Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT A trip back from the edge.

[xtremek]

So a quick note to let everyone know, I did survive. My daughter was over as well. She and I hid out in our (robin and mine) bedroom and watched TV. Thirteen screaming little 10 year olds. Five of them went home that night, leaving 8 that went home around noon the next day. I can proudly inform you that no children were killed during that time period, though the thought did cross my mind once or twice. Saturday morning my daughter and I went to Menards and picked up some items. I ended up spending $82 and spent no more than $5 on any one item. OUCH! Good thing I didn't tell Robin I was going. The eldest's boy friend dropped by and I spent about 1 1/2 hours blowing out broken bolts on the rear end of the cat and replacing the gasket between it and the muffler pipe on his S-10. Sunday morning I did some work before church. Rotated the tires on the wife's Exploder and adjusted the headlights. I also pulled the Old mule in and started pulling the right axle housing off. The pivot for the lower arm of the 3pt hitch is coming out of the housing. Probably due to the brutal beating the Mule took from me trying to move the snow we got this past winter. I'm hoping it's just loose on the inside. I've included a picture of the compressor closet blower motor installed and the rack I store all the extension cords on. Somebody was wondering how to store them, so I thought I'd show my cheap solution.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Wow you are a worker, I have a few questions, Are there fish in your lake? What are the age of the kids at home. How many acres do you have. We need more pics of the work bench/wire rack shop area...thanks

 

[xtremek]

Thanks, Richard (Rich?). The honey do list is really long, so I just keep plugging along. The pond isn't deep enough (6' at the deepest) for fish to survive the winter. The wife had it dug back when she bought the property. Maybe one day we'll get enough money to dig it out some more. The pond is 2 acres and we have a total of 10. The kids range from 18 to 10 living at home. It's a pot full, and the pot is full of fun.

 

[Richard Cranium]

sounds like a great time. Have fun....That is the important part

 

[Richard Cranium]

I still would like to see pics of your bench and the stuff around it, looks like a wire rack of some kind

 

[xtremek]

So here are the pictures you requested of my bench. Please excuse the mess, I usually keep it a little cleaner, but I’ve been working on the front ditch, driveway and yard. It’s built entirely out of scraps and left overs. I also included pics of the Old Mule at the start of a teardown. The leak is coming from the pivot of the bottom leg of the 3pt. hitch.

 

[xtremek]

When I got home last night, I reacquainted myself with another old friend I hadn’t seen since last summer………..the chainsaw. The box elder died last year and the birches were damaged during the ice storm this past winter. I got all of the box elder logs put on the pile and most its branches loaded on the trailer. I hope to be able to finish the box elder mess and take care of the birch mess tonight.

 

[xtremek]

If anyone out there is feeling too good, drop on by. The stomach flu has been spreading through the whole house and the giving people we are, we’d love to share it with you. Robin’s been riding the couch all day. I came down with it last Saturday evening and I’ve spent the whole week crashed out. Last Saturday wasn’t a total waste. Robin has a coworker whose mom has an old horse barn that fell down over the winter (the big ice storm really finished it). Anyway, she said I could have some of the siding and any of the lumber I could salvage. There was an 82 Honda Silver Wing, a Cub Cadet roto-tiller, a Radio Flyer wagon, and a canoe buried under the roof. I thought I should get the valuables out for them before I started getting my stuff. The roto-tiller was first out and other than a broken spark plug and bent handles, it will fire right up. The motorcycle was next. The gauge cluster, hard bags and rear fender were toast, but we after we rotated the handlebars back into position, it looked ready to ride. Two of the wheels on the wagon were a little twisted, but a quick grab on them should get them back to where they need to be. We were able to get the canoe out, but it didn’t fare so well. It may be salvageable, but not without either a fiberglass patch or some good welding. I was able to get some siding and lumber, but lost my good crowbar in the process. I plan on going back Sunday afternoon and get as much of the siding and lumber as I can and maybe the next weekend as well. Pics to follow.

 

[xtremek]

So today was the first day I felt decent. I took the twins with me to HD to buy posts for Robin’s garden with a gift card I got for Christmas. Then we headed toward Menards. Along the way, we stopped to go creeping through an abandoned barn. I found this light sitting on a pile of rotting hay and brought it home. Then we hit Menards and the Big M supper club. We got back and I decided to tackle the injured Old Mule and get her back on her feet. I pulled the axle assembly and found exactly what I was expecting. What I didn’t know was that the offending part is actually a taper fit. So pull the cotter pin, clean everything up, tighten the bolt up and reassemble. I need to fill up the trans/diff and she should be back to her old self. Feels go to have that repair behind me.

