Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A Good Day To Remove Things

The dishwasher hoses were detached and drained at the house next door this morning. The furnace was shut off. The house has been officially winterized and removed from service for the winter now that it is headed back to 60 degrees by the weekend.

I was most pleased to see that my cabin building and renting neighbor who harvested the dead hemlocks took me up on the offer for a free stack of 1x5 composite trim board. They were all gone when I got back from town. I am sure he will find the trim boards a very good home.

I went to town to have a second squamous cell carcinoma in three years excised from my forearm and a somewhat large and poorly placed mole ripped off. Unfortunately I have that kind of skin. It was a good day to remove things. No appointments allowed and no waiting at the dermatology clinic. It may get busier in the summer when people start shedding their clothes. Trying to find a tiny fan in the winter to blow warm air into the insulated plumbing box with the added heat tape that wasn't up to the task is proving to be another matter. Three out of four is pretty good for one day.



Tomorrow when the snow has finished melting I will attack and reorganize the piles of collectibles again. That big stack of 1x5 composite trim board was holding me up. I just couldn't see throwing it away if someone could use it.

There will be a pile for the dump. A pile for burning. A pile for the regular garbage. A pile for the nursery recycling. A pile for money making metal recycling. A pile of good wood to save. There may be a fair amount of storage shed framing in there. I even gathered a pile of new rocks generated from the dead hemlock harvest. There's bound to be some left over collectibles in there. I'm saving all the left over tile for a mosiac I might maybe possibly get around to one day somewhere in the distant future.

My main goal is to turn three piles of collectibles into one.



One day hopefully all my collectible trash will have been successfully turned into art in the garden.



I have to get rid of all this stuff. Beside the fact that most of it is truly garbage and an eyesore, more collectibles keep following me home and I need the room. Now what am I going to do with these old windows from the house my grandfather built? I just know I've seen things done to windows like these and sold for a chunk of change in galleries. I can do something to them and use them in the garden.



This winter that hasn't been has truly been a luxury. More rubbish has been removed from the garden to be in the last month than in the last few years it seems. By spring I may have close to a blank slate.



All the baby shrubberies will become more noticeable. The idea that a garden is being born will take hold without all the rubbish distracting your attention.



This winter that hasn't been should even be good for the baby camellias to get established so they will live long and prosper. I still have 17.5 degrees to loose before their labeled hardiness is breached.



I'm practically astounded at the amount of gardening related projects that have been accomplished so far this winter. So much progress has been made.



"Look mama. There's a crazy man out there gardening (cleaning up his trash) in the dead of winter." Yep. That's me.

7 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You are an inspiration. Keep on keeping on.

Christopher C. NC said...

An inspiration Lisa? Or perhaps I drink too much coffee.

Wondering Woman said...

My local coffee shop has taken old window frames and used them as frames for historical papers and maps, some are hung on the wall and some have doublesided artwork in them and are hung from chains as dividers between some of the sitting areas.

Lola said...

You have done quite a bit of work this winter that wasn't. You do inspire one & I think a wee bit too much coffee. I do like a cup when it's cold.
Old wooden windows are hard to find. You will think of something productive & valuable.
Your garden to be sure is looking up. Next spring will be a knockout.

Siria said...

You are always so productive - you just keep it moving in the right direction! My girlfriend makes stained glass out of those old windows. You will find something fabulous to do with them!

Siria said...

You are always so productive - you just keep it moving in the right direction! My girlfriend makes stained glass out of those old windows. You will find something fabulous to do with them!

chuck b. said...

Cheers for a productive winter.

I have your kind of skin too. I haven't had problems yet, but I know they're lurking in my genes.