The Monsoons have Started!

I think that the monsoons have started as it really was stormy last night and it has been rather nasty all day today. Although from what I am hearing what we are getting is nothing compared to the Seattle area. I had heard that they closed Mount Rainer today so I am guessing that they are really getting blasted.

This morning while I was eating breakfast and reading the paper the local Social Security office called in response to my filling on line last night. I was a little surprised as I did not finish until after 2100 last night, but they called here a little after 0900 this morning.

They had a few questions to ask me and they even filed a request for Kathleen over the telephone this morning. Between the two of us we were on the line a little over a half of an hour. Now if they just grant my request for disability that quickly; from what I understand this process usually takes several months and they usually deny the first request.

Kathleen washed a few of her winter jacket this morning and I put them into the drier for her. They finished drying just as she was getting ready to leave to meet with the lady from church.

Shortly after she left I took off for Costco, I have been running out or running low on several of my supplements and so I needed to replenish my stock. While I was there I picked up some ZiCams as Sue's suggestion and put them upstairs with the rest of the over the counter cold medications.

Well, it is after 1600 and Kathleen is still not home yet. I was hoping that she would get home and that we could go pick out some paint for the downstairs bathroom so that when Stan gets back we could start installing things and have the painting out of the way.

Well, it is early yet, but I do not think that anything else exciting will be happening so I think I will just go ahead and post this and call it good for today!

Well I finally did it!

Today was kind of a dreary rainy day and so I did not do anything outside...or for that matter much inside either. After I washed, dried and put away the dishes in the sink I read the paper and since today was Veteran's day there was no mail so I got on my computer and checked email.

This got old after a while and I decided that I would start something that I have been putting off for a long time...I filled for Social Security disability. I guess I finally had to admit to myself that I was not going to get better and that I needed to start making it official.

I am not sure if it is the stubborn German in me or what it was but I just could not bring myself to admit it to myself; I guess I just did not like the mental picture I was seeing in my head and I kept wanting to go back to that youthful twenty-five year old I have always pictured myself as.

So after some four hours straight I finally finished all the online "paperwork" and submitted the forms to the Social Security office. Right now my butt is just about numb and my hands hurt so much from keyboarding so lone that this is about all I can write for tonight.

Wish me luck!

Getting Better?

I felt much better today when I got up, still a little tired feeling but my throat was not as sore as it has been. Kathleen came downstairs after I had finished breakfast and was saying how tired she was and then proceeded to go back upstairs and went to bed again.

Shortly after she went to bed I felt the need to get something done so since I had not raked the leaves in several days I went outside and raked the front lawn, the lower and middle sections of the back yard and then realized that I was getting tired. So I surprised myself and put the rake away and went into the house and cleaned up.

It was close to 1300 and I decided to make myself something to eat; I was going to make myself a cucumber sandwich but when I was getting the things out of the refrigerator I saw the baby spinach and decided to make myself a salad instead.

So after adding the spinach, red pepper, yellow pepper, onion, mushroom and sliced up a cucumber I thought that I needed some tomatoes so I went out to the garden and picked a few cherry tomatoes, some roma and beefsteaks. I also dug up the rest of the carrot patch and brought them into the house.

I added the cherry tomatoes to my salad and then added a little oil and balsamic vinegar for a dressing. After I finished eating I cleaned up the carrots and put them into the refrigerator and then washed the dishes, pots, pans and cake pan that Kathleen made the pineapple upside down cake in.

Kathleen got up a little before 1500 and felt better; I on the other hand was getting sleepier and sleepier as the afternoon progressed. I did manage to get a little nap in but not enough to really help.

We are suppose to have our small group tonight, but I am tired enough that I do not know that I will make it and I am not sure if Kathleen is awake yet enough to go either.

It is getting close enough to dinner time that I probably need to remind Kathleen. I have a feeling that we might have the rest of the left-over chicken soup for dinner tonight. With that said I think that I will just publish this and call it a day!

A Not so Productive Weekend

Yesterday I felt worse than I had, but we needed to get the downstairs bathroom primed, so I put on my painting shorts, shirt and put some over the calf athletic socks on over my compression socks and got out the Kilz primer. I started doing the corners of the ceiling and wall and also the corners of the walls using a brush.

I also painted around all the electric boxes and plumbing with the brush and then went to a roller to paint the large areas. I realized that I had gotten more tired than I should have and let Kathleen finish up. I had to go sit down and rest for a while as I really was not feeling well and having trouble breathing from my sinuses being stuffed up.

I heated up some of the left-over chicken and barley soup from the night before for dinner and as usual the chicken soup made me feel a little better, but not well enough h to blog anything last night. I took a really long hot shower before going to bed, I usually do not take hot showers but I thought that the extra heat and steam might help my sinuses.

