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Spring Cleaning: Outside
Oh man I got SO much done today. Started off with mowing the front lawn as planned, but then while sweeping, went onto the sidewalk to sweep, and discovered that there was a LOT of dead leaf buildup on the sidewalk outside the front fence, so I dug all that up, and put the mud/leaf sludge/mulch around my big maple in the front yard in places where the root system starts to spread out past the trunk of the tree, so that filled in some holes and places that it is really hard to get the reel mower. The plan for this year is to dig out and mulch in a semi-oval around that tree anyway, all the way to the fence line, so that mowing around the tree is less of a pain in the ass. So, surprisingly there was enough dug off the sidewalk to actually go all the way around to the area we planned to start around the trunk, to out about a foot. It's a good start to the project, and we don't really need (or would even have the ability) to dig out that area. Ultimately on the house side of the tree where the rounded part of the semi oval will be is going to come out about 3 feet from the trunk, and any digging down will probably only be around that outer perimiter on the yard side. I will probably hammer some border along the fence as the fence comes right up to the city sidewalk.This will help prevent the mulch/dirt from leaking out onto the sidewalk when it rains. My neighbor has the same problem with his yard where they have gunk/buildup from winter on the sidewalk. Since he also likes to keep a nice trim lawn in front, I asked him if when he gets to it if we can have the gunk. They were happy to agree, as it will save them having to bag it up and drag it to the alley. They also plan to do it on Wednesday, which is convenient since that's my next day off and I'll be able to collect it from them. Maybe I better buy a little wagon or wheel barrow. Lol.
The next part of that project is going to be researching some flowering plants that enjoy shady conditions in summer. In fall, I'll probably also plant some crocus, narcissus, hyacinth, and maybe some tulip bulbs, since they are active and generally finished by the time the tree really leafs out. I'll probably also transfer some of my ires into that area too, since these particular ones are also generally finished blooming by the time the tree is casting much shade and my main flowerbed has a surplus that needs to have the tubers split off from them. I wanted to do this last year, but also nearly broke my ankle in late Summer, then of course my brother died at the beginning of October, and that pretty much put everything in the world beyond work out of my reach for a while. Plus some other annoying things that I'll stick under a cut if you don't want to read about my stupid health problem.
So all that sweeping and cleaning progressed it's way onto the porch... Got both the Mighty Mite out there, and the Hoover Upright. Threw out the old Church chairs, and window frames that were supposed to be picked up by someone when we got our new windows five years ago who never did, and cleaned and scrubbed and vacuumed the hell out of it... sucked up 8 spiders that I counted into the Mighty Mite, sprayed some big killer on some dirt and sucked that up in there too, but ultimately changed the bag anyway! lol. SO MUCH BETTER cleared like that. Vacuumed all the cobwebs and spider junk off all the remaining furniture, and out of corners and then used the Hoover upright to vacuum the porch rug a second time since it is more powerful, and can get deeper dirt out of it, though I realize it will never REALLY be clean again! Lol... It's clean enough for the porch.
Other project for this year hopefully include finally painting the stucco part of the house, painting the wood of the remaining porch furniture, and the floor of the porch itself and the front steps as well, though the front steps will have sand added into the paint for better grip. We also need to get someone to repair the gutters the roofer was supposed to repair last year but didn't, and in fact damaged instead. Ugh. Wednesday we are getting a new water heater because the one we have is leaking and thus will before very much longer fail altogether. I want to replace the front walk into one that I won't almost break my ankle on again if I have enough money this year. We'll see. Trying to get a quote from the guy who did my neighbor's, but I'm not actually sure if I want him to do it, now that I see how G--'s kind of goes downhill into the middle of his yard and then back uphill to the sidewalk, when the yard should be essentially flat. It looks kind of weird. Also, I have already had some volunteers who said they will dig up my sidewalk for me, and possibly build me a new one utilizing the smashed concrete of the original walk as the 'gravel' part of the foundation for a new one.. For that matter, I already have the knowledge to create a new walk myself that way too.
