More Re-Use- Yard Art Division

 So you are driving down a road in a residential neighborhood and you see this on a parking strip along a sidewalk in front of a home. Call the HOA? No, take a pic. It was done by sculptors who live at this home for yard art!

 Here is what is inside of the cab of the bus. All in all it makes on cool and chic planter!

Behind the bus is a unique sail boat turned into a planter. These sculptors take container gardening to a higher level!

The Year In REVIEW Part one

Well 2009 is about to come to a close. So, in keeping with last years theme at this time, I thought I would take a quick look back at the successes and failures of the year.

HOME PROJECTS
Last year I had (what I thought was) a not too lofty idea of things I wanted to get done around the house- some success, a lot of fails: On my list were:
GOAL 1- Install the shower in my bedroom bathroom. *Sigh* This still didn’t get done. The old story of why a plumbers pipes are clogged. Maybe 2010.
GOAL 2- Landscape my front yard- some of it got done- the idea is an edible landscape. Well a little bit more got done, hopefully this year I get the front yard graveled- I got most my raised beds there now. If I can accept the fact this is a work in progress, I am good.
GOAL 4- Build a pergola. Wanted to have a pergola of the front porch- Actually got temporarily done- I re-used a canopy frame and made a tropic pergola out of it- until I got a hair up my butt to use it as a green house frame. But I will get a pergola built there hopefully this year
GOAL 5- new exterior doors on laundry room and my bedroom. OK I must admit to pure lazy on this. I know which door I want in the laundry and I know what I want on the bedroom. The one excuse I have was trying to find them at the recycled building material store- do-able in the bedroom, not so much in the laundry. Doors are easy, so have no excuse not to finish this in the upcoming year!
GOAL 6- build a sunroom on my deck, Again pure lazy took over. This job is a matter of time and money. Pure and simple.
So now that I look at my goals list- I have to say What the fuck did I do all year? Well I got the contractor out to finish the roof on the garage, I did get the window in the kitchen- those are accomplishments met. I am desperately in need of plans to achieve my goals. Not just dreams. So anyway here is the goals list for 2010

1. Install the shower in my bedroom bathroom


2. Build a pergola


3. New exterior doors on laundry and bedroom

Notice the sunroom is missing? Not gonna do it, maybe next year. And the landscape of the front yard, being a work in progress, I will accept that.

Tomorrow: THE CHALLENGES

Reviewing my 3 lawnmowers

My lawn tractor and the Nueton, Not pictured my
Task Force Corded electric
I received my new mower yesterday- It came UPS and was packaged in a way even Fake Plastic Fish could appreciate- Imagine my surprise to find only two small pieces of styrene and a few plastic bags for parts. The mower was smartly packed with some formed cardboard "egg cartons" instead of the big hunks of poly styrene. The accessories come from Back east so I am still waiting on them. The mower came from Portland.


Comparing the Nueton CE5 against my Yard Machine 42” deck lawn Tractor and my 20” Corded Electric Task Force Lawnmower is like comparing Apples and Oranges. Of course the Lawn Tractor has many attractive features- 1- You sit while it does all the work (except you are constantly disengaging the PTO or mower when you reverse, In a small yard like mine this is a factor. The lawn tractor also mows the yard in record time. The Nueton , while surprisingly powerful and ran the duration of the whole yard, Has a puny 14” mowing deck, making for a longer period. The Task Force, while having a larger deck than the Nueton, is a hassle as I am tied to a cord for power.