This morning I woke up around 0800 which is several hours after I normally wake up and I still did not feel as rested as I should have after that much sleep. Once up I knew that I would not be going to church as my throat was still pretty sore.

Kathleen got up around 1000 and so she did not make it either. We were suppose to go to some friends for dinner around 1130 but Kathleen thought that it was 1230; finally around noon they called and so Kathleen took off.

I stayed home as I did not want to make my throat any sorer by talking and by this time I had started coughing again. I dozed in my chair for a while as I just could not keep my eyes open and when I got up I decided to wash the towels.

Kathleen had made a pineapple upside down cake to take over to our friends house, but since it was still in the oven when she left I took it out and let it cool and then put a plate over it and turned it over so that if Kathleen decided to come home and get it, it would be ready for her; but she did not come back.

I was a little restless so I took up the rugs in the kitchen, shook them out and then swept and mopped the floor. When the floor dried I put the rugs back down and then took the towels out of the drier, folded them and put them away.

By this time it was 1430 and I was getting hungry so I opened up a can of hash and added some Lea and Perrins' Worcestershire sauce to it. I usually add a little ketchup to it, but we were low on ketchup so I thought that I would try the Lea and Perrins' and it was pretty good, it added a different flavor but I liked it.

Kathleen came home around 1600 and had a good time; by the time she got back I was feeling better, but that probably had something to do with not having to talk for several hours and resting my throat.

Well, it has been a pretty unproductive weekend, I got a few things done, but not as much as I would have liked to. Since I cannot think of anything else I think I will call this good enough and publish it.

Finally I got to go Outside.

Yesterday I woke up and did not have a very good night; I did not get very much sleep and I felt like it when I finally got up. My sore throat was worse and my cough was getting better.

I wound up taking about three naps yesterday and I think that helped some; also taking drugs before I went to bed last night helped me get a much better night sleep last night. I still did not get up very early but I felt more rested. My throat was still sore and I still had a cough but I felt better.

I did not get anything done yesterday and this morning was not a lot different. For lunch I made myself a cucumber, onion and mushroom sandwich on dark rye; kind of clean out the garden and refrigerator meal. This afternoon after eating lunch I went outside and pruned the apple tree and the raspberry plants for a couple hours and worked up a pretty good sweat.

I do not think that being outside helped my cough or sore throat but it sure did fell good being outside and getting some fresh air.

Kathleen made some homemade chicken soup with barley and so I added some ground nutmeg for that good old comfort food taste. I remember growing up Grandma and Grandpa always ground nutmeg on Grandma's chicken soup and every time I do that I think of that.

Well my nose is running and my throat is sore when I talk so I think I am just going to call this a day.

I Think that the Rainy Season is Here

It was raining when I went to bed last night and it was still raining this morning when I got up so I think that it is safe to say that it is officially the rainy season. If it was not raining all day it certainly was overcast all day.

This morning after breakfast and reading the paper Kathleen and I went upstairs and move the Select Comfort mattress back onto our frame and then made the bed. We had been sleeping on the frame with the mats that we used for camping on top.

Once we had the bed made up I brought Kathleen's and my night stands back into the room and then my dresser and the drawers; Kathleen's dresser was in the walk-in closet and we had not moved it out.

As I brought my drawers back in I decided that I would go through some of my sweaters, as I had three drawers full. I got rid of five sweaters and decided that since I was going through things I went through my shorts and tee shirts and got rid of ten pair of shorts and fifteen tee shirts and three pair of old jeans.

Kathleen left to meet with the lady from church a little after 1300 but I kept working on getting rid of things. Around 1400 I stopped and made myself a fish sandwich using the left over fish from last night; and after I finished eating I went back upstairs and finished sorting things out. I finally finished by going through my old socks from one of the extra drawers that I had for just old socks.

I think that I wound up with a couple empty drawers and the rest of the drawers are not as jammed packed as they were before I started. After I finished I took a great big box downstairs for Goodwill and then I lay down on the sofa and took a nap.

I woke up about 1730 and went and checked my email. Kathleen came home a little after 1800 and had brought home a couple steaks and so we had that with mashed potatoes and peas for dinner. I cut my steak in half so that I would have some for another meal and Kathleen did not finish hers either. There are plenty of potatoes left-over so it looks like we will have that again tomorrow night.

Well, that is about it for today!

Election Day 2008

Other than doing dishes several times today and raking leaves I did not get a lot else done. Stan came over for a couple hours today and did a little bit of work upstairs that had not gotten finished before and now he will be gone for the next ten days or so. He has a hunting trip planned for the rest of this week and then he is going to visit our former pastor next week.

