedy or one of the pheromone diffusers. I've also heard good things about valerian-- any thoughts? We will also go with a new bigger bed (it's time anyway) with lots of blankets and sheets to dig at and fluff-- the vet also suggested some counter-conditioning with thunder CDs. Finally, we'll try this:


Even at 2 am I thought this was a photo worth licking the batteries for. Those are just socks and velcro cable ties. His nails are pretty short and smooth (thanks, concrete!) but they still poke through a little; those are, after all, my old holey threadbare shitty socks. But they got me a few peaceful moments. I will invest in real dog booties or make some out of a canvass or something more heavy duty. Then he can just dig himself silly. It seems to either soothe him or be something he cannot control. Punishing him (ie-- putting him out or scolding or shaking coke cans with pennies), therefore, seems like the wrong response.

Anyway, I haven't slept now in about a week and it's killing me. Maybe we can get something working soon.