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July 24 - July 26 (Peter CB, Peter WB and Vince)
Peter
- Completed repair and fill project of front porch beam (at bridge). Turned out to be a pretty complex job but very necessary.
- More work on steel ladder structure at upper tank. 95% complete and perfectly stable for use. Just need to install bolts to one foot.
- Refinished "kerosene" cabinet my dad made. Also installed copper corner pieces to protect the redwood. Emptied cabinet, washed it inside and out. Also washed both sides of marble top.
- Spoke with Allan about next steps for green jeep. New brakes and rebuilt carburetor have been installed. My dad and Allan have a plan to get the new steering box installed by working together (my dad can do some things that Allan cannot due to Al's bad back).
- Spoke with Al about the pump as it is chocking when you start it and the air filter is blocking the throttle. Two separate issues, but he will be looking at this and adjusting, as needed.
- Brought up several boxes of various supplies, including paper products, vacuum bags, new yellow jacket traps. Left three boxes of paper products on wicker bed as I ran out of time.
- On this particular trip, there were no yellow jackets so the last trap may have killed them off. FYI, Allan feels that the yellow jacket population are an essential part of the ecosystem. I agree but if they are out it makes it impossible to eat anything outdoors. Kinda torn on this one.
- Speaking of killing things, my dad caught a rat in the garage with his electric "Rat Zapper".
- Vince and I watered, and watered, and watered. Vince watered every single tree on the hillside. Yup, even the old guys wayyyyyy up near the top. Everything needs to be watered. Looking forward to the new irrigation lines around the house!
- Deer continue to feast on many fruit tree leaves. Fuyu took another hit.
- Racoon poop alllllll over.
- My dad is going to start purchasing material and a few tools for the upper tank painting project.
- Pumped 2.5 hours.
Peter
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June 29 - July 4 (Peter CB, Peter WB and Vince)
- Trimmed upstairs bathroom door with plainer and adjusted, as needed. Painted repair area with white paint.
- Removed rotted wood from front porch beam (at bridge). Beam had a 2" x 14" dead center. Next trip will include treatment and filling.
- Removed soil and debris from upper tank foundation in preparation for ladder support and paint project.
- Lots of watering all over.
- Reviewed water pump repair work with Allan. Bad started button and service work, plus new battery cables.
- Identified oven pilot light out. [Allan has since fixed with new thermocouple.)
- Pruned/cleaned up Fuyu persimmon. Dug out poison oak under Fuyu. Cultivated, watered. Something attacking leaves. Bear has been after this tree. Some broken limbs.
- Pruned around house and removed dead wood from two orchard trees above Fuyu.
- Deer living and feasting on all tree leaves inside compound.
- Caught 4 mice in various parts of the hours. Mouse droppings all over living room and kitchen when we arrived.
- Mowed all around lakeside area.
- Watered trees at lake.
- Noticed that someone did some pruning on the old willow tree at the lake but piled trimmings at burn pile areas. Just a reminder that we do not burn anything so clippings, etc. can be thrown over the side below the lake (between the old pigeon coop area and the lake) or piled along side road near house for the chipper service. Those are the only two options.
- Pumped 3 hours.
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Happy New Year, All!
Just a quick report that all seems well at Shang. It was very pretty and cold or we would have spent 2 nights instead of one.
Only one fallen tree on the main road heading out yesterday that we could just move manually. We anticipate much more falling with the upcoming storms. Dan got a used chainsaw, so we were prepared :). He used it on a fallen tree behind the old shed, next to swing set. Cole and I did a lot of clearing in front of Grandma and Morfar's resting place.
We put up the panels on the back porch and used the blower to remove leaves from the patio. I noticed the olive tree next to arbor is really starting to span out and could use some trimming. I know you like to do this, Ingrid. It's nice to have for shading and I also like to see the hillside. It's getting a bit too thick, IMO. The woodshed is incredibly abundant -- FULL, full, full - whoo!
And we stacked the pile that was in front of the woodshed as requested.
Dan and I have thoughts of a propane heater for second floor. Perhaps Shang would get more use during cold months if there was a heat source on upper floors.
Wishing you all a happy, peaceful start to 2019!
