Hawk Eye

Immature Red-shouldered hawk.
I believe this to be a red-shouldered hawk--perhaps still immature.  There were four of them making lots of noise yesterday and today.  While I snapped many pictures, this was the best.  Unfortunately, I do not have a telephoto lens on my camera.  This hawk had just nabbed a meal.  I saw him flying with what appeared to be a mole or a mouse.  He was intent on eating it.  I carefully made my way and got as close as 15 +/- feet from him.  I was utterly amazed.  I just kept taking pictures with multiple frames using auto-focus.

I was unsure just what type of hawk it was (red-tailed hawks I'm more familiar with).   I went to the Cornell Lab and found that I could easily identify this one from its cry as that is the sound embedded in my brain from the last two days of noise! The color was more muted, so I'm speculating that it is an immature hawk.

The second photo is not as good, as it is much further away.  It shows a good frontal. The crook of the beak reminds me of the efficacy of design for intended function that Nature shows.








Immature Red Shouldered Hawk

Skimstone, Spreadstone

It what might be a misguided attempt to (1) save money, (2) provide a complementary pairing with the backsplash; and/or (3) see how a product will turn out, I elected to use Spreadstone on my FD project's countertops.  These countertops were Formica in the ubiquitous 'butcher block"  pattern. Granite was not going to work from a design or a cost perspective.  I would have installed Formica countertops; however, I could not find a color to work well with the backsplash that was also going to be void of the dark lines that show at all seams on lighter colored Formica. 

Some time ago, I conducted an experiment with Spreadstone on a portion of old maroon countertop (very fashionable in 1987) that had been removed from my kitchen during a much-needed upgrade.  It had a long life of 20 years.  In my product research in looking for alternatives to formica countertops, I came across Spreadstone.  My natural curiosity and a search for an attractive, cost effective countertop resurfacing led me to my testing.

For this FD project, I chose Skimstone solely on the basis of the more extensive ability to color the product through the color-paks.  However, this project had two complications that I was not expecting.  First, the existing countertop had a metal angle and a metal concave strip in the back corner (the backsplash was FRP board which was removed).  Removing the metal strip caused some countertop damage that had to be repaired.  Second, the shorter side sections of the counter were mitered to the longer section, resulting in an ugly line that had gapped open.  (One had become grease laden, which I did not know until after I put my first primer coat of Skimstone on, and it required that I go back and scrape, sand, fill, sand etc....). 

After conducting secondary repairs,   I put on my second bond coat of Skimstone. The Skimstone did not adequately cover the mitre seam  nor the repairs.  To make matters worse, there was still kitchen activity from tile man and painters.  (There really is a reason why process is important and safeguarding interim work).  There were splashes of 'stuff' on my countertops which I feared would not be coated in the color application, but would show through.  I put one more bond coat on (which depleted my gallon prior to finishing).  That coat still did not cover these discolorations. 

Since I had worked with Spreadstone previously, I thought that I could use this product (on top of the Skimstone)  to provide the coverage that I was looking for.  I made a trip to Pressure Works and obtained a gallon.  Spreadstone comes in a white base v. the gray base of Skimstone.  I had it tinted Ivory.  I troweled it on, and it went beautifully over the Spreadstone Bonding Primer.  It covered all of the imperfections in the form of repairs and splashes. 

My confidence in the outcome of this project was lagging badly when I looked at the quality of the finish after 3 coats of Skimstone.  (Not the product's fault, but the substrate).  As the Spreadstone had a bit more elasticity in the finish coat, which really helped it glide on.  Also, as it was opaque, it cleared up the splotch issues. I had a glimmer of hope that I ultimately wasn't going to have to trash the countertop and install something new.

To ensure a smooth finished product, I sanded between all coats. I borrowed an orbital sander and used 80 grit with a super light touch on the bond coating (which is coarser than is recommended, but my 220 grit was wearing down to fast).  That gave me a really nice base.  Today I troweled on the color (3 layers).  I chose "mocha" which I thought would harmonize well with the backsplash.  When I'm finished with the poly coats today, I'll post some pictures of the finished product.

Skimstone Countertops in Mocha
Overall, the end result (left) surpassed my expectations--which means I'm not embarrassed by it and I would be perfectly happy with this in my own home.  I'll have a final verdict after it is completely finished.  I have far too much time in the project; however given that it was my first time in completing such a project, my learning curve was--well, flatlined!

