Tackling Our Front Garden Project

This weekend was a busy one for us. A while back we decided that we needed to do something with our front hillside. It was very difficult to mow due to the grade of the slope... Here are some before pics to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

As you can see, besides having the slope to deal with, we also had a very uneven front walk in need of some TLC. This project was no small task and we knew it. So we invited my parents (who are skilled in the art of moving rocks) to come and help us tackle the project in one short weekend...

We scheduled our plans for "a weekend in September with no rain". We succeeded with no rain but Saturday was terribly hot. We got up early and were out working on the yard at 7:30am. I was surprised to have Josh up that early, especially on a Saturday! We started with the heavy manual labor of removing all of the grass and removing and stacking the 2' x 2' x 2" thick pavers. We were really glad to have that all done by around 10:30am when the heat started to kick in.

With everything cleared we started to dig a trench for the retaining wall. We left the guys to tackle that task and my mom and I went off to the wonderful world of Lowe's for the first run of the day. We picked up 4x6x8 pressure-treated lumber and rebar for the retaining wall along with bags of stone dust to level our walkway. Once we had our heavy load we headed back to the house to help with the next stage of the project.

















We did take a break for lunch before we continued digging. After lunch we determined how high we wanted the walkway to be, leaving it slightly slanted to allow water to runaway from the house. Once we had this done we were able to see how much more we needed to dig to get he top of the retaining wall in line with the top of the walkway. We dug A LOT!

At around 5pm we were tired and hot, so we decided to call it a day, take showers and get some food! It is amazing how a little food and a shower make you feel great after a day of hard work. We all went to bed early (around 9:30pm) to be well rested for another early day! I know I slept like a log!

Our Sunday morning started out just as early. Mom and Dad went to work laying the stone walk and Josh and I tackled the the hillside with topsoil, gardeners cloth, and mulch. Planting hostas and day lilies that my mom brought from her garden. The lilies were originally from my great grandmothers's garden. We are very happy with the outcome. It was well worth the hard work!

For images of the process and the final outcome check out the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/davcroy/AmyAndJoshGardenWalkProject

A Scary Thought

I was just watching a show on PBS that used to be a favorite of mine as a kid: NOVA. It's always fascinating and highly informative. But on this occasion, it also served the (no doubt intended) purpose of scaring the daylights out of me.

Global dimming is the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct irradiance at the Earth's surface that was observed for several decades after the start of systematic measurements in 1950s. It is thought to have been caused by an increase in particulates such as sulfur aerosols in the atmosphere due to human action. The effect varied by location, but worldwide it was of the order of a 4% reduction over the three decades from 1960–1990. The trend reversed during the past decade. Global dimming has interfered with the hydrological cycle by reducing evaporation and may have caused droughts in some areas. Global dimming also creates a cooling effect that may have partially masked the effect of greenhouse gases on global warming.
From Wikipedia

Pretty scary stuff, huh? I'm no climatologist, but the mere thought that one of the very things we are trying to eliminate (air pollution) may be shielding us from the full brunt of global warming is a pretty sobering thought. As homeowners go, I would say we're on the good side; we recycle everything, compost our garbage, turns the lights off, and keep the thermostat down. But ultimately it will take all of us making a concerted effort to effect a change.

I challenge everyone who reads this entry to visit the site below. Judge for yourself just what the situation is. I don't want this to turn into a free-for-all, but I'd be curious to know people's thoughts on the matter:
Link to the show's website

The Continuing Saga Of Windows

After a few more days of hard work, we finally have both new windows installed in the back bedroom! Both have been secured, insulated, caulked, and partially trimmed. All that remains is to install interior trim for both sides. It was a long and arduous task, but ultimately, the rooms looks much nicer. And I swear that it stays cooler with the A/C on, though I'm sure scientifically that doesn't make sense.

We started by shoving insulation into the cavity where the old balance weights were. Should you ever wish to attempt this, I highly recommend long sleeves; that fiberglass insulation made me itch something fierce (and this was the "low-itch" stuff!). I just used a spare piece of trim to push it up as far as I could. At the end, the cavity was completely filled.

Next we framed out the window opening, since the windows we bought we slightly smaller than the original openings (such is the price we pay for not spending huge amounts of money on custom windows). Here's Amy screwing a 2x4 with a 1x4 on the bottom into the top of the original opening. Note the shims; as with any old house, the openings were anything but level.

By the way, have I ever mentioned how drop-dead sexy my wife is when she's using power-tools? That bulky respirator and the snazzy safety-glasses only add to the whole "Tool-Time Girl" appeal she's got. Honey, Amy-Wynn whatever-her-name-is ain't got nothing on you! :)

After all the prep work it was actually pretty easy to install the window itself. All we did was lay it into the space previously occupied by the sashes, and secure it with screws to the sides of the frame. We caulked around the inside and outside of the window to help seal it in place and prevent drafts (no point in buying a brand new window if there's gaps the size of a canyon around it).

The trim around the outside was actually so rotted that we ended up replacing it as well. We used 2x3 posts that were primed and cut to length, secured with screws. Before putting these up we used a good half-can of "Great Stuff" expanding foam in the space between the bricks and the inner frame. Hopefully that will help eliminate and air pockets. That stuff is great, by the way, albeit a pain to use after the initial run. The little delivery tube always clogs and is impossible to clear, and the stuff is impossible to get off anything it touches. Still not as bad as that blasted fiberglass stuff.

The second window actually was far easier to get in. Probably a mix of experience (from the first one) and pure luck that no unexpected twists came along, other than Amy's drill (Christmas present from our first year together) finally bit the dust. Hmmm... that brings our total "Tools Killed" count to three. No matter, it was quickly replaced by a brand new DeWalt heavy duty model. That thing could drill a hole through a tank.

Now all that's left is to paint the walls, put in the laminate flooring, hook up the electrical power, and we'll actually have completed our first big home project! It only took, well, let's see... errr... I'll get back to you on that one.

Two Local Shoutouts

For those of you who live in the Spring-City / Royersford area, I wanted to let you know about two great family businesses Amy and I have discovered nearby. I'm a big fan of supporting little Mom & Pop operations over the big chain stores when at all possible, especially when their offerings are as good as these two.

The first is called "GreenWorld Farmer's Market", and it's just over the river from us in Spring City, next to the car wash on Bridge St. Now despite it's name, I wouldn't really call it a farmer's market in the local sense of the word, seeing as the produce I've bought has sticker saying "Grown In Canada." But regardless, they have some really nice food for dirt cheap. Red peppers for $1.69 a pound, romaine lettuce at $0.99 for 3 heads, etc. I got all the food shown in the photo to the right for less than $15! Already it's saved us a ton of money on our weekly grocery trips. I will say that you have to pick through the stock at times, since some of the food appears a little bruised. But for as little money as we're paying, a little digging is fine with me. They also sell a really mean batch of wasabi peas at prices way cheaper than the local Giant, for those of you with adventurous taste buds.

View Larger Map

The other local standout is Renninger's Farm on 2nd Avenue, just south of where Royersford is. All summer we've enjoyed their wonderful peppers, peaches, and tomatoes (I especially recommend the peaches, they are amazing). Some of their tomatoes have been the size of large softballs! They also sell fresh herbs and flowers. As fall approaches, I'm excited about seeing what their squash offerings will be.