Tessa
Just a quick report that all seems well at Shang. It was very pretty and cold or we would have spent 2 nights instead of one.
Only one fallen tree on the main road heading out yesterday that we could just move manually. We anticipate much more falling with the upcoming storms. Dan got a used chainsaw, so we were prepared :). He used it on a fallen tree behind the old shed, next to swing set. Cole and I did a lot of clearing in front of Grandma and Morfar's resting place.
We put up the panels on the back porch and used the blower to remove leaves from the patio. I noticed the olive tree next to arbor is really starting to span out and could use some trimming. I know you like to do this, Ingrid. It's nice to have for shading and I also like to see the hillside. It's getting a bit too thick, IMO. The woodshed is incredibly abundant -- FULL, full, full - whoo!
And we stacked the pile that was in front of the woodshed as requested.
Dan and I have thoughts of a propane heater for second floor. Perhaps Shang would get more use during cold months if there was a heat source on upper floors.
Wishing you all a happy, peaceful start to 2019!
Tessa
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Victor and I enjoyed beautiful fall weather at the ranch...warm sun, long shadows and ideal conditions (cool not too cold) for sleeping out on the back porch.
Very special sighting of a Bald Eagle perched in a dead tree. Also saw the gray fox that I have seen each of my last 3 - 4 trips up there.
Very special sighting of a Bald Eagle perched in a dead tree. Also saw the gray fox that I have seen each of my last 3 - 4 trips up there.
How we kept ourselves busy:
- Hauled two trailer-loads (4 bales) of straw and spread under various fruit trees for mulch. I think I am up to about 20 trees done, having done six with Allan earlier this year. Didn't finish spreading around a couple trees but have some straw clumps there ready to break apart, spread and tamp down.
- As we were working on the hillside distributing the straw mulch, we were also pulling and cutting yellow star thistle. We filled the back of the jeep with this nasty stuff then burned it in the incinerator.
- Star thistle seeds galore in the jeep led to having to do a thorough sweep-out of the jeep. Don't want to be the vector, spreading star thistle.
- Tidied up the remaining straw bales in the corral. Once these get soaked from rain, they will be much harder to work with. I hope to do more seeding at the dam, followed with straw to cover. I collected seed this year from the flourishing wild rye that I plan to use. The one steep area of the dam that we (Allan and I) seeded two years ago has done very well.
- We relocated the small construction remnant pile that was to the left of the woodshed. It consisted of smallish pieces of plywood and some roofing material. Some of the plywood is not holding up well. We put some rocks on the dirt behind the woodshed to rest the plywood on, then leaned them up against the back of the shed. the scraps of roofing material are draped over the whole. We later saw that there might be a better place to locate this out under the lean-to. We did put a couple of wood pallets together with some other pallets under the lean-to.
- Found the old ladder jacks out in the corral. I put them in the garage so they won't get any rustier and become useless. They are a functioning tool but maybe they will just be part of a decorative 'old tool display'. Either way, out of the rain.
- Victor tidied up the woodshed and stacked more firewood from the heap that is still on the ground. It hasn't been cold enough when we've been up for a fire yet, but when it is, and if it hasn't gotten soaked, this wood that hasn't made it into the shed is totally cured and should be used before going for the stacked wood. Victor left the wheelbarrow ready with firewood on the patio.
- Did a grade B sweep of the back porch (pretty darned good but not as thorough as I can be)
- Cleaned the fridge (again grade B)
- Moved a few limbs/cuttings from inside the compound to an existing pile in the corral. I realize this will need to move (along with a lot of other things). But, there is a small chance I will get it together to have the chipping program pay a visit at the end of this month.
- Brought white sugar....oh, someone already did. So, took my sugar back home.
- There were a few mouse poops on the kitchen counter. I had cleaned it thoroughly two weeks ago, so I know there has been a tiny visitor in the interim. Again, I do like having those disinfecting wipes handy.
- The lake seems to be filling pretty fast. not overflowing yet, but getting closer.
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Peter: We picked some persimmons & brought some to share.
Ingrid: A persimmon-a-day as they ripen, until they are gone, is my approach. 'Tis the season for that.