 

[48RON54]

cool light

 

[theoldwizard1]

If anyone out there is feeling too good, drop on by. The stomach flu has been spreading through the whole house and the giving people we are, we’d love to share it with you. Robin’s been riding the couch all day. I came down with it last Saturday evening and I’ve spent the whole week crashed out.

It's going around here also. It took my wife almost 5 days to fullt recover. I was good in 2.

If course my twin granddaughters got it. I don'y know how because we did not see them all week.

 

[xtremek]

I had a rough commute home last night. SWMBO made the “request” to clear out this Moguguypan (I think it’s actually a Mugo Pine and some kind of low evergreen bush). A ton of Russian Olives, grapes, a couple of Box Elders, and some other junk are/were growing up in it. Unfortunately I didn’t take a pic before I started the cleanup. This is the first chance I’ve got to use the Old Mule since I fixed the rear end leak. I hooked her up to this big bush. After about a dozen shots where the nose of the Mule went sky ward (roughly 4’-5’), the bush gave up. Then I introduced the box elders to Mister Chainsaw. By the time I called it quits, I’d forgotten all about the commute. I’m about 2/3 of the way finished pulling out the junk and then I need to drag all the stuff over to the wood compost pile. Final details to follow.

 

[xtremek]

It's going around here also. It took my wife almost 5 days to fullt recover. I was good in 2.

If course my twin granddaughters got it. I don'y know how because we did not see them all week.

The last in our house hold is just finishing up the BUU...ICK drive. How's everyone in your clan? Everyone ok?

 

[xtremek]

For those following along, you're aware that I've been doing a major reconstruction on my drive way. Since the frost is pretty much out of the groound, I guess it's safe to pass judgement. What I've done so far seems to be holding up fairly well. I have quite a few small potholes, but a grading and I should be good to go. Unfortunately, what I didn't do got pretty tore up. Kent B, I'll be documenting the rebuild on that for you, especially the drainage. A pic of the trenched driveway.
Since the FiL passed away, the BiL is cleaning the place up and making it more usuable for him. So Saturday we brought home another load of lumber that was laying in the lawn. I also returned to the fallen barn and salvaged some 2"x12"x20', some lumber pressure treated 2"x6"x10' and some true 4"x6"x10' oak beams. My barn no longer looks like the "Hack Shack", but more like Lowes or HD. One more note, I have a large mirror sitting behind the barn because I can't bring myself to get rid of it. There's a young ring necked roster hanging around and he keeps coming up to it and pecking at it. It's hilarious.

 

[xtremek]

Hey folks, I wanted to let you know that I didn’t drown in the sea of estrogen. The ladies didn’t beat me to death for being a twit (though they should).

Last year I bought a 52” Bunton walk-behind mower for $375. The motor (a 14hp Kawasaki) runs strong and doesn’t smoke. But this year, the least little bit of grass thickness slowed the blades to a complete stall. So I took the cover off and took a closer look than I did when I bought it. Here are the pics of some of what I found. This was driving the right blade. The keyway on the shaft is pretty hogged out as well. From what I can tell, the last guy wanted to pretty up the mower, so he pulled everything apart. When he went to put it back together, he tried to make it easy on himself and put the pulleys on where he felt they went. In reality, none of the pulleys were even close to lining up in the same plane. One pulley was a full two widths off from the main drive pulley for the deck. The tensioners were frozen. I played musical chairs with the outboard pulleys, corrected the heights on the idler pulleys and freed up the tensioners. I’m still trying to bring the engine pulley down. I hope that gets me through the year. If it makes it through the year, then I’m planning on reworking all the pivots, linkages and cables next year. I spent about $75-$80 on it so far, and I’m guessing another $50-$75 next year. Not bad for a Gomer, I think

I finished off another job this past weekend. I finished pulling all the nails in the boards from the lumber I salvaged. I ended up with a linear 100’ of 2”x12”. I also have 3 4”x6” oak beams that are about 9’ long. I have no idea what I’m going to do with the oak beams, but I couldn’t see them getting thrown away.