The last thing that I heard was that Zander was doing well and that he and Alyssa would be going home tonight.

Well Kathleen had the camera with her when I wrote this last night and could not include the pictures of Zander from his surgery yesterday, so here they are:









I think that Zander's Popcicle is causing his toe to glow red!

What happened to Monday?

This morning when I got up it was still dark even with setting the clock back over the weekend, but I could tell that it had been raining during the night. When the sunlight finally came through it had stopped raining but everything was still soaking wet.

After eating I went outside and took the recycling and garbage out I decided that I would try to see if I could rake the leaves from the front lawn, but Stan came by to see how the drywall folks did over the weekend. He was very pleased as were we.

Stan had another job to finish up today so he took off; Kathleen also needed to go to the hospital to pick up Hayden for Alyssa. Alyssa had to get to the hospital early this morning for Zander's surgery and took Hayden with her as Natalie had spent the night with a friend.

Eliud, the guy who owns the company that did the drywalling stopped by to check up on the work and I asked him if he would like to get paid. He said that he would, so I asked for a bill and when he gave it to me it was about four hundred dollars less than his estimate which was a nice surprise.

After he left I went out and raked the front lawn, the leaves were so much heavier than they were just a few days ago, that is one reason I wanted to get as much raking done before the rain started.

Kathleen came home with Hayden a little while after that and Hayden was asleep; so she put him on the sofa and he slept there for a couple hours. I guess all the early morning rushing around took its toll on him as well.

I heated up some left-overs and finished them off so that now there is more room in the refrigerator. After awhile my throat started getting sore so I went upstairs and took a nap for a couple hours.

I just got up a little bit ago and do not feel much better. We are suppose to be going to our small group tonight, but the way I feel I doubt that I will be going.

Well, I made myself something to eat because Kathleen had not gotten home yet; she called while I was eating and asked me to call the people whose house we were meeting at and tell them that we would be late, so I did.

She just left and since I do not feel any better I stayed home. I could not find her camera to download the pictures from the hospital so maybe tomorrow.

Weekend Remodeling Activities

I did not get much of anything done Friday outside as it was pretty rainy most of the day and we also had the drywall guys here. Saturday I did get out and rake leaves in the back yard since I had not had a chance to do that for a couple days.

There were lots of leaves fallen and they were still nice and crisp and light so they raked up pretty easily. I did this while the drywall guys were finishing up; they did a very nice job and even primed everything that they hung.

Well, I did not get much done this weekend but here are several pictures of the drywall work that got done this weekend.

All Saints Day!

Well this is the day after Halloween or as the calendar calls it All Saints Day. We only had a total of fifteen people; five of those were the guys that were doing the dry wall, seven more were related to us: Andrea, Brandon, Christian, Aaron, Tami, Becca and Alexis; and finally three "Trick or Treaters".

I made sure that the dry wall guys got several candy bars, Aaron helped himself to a couple handfuls and Becca and Alexis took a couple each. Then today we gave the dry wall guys several more candy bars so now we just have a couple left from the two bags that I had opened for last night.

Today the dry wall guys did the finish work on the dry wall, primed the dry wall and cleaned up. The walls and ceiling look much better now than before they started and if where they painted did not look so much better than the rest of the walls and ceiling we would not even have to paint, but the difference is too obvious and so now we will have to paint the bedroom and probably the living room and kitchen as well.

Well, since we slept on a make shift bed last night I did not get as good a night sleep as I would have liked to and now I am rather tired. The house is coated with a thin layer of dust from texturizing the bathroom walls and ceiling.

So I think that I will close this for tonight, here are a couple pictures of our cuter Halloween visitors.

Dirty and Dusty Day

Well the dry wall folks arrived a little after 0800 this morning and before they left this evening they had pit dry wall and taped on the bathroom walls and ceiling, the closet walls and ceiling, our bedroom walls and ceiling, patched the living room wall, the kitchen ceiling a one of our bedroom walls. We had dry wall dust all over the place.

Stan dropped by early this morning to make sure that everything was going alright and then took off for the other job that he was going to do today and Monday. One of the guys did all the cutting and hanging of the dry wall and then the others taped and mudded when he was done.

Andrea dropped by for a while today with the boys and she and Kathleen deposited a check in the credit union and then went to Target to pick up some Halloween candy; I think that Kathleen got enough candy for the next couple of months.

I am trying to stay loose tonight to take care of the Trick and Treaters, but so far tonight we have not had any.

Well, I am too tired to write much more tonight and I also seemed to be writing on Facebook and Blogger a lot today.

