Bogieblog

Rain Rinsed Rock

In the previous post, Rain and Yard Preparation for Future Project, Cop Car commented, "The closeups show a completely different story on your existing shed than did the distant photos. And...I didn't realize that the pad is stone rather than concrete until you mentioned it."

Understandable as the rock was covered by rock dust. So I took pictures of the rock after the rain, which makes it much more evident what material was used

 

Rain and Yard Preparation for Future Project

Finally got some rain yesterday - 3/4" in 20-25 minutes

That wasn't nearly enough, and we got that amount way too fast for the ground to even attempt to soak it up, but it's something anyway. Last weekend I removed this raised bed (16" tall total) ans well as the covered dirt pile under the black plastic (where the cinder blocks are). The dirt in the raised bed was completely dry all the way down. I understand being raised, it will be drier than surrounding areas, but it is also in a low spot of the yard and gets a lot of shade from both the east side tree belt and a huge tree on the west side. 

All of the dirt from under the plastic went into filling in ruts that were left by the crane and bucket truck from the tree work that was done. I removed plants (tansy, thyme and creeping phlox that has been "holding" there for years) from the planter. Some was re-homed and others are in pots to be transplanted in my yard. Some of the remaining dirt was used elsewhere and the rest was removed by the guy in the next paragraph.

Had a local guy come in and install this 16'x18'x pad. It is a total of 12" deep (4x6 PT lumber used). Eventually it will hold a brand new 10'x14' shed with a 4'x5' ramp and leave plenty of room for planters and perhaps and outdoor sink that a hose hooks up to. Right now they are estimating December for install. But after sending them pictures of the pad, I'm on the wait list if something opens up because of cancellations. So that date could potentially move up (not likely, but maybe). Note that there is only one panel of fence left instead of 2.

The left, front corner in this picture encroaches the area, but does not completely cover that area, where the raised bed used to be.

The stone in there looks much nicer after the driving rain we had yesterday. Once the new shed is in place, I can empty and remove the 8'x10' metal shed that is at least 20 years old (it was moved from my old place and looked bad then). The pics, taken last year, don't really show the dents and stressors that are present but the roof has to be cleared of snow since it is so dented up there it won't slide off itself. Really can't complain about the cheap money we spent at HD so many years ago for this metal thing - who would have thought it would last this long without caving in?

 

Things that Smell Good in the Gardens Right Now

The sweetspire (AKA Summer Sweet) is doing its thing. I have two varieties, a red and a white.

Then there is the tall phlox and the echinacea

New Kindle Fire 10

The new one got here Wednesday afternoon. Here is the difference between an original Kindle Fire and a new Kindle Fire 10 (technically they now call it an Amazon Fire 10). Turned to same page of same book, with basically same font size. 1 page on the 10 is basically 2 pages on the old one. Oh yeah, I like it.

In the picture above it is in a softer carrying case. But, I figured I might as well go ahead and get a bluetooth keyboard for it (it is a "tablet" after all), and that comes with a hard case.

I'll use the soft case for every day use, but I'm sure the keyboard will come in handy at times.

One of the great things is that they changed the power cord to a connector that is the same as my phone, which is very convenient instead of juggling several different types of connector.

It's Official

I've been saying for weeks that I believe my place has been in a sever drought. Now it is official.

Heard on the news (in a dramatic fashion) - The last time NH has seen this kind of drought was 2020.  Dude, that was only 2 years ago.

Now, if he had said, "2 out of the last 3 years southern NH has seen severe drought," that would have been more dramatic.

New Kindle Ordered

Glad I went back and looked at the communication from Amazon about my Kindle Fire 8 "expiring" at the end of the month. 1st generation from 2011 will no longer be able to download directly off the net. Sure, can move from my computer to the device via cable, but that's a PIA (did that a couple of times). I've been thinking about getting a newer model for a while - just because.

Anyway, last night I was browsing the Fire tablets thinking dang, I want a larger screen. I only use it for reading but I need bigger print, even using my readers, so am swiping the dang screen every couple of seconds. But, I was looking at the cost of the Kindle 10 and just couldn't justify the cost difference between the 8 & 10. So I put an 8 in my cart and figured I'd come back to it later.

This morning I was cleaning out my email inbox from "unreads" and decided to take a look at that particular communication (remember, I started this whole long story with that). Lo and behold, they had given me a code to use to get 50% off an 8 or 10 PLUS $15 in ebook credits. And here is the amazing part - the offer expires at the end of today. It was a no-brainer to access Amazon and change everything to a 10. At the same time I ordered a cover, screen protectors and an upgraded power cord. Since one of those items couldn't ship immediately, I instructed them to ship it all at once and got even more ecredits.

Can't beat that with a stick.

Investigating the "box"

So the two youngsters are easy to get into a carrier to go to the vet. After all it's a box. Funny because they were both in that box a couple of weeks ago to go get their shots so you would think they would avoid it. Unfortunately Rita is not the same and she's the one I needed Friday. The two had fun exchanging places for a couple of hours until it was time to evict and grab the one I wanted.

Rainey

Spot waiting for her turn

Spot seeing if her sister is coming back for a sneak attack

Spot

Rita has a few issues; abscessed teeth (they have never been good and she only has a few teeth on one side), and she has been urinating outside the box (which was why I took her to the vet). The vet felt a mass in her abdomen and confirmed with an ultrasound.  She has been put on an antibiotic for the teeth and prednisone to help her gain weight. "Masses", according to the vet, are rarely benign in cats (unlike dogs who get fatty / benign tumors all the time). She may be with me for quite some time, or just a few months. We'll take it as it comes. Right now her quality of life is good, so that is what I will go by.

Earthquake

Last night, shortly after 8 PM, was an exciting time. Felt and heard a short rumble, just long enough for me to have the thought that it was pretty late for a fully loaded log truck to be going by. Then there was a loud bang as the house felt like something had picked it up and then just dropped it. I seriously thought something nearby had exploded. It was a minor (2.3) earthquake centered about 3 miles south of me (basically at the far end of my street - just a couple of "blocks" past the T" . The funny thing is that the report I read said it was in Antrim, but the airport is in Deering. Of course another report said it was near Keene. If they were going to go for being near a larger town/city, Concord is closer (despite what Google Maps says, seriously, Concord is closer by odometer). This is the first map that I downloaded last night from Earthquake Track

These were taken from the USGS after I reported. Notice that there are reports of feeling it all the way into Vermont and MA.

I Have to Upgrade my Reading

Amazon sent me an email last night informing me that my Kindle Fire is going to "expire" at the end of this month. That means, although I can still read off it, I can't download books directly off the net. I knew the thing was old, and have been playing with the idea of getting a newer one, but didn't realize I have had it since 2011 (first generation).

Sure, I could download to my computer, transfer to a memory stick, then transfer to the kindle, but that doesn't work so well when I'm not around my computer (like on a bus going to the Bronx zoo - LOL). I'll have to see if they come up with a good deal, or I can find a refurb (actually I don't think they are expensive at all, so new is probably the way to go). Actually it would be nice to get one that I don't struggle as much to read in the sunlight - and here is my excuse.