 

[xtremek]

So, for those of you following along, not much posting but tons of little jobs getting done. Restacked the lumber so I can get a car in the barn to work on it. Picked up an old Saturn SL1 that someone used for testing. Has less than 5k on the odo, but the wiring is hacked up when the instrumentation was installed. Put carpetting under the pool, then cleaned it out and opened it up for the summer. Removed the rear end from the wife's Exploder and had it rebuilt. Finally getting back to where I can work on getting the place looking better. Looking forward to two weeks off the first of July. I hope to get a ton done.

I had a dentist appointment this morning. While I was working at the breakfast bar, I looked out the door wall and saw this one eating in the weeds. I love this view.

 

[egnorant]

Sounds normal! Get through all the flashy parts of cleaning, building and making the garage usable, then you gotta use the garage for the big assed list that has been piling up. Seems like I add stuff to the list as fast as I knock stuff off but I still make headway.

Bruce

 

[xtremek]

I didn’t drop off the face of the earth and I’m not bed ridden, I have proof. Last Saturday, my daughter and I brought this gem home. It’s a ’73 that belonged to my Uncle PL that recently passed away. His family lives out in Wyoming and nobody else wanted it. No keys and no title. Wheels locked at an angle. 5 hours to load and ended up putting it on the trailer backwards.
Trying to finish the Muguguy Pine area. The berm was blocking the view of the pine, difficult to mow, and the near corner, was rutted where someone decided to go wheeling. Hooked up the plow to the Old Mule and started tearing it up. I didn’t get a picture of what it looked like before I started unfortunately. I plan to hit the area with the rototiller today and HOPEFULLY seed it tomorrow. I’ve also included a pic of my dreaded foe, my arch enemy, THE IVY. I left the plow down by the Muguguy Pine back in the spring because I knew I was coming back to finish the job. In the meantime THE IVY had grown up to the bottom 3pt links on the plow. I had my rubber boots and gloves on when I hooked up to the plow, but I still got THE IVY on me somehow.
And just so you don’t think I’m neglecting the barn, I started working on cleaning the siding I got from the fallen horse barn. For all those who are upset that I’ve destroyed the patina, I had no choice. When I took it down some of it had mold on it and the fact that it had to sit outside and got wet caused even more mold, so time to clean it. Don’t tell my mom, she’ll want to strangle me. After two days, I’ve got about 2/3 done and I hope to finish today. I plan on using this wood in the barn as wainscoting. This brings me to a couple of questions. While cleaning I saw a bunch of tiny holes, about a 1/16th of an inch in diameter. Carpenter ants? And I found a ********* ant, about ½” long, bulldozing the wood around. How do I get rid of them cheaply? And the next question, when I’m done, what kind of finish should I put on the wood. I’m not terribly concerned about making it fire retardant, more about what will be cheap and durable.

 

[MN4x4]

Just discovered your thread and read the whole thing. Very inspiring!

Please keep posting? Oh, and take care of yourself - keep those trips to the ER to a minimum, OK? (When I was building my house they reserved a parking spot for me!)

 

[xtremek]

Just discovered your thread and read the whole thing. Very inspiring!

Please keep posting? Oh, and take care of yourself - keep those trips to the ER to a minimum, OK? (When I was building my house they reserved a parking spot for me!)

I'm glad you're enjoying our journey. Another quick update. I fired up the rototiller (a very nice Troy Built unit) this morning and headed down to the Mugo Pine to work it while yesterday's last round of boards finished drying. I was just about to start when one of my neighbors stops on his way to buy gas. Now, since I started working on the driveway, I've gotten the chance to meet a bunch of my neighbors. I've waved at this gent many times, but never actually met him. Anyway, he rolls down his window and asks if I want to borrow his tiller. He says it's a 6 footer. My eyes light up like a kid at Christmas. He says it's in the garage, just help yourself. How's that for an awesome neighbor? I told Robin we better have a good apple crop, because we owe a ton of people a jar or two of her applesauce. And while I was working the ground, I noticed a tree with what looked like weird raspberries. Come to find out, we have a wild red mulberry tree. I think I smell a pie in the near future.

