Never thought retirement would be like this

Roadwarrior said:
When we moved to the NW into our senior MH park there was a lady who cared for a small group of feral cats. Most residents resented the cats & was always complaining about them. Once I had a chance to talk to the care giver I learned a good lesson. She fed 4 of them, had all their shots, neutered them & fed them on a nightly basis, she paid for all the care & doctoring. I'm not a cat person but now I recognize the benefits they preformed.

They kept all the other strays at bay out of our park, kept the vermin population at a minimum & never bothered us. She had also setup & maintained 4 or 5 litter boxes around. No smell stayed away & were not pests. Some of the do-gooders got on the 'Remove the feral cats' bandwagon & finally forced the lady to give up her cats. A few years later the park management had to pay for the trapping & removal of vermin (mice & rats) along with more feral cats now showing up in the residents yards & garbage cans.
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Yep, we had one TNR cat on our block. I fed him. A lady up the street adopted him last year, made him indoor. Now we have ground squirrels running all over the place. And that's only what I see. Who knows at night. Things usually end up in a balance over time. When someone, or something, interrupts, it takes a while to get things back into balance. It's always been interesting to me how that works out.
 

ndynt said:
Thought you might enjoy this, Nancy....
View attachment 52542

Dinner and a show: These nine goats draw spectators while clearing an overgrown Maryland park
https://wapo.st/2saeAJh
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There were goats in the adjoining block in town here last year clearing an acre or so that could not be mowed. I think it was a project funded by a small grant, paid for fencing, etc. They are not back this year, so far. Maybe funding ran out. The fenced area is completely overgrown again now.

One thing I noticed with goats, probably cows too, is they will eat their favorite stuff first, and gradually keep adding more stuff, until they get to the poison stuff (wisteria, nightshade, ferns, some ornamentals). Then the poison plants flourish because they have no competition. So it's not a perfect solution. Again, another balance situation like with the cats. lol

Sorry, I can't view the WashPost link. I really need to subscribe to several good newspapers. Keep putting it off. :(
 
Cities Get Their Goats to Be Newest Employees

image
 

Sorry, did not realize it would not link, Nancy. Tried too ccp it and would not allow it. Basically it said the same as you, that the goats ate the vegetation selectively, in stages. In this case, after they remove down to the last of what they find acceptable, a crew goes in to remove what is left. Along with pulling up roots. I think they charged 8,000 for the service. Growing up our goats kept our slopes, that were too steep to mow, cleared.
I live on a dead end dirt road, that people consider the ideal place to dump unwanted cats, kittens and puppies. So there are many feral cats. Animal control will neuter them, only if I catch them and take them back to release them. The same with wild animals. Had a large racoon that would open my screen and come in to my dining room. They told me to rent a cage, catch him/her and release it someplace else. :D I am 84 and standing on it's hind legs...almost as tall as me. Sure LOL
 
Goats clearing poison ivy in Austin, TX
BUT...the ivy will always come back, unless you get the roots. And what do you feed the goats in the winter. So it's not all a bed of roses.


BTW, goats love roses too. :playful:

Time-to-prune-the-roses.jpg
 
Meanderer said:
I think that turning the wooden handle clockwise, tightens it.
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Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow.

The clouds opened up enough to let the sunshine dry off the grass by 1 pm, and I got the whole yard mowed---front, back, and side! I'm caught up with all mowing for now, EXCEPT the little patch I did 3 days ago, which most people would say needs mowing again, but my standards are very low (or is it high?). :) More rain coming.

Also got one 3'x4' piece of drywall up on the ceiling last night. This may not seem like much, but it will be the hardest piece to put up, in terms of strength. I put it in the middle because placing another piece that big, with added restrictions, would have been purt near impossible by myself, I think. This one was bad enough as it was. Two smaller pieces on each side, I can do. Didn't want the green stuff (mold resistant), but that's all they had.

drywall1.jpg

Now I can take another long vacation. :playful:
 
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ndynt said:
How did you manage to get that dry wall up by yourself Nancy?
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Nona, I just nailed a couple of (temporary) boards cross-wise about 3 inches below the ceiling where that piece was going, then slipped it up and in, to rest on them. You can even block it up to fit tightly to the ceiling after that, if you have patience. The problem was the weight. Even a little 3'x4' piece is heavy. :confused: The other two pieces to finish the ceiling will only be half that big.

