Skip to main content

It just takes patience and time

    Earlier in the week, I finally managed to get most of the house pressure washed.  This has been something that I’ve wanted to do for some time and kept getting put off due to weather, other commitments and God knows what else.

Getting the green off!

    Notice I said “most” of the house.  I was only able to reach about seven or eight feet into the air.  So nearly all the second floor of the home is still in need of a good cleaning, I didn’t have the right tools to go any higher. 

     To do that, I would need a steady ladder and a longer hose.  Two things I don’t currently have but will be resolved shortly (probably by the time I publish this).  It’s just two more things to add to my growing collection of things.   The accumulation of things is something I'm trying to avoid but that's another post for another time.

    I’ve owned homes before, both here In Pennsylvania and in Florida.   Over time I have managed to build a nice collection of hammers, wrenches, drills and a few other items; yes, even a ladder.  Generally speaking however I’ve not needed a tool like a post-hole digger.  Nor have I needed more than one lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, and good knows what else. 

 Having the right tool for the right job and at the right time, such as a power washer, can make a world of difference when living out in the country.    I just never realized it before.   I am far from a jack of all trades, and I absolutely refuse to do anything that involves anything electric.

My comfort zone has been to call a contractor in the past, now I am simply much more comfortable with using tools that I have never needed before, or ever thought I would use.                

 You know damn well that I’m being careful with that chainsaw.  However since I’ve never really needed one before, I have never used one.   When I am talking to some friends about taking down a tree, I know that I will be an active participant and not on the outside looking in.

    It’s fun, exciting…and damn scary at the same time.   This Bumble simply does not bounce the way he used to.  At my age (55) and the shape I am in (round), I have to be careful.  Plus I know that some heart issues run in my family and overdoing it could do me in.  

In my last post I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the little projects that I am trying to do...but then I think of what Sue and I have accomplished (with help from friends and family) and I realize exactly how lucky and blessed I am.

As much fun as it would have been to plant a garden this year, I know that with Susan working her hours as well as her volunteer work, my work schedule and my interest in joining the Independent Order of Odd-Fellows, who have a lodge near us…we simply don’t have the time to accomplish some things right now.

I am looking forward to the day when the locals refer to our home as the “Wilson” place and not the “Old Tom Mills” place.  One of the locals stopped by the other day and thanked us for cutting some of the brush back off the road so they could see around the corner coming up the road.   They also liked our new red roof.  Slowly but surely we are becoming part of this small towns life.

We will get “There”.   It just takes patience and time.

Comments

What all the cool kids are reading.

Why didn't Erie, PA develop into a bigger city?

          Recently I had to travel up to Erie, PA for business.   It's about an hour north of me and is a rather small city, having just under 100 thousand people living in it.   It played an important role in the founding of America,  - where it was the headquarters for Oliver Perry's flagship Niagara during the battle of Like Erie in the war of 1812 .            It was also a important shipping center, being Pennsylvania's only access to the Great Lakes which was the easiest way to trade with parts of Canada at the time as well as move goods to the cities of Detroit and Chicago, which in the mid to early 1800's were just starting to develop.  It was also directly north from Pittsburgh which was a major industrial city at that time.     Yet Erie never really grew beyond it's humble beginnings and I wondered why.   Like any good sleuth I turned to the intern...

Honoring the past - Thinking more about "invasive" plant species.

 Recently I've been giving some thought to invasive species.  I had received both positive and negative feedback on the blog post concerning kudzu and recently I came across a very well hidden, and very small, wild cherry tree while doing some yard work.  Since it's against the house it would have to be removed since the root systems could damage my foundation.   A buddy of mine at work was asking if I was going to transfer it, his logic being that it was a fruiting tree that would not only attract a variety of pollinator's but that the deer would eat the bark and cherries, keeping them away from the garden (which Sue and I swore we were not going to do this year).  It occurred to me that I was going to have to do a slightly better job of identification, since black cherries are native to America , where as other types of cherries are not.  Being able to make a precise identification would be helpful.   I used to be able to identify all these tre...

Paradigm shifts and Project 2040

In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “ There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. ” His observation has been echoed by people ever since and changed a bit over time, but has remained a stark warning. Only anarchy the way most people think of it rarely occurs.  We have found that people are more likely to band together when their communities face some sort of disaster, be it from war, plague or natural disaster.   We are all too familiar with pictures and videos of communities digging through the rubble of bombed buildings searching for survivors...but how many of us remember the moments during the Covid epidemic of people singing from their balconies?   When you have a community; people will always help people.  Despite these bleak times the things that make us human - our compassion - will see us through. Recently my life changed due to issues with a car .  While, in the scheme of things it was a minor crisis it did make me think if things coul...