I will see if I can include a couple pictures tomorrow, but I am too tired tonight.

Bathroom Progress

Last night after I finished my blog I put insulation in the bathroom walls. Just thinking about it now makes me itch and while I probably should have gone to bed I wanted to get that done last night instead of this morning.

Stan and Pat, our plumber, were suppose to be here around 0900 this morning so after I finished breakfast I went outside to rake leaves as rain is predicted for tomorrow.

I got the front lawn raked before Stan got here and since he had some work to do inside I decided to finish raking the back yard while I had everything out. Pat arrived just as I was putting my tools in the garage and by the time he brought his tools into the house I was back inside as well.




Kathleen went to Natalie and Zander's Grandparent Day at their school, I could not do because one of the two of us needed to be here to answer questions and also help Stan run the Cat-6 wire for Kathleen's computer. As it turned out it was a good thing that I was here as Stan did not have a drill long enough to go through all the flooring and I was able to get my old lamp drill that I use to use on my lathe as it was almost two feet long.

Around noon time Pat had finished installing the plumbing hardware as well as the bathtub and took off. After Pat took off I finished putting on the connectors on the wire that we had run up to Kathleen's computer room. The other end goes to my computer but I have not hooked that one up yet.

Kathleen came home and had a good time with the grandchildren and brought home some chocolate milk and a bag of chips that she did not eat for her lunch. After she got settled back in she worked with Stan as to the placement to the grab bars for the tub.



Stan had a meeting to go to so he needed to leave early and since for the next three days the people who are hanging the drywall will be here. Since he will not be able to work on the bathroom until they are done he took his tools with him as he had a couple small jobs to do for a couple days I helped him gather up his tools and load them into his pickup and he left about fifteen minutes later than he had planned on but he thought that he would be okay in making his meeting.

After he left I took out the box that the tub had come in; it was nice not to have that sitting in the living room after a couple of days. Both Pat and Stan were amazed at how deep it was and after seeing it in place it is about six or so inches taller than our old tub.

Well, tomorrow the guys that are doing the dry walling are suppose to be here around 0800 tomorrow morning. besides the bathroom we are also redoing the lower section of our bedroom and a couple places where we had some water damage a few years ago so that is why it is taking a couple days to do that. There is also the closet in my office that we tore apart while we were doing the bathroom so that will get fresh dry wall as well.

Since they are doing our bedroom ceiling over our bed I will need to take that apart tomorrow morning before they get started. We are also having a light coating of texture added to the walls and ceiling in the bathroom, so that will probably make up the third day.

Tonight we had another dinner of the pot roast that Kathleen had made the other night; this is the third meal that we have had form that roast and there is still enough for at least one more meal.

I think that is all I can think about for tonight my eyes are itchy from the dust and insulation so I think I will sign off.

Another Day Another Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday Stan and I worked on rewiring the downstairs bathroom. First we removed all the old wiring and then put new romex in its place. I put in all new boxes as the old ones were the old small metal style and I replaced them all with deeper plastic ones to accommodate the larger wires.

We also put in all new boxes for the lights; we are adding a new recessed light over the bathtub/shower. I also purchased a fan that we installed in the bathtub/shower. When I bought the fan I also purchased a fan wall kit so we installed that as well.

While I was feeding the flexible ducting through the wall I cut my ear on the sharp sheet metal of the fan. I did not stop but the time I had the blood had dried and Kathleen thought that I had gotten some soot in my ear and went to wipe it off.

It still stung pretty good so I did not let her, but I wet an old wash clothe and took it off. I must have rubbed too hard as I noticed when I went to bed last night that I had another bloody ear.

I had a couple of my son-in-laws over last night to watch the opening NBA game, actually I think they invited themselves over, but that was okay. The game got over later than I would have liked it to and so I did not get to bed until around 2230 so I did not have a chance to blog last night.

Kathleen was over watching Aaron and Tami's girls while Tami went swimming something she does every Tuesday night. So Kathleen finally got home shortly after I got to bed but she stayed up and went onto her computer.

This morning Stan had a couple other small jobs to work on so he did not get here early and then I had my doctor's appointment at noon. Stan had not gotten here when I left, but he picked up the tub at George Morland for us as the jobs he was working on was nearby.

Stan had finished running the wires for all the switches, plugs and lights and also added some nailing boards for the dry wall. The last thing that he did was to finish installing the window.

Tomorrow our plumber is coming over to install the tub and plumbing that goes along with it, so tonight I have to put insulation around the window and along the wall where the bathtub will go.

Anyway, my doctor's appointment was primarily a follow-up to check up on my potassium level as it had been low and he had me double my prescription. He also said that my swollen feet and legs looked much better with the compression socks and was glad that I told him that many drug stores no longer carry the good compression socks.