 

[xtremek]

A ton of people, ok, pretty much everyone who knows me, says I'm crazy for living where I do and driving my commute. They all tell me I should sell the place and move closer or get a different job. I love what I do for a living and I work with an awesome bunch of people. This includes my "boss", who is without a doubt, the best person I've ever worked for. Anyway, I was in the neighbors yard trimming around her trees when some movement caught my eye. I looked across the road and saw a tiny fawn staring at me. I stopped trimming and stared right back at it. "Hey, what are you looking at you silly little thing!?!" We stared at each other for about 2 minutes and it decided enough of this hanging around. It bolted across the road, between the mulberry tree and the MuguguyPine and disappeared into the underbrush. I finished the trimming, threw the weed wacker over my shoulder and started my walk home. I got about half way up the driveway, where it opens up into a meadow type area, and strolling across the driveway was a big, fat, turkey hen and about 8 of her little ones. She sees me and takes flight about fifty yards into the woods with 3 of her youngins close behind. I stand there awestruck by the sight and start back up the driveway, the next two taking to wing. I continue and two more buzz off into the brush and two of the first fly out of a nearby tree. The last little one is trotting up the driveway about 15 yards ahead of me and I holler at him, "Well what are you waiting for?" About a second later he finally flies away. I stop, take a deep breath and finish my walk to the house. I get in the house and the twins are goofing around with my daughter watching the dreaded Sponge Bob and I walk downstairs to where my pretty bride is working on cleaning the basement and recount my sightings. She walks over and sits down on the stairs next to me, resting her head on my knee. Yep, it just doesn't get any better than this. Good neighbors, a house on it's way back, a barn full of tools, toys and projects, happy kids laughing, beautiful scenery and a good woman, I win!!!!

 

[xtremek]

Sunday I finally finish something. You may remember this from a post a few months back. I feel pretty proud of it considering the big money I have involved. $2 for some 1/4x20 threaded rod, $4 for a plastic light fixture, $2 for toggle nuts, and about $3 for stainless steel hardware. The wire nuts, paint, wire and steel I had laying around. Look, it even works.

 

[madoc1]

I had a rough commute home last night. SWMBO made the “request” to clear out this Moguguypan (I think it’s actually a Mugo Pine and some kind of low evergreen bush). A ton of Russian Olives, grapes, a couple of Box Elders, and some other junk are/were growing up in it. Unfortunately I didn’t take a pic before I started the cleanup. This is the first chance I’ve got to use the Old Mule since I fixed the rear end leak. I hooked her up to this big bush. After about a dozen shots where the nose of the Mule went sky ward (roughly 4’-5’), the bush gave up. Then I introduced the box elders to Mister Chainsaw. By the time I called it quits, I’d forgotten all about the commute. I’m about 2/3 of the way finished pulling out the junk and then I need to drag all the stuff over to the wood compost pile. Final details to follow.

just read this. if you insist on pulling things like this, be sure to keep you foot on the clutch. my cousin was doing the same thing and it flipped and crushed him. maybe hook up something like a shredder to limit how far it can go up.

jim
ps--nice place.

 

[xtremek]

just read this. if you insist on pulling things like this, be sure to keep you foot on the clutch. my cousin was doing the same thing and it flipped and crushed him. maybe hook up something like a shredder to limit how far it can go up.

jim
ps--nice place.

Thanks for the compliment Jim. Sorry to hear about your cousin. Yeah, I keep my foot on the clutch. I'm actually getting decent at setting the front end back down gently. The first few times I did it, the front end dropped so hard it bounced twice. Once the wheels leave the ground pulling this stuff, you're done. It's more the yanking that rips the big bushes out.

 

[xtremek]

I've been trying to post this since Thursday.
For once I took a before picture. I’m trying to get it so I can mow the front ditch. I ripped out about 3 small trees and 6 bushes, two of which were very large. The bushes actually pull out harder than the trees, size for size. Anyway, this is what the Old Mule and I got done the first day. I worked the old girl hard and ran her solid until she ran out of gas. She even pulled up this little nugget, buried about 6” down and weighing at least 300 lbs. by my guess. I’d really like to finish the contouring and rototill it today so that I can seed it before I go back to work.

Ps. I did get more work done, just no pics yet.