Work Update from PCM:
Nissan: Took bed liner out and removed a ton of crap. Cleaned the cab with soap and water, also rubbing compound on hood and wax to see what happened. The paint is really shot, but looks better. Will get some head liner spray glue and reset the detached material. I checked the tires and they were ok except the spare tire was 0 lbs. so put in 40 psi like the rest.
3rd Floor Door: The door is about done, just have to sand and paint. The rat chewing damage along the bottom is repaired with Marine epoxy, door panel split is epoxy tight and screwed, hinge cleaned and reinstalled with larger screws.
If I have time, I may go up the the ranch to install the door, water and install the new garage step I made. Also have the jeep hood hooks. The bathroom light switch needs to be wrapped with electrical tape.
Still have work to do on 3rd floor double windows to determine what can be fixed, etc. and make a plan. -PCM
Update from PWM:
Yes, the 3rd floor double window is not closing all the way and the locking mechanism is not working.
Since the board decided to keep the Nissan, my dad took it home for some TLC.
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Was up at the Ranch this past weekend with really nice weather.
- Removed remaining persimmons at the top of the tree to remove attractant for bear
- Fixed pole pruner for persimmon tree trimming (new rope, attachment, etc.)
- Covered 1 1/2" water line along road where leak was found after ensuring it was dry
- Removed door to 3rd floor to take home for repairs (broken hinge, bottom needs trimming and edge to seal). Took paint for door to paint after repairs.
- Installed a much longer shield on the front gate cable to protect oak limb
- Installed new shelf in bathroom (replacing shelf above toilet)
- Replaced downstairs bathroom light switch (old switch was shorting out - flickering lights - most likely due to water damage on wall)
- Started to repair small stone wall behind round table - will finish over Thanksgiving
- Tested LED strip lighting (brought up by Ingrid) under the cabinets and it would provide very good light for counter top
- Dragged lake road and around burn pile area to smooth out dirt
- Took Nissan pickup home to clean, work on interior (fix cab lining), check lights, etc. - will return over Thanksgiving
- Measured site for new storage shed with blue flags at corner
- Cleaned track and mechanism at double window on 3rd floor. Will continue to analyze to fix locking mechanism.
- Watered around house - everything is very very dry.
- Trimmed corner area with old walnut tree at driveway, removed shoots, trimmed volunteer plum, dug out starter scrub oak
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We had a productive couple of days at Shang this weekend. New carpet is in and it looks great! We washed the floor 3 times before putting the carpet down, and wiped down all the wooden furniture including the intricate wood that holds the kitchen table. The new carpet shows dirt more and the current vacuum isn't working that great, so I suggest we invest in a new vacuum or if someone is willing to donate...?
Also, the blue couch is finally gone - yay! We successfully hauled it out along with the old carpet in Dan's truck. Owen, Randy and Katie removed and stored the acrylic panels from the back porch and watered all around the property. We were tempted to trim the tree that is dropping the white flowers by the stairs (can't remember the name) because it's hanging so low that many us were getting our head whacked by low branch walking to the garage/WC. It's got to be trimmed back.
The pump is working fine. I filled both gas tanks to leave a spare down at the pump. Water tank was left full. The lake is super refreshing - perfect temp for summertime!
Al had a surprise visit from David, Valorie and family, so it was wonderful to visit with them for a bit. Oh, propane is at 43% and I noted it in the book.
That's about it!
Tessa
Also, the blue couch is finally gone - yay! We successfully hauled it out along with the old carpet in Dan's truck. Owen, Randy and Katie removed and stored the acrylic panels from the back porch and watered all around the property. We were tempted to trim the tree that is dropping the white flowers by the stairs (can't remember the name) because it's hanging so low that many us were getting our head whacked by low branch walking to the garage/WC. It's got to be trimmed back.
The pump is working fine. I filled both gas tanks to leave a spare down at the pump. Water tank was left full. The lake is super refreshing - perfect temp for summertime!
Al had a surprise visit from David, Valorie and family, so it was wonderful to visit with them for a bit. Oh, propane is at 43% and I noted it in the book.
That's about it!
Tessa