He said that surgery was probably not an option for my back at this point in time and that for mow he would recommend trying Sam-E as there have been many studies that show that there is some positive effects and very little downside to it. So next time I go to Costco I am going to have to pick up some.

Well, I am really tired and I think I am just going to call this finished.

Miserable Monday

I slept in longer than I thought that I should have this morning and had a slight headache so I got up but still felt tired. When I went to log on to my computer I did not have internet connections so I fiddled with the cable modem turning it off and on again several times and still nothing, so I vacuumed the downstairs. Then I went and got the paper and read it.

After I finished reading the paper I checked my computer and it was on-line so I am not really sure what was going on, but was just glad that it was working. Once I knew that the computers were on-line again I went and made myself breakfast.

After eating I went out and raked the front lawn since the wind had died down. I think that the wind yesterday must have carried most of the fallen leaves into the next county because there were not all that many on the lawn.

While I was raking I noticed that the grass was getting a little long so I got out my electric reel mower and set it at its lowest setting and mowed the front lawn. By this time Stan had gotten here so I helped him unload his truck and then finished the front lawn.

Then I went and raked the back yard and mowed it after I finished raking. After putting the mower away and the battery on the charger I went into the house cleaned up and then gathered up the towels and started the washer up. Kathleen was downstairs and so I went up and took the bedding off our bed and brought it downstairs to put into the washer when the towels finished.

Somewhere along the line of coming downstairs I did not duck enough and hit my head on the downstairs doorway and I must have tagged myself harder than I had originally though as my head really started to hurt.

I finally folded the towels and put the bedding into the dryer and then read the mail. After I finished the mail the dryer had stopped so I took the bedding back upstairs and made the bed. By this time my head was really hurting and my stomach felt like I was going to get sick so went to bed and slept for about three hours.

My head did not feel much better when I got up but my stomach felt better. When I got back downstairs Kathleen put some ice in the ice bag and that helped to numb the pain to some degree but it still hurt. Part of it was a sinus headache and part of it was from hitting my head.

Kathleen had made a pot roast for dinner and while I had some I was so miserable that I did not really enjoy it. After dinner Kathleen took off for our small group gathering; I stayed home because of my head.

Well, it still hurts so I think I will just close this out for tonight.

Probabably one of the Last Nice Weekends this Year.

This weekend has been rather nice although it has been somewhat blustery. Yesterday we were gone most of the day and so I did not get a chance to work outside, but today after church I went out and raked the back yard. The leaves were so dry and there were so many of them that I wanted to get as many raked up so that the wind would not blow them around.

I did not even attempt to do the front lawn as the wind would blow the leaves away from me as I tried raking them maybe tomorrow it will not be quite as windy and I can do it then.

Tonight we had dinner with some friends from our Sunday School class and just got home a little while ago. We stopped and got gas and got twenty gallons for fifty-four dollars so that is a lot better than what we were paying a few months ago.

Well, that is about it for tonight. Here is one more photo of the bathroom with the new window roughed in.

More Remodeling

It has been a few days since I posted anything mainly because Wednesday Stan cut his finger on the saw and went to the hospital to get some stitches. That day we started re-framing the studs in an area where we had to take the old ones out, that is when Stan cut his finger.

Thursday he did not work so I cleaned up the mess on the floor and finished pulling the nails that were left when we tore the dry wall off. And I also raked the front and back lawn and blew off the driveway.

Yesterday we took out the old bathroom window and put the new window in which pretty much took the whole day. Here are a couple photos with the old window out and before the new window was put in.



Today we went to Becca and Alexis's last soccer match of the season and then went shopping for things for the bathroom. We picked up a couple light fixtures and fan for the bathroom.

Then we stopped off at Bergerville for a pepper jack cheese and bacon burger and black forest shake. Since we were just a few blocks from home we headed that way and stopped at the last farmers market at the end of our street before arriving home.

After a brief stop we took off for George Morlan plumbing and picked up a nice Koler under cabinet mount sink and Delta "Victorian" faucet set. By this time we were pretty worn out and so we headed home.

While we were there we checked up on the toilet and bath tub that we ordered and one will be in in a week and the other probably next week; just in time to be installed. The cabinets that we ordered are now in so when we are ready to install them we can pick them up.

Well, that pretty catches my up and now I am ready to eat dinner as it is a little after 1900

Remodeling Update

Yesterday Stan worked on rebuilding the flooring structure where the wood was not as structurally sound as it needs to be. While the tub we took out was probably ten times heavier than the tub that we are replacing it with the structure is now probably now ten times stronger than it was before.

