The Adventures Of IndeMoJo: October: Summer Wind Down
Well. These are not so much adventures (right now) as they are just rehashings of all the things I’ve been doing around the house since I bought my new home in Independence, MO.
I’ll continue with what I accomplished in October. As the saying goes: “All the news that fits.”
It’s just days away from Christmas 2022, and it will be strange not spending it with my mom, or my family back in NJ. Christmas & New Years now, will forever be tied with my Mom passing away. I lived with my mom for three years before she passed away January 3, 2022 at the age of 94. So it has not been that long, & is still pretty fresh in my mind & my heart.
But without her passing I wouldn’t have my new home, or even the opportunity to own a home again. It’s bitter & it’s sweet.
And with that … here are the further “adventures” of IndeMoJo.
#joProjects: The Hill At Sunset
Well … it’s finally done! Cleared, cardboarded, and mulched. Ordered 8 cubic yards more to finish the entire thing. Of course I have mulch left over. But that’s okay.
Just loved the way the sun was hitting the tree and its fall colors—just starting to turn. Is it really fall???
I had more plans to plant, but I returned them & got my money back. I’m done with planting for this (my first) season in my new home. Though a couple more hydrangeas might happen. The back hill looks so empty. 😝
#gardening #mulch #hydrangea #sunset #fallcolors
I was thinking maybe welded wire fence and posts, then grow climbing plants, morning glories, roses, etc. We’ll see how it develops. Fence will also keep the neighbor’s dogs off MY hill. lol
Also found out that half of the hill is not mine & belongs to the other house. D’oh! But in 8 years, if I take care of it, it’s mine. Or so I’m told. Some squatter’s law. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Either way … it improves curb appeal & property value for us both. And the owner is okay with what I’ve done. 👍
Happy 95th Birthday, Mom … and your 1st in heaven. Thinking of you & missing you on your special day. Hope you are having a heavenly celebration with Dad, Nettie & Milan, Joe & Ann, and all the rest of your forever friends, and family. Sure wish you were here to celebrate with your earthly family & friends. But either way … we all still love you! ❤️💔❤️💔
So with Fall falling & temps dropping, time to move things indoors.
I started with shopvaccing the entire basement. There was still residual dust from the main beam replacement, mixed with fiberglass dust, and other assorted detritus.
Once that was done I moved all the boxes that were on the floor to the cement shelf above. Gained a lot of floor space! 👍
I then bought a shelving unit assembled & filled it.
I also moved all my garden tools into the basement as well. Kind of mind boggling to see them all in one place.
I also used my new saw horses to set up a nice little work table, using a spare HEAVY wood door as the top. 👍
It’s nice to see the whole place so cleaned and organized, on top of how the joist insulation, netting, pipe & HVAC insulation wrapping looks. Awesome!
Still moving things in … but you get the idea. 😃
#basement #tools #shelvingunit #shelving #storage #fallcleanup #fallcleaning
“Citrobot” by Trevor Toney also gave me chills unwrapping it and taking it out of its shipping box. That’s a very rare thing! 👍😎👍
Now Citrobot is chillin’ with Modern Man waiting for the appropriate place to be hung. Wherever it goes I want to be able to see it all the time!
Um …. can you tell … ME LIKEY!!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
#art #midcenturymodern #wood #woodart #modernart #awesomeness #respect #talent #Citrobot @Trevor Toney Furniture @Kristen Kieffer @Kristen Kieffer Ceramics
Took down all the worthless plastic gutters. On the sides of the house. Only place they were. Of course the facia boards were not painted.
I painted all the facia around the entire house, while also doing minor wood anchoring in places needing it.
I’m ready for new gutters & downspouts around the entire place on Tuesday. Awesomeness!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
#aluminumgutters #newhome #newhomeowner #faciaboard #painting #exterior
Next big item: new cement drive & sidewalks. After that I’m tapped … and done for quite some time. Big ticket item-wise. lol
But I like how it’s shaping up. And with the place being newly insulated and made air tight, it’s mighty cozy now.
Don’t even know the last time I had to paint … probably when we bought our condo in Seattle 14 years ago? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sadly(?) it would not fit anywhere in my new home. It sat in my basement since moving in in May.
After cleaning off the porch at the end of summer & cleaning the basement, I decided to use the chair on my front porch. Great idea! Now I can relax and enjoy the fall weather & my neighborhood. 👍
Win, win! (not so much for the cats 😼😼😼) 😝
#relax #relaxing #enjoying #enjoyinglife #fall #fallweather
It was a brisk day (read: in the 20s) here in IndeMo. The installers got here around 9-ish AM.
They did what they came for. Did a little “creative problem solving”, & did an excellent job installing all the gutters and downspouts.
Letting the days go by, water flowing in brand new gutters …
One more job down … and one or two more to go: driveway/sidewalks & or window replacements.
Oh … and they carted away & cleaned up all the plastic gutters I took down. They even took the satellite dish I took off the roof, because I asked one of the workers in passing. Awesome! 👍
#aluminumgutters. #downspout #newhome #newhomeowner #construction
COVID Pfizer bivalent booster & my high dose flu shot. 💉💪💉
But we do what we can do to keep ourselves & others safe. And I get my flu shot every year.