Then I developed some pretty harsh GERD symptoms around that time too and that has really been a challenge for me this year. I still haven't got that managed very well, though it's better than it was, I am still learning what it takes. Annoying! The I definitely feel better when I'm active, but that's not the whole solution. Ugh... Fired my first doctor when I couldn't get anyone to return my call when I had questions about my medication, and the vague instructions I got, not to mention that the low fodmap "diet" has so many of my IBS triggers in the GOOD side and so much that I can eat without problems on the BAD side, that I couldn't put together a healthy balanced diet at al. (Also his answer to an upper GI issue was to schedule a colonoscopy? Hello? This seems like the wrong approach as that end of my digestive tract is not the concern. I already KNOW I have IBS, and mostly how to manage it.) So I cancelled it, and asked to schedule another consultation so I could better understand what I needed to know about my medication (since the PA couldn't be bothered to return a call.) They scheduled it out 4 months? SERIOUSLY? Meanwhile I tried to get the PA to return another call with questions about my medication, and again didn't get a call back. I went in person to pay the bill because... Guess what? Their PAY PORTAL wouldn't let me in. I tried to ask questions then too, and couldn't get any answers. So I cancelled the appointment. Now I have to find another GI doctor who actually gives a shit that their patient is in pain and doesn't go straight to the most expensive procedure that goes in the wrong end, and can actually return a call when a patient who has NEVER been on any kind of medication regimen has questions about thier medication. Ever wonder why I hate going to the doctor? This is is. Right here. Then I have to REMEMBER to call the doctor that was recommended on my day off ... instead of remembering
The next part of that project is going to be researching some flowering plants that enjoy shady conditions in summer. In fall, I'll probably also plant some crocus, narcissus, hyacinth, and maybe some tulip bulbs, since they are active and generally finished by the time the tree really leafs out. I'll probably also transfer some of my ires into that area too, since these particular ones are also generally finished blooming by the time the tree is casting much shade and my main flowerbed has a surplus that needs to have the tubers split off from them. I wanted to do this last year, but also nearly broke my ankle in late Summer, then of course my brother died at the beginning of October, and that pretty much put everything in the world beyond work out of my reach for a while. Plus some other annoying things that I'll stick under a cut if you don't want to read about my stupid health problem.
So all that sweeping and cleaning progressed it's way onto the porch... Got both the Mighty Mite out there, and the Hoover Upright. Threw out the old Church chairs, and window frames that were supposed to be picked up by someone when we got our new windows five years ago who never did, and cleaned and scrubbed and vacuumed the hell out of it... sucked up 8 spiders that I counted into the Mighty Mite, sprayed some big killer on some dirt and sucked that up in there too, but ultimately changed the bag anyway! lol. SO MUCH BETTER cleared like that. Vacuumed all the cobwebs and spider junk off all the remaining furniture, and out of corners and then used the Hoover upright to vacuum the porch rug a second time since it is more powerful, and can get deeper dirt out of it, though I realize it will never REALLY be clean again! Lol... It's clean enough for the porch.
Other project for this year hopefully include finally painting the stucco part of the house, painting the wood of the remaining porch furniture, and the floor of the porch itself and the front steps as well, though the front steps will have sand added into the paint for better grip. We also need to get someone to repair the gutters the roofer was supposed to repair last year but didn't, and in fact damaged instead. Ugh. Wednesday we are getting a new water heater because the one we have is leaking and thus will before very much longer fail altogether. I want to replace the front walk into one that I won't almost break my ankle on again if I have enough money this year. We'll see. Trying to get a quote from the guy who did my neighbor's, but I'm not actually sure if I want him to do it, now that I see how G--'s kind of goes downhill into the middle of his yard and then back uphill to the sidewalk, when the yard should be essentially flat. It looks kind of weird. Also, I have already had some volunteers who said they will dig up my sidewalk for me, and possibly build me a new one utilizing the smashed concrete of the original walk as the 'gravel' part of the foundation for a new one.. For that matter, I already have the knowledge to create a new walk myself that way too.
Then I developed some pretty harsh GERD symptoms around that time too and that has really been a challenge for me this year. I still haven't got that managed very well, though it's better than it was, I am still learning what it takes. Annoying! The I definitely feel better when I'm active, but that's not the whole solution. Ugh... Fired my first doctor when I couldn't get anyone to return my call when I had questions about my medication, and the vague instructions I got, not to mention that the low fodmap "diet" has so many of my IBS triggers in the GOOD side and so much that I can eat without problems on the BAD side, that I couldn't put together a healthy balanced diet at al. (Also his answer to an upper GI issue was to schedule a colonoscopy? Hello? This seems like the wrong approach as that end of my digestive tract is not the concern. I already KNOW I have IBS, and mostly how to manage it.) So I cancelled it, and asked to schedule another consultation so I could better understand what I needed to know about my medication (since the PA couldn't be bothered to return a call.) They scheduled it out 4 months? SERIOUSLY? Meanwhile I tried to get the PA to return another call with questions about my medication, and again didn't get a call back. I went in person to pay the bill because... Guess what? Their PAY PORTAL wouldn't let me in. I tried to ask questions then too, and couldn't get any answers. So I cancelled the appointment. Now I have to find another GI doctor who actually gives a shit that their patient is in pain and doesn't go straight to the most expensive procedure that goes in the wrong end, and can actually return a call when a patient who has NEVER been on any kind of medication regimen has questions about thier medication. Ever wonder why I hate going to the doctor? This is is. Right here. Then I have to REMEMBER to call the doctor that was recommended on my day off ... instead of remembering