NOTE- Don’t buy a Neuton if you want to mow a huge yard, But for my "Urban" yard it is fine, The biggest factor being the 14” mowing deck(NOTE: the Nueton CE6 does have a 19” mowing deck and is suitable for yards up to 1/3 an acre), But that is not a huge factor in that the Nueton cost penny’s to operate and gives no emissions. The Task Force comes in a close second in that category- the cord becoming the big issue. If it was a matter of time and ease I would keep and mow with the Lawn Tractor, but figuring in things like maintenance and upkeep and emissions, The tractor loses.
Also a factor is that while the tractor wins hands down in speed and comfort, you still have to take a standard walk behind mower around the perimeter of the yard to get along fence lines and flower beds.
I wish I had the Nueton when I lived in the Mobile Home park, but I had my old handy dandy True Value Lawn Chief gas Mower, which lasted over 25 years. I have owned a variety of gas powered mowers over the years, but the engines never last long on them even when I do all the right things like oil changes and dumping the gas every winter to extend the life. I have other gas powered equiptment that lasts for years so I don’t think it is me. Anyway that is also a plus for both the Nueton and the Task Force mowers. No gas engine means no gas, no oils, no spark plugs and no tune-ups.
The down side to Nueton is the battery will not last forever, but the upside is spares are available. And gas costing what is does that actually makes it affordable. If a battery lasts on mowing season compared to hauling and buying gas- makes it a winner. The Task Force won in one category- Cost of operation- Corded electrics do not need new batteries at all.
So in short my summary-Keeping in mind the yard size, costs of maintenance, I would have to place in the following order: 1-The Nueton CE5 2- Task Force 20” Corded Electric and 3- Yard Machines Lawn Tractor

I'm just doing the Nueton dance

OK, OK- I know Earth Day is not supposed to be about commercialism. But I have been thinking about this for a year or better now. Not an electric car, but a lawn mower-I ordered a Nueton CE-5 lawn mower yesterday.

That's right I am getting rid of my Murray Yard Machine lawn tractor. And going electric. The CE-5 is a battery operated rechargeable lawn mower with neat accessories. Like a built -in line trimmer. I can even order an drink/tool holder for it.

The accessories pack comes with the trimmer, 24 Volt Spare Battery Spare, 14” Cutting Blade, and Blade Sharpener. so no more starting up the tractor and smogging the neighborhood. Now lets take bets on how long until I save up and by a scooter to make my electric riding lawnmower.

Anyone who reads this blog should know I use electric lawn maintenance whenever possible- especially after I read that running a leaf blower for a short time is like driving a Cadillac El Dorado for over 1000 miles. Not to mention the noise. The Nueton should solve that problem. I also know that I can mow the yard with an electric mower- I have mowed the entire yard with my corded lawnmower- a definite improvement of why I bought the tractor to begin with- I had a bought with congestive heart failure a couple of years ago, and in short- combined with allergies could not mow the yard. So after paying the lawn maintenance guys to give the yard a clean-up, I panicked at the thought of adding that bill to my monthly debits. I was looking for a simple riding lawnmower, and bought a simple lawn tractor. But that was then this is now. I am fully able to mow by hand once again. And if I get tired I can always buy an little rascal and tow the mower around! I suppose I could always mow with a push reel mower... and frogs could fly out my butt!

Anybody in the market for a gently used lawn tractor???

Yard Munching

Huckleberry Bush

I was at the Burien Farmers Market today,and No I did not have a bratwurst.I found a man there who sells native plants. I wanted to get some blueberry bushes or something interesting. So I bought 2 native huckleberry bushes for my front yard! I love planting edibles in my yard. This should match well with the wild blackberries and my Golden Plum tree.

I remember my parents lake property at Fawn Lake in Shelton and the hundreds of black and red huckleberry bushes there. We had a neighbor that would pick them and make huckleberry pie. I cant wait until they get big enough to supply me with huckleberries. I love supplying my yard with edibles- I now have

2 apple trees(One is the neighbors but I claim any branches growing over the fence!)

1 pear tree

1 Golden Plum tree

2 huckleberry bushes

more than enough blackberry bushes (hate them blackberries)

Before you all write me nasty notes on how good and tasty blackberries are, I will remind you that here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries are a noxious weed. They grow ferociously, with their nasty thorns. I let a few grow for the berries, but I keep them under a tight watch. I can go down to work to pick black berries. The grow everywhere. Now I just got to plant my tomaters in their boxes and figure out where the pumpkin plants go?

Flower and Garden show

I went to this years NW FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW which is held at the Washington State convention center. Got some great ideas for the yard.

I like this pergula to the left, think it would be an easy build and look great in my front yard

This gives a new notion to an outdoor kitchen- a stove outdoors!

What home garden wouldn't have chickens? Hens anyway- Seattle allows you to have 3- Burien doesn't allow them so I have been told