My Sister's House

Stands with a repaired roof today.  We were scheduled for repair but rain kinda moved up the schedule. This week the roof decided to leak and the sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling decided to fall. Fire department volunteers climbed onto the roof and laid a tarp to avoid further water damage.  Cleaned up, gosh, what a mess! Repaired.  On to other chores.

With all the work we have to do I am grateful for good help

and good equipment.

Hoping next week is not as exciting.

Up On The Roof

Temperatures in low seventies had us hustling to get work done before winter stays for a few weeks. February is always our worst winter month.  Not so far.  The first day was perfect so up in the tractor bucket. We were lifted with heated tar to stop a leak in the roof and check out the gutters with Andrew at the controls.

I'm not one for heights but didn't know it until I was grown.  I thought that heart stopping breathless condition when I climbed trees to the top was just the thrill of the conquest.  It wasn't.  Found out later on, in fact, when Hubby and I went to the county fair. I was terrified when we stopped on the very top of the Ferris Wheel.  Didn't help that when Hubby started to swing our seat. He has always enjoyed making me scream and still does!

So we were slowly raised in the tractor with a bucket of hot tar which is the way we seal cracks and leaks on a roof around here.  Ideally we would get a new roof but ideally is not always an option so we do what we know how...make do with what we have.

Andrew, the bucket operator, could not resist tipping the bucket to get a reaction from me.  Papa made over!

The chimney was tarred as Dad did to get ahead of any possible leaks.

This is a steep roof.  I am still gripping the bucket and trying to clean the gutters. The thought of getting onto the roof had me about ready to pee my pants!

Andrew felt sorry for torturing me and monkey climbed the tractor arms and bucket to help the old man on the roof.  Since Hubby is my senior by around three years I was ashamed.  Not ashamed enough to climb up and help.

Having developed a leak on the front porch we wanted to get ahead of it by trying to stuff all possible places with hot tar to keep the rain out.  That is a male "we" as the female me is still gripping the bucket with a death grip.  It's not pretty but who's going to see it?  May this be the solution.  It has been a tried and true method our fathers used so cross your fingers.

And the younger generation learns by watching!

Hopefully.

In the background you can see my worm pit/compost.  My sitting area that I bored you with this summer.  You might also note how terribly high we are from the ground.  I prefer the ground.  

If we have more warm days maybe we, uh, they can accomplish some more daunting tasks.  I wish we could call a roofer.  No funds.  This roof was installed right after our big tornado a few years ago. The company who did it were idiots taking advantage of the tornado damage or we would not be having these problems.  Oh, well, another life lesson.

What did you do yesterday?  I bet it wasn't as heart stopping as this was for me!

Tracks

of wild life At The Farm

Where will your tracks lead this year?

Happy New Year

Oddities

Many things I do have an unusual touch.  It is me and I enjoy the freedom to be me.  My Dreaming Porch has things many people would not show but I am happy and comfortable with them.

The wood stove oven from my playhouse in the woods

a felt fish on a broken treadle sewing machine peddle

my broken aquarium

my re-purposed floor vent and metal table

another broken part of a sewing machine

Dad's antique cage with wood cookies, gourds and a solar light

an old rusty milk can with a tray of rocks and a candle

another view of my dry aquarium

second generation Scooby Doo...

I couldn't get rid of him

My deep freezer is here

with a box of toys

a metal tractor

and my forgotten mop bucket.

These are the things on my porch.

Raising The Dragon

The Dryad/Tree/Dragon rested where we left her after my great discovery and rescue.  I was beginning to think she looked more like Alien than the dragon I first saw.  She had to be moved

to enable her to take flight from this perfect stump Hubby found.

Turning her carefully we hold our breath. Placing her in the right spot was important.  Andrew and Hubby knew and were very gentle with the placement.

For now she rests ready to take flight waiting for me to give her wings.

Even with my extra pieces piled on top when I wet the stump beneath she became more real.

It will be a challenge helping her escape.

Resurrecting The Dragon

I discovered the trapped dragon on a cool autumn day in a dry creek.  She could not escape without my help.  I called out the big equipment and climbed carefully down into the unknown to help resurrect this lady.

Stopped in her tracks and trapped here for decades maybe centuries of floods.  Once majestic now worn and polished by time, sand and water.

I carefully placed the logs tongs around her middle and stood by for the big equipment to safely extract her.

 Up she rises, wings 

as if in flight.

Lizzy directed my climb out by cheering me on.

 As the dragon rested I planned safe transport.

While the Man In Charge directed (much like Lizzy)

I hooked my dear dragon for her home journey.

I hooked her again

and again.

 She is airborne! 

Almost home

She lies in wait for me to awaken her magic.

Solving Problems

 Chestnut tree almost on power line

and a bird poop cherry allowed to grow too tall

Sick, weak and unwanted limbs sawed or pruned

Much progress

See the tongs?  Wood is stacked. 

Small debris added to our ever growing pile. 

Holding the tree with the tractor bucket so it will fall correctly.

Too many things to hit if it fell wrong.

Timber!  

Doesn't look big but this was the tree by the power line.

Clean up continues.

We make walking sticks and vine wreaths for the shop.

The queen of distraction!

I'm not sure I will survive.

Sometimes I Go Out

in the real world but not often.  This day we had errands to run.  We needed hydraulic fluid for the tractor (liquid gold) filters and oil for the tractor and the gator too.

Hubby has to keep his toys running well

and sparkly clean.

He dislikes pictures and tried to run me off with the water hose.

It didn't work.

Nephew Toni, Hubby and I decided it was a good day to visit Fred's Fish House.  We had enough for another meal.

I had frog legs and fish.

Saved the frog bones.

Toni said his mom and I were only people he knew

 that saved bones from their food.

I've some wonderfully creative ideas for my frog legs.

Work Continues...

Oh, no, not more brush piles!!!  I am on a roll!  The weather has been perfect for trimming.  I think I have pulled some twenty foot briers out of trees.  I have seen ground I have not seen in years.  Life is good.  I am seeing progress.

And one more pile almost gone.

Hubby had a great idea.

Far better than me carrying arm loads at a time.

Two piles gone.

Many more to go.