Twostep
Well-known Member
- Location
- Tiny town Oklahoma, OK
But they do not go flat on you when you are on the bridge with a full load.
Enter At Your Own Risk
- Thread starter GoodEnuff
- Start date
Exactly. The replacements should be delivered today.
Bridges and ramps are complete. Now working on removing a very large rock out of the middle of the path. Maybe rent a block and tackle from the local hardware? It may be easier to just build something around or over it? Have dug out around most of it, using a 12 lb. pry bar but it just won't budge. This may be a losing battle. Will work at it more today. I don't like giving up but that may be the only choice.
Twostep
Well-known Member
- Location
- Tiny town Oklahoma, OK
What you are dealing with may only be the tip of the rock. Please do not go the dynamite route. it may be easier to go around it. give it a name!
We will probably keep this house. The yard was done perfectly when we moved in. Then Oklahoma struck. We redid it and it lasted two years. Next year will see a turning it into a retire friendly situation.
Me vs Rock: I won. It ended up being over 2 feet in diameter. Determination won and it is now out of the path, which is filled in with smaller rocks and dirt. That project is finished.
I have been working on the remains of the old barn tear down, cutting and disassembling large pieces (walls and roof) to make it easier to carry them out of that area. Finished that today and the guy is coming tomorrow morning to haul it all away. I will say this: that barn was not only a hot mess, it was just absolutely nasty. Wait. Nasty! Three 42 gallon bags filled with insulation that rodents had taken over. I have never seen so much rat/mouse poop. Mask, glasses, gloves, well covered and it was all I could do to keep from gagging. As a trauma nurse, I have been up to my elbows in blood and guts but nothing was as bad as this.
When that was finished, I came back to the house, stripped down to skivies at the front door leaving outer clothing outside, came in and showered, then went back out and hosed down those clothes, hanging them on the fence to let the sun shine on them. Once they were mostly dry, they went into the washer and dryer. The power tools were left outside in the sun and anything that could be washed down (pry bar, hammer, etc.) was. Even the boots were power washed.
There is nothing I can do about what is in the grass and dirt out there, maybe hose it down? Tape it off and designate it a haz mat zone? I know, I know, it's all organic but yuck! Maybe rent a tiller and till it under a few inches? I will be so glad when this project is finished!
Next is the siding. At least that should be a pretty clean project. I hope.
I have been working on the remains of the old barn tear down, cutting and disassembling large pieces (walls and roof) to make it easier to carry them out of that area. Finished that today and the guy is coming tomorrow morning to haul it all away. I will say this: that barn was not only a hot mess, it was just absolutely nasty. Wait. Nasty! Three 42 gallon bags filled with insulation that rodents had taken over. I have never seen so much rat/mouse poop. Mask, glasses, gloves, well covered and it was all I could do to keep from gagging. As a trauma nurse, I have been up to my elbows in blood and guts but nothing was as bad as this.
When that was finished, I came back to the house, stripped down to skivies at the front door leaving outer clothing outside, came in and showered, then went back out and hosed down those clothes, hanging them on the fence to let the sun shine on them. Once they were mostly dry, they went into the washer and dryer. The power tools were left outside in the sun and anything that could be washed down (pry bar, hammer, etc.) was. Even the boots were power washed.
There is nothing I can do about what is in the grass and dirt out there, maybe hose it down? Tape it off and designate it a haz mat zone? I know, I know, it's all organic but yuck! Maybe rent a tiller and till it under a few inches? I will be so glad when this project is finished!
Next is the siding. At least that should be a pretty clean project. I hope.
Twostep
Well-known Member
- Location
- Tiny town Oklahoma, OK
I am so proud of you! What are your plans with the rock?
Nature will take care of what is left of your hazmat zone. A couple of down pours will wash it away.
It is living a few feet off the path near its brethren. They are all over the place. It's just part of the natural geography here. Life revolves around them. The word "dig" makes everybody cringe.
As for down pours, we don't get much of that unless it is white. Summers are pretty dry. There are many bits and pieces of paint chips, insulation, plastic, all kinds of stuff that is too small to rake up. Will work on it after everything is gone and out of the way. Tilling it under is appealing but you can bet there are more Rocks to be avoided, many not visible on the surface, so that may not be a good idea. Letting nature do its thing may be the best route. The perfectionist in me needs to learn patience.