 

[xtremek]

A few posts ago, I mentioned good neighbors, here’s the story behind that comment. Because I’ve been working the end of the driveway/front of the property, I’ve seen most of my neighbors drive by. I don’t know them, but I’ve seen them. One morning during the shut-down I was getting ready to roto-till where I had plowed the front of the property using the Troy-bilt we have. A neighbor pulls up in his F-350 and says, “Do you want to borrow my tiller? It’s a 6 footer on the back of my White tractor. It’s in the barn, go help yourself. I’m headed into town and I’ll be back in a little bit.” I’d never met the man. I didn’t even know his name. And here he is offering his tractor and tiller. Of course I take Dave up on his offer, saving myself huge wads of time and energy. This is par for the course around here. My one neighbor mows my front ditch after he found out I was mowing it with a push mower. Another neighbor (Todd) has brought over his tractor, with a front bucket, and his dump truck, to help move the piles of clay that were left when the barn was built. Todd also loaned me his post-hole digger that mounts on a 3pt hitch. I’ve borrowed Dave’s tractor/tiller 3 more times and also his garden tractor and lawn roller. Great neighbors. Me move? Are you crazy?

 

[MagKarl]

Awesome. Good neighbors make all the difference in how much you really appreciate your place.

 

[48RON54]

I may have said this before since I come back to this thread with some regularity, but man I sure love the scenery in your pics. It takes me back to being a little kid in the 80s, visiting my grandpa in Wisconsin on his farm. Instant time warp.

I really like that light fixture you salvaged/made. I was thinking about making one myself or at least buying something similar but it would probably look pretty dumb on a stucco house in the desert lol. Maybe in the future I can buy a different house just so I can get me a light like that.

Those are great neighbors. Enjoy that and don't take it for granted. Many of us don't have something like that.

 

[xtremek]

.....man I sure love the scenery in your pics. It takes me back to being a little kid in the 80s, visiting my grandpa in Wisconsin on his farm.....


Those are great neighbors. Enjoy that and don't take it for granted........

If you're ever in the Mitten State, drop on by, seriously. Just look for us in the middle of the corn and mint fields. It looks even better in person, trust me. I realize exactly how great my neighbors are and try to pass along the favors. I feel like our neighborhood is really a community, not just a neighorhood. I've warned the wife that when we get the place cleaned up a little more, we're going to have a block party at our place as a thank you to our neighbors.

 

[Vieux]

You have great neighbors!

 

[xtremek]

I finally finished the front of the property. After going over it with the neighbor’s roto-tiller, raking it out, I was able to seed and roll it last week. Another neighbor loaned me his 3pt. posthole digger, but the Old Mule’s hydraulics are having a tough time of it controlling the auger. Monday I was able to finish contour and seed the ditch between the end of the yard and the apple tree and a patch above the pond where I had stolen some sand to level under the pool. Tuesday night the wife planted some lilacs on the crown of the hill at the front of the property and I finished contouring and seeding all the ditches I had tilled. I need to move some dirt to be able to finish the ditches for year. That should get me to having all of the west side ditches done and 70% of the east side ditching finished.

 

[xtremek]

I went to use the Old Mule Saturday and I found she threw a shoe (had a flat tire). The tire’s needed changing for a few months now, but time and other projects have gotten in the way. Well now I had no choice but to fix it. At the same time, Uncle PL’s truck’s needed both front tires. I got to spend the day busting tires. Here are the tools needed to bust an old tractor tire. A sabre saw to cut the tire in half and a bunch of chisels, screw drivers, and tire iron to break the bead. After cutting the tire almost completely in half, use the tire iron and chisels to move the tire in from the edge of the bead. Use the sabre saw to cut a touch more of the tire until all that’s left is the steel cords in the tire’s bead. Break them with a chisel and the tire peels off. The next step is to clean the rim, that’s tonight’s job. During the heat of the day yesterday, I needed a break, so after a quick dip in the pool with the twins, Molly and I put the last coats of paint on her bike. It turned out more red than pink, but she seems happy with it. We’ll let it cure a few days and start the reassembly. Tonight’s chores include cleaning and prepping the tractor rim for paint and the breakdown/mounting the other tire for Uncle PL’s truck. Hopefully I can have the Old Mule running by Friday.

 

[xtremek]

After all the rain we’ve had lately, the grass along the front of the property is coming in well. It looks like there a few spots that will need to be reseeded so it fills in, especially under the big pine on the corner. The grass along the driveway is also coming in decently. Monday I coated the inside of the tractor rim with Permatex rust neutralizer. I’d rather have used something else like POR15, but we’ve got keep the budget down. Last night I threw on a coat of paint on the tractor rim and tonight I’ll cover it with aluminum tape to give the tube something smooth to ride on and cover the rusted out portions of the liner and then throw the tire together.

 

[48RON54]

A lot of my friends use body filler on rims that are that rusty/pitted. I've never tried it myself, but they swear it works though it's very time consuming. I assume since you will be using a tube you won't need to get that **** about it. Nice work.

