Animals and wooly worms aren't any better at predicting the weather than we are.
Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [email protected] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dale Leavens" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 10:20 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Update on projects. > Hi Betsy, > > This has been a most unusual summer. Rain and cool until September really > with the exception of a day or two most weeks. The gardens didn't do well > although my roses have really taken off since the end of September, there > just wasn't enough sustained heat. September was remarkably good, I laid a > lot of stone and had a lot laid for me. Since the last couple of days in > September though we keep getting fine drizzle and cold conditions though > not much below normal average temperatures, the wet though is interfering. > > There are a lot of folk legends about predicting the severity of winter, > the depth of snow and so on, I don't believe much of it. Certain wasps or > bees are said to build their nests higher when deep snow is expected, I > rather doubt that, seems to me they would want the insulation of the snow > to help the hives survive. Certainly the animals put on heavier coats most > of them in the winter but they do that every winter. > > There have been a lot of geese in the air but they are all gone now, or at > least I haven't heard them going over for the past two weeks and I don't > hear the hunters out. Moose season opened in this area yesterday so the > roads are full of hunters and trailers. > > Black bears are quite a nuisance this year but that probably has more to > do with a late berry season and since canceling the spring bear hunt their > number is increasing so they get bolder looking for food. > > Getting snow cover this time of year is not all that unusual, maybe just a > little early but I have often frozen fingers planting fall bulbs because > the nurseries won't send them out that couple of weeks early. > > Janet and I figure the useful outdoor season for us ends just about now, > Canadian Thanks Giving and doesn't really begin again before the first > week in May. I am thinking next year when I retire I'll close off the > water and drain the pipes for about the first of November and go find > somewhere in the sun to spend the time until May. Usually once we hit the > first week in May things just explode and you need to be here to keep on > top of the vegetation. Besides, I won't have all my work done before next > winter. Some time after that I hope to unload this old shack for a > reasonable amount of money to be able to relocate. > > Don't know if that answered any of your questions directly but I hope so. > > We had some friends come along with a utility trailer on Thursday to > remove loads of accumulated detritus of the building projects around here. > Friday night while waiting for the patio to dry thoroughly Janet and I > move a few of the left over bricks onto a pallet in the lane just to have > in case repairs are needed. Next decent weather I guess I'll have to cut > back those roses for the winter and chip all that debris. Usually I also > work about 30 bags of composted manure into the flower beds particularly > to have it present for the bulbs when they emerge in the spring. The roses > and other gardens can wait for the spring, maybe I'll just buy enough for > the front and the lily gardens, maybe I can get Janet to do that some dry > day even if I am at work. Doing it all is something I should help her with > as the bags get pretty heavy really fast. The gardening got a little ahead > of me this year with all the extra work but I am getting to look like an > aging miniature Adonis <GRIN>. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Betsy Whitney > To: [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 10:01 AM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Update on projects. > > > Aloha Dale, > Everytime I read the posts about your and Dan's project updates, I > have sore muscles for at least a week, grin... > > Hearing about snow is astonishing to me as we have had about ten days > of the hottest, most humid weather we had in months. I am wondering > if there are signs of whether you're likely to have a very cold or > mild Winter like there are in such places as Reno, Navada, where my > parents live. Mom tells me that they can tell if the Winter is going > to be severe by the thickness of the horses coats and there is a > flower that wilts in early September if it is going to be particularly > cold. > > It doesn't get that cold here, but I do notice a thickening of our > cats coat if we are about to have a long and chilly Winter. > Just wondering, > Betsy > > At 03:40 AM 10/11/2009, you wrote: > > > > > >Well, yesterday was the second day in a row with no rain so the > >patio was dry. I put a couple of finishing touches to it, a couple > >of bricks to cut and fit where things weren't perfectly square. > >Janet and I then began sweeping the polymerized sand into the > >cracks. I used 2 by 4s to divide the patio into manageable sections, > >usually 8 by 15 inch chunks more or less, two bags about per > >section. Once swept back and forth and back and forth I would set up > >another pair of boards to move over and then dump two more bags and > >leave Janet to get on with that while I shook the previously done > >section down with my packer. Then another brush over to top up the > >seams until we covered the nearly 50 feet. One final brush over and > >another packing of the entire patio. This is difficult because of > >the size, I used a bamboo stick like a cane to help orient my > >distance from house walls and patio edge and the like. > > > >I just got well tucked into sweeping off any residue so it doesn't > >stick and dirty the bricks when a sudden, and I mean sudden snow > >flurry struck just around 8:30 last night. I couldn't keep ahead of > >it with my big shop vac and had to give in. There has been an inch > >and a bit of wet snow over everything all night. There shouldn't be > >much of that sticky sand on the bricks but I won't know until the > >snow is gone and it is a bugger to get off. I shovel the patio off > >over the winter so perhaps the scraper will clean it up before > >spring. All I needed was another hour or less! > > > >The snow should be gone by tomorrow so I should be able to pick up > >the junk I left on the lawn then. I hope to lay a bit more retaining > >wall before the final snow arrives for the season but it is cold and > >wet now so might not get all that done. Usually permanent snow > >arrives to stay around Remembrance day, November 11. We don't get > >much useable weather though from now on and some of that is needed > >to remove leaves and other garden clean-up. > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > [email protected] > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > Or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > address for more information: > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [email protected]! 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