Twostep
Well-known Member
- Location
- Tiny town Oklahoma, OK
I was reminded about the virtue of patience Sunday night. Pulled a muscle in my back and it is not happy.
MarkD
Keeper of the Hounds & Garden
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Well done. I know very well what it takes to move a large boulder. I hired a team of four strong young men to install three of them in my garden with the largest weighing 1500 pounds. I'd hoped to have the gentleman-customer experience but it soon became clear that it wasn't going to happen without my throwing my minimal strength into the effort too. Here is my old dog Fletcher sitting on probably the largest one back in January of 2010;
Fortunately I had on hand a couple of salvaged ten foot lengths of four by twelve redwood which we were able to use as a skid and an old heavy plastic concrete mixing pan. The biggest one required that we wet the wood with the hose as we went with ropes pulling it from in front and digging bars prying from behind. When it came time to pass it between the birch trees we even used the wood skid for that and that brought its widest point to a place it would fit.
This is where the biggest one went.
And here all three have been placed but the ground is still pretty torn up.
And here is the same area more or less cleaned up.
By February I had built and installed my redwood bench.
By March it began to look like they'd always been there.
@GoodEnuff if this is too much sharing in your diary thread let me know and I'll delete it, no problem. I never know how much back and forth is welcome in a diary thread.
Fortunately I had on hand a couple of salvaged ten foot lengths of four by twelve redwood which we were able to use as a skid and an old heavy plastic concrete mixing pan. The biggest one required that we wet the wood with the hose as we went with ropes pulling it from in front and digging bars prying from behind. When it came time to pass it between the birch trees we even used the wood skid for that and that brought its widest point to a place it would fit.
This is where the biggest one went.
And here all three have been placed but the ground is still pretty torn up.
And here is the same area more or less cleaned up.
By February I had built and installed my redwood bench.
By March it began to look like they'd always been there.
@GoodEnuff if this is too much sharing in your diary thread let me know and I'll delete it, no problem. I never know how much back and forth is welcome in a diary thread.
Love it! I think your boulders are related to my boulders. Your garden area is gorgeous, btw. The one where your dog is standing on the rock is about the same size as the one I had to dig up and move. About 8" of it were visible above ground, the rest was buried. I dug out as much as I could around it, slammed a 12# pry bar down into that trench, pushed/pried with all my might, and when it moved just an inch or so, would quickly stuff a small stone into the gap. I would line up different size stones at the edge and quickly push them in with my foot since both hands were hanging on for dear life to that pry bar.Well done. I know very well what it takes to move a large boulder. I hired a team of four strong young men to install three of them in my garden with the largest weighing 1500 pounds. I'd hoped to have the gentleman-customer experience but it soon became clear that it wasn't going to happen without my throwing my minimal strength into the effort too. Here is my old dog Fletcher sitting on probably the largest one back in January of 2010;
Fortunately I had on hand a couple of salvaged ten foot lengths of four by twelve redwood which we were able to use as a skid and an old heavy plastic concrete mixing pan. The biggest one required that we wet the wood with the hose as we went with ropes pulling it from in front and digging bars prying from behind. When it came time to pass it between the birch trees we even used the wood skid for that and that brought its widest point to a place it would fit.
This is where the biggest one went.
And here all three have been placed but the ground is still pretty torn up.
And here is the same area more or less cleaned up.
By February I had built and installed my redwood bench.
By March it began to look like they'd always been there.
@GoodEnuff if this is too much sharing in your diary thread let me know and I'll delete it, no problem. I never know how much back and forth is welcome in a diary thread.
Luckily ? it was located on an uphill path so I was able to dig out the downhill side and once it started moving, it was a little easier. I sat on the ground on the uphill side and pushed with my legs with all my might and it did budge a little bit. And I just kept at it, three afternoons, until it was out on flat ground and I was able to push it out of the way. Not far, just a foot or so off the path. That's where it will stay, lol!
For some reason, the pics on my android will not transfer to the desktop anymore, otherwise I would post a few.