 

[xtremek]

......I assume since you will be using a tube you won't need to get that **** about it. Nice work.

Thanks Ron for the compliment. You're right about the being ****, I'm just trying to make it so the tube doesn't get rubbed through. I got the tape on and then mounted the tire on the rim. For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of manually mounting a tire yourselves, I’ve included a few pictures. I used Obi Wan (Kenobi’s light sword-my extra-large SO screwdriver), a tire iron and tons of silicone spray. Pry it on, air it up and you’re rocking. It took about 45 minutes and the local place charges about $50. I’ll pocket that, thank you. Also, the handle on the oven door has been duct taped together since long before me (the attaching brackets were/are plastic). Robin got annoyed and took the tape off, giving me a chance to do some fabricating. I bent up some flat stock and ground down some posts on Tuesday and last night I welded them up. I’ll scuff the oven door and the inside of the brackets, mix up some JB weld, and use the JB and screws to mate the pieces together. Drill, tweak and paint tonight, install tomorrow night.

 

[xtremek]

The handles turned out well. Not pro quality, but well enough no one will notice. I’ve been working on getting the interior walls ready for the installation of the siding. Finished adding insulation to the bottom 2’ of the north wall and almost finished the east wall. I also started putting up the mouse preventer. It’s hardware cloth, galvanized wire a little heavier than chicken wire and ¼” squares. Then you put the drywall/siding up over it.
My 30+ year old Green Machine whip died. If I pump the primer bulb about ¾ the way in constantly, she runs like she was new. Did a carb rebuild on the Walbro WY-50, and still have the same issue. Also replaced the fuel filter and the pump plate. I ordered a new carb, but I’m told that they’re obsolete, so I’m holding my breath. In the meantime, the widow lady next door is letting me borrow hers, which only seems fair since I trim her lawn when I do mine. I think it was used twice before her late hubby went into the hospital. Still, I want the Green Machine back and running. It’s a real beast when It comes to trimming heavy stuff. Right next to her whip is my next quick fab project, a lowered cruiser Radio Flyer wagon.

 

[xtremek]

Folks, I’m getting close to finishing my first milestone, the ditches. The front corner is done as far as I’m concerned. I put up the split rail fence for the wife on Sunday night. It was super sticky out that night. Pops got me the post from a neighbor who didn’t want them and I got the rails from my late uncle, the one who left the ’73 K10. SWMABO plans on putting climbing roses and foxglove in that corner. I don’t know if I like the rocks where they’re at, but they’ll stay there for now. Anyone want a rock or two? I hope to get a lot done over the big weekend, but that usually means I get very little done. Stay tuned.

 

[xtremek]

Howdy people. It’s been awhile, so here’s the latest. It’s official, I’ve retired my orange jumpsuit. Over the big holiday weekend and the following week, I moved the big mound of dirt in the meadow section so I could finish that section of the ditch. A neighbor loaned me his little Ford diesel with a bucket to help with that. I’ve also finished cleaning out the last of the pines lining the first section of the driveway. I completed sculpting that section and planted it this past Saturday. So after 2 long years, the ditches are “officially” done. I’ll need to reseed some thin spots and burn the stumps, but for the most part, I’m done. The pictures show the last section before and after.
I also used the neighbor’s tractor to dig the post holes around the garden. I couldn’t get his 6”auger to bite into the clay, but after sharpening the 12” bit, it made pretty quick work of the 25 holes I had to do. The 12” wouldn’t leave the hole clean, so I’m going back and cleaning them out by hand. Still a ton of work saved.
On rainy days I’ve been chipping away on the siding for the interior of the barn. I’ve got three walls finished. For those with man caves, I won’t even come close to measuring up, but I’m happy with it. My dad didn’t think I’d have enough to do 2’ up the wall and my best friend thought If I was lucky, I might have enough to do 3’ on two walls. Well, I’m 44” up on three walls and I’ve barely touched the pile of siding. I’ll go ahead and do the last wall and the wife is ok with doing her shed the same way. I bought some Terro and I’ll be spraying all the siding with it. Where there are knotholes, I’m stapling the hardware cloth to the back side so mice won’t get behind the siding. And yes, it’s getting near that time to return the pop/soda bottles.

 

[xtremek]

Holy cow, am I an old wind bag or what!

 

[madoc1]

really looking good. are those blue spruce trees?

jim