While Stan was busy in the house I was outside raking; I raked the back yard two times because it was windy enough and the leaves were wet from the rain during the night that they just kept coming down.

Later on in the afternoon I raked the front lawn, and there were quite a few more leaves then there usually were. By the time I got around to raking the front lawn the wind had died down and when I finished there were no more leaves that fell.

This morning when I got up there were only a handful of leaves on the front lawn so I did not even bother to rake the front lawn this morning but I did rake the back lawn and when I finished the lawn still looked pretty good unlike yesterday.

When Stan got here he finished with the floor support and when we finished that we put down the tongue and groove plywood. Once we had that screwed down we finished pulling down the rest of the dry wall from the walls and ceiling.

I decided that starting fresh would be easier and provide a better surface with which to work. As it turned out in some areas there were five layers of really thin sheet rock and in some areas there was firtex under the dry wall so I am glad that I decided to go to the studs and put all new dry wall up.

I finally ran out of steam and so tomorrow morning I will have to carry out all the small pieces of dry wall and sheet rock. Another reason that I wanted to remove all the dry wall and sheet rock was so that we could put the outlets, switches and lights where we want them.

Well, this should catch everyone up to date with the remodeling activities. I think tomorrow after cleaning up the mess on the floor we will re-route the wiring and start building the area where the tub is going to go.

Wintering Over Perennials

This is kind of a follow-up to one of Sue's questions from my last Blog, while it is rather incomplete because I do not do a lot these are a few of the things that I usually try to do for some of my plants. I have recently change what I do based on some of my appreciation for beneficial insects and birds so keep that in mind as well when you read this.

Getting your garden ready for winter is important to the health of your plants. How and when one cut things back is determined by the individual needs of your plants, your desire to provide food and cover for wildlife, and your appreciation for winter interest.

In years gone by I use to cut everything back to the ground for a neat appearance. Then I began to realize that butterflies lay eggs on leaves, birds feed on seeds and berries, and many animals use plants as cover. I also discovered the beauty created by seed heads; grasses and perennial stems left standing for winter can be a form of a winter garden. So now my desire for aesthetics has been replaced by a concern for wildlife has changed this urge to snip everything in sight.

So now my question is, should I cut anything back? The simple answer is, yes. Plants that had a serious disease or insect infestation should be cut back and the trimmings bagged with your trash.

Plants with no winter interest should be trimmed, too and recycled when possible. Some examples would be plants like veronicas or geraniums that blacken and turn to mush at the first cold snap. Also cut back plants that vigorous reseed themselves. Some of my plants would take over my whole garden if I did not use a firm hand in fall trimming.

Here are five categories of plants that should not be cut down for winter. First, any plant you feel contributes aesthetically. Grasses give wonderful architecture to the winter garden, so wait to cut them back until spring. Interesting seed heads and branches of arching perennials and shrubs also add winter interest, so spare them, too. This is all very subjective; so cut what you do not like and leave what appeals to you.

I usually do this with my grape, that way the birds can feed on the grapes and also allows me a few months before I have to do it.

Try to avoid cutting back tender perennials or ones that are not reliably hardy such as mums, asters and ferns. The old foliage helps to protect the crowns through winter. Show discretion when cutting back plants that are late to show in the spring; some plants are notorious for worrying gardeners by sprouting later. So leave a good chunk of their stems to mark their location so you do not disturb them or plant something on their heads.

Some plants such as sun drops have attractive evergreen foliage at their base. If you prune these plants well throughout the summer, there is no need to cut them back further. Let their whorls of foliage bring a little color and beauty to your winter garden A few shrubs bloom best on new wood. The butterfly bush, for example, will bloom more heavily if you wait to prune them until spring. Spare them a fall cutting and they will deliver winter interest and a bountiful flush of new growth and blossoms.

The timing and method of cutting plants back for winter is important, too. Later is better, generally. If plants are cut down too early, it can stimulate growth, use up energy reserves and keep the plant from coming back in the spring if a hard frost hits the tender new foliage. So, avoid cutting back plants too early. This is good for those of us who are procrastinators to one degree or another.

It use to be that people would wait until the first hard frost - as early as October or November in some areas - but I usually start my fall clean-up whenever it starts to get cooler in late October or early November.

For many years I did not do not do it until December or January, but that usually had more to do with my annual two weeks off at the end of December when I worked at Boeing.

Another question is always, how low should one cut? A good rule of thumb is two to three inches from the ground. That leaves some stems to act as a marker and avoids damaging the crowns or any over wintering buds that may lurk at or just below the surface.

With the cooling temperatures and falling leaves, fall gardening is a real pleasure. Preparing your garden for winter with an eye toward preserving beauty and wildlife will make it a task that adds valuable habitat and attractive winter interest.