Now that I *think* I can do this, I have to go buy the rest of the drywall, and it's suppose to rain for days. Not that I'm in a hurry or anything. :) Just afraid I'll lose my momentum. :eek:nthego: :playful:
 
Update: The scythe handle is a slight contradiction to the "Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty" rule. You turn the handle counterclockwise to tighten. When I looked at it before I thought the handle had broken and my father had just driven a nail down in the end to stabilize it, but in fact it's the end of a bolt, not a nail head.

handle2.jpg

I found a picture of how the inside works after I got home. :)

$_1.JPG


The problem was, it wouldn't stay tight, but now that I know how it works, I'm not afraid of over-tightening it. Next time...

sherlock_holmes_meme.jpg

Now I've got to get back to some Pikes Peak mysteries. So many mysteries, so little time......{sigh} ;)
 
NancyNGA said:
Nona, I just nailed a couple of (temporary) boards cross-wise about 3 inches below the ceiling where that piece was going, then slipped it up and in, to rest on them. You can even block it up to fit tightly to the ceiling after that, if you have patience. The problem was the weight. Even a little 3'x4' piece is heavy. :confused: The other two pieces to finish the ceiling will only be half that big.
Now that I *think* I can do this, I have to go buy the rest of the drywall, and it's suppose to rain for days. Not that I'm in a hurry or anything. :) Just afraid I'll lose my momentum. :eek:nthego: :playful:
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Exactly, Nancy. Despite your clever slide in jig, green board is so much heavier than green board. Will be easier with your smaller pieces though. Instead of a door to that closet. With all your ingenious make do's.....think you should put a mitered decorative picture frame around the door opening...with a blue ribbon. Stating "Best of It's Class" :woohoo1:
 
ndynt said:
.....think you should put a mitered decorative picture frame around the door opening..."
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Nona, don't get me started thinking of more things I could do. It would never end with this house. lol

That's not a bad idea really. The closet door is a very old tiny cheap thing---only 6' tall and 2' wide! Maybe a fake transom on top with a mirror in it instead would make it look taller. Like this one?

transom1.jpg

But a mitered door frame would not match the rest of the framing in the house---just plain old ugly 6" boards (painted white :p).
 
NancyNGA said:
Nona, don't get me started thinking of more things I could do. It would never end with this house. lol

That's not a bad idea really. The closet door is a very old tiny cheap thing---only 6' tall and 2' wide! Maybe a fake transom on top with a mirror in it instead would make it look taller. Like this one?

View attachment 52607

But a mitered door frame would not match the rest of the framing in the house---just plain old ugly 6" boards (painted white :p).
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Actually, I was only teasing you. You have had to be so innovative restoring that closet....it qualifies as "your masterpiece" .:lol1: But, do love the transom topped door.
 
The new lawn mower belt came Tuesday, and it was the correct one! No lifesavers included this time. Different company. :(

Bent the belt guard back enough so the belt can't just fall off, filed down a couple of scratches inside the pulley, and got it all back together. Finally got up enough courage to try it just now.

oduwZ2w.jpg


After the smoke cleared :) ... the wheels still wouldn't turn. Turned it over and there was a screwdriver wrapped up in the belt!!! Where the heck did that come from? I either left it under there somewhere, or it sucked it up from the lawn. Whatever...the belt is ruined again!

I'm tempted to just order the whole assembly now, belt included.

This is one of those stories we can share with the each other when I get to the nursing home, to help us all go to sleep. But it ain't over yet. It may get better. :rolleyes:
 
I rented from my father for a few years, I bought the cheapest power mower on the market ($39). Used it for 5 years, moved - he used it until he got a big fancy one. That broke down, back to the cheapie which continued to run with very few problems for many years. Most dependable we ever had. He finally sold it for $10 at a yard sale. Wheels were ready to fall off, the pull belt had been replaced 3-4 times but it kept on ticking (the Timex of power mowers).
 
Roadwarrior, the best mower I ever had was the cheapest Murray you could find at the time, when I first moved into my house. It lasted at least 20 years. All metal. Easy to start, and nothing would stop it.

I tried to buy the cheapest mower they had a couple of years ago, but they are different now. Even some of the engine parts are made of plastic. It ran half a season and then wouldn't start. Fixed it for a while, and the same thing happened. Didn't last one season even. It's going out on the front lawn with a FREE sign on it this weekend.
 
Nancy, your whole experience with your lawnmower is unreal. From the "Life Savers" to the screwdriver. Bless you. In your place I do not know if I would cry in frustration or laugh hysterically. May you someway, somehow finally resolve the problem.
 
ndynt said:
Nancy, your whole experience with your lawnmower is unreal. From the "Life Savers" to the screwdriver. Bless you. In your place I do not know if I would cry in frustration or laugh hysterically. May you someway, somehow finally resolve the problem.
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Nona, in this case it was so bizarre, I came down on the laughing side. I already got another belt on the way. There is something odd about this mower. All the parts say "this replaces obsolete part#...etc, etc., and the how-to videos don't match. The whole assembly may not fit.

We've had lots of rain, warm nights with 100% humidity, and you can almost see the grass grow. :eewwk:
 


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