P. S.  I see that  Royal Design Studio is offering far superior pricing on Skimstone Products than the Rudd Store (where I bought my 'stuff').  I'm not sure if the shipping differential offsets the base product differential.  To be sure, there is vast difference in the base pricing.





Flow

With my laundry bottlneck solved, I'm reminded of the importance of "Flow".....my own theory (not Mihaly Csikszentmihaly's) of how one achieves a harmonious existence. We have many systems that operate in our life:  money, food, mail, digestive, emotional, rest, activity, sleep and, of course, laundry.  My laundry back up was a reminder that the mundane issues of life, when not taken care of, (stacked up mail and papers are other culprits) lock up our psychic energy--converts to stress.

I have many books in my home.  I've a 'flow' problem with that too.  I've undertaken certain initiatives to organize them.  However, there is much to be said for that chance book by the bedside that is 'just the thing for the moment.'  Unfortunately, to have a successful experience such as that, you must have a litter of books beside your bed--which sort of counters the 'flow' thing.  Oh well...there must be dynamic tensions in life to keep it interesting.

Just the other evening, I reached for a book that was just the right thing for the moment.  It was a book called Why Worry? by K. Sri Dhammananda.  I'm not sure how this book came into my possession--though I suspect it came from my wandering through a used bookstore.  The book did not appear to have been read previously given that the paperback was pristine and the spine uncracked.

It is a slim volume of just 116 or so pages.  The book's 31 chapters have compelling names:  Speak Gently; You Make your Luck and Your Destiny; Why Worry for the Future?; Why Suffer? and many others.  Reading them is a reminder that we are the source of our own happiness or misery.  If we need wealth to be happy, then we are truly miserable.

Part of my coming to terms with my personal flow theory is to eliminate "Stuff"--here's the definition

Matter, material, articles, or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind that are being referred to, indicated, or implied.

 I'm rather partial to the word 'stuff' for all of the generic things to which it refers.  Systematically eliminating 'stuff' from my life is hard for me as I have a natural tendency to see the utility of things.  Oh...there is a time when just about anything will have a good and certain use; however, when those occassions arise it is likely that you have so many other  things that have a good a certain  use (we can call that junk) as well that you cannot find THE item that you are looking for.

Simplify.  It is a mantra that I've been embracing.  But like the journey of a thousand miles that begins with one step, my journey of simplification and decluttering begins with the filling of a single bag with stuff.  While I see utility in everything, I have to remember that the BEST utility is not my good and certain use at some unspecified time, but rather the good and certain use by another ALL of the time.  That's my Jedi mind trick for decoupling from the stuff in my life.

Wash and Dry

I have a stackable, front load washer and dryer (Kenmore Elite).  They have well served our laundry hub meeting our clothes and linen cleaning  needs of an active family and erratic piddling by canine/feline companions.  Two weeks ago, my dryer failed--throwing a basic need into a tailspin of inconvenient alternatives.  I don't have a clothes line (more on that later).  My SIL graciously allowed me to use her dryer.  I did, but only for a couple of loads. Reade schlepped to Hannah's house to dry his clothes.  My SR property has a really nice Whirlpool dryer.  I hauled clothes over there to perform the bulk of my drying duties not wishing to burn Kw's of others.

Regarding my not having a clothes line.  Despite many communities that ban such things, I don't live in a community such as that.  My mother hung clothes all the time.  It is a great energy conservation activity, but it takes (1) lots of time; (2) subjects clothes to debilitating effects of sun; (3) exposes your hands to damp conditions when it is very cold outside.  I will have none of that. Plus...I don't have enough sunlight filtering through our mature trees to dry the clothes.

After doing a little research, I convinced my handy husband that we could fix the dryer ourselves.  I determined that the likely culprit was either the heating element or some thermal fuse (two of the most frequently purchased repair parts).  I purchased both at the Sears outlet.

In addition to acquiring the parts, we went through the disassembling of the vents to ensure that the air was flowing frequently.  The hose, the fixed portion of the duct as well as the internal parts of the dryer (after removing the front cover), all had copious amounts of animal hair and dust. Of course, behind and underneath the stacked units, we found all manner of debris.

 I really do clean my filter after every load--but you would never know that from what we pulled out.  No wonder dryers catch on fire.  There was enough tinder in there to start several fires.  If you have animals and animal hair in your life, cleaning your dryer vents and internal cabinetry would be a useful project this weekend--and ought to be a scheduled maintenance item.