MarkD
Keeper of the Hounds & Garden
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
That had to be a whole lot harder. Mine were delivered on pallets by the four strong young guys. I think I was 57 years old back then and a whole lot stronger than I am now. Digging it up? No way I could've done that; I'd have planned the garden around where it was.
MarkD
Keeper of the Hounds & Garden
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
Drat, unable to view the attachment.
Something went wrong when I tried to post it. Now it won't let me edit to remove it.
Meanwhile, the guys weren't able to come on Thursday to remove all the barn remains. It was very windy that day and the landfill closes during those conditions. They came yesterday though and everything that is supposed to be gone is gone. There is still some cleanup/organizing that I want to do but I'm not sure just what that will be. There is a large stack of fence posts, some metal poles and such, that need to have a home until they are used. For now, they will just stay where they are.
The funniest thing happened yesterday! The guys brought their dog with them. It's an Old English Sheepdog, about a year old. He is the coolest dog I have ever met. (These people are my neighbors so I know them well.) Anyway, the dog trots around, follows them, sniffs out different areas, doing dog things. At one point, he picked up a 2x4, about 2 1/2 feet long, and a stick and started carrying them, following the guys down the trail.
At first, he seemed a little unsure as to what to do with it, but then one of the guys called to him and off he trotted! He carried it through the woods, across the creek/bridge, and out to the front where the trailer was parked. His alpha said it appeared he was going to try to bury it; he ended up dropping it by the trailer and they tossed it in. I wish I had had my phone at the ready to get a video of that.
Now that that project is finished, I think today will be spent doing some light property clean up. Weed trimming, marking trees/bushes that are dead and need to be removed. I have a guy who will come do the hard stuff, the larger trees, etc. The smaller stuff I will do myself.
Onward through the fog!
Meanwhile, the guys weren't able to come on Thursday to remove all the barn remains. It was very windy that day and the landfill closes during those conditions. They came yesterday though and everything that is supposed to be gone is gone. There is still some cleanup/organizing that I want to do but I'm not sure just what that will be. There is a large stack of fence posts, some metal poles and such, that need to have a home until they are used. For now, they will just stay where they are.
The funniest thing happened yesterday! The guys brought their dog with them. It's an Old English Sheepdog, about a year old. He is the coolest dog I have ever met. (These people are my neighbors so I know them well.) Anyway, the dog trots around, follows them, sniffs out different areas, doing dog things. At one point, he picked up a 2x4, about 2 1/2 feet long, and a stick and started carrying them, following the guys down the trail.
At first, he seemed a little unsure as to what to do with it, but then one of the guys called to him and off he trotted! He carried it through the woods, across the creek/bridge, and out to the front where the trailer was parked. His alpha said it appeared he was going to try to bury it; he ended up dropping it by the trailer and they tossed it in. I wish I had had my phone at the ready to get a video of that.
Now that that project is finished, I think today will be spent doing some light property clean up. Weed trimming, marking trees/bushes that are dead and need to be removed. I have a guy who will come do the hard stuff, the larger trees, etc. The smaller stuff I will do myself.
Onward through the fog!
Twostep
Well-known Member
- Location
- Tiny town Oklahoma, OK
Can you please spend a week at our place? I will cook special requests!
We over did it yesterday so garage and shining play toys for SO and yard piddle things for me.
We over did it yesterday so garage and shining play toys for SO and yard piddle things for me.
So I spent a couple of hours this morning tying orange ribbons around trees, etc., that are either dead or dying and need to be removed. Nothing very difficult. Came inside, had a bit of lunch, then decided to cut out a few things on this side of the creek, immediately around the house. Nothing difficult. Right. Most of it wasn't too bad, actually; it was the dragging it out to the front where it can later be loaded up and hauled away. I knew that wouldn't be easy; just decided to go slow. It did get done, with many rest periods and a slow pace. This body pain is really getting bad and affecting everything!
I looked up overall pain and smoking cessation and sure enough, the lack of nicotine actually does cause muscle/joint pain "for a while". This started a couple of months ago ? and looking back, it was about the same time I reduced the nico patch dose. Hmmm.... Maybe this will go away soon? I sure hope so! Ibuprofen does help a LOT; 600 mg does the trick for daytimes as long as I take things slowly. Night times I just suffer through it. Too much of that stuff can do some serious liver damage. On days when I don't plan on working outside, or the weather is bad, I don't take it.