First time I’ve gotten two together. Now let’s see what my left arm feels like tomorrow. May eat some ibuprofen tonight. 👍
Yes , the mutations and variants are the stuff nightmares are made of . I had Moderna since the first vaccine , through all boosters until last week when they said going with Pfizer would offer even more protection they wanted me to mix vaccine ( for extra goodness ? ), sounded logical , so I did that . I has the super double flu shot again this year , at the same time as the covid vax . My arms were not terribly sore , but I did need a full day of rest . It happens .
I am traveling into some fairly crowded places, bus to Boston , train to Philly during playoffs ,and then there is the gig . . . I trust my n-95 , bzk wipes and the bivalent booster plus the flu shot to help make this safe as possible .
I packed plenty of test kits , and tested negative a couple hours ago . I hate the idea of a new variant , and cases going up – but need to do my work .
New seamless aluminum gutters & downspouts were done the other day.
I decided to install powder coated galvanized steel gutter guards myself.
Went to Lowe’s very early this morning and bought fifty-four 3ft guards. Came home and started installing.
Got both sides and the back of the house completed, before it started raining. Good timing? No?
Plus my left ankle is killing me from climbing up and down the ladder all day in my new 🥾🥾. But I’ve been having problems with it for a while. Just aggravated it more today. It’s the price of admission for the job & old age. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
At least I’ll eliminate having to clean out the gutters all the time. Bonus points!
Next project: digging a trench to connect all the gutter downspouts and my sump pump pipe on the driveway side of the house. It will go from the front of the house to half way into the yard. I’m doing it this way because there is a natural slope from front to back. 👍
I think that’s enough for one Sunday! 🥵🥵🥵
#gutters #guttercovers #gutterguards #gutterguard #gutterguardinstallation #guttercleaning #homeownership #homeowner #project
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathroom … the float valve stops working and the water keeps running—yippee!
Yet another trip to Lowe’s (maybe I should just live there) and back home with a complete “tank innards” replacement package w/ tools included. Awesomeness!!!
Figured if I was going to replace one thing, might a well replace it all. Start fresh. I think that is the motto of my new home—start fresh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Whatever works! 👍😊👍
#toilet #floatvalve #plumbing #homeownerfun #startfresh
Greetings from Asbury Park! Look what came in the mail today!
A little piece of AP in IndeMO!
Made my day!
❤️🌊❤️🌊❤️🌊❤️🌊
The end of a fall day here in #IndeMo. Two piles of leaves. Too late & too tired to bag up. Tomorrow and tomorrow.
Just sitting on the back porch watching the squirrels going about their business & waiting for the sun to set.
Nice ending for a nondescript day. I’m okay with that. ✌️😁✌️
#fall #falldays #leafraking #leaves #sittingontheporch
Yup. I voted this morning. I could not believe how long the line was to vote! It wrapped around the block. I waited over 45 minutes to get to a FVT (Freedom Vote Tablet). I kid you not! That’s what they’re called here in IndeMO.
Luckily I had filled out my sample ballot PDF & used that to guide me through the maze of judges, and ballot issues. The major choices were Democrat or Refascipublican™. No brainer there.
Once that was done I walked around downtown and stopped in a few stores, two home stores & a music store. Ooooow lots o’ pretty guitars & things. I left my wallet in my pocket & just looked. 👍
One thing I didn’t expect… being nervous, bordering on anxious while I stood on line. I caught myself scanning the area for gun toting crazies. This is an open carry state. But I think it was a combination of reasons. It’s a sad & fearful testament to the new normal(?).
Anywho … stepping off my soapbox …
It was a nice fall day & was fun to walk around downtown in it.
Vote early. Vote often. ✌️😁✌️
Thank for the synopsis of voting there .
I was up at 7:00 AM and out in the 37° morning by 8:00 AM—coffee in hand—to finish this damn hill. And finish I did.
At one point I took a break. The sun was so beautiful coming through the trees I just had to record it. It felt so good to be basking in this morning sun & worshiping not only my surroundings, but worshiping in the House of Bruce. I was listening to Bruce live at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ circa 09/19/1978. Together—what a heady brew!
Meanwhile back to reality … I had to pull up all the mulch in this only section that wasn’t cardboarded, haul all that to a pile on the other side of the backyard. Then I cardboarded the entire area & used up all the remaining mulch from this new 8 cu/ft delivery.
It took me several days to get this section done. It was a lot of hard work! Not that I mind. Just the facts, Jack!
And so … the hill is done. I am done. The only thing on my agenda is to get contractors here to quote on driveway, windows, and gutters. I’ll be content to watch others work for a change! 😝
#gardening #garden #mulch #mulching #finishedproject #finishedprojects #flowers #sunrise #joPhotos
OUCH! It’s the biggest job to get done before the first snow.
I’ve started winding down on all the yard work & am cleaning up & putting things away already for winter. Feels good!
I’ll have to figure what to do to occupy my time with no yard work to tackle. 😆
I will also have/make time off for EXCELLENT behavior.😉 I’ve done a LOT of work since moving in May 18th. Wowzer!
Though I might have one more project up my sleeve: I want to put up 5 ft high welded wire fencing, with metal U post supports along the top of the hill to keep the neighbors dogs from trodding through my hill mulch & garden. We’ll see. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Plus I can plant morning glories, climbing roses, and other climbing plants to help block out the house next door. Win win! 👍😃👍