I was very confident that we had the right fix with our cleaning and my acquisition of the parts.   However, the pulling the element out of the housing was difficult--as it seemed to be petrified from the dust etc.  We finally had to pull the entire sleeve out (which required taking apart the supports and disconnecting the wires from the thermal cut off and the high limit switch) and take a block of wood and a hammer to beat it out. 

The new element went in about as easily as it came out (which also required wood and hammer--which I accomplished on my own while husbando and son were looking in garage).  I simply took the wooden end of the knife sharpener and tapped on the end with a pair of Kleins.  I was gentle, and it worked perfectly.  Reassembling the wires (which my husband did not take best notice of when he disconnected them) to the thermal cut off and the HL Thermostat proved problematic  The dryer just beeped unhelpfully after all connections were 'restored.'

I thought I had the correct  wiring diagram, but apparently not.  The wiring harness did not appear to want to reach.  After successive, failed efforts, soon there was a cascade of cursing tumbling out of my husband's mouth--along with admonitions that I should NOT ask him to do these types of repairs.  I want to go on the record stating that I have NEVER had a "honey do" list.  NEVER.  So do not think for a minute that my asking him to undertake this repair was unreasonable.  It is something that WE (not he) could and should be able to do.

Any how....the cursing came from the 'one last attempt' to make the electrical connections work.  Unfortunately, the end result was the sickening 'snap' of the  the terminal end of either the high limit switch or the thermal cut off (I don't know the difference and they are sold as a pair) snapping off--drowning any spark of hope that I would get to dry clothes that evening.

Off to Sears the next day.  Whirlpool part was not in the store but had to be delivered in.  Off to Cashwell's just 1/2 mile from the Sears outlet.  They had the parts in stock.  I also bought a dryer vent brush. Dryer exhaust's are like our arteries....when they get clogged, bad things happen.

In addition to fixing the dryer, we were told by an appliance repair friend to check the leveling of the washer.  My husband did that.  We installed the broken switch, and were delighted that after so many days of not having a dryer, the dryer was now functioning perfectly.

Time to wash clothes!  Mid cycle, the washer started beeping.  I went to the internet (bless the professionals who freely share their knowledge).  Removed the front cover (okay, my husband did this after my failed attempt); opened the pump housing (captured as much of the pouring out water as I could) and found all manner of 'stuff'--bottle cap other debris.  I cleaned the filter with my pride cup over my accomplishment running over.  I reassembled and re-started the load.  Same fault code.  Cursing.  The other 'source' of the fault code is water supply.  The cold water had been turned off.  I turned it on.  Now, all is well in Leisa land on the clothes washing and drying front.

I reported my success and my finding to my husband.  "Oh, yeah.....I forgot that I turned the cold water off when I was moving the the stuff around."  He would have turned the hot water off if that valve were not frozen (as I found out too).

My inner -- McGyver is  well and good.  I figure that we saved about $200 in figuring this stuff out ourselves; and caused my husband about $400 in frustration.  Oh well...the economics of relationships is best not measured that way.


Tons of Work

The FD project is in its final throes of completion.  The random width pine floors have been refinished, and they look great.  My countertop project still languishes, but it will be conquered before week's end.  I still have to put a final coat on all of the base trim; get a couple of new doors installed and painted, hang a few light fixtures...and finish the landscaping.

On the latter, we bit off, chewed and swallowed (with a large lump in our throats). The current landscaping consisted of pea gravel over barren dirt.  Many of the azaleas and box woods had died or were in the grip of death--though a few were giving a valiant fight!  Sunday was  one of the hottest days of the year so far, with a high of 93,  and we tackled the 14 tons of topsoil that sat impressively under the shade of the large beech tree in front of the house.

So with the help of a skillfully operated Ford tractor and the strong backs of my husband and son (in addition to Charlie who operated the tractor--an amazing 60-something year old man who can outwork men much younger than he), and a few minor contributions from my own back before I retired inside to paint base trim, . . . .

  • the existing dreck of pea gravel was scraped up
  • the large ruts from the 30 yard container and the dump truck (which got stuck) were smoothed
  • other lawn carnage was swept away (dead bushes, limbs etc)
 . . . . and all 14 tons of top soil was spread and the conclusion reached that 14 more tons of top soil was needed in addition to 5 yards of mulch.