While I was dragging those dead limbs and such up the hill to the drop area, I happened to glance at my reflection in the window as I went by and it was scary. There was this little old woman limping past, hunched over, so pathetic! It was a shock to realize that was me. Anyway, I managed to finish everything on this side of the creek. The other side will be hired out. No way I can drag all of that out. I can do some cutting and thinning, which I will probably do more of tomorrow.
I looked up overall pain and smoking cessation and sure enough, the lack of nicotine actually does cause muscle/joint pain "for a while". This started a couple of months ago ? and looking back, it was about the same time I reduced the nico patch dose. Hmmm.... Maybe this will go away soon? I sure hope so! Ibuprofen does help a LOT; 600 mg does the trick for daytimes as long as I take things slowly. Night times I just suffer through it. Too much of that stuff can do some serious liver damage. On days when I don't plan on working outside, or the weather is bad, I don't take it.
While I was dragging those dead limbs and such up the hill to the drop area, I happened to glance at my reflection in the window as I went by and it was scary. There was this little old woman limping past, hunched over, so pathetic! It was a shock to realize that was me. Anyway, I managed to finish everything on this side of the creek. The other side will be hired out. No way I can drag all of that out. I can do some cutting and thinning, which I will probably do more of tomorrow.
No little old woman could work like a 20 year-old lumber jack the way you do. Mother Nature rues the day you quit smoking and walked outside.
Lol! What takes me all day to do, a young person would do in an hour.
Winter weather advisory in effect till tomorrow night, though most of it is in higher elevations. We will probably get some rain, which is fine. I think I will take the day off from labor and go to town for a few things.
Rain would be a Good Thing. The irrigation line that waters the back half of the property is dry. The water level in the creek has gone down below the intake pipe so no water is coming from there. The other half of the property is fed from a different intake that is still below water level. I may divert that line to the back if we don't get rain today. It wouldn't be hard to do. This water comes partially from a levee'd reservoir which collects snow melt. It is released to downstream farmers starting June 1 so I expect the water level to go back up soon.
Spent the last two days just sitting around doing nothing due to body hurting all over. Yesterday, I finally broke down and made a dr appointment for tomorrow. Of course, today I am feeling so much better. It always happens that way. Tolerate something for weeks, break down and make an appointment and it's suddenly all better.
Today was spent tagging more trees and such for removal or pruning. I thought we had removed most of the dead stuff last year. Nope. Lots and lots more. I will probably go through and cut the small stuff myself, leaving the larger things for the tree guy. Cutting it is the easy part; dragging it out is the hard part that I just can't do.
It's kind of odd. I will be concentrating so hard on a particular shrub/tree, moving on to the next one and after a while, I think, "Where am I?" I have to stop and look around for landmarks. Oh! I didn't realize I was that close to the bridge. Or the path. Or fence, or whatever.
This evening, I switched the irrigation lines around so that the back area can be watered. I was inspired by a little pine tree that I found which was completely surrounded by some large thick shrub, poor thing. The shrub is now marked for pruning to give the spruce some room and it has had a good drink also. I stumbled upon a second baby spruce in another area, about a foot tall. So cute! I know it wasn't planted; it has to have grown from seed, which around here is an impressive accomplishment. And it's perfectly shaped.
Have you seen the musical, "Paint Your Wagon"? When Clint Eastwood sings "I talk to the trees"? That's me. I catch myself singing that song as I am working out there. My next door neighbor says he can sometimes hear me talking when I'm back there working. I can sometimes hear the other neighbors' chickens/roosters and I will call back to them. Today, there was a wild turkey, a single hen; I just quietly stood and watched it disappear into the woods and I asked the trees, "You see that turkey? Wonder where it's headed."
So much needs to be done. Funny, though, it has changed from being hard work to becoming more of a caretaker. I could spend all day out there, just wandering around, talking to the trees.
