Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A Drift Of Drops

Having waited patiently through two weeks at least, of frigid sub-zero temperatures and repeated applications of snow, the Galanthus nivalis are reaching their peak in the luxury of warm sixty degree days. The spell may have been broken.



A few Daffodils have made an appearance down by the cozy cabin. I have to wonder, did they grow out of the ground or did the ground settle down around them once the icy grip was vanquished?



It is just nice to see progress.

One wall of siding is done. Caulking has been done around the windows. Next I need to paint the porch roof's framing.



Tomorrow though the diagnosis is for warm rain. So I will continue on with the frozen shower drain project at the resident gardeners house because that work is under their house and out of the rain. Even with a glug of antifreeze, the drain kept freezing and in a fit of aggravation I removed the plywood and insulation below the floor framing to have a look at the trap. The shower itself was leaking and rotting the sub floor in the bathroom.

The probable leaks were all caulked with silicone and a new sheet of rigid insulation was bought. If all goes well with a leak test, I can close the floor framing and insulation back up, adding more insulation around the shower drain trap in the process.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my, what a bunch of drops. They sure are pretty. Maybe some of our flowers need that extra cold in order for them to come out of hiding.
The cozy cabin sure looks great. It looks so different with the siding on. Slow but sure it will be complete soon & you can enjoy your labor. Love it.

Anonymous said...

Those sundrops are really beautiful. I'll be anxious to see the progress on the daffodils too.
Your cabin siding looks really good! Soon there will be no Lowe's house in the woods anymore.

Christopher C. NC said...

Lola, it sure does look different with the siding. Now imagine it painted grey with some shrubberies in the foreground.

Siria, this warm spell has to coax more of the Daffodils to come up. I need to go look and see when I had the first Daffodil bloom last year. Soon, soon, no more house of Lowes.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

My goodness, you have been a busy bee. Those snowdrops are gorgeous in that big splash.

Anonymous said...

Hi Christopher, hooray for a wall of siding, and it looks so good too. You have done a great service to the resident gardeners with your leak fix. I know they appreciate your caretaking. The snowdrops are jaw dropping gorgeous. I am struggling to get some going here, and have three. The earliest daffs will open soon, Rijnveld I believe, and so will yours. That is spring to me. But severe weather with high wind is coming, take care!
Frances

Anonymous said...

Isn't the imagination of one's mind a great thing. Just close one's eyes & the vision is there. It will look fabulous. Can't wait. Grey is a great choice for your location. Subtle yet prominent. Then add all the shrubberies & flowers. Oh my, heaven on earth. Candy for the eyes.

chuck b. said...

You could make tons of money as a handyman in California.


Yay, Galanthus! Do the flowers smell like honey?

Christopher C. NC said...

Lisa, when the weather warms up, I get moving. Even felt a little wore out after all that lying about.

Frances, the wind has been howling all day, not much rain though. Yes I think the resident gardeners enjoy the extra helping hand. It may have been part of their devious plan all along. I'm a long way from open daffodils.

I can picture it in my minds eye Lola. I'll need something taller between the windows.

I've been close and have not smelled a thing near the Snowdrops, Chuck.

And the shower leak test was a failure. I did fix the leak around the outside of the drain, but water must be going between the glass and the metal framing. It leaks at the bottom of the glass panels where it meets the shower pan. More scrubbing and more caulking. Oh joy my new calling, a handyman.

Anonymous said...

You know...you could make a lot of money as a handyman in Clyde!

Anonymous said...

Christopher, have you thought about euonymus of some kind. I have a Sky Pencil growing on the east side of my house in the corner where the fence meets the house. I just planted it last fall so don't know how it is going to do. I ordered one at 4.95 & actually wound up with 2. I ever so gently separated them & put them in pots till the fall. So far it's doing great. I needed some height in that corner & am willing to wait as it is a slow grower.
Let me know what you think.

lisa said...

Oh man, that shower fix sounds like a real hassle...I have similar tasks to tackle this spring (unless my shower falls through the floor sooner! :) Glad you have the snowdrops to lighten your spirits.

Christopher C. NC said...

Siria, I could be a gardener/handyman in Clyde and surrounding locales.

Lola, I'll have to check out the euonymos and Sky Pencil Holly.

Tell me about it Lisa. I think we have time before it falls through. The rot and sinking spot is still small, but it can't be put off any longer.