The additional product was delivered yesterday; so we can have "at it" again--hopefully under more temperate condtions than blistering 90's. The curb appeal was measurable improved--but more needs to be done. Removing the ratty mail box post did quite a bit to upgrade the view.  It surprising how the 'little things' that you do add up to really big improvements.

 Before and after pictures will be coming soon.













Shame

(If you are looking for something salacious here, move along!)

Last evening I was unusually wakeful, and I watched "Summer Pasture" on PBS.  It was an intimate look at nomadic yak herders.  Filmed in an unobtrusive way, in their tent and alongside their daily work, it recorded the lives of Yama and Locho (and their baby).

I was captivated by the film because I was reminded that before our modern conveniences, the 'business of life' centered on the performance of an long and sometimes arduous string of necessary tasks that must be performed in order to survive.  With each passing minute of the film, my admiration for this couple and their cherubic daughter grew along with my shame for my own undone chores around my comfy home.  My undone chores result in a messy house--their undone chores results in their not having a meal, fire or a home.

As it was late, and I still had a bed to make, and I did not watch beyond the first hour. I woke up with the same feeling as I had when I went to bed--a strong sense of the courage and grace in which these people faced the hardship of their daily lives.  I also admired the casually spoken, but very deep wisdom of Yama who carried out her exhausting daily routine with a deep sense of devotion and acceptance.

This was not a culture of striving, but of surviving.  To be sure, human DNA is the same everywhere, and given the right environment, striving (status) always has a Maslowesque way of rearing its head.  And somewhere along the way we stratify our societies with those who perform the purest task of all--surviving--or producing goods/services to help the rest survive--on the bottom.

My shame, then, is both personal and collective--and from it I cannot escape.  I'm grateful, though, that I can feel it.  Exploring our humanity and understanding it not only requires us to learn and understand the cultures of others, but also to discover and reflect upon the common intersects and juxtapositions that help us reflect on our own circumstance (warts and all!).


Slate of Events, Part 2

This is Part 2 of my slate saga.....

I spent the better part of yesterday doing a final cleaning of the 504 sqf of tile and 27 sqf of backsplash at my SR project.  I was on my hands and knees (kneeling on a gardening board), with a scrub brush, a bucket of water and a grout sponge.  I was washing off the final haze of grout.  When I got home I could hardly move.  This a.m. I'm 'pleasantly' sore.  The nice thing about a 'work'-out....a time when you are actually performing work...is that you have something to show for it!  Arms, buttocks and quads get a great workout performing this task.

After the floor was installed, Mike 2 and I were chatting.  The refrain of "it's gonna be rough" in our song and dance on this slate was relative to the surface of the tile (rather than entire installation).  Well, yes, it is a clefted face, so I knew that it it wouldn't be smooth.  However, apparently even though the material presents itself as textured through the clefting, some consumers believe that it will be a smooth floor.  So.....'it's gonna be rough' was a CYA refrain on the tiler's part.  Accordingly, as I was expecting 'rough' (appropriately so), adding another layer of 'it's gonna be rough' was unnerving.

The quite pleasant part of my slate cleaning was marveling at the glorious colors (they are muted colors and not quixotic colors!) and patterns in this slate.  Each is like a miniature work of art, and the beauty of them is just breathtaking.  To be sure, I'm having some second-guessing my choice, but it is a material of enduring beauty and quality.  I walked on it in my bare feet, and it was very comfortable.  Unless you have experienced slate, you don't realize that it is quite soft for a stone material.  Sitting/standing on slate is not the same thing as sitting/standing on ceramic or porcelain tile--a bit like asphalt v. concrete. 

There is still some grout residue stubbornly clinging to some of the ridges.  I'm committed to having these tiles in pristine condition before sealing.   My situation is not horrible in the least...but I want a little cleaner finish than I currently have.

I met Mike 1 at the site today to discuss.  He uses sulfamic acid crystals. I couldn't get it at the tile store.  Looks like Home Depot sells it.  I'm going to try The Aldon, Grout Release, which product claims to be stronger (though you can vary the dilution with the crystals) that sulfamic acid, as effective as but safer than muriatic acid.  In the home that I grew up in, the tile folks used muriatic acid in the wrong concentration and etched the tile in the main bathroom.  I may do a side by side test of the Aldon product and the sulfamic acid product. 

My husband wonders out loud, "Why are you doing this?" (Rather than let others do it).

I guess, the reason is because I still can.