I guess I got a little carried away with that and a little bit down a rabbit trail. So getting back to Sue's question, something else that one can do with the leaves that they have raked up is using them for mulch.

In gardening, winter could be defined as the time of year when most perennials become dormant. This time can vary from early September in some parts of the country to late December and beyond in others.

Cold is the major factor inducing plant dormancy. Thus, in preparing for winter, it is crucial to understand just what kind of cold affects your garden.

Snow, sometimes called a "poor man's mulch," forms an insulating blanket on the garden. Temperatures in the ground beneath the snow cover always hover around the freezing point, while they can plunge below freezing immediately above the snow line. Perennials that are dormant at a constant temperature rarely have trouble surviving winter months.

However plants in areas with little snow cover can suffer during unexpected or unusual cold spells. These need a 2 to 3 inch winter mulch; preferably an organic one, such as shredded leaves, fir/pine needles; several layers of B&W newspaper could be used in a pinch, but it does not work as well unless it is kept wet as it has a tendency to want to blow around.

The mulch protects plants from unusual cold spells and helps to maintain a uniform temperature so that the soil does not thaw out prematurely and expand when encrusted with frost or ice particles.

Before one adds mulch in winter, make sure your garden bed is as clean as possible. Clear away dead foliage and pull out all weeds. Then spread the mulch just after the soil freezes.

Now, you can step back and take a look at your garden and enjoy it knowing that you will not have to work in it for a few more months. If you have been considering improvements, decide where you would like to place new perennials and put some kind of markers in those areas. You might even want to write the name of the intended plant on each marker; this will make your spring planting a little easier.

Well, I am sure that there is a lot more that I could write about but not wanting to bore anyone to death I will put a close on this chapter of wintering over perennials at least for now.

Thing to do Around the Yard in the Fall - Part 2

Last Tuesday I had my first installment of my to-do list for fall at the request of my sister Sue; this is my second installment. These are not in any particular order as depending on what part of the country one lives might depend on when they might do these things.

Today's topic is pruning and if you are like me, I prune almost all year long sometimes for artistic reasons and sometimes out of necessity. I start out with a list of some of the more common pruning tools, there are many others but these are the ones that most people might have around the house.



Pruning - The Tools You Need

Pruning trees and plants will make your yard look better while also improving plant health and growth. In this article, we’ll discuss the tools to have on hand to prune more easily and correctly. In part two in the next newsletter, we’ll discuss when and how to prune.

The tool you’ll use depends on the size of the branches you will trim and the amount of pruning you will do. As with all lawn and garden equipment, buy the best quality you can afford and then be sure to maintain the items as necessary.

Oil is one of your tools best friends along with steel wool or a Scotch Brite pads to remove sap and rust from the blades. I use kerosene frequently as well, as it contains enough oil to help prevent rust from forming.

If you have an old five gallon pail around the house fill it with sand and then when you have your oil change in your vehicle add about a quart to the pail of sand and stir well. This does a couple things: first it help clean your digging tools, shovels, spades, trowels, etc. and secondly it adds a coat of oil to the tool.

This is especially important if the tool is going to be left in the garage for a long period of time like over the winter. If you make a habit of doing this every time that you use your tools they will give your years of faithful service.

Since we are talking about pruning, be sure to use steel wool or a Scotch Brite pad each time after you prune so that the sap does not build up making pruning much more difficult. Since rust will help to dull you cutting blade on your pruners it is important to add a coat of oil to the cutting parts of the pruners as well as the moving parts. A little oil will make pruning easier the next time you go to use them.

Hand Pruners are small pruners used to cut stems up to about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. There are two types: bypass and anvil. Bypass pruners are a good choice because they have curved scissors-type blades that overlap, making a clean, even cut. Anvil pruners have a straight upper blade that cuts down on a flat lower “anvil”, which can crush stems rather than cutting cleanly.

Lopping Shears function like giant pruners. Their long-handles provide leverage and reach to trim branches on bushes and trees up to about one and three-quarter inches in diameter. Look for bypass blades on loppers.

Pruning Saws are used to remove branches that are too large for the loppers. This saw comes in various lengths with jagged teeth that also can vary in depth and how far apart they are spaced. To handle thick branches easily, choose a longer saw with the fewest deep teeth per inch. Average jobs (branches about two inches in diameter) can be handled easily with any quality-pruning saw.

Pole Trimmers give you the reach you need to trim tree branches overhead that are up to about one-and-a-half inches thick. As their name implies, most pole trimmers consist of a pole up to about 12 feet long (telescoping or set) with a bypass lopper (controlled by a rope) and a small bow saw at the top.

