This past week saw yard (and area) flowers really taking off. Many species are in bloom, including lilacs, and others (allium) are getting ready to flower. It’s a satisfying time of the year.
Pam added [the annual] geraniums to the east front porch bed and [new addition] pansies to the north bay window bed. The hope is these plants will prosper and spread out, keeping the beds full of flowers over the summer.
I mentioned the bleeding hearts were blooming in my last post; here is a shot of just one of many around the yard.
While Pam was planting, I took on another task: cleaning up the LP tank. I had assembled the new pressure washer and, in the first use, started the “tank project.” A few photos are worth many words.
The plan going forward is to paint the lower portion of the tank blue, repaint the upper portion with a new coat of white. Until that happens, the tank looks much better. It will look even better by the end of the year!
Not all the days were suitable for outdoor work, so I started on another ‘indoor’ project, converting my Super 8 movie films. The used Wolverine MovieMaker Pro I found on eBay arrived and proved to be fairly easy to use. The process is a bit fussy, but once loaded the machine runs without much attention.
I can transfer the converted files to my Mac using the included USB cable, then edit the files using iMovie, the same program I used to edit the converted VHS tapes. While a small (3 inch)) spool is shown, I also have several larger (5-inch) spools to convert. The small spools take about half an hour to convert and the larger ones take about 2 hours. This averages out to about 10 minutes of conversion time for every 1 minute of running time, plus rewind time. Editing and saving take additional effort, of course, so this is not a quick project but will be satisfying in the end. Note: These are “silent” films with no audio track, but I may add some audio commentary during the editing process.
The only drawback to the week concerned Becky and her closing; it has been pushed back a few days. A new closing date is not yet set. There are time lags between the seller (an estate) and the bank in processing the necessary documents. On the other hand, Becky received her copy of the home inspection report and it was generally quite positive. A few small items need attention, but nothing that was not apparent when we visited the property.
Life continues and projects keep getting done. This upcoming week we’re “scheduled” to get started on the summer’s painting projects. I hope to get the west end of the garage painted — the last side of the garage that needs to be converted — from the previous mint green to the current barn red. In June, the plan is to start painting the north (Main Street) side of the house in hopes of having it done by the 4th of July parade down Main Street. As this would require hiring a lift for the second floor sections, we’ll see how that plan progresses.
The week was a mixed bag of weather, projects, planting, and planning. In other words, a typical retirement week for us!
Photo Archive
From past motorcycle trips.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
Wouldn’t it be lovely if freshly weeded and edged planting beds would stay neat and tidy? I pretty much have to plan spring work sessions to weed/edge every other year, on rotating flower beds. I stay on top of weeding most of the growing season, but grass incursions not so much.
Our mornings are a cacophony of bird song. Seedlings visibly add growth daily. I enjoyed another visit to the Mennonite greenhouse. A vibrant season.
Happy Trails.
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