Today was spent tagging more trees and such for removal or pruning. I thought we had removed most of the dead stuff last year. Nope. Lots and lots more. I will probably go through and cut the small stuff myself, leaving the larger things for the tree guy. Cutting it is the easy part; dragging it out is the hard part that I just can't do.
It's kind of odd. I will be concentrating so hard on a particular shrub/tree, moving on to the next one and after a while, I think, "Where am I?" I have to stop and look around for landmarks. Oh! I didn't realize I was that close to the bridge. Or the path. Or fence, or whatever.
This evening, I switched the irrigation lines around so that the back area can be watered. I was inspired by a little pine tree that I found which was completely surrounded by some large thick shrub, poor thing. The shrub is now marked for pruning to give the spruce some room and it has had a good drink also. I stumbled upon a second baby spruce in another area, about a foot tall. So cute! I know it wasn't planted; it has to have grown from seed, which around here is an impressive accomplishment. And it's perfectly shaped.
Have you seen the musical, "Paint Your Wagon"? When Clint Eastwood sings "I talk to the trees"? That's me. I catch myself singing that song as I am working out there. My next door neighbor says he can sometimes hear me talking when I'm back there working. I can sometimes hear the other neighbors' chickens/roosters and I will call back to them. Today, there was a wild turkey, a single hen; I just quietly stood and watched it disappear into the woods and I asked the trees, "You see that turkey? Wonder where it's headed."
So much needs to be done. Funny, though, it has changed from being hard work to becoming more of a caretaker. I could spend all day out there, just wandering around, talking to the trees.
Today will be a strange day. Not sure what to think. I have been informed that a family member has arrived in the area and is staying at a local B&B. I don't know these people; we have met twice in their lives for less than an hour. History with that part of the family leads me to think they are here for some personal gain and I really don't want to see them. Hopefully, I am not on their agenda. I have that doctor's appointment in town this afternoon so I will be gone most of the day. Maybe hide out in the woods the rest. This has created some anxiety. Deep breath...
So the visit has been okay, even though I have been a little mystified about it all. I have become socially inept, living alone all these years. Also, like many others I have been used and abused more than a few times so trust doesn't come easily. They're leaving today.
Meanwhile, the doctor ordered various blood labs and an x-ray to see if we can find the source of all this pain. Results in a few days.
Cleaned house yesterday. What a difference! Today will be a day off from physical labor.
Meanwhile, the doctor ordered various blood labs and an x-ray to see if we can find the source of all this pain. Results in a few days.
Cleaned house yesterday. What a difference! Today will be a day off from physical labor.
Not much new going on. Still cutting dead stuff out of the woods; the tree guys will be here late next week to fell the larger trees and haul everything away. It will take 3-5 days, at least.
A week later, the work on the house will begin, starting with removing the hot tub, building a floor to fill in that huge space (it's in an inside room), then replacing the siding and repairing any damage found behind it. This will also involve some concrete repair.
These are the large projects for this summer. After that, there are some smaller inside things I can do, mostly myself if I am able. Some of the pain has subsided, probably because I am taking ibuprofen twice a day and am moving more slowly and taking care not to overdo things.
The labs all came back normal; the lower spine x-ray shows degenerative disc disease which is no surprise. Will meet with NP next week to discuss what to do about that, which sounds like it will be PT, no heavy lifting (LOLOLOL!!!), that kind of thing. I wear a whistle and am careful to keep my phone on me when I go outside to work, in case I fall or worse. Three to four hours per day seems to be the physical limit for now.
A week later, the work on the house will begin, starting with removing the hot tub, building a floor to fill in that huge space (it's in an inside room), then replacing the siding and repairing any damage found behind it. This will also involve some concrete repair.
These are the large projects for this summer. After that, there are some smaller inside things I can do, mostly myself if I am able. Some of the pain has subsided, probably because I am taking ibuprofen twice a day and am moving more slowly and taking care not to overdo things.
The labs all came back normal; the lower spine x-ray shows degenerative disc disease which is no surprise. Will meet with NP next week to discuss what to do about that, which sounds like it will be PT, no heavy lifting (LOLOLOL!!!), that kind of thing. I wear a whistle and am careful to keep my phone on me when I go outside to work, in case I fall or worse. Three to four hours per day seems to be the physical limit for now.