Flower Sheers are small garden scissors with wide steel blades that make clean, precise cuts. They are perfect for “cutting” flowers for a bouquet and trimming dead leaves and very thin branches from perennials.

Manual Hedge Clippers have long blades that help you cut evenly and long handles that give you the reach you need for hedge trimming. Some people prefer manually trimming their hedges because this method is more forgiving than other trimmers where mistakes can happen quickly.

Chain Saws are used for removing branches greater than three inches in diameters to felling trees. Before purchasing a chain saw, consider exactly what you will use it for so you purchase the right size. The longer the blade length, the bigger job it will handle. Keep in mind that chain saws are serious power equipment. Safety must be top of mind at all times.

When to Prune and How to Do it

Reasons to prune

Pruning is done to improve the appearance and health of your bushes and trees, and sometimes the safety of your home (removing tree branches that overhang your roof, for example). Prune to remove dead or diseased branches; tree branches that are too crowded or touching one another; and “sucker branches” that grow from the ground alongside the tree’s trunk or even sprout up from the side of the trunk itself. Bush pruning also promotes stronger growth and can improve blooming.

Pruning bushes

When you prune your bushes depends on whether or not they are a flowering variety. If you have a bush that blooms in spring or early summer – such as a lilac or forsythia – prune them right after they have bloomed. If you wait until late summer or fall, you will remove buds that are already set to bloom the following spring (even though you cannot see them) and you will have a bush with fewer blooms or none at all next year.

Shrubs that bloom in mid- to late summer or early fall - such as butterfly bush, many spireas and even roses – should be pruned in late fall or very early spring while they are dormant.

Bushes used as hedges or borders that are not maintained for their blooms can be trimmed in summer or fall.

Pruning trees

You will want to prune low, overhanging branches above your roof or driveway to prevent possible damage from falling limbs. You also should remove dead tree limbs and thin out branches that are crowding one another. For many tree pruning jobs – especially those that require climbing or using a chain saw – it’s best to hire experts rather than risk injury. A pole trimmer can be used to thin out small branches easily while your feet are safely on the ground.

The type of tree determines the best time to prune. Generally, prune in late fall to winter, when you can easily see the shape of the branches and the trees are dormant. Some trees, such as maples and birches, tend to release sap excessively if pruned in winter. Trim these trees in summer.

Shaping young trees

You can help a young tree establish an attractive and healthy crown with selective pruning. Trim out crowded branches, if necessary, while creating a natural shape to the tree. Some trees will grow with two “leaders” or main branches – trim away one to ensure a balanced look as the tree matures. Pruning young trees will not hurt them – just be sure you prune no more than one-fourth of the branches in any year.

Finishing the First Week of Downstairs Remodeling

This morning I felt a little tired when I got up, which surprised me seeing as I had over nine hours of rest last night. I went to bed a little after 2100 and did not get up until 0630 although I did not get to sleep right away as around 2000 last night my body finally woke up.

A little after 0900 Pat showed up to start on the plumbing and by the time I left for my doctor's appointment around 1000 he had cut out most of the old plumbing for the downstairs bathroom.

Speaking of my doctor's appointment it did go okay today. My PSA level was 0.06 which is the lowest that it has been; the previous low had been .1 and that was a month after my surgery. I still have to go back in three months but I now have some hope that instead of every three months I will be able to do it every six month or even a year instead.

After the doctor's visit we stopped at the credit union so that I could deposit a check and then on to Home Depot to look at Swanstone for our tub surround and also to get some molding to go around our whole house fan.

We did not get back until after noon and by then Pat had most of the plumbing reconnected and moved. One of the things we had him moved was our outside back yard faucet bib; it has always been in an inconvenient spot and now was a great opportunity to have it moved

Where it was before I am planning on putting in a new deck and where it is now it is on the outside of the bathroom...much more convent. Stan was also back from his early morning doctor's appointment and was building up the outside wall of the bathroom.

What was there was not sufficient and some of it was rotten and needed replacing anyway. Now it is well supported although the tub we are putting in is probably a couple hundred pounds lighter than the one we took out.

Monday I think that Stan is going to put the flooring down and then the drywall for the first part of the week. Our new cabinets are in and as soon as the tub comes in Pat will plumb it. This new week we will have to pick up our tile for the floor and walls and whatever electrical outlets, switches, fan and lights that we will want to install.

I had a little more energy today than I have had all week and I felt better, but that is all relative compared to how I think I should feel I still have a ways to go. Well, I am tired even though the only thing I did today was rake the lawn; with both Pat and Stan working in the bathroom I thought that the best thing that I could do was stay out of their way.