Summer Fruit Crostata for the 4th of July

Finally! I just finished setting the last of 88 pavers in the south half of the front garden bed expansion project. The rain and hot temps have kept me from finishing this part of the process. Last Saturday morning, I laid the first 28 pavers; then it rained. Yesterday morning I set another 32, but the heat and mosquitoes drove me back into the house after a couple of hours. This morning I tapped the last one....#88...into place. Time to celebrate.

A prof friend and I were checking out an old lake bed, now tiled and farmed, located up northwest of Ames. It was on the way to our destination - the confluence of the Boone and the Des Moines River. She wanted to show me the lake bed and the remnant oaks that once encircled the bowl that held this ancient body of water.

Heading back to the highway, she spotted this snapper from the gravel road; it was sliding across the top of an embankment of a channelized stream. We had to have a closer look and get some fotos, so we pulled on our muck boots and crossed the ditch.

We finally decided that she was probably laying her eggs. The muddy smear and disturbed soil across the ridge was a strong clue. When I got home, I googled the turtle, and sure enough, it was a snapper...and the females lay their eggs in June. Good to know she is right on schedule.

The New Porch

Nope.






















Nope.

















Bingo!

Singing Grass Clippers

I went looking for these old grass clippers; they were a present from my mother way back when I first moved to Friley Road and became the "garden mother". I finally found them at the bottom of my tool bucket in the shed. Yikes! They were rusty and dull and did not sing so beautifully. I spent a good hour cleaning, oiling, and sharpening this pair of Drummer Boy clippers from Burgon +Ball LTD, Sheffield, England. There is music once again when the grass needs a trim!

Summertime...

Allee of Eastern White Pine

Five tool boxes full of tools....sorted by type.

Done!

The New Newly-Used Barrow

In an earlier post, I had written about this new used wheelbarrow that my daughter brought home last fall from the neighbors up the street. It had been set out on the curb and she knew I would love this funky green, so she wheeled it home. She was right, I loved it. It had a flat tire, but with a little air it would be good as new.

I pulled it out from under the pine tree this spring and set about getting the tire repaired. First I had to remove the flat tire. Then a quick trip to the farm store where I purchased the services of the mechanic on duty. He installed a new tube, re-aligned the rim which had pinched the old tube, and sent me on my way. Expense for tire R&R = $7.99.
My labor = 1 hour
This was a perfect barrow for the upcoming project of hauling pavers to reset around the yard. The only trouble was that the old handles were just that....old. One bounce down the steps and the handle broke from the weight in the tub. Once again, I had a funky green barrow that was out of service.

O.K. Do I continue down this road and repair it, or forget it and just enjoy the green from afar? I thought I could replace the handles. But those wedge/shims presented more of a problem. I would price the handles and then make a decision. I also looked at comparably-sized barrows. Cost Range $39-$49.

By the time I bought the hardware, the handles, and had the wedges cut, I was looking in the price range of a new barrow. Plus, I had to do the repair myself. However....the new barrows have absolutely no character...black plastic tub, generic barrow. This was an easy decision....buy the handles ($14.99 each); size the hardware and purchase ($3); and purchase 2x4s, then find someone to cut the wedges ($2.42). Total Expense for parts = $35.42. My Labor = 2.5 hours.
This above foto doesn't really capture the adventure in getting this thing disassembled. I knew I had a hacksaw somewhere (garbage sales are great for picking up old tools). I finally found it in the bottom of an old tool box (garbage sales are great for picking up old tool boxes to store those old tools). After about one hour of sawing rusted bolts in 95 degree weather, I was rethinking my decision to redo the barrow. Never one to back down from a challenge, I took a break, then went back in for the final tussle. Praise the Lord! I finally cut thru the last of 6 rusty bolts.
My Labor = 1.75 hours...#@!%&*(@!

So this is how I spent yesterday afternoon when the rain set in. I opened up the garage for a nice breeze and good light, then set to work on the funky green barrow.
Dewey was providing encouragement and support along the way.
Done. Ready for a test run.
It works!! but I can see from this angle that I might need to move the wheel back a few inches and then shorten the handle ends. Maybe another day.
Ready for action.