09/30/2023 – Fall. All through the summer, I thought I had all the time in the world to get things done, so I kept procrastinating until… well here I am.
Today was cutting down, and cutting up, standing dead trees, before winter turned them into a test of the roof’s structural integrity. The yield was about four buckets full of wood that might pass for firewood. I don’t burn firewood, but it goes to local people who do.
The wood in the tractor’s bucket didn’t take that much effort. The chainsaw started right up, the chain was sharp, and I mounted the grapple to lift and hold the trunks while I cut. The annoying part will be disposing of the massive pile of 3″ – 4″ thick branches, complete with leaves/needles, now stacked and waiting to be chipped.
I have no idea why I am grumbling. The sky was clear, air was clean, the temperature mid 50s, and the exercise was a good way to shake off stress and condition for winter’s snow removal rigors.
The two month, two day project
The old garage pedestrian door pad would heave with the seasons. Enough so that in the winter it domed high enough to fractured the door sill and frame trim. The guy who put it back down, after other work was done, laid the pavers on 1″ of sand over dirt, with no gravel to promote draining.
So the pavers were pulled, and the area excavated one foot below paver depth, a layer of landscape fabric was placed, then covered with 8″ of gravel, and 4″ of sand. I guess it took so long, because I kept revising my approach, finding new issues and taking time to consider.
Wear and tear on the blacktop driveway raised the sides above grade, so I was concerned that the door pad would be below grade and pool rain water. The pad ended up on the same plane as the driveway, but pitched side and front to encourage run off. So far, after three rain storms, it drains just fine, and the ground doesn’t get soggy with the gravel doing its work.
The door trim had been made from rough lumber, rather than dimensional, so standard 1x lumber was too thin. A replacement piece was milled from a 2×4 and treated for ground contact suitability. The replacement sill trim was anchored to the sill rather than the cement footing below the sill.
All that’s left before winter is rebuilding the generator pad, pesticide spray, leaf clearing, gutter cleaning, get out the snow gear, and change the tractor over to blow snow.
I miss my wife. She had a way of making every thing I did feel like a monumental achievement. She was proud of me, she appreciated me, and she always went out of her way to let me know. Now work is just… work, but it reminds me how blessed I was for fifty four years, with a lifetime of wonderful memories to consider. I love you, Di.
Good job Joe. We’re proud of you for getting the projects done and making the extra effort to do them right. 👍
Thank you, Scott.
Enjoyed the article Joe. Maine is such a beatiful state.
That it is, Robert.
For what it’s worth, you are viewed fondly on this side of the computer, and I always look forward to your entertaining articles, and your view of the world.
Thanks,
Leland
Thank you, Leland. Much appreciated.
Joe