Spring-Summer 2023 Has Arrived!
The season has changed. We have entered Spring/Summer, officially, and the snow is gone. The projects around the property are numerous of course but one day at a time. Let’s take a look at what has been happening around the property in the past few weeks.
Garage Clean Up – Spring – Summer 2023
Well, what better way to get started on Spring – Summer 2023 then a simple clean up of winter from the garage. Ashley and Colin threw down some ZEP dust bain and started cleaning up winter. Amazing how different it looks after a good sweep! (dust bain is a dry chemical you use to ground the dust and sweep away the dust/dirt which makes sweeping easier)
We also picked up an awesome Husky Tool Chest from Home Depot (on sale) to store all of our tools. It is actually quite good and an awesome way to organize your tools in one place. We just seemed to always be looking for something… now as long as it is put back there, we can always find it. If you are looking for a tool chest/cabinet on wheels for your garage, this will probably work for you.
Wait for a sale though and save yourself some $$. Home Depot puts them on sale a couple of times a year, but worth the wait.
Let’s Get Rid of Those Crab Apple Trees!
Our crab apple trees have maple trees growing out of them. The trees are within a meter or two of the back of the house so clearly, they have to go for a couple of reasons. The roots of the Maple trees will eventually destroy the foundation on the corner of the house and the Crab Apple trees just attract unsavoury characters (ie. Rodents)
Ahhh, you might be saying to yourself, but you can make things or use the crab apples. Well, unfortunately, not our bag or bushel. Here in our neck of the woods, you can’t give crabapples away to anyone because so many people have them also.
The Maple Trees are beautiful but if too close to a building, they can wreak havoc. However, with the natural seeding from one of the Maple Trees in the yard, there are a few seedlings positioned perfectly along our tree line where there is a small void. Watching the seedlings grow during our Spring – Summer 2023 will be awesome but we are definitely watching the spacing of them so we will most likely remove a few for sure.
Winter Said We Need New Windows – Summer 2023
Yes, we got new windows in the living room, dining room and laundry/pantry room. Winter showed its ugly side and told us new windows were needed. Yellowhead Windows and Doors we had mentioned previously would be doing the job and they came out on May 11 and 12th to do the install.
Most of the work was done on the one day, they just came back on the 12th to do cosmetic touch ups, top up the foam insulation and put the molding on around the windows.
These guys are pros and did an awesome job. Completely professional and clearly liked their jobs as nothing was left undone. Pleased is an understatement; thrilled with the new windows is what we are. See all the pictures and info from the installation at: https://decristofarohut.com/new-windows-lloydminster/
Flowers, Veggies and More……
Well, after the windows were done in the living room, we had that huge flower bed to fill out front. So, off to Home Depot so Lisa and Ashley could pick out some flowers and materials for the Spring – Summer 2023 garden bed.
We had to prep the garden as protecting what was being planted is just as important as what was being planted. We have voles and moles on the land. A great way to stop them from eating your plants is to use hardware cloth. If you have never used this before it is easy. It is like chicken wire, BUT, firmer and harder with a solid structure. No animal can get through the hardware cloth without seriously injuring themselves.
Another component is electronic pulse devices which deter voles, moles, mice, snakes and more from coming close to the gardens. We have one placed in the front flower bed, as well as in the vegetable garden. Keeping these pests away from the actual house is always a good thing. So, we have one of these devices behind the house above the Septic system.
Come Fall/Winter, these same pests look for some place warm to hibernate… let’s remove temptation, shall we?!
The hardware cloth is laid underneath the soil across the entire space you are looking to protect. Our space was 7ft by 11ft. Yep, big flower garden. After the hardware cloth was in place, we had to add soil to the flower bed to bring it up to a good level for planting. We picked up a nice mix of perennials and annuals. Some Lavender, Mini Roses, Impatients, Pansies, and more.
Reclaimed Tractor Tire Garden Perhaps?
Lisa cleaned out this massive tire and added some soil for some planting. Lilies, Lavender and more were planted. To give it that awesome final touch, Lisa added a double hummingbird feeder. We do have hummingbirds and it will be awesome for them with the Lilies and Lavender.
Perhaps a Few Veggies This Year – Summer 2023
Small veggie garden built by Lisa and Ashley with some reclaimed wood from the property. They did an amazing job piecing together some of the wood they found. It also received hardware cloth and then a ton of soil to raise it well above the ground. Dill Cukes, Zuchini, Pumpkin, Field Cukes, Sunflowers, Beans, Peppers and more. Some of the veggies were purchased and some were grown from seed.
The Grass Has Grown!
Most of the 10 Acres is right now not really able to be cut with a traditional lawnmower or lawn tractor. However, our neighbour has cows…. So cows it is for most of the land. We do have about an acre or two of land that can be cut. We picked up a new lawn tractor and lawn mower. Not all places can be cut with the tractor so the lawnmower will be handy.
Ashley has cut the grass a couple of times in the past couple weeks. Right now it is growing fast because the ground is still wet from the winter melt. Natural watering! The lawn tractor is a Troy Bilt 19.5hp which will get us around the property with ease.
Lisa took a quick spin on the lawn tractor and she had a blast. Perhaps we can get her to cut the grass as well while she is driving around on it….. lol.
Update on the Lawn Mower: We had bought what we thought was a “quality” Toro lawnmower with the drive option, and after just one use, the front wheel fell off and the threads were stripped so we could not put it back on or repair it. We returned the Toro lawnmower and have ordered something else from Home Hardware.
We will update on what that is when we get it. We thought we were being smart by purchasing a higher end Toro, but really, after one use, the wheel comes off and can’t be put back on. Hmmm. Disappointed in the quality of it for sure.
Check In on the Pets
Well, Luke has been fixed and his recovery was somewhat uneventful. Lisa had an inflatable cone which was actually more like a donut travel pillow around his neck for the week following the procedure. His nick name was “pillow head” for the week.
He is a big dog so when he was coming through the house, it was definitely like a bull in a china shop. He adjusted well after the snip snip.
Perhaps you are wondering why we had him fixed…simple. As a male dog with another male dog in the house, Luke wants to be the dominant and mark his territory; need we say more. So to eliminate the leg lifting in the house, it was the decision we had to make.
All good now and he is back to his same old self. Protecting the land at all costs from bad magpies and leaves in the wind (and of course our neighbours tractor).
Doug & Sam… typical selves and healthy.
Check In on Family
Lisa is doing well, spending a lot of time outside with the nicer weather doing tasks around the property. She used some reclaimed wood from the property and built the veggie garden with it which was pretty cool.
P-Dawg is a typical 10 year old of today. She plays online games and chats online with her friends from BC and locally here. She is also involved with soccer and plays on a team that her mom is actually coaching. Pushing the agenda of “outside time” is a challenge of course, but getting easier each day.
Sarah is still working for our waste disposal service company. Like said above, she is also coaching soccer.
Ashley, Lisa’s oldest has moved back home as stated in a previous post. She has been helping Lisa outside with many of the things that Colin is not up to doing yet. Right now she is not actually working, but has been a big help around the property so that has been a good thing.
Colin’s still on the mend, getting stronger each day. Good Days and Challenging Days, but getting there. It is amazing how something that started out so simple, could turn into something so debilitating. Frustration is definitely something that has wreaked havoc as not being able to do what you used to is just… argggh!
